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Store Opens with New Nashville Rocks T-Shirt

Nashville Rocks T-Shirt

Nashville Rocks T-ShirtNashville Rocks® T-Shirt

Hey Folks, I’ve been working on the site and would love it if you would help me test the new merchandise transactions. Besides, doesn’t everyone want a new Nashville Rocks® T-Shirt?! Anyway, I have several of these and am also considering offering them in different colors. Let me know your thoughts and what you’d like to see on the next T-Shirt below in the comments. Thank you and keep rockin’!

https://nashvillerocks.com/store/


~Jason R. Coleman
President
Nashville Rocks®
www.nashvillerocks.com®


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Charlie Worsham – New Artist Spotlight – CMA Close Up by Bob Doerschuk – On Nashville Rocks

Charlie Worsham

 

Charlie Worsham

Born in Mississippi, Charlie Worsham learned enough banjo by age 10 for bluegrass legend Jimmy Martin to invite him onstage at the Ryman Auditorium. Two years after that, he joined Mike Snider on the air at the Opry. After attending Boston’s Berklee College of Music, he headed to Nashville and eventually earned himself a deal with Warner Bros. Records.

 

On his new album, Rubberband, released today, Worsham distinguishes himself by his unerring taste and musical subtlety. As co-producer with Ryan Tyndell and co-writer on all 11 tracks, he knows his way into each lyric. He does play some burning leads, but most of the album is toned down, rich in acoustic texture. His banjo stays in the background, enhancing the Country flavor. Drums are often muted and minimal.

 

This gives Worsham room to tell his stories. Starting with solo guitar and vocal, “How I Learned To Pray” (written by Worsham, Tyndell and Jeremy Spillman) points not to church services “with a chapter and a verse” but to small epiphanies in everyday life as sources of redemption. On “Love Don’t Die Easy” (Worsham, Tyndell and Steve Bogard), metaphor mixes with clear-eyed observation to mourn broken souls haunted by love long or recently lost. Worsham finds daylight too, stirring cautious hope for the future during a morning after on the album’s first single, “Could It Be” (Worsham, Tyndell and Marty Dodson). His gift is to be able to whisper intimately one moment and, with minimal effort, rock the house the next — and that’s something they don’t teach at Berklee.Charlie Worsham

 

For more on Worsham, visit www.CMACloseUp.com.

 

IN HIS OWN WORDS

 

SONG YOU WOULD LOVE TO COVER

 

“I’d really love to cover a Katie Perry song – maybe ‘I Kissed a Girl’?”

 

MUSICAL HERO

 

“I grew up on Vince Gill and Marty Stuart. Earl Scruggs is in that category too, as is Jimmy Martin.”

 

SONG YOU WISH YOU HAD COVERED

 

“Any songwriter would say they wish they had written ‘The House That Built Me.’”

 

ACTOR TO PORTRAY YOU IN A BIOPIC

 

“Christian Bale – although I’d really get a kick out of hanging with Jack Nicholson.”

 

MOMENT YOU’D LIKE TO RELIVE

 

“I could relive playing at the Opry when I was 12 a million times.”

 

On the Web: www.CharlieWorsham.com

 

On Twitter: @CharlieWorsham

 

© 2013 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.


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Kacey Musgraves – New Artist Spotlight – CMA Close Up by Bob Doerschuk – On Nashville Rocks

Kacey Musgraves

Kacey Musgraves

Kacey Musgraves on Nashville Rocks

It was one of those nights at the Grand Ole Opry that promised satisfaction for Country traditionalists. One after the other, Del McCoury, Ricky Skaggs and Dailey & Vincent filed out and fired up some sizzling bluegrass.

Yet it was an idiosyncratic new artist that brought the audience to its feet. Wrapped in a tight, blazing-red outfit, Kacey Musgraves teetered out in heels. Smiling a little shyly, she spoke two words — “Hello, Opry!” — and then drifted into “It Is What It Is” (written by Musgraves, Luke Laird and Brandy Clark), surely one of the most wistful and resigned songs ever to open a set on that stage. As she finished, cameras flashed all over the main floor and balcony as Musgraves allowed herself a short rumination.

“No matter what side of the coin you’re on, gay or straight, black or white, somebody is gonna have a problem with it,” she said. “So I think everybody should just do what they do.”

That, and the bouncy beat of “Follow Your Arrow” (Musgraves, Clark and Shane McAnally), both from her debut album Same Trailer Different Park, set off the crowd again. The same folks who clapped to Skaggs’ “You Can’t Hurt Ham” now sang along to a song that suggested kissing lots of boys — or girls — and maybe lighting up a joint now and then won’t bring the Republic to its knees.

The success of Kacey Musgraves may signify a sea change in what mainstream Country is ready to accommodate.

“I love conversational music,” she explained. “I hate when I feel like someone is singing at me. The message of the song is the most important thing.”

Plenty of people have seen potential in this young East Texan, ever since she left Austin at 18 to join other hopefuls in the 2007 season of “Nashville Star.” After settling in Nashville a few years later, she took a few day jobs, including a gig that involved wearing costumes and entertaining kids at birthday parties. But singing demos provided steadier income and helped point her toward a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell.

In that position, Musgraves wrote a number of songs that were picked up by major Country artists. “My first was by Lee Ann Womack,” she recalled. “It was a song I wrote with a guy named Travis Meadows, called ‘There’s a Person There.’ It’s about this older lady who lived in the apartment above me when I moved to town. Unfortunately, it never saw the light of day. But when I figured out that I could make a living by putting things that came out of my brain onto a piece of paper, I really fell in love with that.

She wanted to perform too. Offers came in from folks who misidentified her as a candidate for stardom according to the prevailing industry model. Wisely, she opted to wait for an opportunity she could fully embrace.

Kacey Musgraves“It wasn’t that people were trying to push me into anything,” Musgraves said. “It was more that the material was OK but it didn’t really come from a different point of view. It was like, ‘Oh, this could be a hit. Let’s do this.’ I had the sense to be patient with all that, because I thought that if I’ve got one shot to say something, it better mean something.”

After a promising moment with Lost Highway before the label was shuttered, Musgraves found someone who could give her that shot. “Kacey doesn’t project the typical, middle-of-the-road image that we expect from our female artists,” said Mike Dungan, who began working with the newly signed artist when he became Chairman/CEO, Universal Music Nashville. “Our radio format is crying for something different. This was a new perspective and fresh delivery that was so high-quality that we were confident it would work, given the right plan.

“Her presentation is a bit understated when you compare her to some of the arena artists. So we made sure she was presented in intimate settings. But mainly, we took our lead from the press. The minute they heard her music, the response from all areas was phenomenal.”

Much of that had to do with the overlay of acoustic timbres, accessible tunes, ironic humor and songs that tell narrative stories, in the often touted but rarely practiced Country tradition. Musgraves explained, “I just wanted to create an album with concise character, not just, ‘Here’s a song! This could be a hit! Look what I can do!’ A lot of records nowadays are like that.

Kacey Musgraves“My favorite songs are simple,” Musgraves added. “It’s not that sometimes a song can’t be really intricate, but I never wanted the production to smack you in the face. There has to be space because that makes the idea stronger than loading it up with too many things. It’s never about how many licks somebody can play or solos they can shred. I just want it to feel good. I do love having songs that people can sing along to. I love that pop sensibility as much as a Radiohead song. If you can walk the line between having both, then you’ve nailed it.”

If that means testing Country audiences a little by playing on words like “whore” in “Follow Your Arrow,” or embracing the ennui of a listless affair in “It Is What It Is,” so be it. “Times have changed,” Dungan insisted. “If people give it a shot, they’ll hear that she’s not saying, ‘Go out and do this.’ She’s saying, ‘Just live your life and be happy.’”

On the Web: www.KaceyMusgraves.com

On Twitter: @KaceyMusgraves

 

© 2013 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.


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Rachele Lynae – New Artist Spotlight – CMA Close Up by Bob Doerschuk

Rachele Lynae

Rachele LynaeRachele Lynae

 

The daughter of a fisherman, Rachele Lynae was raised on Alaska’s Kodiak Island. From the start, she set her eyes far beyond the snow-capped mountains that towered on the horizon, toward the Lower 48 and a career in Country Music. She began singing in church at age 5, did her first show at 11 in the Kodiak Lions Club, started writing songs at 12 and embarked on her first tour at 17. Enrolled after that in Belmont University, she polished her chops at Tootsies Orchid Lounge and other Lower Broadway venues.

In her senior year, Lynae cut an EP that soon made its way to Jamie O’Neal. The celebrated Country artist took Lynae under her wing, eventually producing her self-titled, six-song “party pack” digital EP on O’Neal’s Momentum Label Group imprint. Her single, “Fishin’ for Something” (written by Lynae and Hannah Bethel) dropped July 2, immediately receiving five new adds on Mediabase.

“Party ‘Til the Cows Come Home” (Lynae, O’Neal, Stephanie Bentley and Jimmy Murphy) is a full-bore barn burner, complete with a high-impact guitar lick, internal rhymes and a powerful chorus that summons the listener to join the fun. Equally impressive, Lynae employs multiple arrangement devices — sing-along riffs, sudden breaks and other elements that change constantly yet never impede the groove.

And, oh, yeah, she can sing too. On the power ballad “Done Is Done” (Lynae and Luke Sheets), check out how her intensity varies from delicate to resonant and assertive within the space of a few bars, making it all sound easy and never losing focus. Even in these few moments, Lynae’s fiery delivery could illuminate the Northern Lights.

IN HER OWN WORDS

BOOK ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND

“My Bible is sitting next to a copy of Pride and Prejudice.”

PET PEEVE

“Driving under the speed limit.”

FAVORITE FOOD ON THE ROAD

“When I’m on the West Coast, I have to hit up In-n-Out Burger at least once! Other than that, does coffee count as food?”

WHAT YOU HOPE PEOPLE WILL SAY ABOUT YOU 50 YEARS FROM NOW

“I want people to say that I have always been inspiring and empowering – a cheerleader for love.”

On the Web: www.RacheleLynae.com

On Twitter: @RacheleLynae

 

© 2013 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.


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Reverb Nation No Longer Supports Independent Artists – Where Do Independents Go Now?

Reverb Nation Banner

Reverb Nation Banner

Reverb Nation Focuses on National Acts

It’s come to my attention as of late that the formerly independent musician supporting Reverb Nation has changed their business model. When, in the past, they’ve always been a place to go to find new music and new artists not supported by record labels or management, but the little guy who has put together some great music in his garage. Well, that has all come to a close. Now when doing searches for great new artists that are independent and starving for new places to play and new fans, those artists have to compete with the likes of national acts like Tim McGraw, Lil Wayne and Motley Crue. So where does an independent artist go for promotion and exposure? You tell us. Nashville Rocks tried a previous business model allowing accounts and more, but on a shoestring budget, the hackers were more than I could deal with. Where does an independent artist go now? Share your thoughts below so that other independents have a place to go as well.

We also want to help. If you need exposure, look no further. If you are a Nashville artist or band OR you have played or will play in Nashville, then please send us your press releases and music promotions and video promotions. We are excited to provide a place for independent artists to feature their work. The only national support we provide is in music news or interviews, but we focus on the little guy. So send us an email to get started and lets build a brand together that actually supports independent artists.


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WordPress Theme Research

Wordpress logoI’m really diving into the WordPress themes and which one would be best to start the site rolling again. I’ve been told that it would be best to use a Genesis backed theme, but their themes are so bland. So, if you have time, help me out. What do you think would be best for Nashville Rocks? Here are some of the themes that I’m looking at as of now: