Top 10 Fender Contender Country Music Challengers Announced

Courtesy fender.com

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.

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