The Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) has announced the selections for the Gibson Music Documentaries for the 46th Nashville Film Festival, slated for April 16 – 25 at Regal Green Hills Cinema.
“These music documentaries bring music lovers surprising stories they have never heard. This is a remarkable collection of world, southeast and Tennessee premieres, that cross many music genres,” said Brian Owens, NaFF Artistic Director. “There is truly something for everyone—from blues, country, and gospel to disco and rock.”
Details at www.nashvillefilmfestival.org.
Here’s the list:
• Austin to Boston, Featuring Mumford & Sons’ Ben Lovett and narrated by Gill Landry this documentary is about a modern tour, done the old-fashioned way.
• Buskin’ Blues, About Asheville, N.C. street musicians.
• Country: Portraits of an American Sound, The history and culture of country music through the lens of the photographers Les Leverett, Leigh Weiner, Henry Horenstein, Henry Diltz, Raeanne Rubenstein, David McAlister and Michael Wilson. Cast: Rosanne Cash, Roy Clark, Merle Haggard, Lyle Lovett, Charley Pride, LeAnn Rimes, Kenny Rogers, Tanya Tucker, The Band Perry, Keith Urban. World Premiere.
• Heartworn Highways Revisited, A new community of singer-songwriters whose work is heavily influenced by the “Outlaw” artists presented in the 1976 documentary Heartworn Highways. Cast: David Allan Coe, Guy Clark, Bobby Bare Jr. Shelly Colvin, Andrew Combs.
• How Sweet the Sound – The Blind Boys of Alabama, Filmed over the course of 10 years. World Premiere.
• Imba Means Sing, About the Grammy-nominated African Children’s Choir.
• Made in Japan, The story of Tomi Fujiyama, the world’s first Japanese country music superstar.
• My Voice, My Life, A group of under-privileged students undergo six months of vigorous training to produce their first stage musical.
• Orion: The Man Who Would Be King, About Jimmy Ellis, who masqueraded as Elvis back from the grave in a scheme concocted in the months after Presley’s death.
• The Record Man, Henry Stone catapulted the Miami sound into the mainstream with TK Records (KC and the Sunshine Band’s “Get Down Tonight,” Anita Ward’s “Ring My Bell”).
• Revival: The Sam Bush Story. Cast: Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Chris Thile, The Avett Brothers, Bela Fleck, Del McCoury, Ricky Skaggs, John Oates. World Premiere.
• Sweet Micky for President, Pras Michel of the Fugees, returns to his homeland of Haiti to mobilize a presidential campaign for Haiti’s most controversial musician: Michel Martelly (aka Sweet Micky). Cast: Pras Michel, Michel Martelly, Wyclef Jean, Ben Stiller
Lee Ann Womack Has ‘Trouble In Mind’ For Record Store Day
/by Jessica NicholsonWomack then teamed with Richard Bennett (Mark Knopfler/Steve Earle), who brought in several vintage guitars. The duo recorded several tunes in one afternoon, and picked three for Trouble In Mind.
“I think independent record stores are so important,” Womack says. “It’s the last temple of music you can take home… A place where people come looking for the rare, for the special or even just the record they have to buy one more time. But I love the idea of people selling records, talking about what’s on them, getting turned on to cool music. I wanted to be part of Record Store Day last year, but we couldn’t get it together in time. So this year, we started early. I got to have Richard Bennett, who is one of those musicians who can get so much heart and tone out of his guitars, come to the house. It was just the two of us, and it was awesome!”
The three songs are the blues classic “Trouble in Mind,” Roger Miller’s semi-obscure “Where Have All The Average People Gone?” and Ralph Stanley’s bluegrass gospel song “I’ve Just Seen The Rock of Ages.” The project is engineered by Chuck Ainlay and mastered by Paul Hamann at Suma Recording Studio.
Trouble In Mind is just the latest in a string of interesting collaborations Womack has taken part in during recent months. She co-hosted the International Bluegrass Music Awards with bluegrass stalwart Jerry Douglas, participated in a CMT Crossroads taping with John Legend, recorded with Ralph Stanley, and more.
[Updated]: LifeNotes: ‘Billboard’s’ Wade Jessen Passes
/by Sarah SkatesBillboard Sr. Chart Manager, Nashville, Wade Ray Jessen passed away unexpectedly this morning, March 5, 2015. He was 53 and suffered a massive heart attack.
With the publication since 1994, Jessen managed the Music City operations, and oversaw all radio and retail charts for bluegrass, Christian, country and gospel. He also represented those charts to the global press community and provided weekly chart analysis on multiple delivery platforms.
He was a well-liked and respected member of the Nashville music community for more than 20 years. He was a former ACM Board member, and was active with the CMA, GMA, IBMA, Leadership Music, SGMA and The Recording Academy.
Jessen was also a SiriusXM radio host on the Willie’s Roadhouse channel. A self-described “country music nerd,” he had extensive knowledge of music history and took particular interest in classic country, antique radios, phonographs, and microphones.
A helpful friend to fellow media, Jessen annually assisted MusicRow in compiling data to tabulate the publication’s Top 10 All-Star Musician Awards.
He was born Nov. 15, 1961 in Roosevelt, Utah. Jessen’s first job in radio was at age 16, as an on-air personality at KNEU/Roosevelt. He later moved to KSOP/Salt Lake City and then to WSM-AM/Nashville, where he was named Billboard’s medium market music director of the year in 1994.
With widely varying interests, Jessen also studied rural, farming, and ranching issues. He enjoyed good wine, cooking, furniture and china.
He was preceded in death by parents Robert Gary Jessen and Rosalee Brown Jessen of Utah. He is survived by spouse Corey Jones.
Funeral arrangements are as follows:
Visitation from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 8, 2015 with the family receiving guests from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Spring Hill Funeral Home, 5110 Gallatin Pike, Nashville, Tenn.
Visitation at 11 a.m. Monday, March 9, 2015 with Mass at 12 noon at the St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 1700 Heiman Street, Nashville, Tenn.
There will be a viewing at the Jessen Family home in Utah Friday, March 13, 2015 from 4-8 pm. Graveside services and interment at the Mt. Home-Boneta Cemetery, Mt. Home, Utah Saturday, March 14, 2015 at 11 am. Arrangements entrusted to Spring Hill Funeral Home and Cemetery, 5110 Gallatin Road, Nashville, TN 37216. Click here for additional details.
Weekly Chart Report (3/6/15)
/by Troy_StephensonClick here or above to access MusicRow‘s weekly CountryBreakout Report
Gorley, Brown, Child Slated For ASCAP’s “I Create Music” Expo
/by Jessica NicholsonThe expo is now in its 10th year, and offers three days of panels and discussions centering around the art and business aspects of songwriting, producing and composing, as well as an array of performances from artists and songwriters.
Among the writers scheduled to take part in the expo this year are Ashley Gorley (Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley), Darrell Brown (LeAnn Rimes, Keith Urban), Desmond Child, Bill Withers, Kevin Cronin (REO Speedwagon), Lou Gramm (Foreigner), Savan Kotecha (Ariana Grande, Jessie J, One Direction), Greg Kurstin (Kelly Clarkson, Ellie Goulding), and more. Gorley will take part in The Writers Jam with Andrew Bird, Aloe Blacc, and others. Brown will participate in a live multi-genre song feedback workshop series.
“The ASCAP ‘I Create Music’ EXPO has become one of our signature events and for good reason,” said ASCAP President Paul Williams. “The chance to meet and learn from others who share the enthusiasm for our craft is immensely valuable, especially when you’re in the early stages of your career. This is something ASCAP excels at, and with EXPO we’re gratified that we can provide the opportunity for music creators of all levels and genres to come together for this incredibly rewarding experience.”
Williams will participate in a conference panel on Saturday, May 2, that will focus on legislative issues affecting songwriters. Joining Williams will be songwriter/artist Aloe Blacc, ASCAP CEO Beth Matthews, and co-sponsors of the Songwriter Equity Act, Congressmen Doug Collins and Hakeem Jeffries.
Nashville Film Festival’s Music Line-Up Revealed
/by Sarah SkatesThe Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) has announced the selections for the Gibson Music Documentaries for the 46th Nashville Film Festival, slated for April 16 – 25 at Regal Green Hills Cinema.
“These music documentaries bring music lovers surprising stories they have never heard. This is a remarkable collection of world, southeast and Tennessee premieres, that cross many music genres,” said Brian Owens, NaFF Artistic Director. “There is truly something for everyone—from blues, country, and gospel to disco and rock.”
Details at www.nashvillefilmfestival.org.
Here’s the list:
• Austin to Boston, Featuring Mumford & Sons’ Ben Lovett and narrated by Gill Landry this documentary is about a modern tour, done the old-fashioned way.
• Buskin’ Blues, About Asheville, N.C. street musicians.
• Country: Portraits of an American Sound, The history and culture of country music through the lens of the photographers Les Leverett, Leigh Weiner, Henry Horenstein, Henry Diltz, Raeanne Rubenstein, David McAlister and Michael Wilson. Cast: Rosanne Cash, Roy Clark, Merle Haggard, Lyle Lovett, Charley Pride, LeAnn Rimes, Kenny Rogers, Tanya Tucker, The Band Perry, Keith Urban. World Premiere.
• Heartworn Highways Revisited, A new community of singer-songwriters whose work is heavily influenced by the “Outlaw” artists presented in the 1976 documentary Heartworn Highways. Cast: David Allan Coe, Guy Clark, Bobby Bare Jr. Shelly Colvin, Andrew Combs.
• How Sweet the Sound – The Blind Boys of Alabama, Filmed over the course of 10 years. World Premiere.
• Imba Means Sing, About the Grammy-nominated African Children’s Choir.
• Made in Japan, The story of Tomi Fujiyama, the world’s first Japanese country music superstar.
• My Voice, My Life, A group of under-privileged students undergo six months of vigorous training to produce their first stage musical.
• Orion: The Man Who Would Be King, About Jimmy Ellis, who masqueraded as Elvis back from the grave in a scheme concocted in the months after Presley’s death.
• The Record Man, Henry Stone catapulted the Miami sound into the mainstream with TK Records (KC and the Sunshine Band’s “Get Down Tonight,” Anita Ward’s “Ring My Bell”).
• Revival: The Sam Bush Story. Cast: Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Chris Thile, The Avett Brothers, Bela Fleck, Del McCoury, Ricky Skaggs, John Oates. World Premiere.
• Sweet Micky for President, Pras Michel of the Fugees, returns to his homeland of Haiti to mobilize a presidential campaign for Haiti’s most controversial musician: Michel Martelly (aka Sweet Micky). Cast: Pras Michel, Michel Martelly, Wyclef Jean, Ben Stiller
Striking Matches Light Fuse On Album Launch
/by Sarah SkatesStriking Matches, the guitar-slinging duo comprised of Sarah Zimmermann and Justin Davis, will release debut album Nothing But The Silence on March 24. The band teamed up with legendary producer T Bone Burnett for the project, which will be released via I.R.S. Nashville.
Lead single “Hanging On a Lie,” goes for adds at country radio March 16.
Striking Matches are returning to this year’s C2C Festival in London at the O2 Arena on March 7 and 8, as well as a performance at the CMA Songwriters Series Show at Indigo2 on March 6.
The duo has penned eight songs that were featured on ABC’s Nashville, including “When the Right One Comes Along” and “Hanging On A Lie,” making them one of the most synced artists on the series. This helped attract an international fan base, which led to sold out shows at The Borderline in London last year.
“The fact that we are releasing our debut album in itself is a dream come true,” said Zimmermann. “I have to pinch myself every time I tell someone that one of our all-time biggest heroes, T Bone Burnett, produced our record. Just to be in the same room with him is an honor, let alone working in the studio with him.”
“We’ve waited all of our lives to get here…the beginning,” said Davis. “Working with T Bone, releasing our first record, and the freedom to play as musicians on our debut have all been attributes to this project that made all the work and waiting a very worthy price of admission.”
While in New York City last week to perform in front of a sold-out crowd at Joe’s Pub, Striking Matches stopped by People Magazine to perform “Hanging On a Lie.” See it on People.com.
DISClaimer: Dreamers & Singers
/by Robert K OermannYoung RaeLynn wins our Disc of the Day prize. Heaven knows, we need more solo females in this format. Native Texan Darwin Macon bursts on the scene with one of the finest singles in this stack of platters. And it is, hands down, the best song of the day. Give that man a DisCovery Award.
GREG SHIRLEY/The Good Drugs
Writers: Chris Wallin/Dave Gibson; Producers: T.W. Cargile/Greg Shirley; Publishers: Ole Red Cape/29 Cent Hamburger/ASCAP; Garage Door
-Alabama’s Greg Shirley was one of the dozens of new artists showcasing during CRS last week. His ballad is tastefully produced, sung with country authority and carries a cautionary message from an old man to a youngster. Recommended.
RAELYNN/For A Boy
Writers: RaeLynn/Laura Veltz; Producer: Joey Moi; Publishers: Super Big/I Take the Bull By the Horns/Big Machine/Prescription/Kobalt/Warner-Tamerlane/Oh Denise, ASCAP/BMI; Valory Music
-Catchy and youthful. Accompanied by a bouncing, beefy track, she’s urging a guy to go ahead and make a move.
EILEEN CAREY/Sweet Love
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publishers: none listed; RolleyCstr
-Thin sounding. The band is spare, and her singing is pretty lightweight.
MITCH GOUDY/My Girl’s Hand
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publishers: none listed; Third Floor
-He kinda mumbles and meanders in the heartbroken verses. He opens up vocally in the choruses, finally getting to the point: “He’s holding my girl’s hand.”
Writers: Bobby Terry/Jason Sellers; Producer: Jason Rooks; Publishers: none listed; Macon Bacon
-This wins points for the title, alone. The singer is solidly country and the production jangles admirably. And you can’t beat a lyric like this: “One more to remember, one more to forget, one more for the road that I can’t seem to go down yet.” A winner.
ADRIAN JOHNSTON/Avalanche
Writers: Heather Morgan/Zac Maloy; Producer: none listed; Publishers: Sony-ATV/Warner Chappell, no performance rights listed; AJ
-The intent is rock ‘em, sock ‘em. I wasn’t convinced.
ERNIE OLDFIELD/Seven Days
Writers: Peter Jordan; Producer: none listed; Publishers: none listed; World International
-I sort of like the drum-machine, Euro-pop production mixed with the on-the-road, sing-songy country tune. Ear grabbing.
POOR J. BROWN/Daddy’s Son
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publishers: none listed; PJB
-This is the debut single from a six-piece Texas band. Vocally and instrumentally, they sound like they have the goods. The song, however, has almost no melody whatsoever.
HEATHER DICKSON/Eventually
Writers: Terri Sharp; Producer: Rick Durrett; Publishers: Bocephus/Paradise Cove, BMI; Heartshake (track)
-The singer is from Scotland. The songwriter is from Texas. The producer is from Nashville. They all seem talented, but the sum of their efforts just lays there lifeless.
MOONLIGHT SOCIAL/Heading South
Writers: Jeremy Burchard/Jennica Scott; Producers: Matt Noveskey/Jeremy Burchard; Publisher: none listed; MS
-This is male-female duo. She sings with striking, full-throated volume, and he wails harmony with equal force. The track burns with fiery energy. The only drawback is that the song’s title is buried. Send more. I am definitely intrigued.
Webster Public Relations Adds Three To Artist Roster
/by Jessica NicholsonJohn Berry
Webster Public Relations has signed three veteran performers to its roster for public relations representation. John Berry, Roy Clark, and John Conlee have signed on as the company’s newest clients.
Berry’s radio hits include the chart-topper “Your Love Amazes Me,” as well as hits “Kiss Me In The Car,” “She’s Taken a Shine,” and “Standing On The Edge of Goodbye.”
Berry will soon be releasing a new book entitled Songs and Stories, which will take fans inside the scenes of some of his biggest hits.
Roy Clark
Clark initially found success in the 1960s and 1970s, with songs such as “The Tips Of My Fingers,” and guest appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and The Beverly Hillbillies. In 1969, he teamed with Buck Owens to host the CBS series Hee Haw. Hits including “Come Live With Me” and “Honeymoon Feelin'” followed.
He earned the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year trophy in 1973. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2009.
Conlee began his music career in radio at Nashville’s WLAC-AM in the 1970s. He notched his first hit in 1978 with “Rose Colored Glasses,” followed by “Miss Emily’s Picture,” “Common Man,” “Mama’s Rockin’ Chair,” “Old School,” and more.
John Conlee
He will soon release the sophomore edition of his Classics CD.
Kirt Webster exclaimed, “The Webster brand has always stood for excellence and honor, and how do you get more so than this trio of artists?”
ACM’s Party For A Cause Festival Coming to CBS Television
/by Jessica NicholsonArtists including Dierks Bentley, Clint Black, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Sam Hunt, Miranda Lambert, Patty Loveless, Ronnie Milsap, Darius Rucker, Dwight Yoakam, Alabama, Eli Young Band, Florida Georgia Line are already set to take part, with more artists yet to be announced. ACM’s Party For A Cause Festival will begin at 12:00 p.m. on April 17-18, with music from multiple stages, a marketplace with food trucks and vendors, interactive events, and more, leading up to the 50th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, which will be broadcast live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Sunday, April 19 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS Television Network.
“For the Academy’s milestone anniversary, we wanted more fans than ever to join us in our party and we thought it was a perfect fit to combine the ACM Party for A Cause Festival and our annual CBS special into one historic event,” said Bob Romeo, CEO of the Academy of Country Music. “Fans and viewers can expect a night of surprises from an all-star lineup of performers who have graced our ACM Awards stage throughout the past 50 years.”
Proceeds from the ACM Party For A Cause will benefit ACM Lifting Lives.
Belmont University, Sea Gayle Music, AIMP Celebrate Pipeline Project 4.0 Success
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): Marc Driskill, Executive Director, AIMP; Doug Howard, Dean, Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business (CEMB); Sarah Cates, Director of Development & Industry Relations (CEMB); Anthony Manker, Pipeline 4.0; Alex Marsh, Pipeline 4.0; Hanna Seymour, Coordinator of Student Enrichment (CEMB); David Schrieber, Lecturer of Music Business (CEMB); Drew Ramsey, Instructor of Songwriting (CEMB); James Elliott, Chair of Songwriting (CEMB)
Sea Gayle Music Executive Vice President/General Manager and Executive Director of the Nashville Chapter of the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) Marc Driskill, along with several representatives from Belmont University, including Doug Howard (Dean of the Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business) and Sarah Cates (Director of Development & Industry Relations), gathered at Nashville venue Citizen on Tuesday, March 3 to celebrate the recent success of Belmont University students involved in research as part of the Belmont Pipeline Project 4.0.
Driskill and Brad Peterson of 5/3 Bank engaged Belmont and the student members of the Belmont Pipeline Project 4.0 this past summer to take a deeper look into the current conversations surrounding copyright laws.
Belmont students Devin Dawson, Anthony Manker and Alex Marsh took the lead in the Belmont Pipeline Project 4.0, interviewing members from different facets of the music industry to get their opinions on the issues and solutions driving the current state of copyrights. “The first week I sat down with them, I told them there wouldn’t be a structure,” said Driskill. “I said, ‘You are going to learn, interview, and come back with your aggregated opinions on this. They went and sat through the copyright roundtables that Belmont University helped set up. They interviewed people across the industry spectrum, including Vincent Candilora at ASCAP, Jody Williams at BMI, others from RIAA, SoundExchange. They interviewed everyone that was a part of this. Kudos to them for the work they did.”
The students shared their research of identifying common patterns between stakeholders and expressed what they thought to be the ‘three keys to licensing reform,’ including efficiency, fair compensation and understanding. The students then submitted a full proposal to the copyright office with their recommendations, in addition to presenting at an open forum to students and the music industry in September 2014. According to Driskill, the copyright office referred to the students’ proposal approximately 12 times in the recent 245-page study Copyright and the Music Marketplace: A Report of the Register of Copyrights.
“I just think that’s a big deal to have taken on a project like this and made an impact in such a short time,” Driskill said. “They worked for most of the summer on this. I and AIMP and 5/3 wanted to take the time to congratulate them on their accomplishments. This project engages the voices of the next generation. These are important voices and we saw that engaging them this way would be beneficial to us all.”
The students’ career plans are varied. Dawson has plans to continue pursuing a career as a songwriter, while Manker aims to become a music publisher, and Marsh has his sights set on law school.