Sam Bush and John Oates at the 2011 festival. They will be performing together again this year.
Songwriter and mega-hit artist John Oates is bringing a little piece of Nashville to his hometown with the 7908 Aspen Songwriters Festival. Inspired by the Bluebird Cafe’s in-the-round performance style, his initial one-off undertaking has evolved into a five-day cross-genre event.
“I thought it would be something people in Aspen had never seen and experienced,” recalls Oates of the festival’s original incarnation. “So I approached the people at this amazing acoustic venue called the Wheeler Opera House, it’s a Victorian theater that is perfect for this sort of thing. I called it the Stories Behind The Songs, and that year we had Patty Griffin, Bob Regan, Jimmy Wayne, Tift Merritt, and Scotty Emerick. It went over so well that people in the city asked if I would expand it into an annual event.”
As 7908 developed, Oates’ wife Aimee named the festival for their beloved city’s altitude. Set for March 21-25, the 2012 line up includes Oates, Darrell Scott, Matt Nathanson, James McMurtry, Sam Bush, Marc Broussard, Angel Snow, and The Blue Sky Riders (Kenny Loggins, Georgia Middleman and Gary Burr).
“We’re a very eclectic songwriters festival,” Oates continues. “With bluegrass to pop and classic rock and everything in between. We like to have really unique pairings. This year we have JD Souther and Carrie Rodriguez doing a show together, and they’ve never even met. We try to give the audience a chance to see something they may not see anywhere else.”
Oates handpicks most of the performers along with Gram Slaton, Executive Director of the Wheeler Opera House. Along with booking top-name artists, they focus on supporting new talent. “We’re a not-for-profit organization and our mission is to nurture and perpetuate the art and craft of songwriting,” adds Oates. “Part of that is done by combining up and comers with seasoned professionals. People may come to see the headliner, but they are usually blown away by the artists they don’t know. Plus, we wanted to keep a local component, so we came up with a statewide songwriting contest. It helps rising songwriters, and also creates interest in the event from people in other parts of the state.”
Music lovers who attend 7908 range from Colorado residents to visitors from across the globe. “Aspen is a very international city,” he explains. “People come from all over the world to go skiing here. Our festival is at the height of spring break, and spring skiing, which is so popular because there is a whole winter’s worth of snow on the ground and beautiful warm sunny days. It’s an amazing time to be in Aspen.”
www.aspensongwritersfestival.com
Matt Nathanson and John Oates, who are both set to return to next month's festival. Photo: Lynn Goldsmith
Nashville Gears Up For CRS 2012
/by Sarah SkatesOverall attendance at CRS has increased two years in a row, and tickets to the Country Radio Hall of Fame ceremony and the New Faces of Country Music Show are sold out.
Here’s a very brief list of highlights:
Tuesday, Feb. 21
• MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Awards and Meet & Greet is today at 2:30 p.m. at Margaritaville
• Sold out Country Radio Hall of Fame dinner honoring Beverlee Brannigan, Ron Rogers, Rusty Walker, Moby, Eddie Stubbs, Bill Whyte, Glen Campbell, and Bob Kingsley
• Sony Music Nashville and Sea Gayle Records present the “Official Country Radio Hall of Fame After Party” at 8:30 p.m. in the Renaissance Hotel
Wednesday, Feb. 22
• Keynote address by MTV co-founder and Clear Channel exec Bob Pittman, remarks by futurist David Houle, and the expansive CRS research study
• UMG Nashville luncheon at the Ryman with performances by its roster
• Lady Antebellum concert at Municipal Auditorium
Thursday, Feb. 23
• Agenda topics include diary methodology, PPM strategies, coaching air talent, social media, and CMA’s “Year of Country Radio” presentation
• Alan Jackson at Capitol Nashville luncheon
• WCRS Live! with hit songwriters Matraca Berg, Natalie Hemby, Lori McKenna and Ashley Monroe
Friday, Feb. 24
• Panel topics include mobile device usage, marketing case studies, multi-format programming, the Digital University roundtable discussions, and small market programming
• Faith Hill at the Warner Music Nashville luncheon
• CRS 2012 New Faces performers are Eli Young Band, Hunter Hayes, David Nail, Sunny Sweeney and Thompson Square
A detailed schedule with descriptions of all panels and events can be viewed at www.CRB.org.
Hall of Fame Announces Bakersfield Exhibition
/by FreemanThe exhibit is narrated by Dwight Yoakam and explores the origins and impact of the Bakersfield Sound, closely associated with Hall of Famers Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. The highly influential work of both Owens and Haggard is included, as well as the many artists whose careers intertwined with them both and the many businesses that appeared with the rise of the Bakersfield Sound. HoF Curatorial Director Mike Buck, Photo Collection Manager Tim Davis and Museum Editor Michael Gray co-curated the exhibit, which includes over 100 artifacts as well as audiovisual displays.
“We are incredibly excited to explore the Bakersfield Sound story,” said Museum Director Kyle Young. “It’s an epic tale, born in the Great Depression, set two thousand miles from country music’s epicenter, and populated by a remarkably talented and tight-knit community of musicians who came together to invigorate and reinvent country music as they knew it. These colorful artists infused their work with an aural intensity and independent spirit, in the process creating a sound that reverberates through country music to this day.”
On opening weekend, museum patrons will be treated to a March 24 panel discussion featuring Dallas Frazier, Don Maddox, Rose Lee Maphis, Buddy Mize, Jean Shepard and Red Simpson. Later that day, the participants will give a concert with a band led by Deke Dickerson.
The exhibit is accompanied by a 96-page companion book titled The Bakersfield Sound: Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and California Country published by the Museum’s Country Music Foundation Press and distributed by the Hal Leonard Corporation. Essayists include California-based journalists/historians Scott B. Bomar, Randy Poe and Robert Price.
Bluewater Music Signs Kink Ador
/by Caitlin RantalaL- R : Sharon Koltick, Pablo Ahogado (Bluewater’s Creative Director), Kathryn Graham (Bluewater Creative services), Kink Ador’s Dale Harper & Nicklas Hamilton
Bluewater Music Services Corp is proud to announce the signing of Sharon Koltick to an exclusive worldwide management deal. Koltick is the front-woman and bass player of Nashville based rock band Kink Ador.
To celebrate this event, Bluewater is hosting several industry showcases for the band, including one at Arlene’s Grocery in New York City on Mar. 1 at 6 p.m. The company will also host another show at 12th & Porter in Nashville on Mar. 10 at 9 p.m.
Aspen Songwriters Festival Attracts World-Class Talent
/by Sarah SkatesSam Bush and John Oates at the 2011 festival. They will be performing together again this year.
Songwriter and mega-hit artist John Oates is bringing a little piece of Nashville to his hometown with the 7908 Aspen Songwriters Festival. Inspired by the Bluebird Cafe’s in-the-round performance style, his initial one-off undertaking has evolved into a five-day cross-genre event.
“I thought it would be something people in Aspen had never seen and experienced,” recalls Oates of the festival’s original incarnation. “So I approached the people at this amazing acoustic venue called the Wheeler Opera House, it’s a Victorian theater that is perfect for this sort of thing. I called it the Stories Behind The Songs, and that year we had Patty Griffin, Bob Regan, Jimmy Wayne, Tift Merritt, and Scotty Emerick. It went over so well that people in the city asked if I would expand it into an annual event.”
As 7908 developed, Oates’ wife Aimee named the festival for their beloved city’s altitude. Set for March 21-25, the 2012 line up includes Oates, Darrell Scott, Matt Nathanson, James McMurtry, Sam Bush, Marc Broussard, Angel Snow, and The Blue Sky Riders (Kenny Loggins, Georgia Middleman and Gary Burr).
“We’re a very eclectic songwriters festival,” Oates continues. “With bluegrass to pop and classic rock and everything in between. We like to have really unique pairings. This year we have JD Souther and Carrie Rodriguez doing a show together, and they’ve never even met. We try to give the audience a chance to see something they may not see anywhere else.”
Oates handpicks most of the performers along with Gram Slaton, Executive Director of the Wheeler Opera House. Along with booking top-name artists, they focus on supporting new talent. “We’re a not-for-profit organization and our mission is to nurture and perpetuate the art and craft of songwriting,” adds Oates. “Part of that is done by combining up and comers with seasoned professionals. People may come to see the headliner, but they are usually blown away by the artists they don’t know. Plus, we wanted to keep a local component, so we came up with a statewide songwriting contest. It helps rising songwriters, and also creates interest in the event from people in other parts of the state.”
Music lovers who attend 7908 range from Colorado residents to visitors from across the globe. “Aspen is a very international city,” he explains. “People come from all over the world to go skiing here. Our festival is at the height of spring break, and spring skiing, which is so popular because there is a whole winter’s worth of snow on the ground and beautiful warm sunny days. It’s an amazing time to be in Aspen.”
www.aspensongwritersfestival.com
Matt Nathanson and John Oates, who are both set to return to next month's festival. Photo: Lynn Goldsmith
Artist Updates (2/21/12)
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Gallimore, Wilkes Launch Streamsound Records
/by Sarah SkatesJaida Dreyer's debut single will be released next month.
Grammy Award winning producer Byron Gallimore and music industry veteran Jim Wilkes today announced the launch of Nashville-based Streamsound Records. The label officially formed last fall and has inked an exclusive distribution deal with Sony Music Nashville. Gallimore will focus on the creative side, while longtime business partner Wilkes will oversee company operations.
Mike Wilson will lead Streamsound’s radio division. He most recently headed up promotions at RCA Nashville and his career includes work taking over 100 country singles to the top of the charts. Regional representatives on board include Teresa Ford, Steve Pleshe, Brad Howell and Jamice Jennings. Other positions in marketing, digital media, sales and radio promotion are being filled.
Streamsound Records plans to launch one artist at a time. The debut single from Jaida Dreyer, who has been working with Gallimore in recent years, will hit airwaves next month.
“I’ve been interested in starting a label focused on and dedicated to developing artists,” said Gallimore. “The intent is to work with and nurture them—to give them the time that is needed to hone their craft. This business is all about great songs, talent, passion and drive. I really do believe that we’ve found all of that in Jaida.”
“At the end of the day, this business is all about the talent and the people that you have supporting that talent,” added Wilkes. “We intend to create a culture that takes the time needed to combine good old fashioned hard work with a strong creative business strategy.”
Gallimore has produced or co-produced nearly fifty No. 1 hits by Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Sugarland, Martina McBride, Lauren Alaina, and more. This isn’t his first foray into label land; Gallimore partnered with McGraw a few years ago to launch StyleSonic Records.
Ty Stone Reveals Debut Album
/by Caitlin RantalaStone recently released the video for his new single “Anywhere’s Better” on CMT.com. The video features CMT’s Sweet Home Alabama star Ashley Ann Vickers, along with cameo appearances by Kid Rock and Uncle Kracker. He also kicks off a 26-date tour on Mar. 1 with Uncle Kracker.
Stone’s American Style track listing and full list of tour dates below.
American Style track listing:
1. American Style
2. Down River
3. Smile
4. Anywhere’s Better
5. Real Thing
6. Bob Seger
7. American Dream
8. Faith In Love
9. Future
10. Line Of Blood
11. Blessed St. Anthony
Upcoming tour dates with Stone are as follows –
March:
1 – Macomb, IL – Forum Live
2 – Minneapolis, MN – Toby Keith’s
3 – Lincoln, NE – Uncle Ron’s
8 – Columbus, OH – Bluestone
9 – Indianapolis, IN – 8 Seconds
10 – Rootstown, OH – Dusty Armadillo
14 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
15 – Foxboro, MA – Toby Keith’s
16 – Niagara Falls, NY – Rapids Theatre
17 – Mt. Laurel, NJ – Prospectors
21 – Flint, MI – Machine Shop
22 – Flint, MI – Machine Shop
23 – Grand Rapids, MI – Intersection
24 – Chicago, IL – Joe’s
25 – Kansas City, MO – Beaumont Club
29 – San Miguel, CA – The Ranch
30 – Los Angeles, CA – House of Blues
April :
4 – Davis, CA – The Davis Graduate
5 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory
6 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theatre
7 – Seattle, WA – Showbox at the Market
12 – Salt Lake City, UT – Westerner
13 – Cheyenne, WY – Outlaw Saloon
14 – Denver, CO – Toby Keith’s
17 – Flagstaff, AZ – Museum Club
19 – Mesa, AZ – Toby Keith’s
20 – Bakersfield, CA – Crystal Palace
Keith Urban Heads Down Under for The Voice
/by Eric T. ParkerWhile the current season of The Voice is well underway in the United States, the Australian version will be filming through the coming months and country superstar Keith Urban will be making the trek down under to join the cast.
Urban worked closely with the show’s production schedule in Sydney to minimize the time commitment to maintain his busy U.S. schedule, which includes his All For The Hall benefit on April 10 in Nashville.
Australia’s version of the show joins others in Albania, Holland, and the UK and includes Urban, Delta Goodrem, Joel Madden, and Seal as judges and Darren McMullen as host.
“It’ll be a blast spending a little time in Australia working on The Voice, getting the opportunity to try and help some killer raw talent blossom,” said Urban. “The good thing about the show is they focus on the strengths in people. I did a few of these things when I was younger, and I know what it’s like to just be crucified. I look at this as an opportunity to give back and help somebody. It’s working with players and trying to have a vision, and really play to their strengths. And I have a feeling that being immersed in that new kind of ‘everything is possible’ energy, will have a real inspiring and liberating effect on creating new music for my new album!”
No release date is set for the album as of yet, but Urban is said to continue working on the release throughout the year while in Nashville.
Catch a teaser of the new format below:
Juno Award Country Nominations
/by Sarah SkatesCountry Album of the Year nominees
16 & 1 Doc Walker Open Road/Universal
High Valley High Valley Open Road/Universal
Everything Jason McCoy Open Road/Universal
Forget About the World Jimmy Rankin Song Dog/Fontana North
Roots and Wings Terri Clark Bare Track/EMI
Johnny Reid scored a nod for overall Single of the Year for “Let’s Go Higher.”
Leading the nominations with four each are Drake, City and Colour, Hedley, Nickelback, Dan Mangan, and Feist. William Shatner will host the 2012 Juno Awards Broadcast, airing live on CTV the evening of Sunday, April 1 from Scotiabank Place in Ottawa. Nominees who are set to perform include City and Colour, deadmau5, Feist, Hedley, Nickelback, and 2012 Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Blue Rodeo.
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) is the organization behind the awards. Juno Week runs March 26-April 1.
See the complete nominations list.
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Announces Promotions
/by Sarah SkatesIn the development division, Rachel Shapiro is promoted to development events manager; and Rachel Weingartner is promoted to membership manager.