Country Music Rocks - Country Music News Website

UMG Nashville Showcased Their Talented Roster During Annual Luncheon at The Ryman

Country Radio and Industry Professionals came together last week in Nashville for the 2018 Country Radio Seminar (CRS). The three day event included multiple informational seminars and several showcases highlighting artists and their new music for the year ahead.

The highly anticipated annual luncheon took place at The Ryman Auditorium, hosted by UMG Nashville for its 9th year. Fourteen talented artists, all part of the UMG Nashville roster, took the stage to perform. Many took the iconic stage that day for the first time ever. In just one song, well Luke Bryan broke the rules and played two, but no one was complaining! But in just one song each and every artist captivated the crowd with an impressive performance.

Kip Moore opened the event with his latest single “Last Shot,” singing the opening verse a capella and setting the tone for an epic afternoon ahead. The feeling when each and every artist stepped on stage was surreal. You could tell how much it meant to them to be on that stage, but as a member of the audience, it meant just as much to us. Jordan Davis, Kassi Ashton, Travis Denning and Brandon Lay made their debut on The Ryman stage and each delivered an unbelievable performance. The excitement continued for Lay as not only was it his first time performing on the iconic stage, but he also found out he was going to be a dad shortly beforehand. The afternoon was also a significant one for Maddie and Tae, as it was their debut performance as part of the UMG Nashville team as recording artists on the MCA Nashville imprint.

Vince Gill shared a personal experience and delivered an emotionally charged song, “Forever Changed.” While he wrote the song years back, Gill felt compelled to share the song in support of the #MeToo Movement.

Throughout nearly two hours, the industry was treated to an incredible afternoon with performances from Kip Moore, Jordan Davis, Luke Bryan, Brothers Osborne, Kashi Ashton, Travis Denning, Brandon Lay, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Vince Gill, Maddie and Tae, Chris Stapleton, Eric Paslay and Jon Pardi. Get ready for an amazing year in country music from each of these fine folks.

Sam Hunt Curates First-Ever Music Festival in Nashville

Multi-platinum-selling artist Sam Hunt announced that he will be curating his first-ever music festival The Nashional this spring at the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in Nashville, TN on Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21.

Hunt will be headlining the musically diverse line-up that includes Nashville genre-bending band Judah & The Lion, R&B rapper Fetty Wap, American country music duo Brothers Osborne, west coast rapper Kyle, indie-pop artist Quinn XCII, LA’s indie-rock band LANY, American country music band LANCO, electronica singer/songwriter/producer Chelsea Cutler, Nashville-based rapper Ernest K. and contemporary country duo Muscadine Bloodline, making it one of the most eclectic music events this spring. Tickets go on sale on Friday, February 9 at 10 AM CT at www.ticketmaster.com.

The Nashional is a unique two-day event that highlights the inclusive, diverse, and genre-blurring landscape of music today. Nashville’s Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park will be home to this inaugural event and will feature an experiential environment for fans to enjoy. Hunt, whose own eclectic style owes its roots to country music with influences in pop, folk and R&B, was inspired to create this festival while out on his “15 In a 30” national tour this past summer.

“The sense of community in Nashville helps give it the character and personality that makes me proud to be a part of it,” says Hunt. “I wanted to create an experience at The Nashional that celebrates music, community, and everything they mean to each other and this city.”

Bud Light is the official beer sponsor of The Nashional.

Citi® is the official credit card of The Nashional. As such, Citi cardmembers will have access to purchase presale tickets beginning Tuesday, February 6 at 10 AM CT through Citi’s Private Pass® program. For complete presale details visit www.citiprivatepass.com.

Jimmie Allen To Release Debut Single “Best Shot” To Country Radio

Stoney Creek Records announces Jimmie Allen’s eagerly anticipated debut single “Best Shot” which will be impacting Country radio on Tuesday, February 20. In addition to sharing his first single and embarking on an extensive nationwide radio tour, Allen is also telling his story to the world with a brand new docu-series “Jimmie Allen All In.”

The six-episode docu-series lets fans get to know Jimmie as an artist and as a person. The first three episodes of his docu-series, “Jimmie Allen is a F#@!ing lunatic!,” “$21 & a Dream,” and “Slower Lower” are available here. Taste of Country exclusively debuted the episode “All I Had Was Hope,” noting “Jimmie may be the most feel-good story since fans learned of Shania Twain’s hard luck upraising.” The site will premiere the final two episodes in the following weeks (February 7, February 14). Visit Taste of Country next Wednesday for the latest on “Jimmie Allen All In.”

The hot newcomer burst onto the scene after dropping his EP in October, instantly winning over music lovers with his cutting-edge melodic mix of Country and rock, soulful groove and heartfelt lyrics. Fans on digital streaming players took notice, quickly pushing Allen to the top of the players’ Country music playlists and beyond. His feel good “Blue Jean Baby” reached #8 on Spotify’s Viral Top 50 list, proving his cross-genre appeal.

“I’m so excited to share my music with the world and let people get to know me and I feel like ‘Best Shot’ is a great intro to that because it is so personal,” said Allen. “It was inspired by advice that my grandmother always gave about women and how they just want to know that we care and that we’re trying—her words always stuck with me. At the end of the day, I just want to make my grandmother proud, she was my everything.”

Allen has received numerous accolades from critics and fans alike, he was recently named one of Billboard’s “15 Country Artists to Watch in 2018” and earned spots in CMT’s “18 for 2018” Listen Up program and Bobby Bones’ Class of 2018. He was also featured on Rolling Stone’s “10 New Country Artists You Need to Know,” Pandora’s “Country Artists to Watch 2018,” Sounds Like Nashville’s “13 New Country Artists to Watch 2018,” NYCountry Swag’s “2018 One’s to Watch,” and Country Music Rocks’ “CMR Artists to Watch 2018” lists.

Trace Adkins To Embark On 2018 “How Did We Get Here Tour”

Country music legend Trace Adkins will embark on his own How Did We Get Here Tour in 2018, kicking off on April 6 in Biloxi, MS with dates across the U.S. and Canada into the fall currently announced.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, February 2 for select dates. To access the exclusive fan pre-sale, join the free Trace Adkins Community at: http://tadkins.co/community.

Kip Moore Adds More Plead The Fifth Tour Dates

Multi-PLATINUM singer/songwriter Kip Moore announced the second leg of his headlining PLEAD THE FIFTH TOUR, kicking off in Kingston, ON on 3/22. The new dates follow the fall leg of the tour which wrapped with a sold-out stint and praise from critics, including declaring “if you’re not sold on Kip Moore, one of his concerts will make you a fan… dang, is it a good show!” (The Boot.)

Moore has invited Drake White to rejoin him on the trek following a fun-filled fall run, and has also enlisted Fairground Saints to join. Tickets will go on sale on Feb. 2 at 10am CT, here.

New PLEAD THE FIFTH TOUR Dates:
3/22/18 Kingston, ON Rogers K-Rock Centre
3/23/18 Barrie, ON Mavericks Music Hall
3/24/18 Toronto, ON Danforth Music Hall
3/25/18 Toronto, ON Danforth Music Hall
3/27/18 Sault Ste Marie The Machine Shop
3/29/18 Ottawa, ON Algonquin Commons
3/30/18 London, ON London Music Hall
4/5/18 Charlotte, NC Fillmore
4/6/18 Myrte Beach, SC House of Blues
5/10/18 Vancouver, BC Vogue Theater
5/11/18 Vancouver, BC Vogue Theater
5/12/18 Penticton, BC South Okanagan Events Centre
5/14/18 Medicine Hat, AB Esplanade Theatre
5/15/18 Prince Albert, SK EA Rawlinson Centre for the Arts
5/17/18 Winnipeg, MB Club Regent Event Centre