Everyone knows Dierks and Brad and Luke, but do you know that there are some truly amazing artists coming to FarmBorough, NYC's country music festival, this June? These are a few of the acts that, in my humble opinion, you NEED to see.

Wade Bowen   He's numero uno on this list. Never mind the fact that he loves vodka and has the best IG posts, Wade is a troubadour and story teller who is incredibly loved in Texas and beyond. His songs tell tales, that make you feel anything and everything, from sadness to pure joy (hello, "Sun Shines On A Dreamer"). Pick up his latest self-titled release and get schooled before he takes the stage.

The Railers    Touring with Hunter Hayes, playing the Opry and being called one of Rolling Stone's "Artists You Need to Know," The Railers bring high energy, and fun to their live show, not to mention killer songs full of harmonies, mandolin and concertina. Brothers Jordan and Jonathan Lawson, Cassandra Lawson, and Tyler Oban (all classically trained musicians) have a sound that's just.....magic.

Striking Matches   You may not know them by face, but you have heard their songs all over the television show Nashville. The duo, Sarah Zimmermann and Justin Davis met while at Belmont and recently released their debut album Nothing But The Silence, produced by T Bone Burnett. The album has it all from ballads to bluesy numbers to light rock a la Fleetwood Mac. Their live show is a real treat, watching Sarah stomp (and break some guitar strings), alongside Justin's more quiet guidance, their passion shines through every minute they're on the stage.

Brandy Clark   An award winning songwriter, Clark truly does let the songs do the talking when you see her live. With a peacefulness and calm she captivates an audience and commands your attention...and you give it to her 100%. Always pitch perfect, seemingly confident, and not to mention funny, Clark just has a presence on stage that you'll appreciate.

Sturgill Simpson   What is there to say about the guy who is pretty much universally praised for his authenticity as well as for triumphing traditional country? He's gone from playing Hill Country to sold out shows at Joe's Pub and the Music Hall of Williamsburg earlier this year. As those who have seen him already know, you won't be disappointed...dynamic show and killer band.

Chris Stapelton  That voice. Enough said.

Lindsay Ell   She has released two singles to country radio, but boy can this Canadian PLAY. You will be transfixed as you watch her command those strings on that purple guitar.

Charlie Worsham  Why this guy isn't better known is beyond me. He is uber talented. He can write. He can play. He can sing and he puts Vince Gill and Marty Stuart on his records. His debut album, Rubberband, was released in 2013.
N.B. It would be pretty cool to see him duel/duet with Ell.

The Cadillac Three   Dirty, gritty southern rock. See them and then come back and tell me you don't get it.


For more information on FarmBorough visit here

Emerging artist SaraBeth will be performing in an online concert this weekend via Stageit to raise money for City of Hope. The show is scheduled for Sunday, April 19 at 3:00 Central.

“One of the great things about being a musician is that you get to use your talents to give back to others.  I’m really excited to be doing an online show that anyone in the world can watch to benefit City of Hope.  All of the money that we raise from ticket sales and tips will go to find cures for cancer, diabetes and other life threatening illnesses,” SaraBeth said.

Her new, self-titled EP which was released on Tuesday made the iTunes UK Top 10 chart.

Twitter - @SBSwags
Instagram - @SaraBethTX
Facebook – www.facebook.com/SaraBethTX
www.sarabethmusic.com


To sign up for the concert click link:

https://www.stageit.com/sarabeth/ep_release_party_benefitting_city_of_hope/45201

Nashville, TN (April 16, 2015) -- Last evening, Maiden Dixie celebrated the release of UNSAFE & SOUND with fans at the Fine Line Music Cafe in downtown Minneapolis. The band treated the near capacity crowd to a rousing set of songs from the new project, plenty of fan favorites from their debut release Little Black Dress and even brought out a few special surprises.   
 
 UNSAFE & SOUND producer Kevin Bowe and his band The Okemah Prophets warmed up the crowd then returned to the stage to join Maiden Dixie in a rousing rendition of "Today Aint It."

Navigator Records released UNSAFE & SOUND on April 14th. The CD is currently featured as a New & Noteworthy release on the iTunes Country page.

For more details go to www.maidendixie.com 

NASHVILLE, TN -- Separately, Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen are two of country music's busiest frontmen, armed with acclaimed solo careers and audiences that stretch from Texas -- where both songwriters kicked off their careers -- to the furthest corners of the U.S.

Together, they're a duo with nearly a decade's worth of tour dates under their belts, not to mention a new album -- 'Hold My Beer: Vol. 1' -- that hits stores on April 20th. To help promote the release, the two are hitting the highway this spring, playing shows in more than 20 cities across the country.

Filled with "roadhouse-ready party anthems, aching love stories and a lot of fiddle and steel" (Rolling Stone Country), 'Hold My Beer' is Rogers and Bowen's first album together. For years, the two mostly performed together onstage, swapping songs and trading harmonies during the eight-year "Hold My Beer and Watch This" tour. Those shared dates began as a side-project -- an opportunity for Rogers and Bowen to team up and tour the country whenever their respective bands needed a break from the road -- and quickily grew into a full-fledged band, with the two musicians writing new songs together. It was only a matter of time before they made a record, too.

Produced by Lloyd Maines (Dixie Chicks, Robert Earl Keen), 'Hold My Beer' pays tribute to classic duets albums like Waylon & Willie over the course of eight original songs and two covers. It's also a continuation of a friendship that started 15 years ago, back when Rogers and Bowen first crossed paths as fans of each other's music.

The newest leg of the ongoing "Hold My Beer and Watch This" tour demonstrates the national reach of this duo, with shows in key markets like Seattle, Nashville, Los Angeles, San Francisco, St. Louis, Chicago, Dallas and Austin. Full tour dates will be announced soon.

For more information:
Official Website: randyandwade.com
Facebook: facebook.com/hmbandwt
Twitter: twitter.com/hmbandwt

Fred Abbott will release his debut solo album, Serious Poke, on July 20th. The London-based musician, until now best known as lead guitarist and keyboard player in the recently disbanded Noah And The Whale, previews the album with a free download of the pop-rock gem, "Funny How Good It Feels," available now via Soundcloud.

A supremely talented multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Fred Abbott joined Noah And The Whale in 2009 and went on to huge success with that group, especially notable being his contribution to 2011‘s Platinum-selling and highly acclaimed Last Night On Earth.

Abbott enlisted the help of his Noah And The Whale compadres and other friends for the recording of Serious Poke, with sessions taking place at West London’s British Grove Studios over the past year. The album was co-produced by Fred with Martin Hollis, whose diverse credits include Grinderman, The Rolling Stones and Take That.

Says Abbott of the album, "If you attended a Noah And The Whale soundcheck at any time in the last five years then you probably heard me, Urby, Mike and Tom jamming some of these songs. Last year while the band was on hiatus I took the opportunity to record them properly, with the boys from NATW and some other talented friends. Now that Noah has officially split the time seems right to put this stuff out there. Enjoy!"

Serious Poke will be released on Lojinx on July 20th. The album’s tracklisting is as follows:

1- Adrenaline Shot
2- Funny How Good It Feels
3- Awake
4- Honey
5- Hollywood
6- One Hot Night
7- Learn About Love
8- Don’t Look Like Him
9- Still Told A Lie
10- Lucky People

www.fredabbott.com
https://www.facebook.com/fredabbottmusic
https://twitter.com/FredAbbottMusic
https://instagram.com/fredabbottmusic/

Legacy Recordings is proud to announce the June 2 release of Django and Jimmie, the new studio album collaboration from Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, two of the founding fathers of American outlaw country music.

"Me and Merle got a new album coming out called Django and Jimmie and the title track is about Django Reinhardt and Jimmie Rodgers," said Willie Nelson.  "Both of those guys were very influential in both of our careers."

According to Merle Haggard, there's "new songs, a couple of classics and Willie sang like he was a teenager."

For Django and Jimmie, Willie Nelson's sixth studio album release for Legacy since inking an historic deal with the label in 2012, the legendary singer-songwriter joined forces with longtime friend and collaborator Merle Haggard to reignite the musical chemistry that made the pair's Pancho & Leftya honky-tonk blockbuster and America's #1 Country Album following its release in January 1983.  Driven by a title track penned by Townes Van Zandt (and arguably the songwriter's most familiar song), the critically-acclaimed top-selling Pancho & Lefty solidified the reputations of both Willie and Merle as among the most formidable and influential artists in outlaw country music while topping the Billboard Country charts for seven non-consecutive weeks between April and October 1983.

The success of Pancho & Lefty opened the doors for a number of successful follow-up projects including 1987's Seashores Of Old Mexico album, 2007's double album Last Of The Breed with Ray Price, and the Merle Haggard-penned "A Horse Called Music" (the lead track on 2012's Heroes, Willie Nelson's first album for Legacy).

Helmed by Nelson's longtime producer, collaborator and friend Buddy Cannon, Django and Jimmie premieres 14 brand-new studio recordings including: "Django and Jimmie," a dual tribute to jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and Jimmie Rodgers, country music's mythic "Singing Brakeman"; the reflective and meditative "Live This Long"; "Missing Ol' Johnny Cash," an homage to country music's original Man in Black featuring guest vocals from Bobby Bare; a sublime interpretation of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright"; and the future outlaw country classic "Unfair Weather Friend," written by rising songsmiths Marla Cannon-Goodman (Buddy Cannon's daughter) and Ward Davis.

A legendary country music producer and songwriter in his own right, Buddy helped pen five of the album's tracks, including "It's All Going To Pot" (a rollicking anthem for the emerging 21st century cannabis culture) and four cowrites with Willie: "Alice In Hulaland," "It's Only Money," "Where Dreams Come To Die," and "Driving The Herd."

Among the 14 essential recordings on Django and Jimmie, Nelson and Haggard each pay musical tribute to the other through heartfelt solo performances: Willie singing Merle's "Somewhere Between" and Merle covering Willie's "Family Bible."

Willie sums up the duo's new collaboration simply saying, "It's good music, I got a good feeling about it."

Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard

Django and Jimmie Tracklist

1.         Django and Jimmie - written by Jimmy Melton and Jeff Prince
2.         It's All Going To Pot - written by Buddy Cannon, Jamey Johnson and Larry Shell
3.         Unfair Weather Friend - written by Marla Cannon-Goodman and Ward Davis
4.         Missing Ol' Johnny Cash - written by Merle Haggard
5.         Live This Long - written by Shawn Camp and Marv Green
6.         Alice In Hulaland - written by Willie Nelson and Buddy Cannon
7.         Don't Think Twice, It's Alright - written by Bob Dylan
8.         Family Bible - written by Walter M. Breeland, Paul F. Buskirk, and Claude Gray
9.         It's Only Money - written by Willie Nelson and Buddy Cannon
10.       Swinging Doors - written by Merle Haggard
11.       Where Dreams Come To Die - written by Willie Nelson and Buddy Cannon
12.       Somewhere Between - written by Merle Haggard
13.       Driving The Herd - written by Willie Nelson and Buddy Cannon
14.       The Only Man Wilder Than Me - written by Merle Haggard

Nashville, TN (April 14, 2015) – Critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Will Hoge is making his first-ever full band trek to the United Kingdom for seven headline tour dates across Scotland and England, beginning in September. Touring in support of his newest album SMALL TOWN DREAMS, the project is already garnering rave reviews and launched into the Top 5 on iTunes Country Albums chart. SMALL TOWN DREAMS is available now in the US and slated to be released to fans in the UK on June 15. 

Media critics and fans alike have been buzzing about the exciting new release of SMALL TOWN DREAMSwith ROLLING STONE COUNTRY lauding the 10th studio album as one that "breaks down country doors…most satisfying album yet" and CMT calling it a "masterful piece of work that takes the simple beauty of everyday life and delivers it to the listener in a way we’ve never heard it before." Taking note of Hoge's real-life storytelling, MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL praises Hoge's style and craft, "plenty of country stars have tried to emulate the blue-collar ethos of the likes of Bruce Springsteen. It takes real grind-it-out living to capture the experience, and few in the modern Nashville realm have done so as successfully as Will Hoge.” 

“For years, I’ve wanted to bring the band over and play full shows in the UK. I'm excited now for folks to see the live show and hear the new album,” says Hoge.

The UK edition of the tour will make its first appearance at The Stables in Milton Keynes on September 4and continue to stop at venues including the O2 ABC 2 in Glasgow, Bush Hall in London and more. 

UK Tour Dates Include:
9/4 – The Stables - Milton Keynes, England
9/5 –  The Picture House - Sheffield, England
9/7 – O2 ABC 2 - Glasgow, Scotland
9/8 – Night & Day - Manchester, England
9/10 – Bush Hall - London, England
9/11 – The Portland Arms - Cambridge, England
9/12 – Green Door Store - Brighton, England 
SMALL TOWN DREAMS is an authentic, genuine character story and depiction of small town life. Walking the country/rock line, the Nashville native revisits his upbringing with the eleven tracks on the new album including lead single and heartland anthem “Middle Of America,” which was highlighted on Sirius XM’s The Highway and terrestrial radio.
 
After producing several albums on his own, Hoge handed the reins to producer Marshall Altman (Frankie Ballard, Eric Paslay, Matt Nathanson). This project follows NEVER GIVE IN, which features his wildly popular song “Strong.” Selected as the musical backdrop for General Motor’s 2014 Chevy Silverado ad campaign, "Strong" sold well over 200,000 copies.

For a complete list of tour dates and ticket information, visit www.willhoge.com. 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (April 13, 2015) – Talk about storming out of the gate: A Thousand Horses has its first unanimous Top 10-and-climbing hit with “Smoke.”

The Republic Nashville band’s debut single from forthcoming album “Southernality” moved up to No. 9 on the Mediabase Country chart this week and No. 10 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs/Country Airplay chart, continuing a quick evolution for a band that’s already been hailed as newcomers to watch by voices of authority like Rolling Stone and USA Today. A Thousand Horses will make their morning television debut on NBC's Today Show on May 13 before hitting the road with Darius Rucker on May 14 in Holmdel, New Jersey.

"It feels amazing to see the reaction this song has had, and the support has been crazy and definitely something we have felt," says lead singer Michael Hobby.  "We can't thank our fans and Country radio enough." 

The band is comprised of Hobby, Bill Satcher and Zach Brown and bassist Graham DeLoach. Heavily influenced by the Southern rock and arena-sized country that was pervasive growing up in Georgia and South Carolina, A Thousand Horses has melded their musical influences into a sound that is resonating with fans nationwide. “Smoke” is an up-tempo love song about a woman whose memory sticks with you even when she’s not around.

The song is one of the reasons the critics have adopted the band and fans are clamoring for “Southernality,” out June 9 on Republic Nashville. Fans who pre-order the 13-track Dave Cobb-produced album on iTunes will immediately receive five songs, including “Smoke.”

The best way to preview the album before its release, though, is to catch the band on the road with Darius Rucker’s Southern Style Tour, starting this May. Rolling Stone Country called the band the best up-and-comer at last year’s Austin City Limits Festival and fans can see why as A Thousand Horses hits the road as a nine-piece with three backup singers, a fiddler and a keyboard player. USA Today listed the band in its "On The Verge" feature dedicated to breaking bands and Country Weekly named A Thousand Horses among its “Ones to Watch in Country Music 2015.”

“Along with recording a spectacular album, A Thousand Horses is also an absolutely killer live band. A one-of-a-kind show that everyone needs to see,” Republic Nashville President Jimmy Harnen said. “There is no limit to what this band can and will accomplish.”

For more information, visit www.AThousandHorses.com or follow @athousandhorses on Twitter.

Ron Pope is an independent artist who has sold more than 1.5 million tracks as well as had hundreds of millions of streams across multiple platforms and regularly sells out venues in the US, Eurpoe and Australia---all done without a label or publisher. Pope is now releasing a new single, "Ain't No Angel," as well as preparing to release a documentary that's being made on his career as an independent artist.  

"Ain't No Angel" will be one of the songs included on Pope's upcoming album Ron Pope & The Nighthawks (release date TBA). Pope gathered his favorite Brooklyn-based musicians to form The Nighthawks (Paul Hammer, Alex Foote, Andrew Pertes, Alex Brumel, Alan Markley, & Michael Riddleberger) and started their journey at a lake house in Blue Ridge, GA where they took songs from concept to completion. They then took the tunes directly out onto the road and played most of them in front of a live audience - all while recording the process. “This is me going back to the roots of what made me a songwriter...I was trying to blow my own mind with the last album (Calling Off The Dogs); this time I'm trying to soothe it. I want to take those songs out on the road and get them dirty, sharing them with the fans while they are still fresh and brand new rather than incubating them in a sterile environment for a long time." The first single, "Ain't No Angel," will be available Spring 2015 via his own label, Brooklyn Basement Records.

Stream "Ain't No Angel" on SoundCloud

In addition to the new record, a documentary based on Pope's journey as an artist entitled One Way Ticket chronicles Pope and the Nighthawks' tour and explores the challenges inherent in being independent in today's music industry.

With a career that spans a decade, Ron's growing worldwide recognition has been a true grassroots movement. Together with his manager-and-wife-Blair, and his guitar-tech-cousin-Carl, Ron proves that in the age of the internet, records labels no longer hold the key to finding an audience. Full of unexpected soulful collaboration, One Way Ticket holds Ron up as a symbol for an emerging generation of new artists -- and begs the question: what does it take to go the rest of the way?

Watch the official trailer for One Way Ticket below.

For more information visit: Facebook | Twitter | Youtube | Website 

Vibrant country artist Hannah Bethel recently kicked off National Volunteer Month at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville. 

Hannah took time out of her busy schedule last week and performed a mixture of her own music, along with child-friendly favorites to the patients, families and staff at the hospital. “There is nothing like performing for these children,” says Hannah. “After knowing what these kids are going through and when a smile spreads across their face, I get to see the true power of music and know I have impacted them."
Her latest country radio release, You Wanna Be My Man, is off her newest album Never Ending Sky, and is getting great recognition from the media. Nashville’s renowned music critic Robert K. Oermann said “[You Wanna Be My Man is] pert and  perky, with a girlish sweetness.The track bops with nifty precision and perfect crunch. Well sung and well produced.” Billboard said “Bethel proves herself to be quite the dynamic vocalist… Nashville better make a seat for her at the table, because she’s going to be front and center very soon!” Roughstock commented by saying “I’ve loved this singer’s talent since hearing her first album. This one’s ready to help Bethel breakout into the upper reaches of the charts. She’s ready.” 

After her previous releases, and music videos to accompany No Where Left to Roam, Medicine and If I Don’t Love You Anymore, Hannah’s newest album includes 8 songs which were written/co-written by Hannah and features top-notch musicians on the record including Adam Ollendorff (Kacey Musgrave’s pedal steel player) and Tim Horsley (played drums with Keith Urban, Gary Allen, Jamie O’Neal, etc). Finding a different creative outlet with this new project, she incorporates a mix of new and old sounds and styles from an array of musical icons, along with her own unique touch. She brings an organic taste to her eclectic approach to country music. Her influences include Fleetwood Mac, Miranda Lambert, and Willie Nelson.

Hailing from Northern Michigan, Hannah has spent the last year touring the United States, performing shows from Alaska to New Jersey and everywhere in between. She has shared the stage with such artists as Frankie Ballard, Canaan Smith, Charlie Worsham, Joe Nichols, Rodney Atkins, Trisha Yearwood and Buddy Jewell. Hannah was named one of CMA’s Who New to Watch artists. 
To stay updated on Hannah, visit www.HannahBethel.com and like her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HannahBethelArtist.