Rascal Flatts Announce Rhythm and Roots Summer Tour

ACM “Vocal Group Of The Year” Nominees Rascal Flatts wrapped their second wildly-successful Vegas Residency this weekend at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Over the course of their nine-show spectacular critics praised as “the trio that’s practically made of gold and platinum” (Las Vegas Magazine) “blasted through hit after hit” (Las Vegas Review Journal) as well as a surprise cameo from Brian McKnight much “to the delight of the band and their fans” (Las Vegas Sun.)

Following enthusiastic feedback to the group’s stripped-down setup in Vegas, that allowed the group to fully engage with fans, Rascal Flatts announced today that their headlining RASCAL FLATTS: RHYTHM AND ROOTS TOUR will kick off in Charlotte, NC on 6/17 and the trio have invited two-time ACM nominee Kelsea Ballerini and red-hot newcomer Chris Lane to join them out on the road.

“It’s really important to us that each year our shows are fresh and exciting for our fans,” said Jay DeMarcus. “We put a lot of thought into how to do that this year and mixing it up in Vegas was really fun so we decided to continue with this new change of pace out on the road this summer. We are so pumped because no-one has ever seen Rascal Flatts like this before and we’re really excited to have such great support this year with Kelsea and Chris too, it’s going to be a blast!”

RASCAL FLATTS: RHYTHM AND ROOTS TOUR Dates
6/17 CHARLOTTE, NC
6/18 RALEIGH, NC
6/24 SYRAC– USE, NY
6/25 CLEVELAND, OH
6/26 CINCINNATI, OH
7/7 MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA
7/8 SAN DIEGO, CA
7/9 IRVINE, CA
7/15 PHOENIX, AZ
7/16 ALBUQUERQUE, NM
7/28 ST. LOUIS, MO
7/29 KANSAS CITY, MO
7/30 DALLAS, TX
8/5 DAVENPORT, IA*
8/6 WEST ALLIS, WI*
8/7 CHICAGO, IL
8/12 MANSFIELD, MA
8/13 HARTFORD, CT
8/14 VIRGINIA BEACH, VA
8/18 HALIFAX, CAN
8/20 AVONDALE, CAN*
8/27 LIMA, OH*
9/1 WANTAGH, NY
9/2 HOLMDEL, NJ
9/3 ESSEX JUNCTION, VT
9/4 BANGOR, ME
9/8 PHILADELPHIA, PA
9/9 PITTSBURGH, PA
9/10 BRISTOW, VA
9/15 CLARKSTON, MI
9/17 INDIANAPOLIS, IN
* Denotes Fair or Festival, openers may vary

Kenny Chesney Returns To The Studio, New Music Ahead

“You have to take time to live and breathe, to fill up your tanks to be creative,” says multi-platinum country songwriter/vocalist Kenny Chesney. “Otherwise, you’re just on a treadmill churning out what you’ve already done… Who needs that? For me, especially after the success of The Big Revival, I want to move the music, the songs, the discussion forward!”

Having hit a nerve with the GRAMMY-nominated “American Kids,” the triple rhythm, double hook song that celebrated America’s freewheeling nature, and “Wild Child,” which embraced the free spirit of women instead of the short shorts, The Big Revival was a CMA Album of the Year nominee that spawned four straight No.1s. Chesney felt like he’d set the bar for what his music can be.

To that end, Chesney has spent the last several months writing and seeking songs in Austin, the islands, and the road. He’s also joined with longtime co-producer Buddy Cannon (Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard) in the studio in Los Angeles and Nashville.

“There’s a moment you feel a record grab hold, and take shape,” Chesney says. “You can have great songs and not have an album. You can have a killer record that won’t move people on the radio. The idea is to balance both, then hopefully create something that does both, that also says something as a whole. I think we’re on our way.”

Drawing on David Lee Murphy (“Living In Fast Forward,” “Pirate Flag”), Josh Osborne (“Wild Child,” “Come Over,” the GRAMMY-winning “Merry Go ‘Round”) and Shane McAnally (“Somewhere With You,” “American Kids,” “Come Over”) Chesney has also mined Matraca Berg (“You & Tequila”), the Oscar-nominee Allison Moorer and Americana Artist of the Year nominee Hayes Carll, as well as a few surprises.

“There are a few writers who get me, who get my life and my soul,” Chesney says. “And I was lucky enough to have time to write with them. But I also got to hear a lot of great songs, some different writers, so there was a lot of music this time to draw from and be inspired by.”

“When we came off the road and I listened back to The Big Revival, all I could think was, ‘Man, we covered a lot of ground, went pretty cool, as well as new places musically,’” continues the man who’s notched 28 No. 1s. “I knew we couldn’t repeat, but I also wanted to find more new ways and new things to record!”

Kenny Chesney has created trends instead of following them since his breakthrough No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems and When the Sun Goes Down. Always seeking something fun that didn’t sacrifice innovation, he’s teamed with Dave Matthews, Uncle Kracker, the Wailers and Grace Potter on a series of outside the lines No. 1s. Look for new music sometime this spring.

Kane Brown To Release New EP CHAPTER 1 On March 18

Breakout country music recording artist Kane Brown continues to answer fans’ demands for new music with his label debut EP, Chapter 1, set for release March 18.

The 5-track collection includes Brown’s debut radio single and viral fan favorite “Used To Love You Sober” which boasts over 200,000 downloads and 2.2 million streams to date. With 4 out of 5 tracks co-penned by Brown, Chapter 1 previews the full-length album expected from the Georgia native later this year.

Chapter 1 Track Listing:
1) Wide Open – (Kane Brown/Corey Crowder/Justin Lantz)
2) Used To Love You Sober – (Kane Brown/Josh Hoge/Matthew McVaney)
3) Last Minute Late Night – (Ben Caver/Corey Crowder/Matthew McGinn)
4) Excuses – (Kane Brown/Josh Hoge/Matthew McVaney)
5) There Goes My Everything – (Kane Brown/Josh Hoge/Matthew McVaney/Chris Young)

“I’m so excited to release Chapter 1 – my fans have been so patient and supportive as I’ve worked on this project!” shares Brown. “From the writer’s room to the studio to playing these songs night after night on tour, it’s been an incredible experience. I’m grateful to my fans and can’t wait for what’s to come in the future but right now let’s start with Chapter 1!”

Named an “Artist To Watch” by Billboard, Huffington Post and HITS, Brown continues blazing cross-country on his first headlining tour notching 35+ sold-out dates – many markets selling out in less than 24 hours. In May, Brown teams up with Florida Georgia Line, Cole Swindell and The Cadillac Three for the 56-date 2016 Dig Your Roots Tour with stops in Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver and Nashville.

Brown hits the road next weekend for a run of sold-out shows in Champaign, Ill., Minneapolis, Minn. and Peoria, Ill. For more information on Kane Brown and a list of tour dates, visit kanebrownmusic.com.

Josh Kelley Returns With New Music and New Record Deal

People Magazine calls singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Josh Kelley “a genuine talent who brings sincere emotion” to his music, and that statement has never been truer given the environment in which he’s been creating.

Kelley has been actively writing, producing, and playing most of the instruments himself for a new endeavor with most of the work taking place in the state-of-the art studio he built off their barn just four miles from his home in Utah, where he lives with his wife, actress Katherine Heigl, and their two children.

After a five-year hiatus during which he focused on being a father and husband, the “relaxed baritone” (Associated Press) that brought the smash “Amazing” as well as country hit “Georgia Clay” to airwaves will return with Kelley’s first new music in over five years.

“I’m in the studio every day,” he notes. “Being the producer, the engineer and the artist can get lonely sometimes, but it’s very empowering and very satisfying creatively.  For me, there’s no better drug than spending the morning writing a song, spending the afternoon recording and producing it, and then making a copy and listening to it in the car on the way home.  It’s so much fun having that instant gratification, of creating something from scratch.”

Kelley has kept busy with a variety of projects that have allowed him to explore new ground creatively, including writing and performing the theme song for the hit TV sitcom Mike and Molly, scoring the feature film Home Sweet Hell, and even creating the theme song for TV’s Golf Channel.

“Josh Kelley is a tremendous singer songwriter,” shares Rounder Label Group’s COO, Cliff O’Sullivan. “As a label that prides itself in having an eclectic music roster, Sugar Hill is a perfect home for an artist like Josh whose career lives in several genres. We’re thrilled to welcome Josh to the Rounder Label Group family.”

Josh will join his brother Charles Kelley for a series of tour dates on Charles’ The Driver Tour:
4/09 Washington, DC @ The Fillmore
4/11 Boston, MA @ House of Blues
4/13 Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
4/14 Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
4/15 St Louis @ The Pageant
4/23 Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
4/24 San Jose, CA @ Club Rodeo
4/26 LA, CA @ Troubadour
5/01 Houston, TX @ House of Blues
5/03 Nashville, TN @ 3rd and Lindsley
5/06 Athens, GA @ Georgia Theater

For more information, visit joshkelley.com or follow on Twitter @JoshBKelley and Facebook.

Randy Houser Scores Fourth No.1 Single with “We Went”

Just days before the much-anticipated March 11 release of his fourth studio album, Fired Up, the “big-voiced and big-hearted” (Boston Globe) Randy Houser scored his fourth No. 1 hit today, March 7, with the album’s rollicking lead single, “We Went.”

The song, which Rolling Stone Country notes “not only takes the singer on a wild adventure, [but] also represents something of a new musical direction for him,” is one of 17 new tracks on Houser’s tour de force of an album, out via Stoney Creek Records this Friday. Prior to the album’s street date, Houser will perform “We Went” live on ABC’s Good Morning America this Wednesday, March 9.

“This is just so cool to have our fourth number one the same week that our album is coming out,” said Houser. “It’s always humbling when you have a song that really connects like that, and I’m really looking forward to getting our new music out there and playing it live on the road this summer.”

Produced by Derek George, who also guided Houser’s breakthrough 2013 album How Country Feels, Fired Up is already earning the attention of critics. Rolling Stone Country notes that the album “captures what the Mississippi native does best: huge-voiced heartbreak ballads and roadhouse rockers” and RARE Country calls Fired Up “a complete collection of what Houser does best and is built on Houser’s strengths – guitar-heavy rockers and country ballads that truly have something to say.”

Fans can pre-order Fired Up now on iTunes at http://geni.us/firedup.