by Daniel Podolsky
It was a whirlwind of sights, sounds, lessons, and people. From the Opening Reception at TPAC until My So-Called Band’s closing set, Next BIG Nashville’s SoundLand Music Festival carried over a hundred local and national acts through a very strong schedule of invaluable experiences.
Chancelleor Warhol performs at 12th Avenue Block Party. Photo: Jess Williams
The diverse talent lineup that spanned 11 downtown Nashville venues varied in genre and clout. On one end of the spectrum was the hot-fire spitting Yelawolf, a recent addition to Eminem’s Shady Records—to the Costello-laced dance-rock of Evan P. Donohue, who played the festival for the second year in a row. “Along with the headliners, we give new bands an opportunity,” noted Jason Wilkins, CEO and Creative Director of the Festival since its inception.
This year’s take on the event—which had been known as “Next Big Nashville” from the start in 2006—was a decidedly smaller, more focused event than 2010’s incarnation. Accordingly, the name shortened to SoundLand. “[Wilkins] made a smart decision doing fewer venues and fewer local bands,” remarked Donohue. “It kind of tailors it down to one, concise, really good weekend of shows instead of kind more spread out. I think he did a good job.”
Aside from some of the “field trips”—information panels ranging in focus from music supervision to fan-funding to the state of A&R—all the venues were conveniently located with proximity to downtown.
The festival kicked off Wednesday night with a VIP “SXSW Mixer” reception at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. A trio of performances from Jonny Corndawg, Dawes, and M. Ward, followed at the War Memorial across the street.
Thursday was the festival’s first full day. Field trips started at the Belcourt with a panel that showcased the team behind the success of The Civil Wars (more here). After the second panel, “How Brick & Mortar Labels Monetize Free Music,” the crowd split. At the NBN Registration House, The Low Anthem and Justin Townes Earle conducted Songwriter Sessions. At the same time, a more professional crowd could be found at the Recording Academy building for a legal discussion on the repercussions that a 1970s change in copyright law will have on the catalogs of labels in the coming few years.
Thursday night’s shows used seven separate stages across town. Reptar kicked off the night at the 12th Avenue Block Party stage, which serves as the anchor to an arsenal that also includes stages at 12th & Porter and Mai across the street. Block Party events here seem to happen every now and again, the most recent being a Three 6 Mafia Show in July. But here one can find the weakest link of the festival. It was Mai. The staff was overbearing, and the sound system is poorly equipped to handle a real band (or anything more than one man and his MacBook Pro, for that matter). The venue layout feels great for a sold-out crowd, but when attendance is dismal, it feels open and awkward. On a night where fans had so many choices, many chose somewhere else.
The Ettes perform at The Basement. Photo: Jonathon Kingsbury
Friday was the busiest of the four days, utilizing every venue besides the War Memorial and the Neuhoff Stage. Third Man Records was a popular destination. Alabama Shakes, Hans Condor, PUJOL, and Human Eye, all put on great shows for crowds that were more curious than energetic. Hilariously offensive (or offensively hilarious) Neil Hamburger closed out the night, the sole comedian on the SoundLand bill. Repeating any of his jokes in this article may be in bad taste, but I will say that I pre-ordered the limited, Black & Blue vinyl copy of Hamburger’s set. I look forward to playing it for future house-guests that have trouble knowing when it’s time to leave.
Nearby, Mercy Lounge and Cannery Ballroom were in constant play. Just south at the Basement you could find a great lineup that was capped by The Ettes. The Station Inn was packed all weekend, and concluded their night with a “Super Jam,” featuring The Apache Relay, Roman Candle, and Evan P Donohue. Across town on 12th, Yelawolf wrapped up one of the greatest rap lineups Nashville has seen in a while.
Nashville’s valuable but oft-ignored hip-hop scene was prominently featured at SoundLand, showcasing a blossoming community of artists and talented people. When asked about the state of Nashville hip-hop, Aaron Miller, of Boss of Nova, responded, “If you’d have asked me that five years ago, I would’ve told you that it was shit. But honestly, in these last five years, people like Chancellor Warhol, and Call It Dope!, and Dee Goodz, and Openmic, and Rio [have] opened it up for Sam & Tre. I’d be willing to bet that in the next five years, because of everything that’s coming out of Nashville right now… you’re gonna see the music business itself change.” Boss of Nova performed a set at Mai for their second SoundLand appearance. Miller also performed with Chancellor Warhol at the 12th Ave. Block Party Stage.
JEFF The Brotherhood performs at the Neuhoff Factory Stage. Photo: Steve Cross
Saturday was the Festival’s last, but definitely not least. The day was anchored by The Neuhoff Factory stage, a pop-up venue in Germantown that on any other night could be the setting of a developing story on the nightly news. JEFF The Brotherhood electrocuted the crowd to headline the venue’s lineup, but not before many of Nashville’s finest got their turn. The Black Belles played their fourth-ever show, while the Third Man Rolling Record Store sold tri-color copies of their newest single. Those Darlins rocked out. And Royal Bangs, Jessica Lea Mayfield, The Apache Relay, and Tristen, made for a great day in the sun.
Cheer Up Charlie Daniels began an A-List Saturday night for Nashville talent at Mercy Lounge. 12th & Porter and The Basement had great lineups of their own. Waiting backstage at Mercy for the final set of the weekend—a 20th anniversary rendition of Nirvana’s Nevermind by local cover band My So-Called Band—the week of so much amazing music started to take its toll.
It was approaching 1 am Sunday morning, and I had slept about 6 hours since Wednesday. People say you can’t have too much of a good thing. I didn’t have too much—I just needed a rest. And besides, it wasn’t a good thing. It was a great thing. It was Nashville.
McBride Orchestrates ELEVEN; Songwriter Agency Signings; and Marlee Scott Visits CMA
/by adminSkip Ewing
>>The Songwriter Agency has signed singer/songwriters Ira Dean, Skip Ewing and Rebecca Lynn Howard for bookings. The Agency was founded by Paul Compton and Randy Harrell in 2010 and books a roster of country, Christian, pop and rock music songwriter/performers. For more info visit www.thesongwriteragency.com.
>>Big Ride Entertainment’s Marlee Scott visited the CMA Sept. 29, to perform several songs for the staff including her debut current single “Beautiful Maybe.” The song is currently climbing MusicRow’s CountryBreakout chart and his risen to No. 62. Scott recently released a dance mix of the country single that has been sent out to clubs, DJs and dance instructors.
(L-R) Big Ride Entertainment's Kim Leiske; CMA Senior Manager of Membership & Balloting, Brandi Simms; AristoMedia Group President and CMA Board member, Jeff Walker; InstiGator Entertainment President, Gator Michaels; Marlee Scott; CMA Chief Executive Officer, Steve Moore; CMA Senior Coordinator of Member and Industry Relations, Betsy Walker; and Big Ride Entertainment's Gerry Leiske. Photo: Christian Bottorff/CMA
New UMG Artist Builds Team
/by Sarah SkatesASCAP gathered Drake White and his team members recently to celebrate his signing to Universal Music Group Nashville. The songwriter/artist is working with producer Jeremy Stover. He is signed to Vector Management and EMI Music Publishing.
Pictured (L-R): Tom Luteran (EMI), Brian Wright (Universal), Ross Schilling (Vector), Jeremy Stover (producer), Laura Wright (EMI), Drake White, LeAnn Phelan (ASCAP), Ben Vaughn (EMI), Randy Grimmett (ASCAP). Photo: Jessica Draper
NBN SoundLand: A Whirlwind Experience
/by contributorby Daniel Podolsky
It was a whirlwind of sights, sounds, lessons, and people. From the Opening Reception at TPAC until My So-Called Band’s closing set, Next BIG Nashville’s SoundLand Music Festival carried over a hundred local and national acts through a very strong schedule of invaluable experiences.
Chancelleor Warhol performs at 12th Avenue Block Party. Photo: Jess Williams
The diverse talent lineup that spanned 11 downtown Nashville venues varied in genre and clout. On one end of the spectrum was the hot-fire spitting Yelawolf, a recent addition to Eminem’s Shady Records—to the Costello-laced dance-rock of Evan P. Donohue, who played the festival for the second year in a row. “Along with the headliners, we give new bands an opportunity,” noted Jason Wilkins, CEO and Creative Director of the Festival since its inception.
This year’s take on the event—which had been known as “Next Big Nashville” from the start in 2006—was a decidedly smaller, more focused event than 2010’s incarnation. Accordingly, the name shortened to SoundLand. “[Wilkins] made a smart decision doing fewer venues and fewer local bands,” remarked Donohue. “It kind of tailors it down to one, concise, really good weekend of shows instead of kind more spread out. I think he did a good job.”
Aside from some of the “field trips”—information panels ranging in focus from music supervision to fan-funding to the state of A&R—all the venues were conveniently located with proximity to downtown.
The festival kicked off Wednesday night with a VIP “SXSW Mixer” reception at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. A trio of performances from Jonny Corndawg, Dawes, and M. Ward, followed at the War Memorial across the street.
Thursday was the festival’s first full day. Field trips started at the Belcourt with a panel that showcased the team behind the success of The Civil Wars (more here). After the second panel, “How Brick & Mortar Labels Monetize Free Music,” the crowd split. At the NBN Registration House, The Low Anthem and Justin Townes Earle conducted Songwriter Sessions. At the same time, a more professional crowd could be found at the Recording Academy building for a legal discussion on the repercussions that a 1970s change in copyright law will have on the catalogs of labels in the coming few years.
Thursday night’s shows used seven separate stages across town. Reptar kicked off the night at the 12th Avenue Block Party stage, which serves as the anchor to an arsenal that also includes stages at 12th & Porter and Mai across the street. Block Party events here seem to happen every now and again, the most recent being a Three 6 Mafia Show in July. But here one can find the weakest link of the festival. It was Mai. The staff was overbearing, and the sound system is poorly equipped to handle a real band (or anything more than one man and his MacBook Pro, for that matter). The venue layout feels great for a sold-out crowd, but when attendance is dismal, it feels open and awkward. On a night where fans had so many choices, many chose somewhere else.
The Ettes perform at The Basement. Photo: Jonathon Kingsbury
Friday was the busiest of the four days, utilizing every venue besides the War Memorial and the Neuhoff Stage. Third Man Records was a popular destination. Alabama Shakes, Hans Condor, PUJOL, and Human Eye, all put on great shows for crowds that were more curious than energetic. Hilariously offensive (or offensively hilarious) Neil Hamburger closed out the night, the sole comedian on the SoundLand bill. Repeating any of his jokes in this article may be in bad taste, but I will say that I pre-ordered the limited, Black & Blue vinyl copy of Hamburger’s set. I look forward to playing it for future house-guests that have trouble knowing when it’s time to leave.
Nearby, Mercy Lounge and Cannery Ballroom were in constant play. Just south at the Basement you could find a great lineup that was capped by The Ettes. The Station Inn was packed all weekend, and concluded their night with a “Super Jam,” featuring The Apache Relay, Roman Candle, and Evan P Donohue. Across town on 12th, Yelawolf wrapped up one of the greatest rap lineups Nashville has seen in a while.
Nashville’s valuable but oft-ignored hip-hop scene was prominently featured at SoundLand, showcasing a blossoming community of artists and talented people. When asked about the state of Nashville hip-hop, Aaron Miller, of Boss of Nova, responded, “If you’d have asked me that five years ago, I would’ve told you that it was shit. But honestly, in these last five years, people like Chancellor Warhol, and Call It Dope!, and Dee Goodz, and Openmic, and Rio [have] opened it up for Sam & Tre. I’d be willing to bet that in the next five years, because of everything that’s coming out of Nashville right now… you’re gonna see the music business itself change.” Boss of Nova performed a set at Mai for their second SoundLand appearance. Miller also performed with Chancellor Warhol at the 12th Ave. Block Party Stage.
JEFF The Brotherhood performs at the Neuhoff Factory Stage. Photo: Steve Cross
Saturday was the Festival’s last, but definitely not least. The day was anchored by The Neuhoff Factory stage, a pop-up venue in Germantown that on any other night could be the setting of a developing story on the nightly news. JEFF The Brotherhood electrocuted the crowd to headline the venue’s lineup, but not before many of Nashville’s finest got their turn. The Black Belles played their fourth-ever show, while the Third Man Rolling Record Store sold tri-color copies of their newest single. Those Darlins rocked out. And Royal Bangs, Jessica Lea Mayfield, The Apache Relay, and Tristen, made for a great day in the sun.
Cheer Up Charlie Daniels began an A-List Saturday night for Nashville talent at Mercy Lounge. 12th & Porter and The Basement had great lineups of their own. Waiting backstage at Mercy for the final set of the weekend—a 20th anniversary rendition of Nirvana’s Nevermind by local cover band My So-Called Band—the week of so much amazing music started to take its toll.
It was approaching 1 am Sunday morning, and I had slept about 6 hours since Wednesday. People say you can’t have too much of a good thing. I didn’t have too much—I just needed a rest. And besides, it wasn’t a good thing. It was a great thing. It was Nashville.
The Civil Wars Case Study
/by Sarah Skates(L-R): moderator Christopher Moon, Shawn Fowler, Asha Goodman, Lori Kampa and Charlie Peacock. Photo by Kevin Brown
The industry took note when the first album from indie act The Civil Wars debuted with sales of 25K units. In the almost eight months since, Barton Hollow has passed the 180K mark, currently averaging more than 3K per week (Nielsen Soundscan).
The band’s team members discussed the success story last week at one of SoundLand’s educational Field Trips, held at The Belcourt Theater. The Civil Wars weren’t attendance; about that time they they were taking the stage in London, opening for Adele at Royal Albert Hall.
Producer Charlie Peacock explained that The Civil Wars came to him as a group poised to break through. Particularly, they needed no help honing their sound. “It was already fully formed,” he said. “I just had to take a picture of it.”
Prepping the album release, the band spurred good word of mouth by giving away free copies of a live recording and selling a successful EP. Their team orchestrated radio and touring efforts, which were fueled by the hard work of Williams and White. Via a special agreement with Dualtone, the label’s Lori Kampa promoted the band to radio without signing them.
Around the February 1 release, The Civil Wars scored a visit to The Tonight Show and stepped up to the plate with a sizzling performance (see video below). Helping secure that slot was publicist Asha Goodman of Sacks & Co. “It was a dream band to work,” she said. “There were so many compelling things going on.”
Not the least of which was the music. Attorney John Strohm, who also counts rising artist Bon Iver as a client, says that what both his indie success stories have in common is undeniable music.
Even The Civil Wars’ team was a little surprised by the debut week. Shawn Fowler of Tone Tree Music had distributed physical copies to indie record stores, but the big debut left shelves empty for two weeks. Eventually the project grew to big box outlets. To date, it has sold about 70% digital and 30% physical.
Panelists report that five genres are now claiming the act, including country, where the band is up for a CMA award, and has a video in rotation on CMT.
After the release, Strohm received several calls from major labels. The attitude, he said, was generally, “Congratulations, now you’ll be needing our resources.” But The Civil Wars passed, preferring the flexibility, ownership/control, and boosted income of life outside the label system.
“It was an experiment,” sums Strohm. “But it was successful, so it was encouraging.”
Paisley Wraps “H2O II Tour”
/by Caitlin RantalaBrad Paisley’s H2O II: Wetter & Wilder World tour concluded Sunday night (9/25) in Raleigh, NC. Paisley’s 2011 tour played to over 1,079,436 fans in 52 markets including five stadium shows and eight European performances.
Paisley closed his last show of the H2O II tour by inviting the tour special guests to the stage for an encore performance of “Alcohol.” Special guests on the H2O II: Wetter & Wilder tour have included Blake Shelton, Jerrod Niemann with Sunny Sweeney, Edens Edge, The JaneDear Girls and Brett Eldredge. Scotty McCreery also joined Paisley on stage for the final H2O II show.
Next up, Paisley co-hosts the CMA Awards with Carrie Underwood, where they will perform their No. 1 duet “Remind Me” for the first time on live national TV.
Details about Paisley’s 2012 tour are forthcoming.
Jerrod Niemann in Raleigh, NC with (L-R) WQDR morning show personality Janie, and WQDR PD Lisa McKay
Country’s Album TEA Party
/by adminThe largest and final sales quarter of 2011 is almost upon us and the list of planned album releases is mostly revealed (except for a few possible last minute surprises).
The above graph is intended to help readers quickly grasp how album sales are trending. Last week for example (week ended 9-18-11), country hit its highest YTD gain of the year showing an increase of 9.8%.
This week the YTD country number has ebbed slightly to 9.6%. (Last year for the week ended 9/19/2010 country was ahead 4.5%.) Unlike last year’s jam packed release schedule, the upcoming album calendar doesn’t seem to have as many blockbuster artists as last year. Lady Antebellum recently hit stores with first week numbers of 347k and LeAnn Rimes’ new set was released this week. Upcoming product is due over the next few months from Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, Martina McBride, Toby Keith, Vince Gill and Miranda Lambert. Of special note will be the just announced Nov. 21 release of a special CD/DVD live set from Taylor Swift.
For 2011, digital country track downloads YTD total 109 million. (Unfortunately Nielsen Soundscan did not release this number for 2010.) Calculating TEA albums (10 tracks = 1 album) country track sales account for about 10.9 million more albums. YTD country album sales for 2011 total 28.1 million through the week ended 9/25/11; so if one adds the 10.9 million TEA sales it would equate to almost a 40% increase!
Why do we still measure country sales only in terms of digital and physical albums? What about tracks? Business is a lot better than the graph at the top of the page would have you believe, if you don’t ignore track sales…
Top Songwriters To Perform Benefits
/by Sarah SkatesDave Gibson
Wake Up Nashville
Savannah Music Group’s Bob Saporiti is spearheading a benefit concert to be held tomorrow night (9/29) at 7 p.m. at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Wake Up Nashville will feature performances by songwriters Dave Gibson, Bobby Wood, Mulch Brothers, Jan Petter, and many more. Proceeds benefit Wake Up Narcolepsy, which helps fight the disease that affects 1 in 2000 Americans. Also supporting the event are Jazz Pharmaceuticals and St. Thomas Health. Tickets are $75 at WakeUpNarcolepsy.org.
Delbert McClinton At Franklin Theatre
Delbert McClinton
Delbert McClinton is performing a benefit concert for his longtime road manager and friend Keith DeArmond who has a serious illness. He will take the stage along with special guests the McCrary Sisters on Tues., Nov. 8 at the Franklin Theatre. Tickets start at $50 and go on sale Friday, Sept. 30 at www.franklintheatre.com.
Barefoot In The Round
On Oct. 27 Barefoot In the Round will feature performances by singer-songwriters Casey Beathard, Luke Laird, and Phil O’Donnell. Tickets include a seated dinner and wine, with proceeds benefiting Barefoot Republic Camp, a summer camp for children of all economic and racial backgrounds. The event takes place at 6:00 pm in the Embassy Suites Hotel in Franklin. Tickets start at $50. Call (615) 599-9383 to reserve.
Shantell Ogden For Book ‘Em
Songwriter Shantell Ogden will release a new country and folk album, Stories Behind Songs, on Oct. 7. Among her new songs is “I Wasn’t Done Lovin’ You Yet,” co-written with Thom Schuyler. A CD release celebration will be held at that night at the Listening Room at 7:00 p.m. Fifty percent of CD sales from the event will be donated to Book ‘em, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to children’s literacy.
David Nail Sets Sophomore Release Date
/by Caitlin RantalaProduced by Chuck Ainlay and Frank Liddell, the upcoming album includes Nail’s single, “Let It Rain.”
Nail is scheduled to join Taylor Swift‘s Speak Now Tour Oct. 14 in Lubbock, TX. He will continue with her throughout October for shows in San Diego, Phoenix, Austin, Houston and San Antonio.
On Oct. 30, Nail will also appear in an episode of Day Jobs, which starts at 8 p.m. on GAC.
Warner/Chappell Signing News
/by Caitlin RantalaFront (L-R): Karen Harrison-Hite, Lu Ann Inman, Martha Earls, Laura Veltz, Mike Molinar; Back: Patricia Ragan-Mainello, Steve Markland, BJ Hill, Matt Michiels, Alicia Pruitt
Warner/Chappell Music announced today that it signed a worldwide co-publishing agreement with songwriter Laura Veltz.
Veltz’s songs have been recorded by Jana Kramer and Edens Edge. “What I Love About Your Love” was cut by Elektra Nashville recording artist, Warner/Chappell songwriter, and the CW’s One Tree Hill star, Jana Kramer. “Slow Motion” was written for her longtime collaborators, Big Machine act Edens Edge.
Born into a family of musicians, Veltz began performing across the country alongside her parents and siblings at the age of 18. The Veltz family band, known as Cecilia, toured across the United States and was signed to Atlantic Records.
Country Johnny Mathis Passes
/by FreemanMathis got his start as a recording artist in 1949 with the StarTalent label, later recording for Chess, Columbia, Mercury, Decca and more. As part of the duo Jimmy and Johnny, he scored a Top 10 in 1953 with “If You Don’t Somebody Else Will.” His highest charting solo effort, “Please Talk To My Heart” (United Artists), reached the Top 15 in 1963. He also appeared on the Grand Ole Opry, Nashville Now, and was a regular performer on the Louisiana Hayride through the ‘50s.
As a songwriter, Mathis’ compositions were recorded by George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Johnny Paycheck, Charlie Pride, Johnny Horton, Jimmy Dean, Freddy Fender, Elvis Costello, and many more. More recently, Jim Lauderdale and Brad Davis have recorded his songs. Mathis turned to gospel music in the ‘70s, where he focused his efforts for the next two decades. In 1999, he suffered a stroke that left him incapacitated.
He is survived by his wife Jeannie, daughter Sherie Craver, sons John Jr., Bill and James and numerous grandchildren.
Services will be conducted by Lawrence Brothers Funeral Home of Chapel Hill, TN. Visitation will be Thurs., Sept. 29, 4:00 – 8:30 p.m. at Lawrence Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 30, also at Lawrence Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Beechwood Cemetery, Cornersville, TN.