Today, Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion kicked off it's 12 Days of Christmas, unveiling the first artist for the 2016 Rhythm & Roots Reunion. Each day, a new artist will be unveiled until the full line-up is revealed. For more information, and to see the first artist, visit the official website.

Nashville, TN (Press Release)– Let A Lover Drown You, the stunning new album from Penny & Sparrow is set for a March 11 release on Single Lock Records/Thirty Tigers. Let A Lover Drown You features 11 beautifully crafted songs overflowing with gorgeous melodies, soaring harmonies and thought provoking lyrics that cut right to the core. 

With influences that range from The Swell Season to Iron & Wine to Stephen Sondheim, Penny & Sparrow create music that is equally as intimate and poignant as it is powerful and earnest. The songs on Let A Lover Drown You touch on the idea that living, loving and even dying are all part of the journey we experience and that those experiences connect us to each other. Our choices, sacrifices and pain are vital elements of this experience and help define our character. While this all may seem quite heavy, Andy Baxter and Kyle Jahnke (aka Penny & Sparrow) masterfully articulate these notions by humanizing them, making everything easily relatable.

Baxter and Jahnke began making music together in 2010 while roommates at the University of Texas in Austin. The duo built a reputation for creating strikingly honest, bare boned acoustic music that resonated deeply with those who heard their songs and saw their captivating performances, which rendered audiences silent. True to their DIY ethos, Penny & Sparrow independently released two celebrated albums, one EP and toured the country extensively building a loyal and fervent following.

Produced by John Paul White (Civil Wars) and Ben Tanner (Alabama Shakes), Let A Lover Drown You find Penny & Sparrow pushing forward while maintaining a firm footing in their signature sound, one that boasts affecting vocals and contemplative lyrics. The album introduces a denser sound than their previous work, infusing lush arrangements on tracks such as the aching opener “Finery” or the sweeping “Catalogue”. Their songs feel up close and personal and induce chills as they exude haunting beauty (“Gold”) and uplifting melodies with acoustic flourishes (“Makeshift”).  The depth, dynamics and soul bearing on Let A Lover Drown You make it easy to understand why fans have such a strong connection to their music and why so many more are beginning to.

(Press Release) The Cumulus NASH Next Season One finale was held at the Wildhorse Saloon on Thursday, December 3rd with Demolition Music Publishing’s Adam Searan securing the runner-up positon.

Adam performed his premiere single Last on the finale stage where he was joined with the other finalists in the Top 10. In an event that featured Cassadee Pope and host Nash Nights Live’s Shawn Parr, each finalist performed the song they profiled in the last challenge which had them creating a music video with the help of the students at Ringling College of Art and Design out of Sarasota, FL. As the results were revealed, Adam, who had fought his way through the thousands that signed up for the competition, finished runner-up to the group Breaking Southwest. 
 
“I look forward to the opportunities that will develop as a result of this first season,” says Adam.  “I developed a great relationship with the Cumulus and Big Machine team as well as the other finalists.”

NEW YORK, N.Y. (Press Release) — For Jim Dolan, lead singer, songwriter and guiding force behind JD & The Straight Shot, it’s ultimately the music that calls the shots. The band’s Americana-rooted sound turns fully organic on their latest album, the all-acoustic Ballyhoo!, set for release on January 15, 2016.

The all-American outfit is still basking in the accolades that accompanied its two recent European tours, which saw the band perform successful shows in London, Madrid, Paris, Dublin and the Netherlands. In September they performed a well-received showcase at the 2015 Americana Music Festival & Conferencein Nashville, whose prestigious lineup also included the likes of Los Lobos, Lera Lynn, and the Mavericks.

The album took shape in New York and Nashville, with key contributions from the entire group, which also includes guitarist/vocalist Marc Copely, whose vast resume includes work with B.B. King, Rosanne Cash and Buddy Miller; fiddler/vocalist Erin Slaver, who’s played with Rod Stewart, Trace Adkins and Martina McBride; bassist Byron House, a renowned Nashville studio ace who’s recorded withRobert Plant, Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton); and Jim Dolan’s son, Aidan, who recently earned a musical composition degree from NYU.

Discussing their creative process while gathered around a table in the hotel connected to Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame — still jazzed from their lively Americana Music Festival & Conference showcase two days earlier — the band members convey a strong, relaxed rapport. In conversation, they easily fill in blanks for one another, sometimes finishing each other’s sentences. 

-Tara

Country music as a genre seems to be wide open, yet it still (sans a token artist or two) seems to find it difficult to be inclusive of what one would consider traditional music. The genre has welcomed hip-hop and R&B sounds, yet finds it laborious to open the door for artists and instrumentation that place fiddle or pedal steel as a main player, not a supporting or gratuitous one. If the genre is going to include Sam Hunt and FGL, then it must certainly expand and welcome artists like Turnpike Troubadours, The Black Lilies and Courtney Patton. That said, 2015 was a great year for music…. but most of the truly good stuff came from outside of Nashville; not the fringes of EDM/Pop/Rap…but the fringes of Texas, Oklahoma, North Carolina and Knoxville where the thriving music scenes are filled with artists putting out tremendous work. If you are willing to dig deeper, there’s much to be found.

So for me, a great album is one that moves you, literally, but also, and more importantly, emotionally. An album that reaches in and draws out feelings from bliss and joy to crocodile tears. These ten albums did just that. They were the ones I consistently and repeatedly found myself returning to all year long....and the ones I will surely be playing well into 2016 and beyond.

1.The Black Lillies Hard To Please The Black Lillies (Cruz Contreras, Trisha Gene Brady, Bowman Townsend, Sam Quinn, Mike Seal and Jonathan Keeney.) return, reinvigorated on their latest release. It’s signature Lillies, but funkier, more vibrant, with a thick, welcome infusion of organ, saxophone, trumpet, and glorious guitar riffs. There’s a current flowing through this record; that is the push and pull of love: desire, dissolution and complications, pushed along by a soulful, bluesy groove. From the fabulous foot stomper “Hard To Please” to the gorgeous “Mercy” and the beautiful “Fade,” the songs are...visceral. Contreras and Gene Brady’s vocals have always complimented one another and both consistently convey what a song calls for whether it’s warmth, sorrow, honesty, or joy. TBL have poured their heart and soul into Hard To Please. You’ll not only hear it, but you’ll feel it in every track as you automatically sense that swell in your chest, recall a memory or notice your foot tapping. Don’t let the title deceive you, Hard To Please is anything but.

2. The Statesboro Revue Jukehouse Revival  While many artists claim their latest albums as their best work yet, here that phrase absolutely rings true. Jukehouse Revival finds the band honing in even further on their one of a kind sound. It is a groove fueled, soulful, joyous, forty minutes of “funky country” that celebrates life, love and hard work. It’s an album that will reinvigorate your musical soul whether you are in a juke joint, a dive bar, listening alone in your car or sitting on someone’s front porch.

3. William Clark Green Ringling Road One of those rare, complete records with keen observations on life, love, and society. Vividly detailing everything from circus life (“Ringling Road”), to society’s new norms (“Old Fashioned”), and delving into the intricacies of relationships with sharp, and often biting, lyrics. His writings are witty; filled with humor, heart, anger and truth….and will eventually find him being known as one of the best songwriter’s of his generation. 

4. Jamie Lin Wilson Holidays & Wedding Rings

5. Courtney Patton So This Is Life Pairing these women (amd real life friends) up because they just get it. Glorious and gorgeous voices paired with honest and impactful story songs of real life and real women that just hit your heart.

6. Turnpike Troubadours (Self-Titled) The OK band’s latest, and best to date, album is a solid listen start to finish whether the pace is frenetic (“The Mercury”) or slowed to a beautiful crawl (“Fall Out of Love”). Once you have given them a listen, they will become your new favorite band. 

7. American Aquarium Wolves  BJ Barham and the boys keep true to the AA sound, yet are more often than not, (refreshingly) looking for the positive. There’s growth and maturity in the songwriting that will surely keep them around for years to come.

8. Eric Church Mr. Misunderstood I waivered a bit with The Outsiders, but Church’s scaled back album was the surprise of the year. It is the Chief in fine form (harkening back to Sinners or Carolina) consisting of tender ballads about his son to odes to the "weird kid" and beyond. He may have been the title character years ago, but he’s definitely now seen as one of the genre’s top tunesmiths.

9. The Honeycutters Me Oh My An extremely balanced album in terms of tempo and theme, merging Americana, roots, country and even honky tonk into a delightfully unique combination. Front woman Amanda Anne Platt, who is in her twenties, has an ability to write relatable and straightforward lyrics conveying feelings and experiences so simply and honestly that the listener instantly connects. It’s a highly recommended, refreshing and enjoyable listen from the first track to the last.

10. Sam Outlaw Angeleno The California marketing exec with a smooth as honey voice thankfully quit his day job and produced the exquisite Angeleno which finds shades of mariachi music blended with waltzes, shuffles and a humorous nod to Jesus in a twelve track collection that was often on repeat.

Read on for 11-35

NASHVILLE, TN (December 11, 2015) – Columbia Records’ country sensation Home Free will break from their sold-out HOME FREE FOR THE HOLIDAYS tour to join music icon Kenny Rogers this Monday (12/14) on NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Earlier this year, Home Free met the legendary singer when he invited them to join him on “Children, Go Where I Send Thee,” featured on Rogers’ brand newONCE AGAIN IT’S CHRISTMAS album (Warner Bros./Warner Music Nashville). The music video for the collaboration racked up over one million YouTube views in just three weeks with the band’s loyal fans bringing their total YouTube views to a soaring 53 million.  On December 23 fans can also catch Home Free when they perform on Hallmark Channel’s two-hour lifestyle show, “Home & Family,” at 10am/9amCT.  
"What an absolute honor to be an invited guest of one of country's biggest legends," offers bass singer Tim Foust.  "We've formed an amazing friendship with Kenny, and we are excited to make our late night television debut with one of the last country greats."

Keeping in the holiday spirit, Rolling Stone Country is exclusively premiering the vocal band’s brand new music video for “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” today (12/11). Directed by FifGen Films’ Reilly Zamber, McKenzie Zamber and Jimmy Bates, the video was shot in a cabin just outside Minneapolis, MN. Featuring clips of soldiers reuniting with their families for the holidays, it keeps the sentiment of the original Bing Crosby song honoring troops overseas during World War II at Christmastime.

Looking ahead to the New Year, Home Free will embark on the 2016 DON’T IT FEEL GOOD: SPRING Tour. A continuation of their successful 2015 DON'T IT FEEL GOOD Tour, they are returning with a nationwide run of 35 dates covering 31 cities. The tour launches February 10 in Ames, IA, and wraps up May 8 in St. Cloud, MN. Fans can expect to hear songs from Home Free’s new studio album COUNTRY EVOLUTION, including current Country radio single “Elvira” as well as fan-favorites. Pre-sales begin today (12/11) at10am local time via HomeFreeMusic.com/Tour with offer code "HARMONY." Tickets will be available to the general public on Monday, December 14 at 10am local time.

ASHEVILLE, NC (Press Release)-- One of the most dynamic and determined bands continuously touring America for since 1989, Donna the Buffalo has created a community environment at their shows through their distinctive, groove-heavy, and danceable music. 

Donna the Buffalo is happy to announce their new year’s and winter tour for 2016! They travel into Florida leading up to the  New Year with a show in Ponte Vedra Beach on the 30th of December and they ring in the new year on NYE at Skipper’s in Tampa. They continue on in early January through Stuart, Boca Raton, Key West, and Orlando before heading back up north for stops in Saxapahaw, NC as well as Charlottesville, and Richmond, Virginia before a short break. 

The tour picks back up again at The Hamilton in Washington, DC on January, 22nd as they travel south to play Asheville’s Orange Peel the following day. The following Thursday they meet up with Ben Cohen (Co-founder of Ben and Jerry’s) for another Stampede show - this one Free - in Plymouth, NH on the 28th. That weekend they roam the northeast with shows in Jim Thorpe, Buffalo, and Infinity Hall in Norfolk. In early February they hit the Brooklyn Bowl, Club Helsinki Hudson, the Narrow Center for the Arts  in Fall River and the Bull Run Concert Series near Boston, MA. Inventive New York City-based band, City of the Sun will open along select winter shows. 

Donna the Buffalo is the host band for the Virginia Key GrassRoots Festival of Music, Art & Dance in Miami and they’ll be performing throughout the weekend from Thursday-Sunday, February 18-21. Stay tuned for more dates to be announced for late winter and early spring!

Artist & Multi-Instrumentalist Shines On Up-Tempo Story Song
Inspired By Real Events 

Nashville, TN (December 10, 2015 Press Release) -Jake Clayton's new music video, "What Not To Do," premieres  tomorrow, Friday, December 11 on The Heartland Network at 11 p.m.Central.  The clip and its companion "behind-the-scenes" video will air multiple times over the next week; check local listings for broadcast times.  "It's a song that tells the stories of three separate people, their actions and the resulting consequences," explains the talented artist and multi-instrumentalist.  "We wanted a gritty video - and we got it."   Clayton co-produced the clip with Rob Daniels for Please & Thank You Motion Pictures; Dylan White directed.       
           
Taped in 115-degree heat, viewers are immediately drawn in with a sense of urgency, punctuated by blistering fiddle work, dynamic guitars and heart-pounding drums.  While the video is a warning about straying from a virtuous path, and is based upon real crimes, it is related in a "by example" fashion and not in a "doom-and-gloom" way.  There is nothing "preachy" about Jake's high-energy performance or ear-splitting grin, and both lighten the mood considerably.  Split between performance footage shot in an abandoned barn just outside of Nashville, Tennessee and entertaining re-enactments taped in Chesapeake and Portsmouth, Virginia, the video definitely matches the single in intensity.
 
The radio-active track, a searing up-tempo, was released to Country radio in September. Music News Atlanta states "Clayton is in a league of his own when matched against most of the current young Country artists," and describes "What Not To Do" as a "powerful and honest song in the mold of how they used to make 'em."  The tastemaker adds "Jake's on-the-money tenor ... (is) definitely from deep Country roots and his delivery is filled with an energy that the genre hasn't seen in a while."  The track is from Jake's current CD, BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON, for Rebel Engine Entertainment.  
 
Jake and his band have opened for Charlie Daniels, Jon Pardi and Jerrod Niemann.  He recorded and produced the theme song for The Sportsman Channel's Legacy Trails TV show and, as a musician, he has entertained crowds at Madison Square Garden, the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame.
 
http://www.jakeclayton.com
https://www.facebook.com/thejakeclayton
https://twitter.com/thejakeclayton
https://instagram.com/thejakeclayton

SPOONER OLDHAM, SARA WATKINS, GREG LEISZ, AND YEP ROC ARTIST JONAH TOLCHIN AMONG GUESTS ON REMARKABLE DEBUT ALBUM

(Press Release) Bound To Meet The Devil due February 26, 2016 marks the arrival of a powerhouse new vocalist on the Americana scene: Julie Rhodes. Just two years ago, Rhodes hadn’t yet graced the stage, though she was an ardent fan (and working at an ice cream parlor). Yep Roc Records artist Jonah Tolchin heard her singing along to one of his songs in the audience; after the show, they talked and Tolchin was shocked to learn that Julie wasn’t (yet) an artist with the vocal talents that she possessed. Less than a year later, Tochin was co-producing and playing guitar on Bound To Meet The Devil.

Recorded in her native New England as well as at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, AL, the 11-song full-length studio LP also includes heavy hitters such as Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Spooner Oldham, Nickel Creek's Sara Watkins, and Greg Leisz (Paul Westerberg, Dave Alvin, Lucinda Williams). It was mixed by Grammy Award-winner Sheldon Gomberg and mastered by 1809 Studios.

The resulting album has an immediate, visceral impact from first listen onwards, bearing the influences of singers like Irma Thomas, Shovels & Rope, Etta James, and Bonnie Raitt. The longing of album opener “In Your Garden” to her knowing vocals over the Muscle Shoals groove of “Collector Man.” The band provides ample support behind her, from the relaxed behind-the-beat “Hey Stranger” to the pure soul of “Hurricane.” Though the writing is uniformly strong, one of the album’s highlights is a spine-tingling cover of Son House’s “Grinnin’ In Your Face.”

Already, Rhodes has earned a northeast fanbase, has performed at venues like NYC’s Baby’s All Right, and has played CMJ. Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz said, “Get ready to be amazed by Julie Rhodes.”

NASHVILLE, TN (Press Release) – Gary Allan, Big & Rich, Frankie Ballard, Eric Paslay, Chris Janson, Old Dominion, Neal McCoy, The Swon Brothers, The Cadillac Three, Jana Kramer, Outshyne, William Michael Morgan andAnnie Bosko will perform at the 4th Annual Taste of Country Music Festival, the Northeast’s premier 3-day country music festival. The Festival will be held June 10-12, 2016 at Hunter Mountain Resort (Hunter, NY) in the Great Northern Catskills of Greene County. This star-packed list of performers will join Kenny Chesney and Jake Owen – who were previously announced as headliners – on the TOC stage in 2016. 

“Taste of Country is shaping up to be another record-breaking year,” said Dhruv Prasad, Executive Vice President, Live Events, Townsquare Media Inc. “It’s important to us to provide our fans the best country music and camping experience in the Northeast, and we believe our strong lineup paves the way for an amazing 3- days.“

Tickets for the Taste of Country Music Festival are on sale at www.tasteofcountryfestival.com. General admission tickets start at only $165 for a 3-day pass, available for a limited time only. VIP packages start at $519 for a 3-day VIP “Outlaw Pass” with “Super Outlaw Pass” packages available as well.

The festival is again offering attendees an off-site car and RV camping option at Bear Creek, located a few miles from the festival grounds, with camping prices starting at $109. The off-site camping passes will come with free shuffle service to/from the festival grounds. In response to the festival’s incredible growth over the past few years, a Guaranteed Tent Camping option has been added, with passes starting at $10. Free Tent Camping is still an option, provided there is space available at the time of entry.