2013 CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL FILLED WITH FREE LIVE MUSIC

NASHVILLE - The 2013 CMA Music Festival will take over downtown Nashville Thursday through Sunday, June 6-9, with six free stages in the outdoor footprint and countless activities.
Tickets for the Nightly Concerts at LP Field sold out a record-setting six weeks in advance of the 2013 Festival, but fans will still have innumerable opportunities to watch Country Music’s best and brightest perform at CMA Music Festival. Performance lineups for the previously announced Chevrolet Riverfront Stage and Bud Light Stage at the Bridgestone Arena Plaza are available for fans to view at CMAfest.com, but those schedules merely scratch the surface of what fans can experience throughout the four-day Festival.
Downtown Nashville will be full of unique fan experiences, including free outdoor areas offering everything from autograph signings, meet-and-greets, cell phone charging stations, product demonstrations, auctions, giveaways, and more. All outdoor spaces are free and open to the public. These areas include:
Transitions Performance Park
New in 2013, Transitions® adaptive lenses – the Official Sponsor of Sightseeing™ – will host Transitions Performance Park where fans can get an enhanced view of the CMA Music Festival by checking out the sights atop Transitions' two-story viewing platform. Fans will be able to test the Transitions family of products, look through customized viewfinders, and star in their own professional photo shoot – complete with a set, crew, props, and a photographer.
In addition, Transitions Performance Park will be filled with other fun activities. Come relax in oversized eyewear cabanas providing protection from the sun and grab a variety of eye-healthy snacks, all while enjoying free concerts on the Transitions Performance Park Stage. The legendary Marshall Tucker Band will make their first-ever CMA Music Festival appearance and kick things off on Thursday, June 6 at 11:00 AM. Other artists participating in the daily concerts include (alphabetical order; artists and schedule subject to change):
Thursday, June 6: Ash Bowers, Tim Dugger, Flynnville Train, Marshall Tucker Band, Old Dominion, Chad Warrix, Holly Williams, and Jon Wolfe
Friday, June 7: The Cleverlys, Due West, Clare Dunn, Hudson Moore, Danielle Peck, Julie Roberts, Gwen Sebastian, and Phoenix Stone
Saturday, June 8: Jeff Bates, The Cadillac Three, Cowboy Troy, Jaida Dreyer, Morgan Frazier, Old Southern Moonshine Revival, Frank Ortega, and The Stickers
Sunday, June 9: Blackjack Billy, The Brothers Road, Kristy Lee Cook, High Valley, Carly Pearce, Stephanie Quayle, Sweetwater Rain, and A Thousand Horses
Transitions Performance Park is located in the Walk of Fame Park on Demonbreun between Fourth and Fifth Avenues. The park is free and open to the public from 10:00 AM–6:00 PM Thursday, June 6 through Saturday, June 7 and from 10:00 AM–5:00 PM on Sunday, June 9.

DARIUS RUCKER’S TRUE BELIEVERS IN STORES TODAY

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (Tuesday, May 21, 2013) – True Believers, the third country album from Platinum-selling Capitol Nashville recording artist Darius Rucker, arrives in-stores today. The album features Platinum-certified single “Wagon Wheel,” which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Country Singles Chart this week.

“I am so excited that today is finally here and I can share True Believers with my fans,” said Rucker. “Having ‘Wagon Wheel’ reach No.1 this same week is amazing to me. I’m very proud of this album, and hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do.”

Rucker will perform tomorrow night (May 22) on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” Due to extended news coverage on the tragic aftermath of yesterday's tornado in Oklahoma and last weekend's tornadoes that ripped through the Midwest, his live appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America," previously announced for this morning, was taped and will be rescheduled to air at a later date.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the families whose lives were devastated by these tornadoes," said Rucker. "I encourage my fans to help by donating to the American Red Cross." Donations can be made by visiting redcross.org, dialing 1-800-REDCROSS or texting REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

TRAVIS TRITT TO SING ANTHEM AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP

Multi-platinum country performer Travis Tritt will sing the National Anthem prior to the NCAA men's basketball National Championship game April 8 in Atlanta. The high profile appearance is a milestone for Tritt, a native Georgian who has performed at some of athletics' biggest moments.

Completing the sports equivalent of Hollywood's EGOT, Tritt's April performance adds to a resumé that includes two Super Bowl performances, a World Series game, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the opening of Atlanta's Georgia Dome and the final Braves game at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. May 3 he'll play the Barnstable Brown Gala at the Kentucky Derby, his 15th consecutive appearance at the benefit for diabetes research.

In addition to a full performance slate, Travis is readying a re-release of his 10th studio album The Storm featuring several new tracks. Among them is a duet with his 15-year-old daughter Tyler Reese on the Patty Smyth-Don Henley song "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough." A single and video will be released soon.

"Merry Go 'Round" singer/songwriter Kacey Musgraves certainly has much to be merry about: the former (in 2007) Nashville Star contestant performed on today's episode of TODAY on NBC, download sales of "Merry" recently rode past 500k (making it eligible for GOLD certification from the RIAA), she's nominated for several ACM Awards, and oh yeah - her new album Same Trailer Different Park rolls into stores today. The much anticipated album by the 24-year old is co-produced by Musgraves, Shane McAnally and Luke Laird. She co-wrote all of the album's twelve tracks - and also in fact even warrants some thanks for her pen's part in Miranda Lambert's confidently crazy current single "Mama's Broken Heart." Plus along with local Nashville songwriter Trent Dabbs, she co-penned the poignant "Undermine," which was featured via the voices of Hayden Panettiere and Chip Esten on ABC's hit show Nashville.

Also of note: she even recently performed on the much-loved Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, after an especially exuberant intro from Jimmy, who just a few nights ago also interviewed Hayden Panettiere about her Nashville moves and music-making. --© MC

"Same Trailer Different Park day!" she shared today via Twitter. "I can hardly contain myself!" Last night she Tweeted: "Ok I'm FORCING myself to sleep now but I love all of you lots. Thankful.❤ Big day tomorrow. Thanks for being part if it."

The TODAY show video (which features Musgraves playing a banjo bedazzled with pink rhinestones) should be viewable here.

This past Sunday Kacey was the subject of a four-page profile titled “With A Rebel Twang” in the highly regarded New York Times Magazine.

Reviews of Park are already "rolling" in. Rolling Stone gave Kacey’s debut outing a glowing four out of four star review and labeled her as an “Artist To Watch.” The iconic music magazine says “Same Trailer Different Park proves Musgraves is for real,” adding: “The album showcases a songwriting voice you won’t hear anywhere else in pop: young, female, downwardly mobile, fiercely witty.”

With her album now in stores (Buy it for $8.99 on Amazon), Kacey will attend the 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards held in Las Vegas on April 7 where she holds THREE nominations; nominations include Female Vocalist of the Year and Video of the Year (Artist & Producer). She had previously received a nomination for New Female Vocalist.

Catch Kacey on the road this summer with Kenny Chesney on the No Shoes Nation stadium tour, which just kicked off this past weekend in Tampa, FL. For a full list of tour dates please visit www.kaceymusgraves.com.

JACK GREENE
January 7, 1930 - March 14, 2013

Jack Greene, a longtime Grand Ole Opry star who earned fame with the hit "There Goes My Everything," has died in Nashville at 83. The song showed off his deep voice, made him a star and earned him the single of the year and male vocalist of the year awards from the Country Music Association in 1967.

Grand Ole Opry spokeswoman Jessie Schmidt said Friday that Greene died in his sleep Thursday night (3/14/2013) at home from complications of Alzheimer's disease.

His other hits, mostly in the late 1960s, included "All the Time," ''Are My Treasure," ''Until My Dreams Come True," ''What Locks the Door" and "Statue of a Fool." He was nominated for a Grammy award three straight years.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Greene recorded duet hits with Jeannie Seely including, "Wish I Didn't Have to Miss You."

He was a native of Maryville, TN, where he started in radio at WGAP. He was a singer-guitarist who played bass and drums in various groups, then got his break when Country Music Hall of Famer Ernest Tubb hired him to be drummer for his band, the Texas Troubadours, in the early 1960s.

Jack Greene's memorial will be held at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN at 11 AM on March 27th. It will be a celebration of his life and accomplishments and is said to be open to the public.


(Courtesy Schmidt PR and Ernest Tubb Record Shop)

The Mavericks – Built to Last
By Holly Gleason

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

Take one quavering tremolo guitar chord, a rattlesnake shaker, some Farfisa carny keyboards and a few picante horn punctuations, and you’re on the brink of “Back in Your Arms Again,” written by Raul Martinez, Gary Nicholson and Seth Walker, the opening track of In Time, the first new music in seven years from the celebrated progressive Country sensation known as The Mavericks.

More than 20 years after their first critically acclaimed major label release, From Hell to Paradise, the Miami-born, two-time CMA Vocal Group of the Year has as much brio and bravado as ever. “We went in saying, ‘We’re gonna make music like men,’ and that’s what we did,” said Raul Malo, the singer with the voice of plush leather and VSOP brandy. “We weren’t sure what was going to happen, but we came to play and everyone played beautifully.”

Though some members had not been in the same room for many years, drummer Paul Deakin, bassist/guitarist Robert Reynolds and longtime collaborators Jerry Dale McFadden on keyboards and Eddie Perez on guitar, found the spark instantly. Classic song forms, top-shelf musicianship and a desire to mine all the music they’ve been exposed to resulted in an album that moves from cocktail noir to neo-salsa, vintage jukebox Country and ballads that will take your breath away.

With the silky retro heartache of “In Another’s Arms” (written by Raul Malo), the percolating dance rhythms of “As Long as There’s Loving Tonight” (Malo, Alan Miller and Seth Walker) and the slow-building “Bolero”-inspired “Call Me When You Get to Heaven” (Malo), In Time is a bouquet of diverse styles. Recording in just five days, with co-producer Niko Bolas, known for his work with Neil Young, mixing as they went, the group exposed the drama embedded within these straightforward songs. The results draw listeners while steeping them in a kaleidoscope of influences.

Former 'Nashville Star' signs record deal, makes tracks with 'Train'

Jared Ashley, a fan-favorite singer-songwriter who shone brightly as a finalist on the fourth season of TV show Nashville Star, is now set to even more fully blast off - with a radio tour and new record deal among his starring roles. Blaster Entertainment President Mike Dennison has announced Ashley's signing to the Blaster Records roster.

As such, Ashley will begin a national radio tour the first week of February in support of his debut single, “Last Train To Memphis,” with the wistful track making stops at radio in the spring. He co-wrote "Train" with Nick Sturms and around-town music man wagon-wheeler (particularly when Nashville becomes "Smashville") Jeremy McComb. In addition to an aggressive touring schedule that sees him perform 180+ shows a year (currently including several upcoming sweet spots in Georgia), Ashley is a prolific songwriter, co-writing eleven of the fourteen tracks on his 2011 self-released debut album. At least five of those songs are being reworked for inclusion on his Blaster full-length debut, along with a selection of newer songs he’s been writing. --MC

For even more info including quotes from Ashley, a video for the single, and more Nashville music news please go here: http://www.examiner.com/article/forme...with-train

GARY ALLAN’S ALBUM SET YOU FREE DEBUTS AT NO. 1 ON BILLBOARD COUNTRY ALBUMS CHART AND BILLBOARD 200

“EVERY STORM (RUNS OUT OF RAIN)” REACHES NO. 1 ON THE BILLBOARD COUNTRY AIRPLAY CHART MARKING ALLAN’S FIFTH NO. 1 SONG

MCA Nashville recording artist Gary Allan has made a career off of songs about rain, and now he's returned to the top of the charts with the release of his ninth studio album, Set You Free. Selling 106,109 albums in its debut week (January 22nd), Set You Free currently sits in the No. 1 position on the Billboard Country Albums Chart and Billboard Top 200 Pop Chart. This is Gary’s first No.1 Billboard Top 200 debut and third No. 1 debut on the Billboard Country Albums Chart.

Plus, Allan’s first single off Set You Free, the RIAA Gold certified “Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain),” reached the top position on the Billboard Country Airplay Chart, Mediabase/Country Aircheck and Music Row charts this week. With “Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain)” reaching the top position, this marks the fifth time he has had a No. 1 song. Additionally he has had twelve Top 10 hits.

“It has been a while, but it feels really good,” says Gary. “I would especially like to thank all of my fans and everyone at radio. I would also like to thank everyone on my team who has helped to get me to this point. This is a great feeling!”

Gary performed "Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno last Wednesday, January 23rd. To watch his performance please click here: http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/m...ndex.shtml

Last week, its video debuted at the #1 spot on GAC's Top 20 Country Countdown.

For more Nashville-related music news, please visit http://tinyurl.com/3vydmqu .

Country Thunder Releases Last of 4-Day Passes — No Single-Day Passes Will be Sold

Very Limited Reserved Standing and Parking Upgrades Available


Country Thunder, to be held July 18-21 in Twin Lakes, Wis., is releasing the remaining 1,000 4-day passes. These passes are available for $120 and are guaranteed to sell out quickly. There will be no single-day passes sold. Once these passes are gone, the festival will be completely sold out. And don’t forget, in order to enter the campgrounds a 4-day admission wristband is required. If you want the premium Country Thunder experience, a very limited number of Front Porch packages are being released for $300 *to be purchased along with 4-day passes not in substitution. Standing room only, no chairs allowed. Tickets will need to be redeemed at RSVD Gate (not main gate). The Front Porch package includes (1) RSVD Parking Pass and (2) RSVD Standing Room Passes. If looking on the online map – Front Porch Area is to the left of Section A if facing the main stage. With Reserved Standing and Parking, Country Thunder patrons will be able to bypass the lines and have direct access to parking and the festival bowl.

Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Little Big Town, Jake Owen and more will all be hitting the Country Thunder stage. And if that’s not enough, Country Thunder offers a wide array of lifestyle activities including Electric Thunder, featuring DJs nightly, The Bluegrass Tent, The Great American Country Thunder Stage, food vendors, shopping, thrill rides and much more.

All up-to-date information on Country Thunder can be found at http://www.countrythunder.com or call the offices at (866) 802-6418. Please click "read more" for full line-up.

Fans of Martina McBride recently wrapped a three-month mission to fund a breast cancer research grant in honor of their favorite country music star. The Grammy Award-winning superstar is treating "Team Martina" to a special "Sound Check for A Cure" event at her sold-out concert at the West Virginia University Creative Arts Center in Morgantown this Saturday, January 12.

"Team Martina," organized in the summer of 2011 following the release of Martina's Top 5 hit "I'm Gonna Love You Through It," is approaching $40,000 via online fundraising through the T.J. Martell Foundation, the music industry's largest charity that funds leukemia, cancer, and AIDS research. Members signed up in September to raise money for the special grant in Martina's name, which will be used to fund breast cancer research at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Donations are still being accepted via http://www.teammartina.com.

At Saturday's special event, Team Martina will be personally thanked by Martina, pose for a team photo with her, and get a special glimpse into her routine prior to her taking the stage for the show. The team will also share dinner together, and two female members will shave their heads as a show of support for chemotherapy patients. The group has also chosen to share this fun afternoon with some local cancer patients who have been invited as special guests.

"This has been truly amazing," said Martina, who specifically mentioned the Team Martina fundraiser during an October 26 interview on the "Today Show." "Their original goal was $15,000, and I am so proud of them for what they did. TJ Martell is such a wonderful organization, and I know this money will go a long way toward cancer research."

Martina will hit the road with George Strait for his The Cowboy Rides Away Tour, which begins January 18, 2013 in Lubbock, Texas. Just prior to the holidays, she wrapped up her wildly successful 16-city Joy of Christmas Tour.

For more news, tour dates, ticket information and more, visit http://www.MartinaMcBride.com

Martina's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/martinamcbride?fref=ts