Tag Archive for: featured-2

Next Big Nashville's Soundland Shares Line-up

Next Big Nashville Soundland is drawing top nationwide talent as well as some of the brightest up-and-comers from the Nashville scene. The recently revealed line-up includes Foster the People, Caitlin Rose, Ghostland Observatory, M Ward, Justin Townes Earle, JEFF The Brotherhood, Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, Those Darlins, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Robert Ellis, PUJOL, and Madi Diaz.
Now in its sixth year, the music event will take place in Nashville Sept. 21–24.
“I’m very proud of what we have accomplished over the last several years with Next BIG Nashville but, looking forward, we saw an opportunity to push the idea of the festival even further. And that new vision deserved a new name,” said NBN co-founder Jason Moon Wilkins of the new moniker Soundland. “This new event now gives us an opportunity to embrace the entire creative community – from arts to film to food and more.”
Beyond the music lineup, SoundLand will be adding outdoor stages, arts, local food trucks and more interactive fun, culminating in an all-day party at Public Square Park in downtown on Sat., Sept. 24.
“Alongside the music festival, we’ve completely reinvented the industry component; moving away from a traditional conference with panels into what we’re calling Field Trips,” said Kevin Brown, Partner in Next BIG Nashville. “Sponsors have really gravitated toward what we’re doing in 2011, and fans have too. We’re off to a screaming start.”

Joe Nichols To Host ACM Honors

The Academy of Country Music has tapped Joe Nichols to host the 5th Annual ACM Honors, an evening dedicated to recognizing the special honorees and off-camera category winners from the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. The event will take place Mon., Sept. 19 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
This is Nichols’ first time hosting the show, and the second time it will be held at the Ryman Auditorium, which will be recognized at the event as ACM Venue of the Year. Nichols, an ACM Award winner, says leading the evening is “definitely a high point in my career.”
Tickets will be made available to the public via Ticketmaster, with on-sale details coming next week.
Those being honored at the event include Special Award recipients Garth Brooks, John Dorris, Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers, Tom T. Hall, Reba, Taylor Swift and the film Country Strong. Hank Cochran will also be honored posthumously. The evening also recognizes winners of the MBI (musician, bandleader, instrumentalist) and Industry categories, which are not presented during the live telecast of the Academy of Country Music Awards. See the complete list of winners.

CCM Artist Dan Peek, Formerly of America, Dead at Age 60

Christian-music recording artist Dan Peek passed away on Sunday, July 24, at his home in Farmington, MO.
Peek’s CCM work topped the gospel charts and earned a Grammy Award nomination, but he was best known for his earlier tenure in the pop group America. He sang and played on such America hits as “A Horse with No Name” (1972), “I Need You” (1972), “Ventura Highway” (1972), “Tin Man” (1974), “Lonely People” (1975) and “Sister Golden Hair” (1975).
He wrote “Lonely People,” as well as such America tunes as “Rainy Day,” “Everyone I Meet Is From California,” “Don’t Cross the River,” “Saturn Nights,” “Simple Life” and “Woman Tonight.”
He left the group in 1977. He renewed his Christian faith and embarked on a second career while former partners Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell continued America as a duo. Peek’s CCM debut album, All Things Are Possible, was released in 1979. It was nominated for a Grammy. Its title tune was a No. 1 CCM hit, crossed over to the mainstream pop charts and became a top-10 A/C hit.
The CCM field was quite young at the time. Dan Peek was a pioneer of the genre alongside such other former pop stars as Barry McGuire, Richey Furay, Larry Norman and Noel Paul Stookey.
Peek’s second CCM collection, 1984’s Doer of the World, also had a title tune that became a top-10 hit on the gospel charts. Peek’s 1986 album, Electro Voice, included a remake of America’s “Lonely People” with rewritten, Christian-oriented lyrics. It and the album’s title tune both became top-10 gospel hits.
Other albums included Cross Over (1987), Bodden Town (1999) and Caribbean Christmas (2000). During the 1990s, Peek also recorded four CCM albums as a member of the group Peace.
Dan Peek published an autobiography titled An American Band: The America Story in 2004. No cause of death has been made public.

Review: David Nail Sells Out Exit/In

A capacity crowd gathered at Exit/In last night (7/28) for MCA artist David Nail’s sold out Nashville show with up-and-comer Russell Dickerson. Nail’s soulful brand of country music was a smart fit for the venerable Elliston Place venue that has hosted acts as diverse as Talking Heads and Vince Gill.
Unsigned Russell Dickerson opened the show. A tall drink of water with a Telecaster, Dickerson mixes bright Keith Urban melodies with a loverman charm reminiscent of James Otto. He directed everyone to his Twitter page @russelled, where they could all get “Russelled” on a regular basis. His EP Die To Live Again is currently available on iTunes, as is his latest single “That’s My Girl.”
David Nail took the stage after a brief intermission, dressed in a gingham shirt and vest that were completely sweat-soaked within a matter of minutes. He opened his set with a slowed-down, moody take on “Looking For A Good Time” from his 2008 collection I’m About To Come Alive. The band rolled immediately into “This Time Around,” followed by a cover of Train’s “Respect.” A total of five songs flew by without a single word to the audience, and I was starting to get worried he might not acknowledge us at all.
As if reading my mind, Nail greeted the crowd right before song six.
“I promised myself I wasn’t gonna talk much and I don’t plan to,” he stated. “But it means more to me than you can know that we sold this bitch out tonight.”
Alright, fair enough.
Nail’s excellent set showcased his 2009 hit “Red Light” as well as his current single “Let It Rain” and “I’m About To Come Alive” (another Train song). The audience was also treated to some new material, including a dedication to his wife called “Catherine,” and a couple other covers like Ryan Adams’ “Firecracker” and Gavin DeGraw’s “I Don’t Wanna Be.”
In case you haven’t seen this guy perform live, let the record show that he’s one heck of a singer. His soulful inflections and impressive range approached the sublime, and his powerful voice is always front and center in the mix. His merch table had plenty of t-shirts and accessories, and bizarrely, underwear emblazoned with the David Nail logo. (Hey, I guess Christmas isn’t that far away…)
Also in the crowd enjoying the show were muzzbuzz colleagues Karen Light, Erin Duvall, Kama Upton, John and Jill Ettinger, Amanda Eckard, Kristen McCrary, the UMG Nashville crew including Tom Lord and Katie Dean, and reps from CAA who booked the show.
For his encore, Nail’s band churned up an extended blooze jam before segueing into the piano intro for his hit “Turning Home.” He followed that with a funky mashup of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and “Easy Like Sunday Morning,” before closing out the evening with the Tom Petty rave-up “You Wreck Me.”
As he finished “Turning Home,” Nail expressed his gratitude once again.
“When this show got booked, I called the booking agency and said ‘Man, I don’t know if I’m big enough to play Nashville.’ I can’t tell you how important that song has been to me so I’m just gonna shut up and sing, ok?”
David, keep singing like you did last night and you’ll be just fine.

Rhythm Condos Strumming Foreclosure

The Nashville Business Journal is reporting high-rise condo, Rhythm at Music Row, is heading toward bank control as its developer plans to file “friendly foreclosure.”
According to the article, the developer, Rhythm Partners, LLC, which developed the 14-story condo building, will file a “quit-claim deed that would convey any rights or interests in the Rhythm’s 43 unsold units back to the project’s lender.” For the complete story, visit the Nashville Business Journal website.

Weekly Chart Report (7/29/11)





MCA’s Kip Moore (“Mary Was The Marrying Kind”) dropped by the KEGA studios in Salt Lake City (L-R): KEGA MD Jon Watkins, Moore, KEGA PD Alan Hague




SPIN ZONE
Third time continues to be a charm for Lady Antebellum, whose “Just A Kiss” earns its third consecutive week at No. 1 on the CountryBreakout Chart. Inching toward the top on its heels are Zac Brown Band’s “Knee Deep” at No. 2, Trace Adkins’ “Just Fishin’” at No. 3 and Kenny Chesney’s “You and Tequila” at No. 4. But seeing as how Toby Keith’s “Made In America” just piled on 232 new spins and jumped 8-5, it could shoot right past some of these titles in the next week.
Montgomery Gentry has a new label home in Average Joe’s, and radio clearly hasn’t lost its love for the hitmaking duo. Eddie and Troy’s latest, “Where I Come From” had a big debut at No. 63 last week, and it’s already moved on up to No. 44 following a gain of nearly 300 spins. That puts them right behind labelmate Corey Smith, whose “Twenty One” is at No. 41.
New debuts for the week include Justin Moore’s “Bait A Hook” at No. 69, Mark Willis’ “Crazy Bein’ Home” at No. 79, and Teea Goans’ “Letter From God” at No. 80.
Frozen Playlists: KMKS, KTKS, KVWF, KYYK, WBKR, WDGG, WIBL, WKKW, WKWS, WTCR



Upcoming Singles
August 1
Justin Moore/Bait A Hook/Valory
Amber Hayes/Wait/Flying Island
August 8
Danny Gokey/Second Hand Heart/RCA
The Band Perry/All Your Life/Republic Nashville
• • • • •
New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Justin Moore/Bait a Hook/Valory — 69
Mark Wills/Crazy Bein’ Home/Tenacity — 79
Teea Goans/Letter From God/Crosswind — 80
Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Blake Shelton/God Gave Me You/Warner Bros./WMN — 459
Taylor Swift/Sparks Fly/Big Machine — 309
Montgomery Gentry/Where I Come From/Average Joe’s — 297
Justin Moore/Bait a Hook/Valory — 238
Toby Keith/Made In America/Show Dog-Universal — 232
Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
Montgomery Gentry/Where I Come From/Average Joe’s — 24
Blake Shelton/God Gave Me You/Warner Bros./WMN — 17
Justin Moore/Bait a Hook/Valory — 17
The Band Perry/All Your Life/Republic Nashville — 12
Eric Paslay/Never Really Wanted/EMI Nashville — 11
Taylor Swift/Sparks Fly/Big Machine — 11
Tracy Lawrence/The Singer/Lawrence Music Group — 11
Martina McBride/I’m Gonna Love You Through It/Republic Nashville — 10
On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
The McClymonts/Wrapped Up Good/BSM — 223
Brad Wolfe/Love Ought To Be Perfect/Evergreen — 198
Ashton Shepherd/Where Country Grows/MCA — 170
Kevin Fowler/Hell Yeah, I Like Beer/Average Joe’s Ent. — 170
Cash Creek/Unlikely Angel/Ohana Music Group — 163

Stokes Nielson (formerly of the Lost Trailers) recently launched his own entertainment brand marketing company called Stokes Tunes. The company is working with artist Corbette Jackson among others and the two recently visited WUSY/Chattanooga. (L-R): Mo from WUSY Mid-day show Dex & Mo, radio vet and former Clear Channel Nashville market manager Tom English, WUSY PD Gator Harrison, Jackson and Nielson.


WPOC/Baltimore presented its Six Flags Catch A Rising Star Country Festival on Saturday, July 23 in Bowie, Maryland. The concert featured performers Margaret Durante, Dustin Lynch, Randy Montana, and host Kix Brooks. (L-R): Montana, Lynch, Brooks, Durante and WPOC's Justin Cole


Permian Records/Nine North artist Brian Milson introduced his James Stroud-produced, Jeffrey Steele/Shane Minor-penned single “The Man I’m Not” at Country Giant 94.7 (WGSQ) Cookeville, Tenn. (L-R): WGSQ's Styckman, Milson, Nine North's Larry Pareigis, WGSQ's Philip Gibbons and Operations Manager Jonathan Monk.

Charlie Cook On-Air


Charlie Cook

The R Word

I know many of you as I have been in this business for 40 years. All of my business life has been in radio and most of it in Country Music. I lived in Nashville in the mid and late ’80s but have been coming to town since the mid ’70s for the Country Radio Seminar.
I am currently on the board of both the ACM and the CMA. I was chairman and president of the ACM in the old days and served on the CRB board for over 20 years. I was president of the CRB for a year or two during that span.
Today I am Director of Programming and Brand Management for West Virginia Radio Corp, based in Morgantown, WV and president of McVay/Cook and Associates a media consulting company based in Cleveland. I live in Morgantown and pay property taxes in California. That’s for another article.
This introduction is to lay out some credentials as David Ross has asked me to write a weekly column for MusicRow and I am most often going to come at it from my perspective of being from the radio community.
Hanging out as much as I do with record employees, and others making their living in Country Music I can feel the boos rising from Nashville. I don’t think that the two industries are at cross purposes, but we have some things that should be addressed with a blunt force. I trust that David knows what he is getting into with me as a contributor. I am closer to the end of my career than the beginning of my work life. I am not looking for a job. I have enough friends and I will say what I believe to be true.
I also understand that many others will have a different, very worthwhile opinion. I hope that we can all listen and maybe even change…not our stand on things, but our rigidity towards the other side.
I will talk about things that impact the record, publishing, production and promotion community from the radio side. I want to explore playlist size, PPM (a new system for measuring the radio audience in the top 48 markets), promotion for play, research and many other things that make our jobs easier and harder at the same time.
The R Word
I would like to start off today with the R word. I hear from record promotion staffers (I suspect that this is coming from higher up the chain) that research is the devil’s tool. It is only evil when it presents an excuse for radio to not play or stop playing one of their songs. John Hart is the most popular guy in town when the information is positive. Research cuts both ways and it is only as credible as the source. It is also only as credible as the question asked.
Many music research projects are done in a vacuum. Listeners should be informed why the information is being collected. If you ask a person, “do you like chocolate?” you’re going to get on answer based on how they feel right now about chocolate. If you ask them, “do you like chocolate more than vanilla to the conclusion of not having vanilla for the next ten weeks?” you might get a completely different answer.
“I am going to play you the new Dudley Doofus song. Please tell me, on a scale of one to five how much you like the song.” This is a very different question than, “in the context of the radio station you listen to everyday, how would you rate this Dudley Doofus song? Would you like to hear it more or less than your current favorite song on the radio?”
Let’s get back to my first comment about giving something back to the listener. Giving them more of what they like is all about understanding what makes them gravitate to a specific radio station and a particular artist.
In Nashville you have three radio stations that play current-based Country Music. The top songs are all the same across these three music stations. I can tell you the one station in that mix who is doing some music research. It is WSM-FM. I can tell by the difference in the songs once you get below the top tunes.
You know that there is more than just music in the mix on successful radio stations. If, as I contend, WSM-FM is researching their music, how come they are not the number one Country station in town? Well, they are still trying to find their footing with their morning show. They have been many different things over the years. Live 95, 95 the Wolf and now WSM-FM. The listener knows that 95.5 plays Country Music, but what is happening around the music is less defined.
The company has been successful in Dallas and Indianapolis with their Country products, where they get the morning shows right. Both of these stations have had long time images, built by another company and not tinkered with (outside of personnel) by the parent company. I know that research has driven those decisions.
Asking the listener, understanding the listener and delivering the goods, based on that, will win. Everytime.

Hall of Fame Shares Expansion Details at Fundraising Launch

Pictured at today's event. (L-R): Museum Director Kyle Young, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, Ford Motor Company Executive Chairman Bill Ford and Steve Turner, chairman of the museum's Board of Officers and Trustees. Photo: Donn Jones


The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum this morning (7/28) launched a capital campaign to fund an expansion that will more than double the size of the current facility, as well as offer Nashville a new performance venue.
“This is an unbelievable moment in the history of this museum and in the history of Nashville,” said Hall of Fame Board Chairman Steve Turner. “The campaign will finance a 200,000-square-foot museum expansion that will connect structurally and financially with the Omni Nashville convention hotel. This is an unprecedented public-private partnership made possible by the vision and stewardship of Mayor Karl Dean.”

Ricky Skaggs. Photo: Sherod Robertson


Due for completion in spring 2014, the expansion will triple the current exhibit space, include an 800 seat theater, and offer an educational center with children’s gallery, classrooms and recording studio. It will be connected to the Omni on three levels. Tuck Hinton Architects, who built the magnificent current building, are returning for the expansion.
“Since the Museum opened in 2001, it has become one of Nashville’s signature cultural assets and a key economic engine,” said Mayor Dean. “This [expansion] commitment is valued at over $30 million, which the Museum will return to city coffers through a long-term lease agreement.”
Today’s event marked the beginning of the public phase of the $75 million fundraising initiative called “Working on a Building: Country Music Lives Here Campaign.” Thanks to generous donations by Nashville and nationwide power brokers, many of whom gathered today, $56.8 million was raised during the campaign’s silent phase. More than $48 million of that comes from donors who contributed $1 million or more, including a lead gift of $6.5 million from Steve and Judy Turner.

Alan Jackson. Photo: Sherod Robertson


Among those celebrating the success thus far and championing the project’s next phase was Ford Motor Co. executive chairman Bill Ford, whose family name brands the theater where today’s assembly took place. He is serving as honorary co-chair of the campaign with Kris Kristofferson.
An event at the Country Music Hall of Fame wouldn’t be complete without music. In keeping with the campaign’s mantra, Ricky Skaggs kicked things off with Bill Monroe’s bluegrass breakdown “Working On A Building.” Buddy Spicher kept the mood lively with a fiddle jam. Alan Jackson performed “You’ve Been Lonesome, Too,” a song partially written by Hank Williams and completed by Jackson, which will be on an Oct. 4 release called The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams (Egyptian Records/CMF Records/Columbia Records). Then Jackson closed with his classic “Chattahoochee,” chuckling as he encouraged Mayor Dean to get up and dance.
Dean proudly told Bill Ford that he has been driving a Ford Mustang for 12 years. He wasn’t the only one, Jackson and Lynn Anderson also shared that they are loyal Ford owners.
Besides Ford and Kristofferson, the capital campaign committee also includes Earl Bentz, Mark Bloom, Bill Denny, Mike Dungan, Rod Essig, Vince Gill, Randy Goodman, Keel Hunt, Ken Levitan, Brian O’Connell, Ken Roberts, John Seigenthaler, Steve Turner, Ernie Williams and Jody Williams.


Rendering of CMHoF expansion, as seen from 4th Ave.



Theater rendering




Event Hall rendering


 

Country Tours Rock New York

New York City concertgoers are proving they love country music. Kenny Chesney’s Goin’ Coastal Tour is breaking records with an upcoming date in the area, and Taylor Swift just wrapped a run of four sold-out shows.
Swift played Newark, NJ’s Prudential Center last week and sold a combined total of over 52,000 tickets.
Chesney and Zac Brown Band’s upcoming date at New Jersey’s New Meadowlands Stadium has sold 44,000 tickets and features guests Billy Currington and Uncle Kracker. The Aug. 13 concert is the single biggest ticketed country show in the area since Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings and Linda Ronstadt played Giants Stadium in 1983. Chesney’s tour was recently ranked by Pollstar as the highest-grossing country tour of 2011 so far.
Chesney’s Aug. 13th show has already topped last year’s concert at New Meadowlands Stadium by The Eagles, Dixie Chicks and Keith Urban in sales.
“When I first heard we’d be playing at the Meadowlands, I was ecstatic,” Chesney said. “It has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember and will be an unforgettable evening for everyone involved.”
The August performance is part of Chesney’s ‘Goin’ Coastal’ Tour, highlighted by The New York Times and USA Today atop their lists of the year’s biggest tours, and marks balladeer’s eighth consecutive tour selling more than a million tickets.
 
 

Summer NAMM Offers Best In Show

Art Guitars by JD Vokes. Photo: Daniel Ethan Podolsky


By Daniel Ethan Podolsky
Imagine being surrounded in every direction by every type of instrument and accessory imaginable. Where any shape, size, color, make, model or even flavor of musical product is waiting for you to come test it out, all within one room. For musicians with bigger eyes than wallets, the Summer NAMM Convention—a gathering of the musical products industry held annually at the Nashville Convention Center—can be a dream come true.
From July 21-23, over 11,000 industry professionals representing 30+ countries were on hand to get up close and personal with the newest offerings from over 450 manufacturers—as well as to order a few for their own stores, and to network with others in the industry. The convention was expected to bring $13 million into the Nashville economy.
Summer NAMM has a mission to benefit the local, independent music retailers that survived the growth of behemoths such as Guitar Center or Sam Ash. In that spirit workshops and lectures, dubbed “NAMM U,” run all weekend with titles such as “Successful Promotions on a Dime,” and “How to Use Facebook to Market Your Business.” These breakfast sessions are held each of the three days.
Celebrity appearances created a big draw for “Wanna Play Day.” Former New York Yankee turned Jazz guitarist Bernie Williams was promoting his new book Rhythms of the Game, and taking time to speak and play for the public. His 2009 full-length album Moving Forward is his second and features collaborations with Bruce Springsteen and Dave Koz. “I’m really working with NAMM advocating for music and arts education in schools,” says Williams. This visit to Nashville was his “first time here, but hopefully won’t be the last.” Williams has been a celebrity face for the convention since January’s NAMM Show in Anaheim. His book features a foreword by musician Paul Simon and discusses the link between musical and athletic performance. “I think there’s a lot of similarities between music and baseball, and it’s worth reading. The book is out now, and I think it’s going to be very successful.”

Gibson's Firebird X. Photo: Daniel Ethan Podolsky


This year’s show contained a bit of a break from traditional NAMM procedures. On the final day of the convention, doors were opened to the public for “Wanna Play Music Day.” For a $20 ticket price, casual fans and music buffs alike can see the exhibits and attend valuable lessons such as “Setting Up a Home Studio,” and “Garage Band Hands-On Test Drive.”
“I’m glad they’re doing a public day,” remarked Frank Johns, head of R&D for Gibson Guitars, a Nashville-based company. “It’s one thing to have dealers come and check everything out… but it’s also great to have the public come and check everything out.” Gibson is at NAMM promoting it’s newest Firebird X computerized “robot” guitar. The guitar features technological innovations such as robotic tuners, Bluetooth to communicate with effects pedals, onboard effects, and more. “It’s our first foray into this technology, but we really feel at Gibson that it’s the way of the future,” explains Johns. “It’s the technology to keep up with the latest iPads and that sort of thing.”
With a very unique exhibit, Quaver’s Marvelous World of Music is pioneering another approach to music education, demonstrating a “new music program designed to bring added excitement to the way music is taught to children.” Graham Hepburn, known in the video series as Quaver, is very enthusiastic about getting children to learn about music. When “I was a [music] teacher, I could never find any good DVD resources that weren’t too long or too boring,” explains Hepburn. Quaver’s offers a DVD series containing 30 different episodes. “Each episode is 15 minutes long, so they don’t take over music classes or private lessons. They talk about beat, rhythm, duration, pitch, music theory, there’s music styles, ensembles, musical periods,” he says. “Each episode is really funky, fast moving, there’s animation, there’s live action.” Over 500 kids from the Nashville area get involved in the project, which is based on Music Row. The project also contains an online virtual world for kids to create and compose music. “We hope it’s going to become a worldwide success,” says Hepburn, “if it isn’t, I’ll have to become a window cleaner again.”

Quaver’s Marvelous World of Music. Photo: Daniel Ethan Podolsky