FOCUS on the 615
Nashville's premier entertainment blog including album, song and show reviews and exclusive artist interviews.
The Band Perry performs as part of CMA Music Festival.
Photo credit: Courtney Davidson
Summer’s hottest artists will perform on “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock” airing Tuesday, Aug. 5 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network and hosted for the second year by reigning CMA Vocal Group of the Year Little Big Town. Continue Reading →
The 2014 CMA Music Festival contributed a record-setting $39.3 million in direct visitor spending to the local community according to numbers released by the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. (NCVC). Continue Reading →
Luke Bryan performing during one of the LP Nightly Shows.
Nicki D. and I were all OVER downtown Nashville covering events the weeks of CMA Music Festival and CMT Music Awards! We covered everything from the City of Hope Celebrity Softball to The Band Perry fan club party.
Check out ALL of the fun video highlights from our week below!
Set your DVRs! CMA Music Festival “Country’s Night To Rock” airs on Tuesday, August 5th at 7pm-10pm central!
Jake Owen’s rehearsal the day before the CMT Music Awards. Photo credit: Patrice Majors
It hardly seems possible that CMA Music Festival ended last Sunday. What a whirlwind of a week! Here’ the daily recap of what all we did and you’ll see why I call it a “whirlwind”, but what a FUN whirlwind!! Continue Reading →
SUPERSTAR SIBLING TRIO BRINGS HOME THIRD CMT AWARDACM Vocal Group Of The Year, THE BAND PERRY, set Nashville ablaze this past week during the annual CMA Music Fest. Kicking things off Wednesday night, the band added another award to their collection by winning the 2014 CMT Award – their third overall – in the fan-voted Group Video of the Year category for their cutting edge video for the hit single DONE. The trio was a staple throughout the show, participating in a skit with show host Kristin Bell as she “stole” their award, and later introducing a performance by their upcoming tour mate Blake Shelton. Continue Reading →
We sat down with up-and-coming country artist Mary Sarah to get to know her better during CMA Music Festival.
Go here to see her album review: http://focusonthe615.com/2014/06/15/album-review-mary-sarah-and-friends-bridges/
Nicki D. welcomes Frankie Ballard back to The Red Towel™ at the HGTV Lodge during CMA Music Festival! Frankie chats about his hot new song “Sunshine and Whiskey”, touring with Jake Owen, and more! Plus, find out if he’s ever been guilty of a “DWK” 🙂
The Red Towel™ is Nicki D.’s version of The Red Carpet! Look for more interviews coming soon!
Billboard, CMA Close Up and Nashville Lifestyles have all had their ears tunes into one trio in Music City—that trio is Scarletta. That’s Where You’re Find Me uncovers a swampy new sound that’s sure to stick in your head faster than vapor to glass of lemonade on a humid New Orleans summer evening.
“Sometimes you find that special something when you connect with other artists both on stage and in the studio,” examines founding member Nathan Stoops. “It was like that with Benji Harris and it happened again with Emilee. The sound is so piercingly fresh and yet surprising comfortable to listen to. The energy both on and off stage is phenomenal.”
“It’s kinda like growing up,” continues Benji. “Some find their niche early on and others can meet one person and get completely redirected. Emilee did that for us. We’ve got a fire that burns so much stronger now. Give it one listen and I think you will agree.”
That’s Where You’re Gonna Find Me can be stream on www.scarlettamusic.com and will be available on iTunes and other online retailers on Tuesday, June 10th with a full EP planned for later this Fall.
Radio programmers can download a broadcast quality version available on AirPlay Direct at www.airplaydirect.com/scarletta.
CMA Fest will find the trio kicking starting their summer tour at Third and Lindsley at 6 PM on Wednesday, June 6th. Throughout the music filled weekend they will also be making appearances at the CMA Fest Fan Fair X Exhibit Hall.
“This will be my first CMA Fest and I couldn’t have picked two better friends to do it with than Nate and Benji,” says Emilee. “We bring out the best in each other and that balance really creates this unexplainable spark that only those that see the show get to experience.”
For a full schedule and to stay updated on Scarletta visit www.scarlettamusic.com or follow them on the following networks: Facebook – www.facebook.com/Scarlettatrio or Twitter – @Scarletta3.
About Scarletta
After a hot debut on “CMT Pure 12-Pack Countdown” and breaking the Top 20 on Music Row with Right Here, Right Now, the trio is ready to take the stage and spread the Scarletta fever in 2014. Scarletta has been profiled as a “Spotlight on the 615” artist of the week on Billboard.com and was honored to be chosen as a Billboard “615 Top 10 Artists to Watch in 2013.” They also received a very similar acknowledgement from CMA as the organization chose them as a CMA Close Up “Who New to Watch in 2013.” Most recently premiere Music City publication Nashville Lifestyles release their list of the Top Trios in Nashville and Scarletta earned a top spot. The group found its roots in Nashville when the violin/vocal talents of Nathan Stoops and guitar slinging vocalist Benji Harris met in a recording session. Now, with the a fresh spirit and a genuine, organic brand spearheaded by new vocalist Emilee Allan, Scarletta fever is sure to heat up the summer nights in 2014 with their latest single.
We have got one crazy busy week about to begin, ya’ll! Stay with us, because it’s going to be a whirlwind of fun activities! Continue Reading →
Popular stars of Great American Country hit original series Junk Gypsies and Farm Kings are set to appear at the 2014 CMA Music Festival June 5-8, in Nashville, to preview all-new upcoming seasons of both series. Junk Gypsies sisters Amie Sikes and Jolie Sikes, and Farm Kingsbrothers Dan King and Pete King will appear throughout the weekend, with stops inside the AT&T U-verse Fan Fair X, and co-hosting theFriday-night concert at LP Field featuring performances by country music artists Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Eric Church, and more.
The Farm Kings and Junk Gypsies will also help introduce the Great American Country Breakfast Series. The first-of-its-kind morning concert series, hosted by social media maven and creator of #CMchat Jessica Northey, takes place inside the Music City Center, the home of the AT&T U-verse Fan Fair X venue, and kicks off each day’s festivities inside the popular destination. Daily lineups for the Great American Country Breakfast Series include:
In addition, new country boy band Chasin’ Crazy, will appear at the #GreatAmericanBreakfast to premiere its seasonal anthem, “That’s How We Do Summertime,” which will be filmed as part of the band’s recently-green lit Great American Country special chronicling the launch of their country music career.
With daily Great American Country Breakfast series shows capped at only 250 guests per day, the Thursday show is already sold out. Limited ticket quantities remain for the Friday, Saturday and Sunday shows. Tickets are priced $50 each per day, and include:
Attendees gain early admittance to the Music City Center, with doors opening for the Great American Country Breakfast Series daily at 7:15 a.m., followed by the performance program from 8:00-10:00 a.m., and the photo meet-and-greets immediately thereafter.
For information about Junk Gypsies and Farm Kings, visit www.GACTV.com. For information about the Great American Country Breakfast Series, including details on how to order tickets to these exclusive, intimate events, visit www.GACTV.com/breakfast.
About Great American Country
From Main Street USA to the biggest coastal cities and everywhere in between, Great American Country celebrates the best of American living with original lifestyle entertainment. Distributed in more than 62 million U.S. households, Great American Country honors America with series profiling families, exploring top U.S. destinations, and highlighting country music’s biggest stars and events. Learn more at GACTV.com. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., Great American Country is wholly owned by Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. (SNI).
About Scripps Networks Interactive
Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI) is one of the leading developers of engaging lifestyle content in the home, food and travel categories for television, the Internet and emerging platforms. The company’s lifestyle media portfolio comprises popular television and Internet brands HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Cooking Channel, Travel Channel and Great American Country, which collectively reach more than 170 million consumers each month. Companion websites complement on-air programming with video and social media that inform and inspire. The company’s global networks reach millions of consumers across North and South America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Scripps Networks Interactive is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. For more information, please visitscrippsnetworksinteractive.com.
