 “...one of the most distinctive voices in bluegrass,
a smooth, low croon that goes down like whiskey with a little bit of honey” --The Bluegrass Situation ASHEVILLE, NC -- How do you follow an album that features three #1 and two #2 bluegrass radio hits? If you’reChris Jones & The Night Drivers, you give fans what they’ve been asking for—a live album that delivers a few choice new selections nestled among a flock of favorites, recorded in an intimate, small-town venue that brings out the best in the quartet’s soulful vocals, hotshot picking and easygoing humor. From its blazing opener, “Bound To Ride,” to its even speedier closer, “Pike County Breakdown,” Live At The Old Feed Store, hit the stores on October 7, 2014, and is one that long-time fans will treasure, and it’s also a perfect introduction to a group heading toward its 20th anniversary in bluegrass. The live album is a follow-up to 2013’s release Lonely Comes Easy, which was their first all-new collection since 2009’s Cloud Of Dust. Founded by guitarist Chris Jones in 1995, the Night Drivers feature four distinct personalities who bring a multitude of talents to each performance. Indeed, the group includes Jones, banjo man Ned Luberecki and bassist Jon Weisberger, and mandolinist Mark Stoffel. The release of Live At The Old Feed Store comes on the heels of one of the busiest IBMA World of Bluegrass weeks ever for Chris Jones & The Night Drivers. Topping the list of activities? That's a hard call, but a few stand out, starting with the announcement that the quartet has signed a two album deal with North Carolina's high-powered label, Mountain Home Music Company. Jones says, “We’ve been very impressed by the quality of Mountain Home’s roster and the strong record of results they’ve achieved in bluegrass music and beyond. We’re extremely excited about this opportunity to join the Mountain Home family.” Others on Mountain Home’s roster include Balsam Range, The Boxcars, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, and The Grascals. The Night Drivers will be working on a new studio album for 2015. Also at IBMA was the reception of two IBMA awards--one to designer, label and artist for Best Graphic Design (Lonely Comes Easy, on Rebel Records designed by Lou Everhart), the other to Jones himself for Print Media Person of the Year. The group performed a showcase for booking agent Roe Entertainment and also a Wide Open Bluegrass festival slot in the Convention Center Ballroom with long-time friend and former Night Driver Jeremy Garrett (Infamous Stringdusters) on fiddle. Ned Luberecki served as off-stage announcer at the IBMA Awards Showon Thursday night, while Night Driver and IBMA Board Chair Jon Weisberger got his own shout-out from the Raleigh News & Observer when reporter David Menconi served up his Tuesday schedule as proof that the old saw that the organization's initials stand for "I've Been Mostly Awake" is no joke ("Busy Days, Sleepless Nights During World of Bluegrass Week.") Early reaction to Live At The Old Feed Store has been favorable, with a choice quote, "Chris Jones & The Night Drivers is a great band, not just for the mastery of their instruments, but for the sheer joy they bring to all those who listen,” with the album also earning their top rating "Bad-Ass" coming from Philadelphia's THAT MAG. Live At The Old Feed Store features the Night Drivers’ music front and center, exemplified by the first single, “Battle Of The Bands,” which scored a world-exclusive premiere on Bluegrass Junction. The album displays the group’s wide range of inclinations, with nods to the Stanley Brothers (“Bound To Ride”), Johnny Horton (“I’m Ready If You’re Willin’”) and George Jones (“I Cried Myself Awake”), banjo pyrotechnics (Luberecki’s own “Emergency Pulloff” and a blistering “Pike County Breakdown”) and well-crafted originals (“Like A Hawk,” “Then I Close My Eyes,” and “Lonely Town”). Alongside these, the Night Drivers have laid in a selection of fan favorites, including Stoffel’s glistening take on The Sound Of Music’s ever-popular “Edelweiss” (followed by a lively turn on an old-time fiddle tune, “Forked Deer”), the gospel quartet of “Leaning On The Everlasting Arms,” and Luberecki’s comic tour de force, “Cabin Of Death,” one of the group’s most requested numbers. A couple of guests make appearances—Sally Jones contributes harmonies to “Follow Your Heart,” and 2013 IBMA Momentum Vocalist of the Year Emily Bankester recaps her Lonely Comes Easy appearance on “Then I Close My Eyes”—with the focus all on the Night Drivers, who show conclusively that no studio magic is needed for them to deliver compelling performances. From start to finish, Live At The Old Feed Store delivers a faithful representation of a Chris Jones & The Night Drivers set, and as their busy schedule shows, that’s something that audiences are always eager to share. The group celebrates the release on October 8th with a show at the recording venue, The Old Feed Store in Cobden, IL, followed by a Tennessee weekend that includes dates in Norris, the Fall Homecoming Festival at the Museum of Appalachia and Nashville’s Oktoberfest in Germantown. The band had notable appearances this year at Big Sky Big Grass, Joe Val Bluegrass Festival, MerleFest, DelFest, Bluegrass on the Plains, The Huck Finn Jubilee, Targhee Bluegrass Festival, Bean Blossom, and The Bourbon & Bluegrass Steamboat Tours. Big Sky Big Grass gets the award for the biggest on-stage jams with the Sam Bush Band and Del McCoury joined the Night Drivers on stage at DelFest to sing on “Wolf Creek Pass.” Luberecki was part of MerleFest’s First ever BanjoRama which was hosted by “Dr. Banjo” Pete Wernick. They’ll be traveling for a European tour for ten days in October of 2014 and will be on the road for dates throughout 2015. The album is now available at CD Baby: www.cdbaby.com/cd/chrisjonesthenightdriver2 For more information including tour dates, please visit: chrisjonesgrass.com facebook.com/chrisjonesgrass twitter.com/chrisjonesgrass
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The wait for Adam Hood's new album is (almost) over! Hood recently announced on social media that the album, Welcome To The Big World, will be available November 4th.
He also announced that he and Jason Eady would be headed to the Southeast for their Southern Brothers From Another Mother Tour. The tour will be an acoustic one and hit ten cities starting on November 5th in Alabama and ending November 15th in Tennessee. For more information, visit his official website.  GhostTunes, a new digital music platform, today announced an exclusive bundle offered by country duo Montgomery Gentry to help raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research. The $19.99 bundle includes the duo’s new hit single, “Headlights,” and a “Check Your Headlights” t-shirt. All the profits from the bundle sales will be donated to Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, an American Cancer Society initiative.
“As someone lucky to be both a husband and father to two incredible girls, I believe it’s so important to raise awareness about breast cancer education and raise funds to help find a cure,” shared Troy Gentry. “Given my own personal battle with cancer and our blessed lives as husbands and fathers, Troy and I are always looking for ways to give back,” stated Eddie Montgomery. “We hope our fans will have fun with this exclusive ‘Check Your Headlights’ bundle on GhostTunes and help make a difference.” Since 1999, country music super-duo Montgomery Gentry has released seven studio albums that include hit songs such as “If You Ever Stop Loving Me”, “Something to Be Proud Of” and “Roll with Me.” In November 2010, Montgomery announced he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer; the cancer was removed one month later and he has been cancer-free ever since. Montgomery Gentry is celebrating the release of their brand new single, “Headlights.” The duo’s first new music since 2011, the track is a late-night, back-road party anthem, written by hit songwriters Wendell Mobley, Bob DiPiero and Tony Martin. The song is the lead single from their upcoming album, produced by Michael Knox (Jason Aldean, Trace Adkins, Thomas Rhett, ABC's “Nashville”) and set to release in early 2015 on Blaster Records. “We’re honored to partner with Montgomery Gentry to leverage the GhostTunes music platform that invites artists to creatively bundle their music any way they dream – combined with multiple albums, merchandise, concert tickets or anything at all,” said Randy Bernard, CEO of GhostTunes. “The new Montgomery Gentry ‘Check Your Headlights’ charity bundle also introduces the ‘GhostTunes GivesBack’ philanthropic program that uses the power of music to make the world a better place.” The GhostTunes team believes in the ability of music to change lives, and created the GhostTunes GivesBack program for any artist who wants to leverage their ability to educate and raise awareness for their own personal passions and missions. The program will be partnering with artists on a regular basis to introduce additional bundles that use music to make movements that can change the world. GhostTunes focuses on providing the best music experience for both artists and the fans who love their music. Fans are able to listen to their music immediately upon purchase from the GhostTunes platform, without having to download the content to their device. Fans also can download their purchased content to play with the audio player of their choice on a phone, tablet or computer.  Up-and-coming sibling group, The Cains Trio, will release their debut album, Stay On Board, on Oct. 28, with an iTunes pre-sale beginning on Oct. 10. Stay On Board will be released through DayStreet Records/GMV Nashville. The album follows the group’s release of their current single, “Be Yourself With Me,” to Country radio, which recently garnered the group MusicRow Magazine’s prestigiousDisCovery Award.
Award-winning songwriter Ed Hill commented about the group, “The Cains are the most exciting group I’ve ever worked with. This dynamic trio is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to raw talent - unusually interesting harmonies, contagious energy and addictive songs. I believe they’ll play an important role in pioneering positive change in today’s quality of country music, attracting and impacting listeners and fans of all ages.” The emerging group has already achieved success in their home state of Alabama and has garnered a solid fan base by performing shows at music venues across the state. While all three were students at Troy University, the trio entered into a video contest, eventually winning the opportunity to open for Dave Barnes at WorkPlay in Birmingham, Ala. They have also opened for Andrew Ripp and share co-writes with Ed Hill, Billy Lawson and Roger Murrah. Of the new album, the trio’s Madison Cain commented, “The album (Stay On Board) is an accumulation of years of writing and singing together, and we can’t wait to introduce it to our fans. We feel as if our debut single, “Be Yourself With Me,) truly represents the trio perfectly, and we’re looking forward to sharing more of our musical labors of love with our fans and radio as we dive into this journey!” In addition to their new album release, The Cains are currently honing their songwriting and recording skills by collaborating with established songwriters in both Nashville and Muscle Shoals. Besides drawing from their own DNA, their original music is inspired by a vast combination of genres from country, soul and pop to Americana, folk and contemporary Christian. Even with a wide variety of influences, they know exactly what they want in their music. The group’s current single, “Be Yourself With Me,” is a mid-tempo, tenderhearted tune about allowing loved ones to take their guard down and be open and honest with one another. To hear the single, visit the group's SoundCloud at www.SoundCloud.com/TheCainsTrio, or, click here. The group has also released a music video for the single, which can be viewed on their YouTube page at www.YouTube.com/user/TheCainsTrio, or, click here. For more information on The Cains Trio, view their website athttp://www.thecainstrio.com/ Follow them on Twitter and Facebook.  Courtesy Sugar Hill Records Billed by Rolling Stone as "one of fall 2014's top 20 must see tours" Sarah Jarosz and the Milk Carton Kids are going out on the road together for a series of dates. Beginning October 17th in New Hampshire and concluding November 3rd in Indiana, the tour will be making stops in sixteen cities.
The shows are definitely a must see as they will feature songs not typically heard at each artists' own concerts and will take place around one microphone at the center of the stage. The tour will also feature instrumentalists Samson Grisman, Alex Hargreaves and Nathaniel Smith. For more information visit their official websites 10.17 Capitol Center for the Arts Concord, NH 10.18 92Y Mainstage New York, NY 10.19 The Calvin Theatre Northampton, MA 10.20 The Egg Albany, NY 10.21 The Wilbur Theatre Boston, MA 10.23 The Grand Opera House Wilmington, DE 10.24 The Lincoln Theatre Washington, DC 10.25 The Peace Center Greenville, SC 10.26 Charleston Music Hall Charleston, SC 10.27 The CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Nashville, TN 10.29 The Knight Theater Charlotte, NC 10.30 The Bomhard Theatre Louisville, KY 10.31 The Pabst Theatre Milwaukee, WI 11.1 The Fitzgerald Theatre St Paul, MN 11.2 Hoyt Sherman Place Des Moines, IA 11.3 The Palladium Carmel, IN  Zane Williams' brand new single, "Texas Like That," is available today at all digital retailers. His first new music in over a year, the song celebrates the "independent hard working spirit of the people of the great state of Texas" and is his current radio single.
Support good music, take a listen and pick it up. Listen to Zane perform the song as part of his Music Monday Facebook Series. Click here to purchase from amazon.com For more information on Zane and his music, visit his official website  Whether he's playing in Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band, penning songs with country stars, laying down tracks in recording sessions, or filling venues with fans eager to hear him perform his No. 1 hits, Mac McAnally has earned his place among country music's most respected artists. The guitarist, songwriter and producer is such a force on the country scene, he's won six CMA Musician of the Year awards. And on November 5, he could pick up his seventh - and become the record-holder for most consecutive wins in the category. The 48th annual CMA Awards will be broadcast live from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on ABC-TV at 8 p.m. EST.
First nominated in 2007, McAnally has won the award each year since 2008, tying the consecutive-win record set by fiddler Mark O'Connor (1991-96). McAnally's current nomination, No. 8, puts him in the company of esteemed fellow nominees. The award has been presented annually since 1988, when guitarist Chet Atkins won. In 2009, McAnally also earned a CMA Award nomination for Musical Event of the Year for his duet with Kenny Chesney on "Down the Road," the McAnally-penned No. 1 hit he first recorded - and placed on the country singles chart - two decades earlier. McAnally's recent credits include producing Buffett's Songs from St. Somewhere, as well as co-writing seven of its tracks. He also produced the late Jesse Winchester's final album, A Reasonable Amount of Trouble, and can be heard playing numerous instruments and singing on Lee Ann Womack's just-released album, The Way I'm Livin'. In February, the one-time Muscle Shoals session player made his long-awaited Grand Ole Opry debut as a featured performer after numerous appearances with other artists. McAnally also has worked with Toby Keith, Zac Brown, George Strait, Brad Paisley, Chris LeDoux, Amy Grant, Martina McBride and many others, in addition to recording his own critically acclaimed albums. His most recent, Mac McAnally Live in Muscle Shoals, is available -along with his other releases - through his website, macmcanally.com, as well as iTunes and other online and physical music outlets. Follow McAnally at: macmcanally.com facebook.com/macmcanally twitter.com/macmcanally instagram.com/mac_mcanally  Photo Credit: Becky Fluke Critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Brandy Clark received her first NSAI Award last night when her song “Follow Your Arrow” (co-written with Shane McAnally and Kacey Musgraves and recorded by Musgraves) was named among the “10 Songs I Wish I Had Written” during the 44th Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Dinner & Induction Ceremony. This is the latest recognition for Clark, who is currently nominated for two CMA Awards for New Artist of the Year and Song of the Year (for “Follow Your Arrow”) and who recently won the 2014 Music Row Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award.
“‘Follow Your Arrow’ is such a special song to me because of how it has affected people,” said Clark. “I’ve had people tell me so many touching stories about the inspiration it has given them to be themselves and love themselves. Music has such power to make a difference and I’m thankful to be a part of that for people.” During the event, Clark also performed in honor of Gretchen Peters, who was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. “Being asked by Gretchen to be a part of her Hall of Fame induction is a highlight of my career. I am in awe of her. I learned how to write songs from listening to her. I feel so privileged to have the opportunity to honor her by performing some of the very songs that inspired me to be a songwriter.” Clark will return to the road this week and open for the legendary Loretta Lynn at a sold out show at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville this Friday (Oct. 10). She will then join Eric Church’s “The Outsiders World Tour” beginning on Oct. 16 in Charlottesville, VA. The tour includes a stop at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Oct. 17. Earlier this summer she opened for Jennifer Nettles on the “That Girl” tour, where the two artists teamed up to perform their duet “His Hands.” “I don’t think I can truly say how excited I am to open for Loretta at the Ryman other than to say it will be a magical night. She is the queen of country music singer/songwriters who taught us all to write the truth,” said Clark before gushing, “And being asked to be a part of something as big as Eric’s ‘The Outsiders World Tour’ is mind-blowing! I’m so grateful for the opportunity and for his support of what I do. I got to check out his show a few weeks back, and it’s incredible. I can’t wait to start the tour.” Clark’s debut album, 12 Stories, was named the best album of 2013 in any genre by New York Magazine’s Jody Rosen, New York Post’s Michaelangelo Matos, NPR’s Ann Powers, Slate, and Boston Globe’s Sara Rodman. The album was the No. 2 record for Fresh Air’s Ken Tucker and a top 10 choice for Los Angeles Times’ Randall Roberts and The New Yorker’s Sasha Frere-Jones, among many others. When reviewing 12 Stories, Randy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times wrote, “This is the country debut of the year.” Rolling Stone’s Will Hermes noted, “Her debut is all airtight craftsmanship, sly wit and precise detailing that treats mainstream style like artisanal fast food.” New York Magazine’s Rosen remarked, “She’s a brisk, vivid, witty storyteller; her tunes unfold in old-fashioned weepers and chugging honkytonk, with fiddles, pedal steel, and vocal harmonies driving home the punch lines and pathos,” while NPR’s Powers called her “A storyteller of the highest caliber.” Hitfix’s Melinda Newman wrote that Clark was “the best new artist country radio isn’t playing” and that 12 Stories “made almost every music critics’ best of 2013 list for its heart, wit, smart wordplay, and Clark’s expressive vocals.” Clark was nominated for her first GRAMMY Award earlier this year for Best Country Song for “Mama’s Broken Heart,” (a song she co-wrote with McAnally and Musgraves) which Miranda Lambert took to No. 1. That song also earned Clark her first CMA and ACM nominations, both for Song of the Year. She also penned The Band Perry’s No. 1 hit “Better Dig Two” with McAnally and Trevor Rosen. Other artists to record her songs include Sheryl Crow, Reba McEntire, Kacey Musgraves, LeAnn Rimes, Darius Rucker, Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson, and more. She has performed her song “Stripes” on both “Late Night with David Letterman” and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” and the song was featured in the Beats Music commercial starring DeGeneres that aired during the 2014 Super Bowl. For more information, visit www.brandyclarkmusic.com. Perhaps Paste Magazine said it best when they described the music of The Whiskey Gentry as a “toe-tapping, steamrolling kind of band, its fingers picking deep into fields of bluegrass…with a punk-inspired kick drum.” The Whiskey Gentry’s catchy tunes will reel you in from first listen. Initially a quintet formed by husband and wife Lauren Staley and Jason Morrow, the band’s debut album in 2011 Please Make Welcome became a critically-acclaimed success, launching the Atlanta-based band into markets from Tampa to NYC. Since then, they have expanded on both a physical and geographic level, becoming a septet comprised of Chesley Lowe on banjo, Sammy Griffin on bass, Price Cannon on drums, Michael Smith on mandolin, and Rurik Nunan on fiddle.Their most recent album, Holly Grove, is another leap in the band’s ongoing evolution on a musical and social scale. In early 2013, The Whiskey Gentry rallied fans to raise funds for studio sessions through a Kickstarter campaign, which ultimately far surpassed their goals and expectations. Mastered by Glenn Schick (Indigo Girls, Drive-By Truckers), Holly Grove infuses elements of country, bluegrass, folk, rock, and punk with a mix of poppy and poignant lyrics, fiery and heartfelt vocals, traditional and avant-garde sound, honesty, edginess, and entertainment all around. Luring listeners in, capturing their ears, hearts, and minds, and blazing new trails in Americana music and beyond, The Whiskey Gentry is only just warming its heels. Hunter S. Thompson wrote that “the whiskey gentry” was “a pretentious mix of booze, failed dreams, and a terminal identity crisis.” Though they are never lacking offers from fans for a shot of whiskey, their dreams are becoming reality, their identity is distinct, their future on a steady crescendo. Where: Hill Country Live NYC When: October 31st Time: Doors 1030/Show 11pm For more information visit here For more information on The Whiskey Gentry visit their official website  Courtesy rayscott.com Ray Scott will release his self-titled full-length studio album on October 7. A follow-up to his critically acclaimed Rayality, Scott’s latest effort was produced by Dave Brainard (Brandy Clark’s 12 Stories, Jerrod Niemann’s Free the Music.)
The album’s first offering, “Drinkin’ Beer’” released in July to ‘New + Noteworthy’ acclaim from iTunes and is championed by Sirius XM’s The Highway as an “On the Horizon” pick. Recorded in Nashville, the eleven-track collection highlights Scott’s soulful knack for penning incisive and honest songs with crisp hooks delivered by his raw gritty, distinctively rich vocals. The result: an album that encompasses everything both critics and fans alike have come to adore and expect from Scott. “Every song is like a separate vignette in both subject matter and production, but it also exists as a complete body of work,” Ray says. “It’s country music the way I interpret it. The album idea seems to be fading in today’s culture, but it's an important one to me in representing a period of time or a place in your consciousness." Drawing from an extensive mix of traditional influences (Waylon Jennings, Don Williams, Roger Miller), Scott masterfully churns out tracks that are both witty and timeless. Scott wrote the stirring murder ballad "Papa And Mama" by himself, and enlisted Mark Stephen Jones to co-write "Ain't Always Thirsty," which is a product of Scott's painful divorce. Meanwhile, “Tijuana Buzzkill” showcases Brainard’s production chops. “Dave did some interesting things with percussion during the verses and we had a horn player, which I've never done before” explains Scott. “It's amazing and gives it that 'Ring of Fire' sound. There were a lot of firsts this time around, and this was one of them." Scott co-wrote ‘Wheels on The House’ with critical darling Brandy Clark while album closer “I Miss The Days” is a nod to the 70s and 80s country ballad. “[I Miss The Days] combines the sentiment in the lyrics with sounds I recollect in a soup of nostalgia.” For more information please visit http://rayscott.com https://www.facebook.com/RayScottPage https://twitter.com/RayalityCheck |
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