Wednesday Photos

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Songwriters At Destin Seafood Festival

BMI partnered with the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA) on the weekend of Sept. 30 to present a songwriters festival held in conjunction with the 33rd Annual Destin Seafood Festival. Thirty shows featuring sixteen BMI songwriters took place over three days in venues throughout Destin, FL. (L-R) standing: FRLA’s Carol Dover; BMI’s Dan Spears; songwriters Ryan Tyndell, Brandon Kinney, Alissa Moreno, Danny Myrick and Kendell Marvel; BMI’s Tom Annastas; FRLA’s Dan Murphy; and FRLA Regional Dir. Ray Green. Seated: songwriters Aaron Barker and Bridgette Tatum; BMI’s Mason Hunter; and songwriter Charlie Worsham.

Patrick Davis Visits MusicRow

Rising artist Patrick Davis visited MusicRow for an acoustic performance yesterday. His debut single “Lucky” is climbing MusicRow’s CountryBreakout chart. Among the artists who have cut Davis’ songs are Darius Rucker, Jason Michael Carroll, Lady Antebellum, and Jewel. (L-R): MR’s Christie King; Marco Promotion’s Rick Kelly; Grassroots Promotion’s John Griffin; Davis; and MR’s Sherod Robertson, Sarah Skates and Jon Freeman.

Photo: Virgina Davis

ACM Welcomes Darren Warren

The Academy of Country Music welcomed NuCorp Entertainment recording artist Darren Warren to the office while he was in Los Angeles last week. Warren performed songs off of his EP, Cowboy Up and Party Down and signed up for professional ACM membership.

Photo: Michel Bourquard

Catch This Music Revives Studio Space

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Catch This Music, the newest recording studio on Music Row, is set to open its doors tomorrow (10/20). The former Bayou Recording studio on 17th Ave. S. was purchased by Eddie Robba and Lee Adams in May. Since then the studio has been undergoing major transformations and renovations.

“We are excited to have a home on Music Row,” says Robba. “The history and legacy of ‘The Row’ is rich and we are blessed to be part of it. Now we get to be part of The Row’s future.”

Catch This Music’s recording studio will also have its first session since the renovations tomorrow (10/20). A very special guest from Make A Wish Foundation will be joining for them for the day. “As we considered starting this business Lee and I both wanted to incorporate the idea of giving back from the very start. During the renovation process we began exploring a relationship with Make A Wish,” he explains. Since then, a seventeen-year-old young man from Make A Wish asked to experience a live recording session and the date he selected was, coincidentally, Oct. 20.

Help Catch This Music celebrate its new home at the parking lot party and open house on Friday, Oct. 21. The gathering, which will run from 3pm to 8pm, will include food, drinks and live music.

The Opry Goes Pink This Weekend

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The Grand Ole Opry will join Women Rock For The Cure in the fight against breast cancer Saturday, Oct. 22 with its third annual Opry Goes Pink show. The evening will be split into two shows. ABC’s Good Morning America co-anchor, Robin Roberts, who survived breast cancer herself, will be a special guest announcer for a portion of the night’s first show. She will introduce acts as well as the Women Rock For The Cure Honorary Survivor of the Year, Yolanda Smith.

Opry member Martina McBride will take the stage to flip the switch during the first show, turning the Opry’s signature barn backdrop pink in support of the cause. McBride’s current single, “I’m Gonna Love You Through It,” offers hope to those affected by cancer.

For every ticket sold for the night’s second show, $5 will also be donated to Women Rock For The Cure. That show is scheduled to include performances from Lauren Alaina, Edens Edge, Kellie Pickler, Ronnie Milsap, and more. In addition to her performance, Pickler will flip the switch on the Opry’s barn backdrop, turning it pink for the second show of the night. Tickets are available at (615) 871-OPRY and www.Opry.com.

Over the weekend (10/16), PinkFest 2011, part of Hard Rock International’s 12th annual Pinktober, was held at Hard Rock Cafe Nashville to benefit Women Rock For The Cure. Among the performers donning fashion provided by the Betsey Johnson store were Sarah Darling, Marlee Scott, Kendra Chantelle, Cissy Crutcher, The Lowry Sisters, Alexa Carter, Ya Za, and bands Kink Ador, Baby Daggers and The Vicious Guns.

Colt Ford’s Goodtime Liquor Line

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Average Joe’s Entertainment’s Colt Ford is launching his own signature liquor line, Goodtime. Ford aligned himself with the Georgia Distilling Company and United Distributors to produce Goodtime Moonshine (90 proof) and Goodtime Vodka (80 proof), which hit stores today (10/19). Goodtime will initially be available throughout retail stores in Georgia and Tennessee.

“The Georgia Distilling Company has been honored to have the opportunity to partner with Colt Ford and United Distributing to bring the Goodtime brands into the market,” said Bill Mauldin, CEO and co-founder of the Company. “As Colt is recognized by his peers and fans as being an authentic country musician and Georgia boy, we wanted to make a product for him that was just as authentic as he is.”

The partnership was announced yesterday (10/18) at a press conference at the United Distributors offices near Atlanta.

Lambert Announces New Tour

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With her new album Four The Record slated to release Nov. 1, Miranda Lambert is preparing for her upcoming headlining tour On Fire. The outing kicks off Jan. 12 in Rockford, IL with labelmate guests Chris Young and Jerrod Niemann.

Lambert, the reigning CMA Female Vocalist of the Year is nominated for two CMA Awards this year including Female Vocalist.

Young brings a string of four No. 1 singles to the tour including “Tomorrow,” the first single from his album Neon. Young was recently nominated by the CMA as New Artist of the Year and has three American Country Award nominations including Breakthrough Artist of the Year.

Niemann launched his major label debut Judge Jerrod & The Hung Jury, which includes his single, “Lover, Lover.” Niemann has five nominations for the upcoming American Country Awards.

Tour stops will include:

Rockford, IL
Lacrosse, WI
Fargo, ND
Charlotte, NC
Lexington, KY
Greensboro, NC
Baltimore, MD
Charlottesville, VA
East Rutherford, NJ
Huntsville, AL
Tallahassee, FL
Orlando, FL
Amherst, MA
Hershey, PA
Youngstown, OH
Macon, GA
North Charleston, SC
Fayetteville, NC
Sale Lake City, UT
Broomfield, CO
Kearney, NE
Toledo, OH
Saginaw, MI
Louisville, KY
Charleston, WV
Tulsa, OK
Little Rock, AR
Wichita, KS
Columbia, MO
Milwaukee, WI
Minneapolis, MN
Green Bay, WI
Fresno, CA
Mountain View, CA

Strait’s 58th No. 1 Is Also A First

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George Strait’s “Here For A Good Time” has become his 58th career No. 1 hit, following its ascent to the top of the CountryBreakout (on Sept. 16 and Sept. 23) and Mediabase charts. The song was co-written by George with his son Bubba and Dean Dillon and, surprisingly, marks his first No. 1 as a songwriter.

Strait has been a model of consistency over his legendary career, and holds the record for notching the most No. 1 singles of any artist in history, more than even Elvis and the Beatles. Eighty-four of his 89 radio singles have reached the top 10, and 73 of those were Top 5 or better. His career sales total almost 69 million records, and he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

“Here For A Good Time” is the title track from Strait’s latest album, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and at No. 3 on The Billboard 200, behind Lil Wayne and Adele. Strait also has several headlining dates scheduled on his 2012 U.S. tour, featuring guest Martina McBride.

Montgomery Gentry Releases Seventh Studio Album

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Montgomery Gentry’s seventh studio album, Rebels on the Run, was released yesterday (10/18) on new label home Average Joes. The album includes the single “Where I Come From.” The corresponding music video has stirred emotions with its realistic battle scenes and hard-hitting emotions that many veterans face in the heat of war.

Rodney Clawson and Dallas Davidson co-wrote “Where I Come From,” while Montgomery Gentry collaborated with Jim Collins, Ira Dean, Wendell Mobley, David Lee Murphy, Rivers Rutherford and Neil Thrasher on three of the other album cuts. The rest of the album was written by Kelly Archer, Greg Bates, Kevin Grantt, Justin Weaver and others.

Rebels on the Run was produced by Michael Knox, whose credits include Jason Aldean, Trace Adkins, Hank Williams, Jr., Kelly Clarkson and more.

While the album is available online and in stores, one physical copy of the CD is an exclusively designed “golden ticket” copy. The person who purchases this copy will win a one-of-a-kind Demented Cycles custom chopper, designed with input from the country duo.

Later this month, Montgomery Gentry will join Tonight Show host Jay Leno and thousands of bikers for the 28th annual Love Ride in Los Angeles on Sunday, Oct 23. Love Ride is a mega-event that draws thousands of generous motorcycle enthusiasts, concert-goers and celebrities to help others while enjoying music.

Kevin Griffin Blurs Musical Boundaries From New Base In Nashville

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Photo Credit: Piper Ferguson

A few years ago songwriter Kevin Griffin was at his base in the Hollywood Hills setting up writing appointments with fellow pop/rock hitmakers when he kept running into a problem—they were all out of town, writing in Nashville.

Griffin, who got his start in music as frontman for Better Than Ezra, parlayed the success as principal songwriter and producer for his own band into a strong career doing the same for others. He co-wrote Howie Day’s monster hit “Collide,” and racked up cuts and/or production credits with Train, James Blunt, David Cook, Augustana and more.

Living in Los Angeles while many of his co-writers were based elsewhere made the collaborative process difficult. From L.A., Griffin and Shy Carter worked via Skype with Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush on one writing session. That afternoon resulted in the Sugarland hit “Stuck Like Glue,” nonetheless, songwriting via video chat didn’t cut it.

Originally from New Orleans, Griffin had moved to California post-Hurricane Katrina. But after realizing he could write with the same people in L.A. or Nashville, Griffin and his wife, both native Southerners, decided to move with their three sons to Franklin, Tenn. at the beginning of 2011.

He recalls his thought process: “So I can live in Nashville, be near SEC football, have a better standard of living, save money, and work with the same artists. It was a no-brainer. I continue to do the work I did in L.A.

Click to visit KevinGriffinMusic.com

“The past couple of years I’ve really seen a shift where pop and rock songwriters and managers have moved to Nashville,” he continues. “Not necessarily to carpetbag on the country world, but because it is a great place to live and do what they do. There’s a great support system with the labels, studios, press and media. Plus, everywhere you go there’s a stage for music. It’s really refreshing.”

Upon arrival, Kevin Spellman, a friend working at Vector Management, helped Griffin find a studio to base his operations. He took over the Franklin recording space from TobyMac, and eventually plans to build a home studio on his property in historic downtown.

Blair Daly, Craig Wiseman, Andrew Dorff, and Jeffrey Steele are just a few of the local tunesmiths Griffin has been writing with. “It’s surprising how many of the traditionally country writers want to do pop,” he notes. “And not only want to do it, but are really great at it. Some of them are almost closet hip-hop artists like Luke Laird. They also like to stretch the traditional boundaries and do something that is a little more lyrically poetic.”

Griffin appreciates Nashville’s reverence for songwriters and has taken some of Music Row’s traditions out west. “I love that the height of the songwriting craft is in Nashville. My friend Monty Powell says, ‘songwriters are at the top of the food chain’ here.

“There is a real discipline and craft to writing that bulletproof Nashville lyric—you know exactly what it’s about and all the loose ends are tied up. In rock it’s the opposite, you get away with a lot more non sequiturs and open ended themes—lines that don’t mean anything but sound good. Now when I go back to L.A., I’m the song police, saying ‘I’m not quite sure about that line, or let’s go back to the first verse.’ Everyone else has moved on, but I’m worried about the lyric that isn’t clear.

“I always said that where I live wouldn’t affect my songwriting, nonetheless, it always has,” he muses. Increasingly he says those Music City influences include world-class musicians like pedal steel and mandolin master Russ Pahl, recurring song themes, and collaborating with other writers for the first time on the upcoming Better Than Ezra album.

In the midst of shifting influences, Griffin remains focused on the song. “Ultimately I think that if the melody and the feel of the song don’t pull you in, then the lyric is irrelevant. My success has been with the simple songs, and the hardest thing to do as a writer is to remember that when you keep it simple, it’s a song everybody loves—whether it is ‘Collide,’ which is four chords, or [BTE breakout hit] ‘Good’ which is the same four chords.”

Griffin and Collective Soul’s Ed Roland are showcasing their songwriting chops and love of the South this fall on the aptly named Southern Gentleman tour, though Griffin laughs, “the irony of the name wasn’t lost on either one of us.” The run launches Sunday (10/23) in New York, and hits the Franklin Theatre Nov. 5.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (10/19/11)

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Look beyond our famous stars like Kings of Leon, Paramore, Sheryl Crow, Ke$ha, Ben Folds, Kim Carnes, Michael McDonald, Steve Cropper, Leon Russell, Donna Summer, Keb’ Mo’ and The Black Keys, and you’ll find that they are just the tip of a very, very large pop/rock iceberg in Music City.

The community is incredibly diverse, so that made choosing award winners especially tough this week. There are two DisCovery Award artists. One, Shane Dwight, comes from the R&B column. The other, Nashville newcomer Parachute, is a straight-ahead rock band.

Similarly, the two Disc of the Day winners come from different genres. Legendary singer-songwriter John Hiatt is a rocker at heart. The McCrary Sisters have a disc that showcases their gospel roots.

TONY BENNETT & FAITH HILL/The Way You Look Tonight
Writer: Jerome Kern/Dorothy Fields; Producer: Phil Ramone & Dae Bennett; Publisher: Universal PolyGram/Shapiro Bernstein/Aldi, ASCAP; Columbia (track)
—I am told that Faith is finally finishing a new album (her last was a Christmas album three years ago). Meanwhile, fans needing a Faith fix will have to make do with her Sunday football tunes and this track from Tony’s Duets II collection. Performed with a light jazz combo and sighing strings, this has a lushly romantic vibe. Tony sounds terrific at 85, and Faith proves to be a solid saloon stylist and harmony vocalist. Other Nashville-oriented folks on this justly celebrated set include Carrie Underwood, Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson.

J.D. SOUTHER/I’ll Be Here At Closing Time
Writer: John David Souther; Producer: Fred Mollin; Publisher: none listed; Entertainment One (track)
—The last outing by this former country-rocker was a surprisingly jazzy affair. On his new Natural History CD, he revisits his distinguished catalog, reworking “Faithless Love,” “New Kid in Town,” “You’re Only Lonely,” “Prisoner of Love,” “Best of My Love” and the like. And, let’s face it, song writing doesn’t come much better than those classics. This finale ballad is a sweet, wistful pledge of devotion sung in an intimate whisper with a gentle, simple piano/guitar accompanying track. It’s as lovely a ballad as he’s ever done, and he reportedly killed with it at a recent showcase at The Basement.

THE FEATURES /Rambo
Writer: Matthew Pelham/The Features; Producer: Brian Carter & The Features; Publisher: Bug/Bughouse/Silent But Violent/This Is Daiglenetics/Ghost Riding, BMI/ASCAP; Bug Music (track) (www.thefeatures.com)
—This durable Nashville rock institution is back with a collection titled Wilderness. Its calling-card single is a rattling, jangling stomper with a passionate, sky-high, lead vocal that rides above super guitar work and a ferocious rhythm track. These four guys can still deliver a mighty big sound.

JACK WHITE/You Know That I Know
Writer: Hank Williams/Jack White; Producer: Jack White III; Publisher: Sony-ATV Acuff-Rose/Third String, BMI; Columbia (track)
—The Lost Notebooks CD has today’s stars writing melodies and/or finishing lyrics left behind nearly 60 years ago by the late Hank Williams. The restlessly creative Jack White seems to always have a Raconteurs, Third Man or other project in the works. Here, he channels Hank both vocally and instrumentally. I’m serious: He sounds surprisingly like the country icon, and Donnie Heron’s steel guitar tingles just like a Drifting Cowboy should. Other participants on this extraordinary record include Sheryl Crow, Merle Haggard, Lucinda Williams,  Vince Gill & Rodney Crowell, Alan Jackson, Patty Loveless and granddaughter Holly Williams, not to mention Bob Dylan.

PARACHUTE /Something To Believe In
Writer: Will Anderson; Producer: John Fields; Publisher: How It Should Be/Warner Chappell, BMI; Mercury (track)
—This five-piece band has recently moved to Music City from Charlottsville, VA. You say you’re sick of dance-pop, hip-hop, emo and “alternative” anything? Step right up, because these guys are old-school pop-rock with real melodies, throbbing electric guitars and pumping rhythm. This track from its The Way It Was CD has a big, U2-ish sound, multi-voiced choral singing on the choruses and a honking sax to top it off. Catchy and uplifting, to say the least.

DAVID MEAD /Twenty Girls Ago
Writer: Bill DeMain/David Mead; Producer: Brad Jones; Publisher: Tin Panda/Bug/Da Wei Phonetic, ASCAP/BMI; Cheap Lullaby (track)
—Mike Grimes at Grimey’s says this is his very favorite pop song today. That’s a good enough endorsement for me, so I spun it. As a long-time David Mead fan, I expected to be delighted and was. It’s a sweetly melodic ballad sung in his trademark tenor with rippling acoustic guitar, fluttering mandolin, sighing clarinet and tinkling piano backing. Romantic regret is set to a deliciously quirky and complex tune. The description that comes to mind is “chamber pop.” It is on last year’s Almost and Always CD, but it’s never too late to buy any Mead music. I remain a completely smitten fan.

THE McCRARY SISTERS/Give Him My All
Writer: Bob Dylan/Regina McCrary; Producer: Tommy Sims; Publisher: none listed; McC (track)
—Regina McCrary has sung on three Dylan CDs and toured with him as well, hence the unusual songwriting credit. The four sisters front a funk track with stately horn blasts and a bass line that pulses righteously. Alfreda, Ann, Deborah and Regina are arguably Nashville’s greatest soul sisters. Just ask Stevie Wonder, Bobby Jones, Wynonna, Ray Stevens (that’s them on “Everything Is Beautiful”), Buddy Miller, Patty Griffin, Mike Farris or the late Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley, all of whom have recorded with them. The new McCrary CD is titled Our Journey. Buy it the moment it drops next Tuesday.

JOHN HIATT/Damn This Town
Writer: John Hiatt; Producer: Kevin Shirley; Publisher: Warner-Tamerlane/Oral Track Tunes, BMI; New West (track) (www.johnhiatt.com)
—This enduring Music City treasure kicks off his Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns CD with this doom-soaked, bluesy rocker. The track rumbles and cries in deep mystery while he wails to the heavens of trials and tribulations. Absolutely addictive and undeniably great.

TOM HAMBRIDGE/I Keep Things
Writer: Tom Hambridge; Producer: Tom Hambridge; Publisher: Tom Hambridge, ASCAP; Superstar (track) (www.tomhambridge.com)
—Tom produced Buddy Guy’s 2010 Grammy winning blues CD and co-wrote Gretchen Wilson’s “I Got Your Country Right Here” his version of which is included on his new Boom! album. The disc begins with this rollicking rocker, sung with a gutsy, drawling rasp and featuring stinging guitar. Tom is a drummer, so you know the “bottom” of the sound is solid.

SHANE DWIGHT/A Hundred White Lies
Writer: Shane Dwight; Producer: Kevin McKendree & Shane Dwight; Publisher: Robert Vincent Zolezzi, ASCAP; R-Tist (track) (www.shanedwight.com)
—This R&B guitar slinger and songwriter has been a Nashvillian since 2008. The title track of his new CD is a bluesy meditation with a serious stomp attack. The McCrarys moan mournfully in the background while Dwight’s guitar underscores every line of broken-home misery. Cool in the extreme.

More CMA Awards Performers Announced

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The performance lineup for the 45th Annual CMA Awards is growing with the addition of nominees Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Thompson Square and Chris Young. Including previously announced nominees The Band Perry, this is the first time since 2008 that all five nominees for CMA New Artist of the Year will perform on the show.

Hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, the 45th Annual CMA Awards will be aired live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville 7-10 pm CT Wed., Nov. 9 on ABC. Previously announced performers include Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shetlon, Taylor Swift, and Keith Urban as well as all-star duets featuring Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter, Rascal Flatts and Natasha Bedingfield, and Paisley and Underwood.