One more round of top Indie talent before the Grand finale
by Preshias Harris
The competition is heating up! It’s time for Week Three of the Indie Country Showdown. Round Three is set for March 7, 2024 at 7:00 pm at Ray Stevens CabaRay Showroom, Nashville, Tenn.
Presented by O’Reilly’s Amish Furniture and Center Stage Magazine, the Indie Country Showdown is unlike any live performance shows ever presented in this area: Nashville’s finest undiscovered independent artists will perform for industry judges, and three finalists will make it into the Grand Finale on Thursday, March 14th.
Congratulations to Kayla Wass, Week One Winner and CJ Garton, the winner of the Week Two competition. They will join the winner of Week Three in the Grand Finale.
The artists competing in Week Three are: Allie Lamb, Brooke Spencer, Lexi Lew, Seth Alexander, Andy Pursell, John Haywood and Charlie McNeal. There will also be guest performances by Abby Leigh Anderson, Boomtown Saints and Keith Burns.
Showcasing up-and-coming country talent + special guest stars
By Preshias Harris
An exciting new talent contest, The Indie Country Showdown (presented by O’Reilly’s Amish Furniture and Center Stage Magazine) is happening in Nashville, and you can be in the audience to see the rise of the next generation of country stars. There will also be guest stars performing on stage at every show (see below).
You will see and hear some of the most talented indie country artists compete in three rounds to earn a spot as one of the three finalists facing off in the grand finale! All three rounds and the Finale will be held at Ray Stevens CabaRay Showroom. Tickets for all shows are now available here. Here are the show dates for the Indie Country Showdown:
Week One: Thursday, February 15, 7:00 p.m.
Week Two: Thursday, February 22, 7:00 p.m.
Week Three: Thursday, March 7, 7:00 p.m.
Grand Finale: Thursday, March 14, 7:00 p.m.
Standard tickets with reserved seating are $25.00. VIP tickets at $65.00 are also available with reserved seating closer to the stage. VIP tickets also include Meet & Greet with the performers plus a surprise goodie bag of items from the Showdown artists.
Week One Contestants and Guest Performances
The contestants for Week One on Feb 15 are: Eric Burgett, Corey Davis, Jay Jones, Brooklyn Summer, Kayla Wass and Charlotte Morris. The star guest performers are Keith Burns (founding member of Trick Pony), Donovan Chapman, Bryan Martin and Abby Leigh Anderson from The Bobby Bones Show who will debut her brand new single during the show. Get tickets here.
More great Tin Pan South music, this time at SOUTH on Nashville’s Demonbreun Street…
(L to R): Keith Burns, Josh Ronen, Joie Scott, Michael Peterson and Trey Bruce. Photo credit: Preshias Harris
Keith Burns kicked it off and told a ‘road story’ about being on the road and meeting an old cowboy and that inspired him to write his song, ‘Cowboys Don’t Get Old.’ Then, in the next round, Keith brought up his BFF, the super talented Matt Kennon, who got up and sang ‘The Call’ which has over 12 million YouTube views. Keith co-wrote one of my favorite Joe Diffie songs, ‘Whole Lotta Gone,’ co-written with Mark Oliverius.
Joie Scott started out with ‘His Name,’ a song that she and Josh Ronen wrote together. She said it had been inspired by her love for her grandfather and Josh’s memories of his own great-grandfather. Most wonderful! Joie Scott is a #1 and Emmy-nominated songwriter and landed her first cut with the well-known cowboy trio, Riders In The Sky. As we circled around again, she did her super hit with Collin Raye’s ‘Not That Different’ that she co-wrote with Karen Taylor-Good. As the round circled again, Joie sang ‘Shoes’ that Shania Twain recorded and was used on the soundtrack of ‘Desperate Housewives.’ As a special treat, Josh Ronen sang ‘I Don’t Want to Know,’ a song that he co-penned with Joie. Joie has had over 75 songs cut globally.
Michael Peterson played his song ‘When the Bartender Cries.’ The whole room just ‘whoo-hooed’it!! Still one of the most wonderfully-written songs!! Michael is an amazing SONGwriter and as we passed through again, he sang a song that he and Chris Wallin had written, ‘From The Grave To The Cradle.’ Of course, my favorite of his is ‘Drink, Swear, Steal and Lie,’ that is still one of the most clever songs ever written. Peterson co-wrote the title track to Travis Tritt’s album ‘No More Looking over My Shoulder’ with Craig Wiseman.
“I got my publishing deal and had my first hit,” said Trey Bruce, referring to his deal with MCA Music Publishing and ‘Things Are Tough All Over’ for Shelby Lynne. He then began his segment with his mega Randy Travis hit song ‘Look Heart No Hands,’ one of the songs that streamed his career into over drive in the 1990s. Travis also recorded two more songs written by Bruce: 1994’s ‘Whisper My Name’ and 1998’s ‘Spirit of a Boy, Wisdom of a Man.’ NOTE: He also has had cuts by Doug Stone, Lee Roy Parnell, Diamond Rio, Faith Hill, LeAnn Rimes, Mindy McCready, Trisha Yearwood, and SHeDAISY. Trey has also co-produced albums for Trace Adkins, Rebecca Lynn Howard and Chris LeDoux. Bruce also produced three of Adkins’s albums: 1999’s ‘More,’ 2001’s ‘Chrome’ and 2003’s ‘Comin’ On Strong.’
A great round of songs and stories from Keith, Joie, Michael and Trey.
