Page 219 – Maverick Country

Countdown to C2C 2018!

From Friday 9th to Sunday 11th March 2018, The O2, London will see country legends Faith Hill & Tim McGraw, alongside first time headliners Little Big Town and Kacey Musgraves, take to the stage at the sixth annual C2C. The fifth CMA Songwriters Series, returning to indigo at The O2 on Thursday 8 March, will be hosted by celebrated songwriter Brett James (“Jesus, Take The Wheel”, “Out Last Night”). He will be joined by a host of incredible songwriters and performers to celebrate the art of storytelling through song, including Luke Combs, Nicolle Galyon (“We Were Us”, “All the Pretty Girls”), Natalie Hemby (“Downtown”, “Automatic”) and Kip Moore. Country to Country will officially kick off at 1.30pm on Friday and 10.00am on Saturday and Sunday when the Town Square opens and the first Festival stage artists start. For the first time, the Town Square will be hosted in a new area (outside the main entrance), to make room for the ever-growing selection of festival activities including; market stalls and stands, authentic food from the American South, cocktails, whiskey and craft beers from Signal Brewery, a Big Machine hang out booth, artist signings, meet and greets and more. C2C ticket holders are invited to enjoy any of the Festival Stages across the weekend, subject to capacity. This includes C2C Late Night Stage (Building Six); BBC Radio 2 Stage (indigo at The O2); Country Music Week Hub and The Saloon (All Bar One) and C2C Sessions (NY-LON). In addition to the Official Aftershows, C2C hosts a series of late night stages. Entertaining crowds into the evening this year are LANCO, Russell Dickerson, Lindsay Ell, Mo Pitney, Delta Rae and Ryan Kinder. New for 2018, fans have the chance to get up close to the newest UK and Irish country names making a big impact on these shores. The C2C Close Up Stage in Building Six will reveal the backstory and future plans of some of the most promising UK and Irish acts, with intimate performances from Catherine McGrath, Andy Brown, Una Healy, Twinnie, Liv Austen, Katy Hurt and Jake Morrell. Non-ticket holders are also able to access these stages with a Festival wristband which can be purchased for £10 via https://tickets.axs.com/shop/#/STAGES-03ed-479c-b118-59ea9619ac86. Separate tickets are required for The Bluebird Cafe and the Official Aftershows. All visitors to The O2 can enjoy entertainment from the free stages, which include Town Square Stage, the Big Entrance Stage and Club WM. Other free festival activities include the traders, food, drink and retail in the Town Square, the merchandise area and the record store. Fans should also expect surprise artist announcements across the weekend, details of which will be revealed on the C2C app. The app features stage times, artist info plus notifications about signings, competitions, secret performances and more. CMA Presents Screenings in the Cinema CMA and Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. (NCVC) will have screenings on Saturday and Sunday at Cineworld at The O2, including BBC Music: Country Music Awards 2017: Highlights, which sees Bob Harris introduce highlights of The 51st Annual CMA Awards from Nashville, Tennessee. NCVC will show It All Begins With A Song: a film about one of the most important and unknown, forces in music: The Nashville Songwriter. BBC Radio 2 Stage Again there will be a BBC Radio 2 Stage at C2C 2018 which will feature High Valley’s only London performance on the Friday. Other performers include; Ashley Campbell, Ashley McBryde, Catherine McGrath, Danielle Bradbery , Delta Rae, Jillian Jacqueline, LANCO, Levi Hummon, Lindsay Ell, Mo Pitney, Morgan Evans, Russell Dickerson, Ryan Hurd, Walker Hayes and The Wandering Hearts. BBC Radio 2 will broadcast live from C2C on Friday 9th March from 8-11pm. The radio station will also be recording the Saturday and Sunday concerts, for broadcast on Bob Harris Country on 15th, 22nd and 29th March from 7pm. These programmes will include performance highlights and backstage interviews with the performers. The Bluebird Cafe at C2C (separate ticketed event) Nashville’s world famous Bluebird Cafe (as featured in the Nashville TV series) returns to London with ticketed, early afternoon performances. Introduced and curated by The Bluebird Cafe’s Erika Wollam Nichols, the line-up includes; Ryan Hurd, Jillian Jacqueline, Mo Pitney, Walker Hayes, Ashley McBryde and Leslie Satcher. Country Music Week Hub in All Bar One Available to C2C ticket and wristband holders, the Country Music Week Hub will feature talks, on stage interviews and performances, plus meet & greets and signings after all performances. The Spotlight Stage (inside arena) Between artist performances on the main stage there will be short sets each day on the Spotlight Stage. Announced to perform are; Brett Young, Morgan Evans, Lukas Nelson, Jillian Jacqueline, Ashley McBryde, Walker Hayes, Russell Dickerson and Lindsay Ell. www.c2c-countrytocountry.com

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Shrewsbury Folk Festival reveals more names

Live Events, News / Editor

Folk legend Richard Thompson is set to make an electrifying return to this year’s Shrewsbury Folk Festival after organisers announced a rare appearance by the musician with his Electric Trio. The former Fairport Convention musician, named by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the top 100 guitarists of all time, will headline the festival’s Bellstone stage on Saturday August 25. More than half of adult weekend tickets have already been sold with over six months to go to the event that attracts around 7,000 people to the West Mid Showground. Other names added to the programme include the new duo of Peter Knight (ex Steeleye Span) and John Spiers (Bellowhead) and singer songwriters James Riley and Edwina Hayes. Already announced are American singer songwriter Gretchen Peters, Steeleye Span, Irish super group Usher’s Island, Show of Hands, Jon Boden and The Remnant Kings, Gigspanner, BBC Folk Award winner Daoirí Farrell and Scottish folk rockers Skerryvore. Chinese flautist Guo Yue and Japanese drummer Joji Hirota will reunite for the festival with the London Taiko Drummers and Canadian band The Fitzgeralds – one of the hit groups of last year’s festival – will also make a welcome return. Other performers include Welsh indie roots band Rusty Shackle, State of the Union – the duo of Boo Hewerdine and Brooks Williams, O’Hooley & Tidow, Megson, Blowzabella, Banter, Alden, Patterson & Dashwood, The Rogues Shanty Crew, Emma Morton & The Graces, Midnight Skyracer, FOS Brothers, Inlay, and Foreign Affairs. Dance bands will be Blowzabella, Bedlam, Committee Band, Vertical Expression, Kirkophany and Out of Hand. The festival, which will run from August 24 to 27, has four main music stages, a dance tent featuring ceilidhs, workshops and dance shows, children and youth festivals, more than 100 workshops, a craft fair, food village, real ale, prosecco and cocktail bars and on-site camping. There are also fringe events at town pubs with dance displays in the centre of Shrewsbury and a parade through the streets. Director Sandra Surtees said: “We are delighted to have secured this rare appearance by the Richard Thompson Electric Trio for Shrewsbury. Richard is a folk legend but he doesn’t often perform in this format so it’ll be a real treat for our audience. “The line up contains a wide variety of traditional and contemporary folk alongside singer songwriters and north American and Canadian acts so there is something to appeal to all tastes. “That’s echoed in the strong ticket sales we’re experiencing with many of our visitors coming back year after year as they love the festival so much!” Weekend and day tickets are now on sale and can be booked at www.shrewsburyfolkfestival.co.uk.

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Kenny Foster 'Livin' In These Walls' tour coming to the UK

Live Events, News / Editor

Almost a year after the release of critically-acclaimed debut album ‘Deep Cuts’, one of Nashville’s most exciting singer-songwriters Kenny Foster has announced his second tour of the UK this March. Highlighted last year as one of Rolling Stone’s ‘Country Artists You Need To Know’, Foster will bring his ‘Livin’ In These Walls’ tour to a multiple of cities including London, Birmingham, Harrogate and Glasgow. In his own words: “I’m headed back to retrieve the bit of my heart I left there last year. It’s theirs to keep obviously, but if it’s alright, I’d like to visit it as much as I possibly can. I can’t wait to see my old friends and make new ones along the way.” Kenny Foster is a rising independent artist based in Nashville, Tennessee, who has shared the stage with artists including Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, Brothers Osborne, Old Dominion, Lady Antebellum, Marc Broussard, Butch Walker, Buddy Miller and countless others. He has received press in the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today and Forbes among others, and has been featured in two Superbowl commercials with Sheryl Crow and Danica Patrick, respectively. Kenny has appeared in numerous episodes of ABC’s “Nashville” and had songs placed in US TV shows like “Extreme Home Makeover” and “Boston Med.” Kenny’s first UK tour in 2017 included the opportunity to be a part of Whispering Bob Harris’ ‘Under the Apple Tree Sessions’ which led to an invitation to appear in his next documentary, alongside artists like Emmylou Harris, Brandy Clark and Jamey Johnson. Full dates below: 1st March – The Round Up, Camden 2nd March – The Ent Shed, Bedford 10th March – Country on the Clyde, Glasgow 11th March – Country on the Clyde, Glasgow 15th March – Halfway to 75, Oxford 16th March – Chapel Arts Centre, Bath 21st March – The Musician, Leicester 23rd March – UTAT @ Warehouse Recording Co, Harrogate 28th March – Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham Tickets and info from https://kennyfostermusic.com/tour/

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Country stars dazzle at 2018 Grammy Awards

Live Events, News / Editor

Country music idol Chris Stapleton wowed guests on Sunday night, as he took home three of four Grammy Awards in the country music categories. The singer-songwriter also performed with the Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and 13-time Grammy winner Emmylou Harris, the two taking to the stage with acoustic guitars to play Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers”, paying tribute to everyone the music world lost in 2017, including country’s biggest losses such as Glen Campbell, Mel Tillis, Troy Gentry and Don Williams. “This is a wonderful room to be in tonight. We’re so proud. We always try to make great records, as good as we can, and I guess this is a testament to that. It’s a real joy to get to make music,” Stapleton said. Before the official television broadcast, the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony announced the winners in more than 70 categories, including a handful of country music categories. First up was the Grammy for country solo performance, which went to Chris Stapleton for his song “Either Way.” “Sorry I’m out of breath. I just ran six miles. I literally walked in the door as they read the last one,” a hatless Stapleton laughed. “So I’m so happy that I made it. This is amazing, this is always an amazing honour to be here and get to be a part of this. This song is just me and an acoustic guitar. That’s all it is. So for that to win is a beautiful thing to me,” he said before thanking the Recording Academy and anyone who had ever bought his record. “Either Way” was originally recorded by Lee Ann Womack for her 2008 album Call Me Crazy. Eric Church, Maren Morris and Brothers Osborne also came together to perform Eric Clapton’s 1991 Grammy-winning song “Tears in Heaven” at the event to remember the 58 people killed and 489 injured during the Route 91 Harvest festival where the musicians played, and the Ariana Grande music concert in Manchester, UK where a terrorist attack led to multiple deaths. James Corden hosted the show live from New York City’s Madison Square Garden, and the broadcast featured performances and tributes of every genre. Little Big Town harmonised on their Grammy-winning “Better Man” with a makeshift roof and the New York City skyline forming a silhouette on stage, winning the Grammy for country duo/group performance. The criteria for the Grammy Award for country album required that the album contain at least 51 percent playing time of new country recordings. The nominated albums were Kenny Chesney’s Cosmic Hallelujah, Lady Antebellum’s Heart Break, Little Big Town’s The Breaker, Thomas Rhett’s Life Changes, and Stapleton’s From a Room: Volume 1. Winners in the Americana, bluegrass, folk and American roots categories included Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, the Infamous Stringdusters, Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, Alabama Shakes and Aimee Mann. The country song Grammy went to Chris Stapleton and Mike Henderson, the songwriters of Stapleton’s “Broken Halos.” Reba also won a Grammy for the best roots gospel album for Sing It Now: Songs Of Faith & Hope. Zac Brown was one of the presenters during the Premiere Ceremony in the American Roots, Americana, Bluegrass, Blues, Folk, Regional Roots, Reggae, World Music and Children’s categories. The Premiere Ceremony — held at New York’s Theater at Madison Square Garden — was hosted by former David Letterman musical director Paul Shaffer.

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Close up of people dancing in a crowd - Maverick Country

Jillian Jacqueline & Ashley McBryde on US talk show

News / Editor

Jillian Jacqueline & Ashley McBryde will appear on US talk show, Late Night with Seth Meyers in what is their first television debut. The video to Jillian’s new EP track ‘Reasons’ is set to be released along with the single, while Ashley McBryde has already been named one of the 54 Best Songs of 2017 by the New York Times. The two will appear on the January 15th and 23rd, respectively on the popular NBC talk show.

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iHeart Radio comes under fire for poster underrepresenting female country artists

News / Editor

The group ‘Women of Country’ have questioned an advertisement from iHeart Radio that fails to make reference to any female country artists. Posted on Twitter, the advertisement from @iHeartRadio reads, ‘Country Artist of the Year’, with headshots and the names of Thomas Rhett, Blake Shelton, Sam Hunt, Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean. The advertisement fails to acknowledge any female artists, which is proving controversial at a time when greater attention is being paid to women in entertainment. In response, Women of Country tweeted: “Can you spot what’s wrong with this picture? That’s right @iHeartRadio there are women in #countrymusic including #MarenMorris #CarlyPearce #BrandyClark and more who deserve to be recognised as the Artist of the Year!”

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Country Music Hall of Fame announces 'Outlaws & Armadillos: Country and the Roaring '70s' exhibit

Live Events, News / Editor

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville is bringing the flavour of 70’s Country music to the public this May, with an exhibition that will chronicle the life and times of the period’s most renowned country musicians. ‘Outlaws & Armadillos: Country and the Roaring ’70s’ will open on the 45th anniversary of seminal outlaw releases, such as Willie Nelson’s Shotgun Willie, WaylonJennings’ Honky Tonk Heroes, Jerry Jeff Walker’s ¡Viva Terlingua! and Billy Joe Shaver’s Old Five and Dimers Like Me. The exhibit opens on May 25th 2018 – February 14th, 2021 and will blend visual art, film and historical footage, with interviews and concert footage. Head to the website for tickets https://countrymusichalloffame.org

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Fans remember Cash at Folsom Prison

News / Editor

Fans of Johnny Cash are remembering the concert he recorded five decades ago performing before an audience of inmates within one of America’s harshest prisons, reports Al Jazeera. A report from journalist Tom Ackerman, reminds audiences that more than 1,000 prisoners and inmates watched the performance at maximum security facility, Folsom Prison, in northern California and highlighted the harsh conditions of inmates. Three million copies of the album recorded there were sold, boosting Cash’s career. Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues”, written in 1955, served as his first big hit. Cash himself spent time in prison for petty offences and much of his music is inspired by the experience. In the early 1970s, Cash pushed for prison reform, calling for awareness on minors in jail and focusing on rehabilitating inmates. Folsom Prison, as part of a California prison program, now provides training in music, painting and other creative pursuits – testament to Cash’s lasting impact on the music world.

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Upcoming country star hitches on to the Christmas bandwagon

Top Picks / Editor

Sarah Darling WINTER WONDERLAND Self released Clearly a rising star, Sarah Darling has built up a significant fan base in the UK with her gentle style of country music and her three albums have all been well received. Her single ‘Home to Me’ spawned moderate success in the US country charts and now she’s decided to indulge herself with a Christmas album. She is blessed with sublime vocals and the production can’t be faulted with Micah Hulscher’s piano prominent throughout. At the end of the day though, WINTER WONDERLAND is just another Christmas album; and it’s pure easy listening, not country. Songs like ‘White Christmas’, Silent Night’, ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas’, Winter Wonderland’ and ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ are beautifully delivered but only encourage comparison with the plethora of similar offerings which inevitably appear over and over again at this festive time of year. No doubt her UK fans will have snapped up copies of the album during her recent tour and they would not have been disappointed. The album would make excellent background music whilst tucking into the turkey and plum pudding but then so would many, many others. John Roffey www.sarahdarling.com

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Dixie Chicks’ new album drops!

News / Editor

A new album has landed today, featuring performances from the Dixie Chicks’ DCX MMXVI World Tour. The DCX MMXVI tour was the first widespread U.S. tour by the Chicks since 2006. The schedule included performances in Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, England, Scotland and Ireland. Natalie Maines, Martie Erwin and Emily Strayer announced the release of the new album on Wednesday (June 10) 2017 via social media, leaving fans on the edge of their seats until today.

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