Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival is gearing up for another two-day event in late September. The annual Festival returns to The Park at Harlinsdale Farm in Franklin, TN, on September 23 & 24, 2023.
The music alone would be a good enough reason to attend. However, the event is a celebration of arts and culture featuring dozens of diverse musical acts performing across multiple stages as well as local artisans, chefs and brewers offering food, drinks, shopping and more.
The Lumineers and The Black Crowes will headline the festival on Saturday while Zach Bryan and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats top the bill on Sunday.
The Saturday lineup also features The Head and the Heart, Yola, Hailey Whitters, Michael Rix, Better Than Ezra, Peter One, Boy Named Banjo, James Bay, Butch Walker, The Watson Twins, Bones Owens, Tash Neal and People on the Porch. See the full lineup here.
The weather is hot and there’s plenty of music to bring the heat – or to keep the cool! Here’s a quick roundup of new music from Kristian Bush, Lewis Brice (with brother Lee), Molly Tuttle, The Swon Brothers and teen phenom Mason Ramsey. The August edition of my monthly column, Inside Track on Music Row, will be here in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, scroll down and keep reading…
Kristian Bush says “Take me with you” on your summer soundtrack
Kristian Bush is back with new summertime music just in time to be the soundtrack of summer.
Kristian, beloved for hot weather bops including “Bar With A Pool In It” and “Flip Flops,” has released his newest sunshiny smash, “Little Umbrellas”. The song is the first from his forthcoming summer-themed seven-song EP, Drink Happy Thoughts, available July 14.
Pre-add and pre-save Drink Happy Thoughtshere, listen to “Little Umbrellas” here and watch “Little Umbrellas” lyric video here.
Kristian wrote the song alone, starting it on the voice memo function on his phone during a drive between Nashville and Atlanta. When he arrived in Atlanta, he wrote and recorded “Little Umbrellas” in one hour.
Kristian Bush
“I recall being confused about which part was the chorus and which was the verse but decided not to pay too much attention because it felt so good,” he says. “I love the tightrope I imagine this guy walking, knowing that if he starts thinking of his old love, he will fall apart and that the little umbrellas he is collecting as he keeps drinking to forget her will never stop his tears or a storm if it rolls in.”
“I hope you put it on and listen all summer long, in a boat, by a pool, in the ocean, or by a beach,” he says. “Take me with you.”
More at Kristian’s website and Facebook and follow him on Twitter and Instagram (@kristianbush). #KristianBush
Lewis Brice’s “Product Of” is a family affair
Country-rocker Lewis Brice “brings fans home to meet the family” (People.com) in his video for “Product Of” featuring brother Lee Brice.
Send me music stuff, I love to get it! / Preshiaswriter@hotmail.com Google “Preshias” (TN/USA)
QUOTE OF THE MONTH: With a little more love and a lot less hatin,’ be who you want to be, ’cause everybody else is taken.” – Lainey Wilson, ACM Awards 2023.
Scroll down to read about new projects, tour updates and music from Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Bailey Zimmerman, Gabby Barrett, Michael Ray, Chris Janson, Elvie Shane, Scotty McCreery, Alabama, Lauren Alaina, Craig Campbell, RaeLynn and much more!
ALBUM NEWS: Multi-Platinum recording artist Jake Owen delivered his seventh studio album, Loose Cannon, June 23. Owen brings his fan-trusted sound to the 16-song collection just in time for the official summer season. Produced by Joey Moi, Loose Cannon is available everywhere now. Listen here. “Loose Cannon has been a long time coming and I’m so excited my fans can finally experience it with me,” shares Owen. “I hope the album makes it into your summertime memories and I can’t wait to see y’all on the road this fall.” Loose Cannon is a collection of summertime staples with sunshine-soaked lyrics that tip their hat to feel-good classic Country sounds and nostalgia a little over four years since his last full-length album, Greetings From…Jake. The album boasts tracks from songwriters Ashley Gorley, Brent Cobb, Rodney Clawson, Jessie Jo Dillon and Luke Laird, to name a few. Additionally, Owen enlisted reputed artist-writers including ACM Male Artist of the Year nominee Jordan Davis, Devin Dawson, Walker Hayes, Jordan Fletcher and Hunter Phelps. Owen kicks off his nationwide Loose Cannon Tour Sept. 7. Tour info, music and more at Jake’s website and on Facebook. #JakeOwen
ANNIVERSARY NEWS: Platinum-selling singer/songwriter Darryl Worley recognizes the power of a song. It’s been two decades since his biggest hit “Have You Forgotten?” took Country Music and the nation by storm. Penned alongside Wynn Varble, the pair poured their hearts into the lyrics and created a post-9/11 anthem ensuring people would never forget those lost. Its message quickly resonated with millions, topping Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart in only its fifth week – marking the fastest rise to the top in more than five years – and reigned for seven weeks. Now, 20 years later, Worley revisited his career-defining song with a fresh modern-day perspective on its original themes for a reimagined version titled “Have We Forgotten,” available now via The Valory Music Co. here. “We recently decided to sit down and write a new lyric for the song that’s appropriate for this day and time with what’s happening in our country today. For the new version ‘Have We Forgotten,’ we wanted to be certain we said what we were truly feeling in our hearts and didn’t compromise what we believe in, which is exactly how it went down with the original. I’m very proud of the message of the song.” More at Darryl’s website. #DarrylWorley.
Lainey Wilson rocks the Stadium. Photo: Tori Perry
The 50th CMA Fest took over Nashville June 8 – 11, 2023 and set attendance records with visitors from all fifty states and more than fifty countries. The stars and the artists-on-the-rise certainly did not let the fans down!
In addition to nightly shows at Nissan Stadium, fans enjoyed shows at the Chevy Riverfront Stage, the Dr. Pepper Amp Stage, Chevy Vibes Stage, Maui Jim Reverb Stage, and the Hard Rock Stage.
Fans also experienced one-of-a-kind programming at Fan Fair X inside Music City Center, along with several brand activations and partners that took over Lower Broadway.
Walker Montgomery has some “Work To Do,” but the song of that same title is doing a lot of the heavy lifting for him as it impacts fans following its recent release.
However, Walker co-wrote “Work To Do” back in 2021. “Some buddies of mine, Adam Wood, Mark Irwin and me,” Walker told me when we met up during the 50th annual CMA Fest in Nashville. “We just got in the writing room and Adam had this idea which was, ‘whiskey’s got some work to do’ and he already had some stuff worked up. I was like, ‘dadgum, that’s cool!’ We knew we wanted to write it, but we didn’t know the angle which we wanted to write it as.”
It quickly became apparent, as the write progressed, that “Work To Do” would be a ‘breakup’ song with lyrics such as: “Yeah tonight this bottle better roll up its sleeves / Cause neither one of us is gonna get any sleep / I’m on the rocks / So he’s on the clock / Until the job gets through / When the weekend rolls around I get to missing you / So this whiskey’s got some work to do.”
Play / stream / download “Work To Do” here. And… Pre-add / pre-save Walker’s new song “Lonely For a Livin'” (released June 23) here.
Lainey Wilson headlines TSC Emerging Artists Program showcase
By Preshias Harris
Lainey Wilson continues to prove that she is among the undisputed leaders of a new generation of country artists with her appearances during the 50thCMA Fest, June 8 – 11, 2023.
Lainey Wilson wows the fans at her Bell Bottom Barn Dance. Photo: Roxy Moure
Lainey is the reigning CMA Female Artist of the Year and the ACM Female Vocalist of the Year and is one of most nominated (and awarded) artists at the recent Award shows for the CMA, the ACM and CMT.
During CMA Fest, Lainey seemed to everywhere from an early Thursday show at Riverfront Stage to a Friday night appearance at Nissan Stadium, sharing the stage with Tanya Tucker and Elle King.
It’s hard to keep up with a ball of energy like Lainey Wilson but I managed to catch her Bell Bottom Barn Dance, a showcase for the Tractor Supply Emerging Artists Program, joining the crowd of fans that filled the Bell Tower Event Space.
The talent search program was created to discover and support emerging country artists who live and love what TSC calls “Life Out Here.” The program partnered with country stars Lainey Wilson, Ashley McBryde, Dustin Lynch, Lauren Alaina, and Kat & Alex, along with Opry Entertainment Group.
What better place than a dive bar to launch a project titled Dive Bars & Broken Hearts? That’s exactly what Michael Ray and his Warner Music Nashville team did at The 5 Spot during the 50th CMA Fest in Nashville.
To be fair, The 5 Spot is more of a casual live music hangout than a true grungy dive bar, but it provided the ideal atmosphere to match the event. The venue was packed to capacity (and then some) with fans, some of whom had been lining up outside since before daybreak.
Michael Ray walks up the steps to take the stage at The 5 Spot. Photo: Preshias Harris
The six-song EP, Dive Bars & Broken Hearts, is available everywhere June 23 (pre-add / pre-save here) with the title track released June 9.
In the nearly two years since the release of his 2021 EP, titled Higher Education, Michael spent much of the time since then reflecting on the kind of music that he wants to make moving forward. He began talking with renowned producer Michael Knox, a CMA Album of the Year-winning producer. Knox best known for producing all of Jason Aldean’s albums as well as projects for Montgomery Gentry and Trace Adkins, among others.
You can often hear some artists described as ‘living legends’ and in a lot of cases that title is somewhat overstated. But there is one living legend whose description as such is indisputable: Pat Boone.
Pat’s career has been phenomenal, beginning in the early 1950s. In fact, had he retired from show business in 1960 he would still be considered an influential star: he was the second-biggest-charting artist of the 1950s (only Elvis Presley was ahead of him) and, beginning at the age of 23, he hosted the nationally-broadcast musical variety show Pat Boone Chevy Showroom on ABC-TV from 1957 to 1960. (By the way, in 1955, Elvis was the opening act for the Pat Boone show in Brooklyn, Ohio!)
He has sold more than 45 million records worldwide including 38 Top 40 hits. Over time he progressed from pop music to both Country and Gospel, finding success in those genres and attracting new generations of fans.
I met up with Pat in Nashville during the 50th Annual CMA Fest and we sat down to catch up with what’s new in his busy life. Now 89 years old, Pat shows no sign of slowing down, continuing to make personal appearances and host his SiriusXM satellite radio show. He is also a best-selling author and an entrepreneur with his own record label. We talked about his latest project, a self-penned song titled “Grits” now released as his new single.
Catch up with what’s happening on Music Row – and beyond
By Preshias Harris
Getting set for Summer ’23 with new and recent releases, upcoming tours, artist and songwriter news and – of course – CMA Fest. Scroll down to catch up with a ‘digest’ of Inside Track on Music Row… Jon Pardi, Luke Combs, Chapel Hart, Dustin Lynch. Lainey Wilson, Tracy Lawrence, Moe Bandy, David Adam Byrnes, Buddy Jewell and much more. Send me music stuff, I love to get it! preshiaswriter@hotmail.com #PreshiasHarris
QUOTE OF THE MONTH: “I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.” – Billy Joel
ALBUM NEWS: John Mellencamp’s new album Orpheus Descending was released June 2 via Republic Records. In anticipation of the release, Mellencamp shared the album track “Hey God.” Listen/share here, and pre-order the album here. This is his twenty-fifth album, produced by Mellencamp and recorded as his own Belmont Mall Studio. One of his most personal records to date, standout tracks “Hey God” and “The Eyes of Portland” focus on social issues Mellencamp continues to passionately advocate for. Mellencamp is currently in the midst of his massive Live and In Person 2023North American tour, with dates running through June 27 including stops in New York City, Nashville, Philadelphia, Boston and more. He’s currently performing songs from the new LP during his live set. Mellencamp is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a Grammy winner, a recipient of the John Steinbeck Award, ASCAP Foundation’s Champion Award, The Woody Guthrie Award and Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award and more recently, the Founders Award, the top honor assigned by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. #JohnMellencamp
ANNIVERSARY NEWS: Award-winning country music legend, Moe Bandy is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Top 10 duet with Becky Hobbs, “Let’s Get Over Them Together.” Written by Charlie Craig and Keith Stegall, “Let’s Get Over Them Together” became Bandy’s 16th Top 10 hit and continues to be a fan favorite. Bandy was recently inducted into the Class of 2023 of The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame along with The Texas Ranger Division of the Department of Public Safety, San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, Cleo Hearn, and Boots O’Neal. Bandy, was a proud competitor in bull riding prior to pursuing country music full-time. Bandy recently released his new album, Thank You Lord. Delivering a heartfelt project, Bandy recorded twelve heartfelt tracks and features special guests The Isaacs on “Family Bible” and The Oak Ridge Boys with Nora Lee Allen on “The Lord Is My Shepherd.” The title track, written by Mo Pitney, Bobby Tomberlin and Cheryl Riddle offers a true reflection of where Bandy is in his life today, of which he is thankful for another mile, another day, and a life many could have only dreamed of. Stream or purchase Thank You Lordhere.
CELEBRATION NEWS: Buddy Jewell is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his hit song “Sweet Southern Comfort” teaming up with several of his country music buddies to create what could be the vocal collaboration of the year in a newly-recorded version. Strategically picked, each artist represents a different decade in country music. The Bellamy Brothers from the 70’s, Shenandoah and Marty Raybon from the 80’s, Clint Black from the 90’s and Buddy Jewell from the 2000’s. Asking Clint Black to participate in the new recording was a no-brainer for Jewell. At the urging of his wife Tené, Jewell entered Nashville Star, a talent contest set to be televised on the USA Network. Eventually he was voted the winner of the inaugural season – two million votes ahead of the second-placed contestant, a young Miranda Lambert. It was Black who produced Jewell’s first album that quickly earned Gold certification and included the original version of “Sweet Southern Comfort.” The Bellamy Brothers said, “Such a joy singing on the 20th anniversary version of Buddy Jewell’s big hit (‘Sweet Southern Comfort’) and to be joined by Clint Black and Marty Raybon well, what more could you ask for!” Details here.
Album features Craig Morgan, Michael Ray, Darryl Worley
By Preshias Harris
When Jeff Carson passed away suddenly from a heart attack on March 26, he was working on a new project alongside producer (and former Toto member) Buddy Hyatt. Jeff is known for ‘90s hits such as “The Car” and “Not On Your Love” among the fourteen singles on the Billboard country charts.
Prior to that success, he had paid his dues, playing guitar with bands in Branson, Missouri and – after moving to Nashville – at the Opryland Hotel before signing with Curb Records in 1994. And now comes a bittersweet moment in Jeff Carson’s story: the posthumous release (on May 12, 2023) of his final album, 448, originally intended to be the next chapter in his musical life. Read my article about the album at Center Stage Mag here.
Disenchanted with the music industry, he withdrew from the business and changed direction, joining the Franklin, Tennessee, police department as a full-time officer in 2009. But he could not entirely distance himself from the music and he signed with Encore Music Group in 2021.
The album is poignantly titled 448 which was Jeff’s badge number as a serving police officer. 448 includes nine re-recordings of Jeff’s favorite songs and features friends Darryl Worley, Michael Ray and Craig Morgan. Find 448here.
Preshias Harris is an advocate for songwriters and a music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available at www.collegeofsongology.com Follow her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com #PreshiasHarris
