Archive | December 1, 2011

Madonna Nash’s Favorite Christmas Memory

By on December 1, 2011 in The Latest

“I have so many great memories of Christmas!  Not only from my childhood, but also of the new memories made with my own two kids.  One that will always be dear to me is not only a memory, but now a tradition.  As I’m sure many of us do, in my home growing up, my brother, sister and I had a favorite Christmas Movie.  That movie was and still is “Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas”.  I can remember the anticipation and excitement that grew as we would gather around the television, with the fireplace to our right and the smell of cookies in the kitchen to our left.  It wasn’t just that we loved the characters in the movie (anything Jim Henson was a hit in our house), but I think it was the music that we looked forward to the most! 

Madonna with family at Christmas

Don’t get me wrong, the story is great, but the music moved us more than anything!  It still does!  I believe we loved it so much because there is a little bit of Emmet Otter in the three of us, and our Momma sang just like Alice Otter (Ma Otter).  One song in particular “Our World” always gets me a little choked up.  As soon as Ma Otter starts to sing “We’re closer now than ever before, there’s love in our world and we’re showing it more”, I know that that’s  exactly what the movie is doing, bringing my siblings and I closer together than ever before, right at that very moment.  So to this day when Christmas comes around, we still gather around the television, my brother sister and I, to watch  “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas”.” 

About Madonna Nash

Madonna Nash, winner of the 2010 Female Country Artist of the Year at the Carolina Music Awards, has been singing for as long as she can remember.

“As a child, I used to do shows in my backyard for all the other neighborhood kids,” said the Wilmington, NC native. “And I started writing songs when I was a teenager”.

Nash comes from a very musical family. Her father toured the country playing guitar, and her mother was an honors graduate in music from E.C.U. Nash’s great great uncle was Connie B. Gay, founding president of the Country Music Association.“My songs are definitely country, but when you listen to them, you’ll find hints of rock, pop, and blues, too. It’s just good, fun music,” she said.

She’s performed with numerous popular acts such as Gretchen Wilson, Phil Vassar, Josh Thompson, Sarah Buxton, Jason Michael Carroll, Cravin’ Melon, Gloriana, Lee Brice, Danny Gokey, Edwin McCain, and more.

Madonna Nash’s self-titled debut album was recorded in Nashville, TN using a Grammy-winning team of studio engineers and musicians who have worked with such superstars as Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Reba McEntire, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, and Kellie Pickler. Working with producers Dave Demay and Charles Fulp (producer of multiple Top 20 BILLOARD singles), Madonna Nash recorded 13 songs for the CD, all of which she wrote/co-wrote.

The new album is available on iTunes and Amazon.com, and it is already receiving rave reviews (6 out of 7 stars in the Nashville Music Guide). Madonna Nash’s debut single “Dirty Little Secret” is a winner of the prestigious DISCOVERY award in MusicRow magazine, and the video for this single, which can be seen at www.youtube.com/madonnanash, is equally impressive.

“Things are finally starting to fall into place for me. I know this is the right time, and I am right where I need to be,” said a confident and glowing Madonna Nash.

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Margaret Durante’s Favorite Christmas Memory

By on December 1, 2011 in The Latest

 

Margaret Durante

“I remember when I got to sing “The Christmas Song” in my first grade Christmas recital and loving being on the stage and singing for friends and family.  I still smile every time I hear that song during the holidays.” —  Margaret Durante

Margaret with Santa

About Margaret Durante

With the release of her four-song digital-only “Maybe Tonight EP,” much of the music world is getting its first glimpse of one of country music’s most exciting young voices, Margaret Durante. The title track from the EP is a contagiously upbeat look at new love at its flirty and romantic best. It is also her new single and a great introduction to Margaret, whose world-class pipes and dynamic stage presence have been wowing audiences since she was a young girl.The EP, culled from her forthcoming debut album, is a compelling collection of songs that showcase the sheer talent Margaret brings to the table as a vocalist and as a songwriter who can hold her own in a room with Nashville’s best. From the title-track and the moody and melodic “Paper Chains”, both of which were co-written by Margaret, to the pain-drenched “Better” and “Whiskey And A Gun,” a jaw-droppingly tough look at revenge from one woman’s point of view, it’s a collection that highlights the power and intimacy of her vocal performances and the connection she has always made with her audiences.

“I really want listeners to feel like they are my confidantes,” Margaret says. “I want them to feel like they have someone to commiserate and celebrate with when they hear my songs.”

The project is for Margaret the culmination of three years of work honing the crafts she has nurtured since childhood. Collaborating with a group that includes co-writer and co-producer Stephony Smith and legendary producer/label head James Stroud made the excitement of making her first record all the more thrilling.

“I knew I had material that I loved and believed in and I couldn’t wait to share those songs with other people,” says Margaret. “Then, when James and Stephony wanted to be involved to the extent they were, that sweetened the deal even more.”

The digital-only EP, on Stroud’s new Emrose Records imprint, caps a journey that began in a household steeped in music, from Frank Sinatra to Bonnie Raitt and Mary Chapin Carpenter. At 16, Margaret began touring with a band, gaining invaluable performing experience up and down the East Coast. She enrolled at Clemson, but soon left the school and friends she loved to pursue her dreams in the town she knew was the place to truly sharpen her skills — Nashville. There she met publishing and A&R executive Laura Stroud, who recognized Margaret’s raw talents as a singer, writer and performer. The two soon began working together, leading to introductions to the city’s great songwriters and guiding her towards a record deal.

Though Margaret’s heart and soul are firmly rooted in country music, she also recently enjoyed national exposure when she provided lead vocals for her friends at Hot Rush Productions on two songs featured in recent episodes of Disney’s hot new tween series, Shake It Up. One of the songs, “Watch Me,” was used as the theme song during the season’s premiere episode, seen by 6.2 million viewers as well as another half million from fan-posted videos on YouTube. Margaret was also recently hailed by Nashville Lifestyles Magazine as the “Fresh Face to Watch in 2011.”

As she continues work on her debut album, scheduled for fall release, Margaret is living out the dream that took root in the music-infused home she grew up in.

“There’s such a power to music,” she says. “It’s one of the reasons I live in this town. Although the level of brilliance and commitment that exists here can be almost intimidating, I just let it inspire me. It makes my appreciation for the magic of music evolve and grow every day.”

And in Margaret Durante, country audiences everywhere are about to find their own connection to that magic.

Related article:

http://focusonthe615.com/2011/07/01/margaret-durante-becomes-first-independent-label-artist-ever-to-debut-at-1-on-gac/

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