SANTA ROSA, Calif. -- The Top 10 Fender Contender Challengers have been announced, and the fans' favorite will open Country Summer, Northern California's biggest country music festival June 5-7 at Sonoma County Event Center.

Click here to: Vote For Your Favorite Fender Contender. The first round of public voting continues through April 15, 2015. Top 10 Fender Contender Challengers include:

Jared Porter – Porter was the Australian Star Maker award winner in 2014. He has performed at the CMA World GlobalLive Concert in Nashville, toured with Australia's biggest names in country and recorded his debut album, “East to West.” He’s venturing back to the United States in hopes of making it big.

JD Bauman & the Boot Band – Santa Rosa, California has been Bauman’s home since birth. The Honky Tonk sound on his newest release profiles his booming baritone accented by the eerie likes of a steel guitar. The band has an impressive resume, having shared the stage with Willie Nelson, Joe Diffie and The Charlie Daniels Band to name a few.

Lindsay Bruce – Born and raised in Northern California, Bruce is the voice of California Country – a blend of her West Coast upbringing and traditional country values, amplified by her last three years in Nashville. Her sound combines the upbeat feel of a summer concert with singer/songwriter relatability. In 2014, she landed a spot on Season 6 of NBC’s “The Voice.”

LMJ – Lisa Marie Johnson, affectionately referred to as LMJ, blends country, Americana and blues into a style she calls “Stomp and Groove.” LMJ has worked her way through college, gigging around the San Francisco Bay area, while also recording. She released her first extended play “This is Me” in 2011 and a full length album in 2012.

Mason Grace – Built by artists Jynette Lynell from Tampa, Florida; Tamara Ray from Bakersfield, California; and Jacqueline Rose from Saint Louis, Missouri, this trio is currently in the studio cutting their latest tunes. Their unique blend of country music transposes modern country to a fun groove with an infectious country swag sound.

McKenna Faith – Faith is a 20-year-old country rock/country pop singer/songwriter and Nashville recording artist from Northern California. She has toured the nation, shared the stage with country's biggest stars and was the #1 Selling Independent Female Country Artist on iTunes in 2013.

Queen Anne's Lace – Carly Graves and Kyle Lino grew up listening to 1990s country music and branched out to alternative rock, pop and bluegrass. “Some of our songs are strongly influenced by pop, and one or two have a bluegrass feeling,” Graves said. “We have tried a variety of styles, but you just can’t beat feel good country music.”

Rob Staley – Staley is a young country music artist living in Los Angeles with a genuine love and respect for “real country music.” Since relocating from his small hometown in Plattsburgh, New York, his band is quickly becoming a fabric of the Southern California country music scene. The Rob Staley Band has just released a new record.

SaraBeth – Born and raised in Dallas, SaraBeth is a singer/songwriter making her mark in Nashville as the sweetly southern artist with an edge. She charted two Top 40 singles in 2014. With dates nationwide, she has shared the stage with country superstars, including Brantley Gilbert. Her current self-titled extended play is set for release April 14, 2015.

Tyler Rich – Rich found his love for country music after seeing George Strait at the age of 8. After working on his craft and years of touring across the country with multiple bands, he decided to pursue a solo career. Since that day, he has performed alongside some of the industry’s top artists, including Easton Corbin. His debut album will be released in 2015.

One of these great country music acts will perform on the Country Summer Montgomery Village Stage, the main stage. In addition to recognition as a Country Summer superstar, the grand prize winner will receive $5,000.

Based upon the public votes, the Top 10 will be narrowed to the Final 4. The second round of voting will be from April 17 through April 29, 2015 to select the grand prize winner. The winner will be announced May 1, 2015.

To date, Country Summer presented by Lithia RAM of Santa Rosa, has announced 13 of 14 entertainers. Country Summer 2015 headliners include Jake Owen on June 5, The Band Perry on June 6 and Brantley Gilbert on June 7.

In addition to the headliners, the June 5 lineup includes Gary Allan, Chris Young and Parmalee; June 6 includes Lee Brice, Jerrod Niemann, Frankie Ballard and The Swon Brothers; and June 7 includes Trace Adkins, Easton Corbin and Cassadee Pope.

Daily tickets start from $69 for general admission, $99 for reserved seats. A limited number of discount three-day packages are available. To purchase tickets, visit www.countrysummer.com or call 800.514.3849 to order by phone.

(Nashville, Tenn. – April 2, 2015) More than 25-years after Travis Tritt launched his music career, the Grammy award-winning artist continues to sell-out shows, top sales charts and stay true and relevant to Country music fans across the globe.

On the heels of sold-out shows throughout his solo acoustic tour and amid a heavy tour schedule that takes Tritt and his band across the country to play for packed out crowds, the Southern-rock influenced Country artist tops the SoundScan Top 200 Catalog Country Albums chart for the third consecutive week; a major feat for an independent artist without the support of a major label. 

Tritt’s compilation album, Very Best of Travis Tritt, which was released in 2007, has been lodged in the #1 position since March 15, 2015. The 20-track album features some of Tritt’s biggest hits, including “It’s A Great Day To Be Alive,” “Here’s A Quarter” and “Anymore.”  

Among his eleven studio albums and numerous charted singles are nineteen Top 10 hits, including “Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde,” “Love Of A Woman” and “T-R-O-U-B-L-E.”  His twenty-five year career has produced millions in album sales, two Grammy award wins and multiple No. 1 singles on the Country radio charts.

A Marietta, Georgia native, Travis Tritt is dubbed one of “The Class of ‘89,” which included Country music superstars Garth Brooks, Clint Black and Alan Jackson; all of whom dominated the charts in the early 90s. 

Tritt formed Post Oak Recordings in 2012 and released his album The Calm After... through his own record label. Included on the album is a duet with Tritt’s 15-year-old daughter, Tyler Reese. The song, “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough,” is a cover of the 1980s pop hit. Together, they released a video for the track, which is available for viewing here.  Four of the songs on the album, co-produced by Randy Jackson, were either written or co-written by Tritt. The Calm After… is currently available on iTunes and other major digital retailers.

Tritt continues to tour heavily throughout the United States. A complete list of upcoming tour dates, please visit www.TravisTritt.com.

For more information on Travis Tritt, visit his website TravisTritt.com and follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

Nashville, Tennessee - (April 2, 2015) - A fan favorite event and longstanding tradition of CMA Music Festival, the City of Hope Celebrity Softball Game will commemorate 25 years of striking out cancer on June 13 at 9am from the new First Tennessee Park in Nashville. 

The 2015 milestone event will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Celebrity Softball Game, which has seen Country Music’s biggest stars, including Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Scotty McCreery, Vince Gill and many more, take to the field over the years in support of City of Hope’s lifesaving mission.

Tickets for the 25thAnnual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Game are on sale now at Ticketmaster. The full line-up of celebrity players stepping up to the plate on the Grand Ole Opry and iHeartRadio teams will be announced in the coming weeks.

City of Hope is a leading research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. Researchers and doctors at the institution quickly transform scientific discoveries into better treatments and prevention strategies for people around the world. Support from the Nashville community and its country music artists directly benefit City of Hope’s mission to find cures for cancer.

Tickets for the game can be purchased through Ticketmaster. Learn the latest on the line-up of celebrities and game information at www.cityofhope.org/softball. Those not able to attend the game can still support the cause. A variety of unique merchandise and experiences, including meet-and-greets with the hottest artists, will be available for bid atcharitybuzz.com. The proceeds will benefit City of Hope’s mission to eradicate cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

After a little over a year, Randy Rogers Band and Stoney LaRue return to NYC for one night, April 17th, at the Best Buy Theater to bring a little bit of Texas and Oklahoma to the big apple. Both artists were last here in 2014 for the Four On The Floor Tour (at Terminal 5) which was extremely well received. This time they move to a bigger venue in the middle of Times Square.

Both acts have live shows that get the audience energized to have a good time, but their songs are the stars; they have a depth that makes them stand out. And while they often represent the themes of family, love and life, it's not all seriousness....there's humor, fun and the joy of watching Brady Black play fiddle! 

Randy Rogers Band latest album, Homemade Tamales Live at Floores as well as Stoney LaRue's Aviator were both released in 2014. Rogers album with Wade Bowen, Hold My Beer, will be released April 20th.

Where: Best Buy Theater
When: April 17th 7 Doors/8 Show
Tickets: $25/$30

Watch Randy Rogers Band's "Satellite" here
Watch Stoney LaRue's "First One to Know" here

Prominent Newcomer One of Top 25 Acts Chosen for Macy's iHeartRadio Rising Star National Campaign

NASHVILLE, TN (March 31, 2015) – After popular demand by fans, Big Spark Music Group powerhouse vocalist-songstress Olivia Lane has released the official lyric video for her brand new song, “You Part 2”. Lane takes the reigns in the sassy video for the carefree track that was written by the singer, along with Ilya Toshinskiy and Danny Myrick.

In correlation with the release of the official lyric video for “You Part 2,” fans are highly encouraged to vote for Lane as part of the prestigious Macy's iHeartRadio Rising Starnational campaign. Voting begins today (3/31) for the prominent newcomer who was one of only five emerging Country music acts to be chosen for this nationwide platform. She will be exposed to hundreds of radio stations across the country, including exposure on all of iHeartMedia’s platforms.

Fans can vote up to 50 times per day at iHeartRadio.com/RisingStar by logging in with an email address, Facebook account or Twitter - using #RisingStar #OliviaLane. The lyric video for “You Part 2” will be featured on the official website for the Macy's iHeartRadio Rising Star national campaign, along with official rules and guidelines for the fan-favorite competition. 

Voters have the opportunity to win a VIP Trip for two to the iHeartRadio Music Festival 2015, including tickets for both nights, as well as entry to the Festival Village, airfare, accommodations and an exclusive meet-and-greet with the Macy's iHeartRadio Rising Star winner.  Add #Sweepstakes to any social #RisingStar vote to enter to win the VIP Trip.  

Vote for Olivia Lane for the Macy's iHeartRadio Rising Star here

Watch the official lyric video for “You Part 2” here

For tour dates and more information on Olivia Lane visit www.olivialane.com

Sean McConnell is a Nashville based singer songwriter who performs a style of music that he describes as "lyric driven roots rock with soul." He himself has released multiple albums (his latest being The B Side Session in 2014) while his songs have been recorded by numerous artists including the Randy Rogers Band, Wade Bowen, Chris Knight and more.

Warmly welcomed into the Texas music scene, McConnell is visiting NYC for not one, but two shows in the coming weeks. He will play Midtown Live with Chris Berardo Trio on April 30th and The Living Room on May 2nd. His live performances have been described as being a dynamic experience, including moments of reckless rock to quiet intimacy. His visit to NYC is surely not to be missed.

In his own words, he says,  “For me it’s all about the SONG. I remember watching my father sitting at our dining room table for hours and hours with his pencil and pad crafting his songs; spending the time to find the perfect word, the perfect chord, the perfect melody. That really made an impression on me. When I write a song it really is a kind of science, an operation; but it isn’t mathematical or calculated, it is alive and breathing and moving. At the risk of sounding like a hippie on a soapbox, music is still powerful and holy and sacred to me. You can turn it into a product and a business, but you can’t start it that way. To me the genesis of a song has to be honest and unassuming. I truly believe that God hands me these gifts and it is my job to translate them as honestly as I can. You have to let a song be what it is. We can’t lose that. When I write songs, I like to focus on the fact that we are all the same and we are all just searching for answers and trying to make sense of everything. It’s about exploring life and celebrating truth when you find it.”

When: April 30th
Where: Midtown Live
Time: 8pm
Tickets: $10

When: May 2nd
Where: The Living Room
Time: 9pm
Tickets: $10

To learn more about Sean McConnell visit his official website