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Love And Theft’s Stephen Barker Liles Celebrates 29th Birthday

By on February 2, 2013 in In The Press

Stephen Barker Liles, one half of hot Country duo Love and Theft, enjoyed an extended 29th Birthday celebration last week filled with music and friends.

On Wednesday, Stephen and Eric joined an “in the round” evening at the Bluebird Café, revered as a hallowed haunt for Nashville’s best songwriters. Love and Theft played their #1 hit “Angel Eyes,” current single, “Runnin’ Out of Air,” and revealed some new songs. Later, the group dined at a local hibachi grill.

Watch Love And Theft’s Steamy Video: “Runnin’ Out Of Air”

Thursday was Stephen’s actual birthday. First, he and Eric spent the day writing with The Warren Brothers, another dynamic duo who collaborated with Love and Theft on their current album. Later, Stephen was surprised by friends when he arrived home to find a house full of balloons with handwritten messages on each one. The party then moved to a karaoke club, where Stephen selected The Eagles “Seven Bridges Road” to sing.

“I like to find a reason to celebrate every day and since it was my birthday, I had extra incentive!” says Stephen with a grin. “But I gotta say, it was really special to spend time in town writing songs, resting and then getting such an awesome surprise from my friends. They put so much thought into showing me how much they care and it was incredible! We’ve been lucky enough to be able to travel and tour all over but times like this remind me of what a blessed life I have here in Nashville.”

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Justin Moore Kicks Off “Outlaws Like Me” Headlining Tour

By on February 1, 2013 in The Latest

Hit Country singer/songwriter Justin Moore announced today that he will embark on his first headlining tour – Outlaws Like Me. The dates will officially kick off on March 14 in Pikeville, KY with Dustin Lynch and Jon Pardi serving as supporting acts.

Justin, who recently scored his second GOLD-certified album with his self-titled debut, is no stranger to life on the road. Just last year he played to over 1.5 million fans and spent over 200 days on tour. Known for an energetic live show, the Southern stylist has shared the bill with some of Country’s biggest acts – Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert and Eric Church, among others.

“Man, I’m excited to be headlining our first tour. Over the last few years I have been out with some of the best artists in our genre and I have learned so much from each of them,” said Moore. “I’m ready to take everything they have taught me to build our show. It’s going to be a blast I can’t wait!”

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Closed Circuit Viewing Site Added For CRS 2013 New Faces of Country Music Show‏

By on February 1, 2013 in The Latest
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Officials at the Country Radio Seminar have announced the addition of a closed circuit viewing site within the Nashville Convention Center to accommodate the overflow crowd resulting from the previously announced sold out New Faces of Country Music® Show.

All registrants who do not receive an assigned seat to the New Faces of Country Music® Show will receive a ticket to the viewing event, which will be held in room 204 and 205 of the Convention Center on Friday, March 1st, at 6:30 p.m.

As previously announced, the CRS 2013 New Faces performers are Easton Corbin, Florida Georgia Line, Brantley Gilbert, Jana Kramer and Kip Moore.

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More Music, New Venue And More “RAWking”: Local Arts Organization RAW: Nashville Announces Its New Show Format

By on January 30, 2013 in In The Press


NASHVILLE — RAW: Nashville of the international arts organization RAW: natural born artists will launch its new showcase format Thursday, Feb. 28 at its art-infused showcase, Discovery.

Discovery, the first showcase of 2013, marks the beginning of a new journey for RAW: Nashville and its artists. By moving from Mercy Lounge to Cannery Ballroom, increasing the number of artists in each showcase and switching from a monthly to bimonthly showcase, RAW: Nashville expects to increase attendance to about 800 to 1000 attendees. Continue Reading →
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Larry Gatlin Joins Viddy to Share Life Moments with Fans‏

By on January 30, 2013 in In The Press

Nashville, Tenn. (January 28, 2013) – “First the earth cooled, then came the dinosaurs, then Twitter and Facebook and now Viddy… I’m in!” says Country music legend LARRY GATLIN upon posting his first VIDDY. Gatlin is the latest country music star to join Viddy, the booming “video-Twitter” smartphone app that allows users to share intimate moments of their day-to-day lives, 15-seconds at a time. Click here to view Gatlin’s Viddy account.

Since recently joining, Gatlin has shared several video moments including a recent visit to Washington DC for the “Black Tie & Boots” Inaugural Ball, a sneak peak of the Gatlin Brothers in-studio teasing a new album, and… a haircut… yes, a haircut.

“Viddy is cool!” notes Gatlin. “Even Papa Gatlin can do it… stay tuned!”

Viddy is available for free download on iPhone and Android.

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CMA Presents Triple Play Awards At Annual Songwriters Luncheon

By on January 30, 2013 in In The Press

During the Luncheon, CMA Chairman Troy Tomlinson Announces $250,000 CMA Foundation Donation to Help Construct the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame at the new Music City Center

CMA leadership gathers with the newly named CMA Triple Play Award winning songwriters on Jan. 29, 2013 at Marathon Music Works in Nashville, Tenn. Back row (l-r): CMA Board President, Ed Hardy; Neil Thrasher; Rodney Clawson; Ben Hayslip; CMA Chief Executive Officer, Steve Moore; Josh Kear; CMA Board Chairman, Troy Tomlinson; and Brantley Gilbert. Front row (l-r): Eric Paslay; Dierks Bentley; Shane McAnally; and Chris Young.
Photo credit: Donn Jones/CMA

NASHVILLE – Third time’s the charm at the annual CMA Songwriters Luncheon with the presentation of the CMA Triple Play Awards, which honor songwriters who pen three chart-topping hits in a 12-month period. During the event held today at Marathon Music Works in Nashville, a dozen songwriters received the three-peat trophy from CMA Board Chairman Troy Tomlinson, President and CEO, Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville. Continue Reading →

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Julie Roberts To Celebrate Birthday With Fans In Online Concert Stream‏

By on January 25, 2013 in In The Press

Country singer/songwriter Julie Roberts will celebrate her birthday Friday, February 1 with her fans around the world through a special, intimate concert setting broadcast live on StageIt.com.

The Birthday Bash marks Roberts’ debut on the popular StageIt platform. During the 30-minute show, she will perform fan favorites live from the studio in Nashville. The singer will use this time to preview new songs from her upcoming album due out later this year. A chat room will also be open during the stream where fans can request songs and interact directly with the birthday girl. Continue Reading →

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What’s All This Fuss About Blake Shelton And “Old Farts”?

By on January 24, 2013 in The Latest

Looks like country artist, Blake Shelton, is in a bit of hot water with classic country fans over some comments he made on a recent GAC interview after the website, Saving Country Music, jumped all over this quote from him:

If I am “Male Vocalist of the Year” that must mean that I’m one of those people now that gets to decide if it moves forward and if it moves on. Country music has to evolve in order to survive. Nobody wants to listen to their grandpa’s music. And I don’t care how many of these old farts around Nashville going, “My God, that ain’t country!” Well that’s because you don’t buy records anymore, jackass. The kids do, and they don’t want to buy the music you were buying.

You know what I like most about Blake Shelton? It’s how he is real and just says things “off the cuff”. I think his remarks have been taken out of context, coming across harsher than he meant since these are taken from a tv interview (you can’t actually tell how actually stated), and he’s not disrespecting the genre in any way. He’s simply stating his opinion. In my opinion, he is absolutely right. No genre of music is ever going to stay the same. If it did, it would soon become obsolete; just like anything else in life. All must evolve or cease to exist. Who wants to hear the same music done over and over again? Seems country is the only genre where you get the remarks that it’s “not country enough” and hear complaints that it’s changed so much from the classic days of country. Well, guess what? It’s going to change with the times and I’m thankful for it. Because, honestly, if country was the same as when my dad was so into it back in the 70s and 80s, I wouldn’t be writing about it now and that’s the truth. Also, I can tell you if pop music was the exact same as back then, I wouldn’t be listening to it now, either. It would be stale and tiresome.

Just my thoughts on the whole subject that has been blown way out of proportion.

 

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Chris Young To Be Honored With Coveted Triple Play Songwriter Award

By on January 18, 2013 in In The Press

Chris Young will be honored on January 29th by the CMA with the coveted Triple Play Award for his #1 hits “Voices,” “Tomorrow,” and “You.”  The award recognizes songwriters who have written three number-one songs within a 12-month period.

As a Triple Play honoree, it is a natural fit for CMA to select Chris as a featured artist to help further the popularity of country music overseas.  In February, Young makes his inaugural trip to the U.K. and Ireland as part of the Country Music Association’s Songwriters Series with stops in Dublin, Belfast and London. The series is set to be recorded and broadcast at a later date on BBC Radio 2. Continue Reading →

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Top Editors Join Forward – Nashville’s Leading Edge Post Production House

By on January 15, 2013 in In The Press

Forward NashvilleLee Tucker and Scott Mele, two of the industry’s leading creative offline editors have joined Nashville’s state-of-the-art post production house Forward, it was announced today by company founder and award-winning director Shaun Silva. Forward officially opened its doors in November of 2012 and is located in the historic Marathon Village.

Lee Tucker is a 14-year veteran in his field, possessing an impressive resume’ anchored on his creative editing abilities and understanding of budgets and deadlines.  His work as senior editor on the Nashville Star TV series, editor on the award-winning “Women of K2” for the National Geographic channel, editor on the award-winning “Stars for Stripes, Wounded Warriors Return” for GAC, Editor/Director on the Old Crow Medicine Show “Live DVD”, countless music videos, long form reality, long form music and everything in between, has made him a sought after talent.

His diverse client list includes CMT, ESPN, Nat Geo, PBS, USA, GAC and many more. His love of music and the art of the story have led to color correction work on such high profile projects as singer Jack White’s video “Love Interruption,” and film projects from Harmony Korine’s short films to Brent Stewart’s recent Sundance entry, “The Dirty Ones”.

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