Categories
Festivals

Kenny Chesney Recalls Speed Bumps on Road to the Top

It’s hard to believe, given his record-breaking sales and countless accolades, but Kenny Chesney’s career path was not always smooth sailing.

“We all get caught up in the idea of, ‘We want this now,’ and I was no different,” Kenny recalls to Billboard of his anxious early days in the business. “I had a few hit records, and there were other people having hit records and they were getting paid $2500 more than I was getting paid … I remember talking to [my manager] Dale Morris going, ‘Why are we doing this? Why are we doing that? Why isn’t this happening?’ That mentality was one of the reasons that we’re doing what we’re doing today. That taught me patience and that everybody is in this together, and we’re going to take this and make it wonderful and not just live for the moment. Dale called it: ‘We’re betting on what’s to come, not what’s right now.’ And that’s hard. When you’re a kid, you want it all right now.”

Kenny soon channeled his energy into making his live show “something special.” “Whether it worked or whether it didn’t, I was going to do it,” he said. “It wasn’t safe and it wasn’t probably the smartest thing to do, but it was the smartest thing to do for me. I got a taste of the George Strait stadium tours and I was going to do whatever it takes.”

For my complete writeup, visit The Boot.

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Artist of the Week Band of the Week

Band of the Week: The Trews

Last week, I witnessed The Trews live in Park Slope for a 30-minute stripped down performance before their set at Mercury Lounge the next day. After listening to their latest album, Hope & Ruin, all afternoon on repeat I was intrigued to see just how the Canadian four-piece would sound live.

While an energetic plugged in set tends to captivate the concertgoer, often it is a stripped down performance that best showcases a band’s talent. Having toured with everyone from the Rolling Stones and Robert Plant to Kid Rock, The Trews didn’t disappoint.

The band kicked things off with energetic title track, “Hope & Ruin” as frontman Colin MacDonald’s powerful vocals led the song. With catchy “woah-oh’s” and dynamic guitar interludes, The Trews captivated the room. The tongue-in-cheek “I’ll Find Someone Who Will” followed with beautiful harmonies and more aggressive guitar and percussion.

Next track, “One By One” continued to showcase the band’s talent with a solid guitar breakdown mid-track coupled with MacDonald’s wavering vocals and a fitting percussion beat while the energetic “Paranoid Freak” saw fans dancing along. Mid-song, the music stopped to showcase MacDonald alone. As the room stood silent, it was evident that the band left a mark on listeners.

Stand-out track “Poor Ol’ Broken Hearted Me” began a cappella before a funky bass and percussion beat took the lead. An impressive stripped down sound, I wish I could have witnessed The Trews plugged in set.

The band closed their performance by taking requests. Slower ballad “Stay With Me” continued to impress while the up-tempo “Hold Me in Your Arms” set the band apart with soulful vocals and powerful instrumental features. As the band ended their performance, they reminded the room that they’d be playing NYC’s Mercury Lounge the next night.

“Come on out and bring a date. If you don’t have a date, bring one of us,” guitarist John-Angus MacDonald said.

Currently on tour promoting their latest release, Hope & Ruin, be sure to catch The Trews live. Stay tuned for my interview with the band.

Categories
Song of the Week

Song of the Week: "Just a Kiss"

I haven’t been able to stop playing this song since Lady Antebellum released it a few weeks ago. Their first single off their third album, due in stores in September, the beautiful ballad showcases the strong harmonies between the trio. They debuted the music video earlier this week on their Web site, you can watch it below.

Related Links:
• Lady Antebellum Talk Dating, Drunk Dialing and Dylan
• Lady Antebellum, Amos Lee Dazzle for Musicians On Call
• Q&A with Lady Antebellum
• Lady Antebellum Bring Nashville to New York at Sold-Out Show
Categories
Festivals

Kenny Chesney Raises a Glass to His Fans

As Kenny Chesney’s first headlining tour progressed, he became more and more intrigued watching his fans tailgate before his show. One day, in 2002, he decided to join them.

“It started purely out of boredom. There are only so many hours you can sit on the bus and watch TV or play basketball or whatever we do to pass the time before we go out onstage,” Kenny admits to Billboard.

“One day we were playing the Amphitheater in Pittsburgh, and it was about halfway through my first year of headlining. My bus was parked on this hill, and I could see all the tailgaters and everybody out there. It was this whole other world out there, so I said, ‘I’m gonna go out there in the middle of it and see it!”

For the complete writeup, visit The Boot.

Categories
Features

The New Music Industry: 6 Tips For Navigating the Business

Predicting the future of the music industry is as uncertain as guessing what Lady Gaga will wear to her next awards show. As impossible as it may seem to navigate, panelists at the DIY Business Association Conference in Brooklyn on Sunday provided advice to help musicians stand out.

The most invaluable takeaways during DIYBAC’s “New Music Industry” panel? Power is being put back into the hands of the creators, technologist Grant Neerings of DIY Media explained. However, with this power comes more obligations. While there are no set rules to follow, panelists offered six suggestions to making it in the music business.

1. Be open to opportunities.
Touring bassist and collaborator Gregory Jackson said being a reggae bass player was never his goal. When he went on an international tour with Burning Spear, he decided to leverage the opportunity, since he didn’t know how long it would last.

“What can I get out of this moment? Using media and the Internet, I was able to go out there and get product endorsements simply because I was the new bass player for a Grammy-winning band,” he said. “Think about how you can leverage whatever your presence is on the Web or wherever you’re gigging to get residual benefit out of that moment.”

For complete coverage of DIYBAC, visit Billboard Pro.

Categories
Song of the Week

Song of the Week: "Hey Mama"

Earlier this week, Mat Kearney premiered the video for his latest single, “Hey Mama,” off his upcoming album, Young Love, due in stores August 2. With hand-clapped rhythms and a fast beat, its a new side to Mat Kearney than witnessed on previous singles. In fact, I’ve had it on repeat all afternoon. I think you’ll enjoy it too.

Be sure to catch Mat live on tour with Owl City. He stops in NYC tonight and continues through the West Coast next month. Visit his site for complete dates.

Related Links:
• Q&A with Mat Kearney
• Album Review: Mat Kearney’s “City of Black & White”
• So Long, 2009. Bring on 2010!
• Mat Kearney at Irving Plaza

Categories
Photos

CMA Festival LP Field Photos

CMA Music Festival was a blast and has further convinced me that one day I just might have to move to Nashville. While I spent some of my time there covering Billboard’s Country Music Summit I also had time to enjoy the nightly shows at LP Field from the photo pit. Below are some of my favorite photos including Darius Rucker, Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson, Sara Evans, Easton Corbin and Zac Brown Band and Randy Travis. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
Features Q&A

Justin Moore Celebrates 'Outlaws' Live From the Lake

Justin Moore took a different approach to the release of his sophomore album, ‘Outlaws Like Me.’ He went fishing in New York City.

An avid outdoorsman, Justin spent six hours doing press interviews from a bass boat in the middle of Manhattan’s beautiful Central Park Lake. Fans could watch and listen live online as the singer/songwriter answered questions about his new album, released today (June 21).

I joined Justin in Central Park to find out about his favorite song on the album, the story behind his latest smash single and his approach to fatherhood the second time around.

How did you come up with the idea to host a media day in the middle of the lake?
The record label told me I couldn’t find a place to fish in New York City, so I had to prove them wrong! [laughs] This is fun. We try to get out on the road any time we can and fish, hunt or whatever we have the opportunity to do outdoors. This just proves to people that you can do it anywhere; it’s all across the country. I teamed up with Cabelas and NRA Country, and I’m trying to spread the gospel.

For my complete interview, visit The Boot.

Categories
Festivals Photos

Photo of the Week: Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson

I was lucky enough to be in the photo pit just as Kelly Clarkson joined Jason Aldean onstage at LP Field for their duet on “Don’t You Wanna Stay.” Stay tuned for more CMA Music Festival coverage and photos later this week!

Categories
Song of the Week

Song of the Week: "Honey Bee"

I haven’t been able to stop listening to this song since seeing Blake Shelton perform it live at his fan party last week. While the words are cute, the accompanying video is the perfect component to this love song. What do you think?

Honey Bee – Blake Shelton – Blake Shelton Videos