NASHVILLE, TN –(August 8, 2012) – Country music trio Gloriana’s second studio album A Thousand Miles Left Behind debuts at #2 on the Billboard Country Album Chart and at #10 on Billboard’s Top 200. The album has received critical praise for the growth the band displays on the 11 tracks, especially on their current single “(Kissed You) Good Night,” which is at #2 on the Billboard Country Singles Chart. The trio is currently out on the road performing headlining shows across the country in support of the new album.
“It’s so exciting for us to finally have this new album out and to watch the great response it has gotten is just incredible,” said Gloriana. “We are so grateful for the support and encouragement we have received from our fans and everyone in the country community.”
Tom, Mike, and Rachel have funneled everything they’ve learned into A Thousand Miles Left Behind intent on revealing more of themselves as artists. Gloriana worked with some of Nashville’s finest songwriters and had a hand in writing every track on the album. The trio worked with GRAMMY Award winning producer and Emblem Music Group label owner Matt Serletic (Willie Nelson, Matchbox 20, and Aerosmith). Fans can get up to date information on Gloriana’s tour and more information on the rising country trio by going to www.Gloriana.com.
With their first release in 3 years, Gloriana is proving this is no sophomore slump and they are back better than ever with their debut single in the top 5 on the Billboard country chart (and still climbing).
Gloriana, also, was just awarded gold status for their debut single “(Kissed You) Good Night” from this newest release. They have had to overcome some obstacles since their last album such as the departure of Cheyenne Kimball from the band and leaving them to refocus/reorganize as a group. Thankfully they are back even better than before and being embraced by the country music fans once again.
Their new album entitled A Thousand Miles Left Behind is a solid effort. Their harmonies blend perfectly as a trio with strong melodies and lyrical depth. This is an album filled with radio-friendly hits ranging from uptempo, catchy tunes to heartfelt, emotional ballads. Tom Gossin, Rachel Reinert, and Mike Gossin who make up the trio, Gloriana, all had a hand in co-writing all of the songs on this release and each take lead on this album.
It’s hard to pick a favorite on this album. Very strong album through and through. Their first album was a great effort and this newest one shows even more growth as a group in songwriting as they worked with top songwriters all around Nashville. Hoping this newest effort solidifies them as artists and means they will be around for a long time to come. This can possibly garnish some awards for them. Those awards would be well-deserved and couldn’t happen to 3 nicer people.
Standout songs to me are as follow: “Wanna Take You Home” an uptempo, catchy song about love filled with plenty of fiddle. “Carolina Rose” is a beautiful ballad showing depth and a softer side filled with perfectly-blended harmonies that just seem to flow so naturally. “Turn My World Around” is a mid-tempo ballad filled with mandolin that I thoroughly enjoyed. I, also, love the more traditional country feel of “Gold Rush”.
Honestly, I could go straight down the list of songs and tell you something I like about each of the songs. Bottom line is it’s a very strong release, polished mastering and production, and I highly-recommend it to any contemporary country fan.
For more information about Gloriana, check out their site at: www.gloriana.com
Rated 5 out of 5 stars.
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NASHVILLE, TN – (July 31, 2012) – Country music trio Gloriana release their much anticipated second studio album A Thousand Miles Left Behindtoday. The album, that includes their current single “(Kissed You) Good Night” which this week lands at #2 on the Billboard Country Singles Chart, has been receiving rave reviews for the growth the band clearly displays on the 11 tracks. Gloriana, who performed on Good Morning America yesterday, will be back in New York City Friday, August 3rd to perform on Fox & Friends All-American Summer Concert Series.
Those in New York City August 3rd can attend Gloriana’s performance at Fox & Friends All-American Summer Concert Series outside the Fox News studios on Avenue of the Americas and 48th Street or can tune in at 7:30am EST (check local listings) to catch their performance. On Saturday, August 4th at 10:30pm EST fans can tune into Gloriana’s album release concert at Joe’s Bar in Chicago, IL streamed live by UV2Live. To get more information on how you can check out this concert go to http://www.gloriana.com/news/stream-glorianas-album-release-concert-32626.
Tom, Mike, and Rachel have funneled everything they’ve learned into A Thousand Miles Left Behind intent on revealing more of themselves as artists. Gloriana worked with some of Nashville’s finest songwriters and had a hand in writing every track on the album. The result is an alluring mix of up-tempo songs, “Wanna Take You Home,” “Sunset Lovin’,” “Go On…Miss Me,” “Doin’ It Our Way,” and graceful, heartfelt tunes: current single “(Kissed You) Good Night,” “Can’t Shake You,” “Turn My World Around,” “Carolina Rose,” and “Soldier Song.”
Fans can get up to date information on Gloriana’s tour and more information on the rising country group by going to www.Gloriana.com.
The Live-Streamed Event Showcases New Music And Rising Stars
Gloriana performing (Kissed You) Goodnight Photo Credit: Sara Kauss/Getty Images North America
Last night, Billboard and Pepsi’s Summer Beats Concert Series rolled into Nashville’s Cannery Ballroom with a performance from Gloriana streamed live over the interwebs. The night also featured performances from Jana Kramer, Randy Houser, Jerrod Niemann and Easton Corbin.
Although throughout the night we were under the impression that everyone would be streamed live, Gloriana still put on a great show as only the harmonizing trio can. The performance came on the eve of their sophomore album release, A Thousand Miles Left Behind, available NOW!
The highlight of the show was how the band utilized their social media presence to obtain some on-stage assistance: After asking if any fans were attending the show who were on a first date, one lucky new couple got to accompany the guys on stage during – you guessed it – (Kissed You) Goodnight. Naturally, the first-daters were asked to kiss at the climax of the song… and they did… a lot (left).
Watch it below!
The band was excited to perform some new material, although they had been awake since 3 a.m. EST to do Good Morning America! We had an on-air interview with the band. Watch that here!
We also caught up with Jana, Jerrod and Easton off-camera to discuss the Summer Beats Series and all the artists’ respective new music.
Long-time friend of FOCUS Jana Kramer is currently on tour with superstar Brad Paisley. When asked about the tour she stated:
“It’s going amazing! [Brad] is the most genuine, authentic, real, charismatic entertainer ever. He is an amazing person to learn from, and he’s just super gracious.”
Her single is approaching the top 10 with a bullet, and should get there next week! I asked what her next single is going to be, and although she is apparently sworn to secrecy, she did state that “One Tree Hill fans will be very happy.” (I’m going to SPECULATE it’s What I Love About Your Love… again, that’s unconfirmed, but if it proves true, just say you heard it here first.)
Jerrod Niemann and Randy Houser arrive at Summer Beats
Jerrod Niemann’s highly anticipated sophomore album is dropping October 2nd, on the heels of his well-received new single Shinin’ On Me. Get excited about this album, because Jerrod is reinventing himself while staying true to his country music’s roots:
“We’ve departed from the straight-up digital recording. This is an analog/digital hybrid with a new technology called “clasp” that allows you to actually dump your analog recording into digital real time… the thing you get is that fat analog sound… I wanted to use instruments that cater to that… and I wanted to honor all areas of country music going back to the 20’s, but do our own interpretation.”
Easton Corbin – who was sporting an awesome Pabst Blue Ribbon belt buckle – has a new single out with Lovin’ You Is Fun, and a new album coming out September 18th, and he promises with this record, “the best is yet to come.”
“I think [this new album] shows a little growth as a new artist,” said Easton. “But that being said, it’s still right there doing that country thing…. I’m just really excited about it.”
Every artist expressed the same sentiment with regards to playing the Cannery Ballroom: it’s great to play in the 615!
“It’s just fun to be playing in Nashville!” said Jana. And Easton concurred, stating: “We actually never get to play in Nashville… I’m glad to be home!”
Did you miss the live stream last night? Don’t worry! Gloriana’s entire performance is available at pepsi.com!
NASHVILLE, TN – (July 18, 2012) – To celebrate the 2012 Summer Olympics that are right around the corner, a few of our Artists have shared their favorite Olympic memories. We will be sharing more stories throughout the month of July. From Warner Music Nashville and Word Entertainment, good luck Team USA!
Summer Olympic Questions:
1. If you could compete in an event at the Summer Olympics, what would it be and why?
2. Any memorable Olympic event you recall?
3. Do you have a favorite Olympian? Why?
KRISTA MARIE FROM THE FARM:
“My kind of Olympics… the Summer X Games, motocross of course!
“In 2006 when Travis Pastrana won gold at the Moto X Freestyle Finals doing a double back flip!!! What?!”
“Uhh yeah…Pastrana! #199 all the way! He has now won 10 X Game Gold medals in super cross, motocross, freestyle & rally racing. That’s bad ass in my book!
DAMIEN FROM THE FARM:
“100 yard dash.”
“Carl Lewis becoming the fastest man alive”
“Carl Lewis”
JANA KRAMER:
“It would definitely be Gymnastics! I wish I could do half the stuff they can! They are amazing!”
“When Misty May and Kerri Walsh won for the second time in 2008 after winning in 2004…I love volleyball so it was awesome to see them kick butt! Girl power:)”
“Kristi Yamaguchi…I grew up skating and she was always my idol!”
DARA MACLEAN
“Gymnastics. I was a gymnast for five or six years. I love watching it!”
“The Magnificent Seven, the victorious all-around women’s gymnastics team that represented the United States at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.”
“Kerri Strug. She is by far my favorite, because of her courage and commitment. Her bravery in the face of fear and her unwavering passion.”
DAVE FREY FROM SIDEWALK PROPHETS
“If I could compete and win the gold in an Olympic sport it would easily be table tennis. It really is unreal to watch those guys play! I used to believe that I was a ping pong master in college until the first moment I witnessed Olympic table tennis. If I could somehow have the chops to compete against those guys, all my college friends would finally have to admit that I am the king of ping pong.”
“The Atlanta Olympics in 1996 were so much fun to watch. I’ll never forget my entire family gathered around the TV the night the women’s gymnastics team won gold. My mom literally screamed. The USA basketball team that year was amazing. I also fondly remember watching the swimming events and then my buddy and me trying to race each other in the local pool. The best part is that the worst I could do was silver. It was an awesome summer, and the patriotism and moving stories of the Olympics made it even more memorable.”
“My favorite Olympians were the entire 1996 women’s gymnastics team…and even though he never competed, Bella Karolyi. Bella’s passionate encouragement brought home gold and was parodied on Conan O’Brien for years.”
FRANKIE BALLARD
“The 100 meter, because if I was doin’ that…I’d be a speedy son of a gun!”
“The ‘Miracle on Ice’! I know it was the Winter Olympics, but when the Russians went down, it was huge!”
“I always liked Michael Johnson. He wore those gold shoes and just flew around the track!”
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!
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…
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.
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!
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!
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.
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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Well, I finally have a quiet moment to reflect on CRS 2012. Matt’s already shared his perspective and I thought I would take a few minutes to share mine.
WOW. That’s the best adjective that I can think of to describe this amazing 4-day long country music event known as CRS (Country Radio Seminar). Matt and I were fortunate enough to be allowed to cover all of the events of CRS as media for the very first time this year for Focus on the 615.
This was simply an amazing experience for anyone who loves music as much as I do! THIS is quite simply why I do what I do so I can be there, hearing firsthand, connecting, and then sharing with you this love for music. My love for music has gotten me through some of the worst times in my life and some of the best times. Especially country music with it’s incredible lyrics and songs filled with emotion. I feel so fortunate to be able to attend an incredible event such as CRS. I’m one of the lucky ones allowed to hear some of the most amazing music that is out there today up close and to be able to come in contact with many of the people who are making this great music. It was almost too much packed into 4 days to be able to absorb and much sleep was lost that week in order to take it all in, but I’d do it all again in a heartbeat and hope we are given the opportunity to attend this extraordinary musical event next year.
Hunter Hayes performing during New Faces show at CRS 2012
High points of the week were being able to attend the Country Radio Hall of Fame ceremony and dinner, Sony Music afterparty, and Black River Entertainment afterparty where long time friends Due West performed along with new friends, Sarah Darling and Glen Templeton. Then, there was the Lady Antebellum concert with Darius Rucker and Thompson Square opening followed by Warner Music’s Attack of the 80s afterparty where favorites like Jana Kramer, THE FARM, Jason Jones, Frankie Ballard, Gloriana, The Dirt Drifters, and Big & Rich performed one original song then one 80s song. That was one of my very favorite moments during CRS and a great way to end the night with all of the amazing people at Warner Music! Then, an incredible lunch brought to us again by Warner Music where I was front row being entertained by a full scale concert by none other than Faith Hill, who if anyone has doubts, has STILL got it and I eagerly anticipate the release of her new album! What an incredible performance and I’m fairly certain that will be the best lunch that I ever experience during my lifetime. Lofty words, but THAT will be hard to top! There were elegant cocktail parties and a fun meet & greet mixer with large spreads of food and just about everyone who is anyone in country music in attendance just to talk to and take pictures with. Then, the last night, another nice cocktail party where The Lost Trailers started off the evening with a short performance that ended with a gospel choir on stage singing this incredibly touching song “Underdog” that left me in tears. It was quite difficult for me to keep my camera in focus and take the pictures I was trying to get as I tried to see through my tears because I was so moved by their performance. Not only that, but they share a very touching story. It was all very moving! Check them out if you haven’t heard of them! Lastly, there was the New Faces show concluding the event that featured full band performances on the same incredible stage that had been set-up earlier that day for Faith Hill. Performers included: Eli Young Band, Hunter Hayes, Sunny Sweeney, and David Nail who each gave incredible, crowd-stirring performance that were appreciated by all in attendance at this elegant dinner. Thompson Square was set to perform, but due to the loss of a loved one the evening prior, had to cancel unfortunately and completely understandable. At least, we got to see them a couple of days before with Lady Antebellum.
We even thoroughly enjoyed all of the hours spent in the media room every day as we had the opportunity to sit down with many favorite artists to talk about their music like Gloriana, THE FARM, Jana Kramer, Frankie Ballard, Amber Hayes, Due West, Marlee Scott, Glen Templeton, Billy Dean and many more…we had so many great interviews in those jam-packed 4 days! Please look for those interviews throughout the site as there were so many, we are continuously uploading more video interviews and not nearly done!
I created Focus on the 615 this past August because I want to help promote great music and the artists who make it that I believe in. All of which is coming straight out of Nashville, TN! Being allowed to attend such a special event as CRS only solidifies for me my reasons why I created this music blog and why I want to continue to support the music & artists for many years to come. If I want there to continue to be great music made, I feel like I have to do my part a little bit, too, and help promote. As great as the internet is in reaching masses, it’s had such a devastating impact on the music community as a whole because of illegal downloading and sharing. Countless labels have had to close their doors already, record deals have been lost due to labels simply not having the funds like they used to in order to fully develop and promote talented artists…in short, illegal music downloading has had a far reaching impact on the music industry. So please, if you love music as much as we do on Focus on the 615, pay for your music downloads from places like iTunes or buy the physical cds from the stores. Great music isn’t created for free and we can’t continue to get great music unless we support it. A few dollars for a cd or $1.25 per song on iTunes is a very, very small amount to pay for something that will bring enjoyment for many years to come!
Thanks to the staff at Aristo PR for putting together such a spectacular event!
I would like to leave you with this great video from new Curb recording artist, Rachel Holder! When I saw this video aired just prior to the New Faces show, I absolutely loved it and it continues to stick out in my mind! Enjoy!
And that’s a wrap. Averaging four hours of sleep per night, around noon on Friday we finished up our last of 23 interviews for CRS week. Aside from all of these (stay tuned to watch them all here), the week consisted of exclusive performances, incredible after parties and an overload of fun.
CRS again is the Country Radio Seminar, a weeklong event at the Nashville Convention Center “created to provide a platform and structure for education and growth for the Country Music format, serving as the conduit connecting the interests of Country Radio with the Country Music Industry” (crs.org). Our job was to cover it as part of the media… therefore we hung out in the media room and interviewed artists instead of going to the educational seminars. Not a bad gig.
Tuesday
Day 1 was Tuesday, a day that proved just a warm up for the week ahead. We started at Warner Music where we caught up with The Dirt Drifters, HER & Kings County and Ty Stone. HKC are some of the most energetic people we had the good fortune of meeting.
“Y’all kicked our hangover to the curb like a Bloody Mary.”
– HER & Kings County
You’re welcome guys.
Then it was up to the Bridge Bar (a cool lounge area located on the walkway over Commerce Street) to meet up with The Roys, DJ Miller and Mark Cooke. Six interviews ain’t bad for a days work, and then we were invited to attend the Country Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony, followed by the Sony-hosted after party featuring Brent Anderson, Wade Bowen and Jerrod Niemann. They all brought the house down, especially Niemann’s finale, a cover of the classic Pride and Joy.
Wednesday
Now we come to the day where we almost had TOO MUCH fun. No kidding, it was almost hard to process it all. The day started early with an interview with The Farm, a great group of people, then Gloriana, who I’ve had my eye on since their first single Wild At Heart three years ago. Then finally, I got to meet Jana Kramer who is in fact the sweetest person in the entire world.
Then came lunch at The Ryman, one of the best musical venues in the country, for a performance by nearly the entire Universal Music Group roster. I won’t mention them all, but it started off with none other than King George Strait. Let me tell you, there is not a lot that can trump watching Troubadour live in The Ryman Auditorium as the sun shines through the stained glass windows. But if there was one thing that could, it was the way they closed the show: with Lionel Richie. And he immediately brought out one of his biggest fans to perform with him: Luke Bryan. They played Easy (Like Sunday Morning) one of my favorite songs of all time, and after a well-deserved standing ovation, we were back to the media room. So yeah, that was lunch.
But we weren’t done yet: after that was the sold out Lady Antebellum concert at Municipal Auditorium. Thompson Square opened the show in incredible fashion before Darius Rucker took the stage, singing a couple Hootie & the Blowfish classics as well as a Nashville favorite Family Tradition. Then it was Lady A’s turn, and they put on one impressive show. They played all the hits, and even featured surprise cameos from Luke Bryan (performing Do I, co-written by Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood) and Sara Evans (who performed Stronger, co-written by Hillary Scott). After the show we were exhausted… oh, but not done yet.
The after party was a Warner Music gathering with an 80’s theme. Artists played one of their own songs followed by an 80’s classic. On the roster were (among others) HER & Kings County, Ty Stone, Jana Kramer, THE FARM, Jason Jones, The Dirt Drifters, Frankie Ballard, Hunter Hayes, and Big & Rich who performed a rousing rendition of Madonna’s Like A Virgin.
Cue exhaustion.
Thursday
After Wednesday, Thursday became a blur of sleep deprivation masked with too much caffeine. Of the interviews I remember, we had Glen Templeton, Due West, Amber Hayes, Jessie James, Deborah Allen, Adam Gregory, Maggie Sajak and Bucky Covington (forgive me if I forgot anyone). By the time Bucky finished out the day our batteries were drained figuratively AND literally (Bucky’s interview ran slightly short due to the death of the camera battery).
Lunch featured an acoustic set by Alan Jackson, and shortly thereafter we had a few hours where I was able to go home and nap before the Black River Entertainment showcase featuring Glen Templeton, Sarah Darling and Due West.
Friday
An easy day today! Only two interviews with icon Billy Dean and the lovely The McClymonts, and then on to lunch with Faith Hill! She debuted two new songs during her performance, and sounded as good as ever.
After a little break, we were back for the New Faces of Country Music show. The pre-show and happy hour featured a performance by The Lost Trailers, before we adjourned into the performance hall to see Hunter Hayes, Eli Young Band, Sunny Sweeney and David Nail. Thompson Square was also set to perform, but had to cancel due to an unfortunate death in Shawna’s family. The performances were amazing, and the after party was equally as amazing with everyone cutting loose after a long week.
We have pictures of all this excitement on our Facebook page, and will be sure to post these interviews online as soon as possible, so be sure to check back often! We would also like to thank each artist for their time, their management for their patience, and everyone who was involved with CRS for their hard work and dedication to an extraordinary week. Thank you!
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NASHVILLE, TN – (August 8, 2012) – Country music trio Gloriana’s second studio album A Thousand Miles Left Behind debuts at #2 on the Billboard Country Album Chart and at #10 on Billboard’s Top 200. The album has received critical praise for the growth the band displays on the 11 tracks, especially on their current single “(Kissed You) Good Night,” which is at #2 on the Billboard Country Singles Chart. The trio is currently out on the road performing headlining shows across the country in support of the new album.
