2019 AmericanaFest: By the Numbers

2019 AmericanaFest: By the Numbers

Posted on September 24, 2019

2019 AmericanaFest took over Nashville during the week of Sept. 10–15, with the Honors & Awards ceremony on Sept. 11 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium serving as the week’s centerpiece. The Honors and Awards ceremony was taped for broadcast and is scheduled to premiere on Nov. 23 in a special episode of Austin City Limits on PBS.

Nashville’s 20th annual celebration of Americana music was another resounding success, with many of the figures exceeding totals from previous years.

2019 AmericanaFest By the Numbers

  • AmericanaFest: 20th year
  • Honors & Awards Ceremony: 18th year
  • Days Long: 6
  • Estimated Attendance: 50,000
  • Performing Acts: 320+
  • Conference Panels: 70+
  • Special Events: 100+
  • Performances: 700+
  • Venues: 55+
  • States Represented: 49
  • Foreign Countries Represented: 14

The 21st annual AmericanaFest will take place from Sept. 15–20, 2020, in Nashville.

main photo features Chris Shiflett and Robert Earl Keen at InDo Nashville

photo by Kate Richardson/Richlynn Group

Chris Young Makes Directorial Debut in Emotional New Video for “Drowning” [Watch]

Chris Young Makes Directorial Debut in Emotional New Video for “Drowning” [Watch]

Posted on September 23, 2019

Chris Young is following up his Top 5 hit “Raised on Country” with the release of a touching new single, “Drowning,” on Sept. 23.

Co-penned by Chris, Corey Crowder and Josh Hoge, “Drowning” was partly inspired by the death of Chris’ close friend, Adam Carnes, and features lyrics: “So tonight I’m gonna pull out pictures, ones with you in ’em / Laugh and cry a little while reminiscing / By myself, I can’t help that all I think about is / How you were taken way too soon / It ain’t the same here without you / I gotta say, missing you comes in waves / And tonight I’m drowning”

“I actually wrote this song with two of my really good friends, Corey Crowder and Josh Hoge,” says Chris. “All of us were writing to that hook, which Corey actually brought in that day, and we just all thought that it was an amazing idea and it was something that was gonna touch pretty much anybody that has ever lost anyone. I actually wrote it about a friend of mine, Adam, who passed away many years ago. It’s just a really, really special song to me and I hope it really touches a lot of people.”

Chris teamed with Jeff Johnson to co-direct a new video for the tune, which opens with Chris holding a photo of Adam. Later in the clip, fans display their moving tributes to loved ones as footage is interspersed of Chris’ recent performance of the song in Las Vegas, which was dedicated to the victims and survivors of the Route 91 Harvest Festival.

“I’ve been so amazed at the reaction to this song,” says Chris. “I wrote it with two friends as a moment of healing and had no idea it would touch so many people before it was even chosen as a single. The video, combining so many personal moments alongside a live performance, totally embodies that and I can’t wait for everyone to see it.”

photo by NCD

Dierks Bentley Scores 19th No. 1 Single With “Living”

Dierks Bentley Scores 19th No. 1 Single With “Living”

Posted on September 23, 2019

Dierks Bentley scored the 19th No. 1 single of his career as “Living” ascended to the top spot on both the Mediabase chart and Billboard Country Airplay chart this week.

“Living” follows back-to-back No. 1 singles, “Burning Man” and “Woman, Amen,” from Dierks’ 2018 album, The Mountain.

The anthemic track, which was penned by Dierks, Ross Copperman, Ashley Gorley and Jon Nite, beckons listens to find beauty in everyday moments, as well as to seek adventure. The chorus juxtaposes the difference between being alive and actually living life to the fullest, with lyrics like: “Some days you just breath in / Just try to break even / Sometimes your heart’s poundin’ out of your chest / Sometimes it’s just beatin’ / Some days you just forget / What all you’ve been given.”

“‘Living’ has always been the core of The Mountain to me,” says Dierks. “It started as this joke between the band and me about how little ‘living’ we were actually doing during the daytime hours before our shows. It grew into a perspective shift that completely shaped how I choose to live life. It’s been an incredible year full of special moments on and off the stage, and I believe this song has helped me have more presence and gratitude for all of them.”

photo by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com

Keith Urban and Drake on the Same Page When It Comes to Measuring a Song’s Success

Keith Urban and Drake on the Same Page When It Comes to Measuring a Song’s Success

Posted on September 23, 2019

There are a number of metrics used to measure a song’s success: chart performance, sales, streaming and more.

While those figures are convenient when it comes to defining an artist’s career success, Keith Urban uses his own benchmark. As Keith told Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown, the measure of a song’s success is the “singalong,” which is a gold standard that rapper Drake fully embraces.

“I always think [that] the best, ultimate, simple answer to that is people coming to see you in concert and singing along,” says Keith. “I think recently there was an award show that Drake got up and did an acceptance thing, and he made some comment to that which was so spot on. He said, you know, for a lot of you younger artists out there, these [awards] are fantastic, but the real reward is when you come to someone’s town and they traipse through rain and the snow and all the stuff ’cause they just want to come and sing that song live with you. He said that if you get that, you’ve won. It was so powerful what he said, and it really is true—that’s the best baseline success of a song.”

Keith was referencing Drake’s acceptance speech at the 2019 Grammy’s for Best Rap Song, when he said, in part, “You’ve already won if you have people singing your songs word for word, if you’re a hero in your hometown. Look, if there’s people who have regular jobs coming out in the rain, in the snow, spending their hard-earned money to buy tickets to come to your shows. You don’t need this [award] right here. I promise you, you already won.”

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Chris Stapleton Wins Inaugural ACM Artist-Songwriter of the Decade Award

Chris Stapleton Wins Inaugural ACM Artist-Songwriter of the Decade Award

Posted on September 23, 2019

The Academy of Country Music recently announced the addition of seven new ACM Decade Awards: Song of the Decade, Album of the Decade, Artist-Songwriter of the Decade, Breakout Artist of the Decade, Single of the Decade, Songwriter of the Decade and Music Event of the Decade.

The ACM Artist-Songwriter of the Decade has been awarded to Chris Stapleton, who now has 10 ACM awards to his name.

The ACM Artist-Songwriter of the Decade recognizes an artist who has commercially released material, written in whole or in part by the artist. This award recognizes a songwriter whose creative works and performance have impacted country music over the decade.

In addition to releasing 2015’s Traveller (4x platinum certified), 2017’s From A Room: Vol. 1 (platinum certified) and 2017’s From A Room: Vol. 2 (gold certified), Chris has penned a slew of hits for other artists, including “Crash & Burn” (Thomas Rhett), “Never Wanted Nothing More” (Kenny Chesney), “Your Man” (Josh Turner), “Come Back Song” (Darius Rucker), “Drink a Beer” (Luke Bryan) and more.

Previously announce recipients of the ACM Decade Awards include:

  • ACM Song of the Decade: Miranda Lambert and songwriters Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin for “The House That Built Me”
  • ACM Songwriter of the Decade: Rhett Akins
  • ACM Artist of the Decade: Jason Aldean

The remaining Decade Awards will be announced in the coming weeks.

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Justin Moore Plans 2020 “Late Night & Longnecks Tour” With Tracy Lawrence

Justin Moore Plans 2020 “Late Night & Longnecks Tour” With Tracy Lawrence

Posted on September 23, 2019

Justin Moore announced he will hit the road in 2020 for the Late Night & Longnecks Tour with Tracy Lawrence.

The 19-date trek, which takes its name from Justin’s 2019 album, will kick off on Jan. 16 in Dodge City, Kan., making additional stops in Indianapolis, Cleveland, Denver, Atlanta and more. Tickets for the new tour go on sale on Sept. 27 at 10 a.m. CT.

Justin recently scored his eighth No. 1 hit with the new album’s lead single, “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home,” while Tracy recently dropped his new album, Made in America.

Late Nights & Longnecks Tour

  • Jan. 16 | United Wireless Arena | Dodge City, KS
  • Jan. 17 | Barnett Arena (Rushmore Plaza) | Rapid City, SD
  • Jan. 18 | Bismark Event Center | Bismark, ND
  • Feb. 20 | Raising Cane’s River Center Arena | Baton Rouge, LA
  • Feb. 21 | Rapides Parish Coliseum | Alexandria, LA
  • Feb. 22 | Stride Bank Center | Enid, OK
  • Feb. 28 | Bankers Life Fieldhouse | Indianapolis, IN
  • Feb. 29 | Wolstein Center | Cleveland, OH
  • Mar. 5 | Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum | Amarillo, TX
  • Mar. 6 | Mission Ballroom | Denver, CO
  • Mar. 7 | Uptown Theater | Kansas City, MO
  • Mar. 19 | Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre | Atlanta, GA
  • Mar. 20 | St. Augustine Amphitheatre | St. Augustine, FL
  • Mar. 26 | Des Moines Civic Center | Des Moines, IA
  • Mar. 27 | U.S. Cellular Center | Cedar Rapids, IA
  • Mar. 28 | State Farm Center | Champaign, IL
  • Apr. 9 | Scheels Arena | Fargo, ND*
  • Apr. 10 | Orpheum Theatre | Minneapolis, MN*
  • Apr. 11 | Weidner Center | Green Bay, WI*

*Tracy Lawrence not on these dates

photo by NCD

Sturgill Simpson Announces Limited Tour Run to Benefit the Special Forces

Sturgill Simpson Announces Limited Tour Run to Benefit the Special Forces

Posted on September 23, 2019

Sturgill Simpson will hit the road this month for a limited tour that will support the Special Forces Foundation, a nonprofit that provides support to Army Special Forces soldiers and their families.

The six-date run kicks off on Sept. 29 in West Hollywood, Calif., making additional stops in San Francisco, Brooklyn, Washington, D.C., and more. The tour comes on the heels of Sturgill’s upcoming album, Sound & Fury, which is set to drop on Sept. 27. The new Sturgill-produced album will be his first since the 2016 release of A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, which won a Grammy for Best Country Album.

All net proceeds from Sturgill’s new tour will be donated to the Special Forces Foundation. Tickets go on sale on Sept. 25, at 10 a.m. local time.

Sturgill Simpson Tour Dates

  • Sept. 29 | The Troubadour | West Hollywood, CA
  • Oct. 1 | Terrapin Crossroads | San Rafael, CA
  • Oct. 2 | The Independent | San Francisco, CA
  • Oct. 6 | Music Hall of Williamsburg | Brooklyn, NY
  • Oct. 7 | Black Cat | Washington, D.C.
  • Oct. 8 | Stone Pony | Asbury Park, NJ

photo courtesy of Semi Song

Jimmy’s blog: Vols fall to another Florida backup quarterback

Jimmy’s blog: Vols fall to another Florida backup quarterback

Posted on September 22, 2019

By Jimmy Hyams

Beware of the backup quarterback.

Florida has beaten Tennessee 14 of the last 15 meetings and the No. 2 guy calling signals has helped the Gators win quite a few of those games.

From Tim Tebow to Treon Harris to Tyler Murphy to, now, Kyle Trask, those quarterbacks couldn’t initially win the job at Florida but found a way to win against Tennessee. This time it was Florida 34-3 as the Vols scored their fewest points against the Gators since being shutout in 1994.

It helps Florida that Tennessee is in the midst of its worst decade in school history.

It also helps that Tennessee can’t line up right on defense, can’t avoid turnovers and crucial penalties, can’t compete at the line of scrimmage and can’t find a quarterback.

And can’t beat a top 10 team. You’ve got to go back to 2006 to find the last time the Vols beat a team ranked in the top 10.

Trask is the latest backup-quarterback-giant-killer to face the Vols. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. He picked the Vols apart over the middle as UT’s linebackers were either blitzing or out of place.

I outlined six keys for the Vols to beat Florida. UT didn’t hit any of them.

  1. Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano must play well. He was benched at halftime. He finished 10 of 17 for 107 yards and two interceptions – although one came on a dropped pass. He threw only three picks last year – two against Florida.
  2. Avoid third-and-long. UT had third downs of 13, 14, 7, 16, 8, 11, 10, 10 – then I stopped counting.
  3. Rush for 125 yards. UT rushed for 88 yards on 27 carries.
  4. First-down production. On 22 first down snaps, UT gained at least 5 yards 11 times, which isn’t bad. The problem was on second down, which led to many third-and-longs.
  5. Plus-two in the turnover margin. UT lost that battle 4-3.
  6. Force Florida into third-and-long. That didn’t happen enough. I charted Florida with two third downs of at least 6 yards.

While Florida is ranked in the top 10, it didn’t have its starting quarterback, best cornerback and best pass rusher. Yet, it still managed to blow out the Vols.

The embarrassing loss Saturday in The Swamp leaves little reason for UT to be optimistic going forward. The Vols could easily be 1-6 before facing South Carolina Oct. 26.

If so, how much fight will the Vols have?

How many fans will attend home games?

How will coach Jeremy Pruitt handle the adversity? He’s not used to failure as a coach.

Get this: He’s lost 10 games as UT’s head coach. In his previous six seasons as an assistant at three schools, he lost nine games.

In UT’s last six games, it has lost three by at least 25 points, lost to Georgia State (which lost 57-10 to Western Michigan) and lost to BYU when UT didn’t go into a prevent defense late in the game.

Still, Pruitt contends the Vols have good players. Does he really believe that? Or is he trying to make sure his players don’t lose total confidence?

How about this for a revealing post-game quote from Pruitt:

“We’ve got some really good football players on our team,’’ Pruitt said. “And we have some guys with lots of potential.

“But we don’t have many guys that can play winning football right now. We’ve got to get them to where they can do that.’’

Tennessee did it against ranked Auburn last year. The Vols did it against ranked Kentucky last year.

How many times can they do that this season?

Time will tell.

After an open date, the Vols host No. 3 Georgia on Saturday – not exactly the recipe for a turnaround.

Sponsored by Big Kahuna Wings: The wings that changed it all 

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