Out Friday: Lori McKenna’s new album “The Tree”

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Lori McKenna News on Country Music News Blog

The Tree, the anticipated new album from Grammy, CMA and ACM Award-winning singer-songwriter Lori McKenna, will be released July 20 on CN Records via Thirty Tigers and is now available for pre-order. In advance of the release, the album track, “People Get Old,” is premiering today (listen/share HERE). The new album takes one of McKenna’s signature themes—family—and builds a tapestry of experiences she has lived and overheard, been told and dreamed up. Of the album, McKenna comments, “I love people’s stories about their families—the way they tic and the ways we’re all crazy and love each other. I hope my songs shine a little light on that for a second. Maybe our stories remind us of our families and what they give us. It’s beautiful, and sometimes we take it for granted.” The Tree is McKenna’s eleventh studio album and second in collaboration with Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile). Recorded by Matt Ross-Spang over seven days at Nashville’s historic RCA, the 11-song album features McKenna (vocals, acoustic guitar), Cobb (acoustic/electric guitar, mellotron), Anderson East (electric guitar), Brian Allen (bass), Chris McKenna (mellotron), Chris Powell (drums, percussion) and background vocals from Kristen Rogers, Natalie Hemby and Hillary Lindsey. In celebration of the release, McKenna embarked on “The Way Back Home Tour” this summer. The headline tour kicked off June 29 at Annapolis’ Rams Head On Stage and includes stops at City Winery venues in Boston, New York, DC, Chicago and Atlanta as well as Philadelphia’s World Café Live and Nashville’s CMA Theatre among others. McKenna will also join Alison Krauss on two tour dates in Ohio this June. See below for complete details. The new album follows a series of breakthrough years for McKenna following the release of her Grammy-nominated album, The Bird & The Rifle. Released to widespread acclaim, NPR Music called it, “one of 2016’s best releases,” while Pitchfork asserted, “one of the most accomplished and devastating singer-songwriter albums of the year,” and The Washington Post declared, “the best-sounding album of McKenna’s 15-year recording career.” The album—which garnered Grammy nominations for Best Americana Album, Best American Roots Song (“Wreck You”) and Best American Roots Performance (“Wreck You”) and two nominations at the Americana Music Association’s Honors & Awards—also landed McKenna a profile on “CBS News Sunday Morning” and a performance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Additionally, McKenna continues to enjoy tremendous success as a songwriter. In 2017, she became the first songwriter to win back-to-back Best Country Song awards at the Grammys since Shania Twain in 1999-2000 with her solo-penned, No. 1 hit “Humble & Kind” following 2016’s win for “Girl Crush” (co-written with Liz Rose and Hillary Lindsey). McKenna also won Song of the Year for “Humble & Kind” at The 50th Annual CMA Awards and became the first songwriter to win the award in consecutive years since Vince Gill (1991-1993) and the first female songwriter to win back-to-back nods in the history of the CMAs. Moreover, she made history Continue reading Out Friday: Lori McKenna’s new album “The Tree”→

Jason Aldean Adds to The Family!

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Memphis Aldean

In a surprise announcement today on instagram, Jason Aldean and wife Brittany announce that little boy Memphis is about to be a big brother! “Our theory is, ‘Hey, we got one in diapers and formula right now so, while we’re in this mindset we might as well knock it out,‘” Aldean told Taste of Country Nights in April. “We both agreed that we wanted to have two. I have two older daughters and there’s a pretty big age difference in my two older daughters and Memphis, so we wanted to have one who’s a little closer in age to him so he has somebody to hang out with.“ Sup everybody……. guess who is gonna be a BIG brother! #thisdude #aldeanpartyof6 A post shared by Jason Aldean (@jasonaldean) on Jul 10, 2018 at 8:06am PDT Congratulations to the ever-growing Aldean family!

Eric Church Suffers Loss of Co-Writer and Brother Brandon Church

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Brandon Church - Eric Church

Our deepest condolences go out after learning that Brandon Church, the brother of country star Eric Church, has passed away after suffering multiple seizures that may have led to a cardiac arrest. Brandon was in transport with emergency services when he passed. According to TMZ, Brandon, who had written a handful of songs over the years with his brother, had been having seizures in recent years, as reported by his father Ken. A Scholarship Memorial Fund has been created in honor of Brandon and the family asks that donations to the fund be sent in lieu of flowers. A law enforcement source tells us they believe the cause of death was natural, and no foul play is suspected. Brandon was 36, and leaves behind a daughter, Mackenzie, and a sister, Kendra, as well as his brother Eric. He grew up in Granite Falls before going to college at Appalachian State University. There he and his brother played music together, maintaining a partnership well into the start of the “Springsteen” singer’s professional career. Brandon Church is credited with several songwriting and production credits on early Eric Church albums. His songwriting credits include “How Bout You”, “Without You Here”, and several other early Eric Church hits.  

Watch now: Darius Rucker – Straight To Hell ft. Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Charles Kelley

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Straight To Hell Official Video

You know nothing good can happen when the heartthrobs of country music get together for a good time and this time it’s got them going Straight To Hell in this fun throwback to the wilder days of the western world. Take a look and a listen to the collaborative crooning of Darius Rucker with friends Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Charles Kelley

PEDIGREE Foundation to Host a Special Evening with LeAnn Rimes on October 11th

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BBQ, Boots & Bling “Pawty” will Commemorate 10-Year Anniversary PEDIGREE Foundation will commemorate its 10-Year Anniversary with a special event celebration to honor a decade of giving back to shelters and rescues in the U.S. PEDIGREE Foundation Pawty: BBQ, Boots, & Bling will be held on Thursday, October 11th at Marathon Music Works (1402 Clinton Street, Nashville, TN) with special music by Grammy award-winning artist LeAnn Rimes. SiriusXM’s The Highway host, Storme Warren, will serve as the emcee for the “Pawty.” The event will raise funds to benefit PEDIGREE Foundation grants program that supports organizations that help dogs in need find loving homes. The Pawty will feature a cocktail reception, delicious BBQ buffet dinner, a silent and LIVE auction with a chance to win fabulous trips and autographed celebrity memorabilia. After dinner, attendees will enjoy an exclusive night of music with multi-platinum selling artist LeAnn Rimes, who skyrocketed into stardom with her breakout country hit “Blue” in 1996. Rimes just released her new Re-Imagined EP on June 20 and will be seen in a new Hallmark Original movie, “It’s Christmas, Eve” this holiday season. “I’m a huge animal lover and I am proud to be a part of PEDIGREE Foundation fundraising event,” said LeAnn Rimes. “I always enjoy performing in Nashville and I look forward to being able to raise much-needed funds to help rescue dogs across the country through this amazing non-profit.” Top event sponsors include Dollar General, Hallmark Channel and Transcontinental Packaging. PEDIGREE Foundation was established in 2008 by dog lovers with a passionate belief that every dog deserves a loving home. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation of Mars Petcare that supports shelters and rescue organizations, as well as encouraging people to ADOPT, VOLUNTEER, and DONATE. Since 2008, the foundation has contributed more than $6.7 million through 5,000 grants to shelters and rescues across the country, supporting Mars Petcare’s purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS™. “PEDIGREE Foundation, through our volunteers and generous donors have been making a difference in the lives of dogs in need for the last ten years,” said Bo Segers, President of PEDIGREE Foundation. “We’re excited to be celebrating a decade of finding needy dogs forever homes and to shine the spotlight on the important work our shelter and rescue partners are doing to get more dogs adopted. The Pawty is going to be an outstanding event and we’re thankful to have fellow dog lovers, LeAnn Rimes and Storme Warren, as part of the evening celebration.” Other event sponsors include Atlantic Packaging, DDB Worldwide and Silgan. Tickets to the Pawty event will go on sale to the public later this summer. For more information about sponsorship opportunities, updates and how to donate to the cause, please visit PEDIGREE Foundation at www.PedigreeFoundation.org. About PEDIGREE Foundation Formed in 2008 by the makers of PEDIGREE® food for dogs, PEDIGREE Foundation is an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to helping dogs in need find loving homes by supporting the good work of shelters and dog rescue organizations Continue reading PEDIGREE Foundation to Host a Special Evening with LeAnn Rimes on October 11th→

Out Friday: Guts Club – Trench Foot

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Guts Club on Country Music News Blog

Guts Club, a dark country band based out of New Orleans, will release their third LP, and first fully electric album, Trench Foot, this Friday July 6th.  Listen To The First Single, “Mustard Tears”. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNBu8GlebBk[/embedyt] Performing under the Guts Club moniker, musician and visual artist Lindsey Bakerself-released her solo debut album, The Arm Wrestling Tournament, in February 2015, resulting in favorable feedback from press. In a review from Tiny Mix Tapesthey said “Baker carries a guitar the way Robert Frost carried a hatchet: as a tool through which tension and rage can be released,” and Paste said “The Brooklyn singer and songwriter behind Guts Club sings with piercing emotional intensity.” She’s since moved from the northeast to New Orleans, where she recorded her second album Shit Bug, released on Moderate Fidelity Records on July 1, 2016. Baker brought along a band for Shit Bug and has since preformed with a rotating cast of musicians and friends.While The Arm Wrestling Tournament dealt mostly with dark, obsessive love, the themes of Shit Bug further define Baker’s ongoing narrative about coming to terms with otherness and alienation via her own brand of cosmic gloom. On March 2, 2018 RIP Records released a new single, “Mustard Tears” as part of their RIP Introduces series. The track is the first to be heard from Guts Club’s fully electric album, Trench Foot, which will be self-released on July 6, 2018. Trench Foot marks a thoughtful deviation from the characteristically shaky Guts Club to one more deliberate in composition and voice. Upon going electric, Baker developed a new command and agency over her songwriting unheard in previous recordings. The album maintains Baker’s violent and dark undertones, this time with increasingly pointed observations on regret, privilege, and retribution.