Tag Archives | CMA Music Fest

Rodney Atkins To Host Fourth Annual ‘Music City Gives Back’ Concert On June 3

By FOCUS admin on May 24, 2014 in In The Press

Country fans heading to Nashville in June for the CMT Music Awards and CMA Music Fest will have the chance to join chart-topping country artist Rodney Atkins for his annual “Music City Gives Back” concert in downtown Nashville on Tuesday, June 3. Now in its fourth year, the show will feature an all-star lineup of Atkins’ friends including Lee Brice, Jana Kramer, Dustin Lynch, Josh Thompson and more and will benefit Nashville’s W.O. Smith Music School. The event will kick off at 6:00 p.m. CT at 1st Avenue and Broadway and is free to the public.

Carl Black Chevrolet and Wrangler® are returning for the fourth year as presenting sponsors for Music City Gives Back. Both sponsors will stream the show live on CarlBlackRadio.com and WranglerNetwork.com, a first-of-its-kind mobile and online destination that serves as a centralized hub for all Western lifestyle content, respectively. Ally Financial will also be joining the event this year as a stage sponsor. Cumulus Media stations NASH-FM 103.3 and WSM-FM 95.5 will be on site, with “NASH Nights Live” Host Shawn Parr broadcasting live and “America’s Morning Show” Host Blair Garner introducing artists as they hit the stage.

“I am so excited to be part of this event for the fourth year in a row and to have such a great group of artists give their time and talent to help out,” said Atkins. “I’ve always believed that music is a great healer and it’s important to me as an artist to use that platform to give back.”

Founded in 1984, W.O. Smith Music School provides music instruction to children from low-income families for the nominal cost of 50 cents per lesson. An all-volunteer teaching artist faculty of 220 gives music lessons to more than 650 students annually. Instruments and all learning materials are loaned to the students at no additional expense.

Atkins is currently working on his fifth studio album for Curb Records and performing headlining dates across the country. For more information, please visit www.RodneyAtkins.com or follow on Twitter and Facebook @RodneyAtkins.

About Ally

Ally Financial is a leading automotive financial services company powered by a top direct banking franchise. Ally’s automotive services business offers a full suite of financing products and services, including new and used vehicle inventory and consumer financing, leasing, inventory insurance, commercial loans and vehicle remarketing services. Ally Bank, the company’s direct banking subsidiary and member FDIC, offers an array of deposit products, including certificates of deposit, savings accounts, money market accounts, IRA deposit products and interest checking. Ally’s Corporate Finance unit provides financing to middle-market companies across a broad range of industries. With approximately $148.5 billion in assets as of Mar. 31, 2014, Ally operates as a financial holding company. For more information, visit the Ally media site at http://media.ally.com or follow Ally on Twitter: @Ally.

About Carl Black Chevrolet
Carl Black Chevrolet is one of General Motor’s top dealers with locations in Atlanta, Nashville and Orlando as well as online at www.carlblack.com. CarlBlackRadio is an internet station available on the Tune In platform that features current singles, past hits and favorite album cuts of top Country artists broadcast inside the showrooms and ready for easy access with the GM 4G LTE digital dashboards available on new 2015 GM Models.
About Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media (CMLS) combines high-quality local programming with iconic, nationally syndicated media, sports and entertainment brands in order to deliver choices for listeners and advertisers and create opportunities for shareholders. As the largest pure-play radio company, Cumulus’ exclusive audio content is fully distributed through approximately 460 owned an operated stations in 89 U.S. media markets, over 10,000 broadcast radio affiliates and through numerous digital channels, including a national streaming/mobile platform and partnership with digital audio provider, Rdio. For more information, visit www.cumulus.com.

About Wrangler®
Wrangler® Western Wear, a VF Corporation brand, is available nationwide in specialty stores, including work apparel chains, farm & fleet, and western stores, as well as through online and catalog retailers, and www.wrangler.com. To find a retailer or for more information on the Wrangler® family of products, visit www.wrangler.com or call 888-784-8571. To access the latest western lifestyle, rodeo and county music live streamed video, news and more, visit the Wrangler Network at www.WranglerNetwork.com.

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Country Music Stars Step Up To The Plate Against Cancer At The City Of Hope Celebrity Softball Challenge

By Matt Williams on May 31, 2013 in In The Press, Special Events

One in three women and one in two men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes. During the 2013 CMA Music Festival, a star-studded roster of Country Music’s hottest performers and personalities will join forces to help strike out the disease. Stars including Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, Florida Georgia Line, Craig Campbell, Greg Bates, Chuck Wicks and Olympic figure skating champion Scott Hamilton will join cancer survivors to participate in City of Hope’s 23rd annual Celebrity Softball Challenge presented by Staples. Emceed by Storme Warren, host of GAC’s “Headline Country,” the event will pit longtime rival teams Grand Ole Opry and “After MidNite with Blair Garner” against each other on Saturday, June 8, at 9 a.m. at Greer Stadium. Tickets are now available at www.ticketmaster.com.

“It’s always good to go out there and get a big win for Country Music in the fight against cancer,” said Pete Fisher, vice president and general manager, Grand Ole Opry. “We’re thankful to City of Hope for its incredible work in cancer research, and know we will live up to the challenge this year. Hey, Team Opry: Spring training starts 10 minutes before game time. Don’t forget the needed gear – uniforms, softballs and Sharpies!”

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Musicians Corner Entertains During CMA Music Fest Week

By Matt Williams on June 14, 2012 in Special Events

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

In 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 Fest 2012 Recap

By Matt Williams 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

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 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

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

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

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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FOCUS Takes a Country Music Tour in the Chevy Volt

By Matt Williams 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!

2012 Chevy Volt

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

By Matt Williams 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

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”
Award-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 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

The 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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The Epitome of “Nashville’s Weekly Lawn Party” Rocks Centennial Park

By Matt Williams on June 3, 2012 in Special Events

Maggie McCormick, Jill Andrews, Chuck Mead And Jim Lauderdale Entertain Over 1,500 People

The crowd getting' down to Chuck Mead

Talk about the perfect day. Not only did Musicians Corner set a new attendance record, but June 2nd in Centennial Park could not have been more beautiful. On the heels of the Tour de Fat, summertime was in the air as Maggie McCormick, Jill Andrews, Chuck Mead, Jim Lauderdale and others took the stage.

When I say perfect, I really mean it. Musicians Corner has become a hot spot for free music at “Nashville’s weekly lawn parties.” Saturday brought with it children playing everywhere, friendly dogs roaming about, people dancing and of course, great music.

Matthew Perryman Jones kicked off the day with a special guest appearance. A Musicians Corner friend, MPJ is a rising star in the Nashville underground. He put on a great performance in preparation for his Album release show later that night at Exit/Inn.

After Matthew and a shout out to our terrific sponsors by Executive Director John Tumminello, Maggie McCormick continued the festivities. Though used to playing with a full band, the solo performance by the beautiful songstress and killer guitar player was a great treat. She then brought on Jill Andrews who was next up on the main stage. While Jill sang, Maggie played, and together they performed a very smooth acoustic set.

Music legends Paul Worley and Chuck Mead backstage

The Lightning 100 Acoustic Stage acts were equally as impressive. First was the Devious Angels, a new country duo who performed in between the Maggie and Jill headlining sets. The second was pianist Jasi Misot.

After Jasi, the party was started. Chuck Mead, a founding member of BR-549 and his band The Grassy Knoll Boys had a large crowd dancing in front of the stage. As producer Paul Worley put it: “This guy has been kick ass for a long time!”

These guys seemed to play for quite a while. Maybe they did, or maybe it just seemed that way because we were having so much fun. But the party didn’t stop there. After an incredibly talented Shelly Colvin rocked the Acoustic Stage, country legend Jim Lauderdale closed out the day.

If this week seemed great, just wait until CMA Music Fest hits town next week! Musicians Corner has a great lineup including Lighter Ray and American Idol’s Bo Bice. Hope to see you there!

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.

Be sure to check out Musicians Corner on:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest

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Tag Archives | CMA Music Fest

Rodney Atkins To Host Fourth Annual ‘Music City Gives Back’ Concert On June 3

Country Music Stars Step Up To The Plate Against Cancer At The City Of Hope Celebrity Softball Challenge

Musicians Corner Entertains During CMA Music Fest Week

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

CMA Music Fest 2012 Recap

Monday

Billboard Country Music Summit and CAA New Office Party

Tuesday

Chevy Volt Country Music Tour and Country Music Gives Back