Always enjoy when the CMA Songwriters Series comes to NYC. Today, it was announced that the Series returns to Chicago to launch the second half of its 10th anniversary year at Joe’s Bar on Wednesday, July 30 (8:30 PM/CT, doors at 7:00 PM/CT). Celebrating its decade-long run, the CMA Songwriters Series features songwriter and host Bob DiPiero performing alongside Striking Matches and Charlie Worsham. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, July 9 (10 AM/CT).

Striking Matches is a duo made up of Justin Davis and Sarah Zimmermann. Paired by a professor at Belmont University to perform for a classroom full of guitar majors, they have been writing and performing together ever since. Their self-titled EP was released in October 2012 and was named among iTunes “Best of 2012.” Featured on NPR and in the Wall Street Journal the pair have already appeared on the Grand Ole Opry more than 15 times, opened for some of the biggest names in music, and had five songs featured on ABC’s hit television series “Nashville.” Earlier this year, the duo participated in the CMA Songwriters Series in London as part of the Second Annual CMA International Marketing Summit to rave reviews from fans.

Warner Music Nashville recording artist Worsham released his debut album Rubberband in 2013. An alumnus of Berklee College of Music, Worsham made his Grand Ole Opry debut at just 12 years old. The accomplished musician co-wrote every song on Rubberband including the Top 20 hit “Could It Be” and has also had a cut by Dierks Bentley (“Heart of a Lonely Girl”). The Mississippi native has toured with Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley, and Taylor Swift and was recently named a CMA Music Festival “Must-See Act” by RollingStoneCountry.com.

CMA Songwriters Series host and a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, DiPiero (“Southern Voice” recorded by Tim McGraw, “Blue Clear Sky” recorded by George Strait, and “Lovin’ You Is Fun” recorded by Easton Corbin) will also return to the stage, sharing the entertaining stories behind some of his most popular hit songs. DiPiero has had more than 1,200 songs recorded by other artists, countless hit singles, and an astounding 15 No. 1 hits.

The CMA Songwriters Series kicked off its 10th Anniversary season with standing-room-only shows at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and has performed shows in Nashville, New York City, and London already in 2014. Other planned performance locations this year include: Paradise Island, Bahamas, on August 30 as part of the Atlantis Live Paradise Music Festival Presented by HGTV with Kristian Bush, Brett James, Bobby Pinson, and Caitlyn Smith; as well as shows in Austin, Nashville, and New York.

Also in 2014, CMA has partnered with Public Television’s critically-acclaimed concert series “Front and Center” to present two separate hour-long concert specials for the 2014 fall season. The shows will feature the music of CMA Award winners Lady Antebellum as they are joined by special songwriter guests, and a special 10th Anniversary CMA Songwriters Series celebration with CMA Award winner Dierks Bentley. Bentley will be joined by top songwriters Jim Beavers, Ross Copperman, James, and Jon Randall. The episodes, which taped earlier this year in Nashville, are scheduled to air this fall leading up to “The 48th Annual CMA Awards.”

For nearly a decade, the CMA Songwriters Series has been exposing fans across the country and the globe to the artisans who, through their craft, pen hits that touch the lives of millions of music fans. Since it began at Joes’ Pub in New York City in 2005, the CMA Songwriter Series has presented more than 75 shows in 13 cities, including Austin, Boston, Belfast, Chicago, Dublin, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C. at the renowned Library of Congress.

Tickets for the July 30 CMA Songwriters Series at Joe’s Bar are on sale tomorrow. To order tickets, visit CMASongwritersSeries.com, joesbar.com, or call (312) 337-3486 between the hours of 10:00 AM and 9:00 PM/CT. Joe’s Bar is located at 940 W. Weed St. in Chicago. JOE’S IS A 21 AND OLDER VENUE.  You must be 21+ to attend all shows and events.

For more information on the CMA Songwriters Series, including the Atlantis Live Paradise Music Festival Presented by HGTV, please visit CMAsongwritersseries.com.

ASCAP, BMI and SESAC are official partners of the CMA Songwriters Series.

Flocks of Riser Birds began descending on Nashville this week to help announce country music star Dierks Bentley's ninth annual "Miles & Music for Kids" celebrity motorcycle ride and all-star concert scheduled for Sun., Sept. 28 in Nashville, TN.   Randy Houser, Kip Moore, Jon Pardi  and Chris Young have been tapped to take part in the event, which has raised over $2.5 million to date for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals across the country. Presale tickets are available beginning tomorrow, July 9 on www.dierks.com and general public tickets go on sale this Fri., July 11 at 10:00A CT.

"The Riser bird symbol we've been using to represent this album has really come to mean something to my fans.  I've been hearing stories about it on the road, people are getting tattoos of it.  It's a symbol of strength and resilience, and I think it's perfect to extend into what we do for Miles & Music, especially when we are talking about the history of the event, the bikers and fans who come out every year to support it and most importantly, the children and their families being treated at Vandy. ” said Bentley. “The Riser Bird Movement that started this week is a cool way to get the community involved in a deeper way and earlier this year….it's been fun to see it start to spread across town." 

This year’s annual event will once again begin at the Harley Davidson of Columbia (1616 HarleyDavidson Blvd., Columbia, TN) for an hour-long ride that ends downtown at Nashville’s Riverfront Park. From Riverfront, Bentley will take the stage for a family-friendly day of music with a lineup that will continue to grow as the event approaches.

Fans can purchase a combo ticket for the ride and concert for $50 or individual concert tickets for $30. Special VIP packages and student tickets are also available. This month, Nashville residents can “Flock It Forward” at www.dierks.com/riserbirdmovement by sending Riser Birds to their friends, also benefitting “Miles & Music.” All proceeds from both events will benefit Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, a Children's Miracle Network Hospital. For more ticket info, visit www.dierks.com.

A decade after Old Crow Medicine Show released "Wagon Wheel", a Bob Dylan tune that Ketch Secor finished, they're releasing another Old Crow/ Bob Dylan co-write, "Sweet Amarillo."  

Collaboration is nothing new for Old Crow, every member of the band has at least one co-write on their new record Remedy, which was released on July 1st. "Sweet Amarillo" came about when Bob Dylan's manager contacted the band right around the time Darius Rucker had a No. 1 single with "Wagon Wheel" and offered them the chance to complete a chorus that was demoed a few days after "Rock Me Mama." The band jumped at the opportunity and sent their work back to Dylan. He replied and suggested Ketch play the fiddle instead of the harmonica and that the chorus come in a little earlier. And so "Sweet Amarillo" was born. 

The music video, which was directed by Philip Andelman (Taylor Swift, Avett Brothers, Jay-Z), is their most ambitious to date. It tells the story of the tumultuous relationship between a cowboy and a cowgirl. 

OCMS will be headlining Red Rocks on Wed, July 16th with special guests, The Carolina Chocolate Drops. 

Watch the video for "Sweet Amarillo" here.
For more information visit their official website http://www.crowmedicine.com/
Follow them on Twitter https://twitter.com/crowmedicine/
Find them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/OldCrowMedicineShow/

Can't wait for new music from Caroline Rose? Well, she is "appeasing those who no longer buy music" by offering a free download of a new track entitled "Tightrope Walker." The song will be featured on her upcoming record, I Will Not Be Afraid, due out August 19th. You can click to download the track below.
Read our interview with Caroline here.

If you're local, Caroline Rose will be playing at Joe's Pub in NYC on August 20th at 8pm. Tickets and information here.

To keep up with Caroline, visit her official website.

Singer, songwriter, and Texas Country Music Hall of Fame member, Billy Joe Shaver, will be at Hill Country Live in NYC on July 11th. Shaver, who is credited with helping start the outlaw country movement in the 70's, has a new record, Long in the Tooth, which will be released on August 5th.

Doors 930pm/Show 10pm
Tickets $30-$35
For more information visit here.

Check out Katie Key's chat with Zach Coffey in the Cluttered Corner. For more information on all things Texas music visit here.

Yeah, I know, videos belong on the "video" page, but I don't want these guys to get lost over there. They're just that good, both on record and live, that everyone should give them a listen at least once. Then you'll be hooked and my job will be done. 
Their Twitter bio describes their sound as "if Led Zepplin and The Band had a baby in Joshua Tree that grew up listening to Ryan Adams covering the Stones 70's country influenced songs.
Whatever you want to call it, it's just simply good music.
Check them out and visit their official website for more information.

Even though Counting Skeletons was released in June, Sonia Leigh returned in a really fun way this week with the upbeat, exhuberant single, "Put It In Your Pocket." The new tune can be heard on Sirius XM's The Highway as a Highway Find. Give the song a listen and support Sonia by tweeting The Highway or commenting on their Facebook page about how much you like the song.

Listen to the single below and read our review here.
For more information visit Sonia's official website.

In conjunction with the Independence Day weekend, Grammy award-winning artist Travis Tritt will countdown his personal favorite Top Ten Prime Country songs about America on SiriusXM’sPrime Country (Ch. 58) during an hour-long special that will air over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Listeners can hear it first on Friday, July 4th at 12 p.m. ET.  The special will then rebroadcast on July 4th at 9 p.m. ET, Saturday, July 5th at 3 p.m. ET
/Noon PT and Sunday, July 6th at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT. 

SiriusXM subscribers can tune-in via satellite on Prime Country, channel 58, and through the SiriusXM Internet Radio App on smartphones and other connected devices, as well as online at siriusxm.com. To become a SiriusXM subscriber, please visit www.siriusxm.com.

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 whom dominated the charts in the early 90s. 2014 marks the 25th anniversary of Tritt’s music career.  He formed Post Oak Recordings in 2012 and released his new album The Calm After... through his own record label this past July. 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. 

Travis Tritt’s twenty-five year career has produced millions in album sales, two Grammy award wins and multiple No. 1 singles on the Country radio charts, including “Help Me Hold On,” “Anymore” and “Best of Intentions.”

As far as future plans, Tritt will release a live DVD later this year and he and Marty Stuart have an album in the works.

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