Watch Now: Sam Hunt – Downtown’s Dead

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Sam Hunt Downtowns Dead

Hunt Joins Luke Bryan and Jon Pardi for  What Makes You Country Tour XL This Summer Sam Hunt released his brand new single, “Downtown’s Dead“, dropping hints on his socials all day Tuesday. Hunt’s new song, co-written by Hunt with Zach Crowell, Josh Osborne, Shane McAnally and Charlie Handsome, is now available HERE and made its world premiere with iHeart country radio.   “Downtown’s Dead” is the first new single from the critically-acclaimed, GRAMMY-nominated superstar since last year’s record-breaking, 5x Platinum-selling smash, “Body Like A Back Road.” At 34 weeks, Hunt’s “Body Like a Back Road” set the record for the most weeks at No. 1 in the six-decade history of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and earned Hunt the 2017 Academy of Country Music Award for “Single Record of the Year.” Hunt will also receive the ACM Gene Weed Milestone Award at the ACM Honors ceremony this summer in recognition of this unprecedented achievement. Additionally, “Body Like A Back Road” was the No. 1 most-streamed and the No. 1 most-downloaded country song of 2017, received CMT’s inaugural Song of the Year Award for 2017, and it is nominated for twoBillboard Music Awards – Top Selling Song and Top Country Song. Hunt is also nominated for the Billboard Chart Achievement Award, Top Country Artist and Top Country Male Artist at this weekend’s celebration. Fans can vote for Hunt’s Chart Achievement nomination HERE and tune in to the 2018 Billboard Music Awards live on Sunday, May 20 at 8pm ET on NBC. Hunt hits the road this month as a special guest on Luke Bryan’s What Makes You Country Tour – XL Stadium Sized along with country star Jon Pardi and opening artists Morgan Wallen (May-Aug) and Carly Pearce (Sep-Oct). Kicking off May 31 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, ONT., Hunt, Bryan and Pardi will hit 13 of North America’s biggest and best sports stadiums including MetLife Stadium (NYC), Great American Ball Park (Cincinnati), Raymond James Stadium (Tampa), Heinz Field (Pittsburgh), Fenway Park (Boston), Target Field (Minneapolis), Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles), Sports Authority Field at Mile High (Denver), Busch Stadium (St. Louis), Wrigley Field (Chicago), BC Place Stadium (Vancouver) and Ford Field (Detroit). For more information on music, tour dates and tickets, please visit www.SamHunt.com.

Blake Shelton Reveals Ole Red Grand Opening

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Ole Red Gatlinburg

WARNER BROS./WMN’s BLAKE SHELTON and RYMAN HOSPITALITY PROPERTIES will celebrate the grand opening of their multi-level entertainment venue, OLE RED, on WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6th through SUNDAY, JUNE 10th during CMA FEST in NASHVILLE. Several events will take place during the week, including a “BLAKE SHELTON AND FRIENDS” concert; fans can enter to win tickets to the event here. The venue was revealed last year and will be located on Lower Broadway. “Lower Broadway is the centerpiece of NASHVILLE,” noted SHELTON. “There’s so much great music and fun going on down there all the time, and it’s exciting to now be a part of it – it’s a dream come true.” Added RYMAN HOSPITALITY PROPERTIES Chairman/CEO COLIN REED, “OLE RED is an experience unlike anywhere else on Broadway – from the live entertainment quality to the food, drinks, décor, and retail. We are excited to celebrate its grand opening with the thousands of fans and visitors that join us in NASHVILLE for one of the most exciting weeks of the year, CMA FEST.”

New Music and Tour From Ashton Shepherd!

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Ashton Shepherd News

Brickshore Media is pleased to announce the addition of Billboard chart-topping country artist Ashton Shepherd to their roster for exclusive PR representation. This South Alabama native is back in the limelight with an upcoming tour and new music to be released later this year. She will also be a part of this year’s CMA Music Festival in Nashville where she will be signing autographs and performing throughout the event. “I had the privilege to work with Ashton Shepherd a few years ago on her last project. She delivers true country music. She’s the real deal and we’re so excited to be a part of her team,” says Nicole Zeller, President/CEO of Brickshore Media. “I’m thrilled to be a part of the Brickshore family,” says Ashton Shepherd. “Nicole Zeller is a publicist I have come to respect and trust with my music career. If you want to hire a publicist that’s as passionate about music as you are then Nicole is your gal. She puts her heart and soul into everything and I’m glad to be back working with her.” The authentic country sound is back. With new music coming and a full-fledge tour in the works, her latest album Out Of My Pocket portrays the same genuine country style that the audience expects when they think of Ashton Shepherd. She has recently announced The Country Roots Tour with Dove Award-Winner and ICM Award-Winner Nathan Stanley (grandson of the late Dr. Ralph Stanley). With tour dates already secured in Georgia, Virginia, South Carolina, and more, this show will be one to catch this fall. About Ashton Shepherd: Nominee for the 2011 American Country Award for Female Music Video and 2009 Academy of Country Music Award Top New Female Vocalist, this southern belle was born and raised in the small Alabama town of Coffeeville. Growing up listening and singing along with greats such as Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson, Patty Loveless and Shania Twain, her passion for music grew stronger. In 2008, her debut album Sounds So Good produced two Top 40 hits Takin’ Off This Pain and the title track Sounds So Good. Her second album, Where Country Grows, includes the title single and the Top 20 hit Look It Up. She has been featured on Good Morning America, as well as in The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone Magazine, Country Weekly, just to name a few. With over 91k followers on her Facebook page and growing daily, she has toured with the likes of Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Josh Turner, and more. www.Facebook.com/AshtonShepherd About Brickshore Media: Brickshore Media, Inc. is a full-service public relations firm in Nashville, Tenn that represent the likes of renowned singer/songwriter Brady Seals (Little Texas), Grammy-winning country artist Bryan White, Crystal Day, Nick Hickman, Travis Rice, Williams Honor, just to name a few. With a fresh, savvy approach to modern day media, Brickshore Media specializes in public relations, digital publicity, social media marketing and event coordination for brands and artists that are looking to create an awareness across multiple platforms within the industry. Owned and operated by Nicole Zeller, Brickshore Media has Continue reading New Music and Tour From Ashton Shepherd!→

Listen Now: Granger Smith – You’re In It

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Granger Smith News

Granger Smith’s irresistible “You’re In It,” the second single off his acclaimed When The Good Guys Win album is officially spinning on Country radio airwaves today (5/7). Following his smash hit “Happens Like That”, the single is the 2nd Most Added song at Country radio this week with 40 first-week stations onboard. Co-produced by Granger Smith, Frank Rogers and Derek Wells and written by Frank Rogers, Justin Adams and Mark Nesler, “You’re In It” is a soaring anthem that explodes through speakers. The song represents a story everyone can relate to on some level: the unknown of what the future holds, but the triumphant realization that a certain person will be in it regardless.   In true Granger Smith fashion, fans got a taste for his new radio single this morning on social media. Watch the music maverick explain his enthusiasm to perform the electric song live to his unwavering Yee Yee Nation at outdoor festivals and packed venues heading into summertime: https://www.instagram.com/p/Biem6HnHBDq/?taken-by=grangersmith   The Wheelhouse Records artist is currently headlining his nationwide Don’t Tread On Me Tour. The unrivaled showman is scheduled to appear at major fairs and festivals coast-to-coast through Summer 2018 as well as return to Australia due to overwhelming fan demand.   For more information and tickets, please visit: www.grangersmith.com/tour   ABOUT GRANGER SMITH: Over the course of his groundbreaking career, Granger Smith has amassed a massive and rabid audience now known as “Yee Yee Nation” built through heavy touring and grassroots fan engagement. He now has a social media following of over 6.8 million and over a quarter of a BILLION online video views. Flagship artist on BBR Music Group’s Wheelhouse Records, Smith broke onto the national scene with Remington, an album that garnered him the No. 1 single “Backroad Song.” Smith was also awarded a BMI Country Award for writing, producing, publishing and performing “Backroad Song” and followed it with the Top 5 hit, “If The Boot Fits.” “Backroad Song” was one of the Top 10 Most Played country singles of 2016 according to Mediabase and has been certified RIAA GOLD. He was nominated as Best New Country Artist for the 2017 iHeartRadio Awards and was included in the 2017 crop of artists honored during the CRS “New Faces” show. He released his current full-length album When The Good Guys Win on October 27 and is headlining his nationwide tour.

Out June 8th: New Sugarland Album “Bigger”

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Sugarland Bigger Album Release

SUGARLAND’s highly anticipated sixth studio album, titled BIGGER, will be released on June 8 and is currently available for preorder on April 13. Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush co-wrote nearly all of the songs on the album, which was co-produced by Kristian, Jennifer, and Julian Raymond. The project’s lead single, “Still The Same,” is currently climbing the Country radio charts ahead of the duo’s spring-summer STILL THE SAME 2018 TOUR. After taking a hiatus to pursue a series of high profile solo projects, BIGGER is the duo’s first new music in seven years and the first project under their new joint venture with Big Machine Records and UMG Nashville. It will be available to pre-order at digital retailers as well as the title track, “Bigger,” available to download on April 13. As fans have come to expect from Sugarland, BIGGER embodies the musical spirit of the band: it contains tracks both uptempo and upbeat as well as powerful message songs that address specific issues facing the world. “Our hopefulness and our sparkiness and our joy is one of the things I think we do uniquely well, especially in the country format,” says Jennifer of the set’s sunnier material. “We offer that in a unique way.” The bold graphics of the recently unveiled album cover conjure up images of a circus tent, representative of both that fun side and some of the more enigmatic content on the project, which was written over and influenced by the course of the past six months. “This album has a whole bunch of mystery,” says Kristian, who has been enjoying peeling back the layers of the production and the nuanced songwriting. “I’m listening to it every two days just to see what’s in it. I have entire pints of blood in that thing, but I still don’t know where it all came from, and I love that.” Their STILL THE SAME 2018 TOUR kicks off May 25 and will visit 48 cities in the U.S. and Canada, but the duo has already delighted audiences in the U.K. with their new material, earning standing ovations during their performances at the C2C: Country to Country festival in March. Since the band’s inception in 2002, Sugarland has sold nearly 10 million albums domestically, earned seven No. 1 singles to date and amassed more than 260 million on-demand streams, making Sugarland one of the most popular Country music duos of all time. Lauded by Entertainment Weekly as one of the format’s “most successful and beloved acts,” both members of the duo say their time away from writing and recording together has only made them come back stronger and, yes, BIGGER. “We have always enjoyed playing in the margins and stretching the format,” says Jennifer. “But it’s fun to have taken this time away and seen how the format has expanded and how music has evolved. Before, we were playing in the margins. Now, the margins have moved, and that’s fun to hear.” “It’s not like we stopped creating Continue reading Out June 8th: New Sugarland Album “Bigger”→

Introducing: Stephanie Owens – EP Release May 18th

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Stephanie Owens on Country Music News Blog

Nashville newcomer Stephanie Owens is set to make a big impact with her debut self-titled EP due out May 18th. Stephanie’s talent may be singing and songwriting, but her passion is spreading body-positivity and support for youth suffering from eating disorders. Listen to Stephanie Owens’ “Little Girl in the Mirror” and let us know what you think! “Little Girl in the Mirror” Available Now: http://smarturl.it/LittleGirlMirror Follow: Spotify | http://sptfy.com/F1E Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/stephowensmusic Facebook | https://facebook.com/stephowensmusic Twitter | https://www.twitter.com/stephowensmusic

Brantley Gilbert Graces People Magazine

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Brantley Gilbert on People

Less than ten days after PEOPLE hit the road. Brantley Gilbert lands in the pages of the iconic celebrity news weekly. Fresh from a show at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheatre where he performed his entire hard-edged set backed by a symphony orchestra, his profile lands him in the May 21st issue, on-stands May 11. “It’s been a pretty incredible several days,” says the man whose “Dirt Road Anthem” was nominated for CMA Song of the Year. “To play Nashville with an orchestra, the last thing people would expect from me, was awesome. Selling t-shirts that say, ‘I Believe in Heroism’ to benefit the families of the young people shot at the Waffle House felt so good. So to hear the People story is running so quickly, well, that’s crazy and alright.” To kick off the double truck spread, People.com is running several pieces that expand correspondent Eileen Finan’s reporting for the print magazine. Check out the first piece here: http://people.com/country/brantley-gilbert-alcoholism-pain-pill-addiction-recovery/ Brantley deep dives into the turmoil his life was almost a decade ago, explaining the path to where he is now in his life. A fierce teller of truth in songs like “Grown Ass Man,” “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do” and “Take It Outside.” As Eileen Finan writes in the intro to an unflinching, ultimately triumphant look at the ways life can get away from you, “Today, the 33-year-old “One Hell of An Amen” singer is a country star with back-to-back platinum albums. He’s married to the girl he pined forand — by his own admission – didn’t deserve for years and, as of November, he’s also anew dad.” Out on his The Ones That Like Me Tour, Gilbert is taking his kind of outlier country across America. With 3 dates to go, one of the only artists to score back-to-back platinum albums in the last decade is continuing his program of providing companion animals to veterans through his continued alliance with the PEDIGREE® Brand and theDisabled American Veterans. “It’s been a great tour so far this year,” says the man who won the American Music Awards’ Favorite Country Album for Just As I Am. “I think everything that’s happened in my life has changed things up in so many good ways, and it’s opened me up to the BG Nation in a whole lot of new ways, too.” With People hitting stands on May 11, a dozen dates with Kid Rock in the fall and writing for his next record, the hardcore country star whose lived his music from the inside out, has a professional life that’s almost as buoyant as his homelife. Given he has the woman of his dreams and a brand new little boy, that’s saying something.

Op-Ed: Why Kacey Musgraves Matters to Today’s Country Music

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Kacey Musgraves on Country Music News Blog

Riding high on the wave of modern traditionalists that have starting taking over country radio airwaves in recent years, Kacey Musgraves is a breath of fresh air. After what seems like decades of hollow country pop princesses being force-fed to fans, she’s shaking things up and giving young women everywhere a brand new voice to relate to. Press play and follow along as we take a deeper look at why Kacey Musgraves is probably the most important female ambassador of modern country music today. In the early 2000’s country radio was slammed with the onset of bro-country, pushing women to the back-burner and the content they sang about into tiny little boxes of home, family, and love or heartbreak. Taylor Swift is probably the best example of the overall place girls were put in, and as a result, most of country music felt that it lacked substance and real relate-ability for anyone past their prom years. Artists like Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert would come along and make a big splash with a fiery sass or heart-wrenching anthem, but those hits were few and tucked far in-between the tropes of, as Maddie & Tae put it, being a girl in a country song. Then along comes Kacey Musgraves. Right out of the gate, Kacey gave us raised eyebrows and a hidden chuckle or two as she slipped her open-minded point of view onto the airwaves masked in a traditional sound.In the same fashion as the legendary Loretta Lynn did while singing about birth control and taking her man, Kacey pulls no punches when speaking (or singing) her mind in the most conservative platform available, and we love her all the more for it! One of the things country music has always done, and Kacey does so well is bring light to the parts of life that are really hard to talk about. In her track “Merry Go Round” off the album “Same Trailer, Different Park” she manages to capture the exact feeling you get when observing life in the small towns of rural America. The simple truths set against a beautiful but melancholy tone paint a superbly clear picture of something that so often gets glossed over as a anecdotal cliche. Same checks we’re always cashin’ To buy a little more distraction Cause Mamas hooked on Mary Kay Brothers hooked on Mary Jane Daddies hooked on Mary two doors down Mary Mary quite contrary We get bored so we get married And just like dust we settle in this town Her game-changing approach to otherwise controversial topics has made her an icon in young country fans hearts, and a favorite among the legends of the industry. Instead of playing it safe like so many others, she flows head-on into lines about smoking marijuana, girls kissing girls, and being honest about the hardships of life. In a time when pedal steel and rhinestone suits are relics of the past, Kacey Musgraves reminds us all why this sense of pageantry and propriety Continue reading Op-Ed: Why Kacey Musgraves Matters to Today’s Country Music→