SESAC Honors Artists During Christian Music Awards

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SESAC named Christian songwriter/producer Jason Ingram as SESAC’s Christian Songwriter of the Year during the SESAC Christian Music Awards, held at the Hillwood Country Club in Nashville Tuesday evening (March 4). Sony/ATV Timber Publishing was named SESAC’s Christian Music Publisher of the Year. The awards recognize activity for songwriters and publishers in 2013.
A highlight of the evening occurred when SESAC presented the band Petra with its Legacy Award, marking the first time the award has been given in the Christian music genre. Previous recipients of this prestigious award have included Neil Diamond, Paul Shaffer and Jerry Cantrell of Alice In Chains.
Additional SESAC award winners during the evening included Cary Barlowe, Jamie Grace, Juan Otero, Ian Eskelin, Natalie Grant and Tiffany Arbuckle Lee (Plumb), among others.
For a full list of honorees, visit sesac.com.

Pictured (left to right):L SESAC’s Trevor Gale & John Mullins, Ingram & SESAC’s Tim Fink. Photo: Ed Rode.

Pictured (L-R): SESAC’s Trevor Gale & John Mullins, Jason Ingram & SESAC’s Tim Fink. Photo: Ed Rode.


Pictured (L-R): Petra’s John Lawry, SESAC’s John Mullins, Petra’s Greg Bailey & John Schlitt, SESAC’s Tim Fink and Petra’ Bob Hartman & Cristian Borneo. Photo: Ed Rode.

Pictured (L-R): Petra’s John Lawry, SESAC’s John Mullins, Petra’s Greg Bailey & John Schlitt, SESAC’s Tim Fink and Petra’s Bob Hartman & Cristian Borneo. Photo: Ed Rode.


Pictured (L-R): SESAC’s Trevor Gale, Sony’s Holly Zbaka, Terry Hemmings & Devon DeVries and SESAC’s Tim Fink.

Pictured (L-R): SESAC’s Trevor Gale, Sony’s Holly Zbaka, SESAC’s John Mullins, Terry Hemmings & Devon DeVries and SESAC’s Tim Fink. Photo: Ed Rode.


SESAC’s Pat Collins with Billboard’s Christian Producer of the Year, Seth Mosley and SESAC’s John Mullins. Photo: Ed Rode.

SESAC’s Pat Collins with Seth Mosley and SESAC’s John Mullins. Photo: Ed Rode.

AXS To Broadcast Americana Awards March 9

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americanamusic_logoAXS TV will broadcast this year’s Americana Honors & Awards, dedicated to celebrating American Roots Music, on Sunday, March 9 at 7 p.m. CST.
Hosted by Jim Lauderdale and Buddy Miller, the program will honor Stephen Stills, Dr. John and Robert Hunter, among others. Additionally, it will include performances by Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell, Duane Eddy, Richard Thompson, Delbert McClinton, Old Crow Medicine Show, Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison, Shovels & Rope, John Fullbright, the Milk Carton Kids, Lennon and Maisy Stella, and JD McPherson.
The program will also feature Holly Williams, who pays tribute to her grandfather, Hank Williams.
The program will include presentations for the Lifetime Instrumentalist Award, Performance of the Year Award, Songwriter of the Year Award and the Jack Emerson Lifetime Achievement for Executive Award, which will be presented to Arhoolie Records founder Chris Strachwitz by Ry Cooder. The show’s finale will feature a performance of Crowell’s song “Leaving Louisiana In The Broad Daylight,” by several artists.
The awards ceremony, which was originally presented on Sept. 18, 2013, is held annually at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

BBR Music Group Names Kilgore As VP, Publicity

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Natalie Kilgore - BBR Music Group VP of Publicity - photo by Justin Nolan Key LO RES11

Natalie Kilgore. Photo: Justin Nolan Key


Dashboard Media Founder Natalie Kilgore has been named Vice President of Publicity for the BBR Music Group.
In her new role, Kilgore will continue to strategize and lead publicity endeavors for the music group that serves as the umbrella for Broken Bow, Stoney Creek and RED BOW Records as well as BBR Management and Magic Mustang Music.
Additionally, Kilgore will maintain direct publicity representation for Thompson Square, Dustin Lynch, Joe Nichols, Parmalee, Lindsay Ell,  Kristy Lee Cook, James Wesley and newcomers Chase Bryant, Jackie Lee and David Fanning on the BBR Music Group roster.
A Greenbrier, Tenn., native, Kilgore began her industry career 14 years ago as an on-air personality for WBUZ-Nashville. She later worked as an entertainment writer for Gannett; the Communications Director for NSAI; and as the Sr. Publicist for G7 Entertainment. Additionally, Kilgore spent more than four years as Head of Publicity for the Big Machine Label Group prior to founding her own boutique firm – Dashboard Media – in 2011.
Kilgore can be reached at 615-610-2096 and at Natalie@bbrmusicgroup.com
Brittany Perlin

Brittany Perlin


Dashboard Media’s Associate Publicist Brittany Perlin follows Kilgore to the BBR Music Group. Perlin joined Dashboard Media in October 2012 and previously spent five years at The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson where she served as Music Assistant before being promoted to Music Booker. The Los Angeles native began her entertainment career as an intern at Cosmopolitan magazine while majoring in Communications at California State University – Dominguez Hills.
Perlin will serve as Associate Publicist for the BBR Music Group. She can be reached at 615-610-2094 and at BrittanyPerlin@bbrmusicgroup.com
FOR WEB Jessica Pangrazio headshot 111

Jessica Pangrazio


Additionally, Jessica Pangrazio joins the BBR Music Group Publicity Department in the newly created position of Jr. Publicist. A December 2013 graduate of Belmont University, Pangrazio previously held public relations internships at Kaleidoscope Media, The Franklin Theatre and Sugar Hill Records. Pangrazio can be reached at 615-610-2110 and at jessica@bbrmusicgroup.com.
The BBR Music Group is headquartered at 65 Music Square West in Nashville, Tenn.

ACM's March “My Cause” Web Feature Spotlights Corey Smith

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corey smith111

Corey Smith


ACM Lifting Lives® announced today (March 5) that the March “My Cause” web feature will spotlight Corey Smith and the charity organization, Seva Foundation. The web feature drives awareness of artist-supported charitable organizations and supports fundraising efforts for those philanthropies.
My Cause allows ACM Lifting Lives to tangibly demonstrate the Academy’s support of Country music artists. Over the past two years, ACM Lifting Lives has donated more than $200,000 to artists’ favorite charities through this program.
This month, “My Cause: Seva Foundation” highlights an organization that is dedicated to the prevention of blindness around the globe. Seva builds sustainable eye care programs in places where access to services is extremely limited and people commonly lose their eyesight due to cataracts, injuries and other easily preventable causes. Since 1978, Seva’s Sight Program has helped nearly 3.5 million people see again.
Watch the video below to find out more about “My Cause: Seva Foundation.”

YouTube video

Artist Updates (3/5/14)

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eric church111

Eric Church


Eric Church will tape his debut performance for “Austin City Limits” on Sept. 23, 2014 as part of the ground-breaking music program’s 40th anniversary season.
The television show is taped live before a concert audience at the venue ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin, Texas, and will air nationally on PBS Television on a date to be revealed later.

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corey smith111

Corey Smith


 
Corey Smith will join forces with Darius Rucker beginning April 10 in Morgantown, W.V., as he will open select dates for the singer’s 2014 True Believers Tour.
Before the run, Smith will stop through Austin, Texas, to perform during the famed annual SXSW festival on March 12, at Rowdy’s Saloon.

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kurban

Keith Urban


 Keith Urban has launched his own T-shirt line, By Keith Urban. Urban partnered with Industrial Revolution II and artist Raphael Mazzucco for the new line, which includes various shirt designs for men and women.
For more information on the American Idol judge’s new line, visit bykeithurban.com.

Weekly Register: Bentley Rises To No. 1

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Albums

riser dierks bentley11Country album sales are down six percent week over week, while overall album sales are up five percent from last week thanks to Top 10 debuts from Schoolboy Q, Beck, Kid Cudi, Romeo Santos, The Fray, St. Vincent and Dierks Bentley.
Bentley’s Riser (Capitol Nashville) debuts as the top Country album (No. 6 overall), selling 63k units. The singer’s Riser Tour will launch on May 9 in Charlotte, N.C. with special guests Chris Young, Chase Rice and Jon Pardi. Rounding out the top five is Eric Church’s The Outsiders (EMI Nashville) at No. 2 (42k), Cole Swindell’s self-titled album (Warner Bros.) at No. 3 (19K), Luke Bryan’s Crash My Party (Capitol Nashville) at No. 4 (14k) and Florida Georgia Line’s Here’s To The Good Times (Republic Nashville) at No. 5 (13k). Swindell, Bryan and FGL are enjoying Top 5 tracks as well.
Schoolboy Q’s Oxymoron is the top overall album, debuting with 138k units sold. YTD, Country album sales are down 12.7 percent, while overall album sales are down 15.1 percent. The same week last year, Bruno Mars’ Unorthodox Jukebox was the top overall album, selling 95k units, while Taylor Swift’s RED remained the top Country album with 24k units sold.

Tracks

AlbumTracks-030514Brantley Gilbert’s “Bottoms Up” is the top Country track this week (No. 15 overall), selling 66k units (544k RTD). The top Country debut is Lee Brice’s “I Don’t Dance” coming in at No. 6 (No. 39 overall), selling 37k units. Pharrell Williams’  “Happy” remains the top overall track, selling 413k this this week (2.1 million RTD). Justin Timberlake’s “Not A Bad Thing” is the top overall debut, appearing at No. 23, with 50k units sold.
YTD, Country track sales are down 16.9 percent, while overall track sales are down 11.6 percent. The same week last year, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s “Thrift Shop” was the top overall track, selling 247k units, while Blake Shelton’s “Sure Be Cool If You Did” continued as the No. 1 Country track, selling 74k units.
Next week’s numbers will include David Nail’s I’m A Fire, Eli Young Band’s 10,000 Towns, Sundy Best’s Bring Up The Sun, Bill Anderson’s Life and Kevin Fowler’s How Country Are Ya?

Lawrence Receives ASCAP’s Sammy Cahn Award

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Pictured (L-R): ASCAP’s LeAnn Phelan and Sandy Lawrence


For the past 18 years, The ASCAP Foundation has celebrated the life of former Board member Sammy Cahn with its Sammy Cahn Award, presented annually to a promising songwriter. This year’s recipient is Nashville-based ASCAP member Sandy Emory Lawrence, who won for her song “The Pretty One.”
Lawrence lives in Franklin, Tenn. and cites musical influences including Bob Wills, Roger Miller, Broadway’s My Fair Lady, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, The Eagles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Emmylou Harris, among others.
Lawrence previously won a Kerrville songwriting award in 1988 and has released an album titled The Hammer Lands. Additionally, she performed alongside Joey + Rory at the Grand Ole Opry in 2013. More recently, ASCAP included Lawrence in its Nashville’s Guidance from Publishers for Songwriters (GPS) Project, which introduced her to Nashville’s publishing community.
Previous winners of the Sammy Cahn award include John Mayer, Josh Ritter, Lori McKenna, Daniel Mackenzie, Chris Keup, Cinco Paul, John Francis and Katie Herzig. For more information, visit ascapfoundation.org.

Cracker Barrel, Michael W. Smith Team For 'Hymns'

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MWS photo111Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® and Michael W. Smith have teamed for the release of Hymns, Smith’s newest album, which will be available on March 24 exclusively at all Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® locations and online at crackerbarrel.com. The digital album will also be available for purchase at select digital retailers.
“We are honored that Michael W. Smith has chosen to release his first-ever traditional hymns album with Cracker Barrel,” said Cracker Barrel Marketing Manager Julie Craig. “Hymns is filled with beautiful and beloved songs that we know our guests will enjoy and treasure for years.”
Hymns was produced by Kyle Lee and Jim Daneker, with track no. 15 produced by Smith. The album’s executive producers are Greg Ham and Chaz Corzine. The songs on Hymns are as follows:
1) “The Old Rugged Cross” (written by George Bennard)
2) “My Jesus, I Love Thee” (written by William R. Featherston)
3) “Were You There” (written by C. Winfred Douglas)
4) “Victory in Jesus” (written by E.M. Bartlett)
5) “How Great Thou Art” (written by Stuart K. Hine)
6) “Just As I Am” (written by Charlotte Elliott)
7) “Near the Cross” (written by Fanny Crosby)
8) “It is Well” (written by Horatio Spafford)
9) “Softly and Tenderly” (written by Will L. Thompson)
10) “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” (written by Isaac Watts)
11) “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” (written by Joseph M Scriven)
12) “Wonderful, Merciful Savior” (written by Dawn Rodgers and Eric Wyse)
13) “Great is Thy Faithfulness” (written by Thomas O.Chisholm and William M. Runyan)
14) “God of Our Fathers” (written by Daniel C. Roberts)
15) “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” (written by Peter C. Lutkin)

Hicky Joins Tacklebox Films

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Screen shot 2014-03-05 at 9.54.34 AM111Director Chris Hicky has joined Tacklebox Films. In 2014, Hicky has completed music videos for Tyler Farr and Josh Thompson. He is best known for his video work with Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Lady Antebellum and Thompson Square.
Hicky is set to release his first feature film, The Grace of Jake, as well as other long-form projects that are currently in production.
Shaun Silva serves as president of Tacklebox Films; other directors that have signed on to the Tacklebox Films roster include The Edde Brothers, Mason Dixon, Adam Rothlein, and Brian Lazzaro.

DISClaimer: Kings of Rock

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Robby Hecht

Robby Hecht


Nashville’s pop-rock landscape is looking brighter than ever. Four of our major-label rock bands have new sounds this week. So be sure and check out the latest from Cage the Elephant, Mona, The Wild Feathers and Kings of Leon.
There’s a little jazz in this week’s stack of platters, too. Both the Gail Davies/Benny Golson CD and the latest from The Nashville Jazz Orchestra are well worth your attention. New artists make our non-country scene continually vibrant. In addition to Mona, we have Gareth and Robby Hecht for your listening pleasure this week.
It’s good to be Kings. So Kings of Leon are crowned with a Disc of the Day prize. And to newcomer Robby Hecht, we happily bestow a DisCovery Award.
ROBBY HECHT/New York City
Writers: Robby Hecht; Producer: Lex Price; Publisher: Old Man Henry; SESAC; Old Man Henry
-This Nashville folk-pop tunesmith is a wistful, heartsick charmer on this gorgeously melodic track from his self-titled debut album. His softly winsome vocal delivery rides atop an insistent, almost nervous, rhythm track that propels him along to a hushed finale. If you’re ready for the Next Big Singer-Songwriter, give this man’s beautifully produced disc a spin. You won’t be sorry.
THE WILD FEATHERS/Hard Wind
Writers: Joel King/Ricky Young/Taylor Burns; Producer: Jay Joyce; Publishers: Effecter/Young Town Mountain/Evan Taylor Burns, ASCAP/BMI; Warner Bros.
-This spectacular band of Nashville rockers introduced itself recently with the outstanding “The Ceiling.” Now The Wild Feathers have followed up with this stormy, frothing track from their self-titled debut CD. There’s more: Next month the band issues a vinyl single of the album’s chiming, harmony-drenched country-rocker “Got It Wrong” to celebrate Record Store Day. One way or another, they’re gonna catch your ears. And once they do, you’ll be hooked.
GAIL DAVIES & BENNY GOLSON/Since I Don’t Have You
Writers: Ron Davies; Producer: Gail Davies; Publisher: none listed; Little Chickadee
-Singer-songwriter Davies is generally associated with country music, but her latest outing is jazz, jazz, jazz, all the way. This breezy title tune finds her floating and flitting through loads of groovy chord changes. Her tenor saxophone accompanist is Jazz Hall of Fame member Benny Golson. His phrasing is just as cool as hers. The repertoire ranges from standards like “Am I Blue,” “Good Morning Heartache” and “Here’s That Rainy Day” to newer tunes by the chanteuse, her late brother Ron Davies and her son Chris Scruggs. Heartily recommended.
THE NASHVILLE JAZZ ORCHESTRA/It Ain’t Necessarily So
Writers: Gershwin; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Jazz Music City
–Jim Williamson’s imaginative arrangement of this Porgy & Bess standard takes it in entirely unexpected directions. Very cool indeed. This is the title tune of the orchestra’s current album of Gershwin tunes, and the whole thing is essential listening. This band swings, and how.
MONA/Goons
Writers: Nick Brown/Mona; Producer: Nick Brown; Publisher: EMI, no performance rights listed; Mercury (track)
-This Nashville rock band has been signed by Island/Def Jam and has delivered Torches & Pitchforks as its debut major-label collection. The kick-off single features strangulated, shrieking, Plant-like lead singing; loads of dark percussion and echoed, shouted gang vocals. You are powerless to escape.
kings of leon111KINGS OF LEON/Temple
Writers: Caleb Followill/Nathan Followill/Jared Followill/Matthew Followill; Producer: Angelo Petragilla; Publishers: Pistola/Sinderella’s Grass Slipper/McFearless/Coffee, Tea or Me/Bug/Silent But Violent, ASCAP/BMI; RCA (track)
-Music City’s rock Kings released this track from the Mechanical Bull CD. It truly kicks butt. I love how Kings of Leon mix dynamic guitar pyrotechnics with soulful singing and melodies that you can’t get out of your head. Did you see them burning it up recently on Saturday Night Live? They are mighty, mighty men.
GARETH/Spirit Horse
Writer: G. Laffely; Producer: Robert White Johnson; Publisher: none listed; Roaring Brook
-This Nashville youngster expertly plays Native American flutes and sings in a pure pop tenor on his CD The Journey. It’s a little bit folk, a little bit Jethro Tull-ish, a little bit new age. He definitely caught my ear for braving to be different and innovative.
DOWNTOWN MYSTIC/Way to Know
Writer: Robert Allen; Producers: Robert Allen/Ben Elliott; Publisher: Sha-La; BMI; Sha-La (track)
-Supported by E-Streeters Garry Tallent and Max Weinberg, singer-songwriter Robert Allen and his DownTown Mystic pals pull off this retro rocker with urgent energy. His vocal sounds shaky and forced at times, but he’s always earnest.
MARK KNOPFLER/Privateering
Writers: Mark Knopfler; Producer: Mark Knopfler; Publishers: Hornall Bros./Will D. Side, no performance rights listed; Verve (track)
-Knopfler recruited a who’s-who of Nashville musicians (Tim O’Brien, Richard Bennett, Glenn Worf, Paul Franklin, etc.) to craft his first double CD. Its title tune reflects the resulting Americana vibe of the whole project. Strummy, thumpy, acoustic folk rock.
CAGE THE ELEPHANT/Come A Little Closer
Writers: Cage the Elephant; Producer: Jay Joyce; Publishers: 4U2ASKY/Sony-ATV/R&R Nomad, BMI; RCA (track)
-I understand that these guys have relocated from Bowling Green to Nashville. In any case, they’re still being produced by the brilliant Jay Joyce in Music City. This single from the Melophobia CD is a densely-packed sonic slab with cascading guitars, throbbing rhythm and cool, compressed vocals. Look for Cage the Elephant to showcase it on this afternoon’s Ellen DeGeneres TV show (Wednesday, March 5). I hope it makes her dance.