Performers Announced for the 2019 CMT Music Awards

CMT will make history this year as it packs the “2019 CMT Music Awards,” with more performances than ever before, featuring superstars Carrie Underwood, Dan + Shay, Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Bryan, Maren Morris, Thomas Rhett, and more to be announced. Hosted by award-winning musical talent Little Big Town, the show will air LIVE from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, June 5 at 8 pm ET / 7 pm CT.

Last week, CMT unveiled the full lineup of artists in the running for this year’s awards. Of the performers announced thus far, singer/songwriter Maren Morris leads the pack with three nominations, including “Video of the Year” and “Female Video of the Year” for “GIRL,” in addition to a nomination for “CMT Performance of the Year” for her collaboration with Brandi Carlile for “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” from the 2018 CMT Artists of the Year special.

Additionally, Carrie Underwood, the most awarded artist in CMT Music Awards history, will make an exciting return to the CMT stage to perform. Underwood is nominated for two awards this year, including “Video of the Year” for “Cry Pretty” and “Female Video of the Year” for “Love Wins.”

Fans can vote now for their favorite artists via vote.cmt.com, up until 11:59 pm ET on Tuesday, June 4 for all categories, including “Video of the Year,” “Male Video of the Year,” “Female Video of the Year,” “Duo Video of the Year,” “Group Video of the Year,” “Breakthrough Video of the Year,” “Collaborative Video of the Year” and “CMT Performance of the Year.”

Tickets to the “2019 CMT Music Awards” are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com.

For more information, follow @CMT on Twitter and Instagram, use hashtag #CMTawards and like the CMT Music Awards on Facebook.

CMR Exclusive: Catching Up with Adam Craig

Stoney Creek Records recording artist Adam Craig is back y’all with brand new music! Not only did the singer/songwriter release one brand new track, but he released TWO! New single “If You’re Lucky,” written by by Jessi Alexander and Chase McGill, serves as a solid re-introduction to the talented artist and will resonate with many, and “What Are You Drinking To,” written by Adam Craig, Matt Rogers and Michael Carter, makes for the perfect anthem, especially with the summer months ahead.

We were lucky, and very grateful, to catch up with Adam Craig to talk about his new music and much more! Check out our exclusive interview with Adam Craig:

Country Music Rocks (CMR): You recently release new music and one of the tracks is your new single heading to country radio, “If You’re Lucky.” Tell us a little about the track and give us some background on this new song.

Adam Craig: I’d been making visits with every publisher in town and the second I heard this song I was struck by how Jessi Alexander and Chase McGill (who I had never met at the time) were able to capture my experience growing up in Tenino, Washington so incredibly. It just spoke to me and in an instant, I was hooked.

CMR: “If You’re Lucky” takes you back to your small town of Tenino, WA. When you are able to make it back to your hometown, what are some of your favorite places to see and visit that bring back a lot of memories?

Adam Craig: I love going back to the Skookumchuck grange—that’s where we used to listen to Tim McGraw on repeat and drink cheap beer a friend bought with a fake ID. We’d go up to the damn and drive all around the Skookumchuck valley, just making memories. I always have to stop in the Sandstone Café when I’m in town too—they’ve got the best biscuits and gravy in the game.

CMR: As you continue to showcase “If You’re Lucky” on stage and on the radio, what are a few things that you feel “Lucky” or better yet Grateful for?

Adam Craig: I feel so lucky that I get to be a part of the Country music community, which to me is the best genre in music, with the best fans. The fact that I get to play for the best fans in the world—I’m so grateful for that opportunity.

CMR: You have a busy summer coming up, especially with CMA Music Festival right around the corner. What are you looking forward to most this year during CMA Fest?

Adam Craig: I’m excited to play Ascend Amphitheater. I saw Train perform there and it was such a cool venue to experience as a fan, I’m looking forward to experience it on the other side. Also, everybody comes to town for CMA Fest so it’s always a great time to catch up with old friends and make new friends.

CMR: For folks that have not seen one of your shows yet, how would you best describe your set?

Adam Craig: I’m not sure how to describe it but my goal is to take people on an emotional journey with me. I think getting lost in the moment and feeling the emotion of music is why people go to concerts—to forget about the real world for a little bit and just have a time. That’s always the goal.

CMR: In addition to “If You’re Lucky,” you also recently released a fun, new song “Whatever You’re Drinking To.” What made you decide to release two songs at once?

Adam Craig: People have adjusted the way that they consume music and it’s so song-focused these days that we were going to put out just one, but I was just so excited to share this music with the world, I wanted to release a little bonus track, if you will. So we released two!

CMR: Since the song is called, “Whatever You’re Drinking To,” what is Adam Craig drinking to these days? What are some of your favorite beverages you enjoy?

Adam Craig: Having a new single out! My recent go-to drink is Tito’s & Diet Coke with a lime, I’ve also been getting into cabernet these days.

CMR: It is so great how music, especially country music, leaves such a strong impact on our lives. What is one song that has made an impact on you, and whenever it comes on, it still resonates and takes you back to a certain moment?

Adam Craig: “I Didn’t Ask and She Didn’t Say” by Tim McGraw. Listen to it and you’ll understand why!

“If You’re Lucky” and “What Are You Drinking To” are both available now and will make for a great fit on your country music playlist! Download the new tracks today by clicking HERE.

Stay connected with Adam Craig and follow along on his exciting journey ahead.
Visit his Official Website, and follow along on his Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Keith Urban Returns With New Track “We Were”

After teasing his return to the recording studio on social media, reigning CMA & ACM Entertainer of the Year Keith Urban released a brand-new single, “We Were,” a reflective mid-tempo ode to mischievous youth.

“I like the idea that life just happens,” says Urban. “At some point, whether in the moment or not, you just gotta go with it.”  

The new track can now be streamed at http://strm.to/WeWere.

The track’s emotive and picturesque lyric elicits memories to which most can relate.  This, as Urban says, is what initially drew him to the track.

“When I first heard “We Were,” I not only heard it, but I saw it. It made me feel something. The imagery is so strong – a stamp on the back of a hand, a Saturday night cover band, the girlfriend (or boyfriend) we ran with, and a fake ID (which of course I never had). So many of us can relate or will likely relate at some point!”

“We Were” was written by Ryan Tyndell, Jeff Hyde, and Eric Church, and was co-produced by Dann Huff and Urban.

LoCash’s New Single “One Big Country Song” Makes One Big Impact at Country Radio

LOCASH’s new single “One Big Country Song” impacted on Country Radio. The fun singalong charted on the Billboard chart two weeks prior to add date, marking the twosome’s highest Billboard debut. In addition, this is the acclaimed Wheelhouse Records duo’s biggest add week thus far with the most first-week stations on a LOCASH single.

Written by Jesse Frasure, Ashley Gorley, Michael Hardy and produced by Corey Crowder and Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard, “One Big Country Song” is the lead track off the pair’s latest album, Brothers. The album was named not only after the undeniable bond the closer-than-kin twosome share but the worldly message that “we’re all brothers and sisters.” The up tempo “One Big Country Song” echoes that sentiment with a neighborly sentiment and feel-good messaging that reminds folks of our similarities and “opens its arms wide, something some country songs don’t” (AP). 

“’One Big Country Song’ has become one of my favorites off the album,” said Chris Lucas of LOCASH. “Mid-show one day I randomly decided we should try it out live. From that moment on, I was hooked—it’s so much fun to perform and you can tell from the stage, it just sparks something in people.”

“We love Country music because it has such a natural way of bringing people together and bringing joy to people’s lives—I feel like this song has the ability to do that and I want to thank Country Radio and all of the fans for believing in it too,” said Preston Brust. “I don’t think we’ve ever charted this quickly so this is a pretty cool moment for us. Can’t thank y’all enough.”

Brothers, (released March of this year) is Preston Brust and Chris Lucas’ first project with their new label family, Wheelhouse Records/BBR Music Group. Listeners got their first taste of the duo’s feel-good project with the fall release of its Top 25 hit, “Feels Like a Party,” which debuted at Country radio as #1 Most Added and earned LOCASH a nomination for the 2019 CMT Music Awards for Duo Video of the Year. Vote for them here.

LOCASH recently wrapped their appearances on the inaugural Pepsi Tailgate Tour where they performed live in conjunction with some of the biggest NFL and college matchups across the country (including the Super Bowl). This summer the “separated at birth singing partners” (Rolling Stone) will be hitting the road, supporting Chris Young’s Raised on Country Tourand Rascal Flatts’ Summer Playlist Tour as well as performing at a series of festivals across the country plus multiple CM Fest performances including the festival’s Chevy Riverfront Stage.

For more information about LOCASH, visit www.locashmusic.com

Miranda Lambert’s Hit Singles Featured On Lullaby Album

If you’re a parent in need of sleep “somethin’ bad,” Rockabye Baby has come through with a solution: Lullaby Renditions of Miranda Lambert, out June 28th on CMH Label Group. With twelve tracks spanning a decade and a half of the country superstar’s finest songs, the collection trades country chords for wood blocks and glockenspiel while retaining all of the rich and warm melodies of the originals.

Featuring lullabied versions of hits like “The House That Built Me,” “Gunpowder & Lead,” “Kerosene,” and “Famous in a Small Town,” Miranda Lambert will send country-loving babies (and their parents) off into a Texas-dreamland of pink guitars, mutts, and rising above it all.

Lullaby Renditions of Miranda Lambert track listing
1. Gunpowder & Lead
2. Somethin’ Bad
3. Kerosene
4. Little Red Wagon
5. Automatic
6. Mama’s Broken Heart
7. We Were Us
8. Vice
9. Tin Man
10. Famous in a Small Town
11. Over You
12. The House That Built Me