NEW FIELD MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH FUNDING PROVIDED BY THE BASEBALL TOMORROW FUND, RECKLESS KELLY, AND THE NOLAN RYAN FOUNDATION AND IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE ROUND ROCK EXPRESS, RYAN SANDERS BASEBALL, SWANK SPORTS AND ASTROTURF®

Monday wasn't just Cinco de Mayo, it was also the day Mabson Field was unveiled in East Austin. Members of the Round Rock Express, Ryan-Sanders Baseball, RBI Austin, GEAYA and Reckless Kelly helped put the finishing touches on the new field. Mabson Field is located in one of the most under-resourced neighborhoods in Austin. The new field will serve boys and girls ages 4-12 for Little League spring baseball/softball, the Jr. RBI Summer League, and year-round Jr. RBI clinics.The hope is for it to become a life-changing center for baseball and softball in East Austin.
  
To begin the ceremony, Reckless Kelly sang the national anthem. Former MLB players Greg Swindell and Curtis Thigpen, softball Olympian Cat Osterman and Cathy Bradley, the Executive Director of the Baseball Tomorrow Fund, were in attendance. A Junior RBI baseball/softball clinic took place immediately following the ceremony.

Reckless Kelly's Celebrity Softball Jam, now in it's sixth year, was one of the partners who made this new field a reality. Reckless Kelly’s Cody Braun stated, “To take part in such amazing projects like the rebuilding of Mabson Field and to be able to give back to the Austin community by helping kids play baseball is exactly why we started this event 6 years ago.  We are honored to be working with such amazing people and are excited to see everyone’s hard work paying off in such a big way!”

This year's Celebrity Softball Jam (athleticism optional) will be held this Sunday, May 11th. For all of the details, visit here.

Rising country singer Jamie Lynn Spears announced the release of her debut EP The Journey. The EP boasts five tracks, including her current single "How Could I Want More," that were all co-written by Spears.

The EP, produced by Corey Crowder, features some of country music's best songwriters including Liz Rose (Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Eli Young Band), Chris Tompkins (Florida Georgia Line, Martina McBride, Carrie Underwood), Tyler Hayes (Gloriana), Rivers Rutherford (Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, Brad Paisley) and Lisa Carver (Reba McEntire, Sugarland). 

The Journey is set to release May 27th.


Jamie Lynn took to her Twitter and had fans reveal the cover for the project using the hashtag #JLSTheJourney.

The Journey Track Listing: 
1. "Shotgun Wedding"     
2. "Run"
3. "How Could I Want More"
4. "Mandolin Summer Sun" 
5. "Big Bad World"

The Damn Quails will be performing at Hill Country LIVE for two dates in June. June 2nd they will be at Hill Country LIVE NYC and the following day they will perform at the venue of the same name in Brooklyn.

The Damn Quails started as a weekly jam session at The Deli in Norman, Oklahoma. Bryon White and Gabe Marshall had been playing music in the Oklahoma area, and melded their singing, songwriting, and guitar playing into something unique.

Soon their Monday night shows were packed with music fans. Some of the musicians who jammed with them became more and more regular and the semblance of a band was formed. Biggie showed up with his harmonica. Luke Mullenix played bass and Thomas Young became the drummer.  In addition to this a multi instrumentalist named Jon Knudson came with a variety of instruments including, keyboard, resonator guitar, saxophone, and mandolin. These guys became the core of The Damn Quails. 

Their record “Down the Hatch” was released on October 25th, 2011 and received rave reviews.  The record spent many weeks on the National Americana Chart, and has had several top twenty singles on The Texas Music Chart including “Fool’s Gold” “So So Long”, and “Me and The Whiskey.”  

Touring to support “Down The Hatch,” The Damn Quails developed a reputation for their live performances.  Combining folk, country, americana, and rock ‘n’ roll, the band has a loyal following who are fully aware this is a band that is strictly in it for the music. 

Come on out and see for yourself!
The shows start at 9:30pm and there is no cover. Details here
For more information on The Damn Quails visit their official website

You know we love him! Bart Crow is releasing his new single “If I Go, I’m Goin,” to Texas country radio today, May 6th. The heartfelt ballad features Macy Maloy and is from Crow’s 2012 album DANDELION.

Written by John Elliott, Gregory Alan Isakov and Johann Wagner, ”If I Go, I’m Goin” was produced by Justin Pollard and is the follow up to the fan-favorite “Loving You’s A Crime.”
 
 “I listened to the song and fell in love with it instantly. Hearing it, I really felt the power that music had and I wanted to go into the studio and recreate the natural beauty of the song. Having Macy on the track has been incredible and I hope fans will want to replay this track over and over again,” says Crow.
 
Crow has hit multiple milestones in his career, solidifying him as one of the most dynamic live touring artists across Texas, Nashville and beyond. Known for his high-energy live shows, he has played to packed crowds nearly 200 days a year and opened for the Randy Rogers Band and Eli Young Band.
 
The Maypearl, TX native has earned five chart-topping No. 1 songs on the Texas Country Charts including “Run With The Devil,” “Dandelion,” “Saying Goodbye,” “Little Bit of Luck,” and “Wear My Ring,” which has sold over 165,000 copies to date. His fourth studio album, DANDELION, captures all the songwriting skill, vocal prowess and blue-collar believability that have made him a fan favorite and one of the most-respected ‘under the radar’ artists in country music. Selling more than 30,000 albums to date, he has garnered praise from Country Weekly, AOL’s The Boot and many more.
 
For more information, visit www.bartcrowmusic.com.
 
"If I Go, I’m Goin" is available for purchase HERE.
 
Watch an acoustic performance of “If I Go, I’m Goin” HERE.

The 2014 CMT Music Awards will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, June 4 at 8pm EST. Fan voting begins May 5th at cmt.com and goes through Sunday, June 1 at midnight EST.

Tickets for the show go on sale Saturday, May 10 at 11amEST via Ticketmaster and at the Bridgestone Arena Box Office. 

The list of nominees follows:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

         Blake Shelton featuring Pistol Annies and Friends – “Boys ‘Round Here" 
         Carrie Underwood – “See You Again” 
         Eric Church – “Give Me Back My Hometown” 
         Florida Georgia Line featuring Luke Bryan – “This Is How We Roll"
         Hunter Hayes – “I Want Crazy"
         Kacey Musgraves – “Follow Your Arrow"
         Keith Urban with Miranda Lambert – “We Were Us"
         Luke Bryan – “That’s My Kind of Night"
         Miranda Lambert – “Automatic"
         Taylor Swift – “Red"
         Thomas Rhett – “It Goes Like This"
         Tim McGraw with Taylor Swift and Keith Urban – “Highway Don’t Care”                                                


MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR

        Blake Shelton – “Doin’ What She Likes”
        Eric Church – “Give Me Back My Hometown"
        Hunter Hayes – “I Want Crazy"
        Jason Aldean – “Night Train"
        Luke Bryan – “Crash My Party"
        Randy Houser – “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight" 


FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
  
       Carrie Underwood – “See You Again"
       Cassadee Pope – “Wasting All These Tears"
       Kacey Musgraves – “Follow Your Arrow"
       Miranda Lambert – “Automatic"
       Sheryl Crow – “Easy"
       Taylor Swift – “Red”


GROUP VIDEO OF THE YEAR

      Eli Young Band – “Drunk Last Night"
      Lady Antebellum – “Compass"
      Little Big Town – “Your Side Of The Bed"
      Rascal Flatts – “Rewind"
      The Band Perry – “Done"
      Zac Brown Band – “Sweet Annie”
 


DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR

      Dan + Shay – “19 You + Me"
      Florida Georgia Line – “Round Here"
      Florida Georgia Line – “Stay”
     Thompson Square – “Everything I Shouldn’t Be Thinking About”



BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR

     Brett Eldredge – “Beat Of The Music"
     Cassadee Pope – “Wasting All These Tears"
     Cole Swindell – “Chillin’ It"
     David Nail – “Whatever She’s Got”
     Thomas Rhett – “It Goes Like This"
     Tyler Farr – “Redneck Crazy”


COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR

     Blake Shelton featuring Pistol Annies and Friends – “Boys ‘Round Here”
     Florida Georgia Line featuring Luke Bryan – “This Is How We Roll"
     Florida Georgia Line featuring Nelly – “Cruise (Remix)”
     Hunter Hayes featuring Jason Mraz – “Everybody’s Got Somebody But Me"
     Keith Urban with Miranda Lambert – “We Were Us"
     Tim McGraw with Taylor Swift and Keith Urban – “Highway Don’t Care”


CMT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

      Dierks Bentley and OneRepublic – “Counting Stars” from CMT Crossroads: OneRepublic and Dierks Bentley
      Jake Owen – “Days Of Gold” from CMT Hot 20 Countdown
      Lady Antebellum and Stevie Nicks – “Rhiannon” from CMT Crossroads: Stevie Nicks and Lady Antebellum
      Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie – “Oh No/All Night Long” from 2013 CMT Artists of the Year
      The Band Perry and Fall Out Boy – “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark” from CMT Crossroads: Fall Out Boy and The Band Perry
      Willie Nelson and Neil Young – “Long May You Run” from CMT Crossroads: Willie Nelson & Friends from Third Man Records 

One of Oklahoma's most talked-about songwriters, John Moreland, will be playing at Hill Country Live on Sunday May 11th and Monday May 12th. The first show will be at Hill Country in Brooklyn and the second night will be at Hill Country NYC. 

An acclaimed singer-songwriter, Moreland has been releasing records and performing live for almost a decade. He embodies a timeless style with emotionally fraught lyrics that explore love, religion, success and faith. In an article from April 2014, American Songwriter called him “a grand secret waiting to be uncovered.” Moreland says songwriting, for him, is an act of self-discovery. “I’m just writing stuff where I feel like I’ve learned something about myself. I guess I just want to understand myself better.” You can read the full article here

For more information on John Moreland, visit his official website
His latest album, 2013's In The Throes, can be purchased here

The shows start at 9pm and there is no cover. For more information visit here
Prolific songwriter M. Lockwood Porter will also be performing. 

Dierks Bentley's 'Riser' tour kicks off on May 9th in Charlotte, NC and he is giving his fans the opportunity to "Rise Up Line Up" for upcoming tour dates. Via dierks.com and his Facebook page ticket holders will have the chance to earn points and move to the front of a virtual line to win upgraded tickets (to real shows).

Dierks says, "When I was in my 20s, I could only afford a lawn ticket to the big shows because I had to save my money for beer once I got in the gate. This is a cool way to give the fans an opportunity to get up closer to the stage and maybe even get them involved in the show. I just can't wait to get out there and get it going!"

The special guests on the tour include Chris Young, Chase Rice and Jon Pardi. For more information click here.

Lincoln Center Out of Doors and the Americana Music Association have partnered to launch Americanafest NYC. There will be a series of free concerts and events from August 6-10 leading up to the conclusion of the annual “Roots of American Music” weekend. The events will be FREE and take place on the Lincoln Center Plaza located between West 62nd and 65th Streets.

The week of free summer concerts in NYC will include appearances and/or performances from Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell, The Campbell Brothers, Devil Makes Three, Rosanne Cash, The Lone Bellow, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, and many more.

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 6
7:30 pm
Damrosch Park Bandshell
Americanafest NYC
Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell
Robert Ellis

THURSDAY, Aug. 7
7:30 pm
David Rubenstein Atrium
Tift Merritt with Eric Heywood

FRIDAY, Aug. 8
Americanafest NYC
7:30 pm
Damrosch Park Bandshell
Cassandra Wilson
The Campbell Brothers: A Sacred Steel Love Supreme (World Premiere; 50th anniversary celebration of John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme commissioned by Lincoln Center Out of Doors)
Featuring visuals by Brock Monroe, Joshua Light Show collaborator

SATURDAY, Aug. 9
Americanafest NYC
1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center Amphitheater
Heroes of American Roots: From the Historic Films Archives

1:30 pm
Hearst Plaza
TBA
The Devil Makes Three
TBA

6:00 pm
Damrosch Park Bandshell
Rosanne Cash
The Lone Bellow
Buddy Miller & Jim Lauderdale

SUNDAY, Aug. 10
Americanafest NYC
1:00 pm
David Rubenstein Atrium
Symposium
Heroes of Americana: From the Historic Film Archives introduced by Joe Lauro
Talkin’ Blues: Music Makers Relief Foundation’s Beverly “Guitar” Watkins, Ironing Board Sam and Tim Duffy in conversation with Dom Flemons.

5:00 pm
Damrosch Park Bandshell
Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires
St. Paul & the Broken Bones
Bobby Patterson
Music Maker Blues Revue*
Featuring Dom Flemons, Beverly “Guitar” Watkins, Ironing Board Sam
Presented in association with the Music Maker Relief Foundation

*Related Exhibition
We are the Music Makers
July 9–August 29, 2014
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
Corridor Gallery
Exhibition Hours: 12–8 Monday and Thursday; 12–6 Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday.

For more information visit here.

Why do all of the cool things happen in Texas? Seriously, just look at that line-up. If you are in Texas and lucky enough to attend, we're jealous. Since we're far away near NYC, we have decided to have our own version of LSJ this weekend by tweeting some of our favorite music from the above artists. Keep your eyes, and of course then your ears, out for music/videos from Randy Rogers Band, American Aquarium, Wade Bowen, Reckless Kelly and more.
BTW, Will Hoge's appearance at LSJ has been cancelled because he is ill with pneumonia. We wish him a speedy recovery!

Well, that's a nice surprise! New music from Joel Crouse! His new song is called "Don't Tell Me" and it is available now!  Pick up your copy on iTunes or amazon.com.  
If you watch "Hart of Dixie" on The CW, take note, the song will make its television debut this Friday, May 2nd. 
For more visit his official website.