BMI has announced the creation of a two-part campaign designed to help fuel rebuilding efforts after the historic flood that devastated Middle Tennessee last month. The initiative was unveiled by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and BMI Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations, Nashville Jody Williams during Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s all-star Nashville Rising: A Benefit Concert for Flood Recovery, held June 22 at Bridgestone Arena in Music City. BMI operates on a non-profit basis, representing more than 400,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers, many of whom live and work in Middle Tennessee.
BMI’s campaign is twofold. The company, along with its Nashville-based subsidiary Landmark Digital Services, has partnered with the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to create the BMI Flood Relief Fund, a donation-matching program within which BMI will match up to $50,000 of contributions from individuals and businesses. BMI has also donated an additional $50,000 to the Community Foundation to assist with the organization’s immediate recovery work.
“All of us at BMI realize what a privilege it is to live here and be part of this community,” says Williams. “Everybody here knows somebody who was devastated by the flood. Nashville has friends all over the world, and the match program has been designed so that anyone can contribute, from anywhere.”
Donations to the BMI Flood Relief Fund are being accepted through July 31, 2010, and may be made through www.bmi.com or the Community Foundation’s website, www.cfmt.org. All contributions are fully tax-deductible and will be used to support the Community Foundation’s flood-recovery efforts throughout Middle Tennessee.
“As a central hub for the entire music industry, BMI has the unique ability and responsibility to connect people,” says Bryant. “The months directly following a disaster are crucial. Nashville is the lifeblood of so many of our songwriters, composers and music publishers, as well as our own employees. There is much left to be done, and BMI is committed to supporting the community every step of the way.”
Pictured at Nashville Rising: A Benefit Concert for Flood Recovery are (l-r): BMI's Del Bryant and Jody Williams, Community Foundation's Ellen Lehman, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, and entertainment reporter Nancy O'Dell. Photo: Getty Images for Nashville Rising
Pictured at Nashville Rising: A Benefit Concert for Flood Recovery are (l-r): BMI’s Del Bryant and Jody Williams, Community Foundation’s Ellen Lehman, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, and entertainment reporter Nancy O’Dell.
Photo: Getty Images for Nashville Rising
Red Mountain To Produce Fontanel Shows
/by contributorThe first event booked at the venue is Songwriters Sing for Nashville, a benefit for flood relief featuring one of the most impressive groups of Hall of Fame songwriters ever assembled on one stage, on Saturday, July 17.
“Dale and I have spent years on the road playing virtually every venue in North America,” said Oswald. “The goal for the Woods was to integrate every great component of a venue we’ve experienced in our travels, and we feel The Woods at Fontanel accomplishes that. Combining this beautiful facility with the expertise that Gary Weinberger and John Ruffino bring to the table is exciting to us, as we are now able to offer this first class play to artists, managers, agents and promoters to bring a unique musical experience to the public.”
The Woods at Fontanel is a beautiful wooded green space nestled in a terraced setting on the property that also houses the Fontanel Mansion, Farm House Restaurant and the Trails at Fontanel, which all opened to the public on June 7. The intimate outdoor stage is capable of handling sound, lights, and video comparable to most state-of-the-art arenas and amphitheaters.
“Dale and Marc have been two of the most successful managers and entrepreneurs in our business for over 30 years, and they have a great vision for this special venue,” said Weinberger, who along with Ruffino is the operating partner of Red Mountain. “We have worked with them for many years, and we are excited they have given us the opportunity to work with them on this project. We believe the Woods at Fontanel will grow to be one of Nashville’s crown jewels.”
Red Mountain Entertainment has been named co-promoter of the year by the International Entertainment Buyers Association. Red Mountain has also been nominated as Independent Promoter of the Year by Pollstar and Promoter of the Year by the Academy of Country Music. The company produced concerts and events in 78 cities in 28 states in 2009.
David Andersen – Nashville’s Musical Ambassador
/by contributor“When the rains came and the waters started to rise, many musicians were in trouble or their instruments were in high water,” said Andersen. “Many beloved musical instruments were damaged or destroyed. This is touching proof of people’s love of Music City.”
Andersen recently made appearances at the William Lee Golden art exhibition at the Tennessee State Museum as well as Tennessee Repertory Theater’s 25th Anniversary Party at the home of Martha Ingram.
His mission is to give Nashville’s visitors the authentic experience they seek. A music prodigy raised in Long Beach, California, Andersen was playing music before he could talk. An accomplished songwriter proficient on multiple instruments, he gives every new friend he meets at the Country Music Hall of Fame his signature guitar pick and challenges them to “remember why they came to Nashville and to take time to enjoy the music they came here to find.”
For more information and to view his upcoming performances, visit www.davidandersenmusic.com
Jimmy Webb Records With Nashville’s Finest
/by contributorAmong the album’s songs are “If You See Me Getting Smaller,” featuring Willie Nelson, and “Galveston,” with Lucinda Williams. Also making guest appearances are Nashvillians Vince Gill (“Oklahoma Nights”), J.D Souther (“I Was Too Busy Loving You”) and Michael McDonald (“Where Worlds End”).
Much of Just Across The River was recorded live over two days, with contributions from acclaimed session players like guitarists Bryan Sutton and Pat Buchanan, fiddler Stuart Duncan, and dobro master Jerry Douglas. Guest contributors from the pop side of the fence include Mark Knopfler, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and Billy Joel.
“From the very first song, first take, first note this record seemed blessed,” Webb says. “And then as each piece fell into place, a fully realized, conceptual work of art emerged. I hope everyone else feels what we did as we listened to the first rough mixes.”
Below is a track listing for Just Across The River:
1. “Oklahoma Nights” featuring Vince Gill
2. “Wichita Lineman” featuring Billy Joel
3. “If You See Me Getting Smaller” featuring Willie Nelson
4. “Galveston” featuring Lucinda Williams
5. “P.F. Sloan” featuring Jackson Browne
6. “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” featuring Glen Campbell
7. “Cowboy Hall Of Fame”
8. “Where Words End” featuring Michael McDonald
9. “Highwayman” featuring Mark Knopfler
10. “I Was Too Busy Loving You” featuring J.D. Souther
11. “It Won’t Bring Her Back”
12. “Do What You Gotta Do”
13. “All I Know” featuring Linda Ronstadt
Kellie Pickler Announces Engagement
/by contributorPhoto credit: Kellie Pickler
Kellie Pickler is engaged. The singer has announced her betrothal to Nashville songwriter Kyle Jacobs. People magazine reports that Jacobs proposed on June 15 during a Florida beach vacation. The couple met about two and a-half years ago, and the proposal fell on the same day as Pickler’s late grandmother’s birthday.
“It turned out to be the most amazing day of my life,” Pickler told People. “My whole world changed. We both feel like we got my grandmother’s blessing.”
Jacobs’ songs have been cut by a number country music’s top artists, including Garth Brooks (“More Than a Memory”), Tim McGraw (“Still,”) Trace Adkins, Jo Dee Messina, Craig Morgan and Clay Walker.
Michael Martin Murphey’s “Westfest” Returns
/by contributorMurphey is a horse and cattle rancher; his Rocking 3M Ranching Co. has been active in New Mexico, Texas, Wisconsin, Colorado and Kansas. His wife, Karen, and three of his daughters are professional horse trainers. Confirmed to perform are Morgan, James Otto, Guitarists James Burton and Doyle Dykes, Bill Miller, Peter Rowan, Don Edwards, Waddie Mitchell, Trailer Choir, Ryan Murphey, Carin Mari and Pony Express, poet Sarah Murphey, The Prairie Rose Wranglers, and a host of local cowboy singers and poets, Indian musicians and dancers, Mountain Man Story Tellers and hundreds of Western Lifestyle Arts and Crafts Masters. New this year will be The Westfest Outback Outdoors Exhibition with web-based hunting star, Trevon Stoltzfus, and the Westfest Ranch Sorting National Championships. Murphey will be leading daily trail rides that begin 20 minutes from the Westfest grounds. Murphey founded Westfest in 1986 as a way to preserve memories and images of the Old West.
“I wanted to present the West to people who might otherwise perceive it only through a movie director’s tunnel vision,” said Murphey. “The West has become synonymous with fantasy. If Hollywood trends are any indication, the movie screens are alive with politically correct Indians and environmentally-challenged villains. Today, Cowboys and Indians are united in their quest for open range and a life of freedom. I want to show the Real American West!”
Westfest tickets are available by clicking here.
Larry Wayne Clark Benefit a Success
/by contributor“We’ve been amazed by the generosity and well wishes of more friends than we even knew we had,” Larry Wayne Clark said afterward. “We left there a few thousand dollars richer and with heads and hearts filled with memories that will be indelible. That’s the stuff that matters … you can’t buy it, sell it, steal it, and you can take it with you.”
Clark thanked everyone who helped to make the event a success, including the Red Rooster, the musical performers, event photographer Barry McCloud, donators and buyers of auction items, event organizers and everyone who attended, as well as those who sent donations and best wishes from afar. Performers included Buddy Jewell, Robin English, Andrea Pearson, Lauren Lucas, Lisa Brokop, Emma Jacob, Wendy Newcomer, Chelsee Oaks, Adam Gregory, Jared Blake, Ryan Laird, Erinn Bates, Cassidy Lynn, Shawn Dodd and Kaitlyn Baker. Many of them were backed by the stellar “house” band assembled for the occasion – guitarist Scott Neubert, bassist Bobby King and drummer Steve Holland, who like many others donated their services. Donations can still be made via PayPal at www.paypal.com; the address to send money to is the1mag@comcast.net in the U.S. and canuckmag@comcast.net in Canada. Or you can contribute to the cause and get some great music in the process by purchasing a copy of LWC Favorites: Songs of Larry Wayne Clark, a limited-edition CD, at www.larrywayneclark.com.
Clark’s extensive song catalog includes Chris Young’s first single, “Drinking Me Lonely.” His songs have also been recorded by the Statler Brothers, Lee Greenwood, Anne Murray, Lisa Brokop and many others in the United States, Canada and worldwide.
BMI Announces Flood Relief Campaign
/by contributorBMI has announced the creation of a two-part campaign designed to help fuel rebuilding efforts after the historic flood that devastated Middle Tennessee last month. The initiative was unveiled by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and BMI Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations, Nashville Jody Williams during Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s all-star Nashville Rising: A Benefit Concert for Flood Recovery, held June 22 at Bridgestone Arena in Music City. BMI operates on a non-profit basis, representing more than 400,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers, many of whom live and work in Middle Tennessee.
BMI’s campaign is twofold. The company, along with its Nashville-based subsidiary Landmark Digital Services, has partnered with the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to create the BMI Flood Relief Fund, a donation-matching program within which BMI will match up to $50,000 of contributions from individuals and businesses. BMI has also donated an additional $50,000 to the Community Foundation to assist with the organization’s immediate recovery work.
“All of us at BMI realize what a privilege it is to live here and be part of this community,” says Williams. “Everybody here knows somebody who was devastated by the flood. Nashville has friends all over the world, and the match program has been designed so that anyone can contribute, from anywhere.”
Donations to the BMI Flood Relief Fund are being accepted through July 31, 2010, and may be made through www.bmi.com or the Community Foundation’s website, www.cfmt.org. All contributions are fully tax-deductible and will be used to support the Community Foundation’s flood-recovery efforts throughout Middle Tennessee.
“As a central hub for the entire music industry, BMI has the unique ability and responsibility to connect people,” says Bryant. “The months directly following a disaster are crucial. Nashville is the lifeblood of so many of our songwriters, composers and music publishers, as well as our own employees. There is much left to be done, and BMI is committed to supporting the community every step of the way.”
Pictured at Nashville Rising: A Benefit Concert for Flood Recovery are (l-r): BMI's Del Bryant and Jody Williams, Community Foundation's Ellen Lehman, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, and entertainment reporter Nancy O'Dell. Photo: Getty Images for Nashville Rising
Pictured at Nashville Rising: A Benefit Concert for Flood Recovery are (l-r): BMI’s Del Bryant and Jody Williams, Community Foundation’s Ellen Lehman, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, and entertainment reporter Nancy O’Dell.
Photo: Getty Images for Nashville Rising
Rascal Flatts Steps Up For Suicide Prevention
/by contributorThe “B1” project is a nationwide effort specifically geared to educate youth and students on how to recognize when a friend might be struggling with thoughts of suicide or life in general, and how to help. The theme is “Someone you know may need a friend – B 1.” As part of their ambassador role, Rascal Flatts will be directly involved in this project through a widespread media and social networking campaign. The campaign will include public service announcements, poster distribution to schools and Facebook initiatives. Rascal Flatts will also be showing public service announcements during concerts throughout their Nothing Like This Tour, which launches June 25 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
“Having been personally affected by suicide, it’s important for me to do all that we can to create more awareness and prevention, particularly with teenagers,” said Rascal Flatt’s bassist Jay DeMarcus. “We are proud to be partners with the Jason Foundation and we are looking forward to doing our part in trying to help them save even more lives.”
“We look forward to helping give people the right tools to recognize the signs,” shared singer Gary LeVox. “Our youth need to know they have options and there are people that want to help them.”
The Jason Foundation, Inc. (JFI) is an educational organization dedicated to the awareness and prevention of youth suicide. Go to www.jasonfoundation.com to learn more.
U.S. To Target Music, Movie Piracy
/by contributor“This is theft, clear and simple,” Biden said at a meeting with Attorney General Eric Holder, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and other Cabinet officials to discuss the new strategy, which also includes steps to reduce piracy and counterfeiting within the United States. “It’s ‘smash and grab,’ no different than a guy walking down Fifth Avenue and smashing the window at Tiffany’s and reaching in and grabbing what’s in the window.”
U.S. businesses estimate losses of billions of dollars annually due to piracy and counterfeiting of films, music and consumer goods, and blame the illegal trade for U.S. job losses as well. The U.S. Trade Representative’s office has battled to close websites in Russia, China and other countries that sell pirated American music and films.
Biden said the U.S. would increase pressure on foreign governments to shut down the sites by “being as public as we possibly can” about illegal activity. U.S. business groups welcomed the plan, which was mandated by Congress in 2008 and also includes steps to ensure that the federal government does not purchase counterfeit goods.
“Addressing the problem of intellectual property theft in a meaningful way is essential to enhancing our global competitiveness and protecting American innovation,” said Mitch Bainwol, Chairman & CEO, Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). “All those whose jobs rely on music welcome the commitment of President Obama and Vice President Biden to sustaining music’s economic and cultural contributions to America. We look forward to working with the Administration on the effective implementation of the report.”
Biden didn’t mention any foreign websites by name. A recent USTR report said China’s top Internet search firm, Baidu Inc, was associated with between 50 percent to 75 percent of illegal music downloads in China.
Several Russian websites still provide illegal downloads, even though the most notorious site, Allofmp3, was shut down in 2007.
New Chesney Album Coming This Fall
/by Sarah SkatesDuring that time the superstar stayed top-of-mind with fans by offering the laid back beach tunes on Lucky Old Sun, Greatest Hits II, and the movie Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D, all yielding radio hits (“Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven,” “Down The Road,” “I Went Out Last Night,” and “Ain’t Back Yet”).
When Chesney decided not to mount his usual summer stadium tour, it was in large part so that he could focus on the new album. “I knew I wanted the record to be something more, something that took what I do in my special projects and weaved it into what I do for the mainstream,” he says. “It takes a lot of energy and mental space to be on the road… and I kind of felt like, especially coming off of this second Greatest Hits, this next record should be something that set the stage for the next phase of my music, the same way No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems opened up the music I’ve made for the past 8 years.”