CountryBeat Magazine - Fall 2018 by CountryBeatMagazine

Country Beat Magazine

Volume 1 • Issue 1 Fall 2018

PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Neal Nachman

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DIRECTOR OF SALES AND PROMOTIONS: Liz Stokes GRAPHIC ARTIST: Neal Nachman

DIRECTOR OF MULTI-MEDIA: Kenny Moore

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ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Liz Stokes LEGAL COUNSEL: Shobha N. Lizaso

EDITORIAL INQUIRIES: info@countrybeatmagazine.com WRITERS: Alanna Conaway Terry Canter Corrina Drost Marianne Horner Liz Stokes

PHOTOGRAPHERS: Neal Nachman Joe Orlando

PUBLISHED BY: Full Access Media Group 9713 Takomah Trail Tampa, FL 33617 813.400.3110 (Office) • 813.200.3916 (Fax)

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11:30 a.m. in Music City Walk of Fame Park. Jeannie’s vivacious stage presence and sultry voiced combined with her deeply moving vocals earned her the nickname of “Miss Country Soul,” a title that’s still used today. Inductees are recognized for their significant contributions to preserving the musical heritage of Nashville and for contributing to the world through song or other industry collaboration. In addition to Ms. Seely, Brenda Lee, Ray Stevens and Ben Folds will also be inducted into the Walk of Fame. Dolly Parton Will Reunite With Jane Fonda, “I’m so thrilled, honored and blessed,” states Jeannie Seely! “ To be recognized for your contriLily Tomlin for ‘9 to 5′ Sequel Dolly Parton is reuniting with Jane Fonda and Lily bution to the Country Music industry with your own Tomlin for a sequel to their smash 1980 movie hit, star on the Walk of Fame Park is more than I could ever have dreamed.” 9 to 5. According to the Today show, Fonda confirmed the news on Wednesday (July 25) at a Television Critics Association press event, telling reporters, “Right now, Dolly, Lily and I are all intending to be in it." The news comes just months after speculation about a possible sequel began to spread, after movie studio 20th Century Fox reportedly said it was interested in asking Angie Tribeca star Rashida Jones to collaborate on a script for a sequel with 9 to 5 screenwriter Patricia Resnick.

Judds Exhibit to Open at Country Music Hall of Fame One of country music’s great rags-to-riches family stories will be brought to life by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum starting next month, as it opens a new exhibit chronicling the lives of mother-daughter duo Naomi and Wynonna Judd. Due to open August 10th and run for 11 months until July 14th, 2019, The Judds: Dream Chasers will follow the path of single mother Naomi from Kentucky to Los Angeles to Music City as she and Wynonna worked against the odds to break Jeannie Seely To Be Honored With Star on into the music industry. Those efforts of course paid off, as the Judds became one of country’s Music City Walk of Fame Country music royalty and a fifty year member most beloved vocal duos, notching 14 Number of the Grand Ole Opry, Jeannie Seely, will be One hits and another half-dozen Top 20 hits honored with a star on Music City Walk of Fame between 1983 and 1991. during an induction ceremony on Aug. 21, 2018 at Dream Chasers will feature artifacts that stretch 4

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all the way back to Naomi’s childhood, including a handwritten letter to Santa Claus. The exhibit will also include the uniform that she wore while she worked as a registered nurse before she and Wynonna landed their RCA Records contract with the aid of a homemade demo tape. It also wouldn’t be a Judds tribute without silk and rhinestones, and there will be several such outfits on display, including the jacket Wynonna wore for the group’s farewell concert in the early Nineties and the gown Naomi wore for their Las Vegas residency in 2015. During their career, the Judds accrued several Grammy, CMA, and ACM awards, many of which will be on display at the Hall of Fame. The exhibit will run alongside other current exhibits like Outlaw and Armadillos: Country’s Roaring ’70s, which opened in May.

Luke Bryan to Open LUKE'S 32 BRIDGE FOOD + DRINK in Downtown Nashville Country music superstar Luke Bryan is set to open Nashville’s only six-floor entertainment facility in the heart of Music City, LUKE’S 32 BRIDGE FOOD + DRINK. The must-see hot spot is located in Nashville’s most sought after zip code with a prime location in the downtown district on the corner of 301 Broadway at 3rd Avenue. The 30,000 square foot building features six levels of entertainment space with eight bars, including Broadway’s only multi-level rooftop bars with sushi menu, four stages of live music and two restaurants. The name, LUKE’S 32 BRIDGE FOOD + DRINK, was inspired by Luke’s childhood home near Route 32 Bridge in Lee County, Georgia and is housed in Nashville’s iconic American National Bank Building. The facility, in partnership with TC Restaurant Group, is scheduled to open this month. “When I first moved to Nashville I played several of the bars on the ionic Broadway Street,” shared Luke. “I never would have dreamt that I would one day be a part of a place that could offer the same dream to others. Because of Music City and the fans all across the country, the reality of this amazing venue has become possible.”

Visitors to LUKE’S 32 BRIDGE FOOD + DRINK will enjoy an aw-inspiring view from the multi-level rooftop that features Nashville’s only rooftop Sushi Bar with Chef Nick Phrommala. Chef Tomasz Wosiak helms the LUKE’S 32 BRIDGE FOOD + DRINK signature restaurant where he has created a menu inspired by some of Luke's favorites with special twists on Southern and American cuisine. Take your pick from hearty favorites Hometown Pulled Pork with Kettle BBQ chips, Black & Blue Salmon Salad, Nashville Hot Chicken to Luke's Elk Burger with Red Dragon Cheese. Burger fans are set-to-go with the Farmers Burger, featuring locally-sourced, all natural beef with over easy egg, maple bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and signature sauce. Other go-to dishes are Beet Mixed Green Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette & hand-tossed oven-baked margarita and pepperoni pizza work to fill out a world-class menu. LUKE’S 32 BRIDGE FOOD + DRINK will offer one-of-a-kind drinks including some of Luke’s personal choices like “Backstage”- vodka, grapefruit, with or without salt; “Play It Again”- cherries, vanilla bourbon, lemon juice, sugar and “Luke’s Old Fashioned”- muddled cherries & oranges, cubed sugar & bitters, ice, whiskey & water- plus more.

Garth Brooks To Play First-Ever Concert At Notre Dame Stadium Reigning CMA “Entertainer Of The Year” Garth Brooks has been invited to play the first-ever concert at Notre Dame Stadium. At a press conference in Nashville, TN, the ground-breaking news was revealed that the storied venue, established in 1930, will host its inaugural concert with a special headlining performance by Brooks, at a to-be-announced date. Brooks was joined by revered member of the University of Notre Dame family and former head football coach Lou Holtz, who shared in the excitement of the upcoming monumental event. "Notre Dame stadium has seen so many iconic moments!” said Garth Brooks. "I look forward to bringing a new kind of crazy to the party."

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Grammy Award winner and Muti-Platinum singer, songwriter and guitarist of American rock band Hootie & the Blowfish and Country music artist. Darius Rucker has quite the success in rock, R&B and country genre. We had the chance to sit down and talk with him about the challenges of changing genres. Darius explains, "The biggest change was in the thought process, Hootie was a band, so we made all the decisions together. We would be like ‘Let's vote,’ and all that stuff. It's really four guys. And when you come out here by yourself, every decision was mine. It was different and crazy at first. Pretty overwhelming, but once I started having fun with it, and things started going well, and I got my record deal, it was pretty easy to get right into that role. I mean, I love it and I still love playing with Hootie, but I love doing this." Darius has accomplished more than just about anybody that I know, other than Charlie Pride, as far as being a black male in the business and having success in another band, he has been able to achieve more than most could possibly imagine. Darius tells us, "It's been a crazy run to come over here, coming to Nashville and do something I was really just going to do with my buddies in my basement. Then I get a record deal and have all the success. It's been crazy, because if you look at all the road blocks that 6

By Liz Stokes

were up there, coming over from another genre, which is always a road block, coming over as the African-American kid, that could be a roadblock too, but it all just worked out. It was the songs and the people knew that I really loved country music. I wasn't here trying to carpetbag or anything. It was music I really loved, and it just all worked." We asked Darius what a normal day for him looked like when he is on the road touring and he said, "A normal day, I usually wake up at the golf course, play a round of golf, come back and work out, do some interviews or whatever, take a nap, get up, and it's show time. That's a normal day right there!" When performing live, we asked if there was any songs that he liked performing more than others. He said, "For me, it's always a song that the crowd wants to hear the most. And when you're playing the hits, people just get so excited. I'm not one of those guys who doesn't like playing the hits. I love playing my hits, I still love all those Hootie songs I play. So for me, it's all about playing what they want to hear. You can have fun in between those songs, but I always make sure I play the ones they want." Darius has released his seventh studio album and fifth solo country album, "When Was the Last Time" back in Oct 2017, which has the song "For The First Time," as well as "If I Told You." “If I Told You” from his latest album was the big hit

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single and it debuted at No.1 on Country Music charts. Darius said, "I did an old Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ song called "Straight to Hell," where Luke Bryan, Charles Kelly and Jason Aldean all performed." Darius recently released the video for his latest single and video "Straight to Hell," which features Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean and Charles Kelly in the video. Darius is involved in many, many projects. One of those is a charity event to raise funds for St. Jude's. He tells us, "Brooks & Dunn came out and played along with Luke Combs, Michael Ray and Dan + Shay. It was a big, big night. We had a good time and it's always great to raise money for St. Jude's like that. It's always fun to be able to do that, then go have a golf tournament the next day and raise some good money for a great organization." Darius has also teamed up with the Wounded Warrior's Foundation and gave some veterans the keys to a free house which he says, "It is always a great thing that I get to do every now and then with another great organization. That was really cool to see how excited they were and to just be a part of that." As if we couldn't love Darius Rucker anymore, he got to be on Undercover Boss and tells us about that experience and says, "It was fun, it was long, like eight or nine days we did that. I mean every day, it was like three hours in the chair and put that makeup on. But it was fun just getting to go into places where nobody knew who I was and trying to find some singers that really inspired me and moved me."

Even with all his experience, you wouldn't think that Darius would get nervous playing at the Grand Ole Opry, but he says, "I played there so many times and still, you get up there, and it's nerve-racking because of the people that played there before you. And even the people who were playing that night. It's always a great bill, but it's still pretty nerve-racking getting up on that stage. Getting in that circle is pretty awesome!" Don't miss Darius Rucker and Lady Antebellum on their co-headlining the "Summer Plays On Tour."

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Country music duo, brothers John and TJ Osborne have been busy the last few years and their hard work has finally paid off. I got to talk with John of Brothers Osborne to discuss their upcoming new album "Port Saint Joe" and what's next for these talented brothers. John said growing up he listened to a lot of classic rock and that two of his biggest musical influences growing up were The Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd. He said, "I learned their music at a very young age and I was obsessed with those bands. Then I got into Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix, all the big guitar players and blues players. That's where it started for me. I was obsessed with the guitar at a very early age, that was the catalyst for what I do now." Their single, "It Ain't My Fault" has been a huge success for the brothers. I asked John if he thought that single would do that well. He responded, "You never know whether songs are going to be big or not. I mean, the truth of the matter, no one really admits this but as songwriters, especially in Nashville, we write every day, sometimes multiple times a day. So even the biggest songwriter, the majority of your songs are not successful. It's just kinda the law of averages. It works out that way. So you don't really know, early on and say, 'Wow, I really wrote a great song' or 'This is gonna be a huge song.' But when we wrote that song, we knew we loved it, we knew it was fun and we knew it was different. It sounded very unique, it sounded like us and when we recorded it in the studio the first time, when the engineer mixed it, and we played it back we thought to ourselves, 'Wow, we have something really 14

By Liz Stokes

special!' Now did we know it would be a big song or if people will like it? It's hard to tell until you put it out there, but we knew that we had something that we were really, really proud of and that stood out. And fortunately it's a song that's really helped kinda push us over the edge." The process for the brothers to write songs is a little different when they are writing for themselves. John say's, "When we write for Brothers Osborne, it's easier if we're both in there because the sound is the two of us, so it's both of our inputs, coming together to make one sound. But there is one song, 'Pawn Shop' that TJ wrote outside the band, but every other song we wrote together and every song on 'Port Saint Joe' we have written together. We try to stay focused and just write as many songs together as possible and just create music that's inherently us." "Port Saint Joe," which is their new album, will be released April 20th. This album has Florida ties since the brother's recorded in Florida at Jay Joyce's beach house. John said, "It was a lot more work just because they recorded in a house that was not made for the production of an album. But in a way, it made it a lot less pressure because it never felt like we were in a studio. It just felt like we were hanging out at a beach house, drinking beers and playing songs. Just like what we did growing up, so it certainly took a lot of pressure off. There were less distractions because when you're back in Nashville, it's easy to leave the studio and go right back to your routine and take care of life stuff. It kinda takes you out of the moment, but the fact that

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we were down there and just stayed there and didn't go anywhere. We were just able to kinda relax and live in the creative process for a couple weeks." Although they love all their songs, John says, "From a performance standpoint, I love playing 'Shooting Straight,' just because it's a really a fun groove. It's a really fun jam and at the end of the song, there's a really great guitar solo that I get to play. At the end of the day, I'm just a guitar player. But from a songwriter's perspective, the last song on the record is called 'While You Still Can.' It's about loving the people and doing all the things in life that you wanted to do while you still can. And that's the song from a lyrical perspective that I happen to be most proud of." John states, "That if your not a fan of guitar solos, than either don't come to our show or during my guitar solo. Go to the bathroom or go get a beer, because it's gonna take a while!" John also says, "A guitar player wouldn't be any good if he didn't have a good drummer and bass player, and that's the truth. You gotta have the whole band together, because if you just one good person, it's not gonna work. It's gotta run like a well-oiled machine." Now the brothers have recently picked up an ACM Award for Local Duo and Music Video of the year, I asked John how was that experience and he said, "There are not words that even begin to describe that type of feeling. Our first CMA was such a long-shot victory that no one expected us to win. We didn't know anyone had voted for us, and the only thing I can equate that to is, winning a gold medal in the Olympics, but you were ranked in 20th place. It's just unbelievable and every time we win something, we're so grateful. We've always been the underdogs our whole life and we got into country music about

the same time as Florida Georgia Line, and they have been absolutely killing it from day one. They've had such a huge career and are still having huge careers. And for us to be presented with an award like that, we're so grateful because we're still trying to make every day count. There are times where we might not think that we're doing it right and then when we're given and award like that, a recognition like that, it reminds us that we're doing okay. Everyone in that category has done so well, but if we don't, it's okay. There are some great artists in that category that certainly have earned it and deserve it. So for us to win, it's just a feeling of gratitude and emotion, and appreciation that we have so much love and support in our industry." When I asked John what he considers their greatest musical accomplishment to date, he says, "It's really hard to say since 'Stay a Little Longer' and 'Pawn Shop' went gold and we've had multiple Grammy nominations. But I would say the one that sticks out to me is winning our first CMA, because it was so out of the blue and so unexpected. We were at a time in our career where we were just beat up and tired, and not really sure if we were making any progress. Winning that award, it put a huge amount of wind in our sail and allowed us to get to where we are today." John has a message to their fans, he says, "From my brother and I, we appreciate you all more than you would ever know. Every person that comes to a show, buys a T-shirt, buys our music or requests our music on the radio, they make our dreams come true every day. It doesn't go unnoticed, and we appreciate and love every one of them for the gifts that they continue to give us!"

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by Liz Stokes

fun to be able to tap into other people's stories close to you, and take other people's experiences and write them for them. Those are kind of the two forms of fun writing that I really love. But anything that I record as an artist, I always just take some of my life and what I've been going through. I found that like the majority of my fans around my age, they are walking through the same kind of heartbreak, or the same kind of love, or the same kind of insecurities that I am. And if I write about that transparently, then they'll Kelsea talks about her debut album and tells me probably feel the same way." that she wrote this record when she was 19 years old. "I got to put it out when I was 21, but most Growing up on a farm in East Tennessee, of that lyric in perspective and story was from my Kelsea's first concert was Britney Spears and teenage years at my high school and college she says, "I feel like that's the perfect title of years. It's been really amazing to see these my music because it is country pop. My first songs that I wrote when I didn't even have a single was, "Love Me Like You Mean It," which record deal. I was just writing songs with my is definitely the most, pop pushing song on the friends, and to see that turned into having four record. I think for me as a country artist, we brand songs on the radio, you know, that changed my ourselves and we base ourselves on being like truth tellers. The truth is, I love doing music, and life and that's been a really cool thing." I love every kind of music. And I love to write Kelsea says, "Writing songs is forever my favorite every kind of music and I feel like as long as I'm part of what I do, and I will always say that when allowed to share that part, then that's a good the day comes that being an artist quits me, I will thing. I think it's really cool. You can turn on the happily go write songs for the rest of my life. radio right now and you can hear country pop, I just feel like it's really fun to be able to use it country rock, country R&B, and country soul. You like a diary and really be transparent about the can hear all of it, and it's a really cool time. I think truth and how you're actually feeling. It's really it gets more fans involved." At the young age of 24, who would of thought that someone could have broken so many chart records, including being the 1st solo female country artist to get a number one hit with her debut single since Carrie Underwood in 2006. She is also the fifth solo female country artist to get back to back number one hits with her first 3 consecutive singles from her debut album. I had the pleasure of interviewing the talented and extremely sweet Kelsea Ballerini.

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"Peter Pan" is Kelsea's favorite song to perform. She responds, "That song changed everything, even lives. Everyone else sings it so loud, it's my favorite moment always!" Kelsea is now touring with Keith Urban and says, "He will play for like an hour and a half, and it's so inspiring to be able to open up for him, get the crowd pumped, and then walk off stage and watch him sing these songs process of picking them out. She said, "I'm super that have changed and shaped country music. involved with it, I'm the biggest girly-girl ever and it's no secret that I love glitter and I love That's the kind of artist that I want to be." bright colors and all that, and when I'm off stage. Touring for Kelsea, she says, "It's like summer I'm literally in a T-shirt and sweatpants right now camp. As far as off stage, you really get to and that's how I choose to live. It's my favorite know each other's band and crews, and you thing ever. But when I'm on stage, you kind of explore different cities together. You hang out, and get to amplify your persona. So yeah, if I don't have summer nights together and it feels like look like a disco ball when I walk out on stage, summer camp, and it's really cool and you leave something is wrong! Just like music, it is more making new friends." of expressing yourself. I'm 24 and it's fun to After all the success that Kelsea has had, I wear a pink body suit with sparkles on it every asked her how that has changed her life. She now and again!" responded, "It changed everything. I think the When asked about about her biggest musical biggest thing is just, traveling so much, I feel accomplishment to date, Kelsea tells me, just like I'm hardly ever home, but that's not a bad having her songs on the radio. She says, "That thing at all. That's the biggest change. I went to me is like the biggest award you can ever from being in Nashville all the time to being in get. And getting a Grammy nomination was Nashville like two days every two weeks. So yeah, definitely a big deal, and getting an ACM was that's probably the biggest change." amazing. But I think just having my songs on I told Kelsea that the outfits she wears are the radio is my test of success for myself amazing and I asked her if she is involved in the personally!" Country Beat Magazine

By Liz Stokes

Dan + Shay. I'd just say he's one of those guys that you get in the studio with and he knows how to get the best vocals out. He knows how to, even though it might be tiring as a singer, but if he says you nailed it, you can confidently know. For someone like me, the hardest part of making a record is turning it over and knowing that you don't hear anything until he's done with his edits and all that stuff. But one thing I've learned with We asked Michael what is he looking forward to Scott is that if he says it's good, you 99.9% can most and he said, "I'm excited just about having bet that it'll be solid." new music out. I feel like this record, we've really honed in on my sound. I feel like I've found my This album was named Amos after Michael's voice and what I wanted to say. I think when grandfather and we asked him what he thought people listen to the whole Amos record in its that his grandfather would think of the end entirety, they're gonna know the last two years product and he said, "I think he would love it and what's been going on. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m just really excited man, cause this record, a lot of people don't to have new music. We've been sitting on a lot know that I grew up on a lot of traditional country of it for eight months now. So its great to finally and I grew up on a lot of Ray Price and Porter get it out, and worked into the set. Some of it is Wagoner. And a lot of The Grand Ole Opry out on Instant Grat Tracts, so just that whole feel members and that whole generation, playing them in my favorite bands. One thing on this of having new music out, it's a exciting time." record that people will see, is that there's a Michael had this album produced by Scott whole lot more traditional side to a lot of things Hendricks and he said, "It's my second record than I think people expected. Just because I and our second time working with Scott. Scott is wanted one, that side of my story being told, the head of A&R over at Warner and he's just and I wanted to not only pay homage to the awesome. I think he's got almost 70 something influences that I had, but also when we named number ones as a producer and someone like this album Amos I wanted to have that sprinkled him, you learn a lot from. He draws a lot from across. Enough of it to where people could tell, producing a lot of the Alan Jackson stuff and and I think we did just that, and I think he would Brooks and Dunn and John Michael Montgomery, love it." just naming names. He does all Blake Shelton and Country music artist Michael Ray is a fan favorite out of Eustis, Florida. He was signed to Warner Music for which he released his debut single, "Kiss You In The Morning," in which it went #1 as well as his song, "Think A Little Less." We had a chance to talk with Michael about his release of his sophomore album, "Amos" and what's in store for him.

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Michael didn't write any of the songs on this album, but used a lot of Nashville's top song writers. Michael said, "We were doing 200 dates a year, and it makes it pretty hard to write and write well, and I'm not going to have an ego and go, ‘I gotta have my songs on the record.’ I think it's our job to make the best album and keep the music first. In a lot of ways, I was writing songs and I was pitching them to myself, but I'd get a song pitched by someone else and it was better than mine. So the best song wins and that's how I make a record. Best song wins whether I write all eleven or I write two, or I write none, it's just sometimes how it is. But with these guys, when you get to cut outside songs, these artists are, or these songwriters are trusting you to with what they've created and in a lot of ways. In a lot of the songs on this record, they are so close to my story. I don't know if I'd be able to write it like that, even if I did, because it was so close. So when they give you that blessing, and just give you what they created and it's like handing you their baby. I think you can raise this and do it right. And take it to where it needs to be, so it's a big honor. It makes number one parties, if we're fortunate enough to get it. It makes those even better and I feel like you can celebrate with the Nashville songwriters and the community, especially now with a very single driven market that we're in. The songwriters are who's getting the hardest hit out of this. I love the fact that I got a lot of songwriters on this record and they're the best in the world, so I think it's what they do best and that tells your story."

One of the singles on the Amos album is "Fan Girl," we asked Michael how that song relates to him and he responded, "I fell in love with that song. I feel like it really embodied our live show. It's very high energy. We've been opening the show with that since I first cut it, so it just made sense to put it on the first track of the Amos album and for it to be our first Instant Grat Track. When I fell in love with that song, it was it was a guy saying, ‘I like being a fan of this girl and watching her grow. You got the whole thing going on and I'm a fan of it.’ I think it's just a cool play on words and I fell in love with the energy of it and like I said, I felt like it being on the album, when we created the sequencing of this record, it wasn't on accident. We spent a few days really getting it down and trying to make it to where it was as much of a set list as it could be. So, when people come to our shows, they felt like they were at home. They 28

felt like they've already been there before, type of thing, and they can listen to the record in it's entirety. Try to set it up like they would hear it at a show. And so it kicks off the record and kind of sets the tempo for the record as it does our live shows." And speaking of the live shows, I asked Michael how he is incorporating the new songs and he said, "They're all out now and I feel like it's probably the best our set's been and I'm excited to get it out and finally have this new music out."

Michael tells us that his biggest musical accomplishment to date is, "I think being able to make a second record. Some people don't have that opportunity and to know that country music and country radio and country fans have embraced what we've been doing. Showing up to shows, that has allowed us to make a second album. Playing at the Grand Ole Opry is one of my biggest accomplishments I feel probably ever, being able to play there as much as possible. But I think just being able to make a new record and have another chance to put out some new music and put out new singles to country radio and to all the streaming services that are out there. I'm just very fortunate and blessed to be in the spot that we're in."

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By Liz Stokes

CountryBeat Magazine had the chance to sit down with Country artist Russell Dickerson. Born and raised in Tennessee, Russell earned a music degree at Belmont University.

We asked him about who his musical influences are and it was no surprise that one of those influences is Garth Brooks. Russell says, "Just on the basis of how he was such a pioneer at a time when he came out, he was this fresh new sound. So that really inspires me as well. Keith Urban, same with him I remember hearing 'Somebody Like You' and thought, thats fresh, cool and new. I feel what I bring to country music is a new, kind of fresh sound."

Russell's wife is a huge inspiration for his writing. He tells us that a lot of his songs are about his wife or things that they go through in life; and things that they enjoy. He says, "I have a song called, 'Low Key' and it's about how we could go out. We could go party on the town, but sometimes we just like staying in and watching Netflix and ordering Chinese food, drinking a box of wine, so that's just some examples."

wedding way, because we're just being honest. I was just being honest about who I was before I met my wife and who I am now that I'm married and all that stuff. I think a lot of guys and girls connect with that, just the true sheer honesty and the humility of admitting that you sucked before you met the one who made you better!" Russell's wife also shot the video for this. He says, "I envisioned myself walking down the road towards the camera and an example of pursuit of wanting to be better than I was before. That's kind of where that came from and she shot the video out the back of my SUV. That was a six dollar music video budget, just on gasoline to drive my truck up and down that road. We were just gonna shoot some test footage and see what happens, and then the storm, rain and lightning came. It was crazy, but that made it a really special music video."

I asked Russell what he likes most about touring and he responded, "The fans! The whole reason that I write songs and all of that, is because in high school, I used to go to shows all the time and I was just like, 'I wanna do that and I wanna Russell's song, "Yours" has quickly become like write songs that people can just throw their the wedding anthem song. We asked him how hands up and scream out, and really connect.' that came about and he responded, "When we And that's what really keeps me going is the wrote it, we weren't even thinking about wedding fans, seeing them know all the words to my songs. We just wanted to write an honest song, songs just gets me so excited. It gives me chills just a great love song, and I think we really did all over." that. That's why it's connected so well in a 32

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One of Russell's favorite songs to perform is "Yours" and "Blue Tacoma." Russell says, "'Yours' is my favorite because everybody knows the words and it's my first single that ever got on the radio. To hear people sing that back, that's the best feeling!"

One of Russell's most memorable and emotional experiences of his career happened fairly recently when he made his debut at The Grand Ole Opry. He tells us, "Right as I was going on stage, I just started crying. I was just overcome with emotion and I have been working my butt off for six years. I felt that was the first big step like, 'We're really doing it now, we're really actually making progress, real progress.' To be acknowledged by the Grand Ole Opry as an artist who is worth having come play is so huge. I'll never take that for granted, because so many people that I love and respect are members of the Opry." When Russell see's his fans singing to his songs or when his fans hear the first downbeat of his songs, they go crazy. That is what Russell considers his biggest musical accomplishment to date. He says, "I feel that's a job well done, because they're connecting with it and they are having it in their wedding. I think that's one of the biggest accomplishments, just having a song that connects on that level."

Russell Dickerson is currently on tour opening for Lady Antebellum and Darius Rucker.

Country Beat Magazine

RISA BINDER by Neal Nachman

Singer/Songwriter Risa Binder has been making quite a name for herself since she arrived in Nashville. The country songstress recently released her new single, “You Came Along” and welcomed a new baby girl earlier this year. Her baby girl, Lielle, even made her music video debut in her latest video. The single was co-written by Phil Barton, Lindsay Rimes and LOCASH’s Preston Brust and Chris Lucas. Risa states, “I actually recorded the song almost a year ago, before I knew that I was even pregnant. Luke (Wooten) picked the song and we recorded it. It was a love song to me about my boyfriend or my husband, or people in my life. Then when we decided that it was gonna be the single. The song even had more of a meaning to me, because we found out we were pregnant. The song, ‘You Came Along,’ is now about my daughter, Lielle. It became something even more special than we could have ever imagined.” Her first EP, “Nashville,” was released in 2014, which was when she first started worked with producer Luke Wooten (Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley). Since the release of her EP, she has continued to record and release singles. The song, “You Haul,” which was released last year and climbed into the Top 40 on the MusicRow charts. Risa says, “The song came out last June. We released the single, and it went to country radio. It was my first Top 40 on the MusicRow chart, so that was awesome. ‘You Came Along’ was released earlier this year and now it's climbing the charts. So that's super exciting.”

a skill though, so if you don't do it for a while, you need to kind of do it again to get better at it. But you can also start with nothing and just someone will have a vibe on a guitar and you're like, ‘Ooh, I like that,’ and you'll start to hear a melody around that. So there's a bunch of different ways these songs come to be.”

She has been performing a bunch at the legendary Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. Risa says, “I just wrote a new song called ‘In a Church Pew’ at the Bluebird. I haven't put it out or even recorded it yet, but the Risa has been honing her songwriting craft through the Bluebird has a lot of special significance for me. The years. When asked about her songwriting process, she first time I went there, it was all the Garth Brooks writers, says, “I'm a melody chorus girl, so a chorus will come to but not Garth Brooks. It changed my whole life hearing me if I'm driving or in the shower, or in the weirdest the song, ‘The Dance,’ sung by the writer. It changed my places. I'll just be like, ‘This is sticking. Let me just record perspective on everything. The songwriters sit facing this really quick on my phone.’ And then I'll have these each other and you're on the outside, listening, and you ideas and I'll bring them to a write, and maybe I'll have get ideas to write songs. It's almost like being in a two or three ideas. Usually a chorus will be first and the temple or a church. So I would write down song ideas. It last thing to come is the bridge, for whatever reason. It's is like the Grand Ole Opry for songwriters.” 34

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Risa has been writing songs for her next project, which may include a full record. She says, “We're 9 to 10 songs into our next project, and I'm not sure we know exactly how we're releasing it. So far, ‘You Haul’ was a part of that project and so was ‘You Came Along.’ So we released two singles off the project. We haven't really decided if will we put it out as a full record yet. But the creative process is still kind of the same thing. It's going in and making the best music you can make and hoping that it gets out there and touches the hearts of people. So the truth is, we don't know yet what it's gonna be.”

Risa has created a unique experience for fans that attend her shows. She hosts Sweet and Greets after her shows. She explains, “We do these sweet and greets after the shows, and that's kind of fun. There will be a meet and greet after these shows. So when you come to my show, it's definitely a feel good vibe and it's definitely family friendly and just a good time. At the end, usually I'll find a vendor to come and join us for a little sweet and greet. It’s something sweet and a way can with a new baby. I'd love to open up for some to say thank you to my fans at the end.” people that I've written with and released songs with, When asked about her biggest accomplishment as of so that'll be what's coming down the pike. So it's now, she states, “Being able to get my legs on the road exciting. My favorite thing to do is perform, so I'd on tour opening for Ronnie Milsap. He's a country love to have a healthy touring schedule. That's kind of legend. We just spent the last year on the road with where I see myself, opening for larger acts and ‘You Haul.’ I am looking forward to touring more. I growing that way. As well as continuing to write and have dates this summer. I'm looking for more dates in get really more connected in town, because you never the fall. The goal is to be on the road as much as we know where a song is gonna go.”

Country Beat Magazine

by Liz Stokes

throughout Downtown and inside the Music City Center, such as the Chevy Riverfront Stage, HGTV Lodge, CMA Close Up State, Chevy Breakout Stage, Budweiser Forever Country Stage, Maui Jim Broadway Stage At Hard Rock Cafe, Nashville Acoustic Corner Stage, Radio Disney Country Stage and the CMA Spotlight Stage. After the day stages end, the music doesn't stop... Most make there way across the pedestrian walk-bridge and make their way to Nissan Stadium for some of the biggest names in the business. For those who weren't lucky enough to get tickets at Nissan Stadium, there are great shows taking place at the Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage At Ascend Amphitheater.

As always, there are big surprises throughout CMA Fest with un-announced special guests, both at the day stages and at the night shows. This year, there were several of those which took place. One of those that took place during the day was the last minute addition of Garth Brooks who performed several songs on the CMA Close Up Stage. Also, Luke Bryan made a special appearance at the Chevy Riverfront Stage surprising 2 unknowning girls on stage with tickets to a Suite to attend a nightly show at Nissan Stadium to see Luke Bryan.

CMA Music Festival is the biggest, the best and largest country music festival there is. There is nothing like it out there. Each year the CMA Music Festival spans for 4 days from Thursday - Sunday. Not only is there tons of musical entertainment by some of the biggest stars but there is also so many up-and-coming artists performing throughout Downtown Nashville. It is a chance for fans to see there favorites perform and to have the chance to spend time and meet with CMA Fest is a one of kind event which allows them as well. the artists to meet their fans to thank them for CMA Fest is comprised of several different supporting them. Most artists in addition to components, and if you have never attended performing, also host a fan club party during the CMA Fest, you don't know what you are missing. week. The Fan Club party could offer fans During the days, CMA Fest has several stages several opportunities. Some include a special 38

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Craig Wayne Boyd, Tara Thompson, and Olivia Lane. The Chevy Breakout Stage featured performances by Ashley McBryde, Maggie Rose, Jimmie Allen, Sister Hazel, Charlie Worsham and Ashley Campbell. The HGTV Lodge featured Trisha Yearwood, Lindsay Ell, Lee Ann Womack, CAM, Maddie & Tae, LoCash and Eric Pasley. The Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage featured performances by Chase Rice, Lee Brice and Cole Swindell.

Plus Nissan Stadium hosted performances in the evening of today's biggest and brightest country artists... This year was an action-packed line-up featured performances by Blake Shelton, Brett Eldredge, Brett Young, Brothers Osborne, Carly Pearce, Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Cole Swindell, Dan + Shay, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Dustin Lynch, Florida Georgia Line, Jake

artist performance, and some include a Meet & Greet with a Breakfast or Lunch included. It's a perfect way to get to know and spend time with your favorite artists.

Performances this year were amazing.... The Chevy Riverfront Stage had artists like Hunter Hayes, Gavin DeGraw, Scotty McCreery, LoCash, Michael Ray, CAM, Lindsay Ell, Jon Pardi, Lauren Alaina, Lee Brice, RaeLynn, Cassadee Pope, and more.. The Budweiser "Forever Country" stage featured performances by Exile, Billy Dean, Joe Diffie, Lonestar, Terri Clark, Lorrie Morgan, Wae Hayes, Tracy Lawrence, David Ball and the Bellamy Brothers, to name a few. The Nashville Acoustic Corner Stage featured performances by Owen, Jason Aldean, Jon Pardi, Kane Brown, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, Lauren Alaina, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Old Dominion and Thomas Rhett. There were also some special collaborations during the nightly performances which included Bebe Rexha and the Backstreet Boys performing with Florida Georgia Line, Lauren Alaina performing her hit song with Kane Brown "What Ifs", Dwight Yoakam made a surprise performance performing with Dierks Bentley, Dierks Bentley also performed

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"Burning Man" with Brothers Osborne, a special performance by Sam Hunt, and a great performance with Luke Bryan and Cole Swindell performing "Rollercoaster."

In case you were unable to attend this years CMA Fest, the nightly performances at Nissan Stadium were filmed by ABC and will be televised on ABC on August 8th at 8pm EST / 7pm CST, hosted by Thomas Rhett and Kelsea Ballerini. So make sure you tune in to ABC on August 8th to see all your favorite artists performance from CMA Fest.

Also tickets for the 2019 CMA Music Festival will be going on sale Monday, July 30th for Pre-Sale, and General Tickets will go on sale on Monday, August 6th. So make sure you contact the CMA Box Office at 1-800-CMA-Fest or be sure to visit CMAfest.com to purchase your 2019 CMA Music Festival tickets, before they sell out... This is an event you definitely donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to miss.

Country Beat Magazine