Archive | June, 2012

A Closer Look @ Thompson Square, CMA Music Festival 2012

By on June 20, 2012 in A Closer Look @, Special Events

Here it is, an interview with Thompson Square from CMA Fest! We caught up with the country music couple at the Muve Music party before they took the stage to perform for Country Music Gives Back. We talked about their work with the organization, their sophomore album and touring with Lady Antebellum on their “Own the Night” Tour. Check it out below!

(Apologies for the noisy background. We had an unexpected shotgun interview without privacy or a proper mic but hey, I think it turned out alright! Also, thanks to Thompson Square publicist Natalie Gilgore for almost breaking her arm holding my recorder!)

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Making Nashville Proud

By on June 20, 2012 in Special Events

Nashville PrideThe 24th annual Nashville Pride Festival was held Saturday, June 16, at Riverfront Park from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. The annual event is a chance for the LGBT community and its allies to gather in celebration of advances made for LGBT equality.

For the first year ever, Nashville Pride started the day with an Equality Walk presented by Fifth Third Bank, a one-mile loop that will include participants from more than 20 community groups as a way to increase awareness beyond the festival gates.

This year’s festival was highly attended, and boasted an eclectic entertainment line-up that included Hello Kelly, Jenn Foster, Ian Harvie, Jermiah Clark, Antigone Rising, Kerli and Kristy Lee on the Bridgestone Main Stage. A variety of popular local acts also performed throughout the day on the Local Stage and the Tribe & Play Entertainment Stage featured DJ’s and drag performances.

Nashville Pride

Hello Kelly

There was music, food vendors, SWAG and people with no agenda other than having a good time. The crowd was as diverse as could be: I saw people ranging in age from 14 to 70-something. I saw families. I saw people from all races and backgrounds. Business people, blue-collar workers, entertainers, stay-at-home-moms… all coming together with a general sense of happiness and fun.

I was only able to attend a couple hours, but it was a great time. I got to see Hello Kelly, a hot new group I will be covering relatively frequently. I also saw the wonderful Jenn Foster, a crowd favorite. Mayor Karl Dean was also on hand to speak in the early afternoon; proudly conveying that Nashville is a diverse and inclusive city.

The purpose of Nashville Pride is to maintain a sense of community and awareness of, about, and for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and culture throughout Middle Tennessee.

For more information, visit www.nashvillepride.org.

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Musicians Corner Partners with American Artisan Festival for Three-Day Event

By on June 19, 2012 in Special Events

Musicians Corner

Three straight days of Musicians Corner… what could be better? How about pairing it up with the American Artisan Festival, which took place in Centennial Park last Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The structure was slightly different from the typical Saturday: Forgoing the Lightning 100 Acoustic Stage, each act played acoustically on the main stage. Some went solo; some opted for accompaniment; all were terrific.

The American Artisan Festival is held each year in Centennial Park on Father’s Day weekend, and features fine arts, crafts and food from around the country. This year marked the first time Musicians Corner partnered with the festival to bring free music to its patrons.

Musicians Corner

The Cumberland Collective

Day one featured the likes of Jameson Elder, Anthony Snape, Jessica Campbell and Robby Hecht. Musicians Corner friend Holley Maher was set to close the day out; however, a sudden downpour forced her and her accompanying vocalist Merry Ellen Kirk to postpone until Saturday.

With the weather turning gorgeous for Saturday’s event, Musicians Corner saw a substantial number of regulars in addition to the festival goers, making it a large and rambunctious crowd. After Holley and Merry Ellen were able to kick things off, we saw performances by Sarah Siskind, Blue Mother Tupelo, The Cumberland Collective, Liz Longley, and the first ever Musicians Corner writer round featuring Danny Myrick, Kimberly June and Kendal Marvel.

Father’s Day on Sunday was a more relaxing day with Perrin Lamb, Sam Lewis, the Hogslop String Band, Ferrier and David Mead. A great way to end the weekend and a great place to bring dad.

Each artist brought something unique and enjoyable to the table. Standouts for me were the writers round (although I love writers rounds) when we were able to hear songs from the songwriters themselves such as Don’t Think I Can’t Love You cut by Jake Owen and She’s Country, the huge hit for Jason Aldean. I also loved The Cumberland Collective, which is made up of several extremely talented individuals that come together to jam and sing an eclectic mix of songs. They take turns singing their own songs with the accompaniment of everyone else on stage. Refreshingly original and incredible music as well.

Musicians Corner

You just never know who you'll run into...

We should give a special thanks to the Musicians Corner volunteers who showed up all three days. This sort of thing depends on them, and they are truly incredible. Next week (although those volunteers may not show up out of exhaustion) is another great lineup. The Kopecky Family Band, Halfbrass, The Rebecca West, SHIROCK, Nick Flora, Charity Vance and Michael Castro will all take the stage while Musicians Corner is back to the same place and time.

Musicians Corner is a non-profit program of The Conservancy for the Parthenon & Centennial Park. The spring season of runs every Saturday through June, and features great artists, special guests and fun activities. For additional information and the entire spring schedule please visit www.musicianscornernashville.com.

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Little Big Town’s 6th Annual Ride For A Cure Raises Over $55,000 For The T.J. Martell Foundation

By on June 15, 2012 in Special Events

Little Big Town

Photo credit: Randi Radcliff L-R: Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Schlapman, Lauren Alaina, Karen Fairchild, Jimi Westbrook

NASHVILLE TN (JUNE 13, 2012) – Little Big Town’s 6th annual Ride For A Cure event took place this past Sunday, June 10th in Franklin and Columbia, TN. The annual motorcycle ride portion of the event was cancelled due to inclement weather but the pre-ride Jam Session at Mickey Roo’s and All-Star Jam Session at the Harley-Davidson Columbia Superstore continued as planned.

In total the highly anticipated event raised over $55,000 for the T.J. Martell Foundation, which specializes in finding cures for Leukemia, Cancer and AIDS. This increases the total amount of money Ride For A Cure has raised since inception to over $310,000.

One of the most coveted auction items of the day was an autographed Epiphone Guitar signed by Little Big Town, Rascal Flatts and Edens Edge and was purchased by Mike Wolfe from The History Channel’s successful reality show, American Pickers.

Little Big Town

Little Big Town interviewing with Good Morning America

About the T.J. Martell Foundation
The T. J. Martell Foundation is the music industry’s largest foundation that funds innovative medical research focused on finding cures for leukemia, cancer and AIDS. The T.J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer and AIDS Research was founded in 1975 by music industry executive Tony Martell and his colleagues, in loving memory of his son, T.J., who died of leukemia. The Foundation has provided over $250 million dollars for research at top research hospitals in the United States including the Frances Williams Preston Laboratories at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. For additional information on the T.J. Martell Foundation, visit TJMartellFoundation.org.

About Little Big Town
Critically acclaimed group Little Big Town—consisting of members Karen Fairchild, Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Schlapman, and Jimi Westbrook—first entered the music scene over 14 years ago with hits such as “Boondocks,” “Bring It On Home,” and “Good As Gone.” The group recently finished recording their fifth studio album with producer Jay Joyce and released the albums first single “Pontoon” to radio in April. Collectively, the group has earned over 25 award show nominations and has taken home the award for ACM Top New Vocal Group. The foursome has played in front of over 4 million people and will be joining Rascal Flatts this summer on their “CHANGED” tour that launches June 15th in Hartford, CT. In early 2011 Little Big Town created an online video series called “Scattered, Smothered & Covered” where they tackle the challenge to make any song country. Presently their videos have had over 2 million views. For more information on Little Big Town and the release of their upcoming fifth studio album please visit www.littlebigtown.com.

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Musicians Corner Entertains During CMA Music Fest Week

By on June 14, 2012 in Special Events

The Country Music-Themed Week Keeps The CMA Party Going In Centennial Park

Bo Bice at Musicians CornerIn the midst of CMA Music Fest, Musicians Corner continues to thrive. Another beautiful day in Centennial Park led to another packed house (lawn) as Carter’s Chord, Lighter Ray, The Henningsens and Bo Bice graced the stage. To compliment our country line up was Ryan Griffin, Brinley Addington, and Channing Wilson on the Lightning 100 Acoustic Stage.

Carter’s Chord are Musicians Corner favorites, having played last year and also at the Music City Unsigned Tin Pan South show. The three sisters never cease to amaze, especially throwing in their World Vision-inspired Love A Little Bigger.

Following Ryan Griffin on the Acoustic Stage was the hot new country duo Lighter Ray. The sisters Lauren Leiter and Chynna Rae (see how they came up with the name?) are full of spunk and energy with dynamic songs and beautiful harmonies.

After Brinley Addington serenaded the crowd on the Acoustic Stage, complete with a summer time anthem about boats, it was time for The Henningsens. This family trio from Illinois has had recent success with cuts by The Band Perry (You Lie, All Your Life), and has recently been recording with producer and Musicians Corner friend Paul Worley. Debuting a couple new songs, they kept the good-spirited crowd singing and clapping along.

Channing Wilson was the final Acoustic Stage act with a Jamie Johnson vibe and gritty southern country swag. He made way for the headliner of the day, Bo Bice. Bo was runner up in season four of American Idol to none other than Carrie Underwood, and he still has the fan base to prove it. Directly in front of the stage is usually reserved for casual dancers, wandering children and Rico, but for Bo, a crowd gathered up close to get a photo op. Showing just why he deserved to be in the Idol finale, Bo performed with all his energy, even covering (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction and Sweet Home Alabama.

This week is a very special Musicians Corner partnering with the American Artisan Festival for a THREE DAY EVENT! That’s right; three days of Musicians Corner: Friday 4-7, and Saturday and Sunday 2-6, all in Centennial Park. Get the complete schedule here: http://musicianscornernashville.com/#/calendar.

Musicians Corner is a non-profit program of The Conservancy for the Parthenon & Centennial Park. The spring season of runs every Saturday through June, and features great artists, special guests and fun activities. For additional information and the entire spring schedule please visit www.musicianscornernashville.com.

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CMA Music Festival: Another Perspective

By on June 14, 2012 in Special Events

Well, another CMA Music Festival has come and gone! Can’t believe the week flew by so fast, but it was a fun one and actually not as hot as it usually is, too. Very thankful for that, let me tell you!

Started off the week of CMA Music Festival with the annual CAA (Creative Artists Agency) BBQ in their brand new, beautiful offices located in the penthouse of the Suntrust building next to the historic Ryman Auditorium. Had the chance to stop by for a little while for some great food, drinks, and enjoyed running into friends while out there. Mixed in with the crowd were Kip Moore, Jesse Lee, Jennifer Wayne of Stealing Angels, Jana Kramer, Hot Chelle Rae, Chase Rice, and sure many more I didn’t see. It was crowded! Thanks to CAA for the invitation to join them and see their new offices!

Thursday

First thing this morning, headed over to Tin Roof on Music Row for the A.M. Jam by our friends at Black River Entertainment! Craig Morgan started out introducing the first artist, Glenn Templeton, followed by Sarah Darling, and long-time friends, Due West.  Each gave a short acoustic performance.  Great performances by all!

CMA Music Festival

Julie Roberts performing

Next, headed out to the festival to see Julie Roberts perform on the Bud Light Stage in front of Bridgestone Arena.  Loved seeing Julie “do her thing” on the stage in front of hundreds of fans. Love the traditional sound that she is known for!

Then, we were off to the “You’ve Been Sentenced” celebrity/charity event at Hard Rock, which featured celebrities like: Buddy Jewell, Julie Roberts, Jeff Bates, LoCash Cowboys, Keith Burns, and many more.  I still have NO IDEA how to play that game, what the rules were, not a CLUE! It was a card game and formed sentences.  Nope, not a clue what was going on, but everyone seemed to be having a good time! If anyone wants to explain it to me, maybe I will understand now! Ok, probably not…

CMA Music Festival

Heidi Newfield

Caught Neal McCoy’s show at Riverfront stage.  That guy is always full of energy, entertaining, and even climbed up the side of the stage to the very top.  Fun show!

From there, I headed over to Jana Kramer’s CD release party at aVenue off of 3rd ave.  She did an acoustic set of most of the songs from her album.  Jana’a always entertaining and charming on stage.  Many One Tree Hill fans were present, that was obvious! The place was packed and Jana gave a great performance.  She’s another one of our favorites on here, if you couldn’t tell! Be sure to look for her album in stores and you can buy it right now on iTunes, too, if you don’t want to wait! You won’t regret it, it’s a great album

Then, I caught Miss Willie Brown at the Bud Light stage.  They were ok.  Not really that crazy about their music, but they were energetic on the stage and others seemed to enjoy them.

Friday

This was my favorite day out of all of them because it featured performances by a some of my favorites: THE FARM, Jesse Lee, and Gloriana.

CMA Music Festival

Gloriana performing on Riverfront stage

Caught Gloriana at the Riverfront stage.  Loved seeing their full set and their harmonies were flawless, as usual.  Great to hear that their new single that was recently featured on The Bachelorette is doing so well for them on the charts.  Highest ranking single of their career and almost top 10 right now.

Then, headed over to the Hard Rock to catch another friend, David Bradley, on the acoustic stage.  David’s always charming with his British charm and never disappoints with his performances.

Went over to the convention center for a bit to see what was going on over there with the artists signing before heading back over to the Hard Rock to catch another friend and favorite, Jesse Lee, do an acoustic performance.  It was short, but sweet! LOVE Jesse who is always fun to watch perform! She’s got lots of personality and the vocals to match.  I just want to be able to catch her doing a full band show one of these days soon.  I’m sure it’s amazing!

Ended the day with THE FARM.  I loved seeing THE FARM do a full set on the Riverfront stage, which is where I mainly stayed during the festival.  If you haven’t heard or seen them, check them out if they pass through your town and you can also hear their single “Home Sweet Home” on the country charts right now.  It’s broken into the top 20 and still climbing! LOVE these guys! Good people and incredibly talented! Their show is high energy, too, with Damien even doing a backflip on the stage.  Loved the whole thing and these guys are going to continue to WOW audiences as people get a chance to see them this summer touring, I’m sure of it!

CMA Music Festival

Krista from THE FARM

Highlight of the day:  Seeing THE FARM and Jesse Lee perform!

 

Saturday

Started out the morning at the Riverfront stage seeing Love and Theft followed by Kip Moore.  Enjoyed both of these shows.

Love and Theft are always good to see, plus enjoy their music.  Stephen is always entertaining to watch and shows a lot of personality.  Just a really fun guy!  Eric? Not so much.  He always manages to look bored on the stage and like he’d rather be anywhere but there at the moment.  Like their music, but would like to see them both be equally as entertaining.

Then, they were followed by Kip Moore.  He seems very at ease on the stage and was fun to watch.  Love his music and glad that he’s now experiencing some success with his chart-topping single.  Hope it continues for him!

Spotted in the front row of the crowd were a whole bunch of girls dressed in red sundresses hoping to capture the attention of Kip.  Watched his video a few too many times, I guess!

Wandered off out into the festival a little and then back to see Casey James for the first time.  First off, best hair out there and such a cutie! Glad to get THAT off my chest.  He was highly entertaining and great musicianship!

Following Casey was Heidi Newfield on the Riverfront.  Loved her performance! She’s always high energy! I was afraid she was going to have a wardrobe malfunction in that peacock dress, though! I don’t imagine the guys would have minded that so much! She had on a peacock dress with fishnets.  High octane attire for a high octane show, I guess! lol

Finished up the day at the convention center.

 

Sunday

Started out Sunday at the TJ Martell Ride for a Cure event.  It started off with breakfast at Mickey Roo’s in Franklin.  I was thinking was going to be able to get some interviews like last year, but with the actual ride being cancelled due to the rain, things were thrown off a bit for everyone.  Couldn’t be helped and no one’s fault, just bad weather throwing things off for everyone and making the best of it. The pre-jam was going on in there and I got to LISTEN to an interview by Good Morning America just too busy in there to conduct any myself.  So, for me, it was kind of a let down, but the breakfast was nice and it was fun running into Lauren Alaina, Dean Alexander, and Little Big Town out there.  I just opted out of the concert since it was raining and would be out in the mud.  Just wasn’t quite up for that.  I am glad to hear that the event was still a success for the charity raising over $55,000!

CMA Music Festival

Photo credit: Randi Radcliiff/Little Big Town and Lauren Alaina


Back to the Riverfront stage at CMA Music Festival I went (See? I said I spent most of the week there!) and saw Sunny Sweeney do her thing! I just love her Texas attitude and her whole Texas sound.  She’s a lot of fun on the stage and just shows a lot of sass!

Then, off to see Jason Michael Carroll perform at the Bud Light Bridgestone stage.  I had a hard time keeping up with him on stage with my camera because he moves so much! Love his voice and he puts on a great show!

Followed by Mandy Barnett at the same stage.  Mandy’s both an incredible vocalist and a class act all around.  Very gracious and down-to-Earth.

CMA Music Festival

Kip Moore

Then I was off to see Jana Kramer perform a full band show at the Riverfront stage.  Jana’s both sassy and classy! Such a sweet person and dynamic performer.  Only wish great things for her!

Well, that is a wrap for me! I ended up letting Courtney, who you’ll be hearing from on here, use my nightly LP stadium passes.  She got some great shots and since she was gracious enough to help us out for the week, thought she’d enjoy them.  Me? I was WORN after those long, hot days! So, you’ll be hearing more about those nightly shows and seeing some great shots soon! Plus, I’ll be putting together a little video of highlights from the week for you all to enjoy and post more pictures.  Now, I guess I’m still recovering from all the fun of CMA Music Festival! WHEW!

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CMA Music Fest 2012 Recap

By on June 13, 2012 in Special Events

We just finished up a week of the biggest country music party in the world. CMA Music Fest took over Nashville and broke records. That’s right; over 71,000 fans came to see over 450 artists perform more than 200 hours of concerts. And FOCUS was right in the middle of it!

It would truly be a novel to walk you through the week from my point of view, so I’ll give you some highlights:

 

Monday

Billboard Country Music Summit and CAA New Office Party

Luke Bryan at the 2012 Country Music Summit

Luke Bryan at the 2012 Country Music Summit

I could only make the first day of CMS, but it was still packed with information and fun. We got great insight from industry professionals on everything from touring to radio. We also got an insight into Luke Bryan’s career and examined his rise to stardom, straight from the man himself and his team.

That night we attended the Creative Artist Agency’s new office party in the penthouse of the Suntrust building downtown. Aside from the breathtaking views (from just about EVERY office), the cool technology they installed and the free drinks, we also ran into our friends Jesse Lee, Jana Kramer and Kip Moore. And apparently I met Hot Chelle Rae, but am embarrassed to admit that I had no clue what they looked like.

Highlight: Jana Kramer. Obviously.

 

Tuesday

Chevy Volt Country Music Tour and Country Music Gives Back

Tuesday was my big Chevy Volt excursion that I told everyone about. Don’t worry, the full article and (more importantly) the footage are coming! My friend Hannah and I had a lot of fun… and the footage will probably end up being PG-13, especially with me driving in Nashville traffic.

Then it was off to the Country Music Gives Back VIP Party sponsored by Muve Music. There we ran into Jana again, Rodney Atkins, Lee Brice, Josh Thompson, and got an interview with Thompson Square! Wonderful people; sickeningly adorable; and fun to interview, so watch out for that as well!

Highlight: An interview with country’s hottest duo… one of the highlights of the entire year, let alone Tuesday.

Thompson Square at Country Music Gives Back 2012

Thompson Square with Matt Williams at Country Music Gives Back

 

Wednesday

CMT Music Awards

If you watched the awards, you don’t need a recap. If you missed them, don’t worry; CMT will re-air them 32,598 times this month. I regret that I wasn’t doing my normal live tweeting, but hey, it’s hard to do while you’re there watching. CMT did it right with the two collaborations: Lady A and Hot Chelle Rae opened the show, and Journey joined Rascal Flatts to sing “Don’t Stop Believing.” Epic. We then went to the Warner Music after party where Gloriana performed. Love those guys!

Highlight: Lady A/Hot Chelle Rae killed it!

 

Thursday

CMA Music Fest Day 1 and Jana Kramer Album Release Party

Jana Kramer

Jana Kramer at her album release party!

Now on to the main event. I spent most of my time at the Chevy Riverfront stage. Today I saw Josh Thompson, Jerrod Neimann and Lee Brice. Great performances by all, and Jerrod even ran into the crowd.

After that, we had to go to aVenue for Jana Kramer’s album release party. The One Tree Hill fan base was prevalent, and Jana sang most of the songs off her debut self-titled album. If you haven’t yet, go pick up the album!

Then it was time for the nightly LP Field show. In case you don’t know, these shows feature SIX big-name acts performing each night, as well as the National Anthem and two acoustic performances. It all gets compiled into an ABC special sometime in the fall. Which means, every once in a while, a performance needs to be re-done, and it’s not uncommon for one of the hosts (this year Luke Bryan and Kimberly Perry) to get the crowd excited and make a throw to a band who played yesterday… just for TV.

Anyway, I’ll just run down the list of performances for Thursday: David Nail, legend Glen Campbell, Miranda Lambert, Lauren Alaina, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebelum, Zac Brown Band, Kellie Pickler and Brad Paisley. Not a bad night of concerts. And that was night ONE!

Highlight: Rhinestone Cowboy live.

 

Friday

CMA Music Fest Day 2

David Nail at CMA Music Fest

David Nail

Back to Riverfront to see Thomas Rhett, Jo Dee Messina, Gloriana, David Nail, Craig Campbell and The Farm. Jo Dee Messina performed “Don’t Stop Believing” (second time I heard that song live at CMA Fest… weird) and Brought. The. House. Down. When I say not a single person was sitting or silent, I mean it. It didn’t become one of the best karaoke and party songs in history for nothing, folks.

I’ve also never seen The Farm do a full set. I’ll just say it: Holy shit, these guys bring it! Maybe it’s because they are all crazy talented and seasoned veterans of performing, or maybe it’s their refreshingly eclectic sound (Damien Horne even broke into a beat box during one song), but I would pay serious money to see these guys in concert. I don’t want to say you heard it here first, but watch out for them!

The LP show featured Ronnie Milsap, Brantley Gilbert, Jake Owen, The Band Perry, Gwen Sebastian, Blake Shelton, Randy Houser and Carrie Underwood. I always liked “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” but I never thought about how much of a stadium anthem it could be. How about 65,000 people ALL singing along, waving their hands and waving lighters (and by lighters I mean cell phones). I was actually thrilled to have nosebleed tickets to be able to watch the entire thing unfold.

Highlights: Krista Marie (from The Farm) blew me a kiss from stage then threw me her pick. Everyone else in the crowd, eat your hearts out.

 

Saturday

CMA Music Fest Day 3

Corey Smith at CMA Fest

Corey Smith

Riverfront again: Love and Theft, Kip Moore, Casey James, Heidi Newfield, James Otto and Corey Smith. Probably my favorite riverfront day as a whole. I’m calling it right now: watch out for Casey James. Next Keith Urban. You DID hear that one first. And many people don’t know who Corey Smith is, but the crowd sure did. That’s because Corey made a grassroots name for himself in the SEC circuit. A Georgia Bulldog alum, he has penned some of the greatest underground college anthems of all time. The crowd that was there all knew it, and was singing every word (as was I.) And we even got to see a proposal take place during Kip Moore’s “Hey Pretty Girl.” Congrats to Matt and Trish!

LP Field: Julie Roberts, Kenny Rogers, Hunter Hayes, Love and Theft (again), Little Big Town, Eric Church, Kip Moore (again), Faith Hill and Luke Bryan. Kenny is still orange, Hunter is still a child prodigy, Eric Church is one of the hottest names in country music right now and put on a show as such, Faith Hill was… there, and Luke Bryan is hilarious.

Highlight: Either singing along to “Drinkin’ Again” by Corey Smith or “Boyfriend” the Justin Bieber song Luke covered on piano.

 

Sunday

CMA Music Fest Day 4 and Exhaustion

Sunny Sweeney at CMA Fest

Sunny Sweeney

Quite honestly, after this entire week, I’m not sure I know what was going on on Sunday. Somehow I walked down to riverfront and got escorted backstage before Sunny Sweeney performed (I went with it), but I couldn’t hear or see, so I left and went back down front where I belonged. I love Sunny though. I also love Jana Kramer who performed later in the day (yeah, that’s no secret). In between though, was Lo Cash Cowboys, who I have never seen live. Talk about fun! At one point Preston Brust walked over to the truss (the big thing holding the stage up) which had a neon sign on it that said “Do NOT climb Truss!” Guess what happened next… he ended up re-taping that sign to the very very top of the truss. We cheered.

Last night at LP: A little subdued in comparison to the rest of the week. Sarah Darling, The Mavericks, Bill Anderson, Scotty McCreary, Dierks Bentley, Rascal Flatts, Alan Jackson, Steel Magnolia and Martina McBride. Through pure adrenaline I stayed and watched the entire thing, which ended with Martina bringing the house down.

Highlight: Martina singing “Broken Wing.” Flawless. And ending in a 5-minute standing ovation, complete with tears from the singer (and Matt).

So, what a week. I’m still recovering. Patrice I’m sure will have her own reflection on the week with her own highlights. If you were there what were yours? We’d love to know!

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Muve Music And Country Music Gives Back At CMA Music Festival

By on June 5, 2012 in Special Events

Cricket’s Muve Music® Connects Country Artists and Fans at CMA Music Festival
~ Cricket Sponsors Music City Gives Back Country Showcase with Wrangler and Daily Artist Meet and Greets at the Country Music Association Music Festival ~
 
NASHVILLE, Tenn., – June 4, 2012 – Cricket Communications, Inc., a leading provider of innovative and value-driven wireless services, is going country and taking its popular Muve Music service to Nashville’s 2012 CMA Music Festival.  Muve Music will be kicking off the four day music festival by sponsoring the “Music City Gives Back” event benefitting the American Red Cross. The innovative music service is also inviting fans to connect with country music’s top artists throughout the week with artist meet and greets, special playlists, an interactive booth in “The Buckle” on Broadway in downtown Nashville and more.  Muve Music is the first music service designed specifically for a wireless phone with approximately 600,000 customers to date.
 
Muve Music fans are increasingly consuming country music on the service and are always on the lookout for the new up and coming artists and bands in the genre. As Muve Music’s overall catalog of songs continues to grow, the service is also expanding its library of country music to meet the ever-growing demand.  Country music fans are not only listening to popular hits by award-winning country music artists, but also leveraging Muve Music’s unlimited music download platform to discover new country music artists as well.
 
“Connecting artists and fans is what Muve Music is all about and we’re thrilled to bring that experience to CMA Music Festival this year,” said Geoff Edds, senior manager, label management and artist programs for Muve Music.  “We’re also excited to partner with Music City Gives Back to present a great night of Country music for fans while raising money and awareness for a great cause.”
 
Muve Music’s rapid growth and momentum is due in part to its unique platform that allows artists to directly reach their fan base through exclusive content and promotions.  The service has a 90 percent customer satisfaction rate and user engagement has exceeded expectations. In its first year, customers played 1.5 billion songs on Muve Music averaging 260 million songs each month.  With approximately 600,000 subscribers, Muve Music is now the second largest digital music subscription service in the U.S., and the first designed for the mobile phone with both the consumer and the artists’ needs in mind. 
 
“Muve Music rocks!” said country artist and upcoming host of the “Music City Gives Back” concert event, Rodney Atkins. “As an artist you want your fans to have easy access to your music and Muve makes it easy.”
 
Cricket Presents “Music City Gives Back”
Cricket has teamed up with Wrangler, Carl Black Chevrolet, and GAC to sponsor the second annual “Music City Gives Back” showcase benefitting the American Red Cross. The exciting event, hosted by Rodney Atkins in conjunction with the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau, was created to raise awareness and drive donations to the American Red Cross. As a lead sponsor, Cricket will be donating $50,000 to the cause.
 
The event is free to the public and will be held on Tuesday, June 5, at 5 p.m. on the outdoor stage on Broadway in downtown Nashville (between Second and Fourth avenues). Atkins will be joined on stage by an all-star lineup of top performing country artists including Clint Black, Thompson Square, Lee Brice, Josh Thompson, Jana Kramer, The Farm, Mallary Hope, and the Willis Clan. Donations to the American Red Cross can be made on-site and online by visiting http://american.redcross.org/musiccity.
 
 
Interactive Booth at CMA Music Festival, June 7-10, at The Buckle
Fans can experience Muve Music first hand at Cricket’s interactive booth located in the Buckle on Broadway in downtown Nashville. The booth located just outside the Riverfront stage will host fun giveaways throughout the week, and will be running a CMA Music Festival commemorative photo-op green screen experience where participants will be able to appear and share images of themselves with the likes of country sensations, such as Taylor Swift and Dolly Parton. Cricket will email the images real time so fans can post to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram instantly.
 
In addition, a professional DJ will be on-site inviting attendees to karaoke their favorite country tunes. With lyrics displayed on a 52’ TV monitor, consumers can either request a song of choice to sing, or play the Cricket “Finish the Song” challenge. The booth will also feature an interactive Cricket Muve Music trailer with a phone demo and festival-goers will also have the ability to purchase their own Muve Music device right from the booth.
 
Cricket Hosts CMA Music Festival Artist Meet and Greets at The Buckle
Throughout the week, artists will be dropping by the Muve Music tent to meet with fans attending the music festival. During the one hour meet and greets, artists will be onsite to chat directly with fans, answer questions, and to share insights on country music and how it resonates with the digital mobile music industry. In addition, fans will have the opportunity to take photos or bring gear for autograph signings.
·         Casey James, Thursday June 7, 1 – 2 p.m.
·         Kristen Kelly, Thursday June 7, 2:15 – 3:15 p.m.
·         Jesse James, Friday June 8, 1 – 2 p.m.
·         JT Hodges, Sunday June 10, 1 – 2 p.m.

Cricket Connects Country Music Fans through Social Media
Cricket will be keeping music fans up to speed on the latest CMA Music Festival news with a large screen in the booth displaying Twitter activity in real time. Country music fans are encouraged to follow Cricket and Muve Music online on Twitter (@cricketnation) and Facebook for the latest updates from the Music City Gives Back Concert and all the festivities at CMA Fest. Cricket will also share frequent updates on ticket giveaways, performances, artist meet and greets and more. Attendees can join the conversation real-time with hashtag #CMACricket.
 
Cricket Releases CMA Music Festival Playlists
In addition to providing contract-free, unlimited mobile music with Muve Music, Cricket is connecting current Muve Music subscribers with a Music City Gives Back playlist, featuring songs from all of the evening’s performing artists including Rodney Atkins, Clint Black, Thompson Square, and Lee Brice.
Furthermore, Muve Music subscribers will also be able to tune in to the festival’s top country performers with new and exclusive CMA Music Festival playlists.  Each of the four CMA Music Festival  playlists, launching daily from June 7 – June 10, will feature some of Muve Music’s most popular country artists, including Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Zac Brown Band, Brad Paisley, The Band Perry, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town, Eric Church, Dierks Bentley, Rascal Flatts, Alan Jackson, Martina McBride and more.
 
The Muve Music Service
In January 2011, Cricket Communications became the first U.S. wireless carrier to offer consumers unlimited music as part of a wireless rate plan. For just $65 a month, Cricket customers across the country can now purchase the no contract wireless service that includes unlimited nationwide talk, text, web and unlimited music (full track downloads, ringtones and ringback tones) for their Cricket android smartphone. This innovative product offering is the first music experience designed specifically for the mobile phone; it provides a superior mobile experience with no download fees or monthly music subscriptions – it’s all included.
The Muve service was built for customers for whom the phone, not the computer, is the center of their digital life. With Muve Music, Cricket has eliminated the complexity found with other digital music services – there are no cables, no drivers and no synching required. Everything happens over Cricket’s nationwide 3G network to deliver a robust music experience to music lovers on the go.
 
How to get Muve Music
Muve Music is available on the Huawei Mercury, named the best prepaid smartphone in America by PC Magazine, January 3, 2012, as well as on the Huawei Ascend II, Samsung Vitality, ZTE Score and the ZTE Chorus at Cricket company-owned stores, online at www.mycricket.com and through select partner retail outlets. Additional accessories are available for purchase including premium headphones, an audio jack and Bluetooth adapter to connect to home and car stereos, either wired or wirelessly.   
 
With the ever-growing Muve Music song catalog, customers can choose from millions of songs featuring the hottest artists from thousands of record labels, which are distributed through Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music and global rights agency Merlin, as well as independents CD Baby, IODA, INgrooves, The Orchard and TuneCore.
 
For more information about Muve Music, visit www.muvemusic.com, and for Cricket’s dynamic device lineup, visit www.mycricket.com. To follow Cricket’s latest news and updates online, go to Facebook at www.facebook.com/cricketwireless and Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cricketnation.
 
About Cricket
Cricket is the pioneer and leader in delivering innovative value-rich prepaid wireless services with no long-term contracts serving 6.2 million customers. Cricket offers wireless voice and mobile data services over the latest, high-quality, all-digital 4G (LTE) and 3G CDMA wireless networks. In 2011, Cricket launched its award-winning Muve Music® product, the first music service designed for a wireless phone that now has more than 600,000 customers. Cricket’s innovative products and services are available at Cricket branded retail stores, dealers, national retailers and at www.mycricket.com. For more information about Cricket, please visit www.mycricket.com
 

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FOCUS Takes a Country Music Tour in the Chevy Volt

By on June 5, 2012 in Special Events

I’m excited to announce that today I will be partnering with Chevrolet to do a promo for the Chevy Volt! Here’s the deal:

Chevy approached FOCUS with a fun idea. Today they will hand me and my friend Hannah the keys to a Chevy Volt – the nation’s first plug-in electric vehicle with extended range – with the intent to visit all the country music hotspots in Nashville in preparation for CMA Music Fest. The idea is to see how many iconic country music stops we can make before the Volt’s battery runs out of juice.

We’ll be documenting everything, so stay tuned! And we’d love to keep up with you during our trip… any suggestions on where to go, what to see, or any other comments are more than welcome! Just follow @FOCUSonthe615 on twitter and use the hashtag #FOCUSonChevy. Looking forward to this little adventure!

 

Chevy Volt

2012 Chevy Volt

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Follow FOCUS on the 615 This Week for All Your Country Music Insight

By on June 4, 2012 in Special Events

The Billboard Country Music Summit, CMT Awards and Especially CMA Music Fest All To Take Place This Week

Who’s ready? If you’re a country music fan, there’s only one place you should be this week, and that is right here in the 615! But if you can’t make it down for all the festivities, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. CMA Music Fest is the biggest country music party of the year, and will be the highlight of the week, but that’s not all:

Monday and Tuesday is the Billboard Country Music Summit at Cannery Ballroom featuring keynote speakers Luke Bryan, Thompson Square and Willie Nelson. Tuesday morning, I (Matt) will be driving around in a Chevy Volt to all the country music hotspots (stay tuned for more on that), then Tuesday evening we’ll be attending the Muve Music’s Pre-Concert event, taking place before the “Music City Gives Back” concert with exclusive interviews. Wednesday is our friend Jana Kramer’s album release party (can’t wait!), then Wednesday night is the CMT Music Awards. We’ll be at all of these events and more, and will bring you exclusive footage and interviews!

Make sure to follow Focus on the 615 and Matt on twitter for live updates:
@FOCUSonthe615
@mattwilliams27

And keep checking back here for full interviews, photos and write ups. What a week it’s going to be. Here we go!

About the Billboard Country Music Summit

Billboard Country Music Summit
Conceived as the business-related kickoff for the weeklong celebration of Country Music that culminates with the 2012 CMA Music Festival, the Summit has quickly become known for hosting attendees and speakers that are the elite industry players, including established Country Music industry executives, up-and-coming entrepreneurs, and artists that are making a difference. The content and networking at the Summit is unmatched in the industry, focusing on the challenges and opportunities facing this vital genre.

Programming is customized to fit the needs of the Country Music business stakeholders today and tomorrow, touching on recording, touring, radio, publishing, finance, sponsorships, international, digital/social and artist development. Discussions are led by the executives who write the checks, write the songs, book the shows, program the singles, create the campaign and take the stage. In its first two years, the Summit has already hosted compelling artist discussions with such stars as Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Charlie Daniels, Gary Alan and others, with case studies and keynotes that break down the most successful artist development and superstar careers in the genre. There is nothing else in the country music business like it.

About “Music City Gives Back”
Music City Gives BackAward-winning and top-selling country star Rodney Atkins headlines Music City Gives Back with a host of other artists on Tuesday, June 7th in downtown Nashville. Josh Thompson, Thompson Square and others will join Atkins for a night of great music.

The concert will increase awareness, accept donations of needed items and raise funds for tornado victims for the American Red Cross Relief Fund through donation collection locations around the event. The public can make donations at the event or by visiting www.redcross.org.

The CMT Music Awards

CMT Music AwardsCMT kicks off the summer with country’s biggest stars and sizzling performances at the 2012 CMT Music Awards live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on June 6. It’s the only entirely fan-voted award show that recognizes country’s best video and musical achievements. Hosted by Toby Keith and Kristen Bell, this year’s performers include Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley, Eric Church, Zac Brown Band, Willie Nelson and many many others.

CMA Music Fest

CMA Music FestThe ultimate country music fan experience featuring hundreds of artists from up and comers, to legends and superstars performing on multiple stages. Thousands of fans from around the world come together in the epicenter of the Country Music community to party with countless opportunities to get close to the stars for a treasured autograph or priceless picture. This is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion to discover new artists before they hit it big, hear new music, and meet other fans who share your passion for Country Music in Music City USA

Created for the fans in 1972 and committed to the fan experience in 2012, CMA Music Festival brings it all together – artists, music, autographs, pictures, activities, and more – all for you, the most devoted fans in the world!

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