CMA Fest Announces Riverfront Stage Performers! CMA Fest is less than two months away and the Chevy Riverfront Stage Performers has been announced! There are a lot of familiar faces on the Performers list as well as newcomers!
Thursday, June 9th, 2022 10:00am-11:00am Jimmie Allen 11:15am-11:45am Lindsay Ell 12:00pm-12:30pm Hardy 12:45pm-1:15pm Lainey Wilson 1:30pm-2:00pm LOCASH 2:15pm-2:45pm Jameson Rodgers 3:00pm-3:30pm Elvie Shane 3:45pm-4:15pm Travis Denning 4:45pm-5:15pm Tenille Arts
Friday, June 10th, 2022
10:00am-10:30am Tyler Rich 10:45am-11:15am Maddie & Tae 11:30am-12:00pm Larry Fleet 12:15pm-12:45pm Niko Moon 1:00pm-1:30pm Chris Lane 1:45pm-2:15pm Mitchell Tenpenny 2:30pm-3:00pm Danielle Bradbery 3:15pm-3:45pm Morgan Evans 4:00pm-4:30pm Ingrid Andress 4:45pm-5:15pm ERNEST
Saturday, June 11th, 2022 10:00am-10:30am Tyler Farr 10:45am-11:15am Drake White 11:30am-12:00pm Breland 12:15pm-12:45pm Lauren Alaina 1:00pm-1:30pm Dylan Scott 1:45pm-2:15pm Ryan Hurd 2:30pm-3:00pm Matt Stell 3:15pm- 3:45pm Jessie James Decker 4:00pm-4:30pm Home Free 4:45pm-5:15pm Priscilla Block
Sunday, June 12th, 2022
10:00am-10:30am Callista Clark 10:45am – 11:15am Michael Ray 11:30am-12:00pm Jon Langston 12:15pm-12:45pm Kameron Marlowe 1:00pm-1:30pm Blanco Brown 1:45pm-2:15pm Parmalee 2:30pm-3:00pm LANCO 3:15pm-3:45pm Easton Corbin 4:00pm-4:30pm Tenille Townes 4:45pm-5:15pm Scotty McCreery
Riverside Retreat is an exclusive destination along the Cumberland River offering guaranteed admission to the Chevy Riverfront Stage, where audiences attending the free daytime concerts often reach capacity. A number of additional perks will be available including shaded areas, misting stations, charging for mobile devices, discounts on select beverages, air-conditioned restrooms, yard games and more. Participating fans will have unlimited in and out access 9:00 AM – 5:15 PM each day during CMA Fest. The on-sale for exclusive Riverside Retreat access begins tomorrow, Wednesday, April 13, at CMAfest.com. Both four-day ($307) and single-day ($98) tickets will be available. Fees and taxes included.
Several years ago, I had the opportunity to interview country duo Smithfield. It was a lovely summer day in Los Angeles and I listened as Jennifer Fielder and Trey Smith told me their story. The pair have been family friends for such a long time and started their duo a decade ago. Hailing from Texas and sharing such a unique bond has allowed them to withstand the test of time. When you listen to their music, you will be transported to a sound that isn’t as common in country music today, the blending harmonies of a male and female voice. The power of a male/female duo.
There have been a few male/female duo’s over the the last couple of decades, Thompson Square and Sugarland are the most prominent. There has been so much success with each group, and yet still not enough credit to the power of the male/female duo. I was able to talk to Smithfield about the power of the female/male duo and how much they bring to the table. The story telling and the chemistry they can share on stage. We spoke about how even though there have been other male/female duos, there hasn’t been as much success with getting airplay on the radio. We mentioned how successful trio Lady A has been with similar song content and the way their songs are designed to really give equal vocals to both a male and female voice.
It has been a couple of years since their last EP release, so we chatted about their upcoming release New Town and it felt like talking with old friends. Their EP, set to release June 16, is one that was truly made in a labor of love. The project was funded by a kickstarter campaign by their fans. Variety Beat is definitely proud to be one of those contributors. As such, we were also privy to listening to a couple of songs that have yet to be released. More on that below!
Fielder spoke about recording their EP New Town that wrapped up two days before the world shut down due to the global pandemic. The duo’s plan to release the new music kept getting pushed back as they realized this was not going to just be a quick shut down, but actually go on for months and months. Once time continued to pass they decided to wait to release their new music and instead release a Christmas song, which they have always wanted to do.
Now in 2021, there are new and exciting opportunities as the country begins to open back up. It finally feels like the right time to release the EP they made a year ago. The six song EP includes two previously released tracks, “Sunday Best” and “Something Sexy.” Fielder explained the theme of the EP and how each song tells a story inside of a story. The EP shares a story about the ups and downs of relationships. Fielder described “New Town” as that freshness and newness of falling in love with somebody. “Something Sexy” is about going to that next level where things begin to get very romantic. “Burning Wings” is when you hit a bump and hard blocks in relationships. It also has rock vibe to it, which made Trey extremely happy to hear since he used to be in a rock band prior to forming the duo Smithfield. Fielder continued to explain that “Sunday Best” is when you look past those hardships and love them anyway. “I’ll Never Stop” tells the story of when things don’t work out but you still have to keep going and you still have love for that person.
Since contributing to the kickstarter, I was able to listen to “Burning Wings” and “I’ll Never Stop.” I can say with confidence that there is something on this EP for anyone who has been in a relationship. The power and harmonies of the male/female duo is something that is unexplainable.
Kickstarter Photo Exclusive!
The duo will kick off their EP release with a full band show in Nashville, June 17 to celebrate the release. They are excited to sing all their own songs with a full capacity show. They are also excited to be headlining at a venue and are grateful for the opportunity to play for their fans and get back to playing live shows again after a year of not being able to perform. Be sure to check out their new EP New Town available everywhere music is streamed June 16!
The show will be streamed live on American Songwriter’s Facebook page, SmithField’s YouTube and Facebook, 3rd & Lindsley’s Facebook page, and nugs.net. This show comes on the heels of their highly anticipated EP, which is set to release on Wednesday, June 16. Pre-save/pre-add NEW TOWN HERE.
Via Press Release: NASHVILLE, TENN. (February 1, 2021) – With 40 MILLION career streams, a nationwide headline tour and 30+ Grand Ole Opry performances to date, SmithField is unveiling their next chapter with the brand-new track “Sunday Best” due out February 17. Pre-save “Sunday Best” here.
Penned by the duo’s Jennifer Fielder and Trey Smith with Trannie Anderson and Ian Christian, and produced by ACM Award-winner Derek Wells and Adam Wood, “Sunday Best,” is a cathartic anthem about accepting a lover’s true self while nodding to the societal expectations that SmithField experienced while growing up in rural Texas.
“We’re beyond excited to start this next chapter of our story. The experiences that we’ve had so far, have made us the best versions of ourselves, and given us some unique stories to tell. We feel this new music is the perfect translation of who we are. This is what SmithField was always meant to be.” – Jennifer & Trey (SmithField)
“Sunday Best” follows a whirlwind journey since the emerging independent duo turned heads with their infectious single “Hey Whiskey,” featured as a SiriusXM Highway Find and selling more than 100K downloads. The best-of-friends pair have performed at several high-profile festivals including Stagecoach, CMA Fest, Faster Horses, Lake Shake, Watershed and more, while also sharing the bill with some of Country’s biggest stars including Brothers Osborne, Morgan Wallen and Old Dominion. Their 2019 WE MAKE OUR OWN EP continued to strike a chord with their loyal fan base, launching in the Top 10 of the iTunes Country Albums chart.
Putting a modern spin on one of the genre’s greatest traditions – the male-female duet – SmithField effortlessly blends the classic with the contemporary, while showcasing their unique brand of two-sided storytelling. Taste of Country praises they “play off one another with the natural ease” while Rolling Stone highlights the two “find their strength in what multiple voices can bring to the table.”
“Sunday Best” previews SmithField’s anticipated EP, due out in 2021.
Kalie Shorr is giving fans a glimpse of her personal reflections with the release of “My Voice,” her honest and unabashed tale of her journey as a Nashville singer-songwriter. Still celebrating the success of her debut album Open Book, No. 7 on New York Times’ all-genre Best Albums of 2019 list, Shorr is turning the page to a new chapter with Open Book: Unabridged coming later this year. “My Voice” is just the first page of this new chapter, continuing her truth-filled and authentically irreverent point of view. With sonic influences from her diverse country roots and mid-2000s pop-punk, Kalie Shorr doubles down on her self-assured, rebelliously-unique sound. Listen to “My Voice” here.
Variety recently called her “the most attention-getting DIY artist in country [music],” a trait that recently landed Shorr her first recording contract with New York based major player TMWRK Records.
“I never thought I’d get to release ‘My Voice.’ I wrote it in March of 2019, the week before we started recording Open Book. I was going into the studio with this sense of confidence that I hadn’t had before, like I knew that album was going to change my life. I still had plenty of episodes of self-doubt, but writing that song was so cathartic and empowering for me. When it came time to pick songs for the extended version of the album (Open Book: Unabridged), I threw that in the Dropbox not expecting anything. The head of my new label championed it from day one. I’m so happy I get to let people hear my truly unfiltered thoughts on the music business and my career. When I wrote it, it was more of a stream of consciousness musing on the industry and now it’s turned into a personal mantra,” says Shorr.
Some of music’s most esteemed critics praised Open Book. Rolling Stone compares the record to a mix of “Shania Twain, Red-era Taylor Swift, Dashboard Confessional and Alanis Morissette,” while Taste of Country calls it “bold,” “raw,” and “real.” As for Shorr, NPR touts the singer/songwriter as “one of Nashville’s most promising” and in the U.K., The Guardian dubbed Shorr “the new queen of country”.
Last month, Shorr launched a podcast in partnership with iHeartMedia called “Too Much To Say with Kalie Shorr,” executive produced by nationally syndicated radio host Bobby Bones. “My Voice” is her first release on TMWRK Records.
Nashville country artist, Sarah Harralson, recently released her new single, “Put a Rock on This Rolling Stone” under Busy at Play Publishing, which is her newest release since her collaborative album ‘West of Me’ in May 2019. This is her first released track since signing with producer Johnny Garcia (Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood), and it brings her music to a whole new level.
“Put a Rock on This Rolling Stone” means pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Harralson states, “The song is about someone who is a free spirit and an independent person, but at some point they want to settle down once they find the right person. I relate to this a lot, and I think a lot of others do too.” This East Tennessean native has influences of The Dixie Chicks, Jewel, and Alanis Morissette, which you can hear in her music.
Although the song was finished in mid-March, Harralson was unsure of when to put the song out into the world in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. “At the time, a lot of artists were postponing their tours and music releases, so I decided the beginning of summer would be the best time to release the single. After all, people want happy, feel-good songs in the summer. I had no idea it ended up being the perfect time to release it. Things were opening up again, and with all of the shotgun courthouse & zoom weddings due to canceled wedding ceremonies, it ended up being the perfect song for people to add to their wedding playlists. Because at the end of the day, people are just ready to put a rock on it instead of waiting!”
A couple days after the song was released, Harralson gave us another surprise with the music video for “Put a Rock on This Rolling Stone”. She says, “Another challenge was figuring out the music video concept. I originally wanted to have a party scene in the video with some people, but I knew it would be safer at the time to only have myself in the video. I like that we went with this concept instead because it promotes social distancing, but it also made sense to have just myself in the video since a rolling stone usually is alone when they’re moving from one place to the next.”
We asked her if she still considers herself to be a rolling stone: “I think I will always have a free spirit in me, but at the end of the day, I do want to settle down and have that true love, which I really feel like I have found. I think all gypsy souls feel like they will never find the one until it just comes to them one day. I will always advocate love because there is truly nothing better, and if you are unsure if you will ever find it, don’t look so hard for it, just be patient.”
This Knoxville native began writing songs when she was ten years old, her grandfather, a bluegrass musician, being her biggest musical influence. After her grandfather passed in 2011, Sarah decided she would move to Nashville two years later to pursue music at Belmont University. A year after releasing her debut EP in 2014, she was discovered by Scotty Schultz, drummer of Shooter Jennings (Waylon Jennings’s son). Scotty opened up his publishing company, Raindrop Music LLC, in 2015 and after hearing Sarah’s original song “Watered Down Whiskey”, he knew he wanted to sign her right away. This would be Sarah’s first publishing deal. Scotty decided he would produce her first country EP, Watered Down Whiskey, of all original songs that Sarah has either written or co-written.
One of the tracks on the EP includes the song, “Radio Static” that was co-written with Johnny Garcia (lead guitar for Garth Brooks). Over time, Sarah began writing and working with Johnny, which evolved to the point where Sarah would sign her next publishing and artist development deal with Busy at Play Publishing (Johnny Garcia’s company). She is currently recording her next record with Johnny and you can expect to hear her new singles soon. Besides performing, Sarah also produces music herself and decided to release a collaborative album with co-writer Christine Bauer in early 2019 that she self-produced. She also plays at hospitals once a month for Musicians On Call. Sarah hopes that her music will help people in some way across the world. She is a big believer that music heals.
Trusted Source for news regarding Artists and Entertainment you love!
