FOCUS on the 615
Nashville's premier entertainment blog including album, song and show reviews and exclusive artist interviews.
Charles “Chip” Esten
On March 10th, the annual TJ Martell Honors Gala took place at the beautiful, new Omni Hotel in Nashville. We were able to catch up with Charles “Chip” Esten (Deacon from ABC’s ‘Nashville’), Darius Rucker, Jake Owen, Randy Owen, and Blue Sky Riders.
Pictured left to right: Wade Bowen, Robert Ellis, Rodney Crowell, Charlie Worsham
Album Cover Courtesy of The Valory Music Co.
On May 19, Brantley Gilbert will release his third studio album JUST AS I AM (The Valory Music Co.). Already off to an incredible start, the lead single “Bottoms Up” recently catapulted to #1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and has sold over 650,000 digital tracks to date. The rocking anthem also debuted in the top spot on the iTunes Country Top Songs chart upon release in December and has consistently maintained the position, even in the midst of major new releases. Fans can pre–order a digital copy of the album here. Continue Reading →
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Music Nashville
It has been a helluva ride for country guitarist-singer Frankie Ballard, who tops both the Mediabase Country Chart and Billboard Country Chart this week, with his smash “Helluva Life.” Ballard’s fastest rising single to date has earned him his first ever #1 single, with nearly 400,000 digital copies sold. Continue Reading →
The Grand Ole Opry celebrated 40 years of country music at the Grand Ole Opry House this evening as the newest members of the Opry, Old Crow Medicine Show, led the cast in a show-opening performance of Opry patriarch Roy Acuff’s “Wabash Cannonball.” The 40th Opry House Anniversary Show began as the very first Opry performance at the Opry House did, with video footage of Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys from 1940 performing the band’s signature song. That performance transitioned to footage of Acuff and the Opry cast singing the song on March 16, 1974 before finally seamlessly transitioning to the curtain going up on Old Crow and a stage full of tonight’s other performers finishing the number for the live audience. Continue Reading →
I thought this was a cool find worth sharing! Not only is Johnny Depp an amazing actor, but a very talented guitarist. Here is a recent video of him taking the stage with legend Willie Nelson to play a little lead guitar during SXSW in Austin, Texas this past week. Enjoy!
The Academy of Country Music and ZinePak are proud to announce the release of the Official 2014 ACM Awards ZinePak, a limited-edition package spotlighting country’s biggest names and brightest new stars. The collection pairs a 120-page magazine with 31 songs on two CDs. It also includes a ballot with this year’s ACM Awards nominees and six collectible guitar picks. The ZinePak will be available at Walmart stores nationwide beginning on March 18, leading up to the LIVE broadcast of the 49th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday April 6, 2014 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network. The package retails for $10. Continue Reading →
How about a first look & listen from Home Free of NBC’s ‘The Sing Off’ right here exclusively on FOCUS on the 615 for 48 hours only? You’ll get to hear the album and also get to see the guys explain track by track about 5 of the songs on the album in the video below: Continue Reading →
Arista Nashville recording duo The Swon Brothers brought their hot debut single, “Later On,” all the way to Russia for a performance on NBC’s Today show (see it here) during the Olympics, and the brothers celebrated the journey with their fans, posting photos and video of their adventure on their Swon-styled website, AroundTheSworld.com. Now, Zach and Colton are delivering more worldwide fun as they share their experiences in Mexico beginning today as special guests on labelmate Jerrod Niemann’s High Noon Adventure at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya. Continue Reading →
ACM AWARD NOMINEES JASON ALDEAN, LUKE BRYAN, MIRANDA LAMBERT,BLAKE SHELTON, GEORGE STRAIT, KEITH URBAN AND THE BAND PERRYTO PERFORM ON THE 49TH ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDSBROADCAST LIVE FROM THE MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA IN LAS VEGASSUNDAY, APRIL 6, 2014 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK
The Academy of Country Music and dick clark productions announced ACM Award nominees Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, George Strait, Keith Urban and The Band Perry are scheduled to perform on the 49th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. The ceremony, which will be co-hosted by Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, is produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 6, 2014 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network. Continue Reading →
