Inside Track in Music Row Archives - Page 18 of 48

Seven things you can do now as a singer/songwriter to keep your career on track during the Covid-19 Virus

by Preshias Harris

In these uncertain times, it’s not easy to stay focused. Here are some ‘Momma P idea starters’ to help you keep your music career movin’ on up…

1. Keep your hook book going, whether it’s in a notebook or on your phone. Constantly add thoughts, phrases, overheard snatches of conversation, something you read or heard… that could spark a new song or turn around a song you’re kinda stuck on. It will be an invaluable resource later on.

2. Practice, practice, practice. Whether it’s guitar or keyboard, play every day. Don’t let your skills get rusty. Try something different when playing the familiar becomes boring. You’ll want to put your improved playing to work when you are back on stage or in a writer’s room.

3. Watch tutorials on YouTube. There are hundreds of videos available from basic to advanced guitar and keyboard playing. This is another great way to turn ‘down time’ into something positive for your career.

4. Sing like no one can hear you! Right now, there are no gigs so there IS no one to hear you! Sing every day. Keep your voice active. You’ll want it sounding good when you are back out there.

5. Network. Even when you can’t meet face-to-face, you can stay in contact with other songwriters by Skype, FaceTime and by phone. A lot of great songs have been written on FaceTime! Just staying in touch with other songwriters can raise your spirits, and a call from you can help someone else feel better too.

6. Stay positive: This too shall pass. Of course, stay up to date with news that will keep you safe (REAL news from trusted sources medical sources, not online alarms and rumors) but kick back and watch a funny movie or escape into a sci-fi or action movie if that’s your thing. You need to lighten the load if you feel everything you hear and see is too depressing.

7. Maintain your social Media presence. Use your downtime to build on your social media accounts to make new fans, engage, post and re-share fellow singer/songwriters. Create a tik-tok account if you don’t already have one. Under normal circumstances, it’s not easy to devote time to keeping social media current, but now it’s the perfect opportunity. Everyone needs the positive vibe that music brings to the table.

Thousands of songwriters, artists and musicians are in the same challenging situation. Let’s support each other musically and emotionally. When all this is over, we’ll be so glad we did!

=> Remember, I’m always here for you. If you want me to hear something you’ve written, if you need some advice or if you just want to talk, I’m here so just email, text or call me. If you can’t reach me right away, leave a message and I’ll get back to you.

The music lives on!

Preshias Harris is a music journalist and 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

Inside Track: More from my March column

By Preshias Harris

Tours canceled, venues dark, but the music lives on! ‘ACM Presents: Our Country’ to air April 5

Here are a few more items from the March 2020 edition of my column, Inside Track on Music Row, the longest-running country music column in the USA, and now around the world on the Web. See the entire column in this month’s Nashville Music Guide, along with a lot more Nashville news.

BREAKING NEWS: See below for link to story about ACM TV Special to air on original date of ACM Awards Show.

NOTE: Some news items refer to current or upcoming tours. Because of concerns about Covid-19, many shows have been postponed, canceled or rescheduled. Always check with the artist’s website or the ticket seller before making any plans to attend a show. Hopefully, this problem will soon be over, but let’s remember: the music lives on!

Some of this month’s column items. Scroll down to continue reading…

‘ACM Presents: Our Country’ to air April 5
Luke Combs gets 3 ACM Award nods, but show postponed
Pam Tillis Looking For a Feeling with new album
Jason Isbell’s Reunions, recorded at RCA Studio A
Secret Sisters record album at Brandi Carlile’s home studio
Walker Montgomery sings “Like My Daddy Done It”
Scroll down to read these news stories from Inside Track on Music Row

BREAKING NEWS:

A two-hour special. ACM Presents: Our Country, will air in the former 55th ACM Awards timeslot April 5 at 8pm ET on CBS. The special will feature at-home acoustic performances from artists, as well as their thoughts on and clips of favorite ACM Awards moments. Participating artists will be announced in the coming weeks.

“Although the highly anticipated 55th ACM Awards show is unable to take place on April 5 due to the health crisis, we still wanted to deliver fans an entertaining ACM country music special as planned,” says ACM CEO Damon Whiteside. Adds DCP President Amy Thurlow, “Music has always served as a powerful form of hope and solidarity during challenging times. It’s our privilege to offer audiences an uplifting message through music as well as a look back at some of the best moments in ACM Awards history.” Updates and details of artists appearing will be posted at https://www.acmcountry.com/

Shenandoah ‘keep the music playing’ live tonight

AMID NATIONAL UNCERTAINTY, SHENANDOAH VOWS TO
“KEEP THE MUSIC PLAYING” WITH SPECIAL FACEBOOK LIVE CONCERT

Live Broadcast Featuring Special Guests Michael Ray, Aaron Tippin, Austin Merrill, T. Graham Brown and Katie Austin Set for Tonight, Wednesday, March 18, at 7 PM CT

Concert to be Hosted by Inside Edition’s Megan Alexander;
Sponsored by Foundry Records

During a time of national uncertainty, GRAMMY® Award-winning country music group Shenandoah is looking to brighten spirits with a special Facebook Live performance event that will bring music to the masses. Today the legendary country band announced “Keep the Music Playing,” a free live-streamed concert set for tonight, Wednesday, March 18, at 7 PM / CT. Amid concert postponements nationwide, the event will provide a unique opportunity for fans to enjoy live performances from the comfort of their living rooms.

Stars join Shenandoah for live web show

Shenandoah has enlisted Michael Ray, Aaron Tippin, Austin Merrill, T. Graham Brown, and Katie Austin to join them during the live web broadcast. The event, sponsored by Foundry Records and hosted by Inside Edition’s Megan Alexander, will take place at Nashville’s SIR Rehearsal Studios with no live audience and minimal staff.

“The main mission here is to hopefully, with music as only music can, bring some sunshine to the gloom,” says Shenandoah frontman Marty Raybon. “We’ll be taking all of the recommended precautions to ensure everyone’s safety.”

Butch Spyridon, president and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp, is thrilled about the event. “We are happy to see artists doing everything they can to ‘Keep the Music Playing’ during these challenging times as we try to keep the virus from spreading,” he says. “Seeing all the ways that live music is still being shared is part of the creative spirit in Music City.”

Though the event is free to view online, the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp Foundation / Music City, Inc will be accepting donations throughout the live broadcast. All donations will aid Middle Tennesseans who have been affected by COVID-19 and the recent tornadoes that ravaged the area.

“It has taken an army of people to put this event together in less than 24 hours,” notes Foundry Records/Johnstone Entertainment’s Cole Johnstone. “I want to give special thanks to SIR Nashville, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp, 2911 Media, TNDV and Nic Dugger, Mama Sue, Absolute Publicity, Shenandoah’s band and crew, all of our guest artists, and the Foundry Records staff for making this possible.”

“Keep the Music Playing” will be live streamed on each artist’s Facebook page and can also be viewed at www.smarturl.it/KeepTheMusicPlaying

How to donate:

Donate online at visitmusiccity.com/nashvillestrong/donate
Text NASHSTRONG to 615-551-5122
Check: payable to Music City Inc. at 150 4th Avenue North, Ste. G-250, Nashville, TN 37219

*Music City Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit organization

Inside Track on Music Row March 2020

by Preshias Harris

QUOTE OF THE MONTH: “Songs write themselves, we just hold the pen” – Garth Brooks on stage at the 2020 Country Radio Seminar in Nashville, TN.

My column, Inside Track on Music Row, is the longest-running country music column in the USA and now worldwide on the Internet! Send me music stuff, I love to get it!

Preshiaswriter@hotmail.com TN/USA. Google “Preshias”

Here, below, are just some of the news items in the March 2020 column that is published by Nashville Music Guide. Scroll down to continue reading…

Lauren & Thomas Rhett welcome baby Lennon Love
Love Lives On tells stories of fallen warriors’ survivors
Cody Purvis on “Drinkin’ Terms” with Billboard Indicator chart
Brandy Clark: “Love Is a Fire” can warm you or burn you
“Copper Coil” new song from duo Band Steele
CJ Solar’s “Watered Down Whiskey” heralds new EP
Outlaw music from Billy Don Burns
Chris Bandi’s first step on hallowed Opry stage
Tin Pan South tix going fast: grab yours now
Scroll down to read these news stories from Inside Track on Music Row

BABY NEWS

County singer Thomas Rhett and wife Lauren Akins welcomed their third daughter last month. Her name is Lennon Love Akins, and she weighed 9lbs 2oz and a head full of dark hair and blue eyes. His father Rhett Akins and his wife Sonya are expecting a boy in March… More baby news… Shay Mooney (Dan+ Shay) and wife Hannah welcomed their second child, another boy, named Ames Alexander on February 21st in Nashville. He joins big brother, three-year-old Asher James.

‘Love Lives On’ tells survivors’ stories in words and music

New song, album honor families of fallen service men and women

By Preshias Harris

Country music has a big heart. Singers and songwriters come together at the drop of a cowboy hat to donate their time and talent to a worthy cause. Causes don’t get much worthier than the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS).

Love Lives On is the title of a new album with all net proceeds from the album going to TAPS, but it is more than that. The songs on the album tell the personal stories of the sacrifice of both the fallen warriors and also the families who must live with their loss.

The album comprises 10 original songs that feature Vince Gill, Billy Ray Cyrus, John Rich, All-4-One, The Gatlin Brothers, Lonestar and many more. It is set for release over the 2020 Memorial Day weekend. However, “Love Lives On,” the album’s lead single and title track, will drop on March 20 and can be pre-ordered now via links at https://www.lovelivesonmusic.com/

Inspired by personal tragedy

Kolt Barber: real cowboy country artist

Combining love of music and rodeo

By Mike and Preshias Harris

Many country artists wear cowboy hats and sing songs that evoke visions of ranches, horses and cowboys, but Kolt Barber has lived that life and has the bruises and broken bones to prove it.

We caught up with Kolt at the Country Radio Seminar in Nashville to hear about his new single, two albums and a unique tour that combines music and rodeo.

Kolt recorded the new single at Square One Studios in Franklin, Tennessee, where Kolt was able to really develop the song organically.

“Set the Night on Fire”

“The new single is titled ‘Set the Night on Fire,’” said Kolt. “I went into the studio without a demo. I’d written the song and we started creating it, in the studio, from scratch. We were able to take our time. If I liked something we went with it, if I didn’t like something we took it away. It was really cool; instead of the normal, fast-paced way of ‘you have a demo, you cut it, you’re done,’ we were able to sit and create. It was a really cool experience and I really enjoyed it.

Justin Moore likes his country music ‘traditional’

“We’ve bent, but we haven’t broken”

By Preshias Harris

Justin Moore recently celebrated his latest No. 1 hit, “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home” with the song’s co-writers. He also talked about his current single, “Why We Drink.”

(See my interview with Justin at the No. 1 party, previously posted here.)

Every type of music is constantly changing – pop, R&B, jazz, even classical – and that is true about country music, too. Just compare Hank Williams’ “Your Cheatin’ Heart’” (1952) with Luke Bryan’s “Knockin’ Boots” (2019)! Over the years there have been sub-genres such as countrypolitan, the Bakersfield sound, outlaw country, honky tonk, bro-country and more.

‘Classic’ 90s Country

Today, the country music of the 1990s is what many fans consider ‘classic’ country. Justin Moore was born in 1984, so the music he listened to in his teens and early twenties was, of course, 90s country. That was the music influenced his own music when he moved to Nashville in 2002. With help from producer and songwriter Jeremy Stover, Justin met Scott Borchetta of Big Machine Label Group. Borchetta signed Justin to Valory Music, a new label that was part of BMLG.

Justin Moore celebrates 8th No. 1

Remembers “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home”

By Preshias Harris

Justin Moore remembered “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home” (Valory Music Group) at a No. 1 party in Nashville on 05 February. Justin was joined by his co-writers Jeremy Stover, Chase McGill and Paul DiGiovanni. Stover produced the song with Big Machine Records chief, Scott Borchetta.

The song is Justin’s eighth No. 1 single. For the other writers, it was Jeremy’s seventh No. 1, Chase’s fourth and Paul’s second chart-topper. It was also Jeremy’s thirteenth No. 1 as a producer. Paul is also lead guitarist with the rock band, Boys Like Girls.

Before the award ceremony, I sat down with other members of the music media as we talked to Justin, Jeremy, Chase and Paul.

Pictured L to R: Chase McGill, Paul DiGiovanni, Justin Moore, Jeremy Stover. Photo credit: Preshias Harris

The story behind the song

Justin began by talking about how audience reaction to one of his earlier No. 1 songs, combined with his admiration of his grandfathers’ military service, inspired the creation of “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home.”

Four singer-songwriters talk about their journey to Nashville

Years of hard work builds on talent

By Preshias Harris

Nashville attracts songwriters like bees to a sunflower. For many, it takes a giant leap of faith to leave home, family and friends – and often a good job – to move to Nashville with the hope of becoming a songwriter.

“I was here about eleven or twelve years before I had a song that was doing well at radio.” – Ashley Gorley

Recently, Chris Lane took a day off from touring to celebrate his second No. 1 song, “I Don’t Know About You” (on Big Loud Records) and talk about his new single, “Big, Big Plans,” that he wrote with Jacob Durrett and Ernest K. Smith.

During the roundtable media meeting before the presentation of the awards for “I Don’t Know About You,” Chris and that song’s writers – Ashley Gorley, Michael Hardy, Hunter Phelps and Jameson Rodgers – opened up about coming to Nashville and how their songwriting careers developed.

“I wrote 12 terrible songs!”

“For me, I never knew that I wanted to do anything with music,” Chris admitted. “I was always involved with sports growing up. I felt that was what I was great at.” An outstanding athlete, he played baseball at the University of North Carolina and had plans to pursue a career as a professional baseball player. However, sports-related injuries made that dream impossible and he turned to music.

“When I graduated college, I was learning how to play the guitar and trying to figure out how to sing and play at the same time,” he continued. “I started a cover band and I guess I became extremely passionate over the touring side of things and being an artist. I don’t think at that time I was thinking, ‘Oh man, I’m gonna be a country artist one day that will have a song on the radio,’ or any of that kind of stuff. Songwriting was kind of an afterthought. I would go out and play all my favorite artists’ [songs], Kenny Chesney Keith Urban, Aldean, Eric Church. I mean I would just cover their songs every night and play for four hours.”

“To be able to sing a song… that connects with the crowd, that’s super special.” – Chris Lane

Chris Lane’s “I Don’t Know About You” feted at No. 1 party

By Preshias Harris

“What’s your name, what’s your sign, what’s your birthday? / What’s your wrist tattoo bible verse say? / Tell me this, do you kiss on the first date? / Don’t hold anything back.” – lyrics from “I Don’t Know About You”

It took 45 weeks to climb to the top of Billboard’s Country Airplay charts, but Chris Lane’s “I Don’t Know About You” (Big Loud Records) finally made it to No. 1 on October 01, 2019. On Tuesday, January 28, Chris celebrated that achievement with the song’s writers at a Number One party in Nashville, hosted by the performing rights organizations, BMI and ASCAP.

Receiving plaques to mark the occasion were songwriters Ashley Gorley, Michael Hardy, Hunter Phelps and Jameson Rodgers. The event was extra special for Phelps and Rodgers as “I Don’t Know About You” marked the first No. 1 for both songwriters. For Ashley, it was his forty-fourth No. 1. (To make things more complicated, last week Ashley celebrated his forty-fifth No. 1 for co-writing “Good Vibes” for Chris Janson, and since then has already scored his forty-sixth and forty-seventh chart-topper!)

Pictured (L-R): ASCAP Songwriter Jameson Rodgers, BMI Songwriter Michael Hardy, Chris Lane, ASCAP Songwriter Hunter Phelps, ASCAP Songwriter Ashley Gorley. Photo: Ed Rode

Song struck a chord with listeners

“I Don’t Know About You” really struck a chord with listeners as it is built around typical questions that a guy will ask a girl when they first meet, hoping for a date.

During the media roundtable before the presentation Lane and the songwriters talked about the song. “Lyrically, it had really cool lines in it,” said Lane. “For whatever reason, people just gravitated towards that. And even fans. I mean, a line as simple as, ‘Girl I know your favorite beer because you told me and I bought it.’ I’ve watched people scream that line! Obviously with the ‘wrist tattoo’ line. I’ve had people come up to me in the grocery store and say, ‘I love your bible verse tattoo song.’ That’s what they refer to it as, they don’t call it by its name! People took to it because of really great lines and a great melody as well.”