May 3rd 1. Blackjack Billy f. Madeline Merlo “How To Get The Girl” (Open Road) 2. David James “Later” (MDM/Dale Speaking Promo) 3. Darius Rucker “If I Told You” (Capitol Nashville/Universal) 4. Jason Benoit “The Moonshine” (Sony) 5. Kelly Prescott “Hillbilly Jewels” (Indie/Pitbull Promo) May 4th 1. Blackjack Billy f. Madeline Merlo “How To Get The Girl” (Open Road) 2. David James “Later” (MDM/Dale Speaking Promo) 3. Darius Rucker “If I Told You” (Capitol Nashville/Universal) 4. Colter Wall “Motorcycle” (Sony) 5. John Pardi “Heartache On The Dance Floor” (Capitol Nashville/Universal) May 5th 1. Blackjack Billy f. Madeline Merlo “How To Get The Girl” (Open Road) 2. David James “Later” (MDM/Dale Speaking Promo) 3. Kip Moore “More Girls Like You” (MCA Nashville/Universal) 4. The Dirt Rich Band “Summertime State of Mind” (Indie/L. Tutty Promo) 5. Brea Lawrenson “Guts and God” (Indie) May 8th 1. Kip Moore “More Girls Like You” (MCA Nashville/Universal) 2. Eric Church “Round Here Buzz” (Universal) 3. Chris Stapleton “Either Way” (Mercury/Universal) 4. Cassadee Pope “I Wish I Could Break Your Heart” (Republic Nashville/Universal) 5. The Dirt Rich Band “Summertime State of Mind” (Indie/L. Tutty Promo) May 9th 1. Chris Stapleton “Either Way” (Mercury/Universal) 2. Jason Aldean “They Don’t Know” (Broken Bow/Sony) 3. Kip Moore “More Girls Like You” (MCA Nashville/Universal) 4. Dave Hartney “Party Lights” (Indie/R. Chubey Promo) 5. Jackie Guy “Damned If I Do” (Indie)
NUMBER 1 SONG THIS WEEK Sam Hunt “Body Like A Backroad” Four weeks at # 1
Top Can Con Songs Of the top 5 songs on the charts three are Canadian High Valley “I Be U Be” Number 2 Jess Moskaluke “Drive Me Crazy” Number 3 James Barker Band “Chills” Number 4
New On The Charts CHRIS BUCK BAND FEAT. KIRA ISABELLA “That's When You Know” Number 45
Most added Single This week CHRIS BUCK BAND FEAT. KIRA ISABELLA “That's When You Know”
Top Canadians to Watch Chris Henderson “My Regret” MEGHAN PATRICK “Be Country With Me” DEAN BRODY FEAT. SHEVY PRICE “Beautiful Freakshow” BOBBY WILLS “Get While The Gettin's Good”
THE ROAD TO STARDOM BREA LAWRENSON Brea Lawrenson has just released her new single “Guts And God” to radio. This single was written by Brea Lawrenson / D. Vincent Williams (Rascal Flats, Reba, Jason Aldean). “Guts and God” is an inspirational song with a message of strength and determination. Featuring Brea’s signature crystalline vocals once again, produced by Beaird Music Group out of Nashville along with Audio Valley Studios in Ottawa. From the poignant ‘With You, Whiskey’ to the rollicking ‘Hell On High Heels’, the searing ‘25 To Life’ and the sassy “Canadian Pearl”, to the soulful “Lynchburg”, Brea captures emotions and stories in her music that have put her on the charts six times in the last three years. Her success is further punctuated with appearances at fairs and festivals where she shares stages with the Small Town Pistols, Bobby Wills, Brett Kissel, Tom Cochrane, The Road Hammers and other great storytellers of our time. Brea continues to rack up some impressive feats while retaining her status as an independent artist. Travelling frequently to Nashville to write and record, Brea released her #Brealieve CD May 2015. Six songs from this CD have been released to country radio and have all charted. With the extended reach from Sirius XM and Stingray Music her song “Canadian Pearl” reached 54 on the BDS charts and positioned her in the top 5 most played Canadian Female Country artist.
Growing up in a small eastern Ontario town, Brea realized at an early age, her love for music. She engaged in vocal training at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Winning first and second place awards at the Montreal Music Festival in Classical and Broadway at the age of 15. When not performing, Brea gives back by lending her knowledge and experiences to teaching vocals and guitar lessons. Tour Dates 19 May The Cove Country Inn Westport, Canada 27 May Wine’d Around Downtown Carleton Place, Canada 19 Jun “Girls To The Front” Songwriters Series Ottawa, Canada 24 Jun Lumbertown Ale House Arnprior, Canada 08 Jul Ottawa Bluesfest Ottawa, Canada 21 Jul Kemptville Live Music Festival North Grenville, Canada 29 Jul Perth Ribfest Perth, Canada 05 Aug Goodwood Music Festival - Beckwith Park Beckwith, Canada 20 Aug Havelock Country Jamboree Peterborough, Canada Brea is on the road to stardom. Have a listen to Guts and God
JACKIE GUY “DAMMED IF I DO” GOING FOR ADDS NOW With Rich McFarlane behind the board, “Damned If I Do” is one of Jackie Guy’s strongest tracks to date with its clever lyrical twists and a hook that will stick in your head for days. AVAILABLE ON DMDS
Jackie Guy “Damned If I Do” Recently reconnected with her first love — songwriting — Canadian Country artist, Jackie Guy releases her latest tune, “Damned If I Do” to radio on May 8. “Once you catch the music bug again it’s no longer a choice; you kind of are just meant to do it...” And meant to do it she is. This first track off of Guy’s soon-to-be-released EP of originals is a promising sign of things to come. With Rich McFarlane behind the board, “Damned If I Do” is one of Guy’s strongest tracks to date with its clever lyrical twists and a hook that will stick in your head for days.
The Mudslingers “Smile On The Radio” The Mudsingers are a band of brothers who currently live in Mount Albert, Ontario, but are originally from Montreal, Quebec.Mudslingers: Ryan Connolly Vocals, Guitar, Songwriter Jarrod Connolly Vocals, Guitar, Songwriter Rounding out the Muddy lineup is Leo Gray, a veteran guitar gunslinger with years of experience, and the epic bottom end of bass master Darold Vander Ploeg. “Smile On The Radio was the first song I wrote after my dad passed away, and the first verse is all about him. Well, specifically how he spoke about my lovely wife Nancy Carroll. In fact when times were hard for him he used to take me to look at cars that he could never afford - his favorite happened to be a white Cadillac convertible. Ryan didn’t know that when he got the car for the video shoot...Anyway, so this song is all about Nancy, and my dad’s kinda in it too. Hope you love it. Nancy’s smile on your radio.” - Paul Carroll
Dave Hartney “Party Lights” If you don;t play this single you may be in trouble with the law! Just kidding. Dave is a Crown prosecuting attorney in Vancouver but music is his first love. DAVE HARTNEY already has an impressive list of accomplishments under his belt for anyone, let alone an indie artist in today’s competitive industry. He has been working with producer John Ellis (DOC WALKER, TARA ORAM, RIDLEY BENT) over the past year, and is setting up to release his debut album later this fall!
Rob Watts “Good Time On” Hot-country artist from Dalston ON, Rob Watts prides himself on a high energy, crowd-involved, live performance and always puts his heart behind the music. With songs derived from personal experiences, Rob strives for meaningful lyrics and powerful melodies. Each new day marks an adventure of passion, to pursue what he loves most. With the brilliant and constructive coaching from Pete Swann of Attitude Productions, Rob was able to build Good Time On to it’s full potential and make his vision come to life.
KELLY PRESCOTT “HILLBILLY JEWEL� Kelly Prescott hails from two musically renowned family lines, spanning three generations from Northern Ontario, Nova Scotia and the Ottawa Valley. She has naturally inherited the foundation to follow her musical heart, drawing inspiration from her great Canadian roots. Imbued with experiences gleaned from growing up in an award winning studio, she has hit the ground running in pursuit of her own musical expression. When Kelly Prescott sings about love you feel every up and down. She sings pain like she never knew anything but hurt. She belts out blues like she was born in the Mississippi Valley, instead of the banks of Mississippi Lake up north in Ontario. With this new album, Hillbilly Jewels, Kelly takes the next step in her craft, with songs that speak to a new generation of lovers of country music. Plenty energy, deep passion, powerful vocals, and story telling about life today.
The Dirt Rich Band “Summertime State of Mind” The Dirt Rich Band is a country/rock group from Kitscoty, AB. Formed in 2013, they have grown into the six-piece band they are today. The group is currently working hard to have their unique sound heard in the vast world of modern country music. In early 2017 the band recorded their first eight song EP with CCMA award winning producer Bart McKay and titled it “Cash Poor. Dirt Rich.” The group is looking forward to seeing where this takes them, and they hope that the fans enjoy the album as much as the boys had creating it. The Dirt Rich Band has been striving to expand their reach by performing shows across Western Canada. The upcoming summer is turning out to be a very busy one with shows booked at rodeos, festivals, fundraisers, and clubs. The group has had the privilege of sharing the stage with Gord Bamford, Aaron Pritchett, Aaron Lines, and Bobby Wills.
Jamie VanScott “Horse Named Flash” Horse Named Flash is a true story about my relationship with my wife” says Jamie VanScott. “We are going through some crazy times in the world right now and it’s easy to get depressed. I like the fact that “Horse Named Flash” is just feel good, fun music you can turn up while driving, and forget about all the bad things happening today.” Jamie VanScott has been fortunate enough to record at the home studio of B.T.O and The Guess Who fame - Randy Bachman . Vanscott also recorded in Atlanta, Georgia many years ago where he met bassist John Driskell Hopkins of the Zac Brown Band. “I’m blessed with all the experiences I’ve had for sure. Many musicians only get to dream of playing in front of thousands of people, and having songs on the radio, but I’ve been lucky enough to experience both” says Jamie VanScott who has opened for Our Lady Peace, Collective Soul, The Tea Party, The Guess Who, Matthew Good and shared the stage with many more.
KOREEN PERRY CURRENT SINGLE “YOU DON’T KNOW ME” Country-pop, folk-pop, and a little bit of classic rock from the 70s and 80s is what you can expect when Koreen Perry and her band hit the stage! Koreen’s new 5-song original EP album “Evolved” has recently been released to country radio across Canada with great success! The EP is a pop-country cocktail. There’s the LA-style pop song “See Through You,” country-pop songs “You Don’t Know Me” and “Dreams In A Bucket,” along with the organic folkpop love song “You & Me.” Bonus track of her last pop single “Lucky” is added to the tasty mix. Starting a new career at the mid-point of life is an adrenaline rush for singer-songwriter Koreen Perry that’s been a long time coming... Koreen Perry is enjoying film success with her originals as well as radio exposure. Her songs “Lucky” and “Playing My Emotions” debut on the feature film “Gone By Dawn,” directed by Shaun Donnelly. Actress and singer, Koreen plays Sheryl Mullens, the principal suppporting role, in a feature film currently in the works called “Breaking Spirits,” again directed by Donnelly. It will feature three more of Perry’s upcoming songs “See Through You,” “You Don’t Know Me,” and “Dreams in a Bucket.” Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Koreen was surrounded by music, theatre, film and performance from an early age. As a growing vocalist, she
was part of Edmonton Musical Theatre. She put her performance skills to use first as a TV reporter and later moved into court reporting. Eager to experience the world, she moved to Calgary for 10 years and spent six months living in Australia working as a live TV captioner - a profession she continues today. Several band performances and festival showcases later - including Canadian Music Week and Canadian Country Music Week, Koreen Perry has adopted a more polished Shania-esque presentation in her performances. She frequently performs live acoustic or with her band at private functions, bars and festivals around Alberta. She continues to focus on her singing, song writing and recording. Koreen Perry is please to announce the release of her second single for 2017 “You Don’t Know Me.” This self penned tune is a song about going it alone with children after a life-changing divorce, and it’s from her new EP Evolved. Check out Koreen online https://www.koreenperry.com/home. html https://www.facebook.com/KoreenPerry1 https://twitter.com/koreenp
NEW ALBUM FROM THE ROADHAMMERS The highest-selling Canadian country band in history, The Road Hammers, have released their brandnew record today, titled The Squeeze. It is a collection of tracks that epitomize what the band has become known for - a truly synergistic blend of classic rock meets country, with a contemporary twist. The Road Hammers (comprised of Jason McCoy, Clayton Bellamy, and Chris Byrne) collaborated to write many of the tracks on The Squeeze, which is a unique set of foot-stomping tracks one can’t help but dance to, evocative of the south. From the heart-warming sentiment behind the lead single, “Crazy About You”, currently sitting at #16 on Canadian country radio, which is about continuing to fall in love with long time partners as the years go on, inspired by McCoy’s own marriage; to “The Squeeze”, an up-tempo song co-written with Nashville writer Andrew Petroff and Chris Byrne about ensuring love is good to the last drop - it’s clear that passion for music and love are central themes to the
CHRIS STAPLETON INTERVIEW ON CBS THIS MORNING
album. Co-produced by Gavin Brown (Metric, Tragically Hip and Barenaked Ladies), Scott Baggett (Alison Krauss, Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt), Jason McCoy and David Kalmusky, The Squeeze brings forward a new personal side of The Road Hammers. Much like previous records, it reflects the band’s love of wheels on the open road, combined with their softer side, highlighted in a cover of the classic Dawes song, “All Your Favourite Bands”, which showcases Clayton Bellamy’s vocals. This record also forges into new terrain, into the realities of life and love through the fun, Road Hammers lens, without the sugarcoating. This summer will see the platinum-selling group on the festival circuit, playing at a number of events, including Country Thunder Saskatchewan (SK), Mattawa Voyageur Days (ON), Habourfest (ON) and Country Thunder (AB), Wild West Country Festival, Buffalo (NY), and more.
Canadian Lindsay Ell, Mo Pitney and SaraBeth Join ‘Parenting Today’s Teens Radio’ for 25th Annual Dallas Concert and Fundraiser ‘Parenting Today’s Teens’, a 501c3 radio program dedicated to providing tips, tools and resources to help struggling families, recently held their 25th annual fundraiser at the Westin Galleria in Dallas, TX. Stoney Creek Records’ Lindsay Ell, Curb Records’ Mo Pitney and Circle S recording artist SaraBeth shared their stories and songs in an intimate writer’s round style show unlike any in years past. Overall, the organization raised more than $200,000 towards their efforts to provide families with parenting resources.
‘Parenting Today’s Teens’, a 501c3 radio program dedicated to providing tips, tools and resources to help struggling families, recently held their 25th annual fundraiser at the Westin Galleria in Dallas, TX. Stoney Creek Records’ Lindsay Ell, Curb Records’ Mo Pitney and Circle S recording artist SaraBeth shared their stories and songs in an intimate writer’s round style show unlike any in years past. Overall, the organization raised more than $200,000 towards their efforts to provide families with parenting resources.
COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME® AND MUSEUM ANNOUNCES DETAILS FOR JASON ALDEAN EXHIBITION The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will explore the life and career of Jason Aldean, two-time and reigning Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year, with the exhibition Jason Aldean: Asphalt Cowboy, presented by Field & Stream, opening May 26. RIAA’s top digital Country male artist of all time has helped define today’s Country music with his wideopen sound. The exhibit will showcase the early encouragement Aldean received from both parents, his move to Nashville, his struggle to get his music heard and his groundbreaking success with an independent record company. Running until November 5, Jason Aldean: Asphalt Cowboy will also include childhood mementos, memorabilia from Aldean’s early career, stagewear, guitars, awards, photos and more from his personal collection.
get a closer look at one of the most iconic country music artists in the industry. Aldean has been a Field & Stream spokesperson since 2016. “When we first started working with Jason, it was our goal to create an authentic partnership with someone who is genuinely passionate about the outdoors” said Lauren Hobart Executive Vice President & Chief Customer & Digital Officer, DICK’S Sporting Goods. “We are not only thrilled to be supporting Jason’s exhibit in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, but we’re excited to help bring country music fans and outdoor enthusiasts closer to the music they enjoy.”
Jason Aldean: Asphalt Cowboy exhibition highlights include: • Wooden childhood rocking horse with Aldean’s name engraved • First guitar, given to Aldean by his father “In ‘Asphalt Cowboy’ Jason sings about running un• High school graduation photo derneath the stars on a ride that won’t let him go,” said • T-shirt, bio and set list for Aldean’s high school museum CEO Kyle Young. “Years of touring across band the Young Guns the country, burning up the asphalt, have led him to • Poster for Trisha Yearwood and Aldean, when country music superstardom on a ride that’s far from he opened for her homecoming concert in the late ‘90s over. We are pleased that he will join Luke Bryan, Mi• Contract cover letter for signing with Broken randa Lambert, Blake Shelton, Taylor Swift and Carrie Bow Records, 2004 Underwood among the contemporary artists we have • Brown short-sleeve shirt worn in “Johnny featured in special summer exhibits examining country Cash” video music in the twenty-first century.” • Note from Jay Leno to Aldean before Tonight Show performance, November 2010 “I could not be more honored to have an exhibit at the One of the most visited museums in the United States, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum,” said Alwith an unduplicated collection of more than 2.5 dean. “To look around the space and see my personal million artifacts, the Country Music Hall of Fame and heroes and artists who helped shape country music is a Museum celebrates its fiftieth anniversary in 2017. surreal feeling. To be a part of a legacy like this really is Aldean’s installation leads a year packed with revealing a dream come true.” exhibitions on topics including Loretta Lynn, Shania Twain, and country music couple Faith Hill and Tim Field & Stream, a specialty outdoor retail and product McGraw brand owned and operated by DICK’S Sporting Goods, is sponsoring the exhibit to enable country music fans and outdoor enthusiasts from all over the country to
THANK YOU! GREAT RESPONSE KEEP IT COMING! THE STATE OF COUNTRY MUSIC IN CANADA COMING MAY 22nd WE NEED YOUR INPUT! We have had great feedback so far but we need to hear from more of you. This is our industry and we want to have as much feedback as we can get so we can all see how our industry is doing across the country. We have a great industry. Country music fans are passionate, loyal and spend money on their favourite music and going to concerts. We thought we would do a Special Issue of Canada Country Aircheck on the state of country music. We need your input. Radio: How do you feel country music is doing in Canada? Are female artists getting more, the same or less airplay these days? There seems to be a mix of traditional and rockin kind of country, as a programmer does a mix of say Chris Stapleton and Luke Bryan work well together? Labels, Trackers and Artists How do you feel country music is doing in Canada? Do you find that radio is open to new emerging artists? Is the internet a way to build a fan base? Management and Artists
How do you feel country music is doing in Canada? Are Canadian artists doing well on the road? Are Canadian companies opened to sponsoring artists? The audience has shifted a bit over the past year as the “Bro Country� has gone away and there are more traditional artists and music. Jess Moskaluke is the first Canadian female artist in 9 years that has reached into the top 5 on the BDS charts coming in at number 3. Are female artists now getting the ears of radio and no longer just the tomato and becoming the salad. The younger demo seemed to have moved on and we are back to the core audience of 25 - 54. There are also many more ways for fans to listen to and discover new music. We will have some cool research in this special issue and with your input it will help us all see how country music is doing in Canada. Be part of this issue by sending us an e-mail at news@canadacountryaircheck.com We want to hear from you. We look forward to hearing back from you. It will help us all better understand where we are and where we are headed in the future. Let your voice be heard.
Bill Miller Sharp 9 Music Cell: 604-301-9985 Website: www.sharp9music.com