 MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Press Release) — The harmonica wizard from Coralville, Iowa, a brassy blues band out of Houston, a Brazil-born guitar master, and a 21-year-old “wunderkind.” These are the acts that rose to the top of the pack at The Blues Foundation’s 34th annual International Blues Challenge Awards ceremony, which took place at Memphis’ historic Orpheum Theatre on Saturday, January 20.
Kevin “B.F.” Burt was the big man of the evening as the bluesman representing the Central Iowa Blues Society, picking up three awards: First Place Solo/Duo, Best Solo/Duo Guitarist, and the Lee Oskar Award for Best Harmonica Player. The Keeshea Pratt Band, from the Houston Blues Society, stormed out of Texas to grab First Place Band honors with judges universally rating them ready to headline major festivals and take the international blues scene by storm. The local band Fuzzy Jeffries and the Kings of Memphis (Memphis Blues Society) finished in second place, with Artur Menezes coming in third. Menezes, however, did not leave Memphis empty-handed, as the Santa Clarita Blues Society member took home the Best Band Guitarist honors, receiving the Gibson Guitar Award. A Brazilian native now living in Los Angeles, Menezes also reflects the true international quality of the IBCs. 15 countries, as well as 36 states, were represented in the Challenge. In fact, Norwegian slide guitarist Daniel Eriksen, of the Oslo Bluesklubb, received second place honors in the Solo/Duo category. Menezes, for being named Best Band Guitarist, received a Gibson Guitar and Category 5 Amp, while Burt got a special Matt Isbell Cigar Box Guitar and Lee Oskar harmonicas for his victories in the Best Solo/Duo Guitar and Best Harmonica categories.
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Sedona, AZ-based Americana duo Surrender Hill (husband and wife team Robin Dean Salmon and Afton Seekins) is set to release their third album, Tore Down Fences, on February 2. The album, which Salmon calls "raw, rootsy, rockin' Americana country with a lot of soul sorta thing!!!", is filled with guitars, harmonized vocals, organ, and bursts of pedal steel, pushing Surrender Hill into grittier territory while remaining grounded in solid storytelling.
The project’s thirteen tracks are delivered from the perspective of two partners who have weathered their own share of breakups and missteps, unpacking the skeletons in their closets, leaning on one another through life’s challenges and exploring the reality of romance - - together. Today, TDC is incredibly pleased to premiere one of the album's standout tracks, "Get Along." A guitar-led, pulsating, and timely track, "Get Along”, was written, says Salmon, "when the riots in Charlottesville, VA were going on. All of that mess was very fresh in our minds. We were spending a couple of off days at a mountain cabin that some friends had offered us, and one morning while drinking coffee, I mentioned to Afton that we didn't have a lot of uptempo tunes for the album. So, I grabbed my guitar and sat down and started playing and spilling out words and the song "Get Along" came screaming out." "What makes us all behave this way Why can't we just embrace the day Be the change and sing a different song All we got to do is Get Along Look into our children's eyes See the wonder in our lives Know that love will keep our spirit strong All we got to do is Get Along" Enjoy, and share, "Get Along" above; then read on as Surrender Hill give you insight into the song and the recording process.  Courtesy: All Eyes Media Nashville, TN (Press Release) – Keller Williams has announced a new Tom Petty-inspired project titled Keller Williams’ PettyGrass, which finds him performing select covers in a rollicking bluegrass style alongside eclectic bluegrass quintet The Hillbenders. The project began in 2015, when Williams put together a set of Petty covers for his annual hometown S.P.C.A. benefit, recording the rehearsals as voice memos on his phone. After Tom Petty’s shocking passing last year, Williams and his longtime collaborator Jeff Covert enhanced these recordings and posted them as a tribute to the legend’s legacy and inspiration. This year, Keller Williams will bring his PettyGrass project out on the road for the first time with The Hillbenders to perform select festival dates, including Redwood Ramble and FloydFest in July. These special performances will serve as a way to pay homage by bringing a new perspective to his time-honored songs.
Stream the PettyGrass voice memos here: soundcloud.com/kellerwilliams/sets/pettygrass  Courtesy: 117 Entertainment Group NASHVILLE, Tenn. (January 23, 2018) -- Country legends Johnny Lee and Mickey Gilley will be joining forces to co-headline the “Urban Cowboy Reunion Tour” beginning January 26. The two friends are reuniting for a series of live concert dates throughout 2018. The tour kicks off in Stafford, Texas and will visit cities all across the country, including Nevada, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Louisiana and Pennsylvania. After working together for over 50 years, Gilley and Lee have a friendship and stage chemistry that goes unmatched. The duo can be seen throughout the year in their hometown of Branson, Mo. at Mickey Gilley’s Shanghai Theater.
The tour reunites two of the stars of the 1980 iconic ‘Urban Cowboy’ film. The movie depicts a young man, played by John Travolta who learns about life and love in a Houston bar called “Gilley’s,” which was a real-life honky-tonk owned and operated by Gilley himself and still exists today in multiple cities. This country classic played an integral role in the careers of both Mickey Gilley and Johnny Lee, among other artists, catapulting them and their music into the spotlight.  Courtesy: The Syndicate New York, NY (January 23, 2018 Press Release) - This week, J. Roddy Walston and the Business hit the road in support of their fourth studio album, Destroyers of the Soft Life, released in fall 2017 via ATO Records. Before they hit the road, Rod is doing a Reddit AMA for fans to ask him about his music, songwriting process, life on the road as a dad… anything.
The AMA will take place Wednesday, January 24 at 1pm EST at: https://www.reddit.com/r/music Destroyers of the Soft Life is full of melodic songwriting with sharp observations about American culture and has received praise from Rolling Stone, Billboard, American Songwriter, Uproxx, CLASH and more. During the recording, Walston became a father for the first time, inspiring lyrics that take an unflinching look at family dynamics and parental motivations. The 'Destroyers of the Soft Live' tour starts on Friday in Boston with stops in Philly, Chicago, Cleveland, NYC, Tempe, Pittsburgh and more with a mid-run jaunt to Punta Cana for My Morning Jacket’s One Big Holiday and ending at Bottlerock in Napa. A full list of tour dates can be found below with more to come for the summer. WATCH "THE WANTING" STREAM / PURCHASE DESTROYERS OF THE SOFT LIFE AT: Spotify | Official Store | Amazon | Apple Music | Google Play
(Brooklyn, NY) Ethan Buckner (aka The Minnesota Child) picked up the guitar at 16 and started writing songs after he witnessed death for the first time. Inspired by the reflective and soulful songwriting of Sam Beam, Paul Simon, and Justin Vernon, Ethan channeled his own grief and love into his newfound passion for poetry and melody. At first, he saw songwriting as a purely personal exercise, but after being encouraged by close friends, he began performing and eventually recording his songs.
Help Miranda Lambert's Mutt Nation Fill the Little Red Wagon on The Livin' Like Hippies Tour1/23/2018  Photo Credit: Becky Fluke NASHVILLE, TN - January 18, 2018 (Press Release)
Miranda Lambert has found the perfect way to nurture two of her passions – music and mutts. In every community during her 24-city 2018 Livin’ Like Hippies Tour, Miranda’s 501c3 nonprofit, MuttNation Foundation, will collect dog food, treats, supplies & cash donations for a local shelter at the “Fill the Little Red Wagon” activation, located at the entrance of each venue before the show. Rising Country Trio Maybe April's "Last Time" Music Video Premieres on CMT Artist Discovery1/23/2018  Photography Credit: Amy Richmond Nashville, TN -- (Press Release January 23, 2018) The rising country trio, Maybe April, will debut on CMT's Artist Discovery Initiative today with the premiere of their music video for single,"Last Time".
Maybe April is amongst the first selection of emerging artists to be featured on CMT’s Artist Discovery this year. Directed by Tanner Grandstaff, the emotionally perspective music video is now available for viewing multiple times per day (specifically 9:42 a.m., 6:25 p.m., and 3:25 a.m. CST) on the 24/7 digital music channel CMT Music and on CMT’s website, here.  Photo Credit: Keith Griner Nashville, Tenn. (January 23, 2018 Press Release) – All-American band of brothers A THOUSAND HORSES hyped up a hometown crowd on Friday night (1/19), bringing their crisp Southern Rock to Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena as direct support for KID ROCK. Setting the mood for the hitmaking headliner, A Thousand Horses locked in to their signature sound for a rousing performance that left fans ready to rock.
Watch A Thousand Horses kick off the first night of the tour with fan favorite "Burn Like Willie"here.  (Press Release) On the heels of the album release tour for Shanti’s Shadow, Brooklyn singer-songwriter Phoebe Hunt is sharing a message of healing through music in her TEDx Talk, Sing Your Pain Away: Songs Written With War Veterans. The talk expresses a universal truth that by sharing the story of one’s pain and trauma through song, one experiences healing.
In her TEDx Talk given on Veterans Day, Hunt shares her personal experience as a musician, and how through meeting music as a teacher, she was led to premonitions and life guidance. Hunt learned to listen to the music within and soon learned to share this approach with others, creating space for them to find their inner songs. This talk explores the idea that it is the very nature of humanity to long to be witnessed in the expression of our deepest traumatic experiences. Watch Phoebe Hunt's TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AqY5kCRJG8 |
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