BOBBY KARL WORKS THE ROOM
Chapter 509
Taylor Swift and Mick Jagger in Nashville on Sept. 26. Photo: Getty Images
A lucky few got to attend an intimate private party to celebrate Taylor Swift on Saturday (Sept. 26) backstage at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
A small living-room sized area was tented in the rehearsal hall and furnished with beige couches and cocktail tables. Décor also included glass cases containing some of the pop superstar’s costumes. A photo booth was in one corner.
Taylor’s publicist is Tree Paine. She invited her fellow Recording Academy board members to the soiree. Among those accepting were Daniel Hill, Erika Wollam Nichols & Roger Nichols, Jeff Balding, and LeAnn Phelan.
Trey Fanjoy brought Anastasia Brown as her “date.” Phil Thornton brought Taj Johnson-George, who is not only a member of the Grammy-nominated SWV and a 2009 Survivor competitor, but turns out to be a major Taylor Swift fan. She told Taylor that she follows her religiously on social media.
Lisa Harless brought her niece. Julian King, Lori Badgett and Ben Fowler brought their daughters. For Ben’s 10-year-old, it was her first concert, ever.
Taylor greeted each person individually, easily making small talk, especially with the little girls. She autographed a photo for each attendee, personalizing every one. We also each got a souvenir photo with the pop princess.
She joked with Taj that she thought she could take her on. Taylor may have the height, but my money’s on Taj’s Survivor toughness.
Bart Herbison presented Taylor with five No. 1 plaques from the Nashville Songwriters Association. All of them were for songs from her triumphant, eight-million-selling pop collection 1989.
“C’mon, y’all, Yay for Taylor!” he exhorted. We cheered with pleasure.
“Where’s the camera? Let’s take a picture,” said the delighted star.
“It’s my first pop album, but I took my Nashville songwriting sensibilities into the sessions with me,” she added. “That’s what Nashville taught me.
“Thank you for coming to my show. I know how busy you are. You are people I admire and respect so much. Thank you for wanting to spend your Saturday night with me.”
She served us light refreshments and soft drinks. Then momma Andrea Swift took everyone on a backstage tour of the mammoth production. The kids were completely saucer eyed.
On our way into Taylor’s “homecoming” show, we encountered such other fabulons as Victoria Shaw, Peter Cooper, Brandon Heath and Nashville Recording Academy board president Shannon Sanders.
We walked into a concert atmosphere that was deliriously joyous. The audience at a Taylor Swift show is almost as entertaining as the show, itself, with its costumes, homemade signs, battery-powered holiday lights, tutus, headdresses, cat outfits, Taylor-inspired couture and sparkles everywhere. The crowd is simply adorable.
Here’s another cool thing. Taylor’s songs mean so much to them. They sang along to every single lyric of every single song.
Most of the shows on the 1989 Tour have featured surprise celebrity guests. Saturday night’s included two of the greatest, living legend Mick Jagger and awesome vocal phenom Leona Lewis. Taylor rocked “Satisfaction” with the former and sang a soaring rendition of 2008’s No. 1 pop smash “Bleeding Love” with the latter.
The crowd sang, too, and roared deafeningly as each was announced. Jagger wasn’t a surprise to the “lucky few,” since we’d glimpsed him briefly in a hallway backstage. (Friday’s concert featured appearances by Steven Tyler, Kelsea Ballerini and Alison Krauss). The crowd greeted opening acts Vance Joy and Haim with equal enthusiasm.
“Nashville….you have never looked as beautiful as you do, 15,000-strong, on a Saturday night,” said Taylor to the sold-out audience. “I feel like tonight is going to be the crowd of all crowds. And I really want it to be worth your while.”
The concert mainly consisted of material from 1989. She opened with “Welcome to New York,” for instance. But she also offered a few tunes from her years as a country act – “Fifteen” and “Love Story” – plus “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”
The set pieces were simpler than on the Red Tour. A massive video screen backed the three-tiered stage. Twelve athletic male dancers accompanied most songs.
There were nine costume changes. This was sometimes accomplished because of female-empowerment and self-actualization video testimonials from Taylor buddies such as Lena Dunham and Selena Gomez.
A long, long runway extended almost the entire length of the Bridgestone. It rose 20-feet into the air and then rotated like a propeller blade over the audience. Taylor strutted fearlessly on it, in high heels. I wouldn’t walk that elevated thing on a dare, even in sneakers.
But the coolest effect was the light-up bracelet that was taped to every seat in the house. You put it on, and throughout the show, unseen forces made it change color – white, red, green, pink, blue, turquoise – depending on the mood of the song. This synchronized coordination resulted in the lovely vision of the crowd becoming a celestial galaxy.
“You’ve been so generous to me tonight,” said Taylor, “so welcoming, so open.
“I am having such a good time….Getting to hang out with you for two-and-a-half hours is going to be a memory for me. You make me so happy.
“Nashville, I’m going to ask you to sing one last time with me tonight,” she said before beginning the gloriously synth-throbbing “Out of the Woods.” Confetti rained down on our heads as the song reached its crescendo.
Of course it wasn’t the end. We rocked out to the “Shake It Off” finale as even more tons of confetti descended on our heads from the girders.
If you didn’t have a good time, you had to be made of lead.
Uphoric TV Network: First To Offer Inside Look at Music Festivals
/by Jessica NicholsonMusic fans will soon get a 360-degree look at the global music festival circuit. Uphoric TV, launched by New York-based entertainment marketing company UG Strategies, aims to become the first “television” network dedicated to documenting music festivals across the globe. The network launches with a multi-year contract with Verizon’s mobile television/video platform, Go90, followed by other digital content platforms.
“What ESPN is for sports, we want to be for festivals,” UG Strategies CEO Parag Bhandari tells MusicRow. “We’ve been working with festivals for years, and we began collecting content two years ago.”
Popular Middle Tennessee festivals Bonnaroo and Music City Food+Wine Festival are among the events to be highlighted as part of Uphoric TV’s initial launch. “With the Music City Food+Wine Festival, we featured Kings of Leon. We put a spotlight on the food as well, and talked with the band about music, food, and Nashville.” Other festivals across the globe highlighted by the network thus far include CMJ, the TBD Fest in Sacramento and the Oasis Festival in Marrakech, Morocco.
Among the network’s initial programming: “Industry Profile,” which spotlights publicists, bookers, festival promoters, celebrity chefs, production designers, costume designers, and more in the festival industry; and “Locals Only,” which features local bands in popular festival cities.
Another program, “On The Road,” highlights festival touring. “For example, we followed band The Struts as they traveled between festivals in the UK,” notes Bhandari.
“All Access” offers longer-form artist interviews. “We really try to do something different, like perhaps we will take a band to ride go-karts in Austin, or try local cuisine at a festival in New Orleans and have them talk about music, but also about the local food culture,” he says.
Programming will first be available in the United States only, via Go90, with additional domestic and international distributers and multi-channel networks to be added over the next six-12 months. Verizon plans to launch the service this month with a mix of live programming, web series and original content.
“The social television, mobile television, Hulu/Netflix model is where we feel the demographic is headed,” says Bhandari, “and we wanted to go with a linear route that allows us to expand.”
Songwriters Announced For The ASCAP GPS Project Live
/by Troy_StephensonThe American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) has announced the line-up of songwriters that will make up the ASCAP Guidance from Publishers for Songwriters (GPS) Project LIVE at The Basement on Monday, Sept. 28, beginning at 5 p.m.
Now in its fifth year, the GPS Project aims to display unsigned writers to the Nashville publishing community. Throughout the project, songwriters are paired with publishers for one meeting a month along with a follow-up for critiquing and networking. Additional special activities this year have included a songwriters camp and various networking opportunities.
“We have to remain focused on writer development,” commented ASCAP Associate Director Evyn Mustoe and ASCAP Director Robert Filhart. “GPS gives deserving unsigned writers an opportunity to learn from the best publishers in Nashville, and this show will give every publisher the opportunity to see and hear most of the writers from the current GPS class.”
The 2015 ASCAP GPS Project kicked off in January and will continue through the end of the year.
New West Records GM Ruthig Exits
/by Jessica NicholsonMichael Ruthig
New West Records General Manager Michael Ruthig has exited the label in order to begin Ruthig Consulting.
Bobby Karl Works The Room: Taylor Swift Takes Nashville
/by Bobby KarlBOBBY KARL WORKS THE ROOM
Chapter 509
Taylor Swift and Mick Jagger in Nashville on Sept. 26. Photo: Getty Images
A lucky few got to attend an intimate private party to celebrate Taylor Swift on Saturday (Sept. 26) backstage at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
A small living-room sized area was tented in the rehearsal hall and furnished with beige couches and cocktail tables. Décor also included glass cases containing some of the pop superstar’s costumes. A photo booth was in one corner.
Taylor’s publicist is Tree Paine. She invited her fellow Recording Academy board members to the soiree. Among those accepting were Daniel Hill, Erika Wollam Nichols & Roger Nichols, Jeff Balding, and LeAnn Phelan.
Trey Fanjoy brought Anastasia Brown as her “date.” Phil Thornton brought Taj Johnson-George, who is not only a member of the Grammy-nominated SWV and a 2009 Survivor competitor, but turns out to be a major Taylor Swift fan. She told Taylor that she follows her religiously on social media.
Lisa Harless brought her niece. Julian King, Lori Badgett and Ben Fowler brought their daughters. For Ben’s 10-year-old, it was her first concert, ever.
Taylor greeted each person individually, easily making small talk, especially with the little girls. She autographed a photo for each attendee, personalizing every one. We also each got a souvenir photo with the pop princess.
She joked with Taj that she thought she could take her on. Taylor may have the height, but my money’s on Taj’s Survivor toughness.
Bart Herbison presented Taylor with five No. 1 plaques from the Nashville Songwriters Association. All of them were for songs from her triumphant, eight-million-selling pop collection 1989.
“C’mon, y’all, Yay for Taylor!” he exhorted. We cheered with pleasure.
“Where’s the camera? Let’s take a picture,” said the delighted star.
“It’s my first pop album, but I took my Nashville songwriting sensibilities into the sessions with me,” she added. “That’s what Nashville taught me.
“Thank you for coming to my show. I know how busy you are. You are people I admire and respect so much. Thank you for wanting to spend your Saturday night with me.”
She served us light refreshments and soft drinks. Then momma Andrea Swift took everyone on a backstage tour of the mammoth production. The kids were completely saucer eyed.
On our way into Taylor’s “homecoming” show, we encountered such other fabulons as Victoria Shaw, Peter Cooper, Brandon Heath and Nashville Recording Academy board president Shannon Sanders.
We walked into a concert atmosphere that was deliriously joyous. The audience at a Taylor Swift show is almost as entertaining as the show, itself, with its costumes, homemade signs, battery-powered holiday lights, tutus, headdresses, cat outfits, Taylor-inspired couture and sparkles everywhere. The crowd is simply adorable.
Here’s another cool thing. Taylor’s songs mean so much to them. They sang along to every single lyric of every single song.
Most of the shows on the 1989 Tour have featured surprise celebrity guests. Saturday night’s included two of the greatest, living legend Mick Jagger and awesome vocal phenom Leona Lewis. Taylor rocked “Satisfaction” with the former and sang a soaring rendition of 2008’s No. 1 pop smash “Bleeding Love” with the latter.
The crowd sang, too, and roared deafeningly as each was announced. Jagger wasn’t a surprise to the “lucky few,” since we’d glimpsed him briefly in a hallway backstage. (Friday’s concert featured appearances by Steven Tyler, Kelsea Ballerini and Alison Krauss). The crowd greeted opening acts Vance Joy and Haim with equal enthusiasm.
“Nashville….you have never looked as beautiful as you do, 15,000-strong, on a Saturday night,” said Taylor to the sold-out audience. “I feel like tonight is going to be the crowd of all crowds. And I really want it to be worth your while.”
The concert mainly consisted of material from 1989. She opened with “Welcome to New York,” for instance. But she also offered a few tunes from her years as a country act – “Fifteen” and “Love Story” – plus “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”
The set pieces were simpler than on the Red Tour. A massive video screen backed the three-tiered stage. Twelve athletic male dancers accompanied most songs.
There were nine costume changes. This was sometimes accomplished because of female-empowerment and self-actualization video testimonials from Taylor buddies such as Lena Dunham and Selena Gomez.
A long, long runway extended almost the entire length of the Bridgestone. It rose 20-feet into the air and then rotated like a propeller blade over the audience. Taylor strutted fearlessly on it, in high heels. I wouldn’t walk that elevated thing on a dare, even in sneakers.
But the coolest effect was the light-up bracelet that was taped to every seat in the house. You put it on, and throughout the show, unseen forces made it change color – white, red, green, pink, blue, turquoise – depending on the mood of the song. This synchronized coordination resulted in the lovely vision of the crowd becoming a celestial galaxy.
“You’ve been so generous to me tonight,” said Taylor, “so welcoming, so open.
“I am having such a good time….Getting to hang out with you for two-and-a-half hours is going to be a memory for me. You make me so happy.
“Nashville, I’m going to ask you to sing one last time with me tonight,” she said before beginning the gloriously synth-throbbing “Out of the Woods.” Confetti rained down on our heads as the song reached its crescendo.
Of course it wasn’t the end. We rocked out to the “Shake It Off” finale as even more tons of confetti descended on our heads from the girders.
If you didn’t have a good time, you had to be made of lead.
LifeNotes: Eddie Montgomery Loses Son
/by Jessica NicholsonEddie Montgomery
MusicRow extends its condolences to Montgomery Gentry member Eddie Montgomery and his family. Montgomery lost his son Hunter today (Sept. 27) after an accident that left the 19-year-old on life support in a Kentucky hospital.
“My son Hunter went to heaven today,” said Montgomery. “I appreciate all your prayers and love and thank you for giving us privacy as we grieve and say goodbye.”
Funeral arrangements are pending.
MusicRowPics: Bluegrass Master Ron Block Debuts Solo Instrumental Project
/by Jessica NicholsonRon Block
Banjo and guitar maestro Ron Block showcased songs from his first instrumental bluegrass project, Hogan’s House of Music, during a visit to the MusicRow offices.
The 16-track collection includes collaborations with numerous top shelf musicians including his Union Station bandmates Barry Bales, Alison Krauss, Dan Tyminski, and Jerry Douglas, along with Stuart Duncan, Sierra Hull, Adam Steffey, Sam Bush, Tim Crouch, Rob Ickes, Clay Hess, Mark Fain, Byron House, Lynn Williams, and Jeff Taylor.
In addition to original compositions, the project includes fresh remakes of bluegrass classics including the Stanley Brothers’ “Clinch Mountain Backstep,” Flatt and Scruggs’ “Lonesome Road Blues,” “You Are My Sunshine,” and “Seneca Square Dance.”
“It starts with listening,” he said of creating original instrumentals. “For one song, I listened to a lot of old Carter family stuff, because I wanted a certain feel for the song. You start off with a general idea, and as things start to get more specific, you follow a certain trail and begin to carve away what isn’t the tune.”
At 13, Block became immersed in traditional bluegrass for about five years. At age 18, he fell in love with rock ‘n’ roll while working at his father’s record store, which led to the purchase of a Les Paul. Those rock influences showed during a live performance of “Clinch Mountain Backstep,” as he noted that he will sometimes play the banjo frets similar to a rock guitar manner, and oftentimes employs a fingerpicking style on electric guitar.
“We’ve all played that Ralph Stanley tune a million times with other people,” said Sierra Hull, who accompanied Block during the performance. “It’s part of that common body of knowledge that all bluegrass musicians have,” she said of improvising melodies for the project. “So when he brings an original song, it’s still within the vein of a familiar bluegrass style, that we kind of speak that language, so he can trust that the musicians he’s hired can play melodies over that particular set of chord changes.”
During his career, Block has collected 14 Grammys, multiple IBMA Awards, a CMA Award, and a Dove Award.
Hogan’s House of Music was produced by Block and recorded at Southern Ground Studios in Nashville. It is available on iTunes, amazon.com, and ronblock.com.
MusicRow staffers welcome Ron Block.
Suit Music Management Scouts First Signee
/by Eric T. ParkerSuit Music management founders. Pictured (L-R): Andrew Cohen, Jarrod Holley, Aaron Trevethan
Young Entertainment Professionals’ (YEP) founder/executive director, Andrew Cohen, has launched Suit Music management with his board member Jarrod Holley. The newly formed company has launched with Los Angeles-based investing partner, venture capitalist Aaron Trevethan.
The entrepreneurs are making the label, agency and publisher rounds taking meetings about talent and will announce their first signing in the near future.
“Being involved with a new music venture is something I’ve aspired to do for a while now,” said Trevethan. “As soon as Andrew and Jarrod approached me with the idea, I knew this was the team to do it with.”
Cohen, formerly of I.R.S. Nashville and Crush Management, has been mentored by industry stalwart John Grady throughout that time promoting Ashley Monroe, Striking Matches and Kristen Kelly.
Prior to moving to Nashville, Holley ran The Invasion Agency, his own regional booking agency in Ohio. In a merchandise capacity, he works with Eli Young Band and has offered tour management services for Frankie Ballard, Eric Hutchinson, Canaan Smith, and Sean McConnell.
YEP now boasts over 11,000 affiliates with a board of directors including publisher Beth Laird (Creative Nation), Mark Brown (Roundhill Music), Grady, Sara Knabe (BMG), Mark Montgomery (Flo/Co), and Holly Bell (Growth and Process Specialists Consulting).
Cohen can be reached at andrew@suitmusicmgmt.com.
Holley can be reached at jarrod@suitmusicmgmt.com.
Trevethan can be reached at aaron@suitmusicmgmt.com.
Industry Ink: Absolute Publicity, Dan Hodges Music, Judy McDonough, Sony Music Nashville
/by Jessica NicholsonKay Waggoner Joins Absolute Publicity
Kay Waggoner
Veteran publicist and former television news producer Kay Waggoner has joined Absolute Publicity as a Senior Publicist.
Waggoner will assist in handling media efforts for clients including Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers, The Marshall Tucker Band, Restless Heart, Pam Tillis, Ray Stevens, and James Robert Webb.
Waggoner can be reached at 615-305-6745 or at kay@absolutepublicity.com.
Dan Hodges Music Inks Deal With The Rukkus Room
Pictured (L-R): Dan Hodges(Owner, DHM), Susan Hodges (VP Administration, DHM Administration), Jamie Tate (Owner, Rukkus Room) and Adam Wood (Songwriter, Rukkus Room)
The Rukkus Room has inked a worldwide copyright and royalty administration agreement with Dan Hodges Music. The Rukkus Room is owned and operated by Jamie Tate and studio manager Joe Nino-Hernes. Studio credits including projects for Thomas Rhett, Justin Moore, Alan Jackson, Sheryl Crow, Taylor Swift and more.
DHM will administer publishing interests for existing Rukkus Room catalogs, owner Jamie Tate and current staff songwriter, Adam Wood. Rukkus Room and DHM will collaborate to meeting varying needs of both companies.
McDonough Joins W Publishing Group
Judy McDonough
W Publishing Group has hired veteran publicist Judy McDonough as Director of Publicity. She started in her new role Sept. 15.
“I am personally thrilled that Judy has agreed to join our team at W Publishing,” said Matt Baugher, SVP and W Publishing Group publisher. “She has much to offer through her vast network of contacts, her fresh thinking, and her deep desire to work with life-changing content. Our authors are going to love working with her and they are going to discover a person who is both strategic and persistent in obtaining relevant coverage for each product. We are fortunate to have some of the most talented people in the industry working here at Thomas Nelson. Judy McDonough is an ideal fit.”
Prior to her work with W Publishing, McDonough ran independent PR firm JEMMedia for seven years. Before JEMMedia, she was a publicist at Capitol Nashville, working with Keith Urban, Eric Church, Lady Antebellum, Garth Brooks, Darius Rucker, and more.
W Publishing Group is a non-fiction imprint of Thomas Nelson.
Sony Music Nashville’s Westbrook Welcomes Daughter
Ivy Elizabeth Hetrick
Sony Music Nashville Marketing Director Sarah Westbrook and her husband welcomed daughter Ivy Elizabeth Hetrick on Thursday, Sept. 24.
The baby weighed 7 lbs, 13 oz. Congratulations can be sent to sarah.westbrook@sonymusic.com.
Chris Janson Reveals Debut Album Cover And Track Listing
/by Troy_StephensonAll 11 tracks are co-written by Janson.
The album includes “Messin’ With Jesus,” a duet with superstar Tim McGraw, who recently brought Janson onstage last month during a concert in Nashville.
Buy Me A Boat is co-produced by Janson along with Brent Anderson, Chris DuBois and Byron Gallimore.
Buy Me a Boat track list:
1 Buy Me A Boat (Chris Janson / Chris DuBois)
2 Power Of Positive Drinkin’ (Chris Janson / Mark Irwin / Chris DuBois)
3 Under The Sun (Chris Janson / Casey Beathard / Ed Hill)
4 Holdin’ Her (Chris Janson / James Otto)
5 Messin’ With Jesus (with Tim McGraw) (Chris Janson / Pavel Dovgalyuk / Kelly Roland)
6 Right In The Middle (Chris Janson / Justin Wilson / Brandon Kinney)
7 Save A Little Sugar (Chris Janson / Chris DuBois / Jim Beavers)
8 Back In My Drinkin’ Days (Chris Janson / Ken Johnson)
9 Where You Come In (Chris Janson / Ed Hill)
10 Yeah It Is (Chris Janson / Kenneth Wright)
11 White Trash (Chris Janson / Casey Beathard)
Kacey Musgraves’ Rhinestone Revue Lights Up The Ryman
/by Sherod RobertsonKacey Musgraves performs at the Ryman (Sept. 24, 2015) on”The Kacey Musgraves Country & Western Rhinestone Revue” tour.
The Kacey Musgraves Country & Western Rhinestone Revue delighted fans last night (Sept. 24) during the second show of a two-night stand at Nashville’s iconic Ryman Auditorium.
Opening band Sugar & The Hi-Lows left the audience in a lively mood for Musgraves, who opened with the title track of her latest album Pageant Material, garnering thunderous applause from the sold-out crowd.
With a sparkling backdrop behind her and a large disco ball above, Musgraves quickly segued into other tunes pulling from both her latest release and her debut album Same Trailer Different Park.
She peppered the set with a few cover songs including a cool rhythmic rendition of TLC‘s “No Scrubs” and Miranda Lambert‘s “Mama’s Broken Heart,” which Musgraves co-wrote with Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally.
After her performance of “Dime Store Cowgirl,” a huge group of excited fans swarmed to the front of the stage. It even caught the songstress by surprise and she welcomed the enthusiastic throng, before continuing with several more tunes. When her stellar band took a break, she sang a well-received acoustic version of “Merry Go ‘Round.”
After a quick costume change, Musgraves was back on stage performing “High Time” and “Blowin’ Smoke.” She received a standing ovation as soon as she started the first line of “Follow Your Arrow,” and fans thoroughly enjoyed having a sing-along.
Next up, Musgraves performed Nancy Sinatra‘s sassy “These Boots Are Made For Walkin.'” She ended the fun night with an a cappella version of “Happy Trails,” the tune made famous by being used during the end credits of the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans TV shows.
That was our cue to giddy up and go.
Kacey Musgraves lights up the Ryman stage.
Kacey Musgraves, the Dime Store Cowgirl.