Pictured left to right: Chris Borchetta (Ride Records), Steve Azar and Mike Hammond (WIVK-FM).
During a recent concert performance at Cotton Eyed Joe’s in Knoxville, more than 100 fans participated in a “Moo La Moo” dance contest, based on the hilarious dance featured in Steve Azar’s new music video. He presented the lucky winner with an autographed “Delta Soul Logo” guitar. “Moo La Moo” is the lead single from his forthcoming CD, Slide On Over Here (8/4). Fans can learn the “Moo La Moo” dance by signing up for email updates at www.steveazarlive.com, and downloading the instructional video. The dance was created by the video’s star, comedian/actor Gary Valentine (King of Queens).
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Earlier this year, Martina McBride sang her current single, “I Just Call You Mine,” as part of a dream-date evening on ABC’s The Bachelorette. Now, the love song will once again be featured in the show, as “I Just Call You Mine” sets the musical mood for a look back at special moments from throughout the season when the season finale airs this Monday, July 27, at 8 PM ET.
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Orleans ("Still the One," "Dance with Me") performed at NAMM, held recently in Nashville. Original members, Larry and Lance Hoppen, were joined by drummer and former Elton John band member Charlie Morgan, to perform their hits and offer a first hand perspective on developing and surviving a career in the entertainment industry.
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Downloads of Trailer Choir’s “Beer Gut” have been on the increase for 12 consecutive weeks, with digital sales jumping 139% in the past two weeks alone. Over the past month, Trailer Choir’s digital sales have seen an impressive increase of 232%. Their ringback sales went up 61% and ringtone sales rose 54% becoming the #1 downloaded ringtone for the label, Show Dog Nashville.
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With their first set of new studio material since 2003, Lynyrd Skynyrd returns with God & Guns, due out Sept. 29 on Loud & Proud / Roadrunner Records. It was recorded in Nashville in 2008-2009 with noted rock producer Bob Marlette.
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Tracy Lawrence will be acknowledged as an Honorary Citizen of San Antonio by the City of San Antonio, TX. The ceremony is in recognition and appreciation of his numerous visits there and his philanthropic endeavors. The presentation will take place on Friday, Aug. 14, prior to his performance at Cowboys Far West.
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Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ will put out their first record in 12 years. Great American Bubble Factory will be released Sept. 29 on Vintage Earth Music with marketing and distribution provided by Nashville’s Thirty Tigers/RED.
Benefit News: Compilation Album, NASH-CAR, More
/by Sarah Skates———————————
Matt Gary and Billy Reasons will perform at the NASH-CAR event to benefit the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital on Thursday, July 30, downtown on 2nd Avenue. Reasons’ debut single, “Crank the Hank,” was produced by Teddy Gentry and the accompanying video will be filmed during his performance at NASH-CAR. The event will kick-off with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Drivers Association rolling into town. The haulers will be parked on 2nd Avenue where fans will be able to get an inside sneak peek at the world of racing via truck tours.
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On Aug. 1, The Nashville Palace will host the first annual Rock the Walk Benefit Concert with performances by Rissi Palmer, Ashley Ray, and The Rust. Highlights of the evening will include celebrity host Evan Farmer (TLC’s While You Were Out) and proceeds will go to Autism Speaks and the TN Walk Now for Autism, as well as local Autism Music Education programs. A separate event, Walk Now for Autism, will take place at the Nashville Superspeedway on Oct. 17, with all proceeds going to Autism Speaks. Tickets and details at rockthewalktn.com, and/or walknowforautism.org.
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Halfway 2 Hazard will headline A Hit For MDA, including a concert and bike ride on Sept. 19, starting at Harley Davidson Columbia and ending at Eagleville High School. For more information, or to donate an auction item, contact Sandra Davis at (615) 971-0972.
Photos: Aquapalooza, Rascal Flatts, Jimmy Wayne on Crook & Chase
/by Sarah SkatesPictured (back row, l-r): CMT Sr VP Production, Development and Talent John Hamlin; Arista Nashville Promo VP Skip Bishop; Sony Music Nashville Exec VP A&R Renee Bell; Arista Nashville National Promo Director Lesly Tyson; and Sony Music Nashville Exec VP Butch Waugh. (front row, l-r): Cracker Barrel Marketing VP Peter Keisner; Caitlin Lynn; Sony Music Nashville Marketing VP Tom Baldrica; Will Snyder; Sony Music Nashville Chairman Joe Galante; Jypsi's Scarlett, Lillie Mae, Amber-Dawn, and Frank; and Grand Ole Opry VP/GM Pete Fisher.
Alan Jackson headlined AquaPalooza 2009 on Lake Martin, Alabama on Sat., July 25. Numerous Nashville music biz execs made the trip to the boating and music festival which also featured performances by Columbia Nashville duo Caitlin & Will and Arista Nashville group Jypsi. More than 4,000 boats and 35,000 people attended, setting a new record for any single event on a lake. Boats were packed bow to stern for over a mile, and many fans donned their inner tubes and water noodles to paddle close to the water-pit at the bottom of the stage. During the show, which was taped for CMT’s Labor Day special, Jackson spoke about childhood visits to Lake Martin with his family.
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Photo credit: Will Byington
Elsewhere on Saturday (7/25), Rascal Flatts became the first country act to perform a concert in historic Wrigley Field in Chicago. The group entertained a sold-out crowd of 37,000 fans, at one of only four concerts ever played in the Chicago Cubs’ home stadium. Vince Gill and Darius Rucker opened. The Rascal Flatts American Living Unstoppable Tour visits its second stadium show of the summer Aug. 9 in Columbus, Ohio.
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Jimmy Wayne will appear on RFD’s Crook & Chase this week, performing his new single “I’ll Be That” and his No. 1 smash “Do You Believe Me Now.” He is pictured above with Lorianne Crook and Charlie Chase on location at the Nashville Palace. The episode premieres Thursday 7/30.
Industry Items: McDonough Leaves Capitol, IBMA Nominees
/by Sarah SkatesJudy McDonough has left her post as Dir., Media at Capitol Records Nashville. She worked for the label that is home to artists Trace Adkins, Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, Eric Church, Lady Antebellum and more. She can be contacted at mcdonoughmedia1@yahoo.com.
The changes keep coming at the national and international levels as well for Capitol’s parent company EMI. Last week new EMI EVP of Digital Marketing Cory Ondrejka hired a new team of digital marketing executives. Full list here.
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Nominees for the 20th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards will be announced Thurs. Aug. 13, 10:00 a.m. at press conference in the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum’s Ford Theater.
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A New York Times article focuses on the latest options for indie artists trying to make it without a major label. Included is Polyphonic, a startup company founded by Radiohead manager Brian Message, Adam Driscoll, and Nettwerk’s Terry McBride. Other ventures: WME’s Marc Geiger is working on a division called Self Serve, and EMI is offering services to musicians not signed to the label. More on Polyphonic here.
Whisperin’ Bill, Jamey Johnson, and More
/by Sarah Skates—————————–
FREE DOWNLOADS: The debut single from Jamey Johnson’s next album, “My Way To You,” will be posted at www.jameyjohnson.com on Aug. 3. On Aug. 11, the digital e-single will be available for download at iTunes and all other digital partners. The follow-up album to Johnson’s critically acclaimed That Lonesome Song will hit stores this fall and will also be released on vinyl.
Rural Rhythm Records is offering a free song by bluegrass band Lou Reid & Carolina, “Left Handed Dreamer,” at Amazon.com tomorrow, to mark the July 28 release of their new album My Own Set of Rules.
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The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on S. 369, The Performance Rights Act, on Tues., Aug. 4.
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Jeffrey Kurtis has exited Today’s Country Magazine and will return full-time to his rock focused music magazine The Guestlist.
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The local attorney who faked his own death was sentenced to five years probation, reports fellow SouthComm outlet the City Paper.
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“Daddy, Let’s Dance” by Jamie Tate is the first single from Bodell Records, a new record label co-founded by Lane Caudell and Bob Crumley.
Reba Plots Album Promotion
/by Sarah SkatesReba working radio: WKSJ/Mobile PD Bill Black and his wife Andrea prior to her performance last weekend in Alabama.
As Reba prepares for the Aug. 18 release of Keep On Loving You, her first solo studio album in six years, she is lining up the promotional opportunities.
On her TV schedule are Reba: Invitation Only (premiering 8/1 on DISH Network and 8/21 on CMT) and Good Morning America’s Summer Concert Series on 8/21. She will perform the album’s lead single “Strange” on ABC’s CMA Music Fest: Country’s Night To Rock special airing 8/31.
This Friday, July 31 at 7PM ET Reba will be on QVC to preview new music from the album, and give viewers the chance to pre-order it and receive a free copy of her autobiography, Reba: My Story.
Radio groups including CBS, Citadel and Clear Channel will be featuring exclusive interview content on their websites during release week.
She will be the August Artist of the Month on GAC and CMT, with enhanced exposure on TV, online and more. She will be spotlighted on numerous programs on the channels, as well as host CMT Music City Madness.
Other publicity coming in September includes Sirius-XM Artist Confidential (cross-promoted on United Airlines) and an AOL Sessions performance (cross-promoted on social network Bebo).
Jeff Griffith
/by ProgrammerPlaylist“Dip Me In Beer”
Arrowhead Records
Written by Griffith and Hobson Smith, “Dip Me In Beer” is Griffith’s songwriting debut. “When we heard this guy actually sayin’ that phrase in a Houston bar,” Griffith remarks, “we knew we had a great hook.” The two wrote the hilarious number in just a few hours, and Griffith immediately added the song to his shows.
“Dip Me In Beer” follows Jeff’s previous hits “Drinkin’ Thing,” “If It Ain’t One Thing It’s Another,” “I’m Your Radio,” “Holed Up In Some Honky Tonk” and “Fishin’ Forever,” all of which charted on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Chart. Each of those singles can be found on 2007’s If It Ain’t One Thing It’s Another. “Dip Me In Beer” will appear on Griffith’s forthcoming CD.
His previous successes have launched Griffith on to stages ranging from world-famous honky tonks (Fort Worth’s Stagecoach Ballroom and Pearl’s Dancehall, 11th Street Cowboy Bar of Bandera, Texas) to the prestigious CMA Music Festival (2008) in Nashville, Tennessee and the world-renowned Country Rendez-Vous Festival in Craponne-sur-Azon, France (2009).
http://www.jeffgriffith.net/
http://www.myspace.com/jeffgriffith
Aldean DVD Coming Aug. 25
/by Sarah Skates“This is the coolest thing we’ve ever done together as a band,” said Aldean from Los Angeles, where he was taping The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien. “The energy in Knoxville was off the charts, and it’s just really special for us to have that night recorded. Now, people who might not be able to make it to one of the shows, but are curious to know what we do, can check it out too.”
A tease of the live DVD will debut as the new music video for Aldean’s current smash country love song “Big Green Tractor” beginning Fri., July 24 on MySpace Music’s homepage. The clip will also begin airing on video networks in the coming weeks.
Fans can catch Aldean headlining his Wide Open tour through the fall, as well as opening a handful of dates for superstar Keith Urban in the coming weeks. He will also tape an episode of E!’s highly rated late night talk show Chelsea Lately on Tues., July 28 and is a performer on ABC’s CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock on Aug. 31.
NSAI Celebrates Successful Josh Turner Benefit
/by Sarah SkatesPictured (L-R): Modern Management’s Ted Greene; NSAI President, Grammy-nominated songwriter Steve Bogard; Anderson; Turner; Camp; NSAI Executive Director Bart Herbison and McLaughlin. Photo Credit: Bev Moser
On Wednesday night (7/22), multi-platinum MCA recording artist and award-winning songwriter Josh Turner headlined the Nashville Songwriters Association International’s inaugural “It All Begins With A Song” Performance Series at the Wildhorse Saloon. During the sold-out show, he invited special guests/hit songwriters John Anderson, Shawn Camp and Pat McLaughlin to the stage for acoustic sets. The packed-house was treated to Turner’s hit singles, including “Long Black Train,” “Firecracker” and “Another Try.” Turner was also presented with a Lifetime Membership to NSAI for his continued support.
Artist Items: Azar, Martina, More
/by Sarah SkatesPictured left to right: Chris Borchetta (Ride Records), Steve Azar and Mike Hammond (WIVK-FM).
During a recent concert performance at Cotton Eyed Joe’s in Knoxville, more than 100 fans participated in a “Moo La Moo” dance contest, based on the hilarious dance featured in Steve Azar’s new music video. He presented the lucky winner with an autographed “Delta Soul Logo” guitar. “Moo La Moo” is the lead single from his forthcoming CD, Slide On Over Here (8/4). Fans can learn the “Moo La Moo” dance by signing up for email updates at www.steveazarlive.com, and downloading the instructional video. The dance was created by the video’s star, comedian/actor Gary Valentine (King of Queens).
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Earlier this year, Martina McBride sang her current single, “I Just Call You Mine,” as part of a dream-date evening on ABC’s The Bachelorette. Now, the love song will once again be featured in the show, as “I Just Call You Mine” sets the musical mood for a look back at special moments from throughout the season when the season finale airs this Monday, July 27, at 8 PM ET.
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Orleans ("Still the One," "Dance with Me") performed at NAMM, held recently in Nashville. Original members, Larry and Lance Hoppen, were joined by drummer and former Elton John band member Charlie Morgan, to perform their hits and offer a first hand perspective on developing and surviving a career in the entertainment industry.
—————————————–
Downloads of Trailer Choir’s “Beer Gut” have been on the increase for 12 consecutive weeks, with digital sales jumping 139% in the past two weeks alone. Over the past month, Trailer Choir’s digital sales have seen an impressive increase of 232%. Their ringback sales went up 61% and ringtone sales rose 54% becoming the #1 downloaded ringtone for the label, Show Dog Nashville.
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With their first set of new studio material since 2003, Lynyrd Skynyrd returns with God & Guns, due out Sept. 29 on Loud & Proud / Roadrunner Records. It was recorded in Nashville in 2008-2009 with noted rock producer Bob Marlette.
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Tracy Lawrence will be acknowledged as an Honorary Citizen of San Antonio by the City of San Antonio, TX. The ceremony is in recognition and appreciation of his numerous visits there and his philanthropic endeavors. The presentation will take place on Friday, Aug. 14, prior to his performance at Cowboys Far West.
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Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ will put out their first record in 12 years. Great American Bubble Factory will be released Sept. 29 on Vintage Earth Music with marketing and distribution provided by Nashville’s Thirty Tigers/RED.
Americana Awards Tickets Now On Sale
/by Sarah SkatesIndividual Awards tickets are $55 via Ticketmaster, the Ryman Box office or here. Conference registration, here, also includes one ticket to the awards show. Conference rates go up after Aug. 31.