Photo: Courtesy of Big Machine Records

Midland will release their new album, Barely Blue, on Sept. 20 via Big Machine Records. The trio dropped the project’s opening track, “Lucky Sometimes,” along with its accompanying video yesterday (June 26).

Produced by Dave Cobb at Georgia Mae Studios in Savannah, the eight-song exploration of loneliness and resilience in the face of heartache aims to examine the generosity of spirit required to love, lose and move on.

“We knew we wanted to go somewhere else,” says bassist/vocalist Cameron Duddy. “We are all big believers in a certain time and place, a sense of classic country that comes from roadhouses and bad coffee, miles and miles and miles on the road–and the idea that, even though we’re all happy, love and life falls apart, but that doesn’t mean you have to, too. When we were writing these songs, it was a trip into all the things in country music we love. You don’t hear much of this kind of unfiltered, hard stuff that comes with the great guitar sounds, the deep harmonies and shuffles you can tuck into. But that’s the essence of what Midland is–and Dave Cobb brought a new altitude to our sound.”

Lead singer/guitarist Mark Wystrach adds, “Dave Cobb had been a producer we wanted to work with since we first heard Sturgill Simpson’s Metamodern Sounds in Country Music. Dave’s eclectic musical background and the way he approaches recording as an experience and not a task made him the perfect match for us. On Barely Blue, we feel like Dave helped us find the sound we’ve been searching for for a long time.”

Additionally, the group will kick off “The Get Lucky Tour” on Sept. 19, with dates in Cincinnati, Atlanta, El Paso, Las Vegas and more as well as a show at ACL Live in their hometown of Austin on Dec. 20.

Pictured (L-R, back row): Rod Riley, Rusty Gaston, Lindsay Will, Noah Dewey, Kelly Janson, Bryce Sherlow, Emilia James, Jimmy Harnen and Clay Bradley; (L-R, front row): Caroline Hodson, Scott Borchetta, Brad Clawson, Chris Janson, Mitch Oglesby, Ashley Gorley, Julian Raymond and Ron Cox. Photo: Aubrey Wise

BMI gathered industry members earlier this week to celebrate Chris Janson’s No. 1 hit “All I Need Is You,” which marked his fifth career chart-topper as a songwriter and an artist.

The heat of the day began to subside as industry members, family and friends made their way into the BMI lobby on Tuesday (June 25) afternoon. Gathered on stage were the song’s co-writers Ashley Gorley, Brad Clawson, Mitch Oglesby and Janson.

BMI’s Clay Bradley was emcee for the party. He congratulated the songwriters and thanked the crowd for taking the time out of their busy schedules to show up and celebrate the monumental achievement. On hand to celebrate her songwriters, Gorley and Oglesby, was ASCAP’s Emilia James.

She began by noting that, while it was his third No. 1, it was Oglesby’s first No. 1 party. “Mitch is the embodiment of hard work, determination and never giving up. He grew up on a farm in Georgia before moving here as a school teacher. He also worked at Nissan for a couple years, drove a school bus and did whatever it took to make ends meet while keeping his head down and honing his craft. In 2017, he signed his publishing deal and three years later, he had his first No. 1—another Chris Jason hit ‘Done.’ I am so excited that we finally get to celebrate!”

On deck to tout their songwriters were Anthem Entertainment’s Noah Dewey, Round Hill Music’s Lindsay Will and Tape Room Music’s Caroline Hodson. Hodson stepped to the mic to congratulate the teams that helped the song top the charts and Tape Room songwriters Gorley and Clawson.

“Simply put, you’re the kind of guy that everyone wants to be around,” Hodson said to Clawson. “You are ready to write every single day. You are smart, inclusive and ambitious, but, most importantly, you are humble and appreciative of everyone around you. Congratulations to you and everyone else here on stage.”

Warner Chappell’s Bryce Sherlow was up next followed by Sony’s Rusty Gaston to tout Gorley.

“I hear a lot of songwriters say that they admire the success that Ashley Gorley has had, but I want to point out that Ashley exemplifies the philosophy, ‘The harder you work, the luckier you get.’ Ashley was in New York recently, and he got a phone call from an artist saying that he wanted to write that night. So, Ashley got on a plane back to Nashville and wrote until 3 a.m. before getting on another plane and flying back to New York to continue his meetings. It is a work ethic like that that leads to Ashley’s level of success.”

Several more stepped to the stage to speak including Studio Bank’s Ron Cox, Big Machine Records’ Scott Borchetta, Nashville Harbor Record’s Jimmy Harnen and producer Julian Raymond.

Finally, it was time to hear from the songwriters. Oglesby spoke first, ushering Chris’ wife and manager Kelly Janson to the stage to stand next to him. “This lady right here got me on this stage. She went home and told Chris Janson that he had to go write with Mitch. He said, ‘Who is Mitch? How many cuts does he have?’ She said ‘none’ and he said he wasn’t going to write with me. Fast forward to the next day, he walked in and we immediately hit it off,” he laughed.

Next was Clawson, “I want to say thank you to everyone that had a hand in this song. I want to thank my family, Big Machine, Tape Room, Warner and everyone else. I really appreciate you guys.”

Gorley took the mic next to echo Oglesby and thank his team. “First of all, I want to thank God for getting the privilege to create and get to know these guys. I also want to thank Kelly for inspiring this song, and all of Chris’ songs. Thank you to all of the publishing teams and promo teams that made this song happen.”

Lastly, Janson took the opportunity to individually recognize everyone on his crew that helped his song go No. 1. He invited his promo team, management, band members and more to the stage and presented them each with gifts to show his appreciation.

“It’s so easy when you are a successful songwriter or artist to be put on a pedestal, or to have so many ‘yes’ people around you that you think you are more important than you really are,” he explained. “The truth is, it happens from the ground up, and we are just a catalyst to get there. Without the team, you don’t have anything. I have been in the music business long enough to know that the more you love your team, the more they will love you back and I am so grateful for my team.”

Photo: Drew DeSirey/Sean Roberts

Logan Crosby will drop his debut album, 2019, on Sept. 27. Ahead of the release, he plans to embark on his first-ever headlining journey, “The 2019 Tour,” starting Sept. 5 in Birmingham, Alabama.

Photo: Drew DeSirey/Sean Roberts

The collection will feature lead singles “You’re Still,” “Girl Next Door” and “2019” in addition to 10 new tunes. Additionally, the 12-date tour will visit Knoxville, Charlotte, Columbia, Nashville and more. Tickets are available now. For more information, click here.

“When you listen to me, I want to take you back to the first time you got your heart broken or fell in love. Other songs might make you want to party,” notes Crosby. “I’m the same guy who was holding a guitar at three-years-old. Whether I’m playing a dive bar or an arena, I’m going to share stories and maybe make you laugh too.”

He is currently supporting Megan Moroney on “The Lucky 2.0 Tour,” and is set to make upcoming appearances at Calgary Stampede and Voice of America (VOA) Country Music Fest.

2019 Track Listing:
1. “2019”
2. “You’re Still”
3. “Polaroid Picture”
4. “Love Like That Again”
5. “Girl Next Door”
6. “Please Don’t Say Atlanta”
7. “Look Who’s Lonely Now”
8. “But I Do”
9. “I’ll Write A Song”
10. “Ain’t No Georgia”
11. “Forever For A While”
12. “Roots”
13. “Seasons”

Kelsea Ballerini Honored With RIAA Gold Plaque

Pictured (L-R): Bill Macky, Grace Watson, Rick Froio, Kelsea Ballerini, Gordon Kerr, Doug Johnson and Dawn Delvo

Earlier this month, Kelsea Ballerini was honored with a plaque for her RIAA Gold-certified single, “Mountain With A View.” The song appears on her Grammy-nominated album Rolling Up the Welcome Mat and was written solely by Ballerini.

Anne Wilson Garners One Billion Global Career Streams

Pictured (L-R): Aaron Stearns, Troy Scott, Becca Redl, Ashley Chiappetta, Maggie Laws, Hudson Plachy, Anne Wilson, Brad O’Donnell, Matthew West, Isabel Pesci, Karrie Dawley and Travis Laws. Photo: Laney Oakes Crosland

Singer-songwriter Anne Wilson has achieved a major milestone by passing the one billion career streams mark. This achievement comes just three years into her career after initially gaining attention for her single “My Jesus” and Grammy-nominated album of the same name.

Recently, Wilson and Lainey Wilson released a live recording of “Praying Woman” off of her Christian country album Rebel. The album, upon release, secured the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 spots on the Christian, country and all-genre charts respectively—putting her in the company of Carrie Underwood, Chris Tomlin and Hillary Scott.

ACM Continues Celebrations At Nashville Pride Parade

Pictured: ACM staff, friends and family ahead of the Nashville Pride Parade. Photo: Courtesy of ACM

The Academy of Country Music continued Pride Month celebrations on Saturday (June 22) by joining in on the Nashville Pride Parade along with ACM members, friends and family.

This follows the organization’s inaugural “ACM Country For Y’all” showcase on Thursday (June 20) that featured performances from Adam Mac, Brooke Eden, Chris Housman and Denitia.

Scotty Hasting Honors WWII Veterans At The 80th Anniversary Of D-Day

Scotty Hasting. Photo: Courtesy of Black River Entertainment

Artist and combat-wounded former infantryman Scotty Hasting has returned from a 10-day trip to France, where he honored WWII Veterans on the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy.

Hasting participated in events organized by Operation Democracy, taking steps to remember and preserve our freedom. “Afghanistan Veteran and rising Nashville star Scotty Hasting symbolizes the passing of the torch of Gratitude for our precious remaining WWII Veterans to the Next Generation so they understand the cost of our freedom and the imperative to be vigilant in defense of our Western Civilization,” says Operation Democracy’s Cathy Cyphers Soref. “Scotty’s penetrating rendition of the new classic ‘Red, White and Blue’ evokes the depth of sacrifice made by a few for all of us and a call for all to participate in some form of public service.”

“I was with the 1st Infantry Division 4th Squadron 4th Cavalry out of Fort Riley,” shares Hasting. “I was there from 2010 – 2015. I deployed in 2011 to Afghanistan, where I was shot 10 times—five times in the shoulder, four times in the hip, and once in the thigh. Music has become a form of therapy for me and a way to fight the demons that knock on the door at night. It’s a way for me to get rid of PTSD, depression and anxiety…thank you for all that you do, have done, and continue to do.”

Lil’ Skinny Signs With Droptine Recordings

Pictured (L-R): Jimmy Ritchey, Lil’ Skinny and Jim Catino

Emerging artist Lil’ Skinny has signed with Droptine Recordings prior to releasing his new single, “Whiskey Pistol,” on July 5.

In a partnership with Jimmy Ritchey, Droptine’s Jim Catino welcomes Skinny to the roster, sharing, “I’m very excited about working with Lil Skinny. He is an amazing talent! Skinny is skilled as a singer-songwriter, musician and performer. I’m looking forward to watching him rise as a country music star. And it is an added bonus to be able to do it alongside my longtime friend Jimmy Ritchey.”

“Working with Jimmy Ritchey and Jim Catino has been a dream come true. The support from Droptine to be able to record the music that I’ve always dreamed of making has been such a blessing. I’m excited to see where the future will take us,” shares Lil’ Skinny.