(Press Release) The Marcus King Band  have announced new tour dates to their almost non-stop schedule. The tour will take the band across the US to  NPR's Mountain Stage, The Ride Festival,  Red Rocks Amphitheater,  Lockn' Festival and even the  Fuji Rocks Festival   in Niigata, Japan. Find a full list of tour dates and ticket links after the jump.
 
Late last year, The Marcus King Band released their sophomore, self-titled album that was produced by  Warren Haynes  and released on  Fantasy Records. On March 25, the band made their network television debut on  CBS This Morning  Saturday  where they performed  "Rita Is Gone"  and  "Ain't Nothing Wrong With That."

The Washington Post    said, "King is poised to be one of music’s next great guitarists-a virtuosic talent capable of playing blues, rock, country, R&B, soul and more," and  The Philadelphia Inquirer    said “Marcus King is about to become a Southern rock guitar superstar.”

Nashville, Tenn. (May 24, 2017) – BMLG Records hit makers A THOUSAND HORSES to release their hot-and-heavy, live-focused project,  BRIDGES.

Arriving June 2, the digital-only release will put a new spotlight on this road-tested band of brothers – Michael Hobby (lead vocals), Bill Satcher (lead guitar), Zach Brown (guitar), and Graham Deloach (bass). BRIDGES  shows a new high point in their patented fusion of Southern rock and country soul, featuring six scorching new tracks and seven acoustic live renditions – including a captivating version of their breakout smash, “Smoke.”
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Lead single “Preachin’ to the Choir” is already climbing at Country radio and earning rave critical reviews. A laid back, lighters-in-the-air anthem, the summertime rocker is all about living life for good times and  Saturday nights – and surrounding yourself with people who do the same.

5-Night Cruise Featuring 5 Stages of Entertainment from more than 20+ bands 
Sailing from New Orleans to Progreso and Cozumel, Mexico January 30 – February 4, 2018

Pre-sale signups are open NOW at  therockboat.com
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Atlanta, GA  (Press Release) – Eighteen…the age of excitement and an adventurous outlook for the future.  The Rock Boat,  Sixthman’s flagship music festival at sea, will celebrate its 18th birthday  January 30 – February 4, 2018  aboard Norwegian Pearl for 5 rockin’ nights.

Nashville, TN (Press Release) — Critically acclaimed artists and sisters Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer will release Not Dark Yet  on August 18th via Silver Cross Records / Thirty Tigers. Produced by Teddy Thompson, their first and highly anticipated album together is an extraordinary debut of the pair’s transcendent musical bond.

Not Dark Yet  was recorded in Los Angeles in the summer of 2016. The album provides a potent look at the sisters’ individual and collective artistry through eclectic song choices from writers ranging from the Louvin Brothers, Nick Cave, Kurt Cobain, and back to Jessie Colter. Shelby and Allison wrap their arms around the past, plant their feet in the present, and nod toward what’s around the bend with a co-written “Is It Too Much,” to close out the ten-song set.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn.  (Press Release) -  Most well-known as a member of  Team Blake  on  The Voice,  country singer-songwriter,  Jake Worthington,  will be performing at  Country Fest    in  Cadott, WI   on  Saturday, June 24   on the  "Next from Nashville" stage. The gates open   at  11:00 AM CST  with a performance by Worthington at  5:45 pm CST.  Other artists scheduled to perform include country music superstars  Eric Church, Thomas Rhett, Dan + Shay, Alabama,   and Jake's former coach,  Blake Shelton.

The native Texan gained national media attention after winning the title of runner-up on Season 6 of the   NBC  hit series, where he reached Top 20 on  Billboard Heat Seekers  for his renditions of   Richard Marx's  "Right Here Waiting"  and  Keith Whitley's "Don't Close Your Eyes."   In October of 2015, Worthington released his first, self-titled EP, which debuted at #16 on  Billboard Heat Seekers.  The first single off the EP,   "Just Keep Falling in Love," reached Top 50 on the Music Row Chart and Top 30 on the  Texas Regional Radio Report, with the music video premiering on GAC and CMT, among others. His latest EP,  Hell of a Highway,  was recently released on May 19 with the track  "A Lot of Room to Talk"  hitting #1 on the Texas Regional Radio charts.

Event Details:
Who: Jake Worthington
What: Country Fest 2017  
When: Performance at 5:45 pm CST
Where: Country Fest in Cadott, WI 
Tickets: Please visit http://www.countryfest.com/ for more information.

A bass-baritone powerhouse who once hit 200 million television sets worldwide as a contestant on Season 5 of American Idol, Buckstein is gearing up to release his new EP, Country Side, on  June 2nd.  The Colorado-based singer's latest outing contains five songs (four originals and one cover) that mine  Buckstein's varied musical influences - and while there are country rockers and contemporary country  numbers, Buckstein  also has a deeper, emotional side which is displayed on  "This Time,"  a  piano-tinged, heartfelt ballad about  finally reaching the end point in  a relationship after being on the receiving end of deception for far too long.

"You can't undo the damage or re-tie the knot
That held us together and made you mine
It's heart-breaking situation when you give a girl all you got
And those pretty blue eyes won’t cover the lies this time"

TDC is pleased to premiere "This Time" in its entirety above. Listen and then learn more about   Buckstein as he talks about the track  in the Q&A below.

What is the story behind this song?  Why did you write it and what story did you want to tell with it?
There was a great line in the great movie "Crazy Heart" where a reporter asks a successful songwriter, "Where did all those songs come from?"  To which he replied, "Life unfortunately."  This song is a true story.  Fortunately for me it wasn't mine.  It was my co-writer Dillon Carmichael's memory of something that happened to him in his youth.  "It" happened one-too-many times.  So the last time it happened he didn't raise hell about it.  He went about his day with his girl like nothing was wrong.  And the next morning he was gone forever.  It was a powerful image and it gave us a lot to draw from when we decided to write this song.

What was the recording session like for this particular track?  Did the song come easily or was it a challenge to get it just the way you wanted it?
This one was tough.  This song is filled with powerful imagery and it really requires a lot of introspective emotion.  Bringing that into the microphone was tricky.  I probably took more passes on this tune than any of the others on the EP.  And when it came to the mixing I had the most criticism and direction for my engineers with this track.  To be honest, I still feel like there's things I'd like to fix.  But that's the plight of the artist.  You're never satisfied.  At some point you just gotta let it go and let the people decide.

This song shows your gentler side.  Do you prefer your more rockin' self, or do you enjoy indulging in ballads just as much?
My energy is usually much more upbeat.  I bring a lot of energy to my shows and my recordings  But the sweet is not as sweet without the sour.  You need ballads.  I love a good power ballad.  Upbeat tunes will grab your soul while ballads cut to the heart.  Affecting the heart is an important job in music.  We want to feel something.  Music is emotional and it's why we select the music we do. It's because of what it does to us emotionally.  The tricky thing with this ballad is that it's not a love tune.  It's a cheating tune.  You don't win as many people over with cheating tunes.  But it was a story I felt needed to be told.

What's your favorite lyric line from this song and why?
The easy answer is "This time tomorrow I'll be gone."  It was cool discovering that line when we wrote it because it has a double meaning.  It could mean "this time I'll be gone tomorrow" or "by this time tomorrow I'll be gone."  But I also love the line "there's no stories left to sell."  I actually wrote that line as an after thought before recording the song when my producer suggested I put something better in for the original line, which was "your friend can go to hell."  I think the idea of "selling stories" paints a lot of pictures about a liar and how they operate.  It was one of my better lyrical moments.

What do you hope listeners learn about you from this song and from your EP as a whole?
I don't know that I want listeners to learn anything about me from this song.  It's not about me.  If anything I hope listeners learn that there is a civil way to handle your broken heart and it's just as effective.  With the EP as a whole I hope people get a sense of who I am as an artist as well as an individual.  I try to never sing about things I don't believe in so you can know that if I'm singing about it, it's something that I support/believe/think about/think is funny/etc.  I also hope people learn that they like my music and that they wanna come to my next show and buy my next album. Ha!

For more information visit HERE

Tahlequah, OK (May 23, 2017 Press Release)-The 5th   Annual  MEDICINE STONE  music event is scheduled for September 21st through the 23rd at the scenic Diamondhead Resort in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.  Having seen a 283% growth rate since the event’s inception in 2013,  MEDICINE STONE  stands alone as the premier outdoor Red Dirt music event and speaks to the momentous cult-like following of a unique genre made of motley sounds cultivated out of Oklahoma soil.  This year the event creators have added a third hotel for lodging accommodations and also the RIVER STAGE for day time performances in order to satisfy the horde of Red Dirt music extremists who flock to the event from all over the United States.

​ The 5th Annual lineup includes Turnpike Troubadours, Jason Boland and The Stragglers, The Randy Rogers Band, Cody Canada and the Departed, Shinyribs, Jonny Burke, Lucero, Mike McClure, Sunny Sweeney, Mike & The Moonpies, Kaitlin Butts, Bruce Robison, Aaron Einhouse, American Aquarium, Bri Bagwell, Dalton Domino, Dirty River Boys, Jamie Wilson, Randy Crouch & Flying Horse, Red Dirt Rangers, Byron Berline Band, Raised Right Men, Red Shahan, Monica Taylor, Shane Smith and the Saints, Thomas Trapp, The Washitas, and Jacob Tovar.  Tickets for the 5th Annual  MEDICINE STONE  will go on sale via the event’s website on June 1st at 9:00 AM Central.  Music fans are encouraged to snag their tickets early as the premier camping accommodations, RV spots and hotel rooms sell out within hours.  Single day tickets go on sale August 1st. www.medicinestoneok.com.

NEW COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS SONGS FROM THE INFLUENTIAL BAND’S THREE ALBUMS, INCLUDING RARE SINGLE VERSIONS

Title joins a collection of releases celebrating Stax Records’ 60th anniversary 

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Press Release) — Stax Records, an imprint of Concord Music Group and its Catalog Division, Craft Recordings, is excited to announce the release of a new compilation celebrating  Big Star. The 16-track collection spans all three of the influential band’s LPs (1972’s #1 Record, 1974’s Radio City and Third, released after the group disbanded, in the late ’70s), and features rare edits of some of their most popular songs. Liner notes from  GRAMMY® Award-winning writer and director Robert Gordon, plus an introduction by the sole surviving Big Star member, drummer  Jody Stephens, round out the package. In stores on June 16, 2017,  Best of Big Star   will be available as a 2-LP, 45 rpm album housed in a gatefold jacket, with lacquers cut at  Ardent Studios and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Memphis Record Pressing. The title will also be available digitally and on CD.
 
Much like Nick Drake, the Velvet Underground, and other critically esteemed artists whose work only gained commercial traction long after its initial release, Big Star let loose their trademark mix — shimmering jangle pop with a side of elliptical melancholia — into a world that just wasn’t ready for it. In his liner notes, Robert Gordon muses that the band “fizzled before most anyone heard them, then when they seemed totally forgotten they began to exert more musical influence than most bands ever dream of — an unusual story … Big Star reminds us that great art lives, that immediate audience appreciation can’t be counted on and that it’s not about the brightness of the light but its beauty.”