TUNE-IN: JO DEE MESSINA AND A STAR-STUDDED LINEUP HONOR TRISHA YEARWOOD FOR AUSTIN CITY LIMITS 9TH HALL OF FAME

 

Tune in this Saturday night for the ninth annual Austin City Limits Hall of Fame, honoring the remarkable career of country music icon Trisha Yearwood. Catch Jo Dee Messina singing Yearwood's 1991 chart-topping hit "She's in Love with the Boy," alongside tributes from Don Henley, Ronnie Dunn, Brothers Osborne and Brandy Clark. 

The broadcast premieres Saturday, March 2 at 8 pm ET/7 pm CT on PBS (check local listings). 

The special will be available to music fans everywhere to stream online beginning Sunday, March 3 at 10 am ET at pbs.org/austincitylimits.

#TOURINGNEWS - BRANDY CLARK AND LORI MCKENNA ARE HITTING THE ROAD IN A SPECIAL CO-HEADLINING TOUR

Two of the best in songwriting are hitting the road ... together!

Brandy Clark and Lori McKenna are coming together to bring their music to you in a special co-headlining tour, “An Evening with Brandy Clark & Lori McKenna” featuring telling behind the song stories and performing their own songs in addition to those written for other artists. The party kicks off September 28 in Houston, TX.

“An Evening with Brandy Clark & Lori McKenna” Tour Dates:

Sept. 28—Houston, TX—The Heights Theater

Sept. 29—Dallas, TX—The Kessler Theater

Sept. 30—New Braunfels, TX—Gruene Hall

Oct. 5—Knoxville, TN—Bijou Theatre

Oct. 6—Chattanooga, TN—Walker Theatre

Oct. 7—Rocky Mount, VA—Harvester Performance Center

Oct. 8—Durham, NC—Carolina Theatre of Durham/Fletcher Hall

Oct. 12—Buffalo, NY—Asbury Hall at Babeville

Oct. 13—Laconia, NH—The Colonial Theatre of Laconia

Oct. 14—Northampton, MA—Academy of Music

Oct. 15—Boston, MA—The Wilbur

#TOURINGNEWS - BRANDY CLARK ANNOUNCES FALL HEADLINING TOUR DATES

Photo: Victoria Stevens

Brandy Clark is kicking off her fall headlining tour in Indianapolis, IN on 10/18.

This new tour is showcasing her brand new self-titled album, produced by nine time Grammy winner  Brandi Carlile, was released on May 19 and has drawn industry wide praise. This album is her Brandy's best and most emotionally vulnerable album to date.

Tickets are available now for pre-sale and general sales for the October and November dates starting on Friday, June 16, at 10:00am local time. 

For more information, go to www.brandyclarkmusic.com.

TOUR DATES

 
*with Mary Chapin Carpenter

#with Brandi Carlile

June 16-18—Kent, UK—Black Deer Festival

June 24—Katonah, NY—American Roots Music Festival

June 25—Vienna, VA—Out & About Festival at Wolf Trap

Aug. 6—Richmond, VA—The National*

Aug. 8—Wilmington, NC—Greenfield Lake Amphitheater*

Aug. 9—Charleston, SC—Charleston Music Hall*

Aug. 10—Greensboro, NC—Carolina Theatre*

Aug. 11—Charlotte, NC—The Knight Theater*

Aug. 17—Madison, WI August 17—Breese Stevens Field#

Aug. 18—Beverly, MA—The Cabot*

Aug. 19—Portland, ME—State Theatre*

Aug. 20—Nashua, NH—Nashua Center for the Arts*

Aug. 22—Northampton, MA—Academy of Music Theatre*

Aug. 31—Highland Park, IL—Ravinia Festival#

Sept. 14—Louisville, KY—Bourbon & Beyond Festival

Oct. 18—Indianapolis, IN—The Vogue

Oct. 19—Chicago, IL—Thalia Hall

Oct. 20—Minneapolis, MN—The Cedar Cultural Center

Oct. 21—Stoughton, WI—Stoughton Opera House

Oct. 24—St. Louis, MO—Delmar Hall

Oct. 25—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium

Oct. 29—Seattle, WA—Washington Hall

Oct. 30—Portland, OR—Aladdin Theater

Nov. 2—Grass Valley, CA—The Center for the Arts

Nov. 3—San Francisco, CA—Bimbo’s 365 Club

Nov. 4—West Hollywood, CA—Troubadour

March 1-8, 2024—Miami, FL—Cayamo Cruise

"ASHLEY MCBRYDE PRESENTS: LINDEVILLE" DEBUTS TO CRITICAL ACCLAIM FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES, STEREOGUM, ESQUIRE AND MORE

Watch the Official Music Video for “Bonfire At Tina’s”

Featuring Caylee Hammack, Brandy Clark and Pillbox Patti

“There’s a whole lot of beautiful writerly vision at work on Lindeville,

but it wouldn’t matter if the songs weren’t great. Guess what? The songs are great.”

– Stereogum

 McBryde Returns to Late Night with Seth Meyers on Wednesday, Oct. 5

Visits CBS Mornings on Thursday, Oct. 6

Ashley McBryde and her collaborators officially welcome you to Lindeville. With its honest, specific and morally complicated portrayal of the many characters that can personify small town life, Lindeville will feel like a place that many have visited before. Praised by The New York Times as “a fluorescent carnival of pedal steel and thumping guitar that proves McBryde can be a skilled curator, as well as a performer,” Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville is available now via Warner Music Nashville.

Produced by John Osborne, Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville includes performances from McBryde, Brothers Osborne, Brandy Clark, Aaron Raitiere, Pillbox Patti, Caylee Hammack and Benjy Davis, delivering a distilled version of everything that listeners have come to appreciate from the Arkansas native: raw, honest, specific portraits of small-town America, and the many characters that you may encounter in any one of them.

Written during a weeklong exercise in a rural cabin outside Nashville, McBryde set out with a group of her favorite collaborators to work up a project they had no intention of ever recording or releasing. Those individuals included McBryde, Raitiere, Hayford, Clark, Davis and Connie Harrington, each drawing from their own upbringings to give Lindeville an every-town realism blended with familiar characters, moral ambiguity and a healthy enough dose of gallows humor to make this town feel like your town.

With swelling strings prefacing what Arkansas Democrat-Gazette calls “a ribald tale of neighbors,” opening track “Brenda Put Your Bra On” threads the needle, acquainting listeners with its first cast of characters.

“I’d like to think that when you first get to town, you think to yourself, ‘What a cute little neighborhood,’” outlines McBryde. “And then the next thing you see is dishes flying across Main Street. And you’re like, ‘Okay! Good morning, Lindeville!’And that’s when we find out that Tina’s friends are witnessing her catching Marvin cheating.

“So ‘Bonfire at Tina’s’ is about all of those women in that town going, ‘Look, we all hate each other, and we can go back to talking shit about each other, but right now, one of us is hurting, and that gives us permission to drink too much, smoke and set shit on fire,” McBryde imparts.

“I secretly hope that multiple people get together to burn the things that have been holding them back (in a super safe way),” admits McBryde. “But I hope that it becomes an anthem and an outlet, not just for women, but for anybody who’s like, ‘You know what? I’m so tired of struggling with my weight.’ And they go burn their scale. Yes. Do that!”

“An album like Lindeville,” notes Stereogum, “is a writing exercise, and you can look at a work like that from an academic lens if you want. But when those writing exercises really work, they can move you…A lot of people put a lot of work into this record, and they made something that resonates on a deep, emotional level. Give it up for them.”

“This might turn out to be one of the most unique, interesting, and important albums released by a major country music label in years,” sums up Saving Country Music.

Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville Tracklist

All songs written by Ashley McBryde, Aaron Raitiere, Connie Harrington, Brandy Clark, Benjy Davis and Nicolette Hayford unless noted otherwise.

1.) "Brenda Put Your Bra On" - Featuring Caylee Hammack & Pillbox Patti
2.) "Jesus Jenny"- Featuring Aaron Raitiere (Aaron Raitiere and Jon Decious)
3.) "Dandelion Diner"
4.) "The Girl In The Picture" - Featuring Pillbox Patti
5.) "If These Dogs Could Talk"- Featuring Brandy Clark
6.) "Play Ball" - Featuring Brothers Osborne
7.) "Ronnie’s Pawn Shop"
8.) "The Missed Connection Section of the Lindeville Gazette" - Featuring Brandy Clark & Aaron Raitiere
9.) "Gospel Night At The Strip Club" - Featuring Benjy Davis
10) "Forkem Family Funeral Home"
11.) "When Will I Be Loved" - Featuring Brandy Clark, Caylee Hammack & Pillbox Patti (Phil Everly)
12.) "Bonfire At Tina’s" - Featuring Caylee Hammack, Brandy Clark & Pillbox Patti
13.) "Lindeville"

THE OAK RIDGE BOYS HAVE STARTED A MUCH NEEDED REVIVAL WITH THEIR NEW CD, "17TH AVENUE REVIVAL"

 

By definition, a "revival" is a reawakening, a restoration of force or validity. The Oak Ridge Boys named their latest project "17th Avenue Revival" for a reason because that's exactly what they knew this collection of the perfect songs, produced by the perfect person was going to be just that, the revival that we needed. This new CD is unlike any other these legends have released and even though the CD doesn't officially hit shelves until March 16, the reviews are coming in droves of nothing but positive reaction. I think the Boys have finally outdone themselves and that's pretty hard to do.

I remember speaking to Duane Allen in their Hendersonville, TN office last September during a personal trip to Nashville and they had just completed recording and were out starting to talk to people around town about the CD. He told me this was going to be something special, something different and something that would be talked about for a long time. He said it wasn't a typical Oaks release, it had that something different that reached out to multi-genres and various age groups. He was so proud but I don't think even he knew how understated he was at that time. This CD is OUTSTANDING. It's a result of four men believing in every word they sing and in wanting to revive a message of unity and coming together and it's the result of the vision of one of country music's most amazing producers, Dave Cobb, who knew just what the Oaks were wanting to do and how they wanted it to sound.

"17th Avenue Revival" has given us a return to that southern gospel sound that The Oak Ridge boys are known and respected for, it's brought us back full circle to the kind of music that only the Oaks can pull off in only a way that the Oaks can pull off. This CD is exactly what we needed, at the exact time in this world when we truly need something to get us back on our feet and rejoicing again and giving us reason to bow our heads in gratitude for the multitude of blessings we sometimes forget we've been given. Well written music with a message is one of those blessings that seems to get lost in today's country. This CD is a blessing to any country music fan who appreciates a story and great lyrics and with tracks written by artists such as Jamey Johnson, Ashley Monroe, Vince Gill, Buddy Cannon, Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally, and other songwriting royalty, it's a reason to say thank you. It's a reminder that God isn't forgotten, that He hasn't been cast aside and that His presence is brighter than ever and it's put forth in such a way in this CD that it's not really "religious", it's just simply apparent. It puts faith back in country music, a place where it has always been welcome. The Oak Ridge Boys have made that light shine again in country music and made us want to jump to our feet and yell "Hallelujah and Pass the Cornbread! Now THIS is some good music y'all!" Even if you're not a religious person, this will still get ya in right in the spirit.

"Pray to Jesus", written by one of country's best storytellers, Brandy Clark, and Shane McAnally who pretty much has written most of the hits on today's charts, has been called one of the "Best Songs of The Week"of Feb 23, 2018 by Rolling Stone. We loved it on Brandy's debut CD and we love it even more now.

The CD is set for release on March 16. You can pre-order your digital copy now on most outlets or you can order the physical CD, collector's vinyl, or even cassette at www.oakridgeboys.com. (They even donated a special Edison cylinder version to the Country Music Hall of Fame! How awesome is that???)

OAK RIDGE BOYS - 17TH AVENUE REVIVAL

TRACK LISTING

1. “Brand New Star” (Aaron Raitiere & Mando Saenz)
2. “There Will Be Light” (Jamey Johnson, Larry Shell & Buddy Cannon)
3. “God’s Got It” (Charlie Jackson)
4. “I’d Rather Have Jesus” (Rhea Miller & George Beverly Shea)
5. “Walk in Jerusalem” (Traditional /Public Domain)
6. “Where He Leads Me I Will Follow” (Ernest W. Blandy / Public Domain)
7. “Pray to Jesus” (Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally)
8. “If I Die” (Ashley Monroe & Vince Gill)
9. “Let It Shine on Me” (Vince Gill & Ashley Monroe)

Connect with the Oaks online

Website - www.oakridgeboys.com
Twitter - @oakridgeboys - @joebonsall - @duaneallen - @rasterban - @wlgolden
Facebook - Oak Ridge Boys   
Instagram - @theoakridgeboys 

BRANDY CLARK RELEASES OUTTAKE FROM BIG DAY IN A SMALL TOWN, “YOU’RE DRUNK”

Session that garnered two-of-six GRAMMY nominations for Clark, unreleased track now at digital retail and streaming; click here to stream“You’re Drunk”

It’s been just over a year since critically-acclaimed touring artist Brandy Clark released her sophomore album Big Day in a Small Town, which garnered two 2017 GRAMMY nominations for Best Country Album and Best Country Solo Performance (“Love Can Go To Hell”). As reported today by Rolling Stone Country, the songstress who has been heralded as “country music’s most reliable character witness” (The Washington Post) returns with new music in a digital release of the sharply witty “You’re Drunk,” available now.

Written with her longtime collaborators Josh Osborne and Shane McAnally while in a West Hollywood hotel room writing for Big Day, Clark shares its origin: “It's funny, I never took this song seriously if that makes sense. However, when we went in to cut it, it immediately became a favorite—it just came to life—but, at the time, it just didn't fit overall vibe on Big Day… I remember thinking even then we’d have to find a way to get it out.” Clark soon took a band on the road with her, bridging beyond the singer/songwriter moniker that launched her career, and that change also expanded what she could perform live with such a strong musician in upright bass player Vanessa McGowan. “It’s such a different song than say ‘Three Kids No Husband,’ but like that song, I didn’t realize how much the audience loved it until I played ‘You’re Drunk’ live. Their response is so exciting; "I’m happy to now have it available for the fans asking ‘where can I hear this?’

Dubbed by Garden & Gun as “the best songwriter in Nashville,” Clark has established herself as one of country music’s greatest storytellers. Last year marked several successful acoustic tours and the release of Big Day in a Small Town, which was produced by Jay Joyce and has been revered as "gritty and visceral" (Associated Press), "aggressive and big-grinned" (SPIN) and also “made her one of country’s driving forces” (TIME). Rolling Stone praised, “it's music tooled alternately for stadiums and songwriting circles, commercial and public radio, line-dance bars and coffee shops…Clark is good at bending country boilerplate.”

Big Day in a Small Town is self-proclaimed "cousin" to Clark's critically acclaimed debut album, 12 Stories, which was featured on "Best of" lists from New York Magazine, NPR, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, New York Post and The Boston Globe in 2013. That same year, Los Angeles Times called it “the country debut of the year."

BRANDY CLARK LANDS TWO MUCH DESERVED GRAMMY NOMINATIONS (AND SHOULD WIN)

Now six career GRAMMY nominations for “country music’s most reliable character witness” (The Washington Post)

In another example of a year to be remembered, 2016 has distinctly highlighted the hard work and dedication of acclaimed singer/songwriter Brandy Clark. Announced earlier today on Grammy.com, CMA-Award winner Brandy Clark received nominations for Best Country Album for Big Day in a Small Town and Best Country Solo Performance for “Love Can Go to Hell” off the sophomore album. Released this summer, Big Day in a Small Town debuted Top 10 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart and quickly gained the attention of critics including Laura Snapes of The Guardian, who praised "(Big Day) speaks to a vast audience who weren’t hearing themselves in country."

Clark, whom The Plain Dealer's Chuck Yarborough calls "the best wordsmith in Nashville," landed on multiple critics' "best of" lists this year, including Rolling Stone's 25 Best Country & Americana Albums So Far and 45 Best Albums of 2016 So Far, TIME Magazine's Best Songs of 2016 So Far, NPR's Top 100 Songs of 2016 and Songs We Love, and American Songwriter's Top 50 Albums of 2016.

"I put my whole heart into Big Day in a Small Town, as did all of the co-writers, musicians, and producer Jay Joyce," shares Clark, "So for it to be so well-received not only by the fans and press, but now also by the GRAMMYs is a really sweet reward."

Celebrated for her keen depiction of small towns and their antiheroes, Clark's bold second album Big Day in a Small Town has been revered as "gritty and visceral" (Associated Press), "aggressive and big-grinned" (SPIN) and was described by SALON Magazine's Erik Nelson as "simultaneously harrowing, cynical, uplifting and just plain funny.”

"When you memorialize human lives with this level of care, you’re writing music that’s meant to last," read a review from The Washington Post's Chris Richards, "Like Clark’s protagonists, these songs want to survive. And they will."

The Jay-Joyce-produced album has garnered national praise by fans and critics alike, including Wall Street Journal heralding it an album that presents “country-song genius on the order that Loretta Lynn and Merle Haggard got us used to,” and Rolling Stone saying it’s “music tooled alternately for stadiums and songwriting circles, commercial and public radio, line-dance bars and coffee shops.”

Big Day in a Small Town is the "cousin" to Clark's critically-acclaimed debut album12 Stories which was featured on "Best of" lists from New York Magazine, NPR, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, New York Post and The Boston Globe in 2013. That same year, Los Angeles Times called it “the country debut of the year."

BRANDY CLARK CLOSES 2016 ACOUSTIC TOUR ON A HIGH NOTE

Critically Acclaimed Singer/Songwriter Tapped as 

Special Guest for A Tribute to the Music of Linda Ronstadt

Credit: David McClister

CMA Award winner and four-time GRAMMY nominee, Brandy Clark, just wrapped a highly successful acoustic tour that Los Angeles Times said, “delivered a stream of smartly crafted songs,” that will make radio “hard-pressed to find songs more emotionally and musically rewarding than Clark’s,” with a bang Sunday in Northampton, Mass. Clark has now been tapped as a special guest for an esteemed event this December honoring revolutionary music icon and 11-time GRAMMY Award winner, Linda Ronstadt.

With an acoustic performance that made CMT write, “few artists can make you feel the power of music quite like Brandy Clark," the acclaimed songwriter sold out an entire run in the United Kingdom as well as multiple stops in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New York City. The event presented by The Bluegrass Situation, Goldenvoice and Red Light Management is titled, A Tribute to the Music of Linda Ronstadt, and will use powerful voices of respected singer/songwriters to honor the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer in Los Angeles Dec. 11 at The Theatre at Ace Hotel.

Clark, who Washington Post said is “armed onstage with her own powerful voice and an acoustic guitar,” will be in great company as the tribute will feature performances by Ronstadt's close friends including: Jackson Browne, Maria Muldaur and David Lindley as well as those to which she was an influencer: Dawes, Gaby Moreno, Grace Potter and I’m With Her (Sara Watkins, Aoife O'Donovan, Sarah Jarosz) led by the Watkins Family Hour house band.

"Linda Ronstadt is one of my favorite artists and biggest musical influences," says Clark. "I admire how beloved she is within all music circles, from pop to rock to country and beyond. I am honored to be part of this great event and to help raise money for such an important cause."

All proceeds will benefit The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, a disease that affects Ronstadt.

For more details and ticketing information please visit here.

BRANDY CLARK BRINGS BIG DAY TO UK

C2C presents Brandy Clark UK Tour with stops in Birmingham, Glasgow, London, and Manchester in September

Photo Credit: Pamela Littky

It’s a long way from her hometown of Morton, Wash., but then again Brandy Clark is “far from your average country star” (The Guardian), and with an entire new album, Big Day in a Small Town, to play live, Clark will return to the U.K. next month for a series of acoustic shows.

 “We played London and Dublin as part of C2C in 2015 and while we were over there we also got to do a show in Glasgow. I wasn’t sure what to expect since I had not played there before but I was blown away by the response from the fans,” reflects Clark. “I’ve been waiting to go back ever since!"

“Clark’s music speaks to a vast audience who weren’t hearing themselves in country,” adds The Guardian’s Laura Snapes. “She writes songs for the workers who keep America spinning, the overburdened mothers putting themselves last, the women in middle age struggling to reconcile their faith with their need for relief, be it romantic or chemical.”

Touting her as “the forthright new star of country music,” The Telegraph’s Martin Chilton echoes, “her ability to connect with ordinary people is a real strength of her writing.”

Brandy Clark tour dates as follows, with special guest Ben Glover:

Sept. 20           Birmingham, England Birmingham Glee Club

Sept. 21           Glasgow, Scotland                  Glasgow Oran Mor

Sept. 23           London, England                     London Cadogan Hall

Sept. 24           Manchester, England              Manchester Gorilla

Having recently been on the road with Jennifer Nettles on the CMT Next Women of Country Tour, the singer/songwriter has also toured with Eric Church and Alan Jackson during the last two years in addition to solo shows. For upcoming tour dates, visit http://www.brandyclarkmusic.com.

BRANDY CLARK’S BIG DAY IN A SMALL TOWN TAPPED BY TIME, NPR SONGS WE LOVE AND ROLLING STONE FOR ‘BEST OF’ 2016 LISTS

Photo Credit: Pamela Littky

Clark’s performance on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers Airs Tonight, Thursday, July 7
***
“…simultaneously harrowing, cynical, uplifting and just plain funny.”
Erik Nelson, SALON Magazine

“…rooted in craft and character.”
Chris Herrington, The Commercial Appeal

“[Clark] has become country music’s most reliable character witness.”
Chris Richards, The Washington Post

When acclaimed singer/songwriter, CMA Award winner and four-time GRAMMY nominee Brandy Clark went into the studio with Jay Joyce last year to record what would become her June 10-released Big Day In A Small Town, she can now admit she did so with a self-imposed pressure.

“There was definitely pressure – even just in the idea of recording a follow-up to 12 Stories—but that was honestly a good thing as we channeled it into more of a driving force; for me, it helped me focus, and really take what we had nurtured on the road, and funnel those miles and experiences into these recordings,” reveals Clark now after having her new music out from underneath cloak and dagger for nearly one month’s time.

Before Big Day even hit shelves, Garden & Gun's Matt Hendrickson had already dubbed her “the best songwriter in Nashville,” but Clark had personal ambitions to obtain acclaim as a singer and an artist in her own right for her sophomore album. With Big Day landing on numerous critic lists including Rolling Stone’s 25 Best Country & Americana Albums of 2016 So Far who lauded, “it's music tooled alternately for stadiums and songwriting circles, commercial and public radio, line-dance bars and coffee shops…Clark is good at bending country boilerplate,” she now feels one step closer toward that acceptance.

“Anyone that knows me knows I’m a sucker for a good story,” Clark says, grinning. “It’s the challenge of depicting an entire scene in a 3-minute song that I really love. However, the one thing I’ve recently realized is that performing those songs for an audience has become a favorite part. The anticipation and wonder, questioning each night if they’re going to respond to the lyrics… wondering what their reaction will be … it’s just magical.” NPR’s Jacob Gantz remarked at Clark’s ability to transcend the strictly-songwriter stigma noting, “Clark's gift as a performer is making any room — even a newsroom on a cold, rainy spring afternoon — feel as warmly human.”

It’s a balance Clark has worked hard to achieve, and with a rich vault of material on her new album, critics are noticing more than just her writing this time around.

“Brandy Clark digs deeper in the dirt with this rave-up, which takes its titular metaphor and a persistent guitar line and twists them into a sharp parry against societal expectations,” writes Maura Johnston of TIME Magazine, where Clark’s feisty single “Girl Next Door” landed on the Best Songs of 2016 So Far list.

“…as usual, Clark's words are worth a thousand pictures,” claims Otis Hart of NPR, where she landed acknowledgement on their Songs We Love list for the poignant track she penned about her father’s death, “Since You’ve Gone To Heaven,” which has quickly become a favorite of fans and critics alike.
“If 12 Stories established Clark as a storyteller, Big Day in a Small Town makes for poetic (and at times brutally honest) evidence of the empathy that comes with that territory,” acclaims Dacey Orr of Noisey/VICE.

Big Day also appears on Rolling Stone magazine’s 45 Best Albums of 2016 So Far and garnered the “Critic’s Pick” from Taste of Country. Chris Herrington of Memphis’ The Commercial Appeal boasts Clarks’ is “the best album by any woman across the country continuum over the past decade.”

Seeing is believing, fans can see the artist Brandy Clark on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers tonight at 12:35a ET/11:35p CT or on tour:

July 7 Halloran Centre Memphis, Tenn.
July 8 George’s Majestic Lounge Fayetteville, Ark.
July 14 Pennysaver Amphitheater at Bald Hill Selden, N.Y.
July 21 Constellation Brands – Marvin Performing Artst Center Canandaigua, N.Y
July 22 Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion Gilford, N.H.
July 23 Forest Hills Stadium Forest Hills, N.Y.
July 29 Battery Park at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City, Iowa
July 30 City Winery Chicago, Ill.
Aug. 4 Bethel Woods Center for the Arts Bethel, N.Y.
Aug. 5 Blossom Music Center Cleveland, Ohio
Aug. 12 The Camp House Chattanooga, Tenn.
Aug. 18 Goldfield Trading Post Sacramento, Calif.
Aug. 19 Antelope Valley Fairgrounds Lancaster, Calif.

For more information, visit brandyclarkmusic.com. Follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/TheBrandyClark and on Twitter @TheBrandyClark.

CMA CLOSE UP: CMA SONG OF THE YEAR WINNERS FOLLOW THEIR ARROW

Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves and Brandy Clark share Song of the Year honors at the 2014 CMA Awards.

Photo credit: John Russell

By Jeff Walter

© 2015 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.

“Follow Your Arrow” still doesn’t sound like a Country hook to Shane McAnally.

This is despite the fact that McAnally, along with Brandy Clark and Kacey Musgraves, built on those three words to create the song that won Song of the Year honors at the 2014 CMA Awards.

“It sounded more like a pop hook,” said McAnally, who added that Musgraves had asked if she could take it to her friend Katy Perry, the pop and Super Bowl sensation. “It sounded more like a sign or a bumper sticker.”

Truth be told, Country radio appeared to agree, as the song peaked at No. 43 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. “It’s the lowest-charting single I’ve ever been a part of,” said Musgraves, who recorded it for Same Trailer Different Park, her critically acclaimed major-label debut on Mercury Nashville. “And it’s done more for me.”

“Follow Your Arrow” has touched a lot of people. “Country Music is supposed to be the truth-telling, storytelling format,” Clark observed. “Whether it’s my truth, Shane’s truth, Kacey’s truth or yours, it’s somebody’s truth. It’s great that people recognized that.”

Though “Follow Your Arrow” has been celebrated and condemned for its support of marijuana and same-sex relationships, the writers insist it’s about far more than that. Indeed, Clark and McAnally, the first openly gay artists/writers to receive a CMA Award, express hope that someday such distinctions won’t matter.

“I don’t think we were making some big gay statement or some big drug statement,” said McAnally.

“People try to highlight those parts of the song, but we’re encouraging the other side too,” Musgraves added. “It’s just … “

“Be. Who. You. Are,” McAnally chimed in.

These days, when in Nashville, Clark, McAnally and Musgraves get together for a weekly writing session. With “Follow Your Arrow,” Musgraves showed up with a melody, a hook and a general idea for a song “to encourage people to go with their internal compass.” Her inspiration was an arrow necklace she had given to a friend who was going to Paris for four months. She included a card with a little poem that read “Follow your arrow wherever it points.”

“I thought that would be cool to put in a song,” she said.

It mostly came together in around two hours, with Clark and McAnally helping to shape it and lend it a little more of a narrative feel. They reconvened the next day to write the summarizing bridge: “Say what you think. / Love who you love. / ’Cause you just get so many trips ’round the sun. / Yeah, you only, only live once.”

For Clark, the power of “Follow Your Arrow” continues to unfold on the road. “People tell me what that song has meant to them,” she said, shaking her head in amazement. “I mean, it’s like ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ to some people. It’s really cool to know that we had something to do with maybe someone walking a little taller that day, feeling like, ‘My parents don’t accept me, but I’m OK in my own skin.’”

BRANDY CLARK WELCOMES 2015 WITH TWO GRAMMY NOMINATIONS AND UPCOMING TELEVISION APPEARANCES

BRANDY CLARK WELCOMES 2015 WITH TWO GRAMMY AWARD NOMINATIONS AND UPCOMING TELEVISION APPEARANCES 

NASHVILLE-BASED SINGER AND SONGWRITER TO PERFORM ON ABC’S GOOD MORNING AMERICA AND NBC’S LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS ON JANUARY 12

CLARK HITS THE ROAD WITH ALAN JACKSON ON JANUARY 8

Photographer:  David McClister

PRESS RELEASE

Burbank, CA — (January 6, 2014) — Nashville-based singer and songwriter Brandy Clark is gearing up for an exciting 2015, starting off the year with two GRAMMY Award nominations for Best New Artist and Country Album of the Year for her critically acclaimed debut 12 Stories. CBS will air the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards live from Los Angeles’ Staples Center on February 8, 2015. Clark has also announced that she will perform on ABC’s Good Morning America and NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers on January 12.

Two thousand and fourteen was a banner year for the Washington-born-and-bred artist thanks to 12 Stories, which was released in October 2013 to widespread critical acclaim. It was named Best Album of 2013 by New York Magazine (which called Clark “a brisk, vivid, witty storyteller”), NPR, The New York Post, and The Boston Globe, whose critic wrote that “in a bountiful year for female country singer-songwriters, Clark was at the head of the class, mining deep veins and yielding lyrical insights from the smallest moments in life that bind us together.” 12 Stories also appeared on year-end best-of lists in Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, and The Los Angeles Times. The latter called it “the country debut of the year.”

Last fall, Clark was nominated for two CMA Awards, for New Artist of the Year and Song of the Year, winning the latter for co-writing Kacey Musgraves’ hit “Follow Your Arrow” with Musgraves and Shane McAnally. With the win, Clark and Musgraves joined an exclusive club of only 14 women who have written a CMA Song of the Year.

Clark will hit the road with Alan Jackson on January 8 for his 25th Anniversary Tour, which wraps up in mid-May. All dates can be viewed here.

Connect with Brandy online -

http://www.brandyclarkmusic.com

https://twitter.com/thebrandyclark

https://www.facebook.com/theBrandyClark

BRANDY CLARK RESPONDS TO HER TWO CMA NOMINATIONS: NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR AND SONG OF THE YEAR

PRESS RELEASE

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Sept. 3, 2014 – Critically-acclaimed singer/songwriter Brandy Clark has received two CMA Award nominations this morning: New Artist of the Year and Song of the Year (for co-writing Kacey Musgraves’ hit single “Follow Your Arrow” with Musgraves and Shane McAnally).

“I've watched the CMA awards every year for as long as I can remember,” said Clark. “To be a nominee in both song and new artist is truly a thrill and a dream come true.”

New Artist of the Year is Clark’s first CMA nomination as an artist, while Song of the Year is her second CMA nomination as a songwriter. She was previously nominated last year for co-writing the Miranda Lambert No. 1 hit “Mama’s Broken Heart” with McAnally and Musgraves.

Clark released her debut album 12 Stories in Oct. 2013 to tremendous critical acclaim. When reviewing 12 Stories, Randy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times wrote, “This is the country debut of the year.” Rolling Stone’s Will Hermes noted, “Her debut is all airtight craftsmanship, sly wit and precise detailing that treats mainstream style like artisanal fast food.” New York Magazine’s Jody Rosen named 12 Stories his favorite album of 2013 remarking, “She’s a brisk, vivid, witty storyteller; her tunes unfold in old-fashioned weepers and chugging honkytonk, with fiddles, pedal steel, and vocal harmonies driving home the punch lines and pathos.” NPR’s Ann Powers also named it the best album of 2013, calling Clark “a storyteller of the highest caliber.” Boston Globe’s Sara Rodman wrote, “In a bountiful year for female country singer-songwriters, Clark was at the head of the class, mining deep veins and yielding lyrical insights from the smallest moments in life that bind us together,” when she named it her favorite album of 2013. 12 Stories was also named best album of 2013 by the New York Post’s Michaelangelo Matos, the No. 2 record of 2013 by Fresh Air’s Ken Tucker, and a Top 10 choice for the Los Angeles Times’ Randall Roberts and The New Yorker’s Sasha Frere-Jones, among others.

Named Music Row’s 2014 Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Clark toured with Jennifer Nettles during the summer. She will be one of the alternating opening acts for Eric Church on his “The Outsiders World Tour” this fall, including New York City’s Madison Square Gardens on Oct. 17.

In addition to writing and performing her own songs, Clark also writes for other artists. Miranda Lambert took her song “Mama’s Broken Heart” to No. 1, which brought Clark her first GRAMMY nomination for Country Song of the Year, and her first CMA and ACM nominations for Song of the Year, all in 2013. Clark also co-wrote The Band Perry’s No. 1 hit, “Better Dig Two.” She’s also had songs recorded by Sheryl Crow, Reba McEntire, Craig Morgan, LeAnn Rimes, Darius Rucker, Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson, and frequent collaborator, Kacey Musgraves, among others.

Clark has performed on both “Late Night with David Letterman” and “Ellen.” Her song “Stripes” was featured in Beat Music’s 2014 Super Bowl commercial starring Ellen DeGeneres, and her music video for “Get High” debuted on PerezHilton.com. For more information, visit brandyclarkmusic.com.

ERIC CHURCH “THE OUTSIDERS WORLD TOUR” TO KICK OFF SEPTEMBER 11

Church to perform “Cold One” on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on October 15, 2014

Announced Earlier Today, Church Received Four CMA Nominations

PRESS RELEASE

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (Sept. 03, 2014) – EMI Nashville recording artist Eric Church, who recently appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone and whose current album The Outsiders is currently the No. 3 best-selling album of 2014, is poised to return to the road in full force when “The Outsiders World Tour” launches its first leg on Sept. 11 in Bossier City, LA. The initial 30+ cities on the tour have been announced and will include a stop in New York City at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 17. Church will also perform on NBC’s "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on Wednesday, October 15.

Earlier today, CMA announced that Church received four CMA Award nominations: Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year for The Outsiders (produced by Jay Joyce), and both Single and Song of the Year for "Give Me Back My Hometown" (written by Church and Luke Laird and produced by Joyce).

This is Church’s return to headlining since “The Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour,” which was named a Pollstar Top Tour of 2012 and one of the “Best Concerts of 2012” by the New York Times. While that tour employed a succession of backdrops as the focus of the show, the new “The Outsiders World Tour” will use a much more high tech design and will offer fans a 360° view of the entertainer and his band.

“Eric Church is working on a level that few other country artists of his generation can touch,” said Ken Tucker at NPR Music, with The New Yorker recently stating that “Church has more complex narrative material…his version of country [has] a broader social gaze than many expect.” Rolling Stone named him among their list of “50 Greatest Live Acts Right Now.”

Music legend Dwight Yoakam will join Church as special guest for the entire duration of the tour while rising country music duo Brothers Osborne, critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Brandy Clark, and the hard rocking band Halestorm will open on various dates throughout the tour.

The first leg of the tour will take place throughout Sept.-Dec. in the U.S. and Canada. The dates for the first leg of “The Outsiders World Tour” (#TheOutsidersLive) are as follows:

Sept. 11 | Bossier City, LA | CenturyLink Center*

Sept. 12 | Little Rock, AR | Verizon Arena*

Sept. 13 | St. Louis, MO | Scottrade Center*

Sept. 16 | Minneapolis, MN | Target Center*

Sept. 17 | Des Moines, IA | Wells Fargo Arena*

Sept. 18 | Omaha, NE | CenturyLink Center*

Sept. 25 | Louisville, KY | KFC Yum! Center*

Sept. 26 | Charleston, WV | Charleston Civic Center*

Sept. 27 | Greensboro, NC | Greensboro Coliseum*

Oct. 9 | Grand Rapids, MI | Van Andel Arena*

Oct. 10 | Cleveland, OH | Quicken Loans Arena*

Oct. 11 | Pittsburgh, PA | Consol Energy Center*

Oct. 16 | Charlottesville, VA | John Paul Jones Arena**

Oct. 17 | New York, NY | Madison Square Garden**

Oct. 18 | Philadelphia, PA | Wells Fargo Center**

Oct. 23 | Manchester, NH | Verizon Wireless Arena**

Oct. 24 | Uncasville, CT | Mohegan Sun**

Oct. 25 | Uncasville, CT | Mohegan Sun**

Oct. 30 | Knoxville, TN |Thompson-Boling Arena**

Oct. 31 | Memphis, TN | FedExForum**

Nov. 1 | Tulsa, OK | BOK Center**

Nov. 13 | London, ON | Budweiser Gardens**

Nov. 14 | Hamilton, ON | FirstOntario Centre**

Nov. 15 | Ottawa, ON | Canadian Tire Centre**

Nov. 20 | Green Bay, WI | Resch Center

Nov. 21 | Peoria, IL | Peoria Civic Center***

Nov. 22 | Evansville, IN | The Ford Center***

Dec. 4 | Wichita, KS | INTRUST Bank Arena***

Dec. 5 | Kansas City, MO | Sprint Center

Dec. 6 | Sioux Falls, SD | Denny Sanford Premier Center***

Dec. 11 | Atlanta, GA | The Arena at Gwinnett Center***

Dec. 12 | Greenville, SC | Bon Secours Wellness Arena

Dec. 13 | Birmingham, AL | BJCC Arena***

All dates with special guest Dwight Yoakam

*denotes Brothers Osborne

**denotes Brandy Clark

***denotes Halestorm

Visit EricChurch.com for ticket information.

A limited number of VIP tickets for each show are available for purchase. Each VIP ticket includes a premium ticket in the first 15 rows or in the general admission pit, an invitation to a pre-show party at The Outsiders Joint, a two song acoustic pre-show performance by Eric Church, a limited edition show poster, and a dedicated VIP concert concierge.

Fans have the chance to gain access to pre-sale tickets for each show by becoming a Standard or Premium member of the Church Choir. Being part of the Church Choir also allows fans to take part in private fan club parties and opportunities to meet Eric, and they are the first to get the news on his activities before the rest of the world. Join the Church Choir on Eric's website: http://smarturl.it/churchchoir.

In addition, two front row tickets and two VIP lounge passes will be given away for each show on the tour to Church Choir members. Members can apply for these tickets by connecting their Facebook through Eric's site: http://smarturl.it/TheOutsidersAreIn.

Church’s current album, The Outsiders, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart and the Billboard Country Albums Chart earlier this year, and his current hit single “Cold One” is rising up the charts. The Outsiders is the follow-up to Church’s Platinum-certified album Chief, (named the 2012 Album of the Year by both CMA and ACM, and GRAMMY-nominated for Best Country Album) which featured five Top 20 singles: “Homeboy” (certified Platinum for sales in excess of one million singles); the Top 10 “Like Jesus Does” and the Top 5 “Creepin’” (both certified Gold for sales in excess of 500,000 singles each); and two No. 1 hits “Drink in My Hand” (certified Platinum) and “Springsteen” (certified Double Platinum for sales in excess of two million singles). Church’s 2006 debut album, Sinners Like Me (2006) and his sophomore album Carolina (2009) are both RIAA Gold-certified. Carolina had three hit singles: the Top 10 “Hell on the Heart” as well as Top 20 hit “Smoke A Little Smoke” and Top 10 smash “Love Your Love The Most,” which were both certified Gold. Sinners Like Me spawned three Top 20 singles: “How ‘Bout You,” “Two Pink Lines,” and “Guys Like Me.” Visit www.ericchurch.com for more information. Follow Church on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ericchurch and on Twitter at twitter.com/ericchurch. #TheOutsidersLive

Yoakam has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide, placing him in an elite group of global superstars. He has 12 Gold albums and nine Platinum or multi-Platinum albums, including the triple platinum This Time. Five of those albums have topped Billboard’s Country Albums chart, with another 14 landing in the Top 10. Nearly 40 of Yoakam’s singles have charted, with 14 peaking in the Top 10, including the hits “Honky Tonk Man,” “Please, Please Baby,” “Little Ways,” “I Sang Dixie,” “It Only Hurts When I Cry,” and “Fast as You.” He is a 21-time nominated, 2-time GRAMMY Award winner. In celebration of his latest critically-acclaimed album, 3 Pears, he received the Artist of the Year award at the 2013 Americana Music Honors & Awards ceremony, the most prestigious award offered by the organization. In 2014, Yoakam will appear as a recurring guest star in multiple episodes of the thrilling CBS series, “Under the Dome,” based on Stephen King’s best-selling novel of the same name. The role is another example of Yoakam’s formidable presence as a film and television actor, capable of seamlessly melting into his roles, and impressively standing toe-to-toe with some of the world’s top thespians over the course of his storied and successful acting career, including Jodie Foster, Tommy Lee Jones, Forest Whitaker, and Nicolas Cage. For more information, visit http://www.dwightyoakam.com.

For John and TJ Osborne, getting into music was unavoidable. Growing up in the water town of Deale, Maryland, their close-nit-family of seven spent most nights not in front of the television, but writing and playing songs. The Brothers’ father had a shed behind their home that he used for small performances for friends and family. John and TJ could be caught listening in on their father’s playing or fetching beers for pocket change. Later their father would convert that shed into a home studio where their parents would write and record songs. As the brothers aged, they formed a band with their ever eclectic father named “Deuce & a Quarter.” The band played cover songs from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Dwight Yoakam to Merle Haggard to Bob Seger. They performed at local venues in the town, before John (guitar) moved to Nashville first to play in other bands. Two years later, TJ (vocals/guitar) moved to Nashville. It was then they formed Brothers Osborne and began playing as many writer rounds as they could. In April 2011, Warner Chappell/King Pen Music offered them a publishing deal. A year later, Capitol Records offered them a record deal. The Brothers Osborne are currently in the studio finishing their debut album, an album they describe as “aggressive, bold and fragile at times.” Their current single is “Rum.” For more information, visit http://www.brothersosborne.com.

Brandy Clark’s debut album, 12 Stories, was released in October 2013 and has received tremendous critical acclaim. When reviewing 12 Stories, Randy Lewis of The Los Angeles Times wrote, “This is the country debut of the year.” Rolling Stone’s Will Hermes noted, “Her debut is all airtight craftsmanship, sly wit and precise detailing that treats mainstream style like artisanal fast food.” New York Magazine’s Jody Rosen named 12 Stories his favorite album of 2013 remarking, “She’s a brisk, vivid, witty storyteller; her tunes unfold in old-fashioned weepers and chugging honkytonk, with fiddles, pedal steel, and vocal harmonies driving home the punch lines and pathos.” Hitfix’s Melinda Newman wrote that Clark was “the best new artist country radio isn’t playing” and that 12 Stories “made almost every music critics’ best of 2013 list for its heart, wit, smart wordplay, and Clark’s expressive vocals.” The Tennessean’s Peter Cooper observed in a cover story last November, “She is about expression, not impression. Which is why she’s impressive” before noting an already remarkable feat: “As voiced through others, her songs have moved two or three million other people. Now, Clark’s songs may be heard in her own rich voice.” Clark was nominated for her first GRAMMY Award earlier this year for Best Country Song for “Mama’s Broken Heart,” which she co-wrote with Shane McAnally and Kacey Musgraves and Miranda Lambert took to No. 1. That song also earned Clark her first CMA and ACM nominations, both for Song of the Year. Clark also wrote The Band Perry’s No. 1 hit “Better Dig Two” with McAnally and Trevor Rosen. Other artists to record her songs include Sheryl Crow, Reba McEntire, Kacey Musgraves, LeAnn Rimes, Darius Rucker, Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson, and more. For more information visit www.brandyclarkmusic.com.

Frontwoman Lizzy Hale and her brother and drummer Arejay started Halestorm more than a decade ago when she was 13 and he was just 10, growing up in Pennsylvania. From the very beginning they were in it to win it even though they paid their dues along the way. Back in the day, the members lost a talent show to a tap-dancing cowgirl, played Friendly’s for free ice cream, piled the stage with homemade explosives that sometimes went off right in front of their faces, and even played at a funeral. Halestorm’s determination paid off. Before long, they were playing local bars even though they were underage. They secured guitarist Joe Hottinger in 2003 and bassist Josh Smith in 2004, and in 2005, Halestorm signed a deal with Atlantic Records and released the live EP, One and Done, which included an early version of fan favorite “It’s Not You.” The band continued to write, tour and record and in 2009 released their self-titled first full-length album, which spawned two top 10 singles (“I Get Off” and “It’s Not You”). In-between touring steadily for the next few years with acts as diverse as Shinedown, Stone Sour, Disturbed, Megadeth, Papa Roach, Godsmack and countless others, Halestorm released a live album (Live in Philly), two EPs of cover songs (ReAniMate: The CoVeRs and ReAniMate 2: The CoVeRs), and Hello, It’s Mz. Hyde, an EP that gave fans a preview of four songs from their second full-length album, The Strange Case of…, which came out in 2013. Musically diverse and emotionally revealing, the album resonates with a newfound poignancy that takes Halestorm to a new level of creative achievement. For more information, visit www.HalestormRocks.com.

THE TEN LIST: JARED BLAKE, ASH BOWERS, RAY SCOTT, BRANCH AND DEAN, BRANDY CLARK, MATT VANFOSSEN , WHISKEY MYERS, SEAN PATRICK MCGRAW, COREY COX AND SUNNY SWEENEY

Check out this week's "The Ten List" comprised of ten songs from both new artists and established artists, some you may know and some you may not. Some of the songs are brand new and some may have been out awhile but may wind up being brand new to you. Take the time to check them out and if you like what you hear, let us know and then tell someone else about it! Let's pass the word about great music. All of the music below is available for purchase on iTunes. If you purchase, don't forget to leave a review!

"STOMP" - JARED BLAKE (NBC'S "THE VOICE")

"A feel good, get up and move your booty whether you want to or not. The song is currently featured on Sirius Xm's The Highway's "On the Horizon". Request and let them know you're ready to stomp your way to a good time."

"HEAVEN IS A SMALL TOWN" - ASH BOWERS

"This isn't just a song, it's a spiritual experience."

"I LOVE YOU BOTH" - RAY SCOTT

"Ray Scott is a breath of fresh real country air in a stale country environment. He brings his stories to life and sings each note with steadfast conviction."

"GLAD SHE'S NOT AN ANGEL" - BRANCH AND DEAN

"These guys are the country real deal."

"HUNGOVER" - BRANDY CLARK

"Another hit from Brandy that you won't hear on mainstream. Brandy Clark is the quintessential female country artist - one hell of a songwriter and storyteller, country vocal perfection and the attitude of a pissed off Philly that no one can get close enough to saddle break." 

"BOOM" - MATT VANFOSSEN

"Crank your speakers up and get your 'Boom' on with this new summertime hit."

"DOGWOOD" - WHISKEY MYERS

"No matter which state you're from, Whiskey Myers makes each listener feel like they're from Texas, even if it's just for a 4 minute song."

"I'M THAT GUY" - SEAN PATRICK MCGRAW

"Actually, SPM's been that guy for awhile, now it's time that country fans pay attention."

"WAKE UP DRUNK" - COREY COX

"Hopefully this single will wake up potential new fans and gain some attention for this Indiana country newcomer."

"BAD GIRL PHASE"  -  SUNNY SWEENEY

"A female voice that's been overlooked too long , Sunny Sweeney has decided it's time for that to come to an end. She's put on her "get down to business" boots and has one thing on her mind, getting her music the recognition it's long been deserving."

ERIC CHURCH WILL LAUNCH THE OUTSIDERS WORLD TOUR IN SEPTEMBER

Tour Includes Special Guest Dwight Yoakam And Alternating Opening Acts: Brothers Osborne, Brandy Clark, and Halestorm

PRESS RELEASE

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (April 9, 2014) –Eric Church’s The Outsiders World Tour will launch in North America on September 11, 2014 with 31 arena dates being announced today. Tickets for the tour, which beings in Bossier City, Louisiana, will go on sale April 18 in select markets with additional information made available on EricChurch.com. Members of the Church Choir will have access to a pre-sale starting on April 15. Church selected Dwight Yoakam as the special guest for the entire tour. Opening the tour on different dates throughout the first leg will be rising country music duo Brothers Osborne, critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Brandy Clark, or the hard rocking band Halestorm.

Hailed as a top entertainer by The New York Times, Rolling Stone, SPIN Magazine, and more, Church will bring his rip-roaring attitude when he performs at venues such as Madison Square Garden, Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, the Sprint Center in Kansas City, the Arena at Gwinnett Center in Atlanta, Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, and FedExForum in Memphis, among others. Church will also return to the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C. where he sold more than 15,000 tickets in 2012 as part of his headlining arena tour, The Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour—which Pollstar named a Top Tour of 2012.

While The Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour employed a succession of backdrops as the focus of the show, Church's The Outsiders World Tour will use a much more high tech design and will offer fans a 360° view of the entertainer and his band.

On sale dates and ticket information for each market will be announced on EricChurch.com. The best seats on The Outsiders World Tour will once again be paperless so fans get them instead of scalpers.

A limited number of VIP tickets for each show will also be available for purchase. Each VIP ticket includes a premium ticket in the first 15 rows or in the general admission pit, an invitation to a pre-show party at The Outsiders Joint, a two song acoustic pre-show performance by Eric, a limited edition show poster, and a dedicated VIP concert concierge.

Fans have the chance to gain access to pre-sale tickets for each show by becoming a Standard or Premium member of the Church Choir. Join the Church Choir by visiting http://smarturl.it/churchchoir.

Church’s current album, The Outsiders, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart and the Billboard Country Albums Chart earlier this year, and his current hit single “Give Me Back My Hometown,” is Top 5-and-rising. “Eric Church is working on a level that few other country artists of his generation can touch,” said Ken Tucker at NPR Music in his review of the album, continuing, “Shrewd, defiant, sly and funny, Eric Church has succeeded in what he set out to do: He’s using the power he’s accrued from making hit records to make exactly the kind of album he wants, heedless of industry approval. And this is how good he is: Now he’ll go out and — through the singles he’ll release, the touring he’ll do and the videos he’ll make — probably turn this personal project into a big commercial deal. The Outsiders deserves nothing less.”

The Outsiders is the follow-up to Church’s Platinum-certified album Chief, (named the 2012 Album of the Year by both CMA and ACM, and GRAMMY-nominated for Best Country Album) which featured five Top 20 singles: “Homeboy” (certified Platinum for sales in excess of one million singles); the Top 10 “Like Jesus Does” and the Top 5 “Creepin’” (both certified Gold for sales in excess of 500,000 singles each); and two No. 1 hits “Drink in My Hand” (certified Platinum) and “Springsteen” (certified Double Platinum for sales in excess of two million singles). Church’s debut album, Sinners Like Me (2006) and his sophomore album Carolina (2009) are both RIAA Gold-certified. Carolina had three hit singles: the Top 10 “Hell on the Heart” as well as Top 20 hit “Smoke A Little Smoke” and Top 10 smash “Love Your Love The Most,” which were both certified Gold. Sinners Like Me spawned three Top 20 singles: “How ‘Bout You,” “Two Pink Lines,” and “Guys Like Me.”

Dwight Yoakam has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide, placing him in an elite group of global superstars. Nearly 40 of Yoakam’s singles have charted, with 14 peaking in the Top 10, including the hits “Honky Tonk Man,” “Please, Please Baby,” “Little Ways,” “I Sang Dixie,” “It Only Hurts When I Cry,” and “Fast as You.” He is a 21-time nominated, 2-time GRAMMY Award winner. In celebration of his latest critically acclaimed album, 3 Pears, he received the Artist of the Year award at the 2013 Americana Music Honors & Awards ceremony, the most prestigious award offered by the organization. In 2014, Yoakam will appear as a recurring guest star in multiple episodes of the thrilling CBS series, “Under the Dome,” based on Stephen King’s best-selling novel of the same name. For more information, visit www.dwightyoakam.com.

For John (guitar) and TJ (vocals/guitar) Osborne, getting into music was unavoidable. Growing up in the water town of Deale, Maryland, their close-nit-family of seven spent most nights not in front of the television, but writing and playing songs. In April 2011, Warner Chappell/King Pen Music offered them a publishing deal. A year later, Capitol Records offered them a record deal. The Brothers Osborne are currently in the studio finishing their debut album, an album they describe as “aggressive, bold and fragile at times.” Their current single is “Rum.” For more information, visit www.brothersosborne.com.

Brandy Clark’s debut album, 12 Stories, was released in October 2013 and has received tremendous critical acclaim. When reviewing 12 Stories, Randy Lewis of The Los Angeles Times wrote, “This is the country debut of the year.” Clark was nominated for her first GRAMMY Award earlier this year for Best Country Song for “Mama’s Broken Heart,” which she co-wrote with Shane McAnally and Kacey Musgraves and Miranda Lambert took to No. 1. That song also earned Clark her first CMA and ACM nominations, both for Song of the Year. Clark as been on tour with Jennifer Nettles. For more information visit www.brandyclarkmusic.com.

Upon its release, The Strange Case Of…, the second album from Atlantic Records artist Halestorm, shot to the No. 1 slot on Billboard’s Hard Rock Albums chart. The first single, “Love Bites (So Do I),” marked the first song by a female fronted group to top the active rock chart, and earned the band a GRAMMY award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance. The song was also the No. 1 song of 2012 on SiriusXM’s Octane. The band’s second single “Freak Like Me” also hit No. 1 on the Active Rock chart and their third single “Here’s To Us” saw incredible chart success as well. Halestorm also released their second covers EP last fall, ReAniMate 2.0: The CoVeRs eP, which saw the band putting their distinctive brand another eclectic collection of classic songs. In addition to releasing her own clothing and accessory line this past fall, “Scissor Happy,” frontwoman Lizzy Hale has also garnered national media attention appearing on the cover of Revolver’s “Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock” issue twice. The band has also performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. Halestorm is currently on a sold-out European tour and working on their third studio album. For more information, visit www.HalestormRocks.com.

The first leg of the tour will take place throughout Sept.-Dec. in the U.S. and Canada and is exclusively promoted by Louis Messina of The Messina Group/AEG Live. The dates for the first leg of The Outsiders World Tour with special guest Dwight Yoakum (#TheOutsidersLive) are as follows:

Sept. 11 | Bossier City, La. | CenturyLink Center*

Sept. 13 | St. Louis, Mo. | Scottrade Center*

Sept. 16 | Minneapolis, Minn. | Target Center*

Sept. 17 | Des Moines, Iowa | Wells Fargo Arena*

Sept. 18 | Omaha, Neb. | CenturyLink Center*

Sept. 25 | Louisville, Ky. | KFC Yum! Center*

Sept. 26 | Charleston, W.Va. | Charleston Civic Center*

Sept. 27 | Greensboro, N.C. | Greensboro Coliseum*

Oct. 9 | Grand Rapids, Mich. | Van Andel Arena*

Oct. 10 | Cleveland, Ohio | Quicken Loans Arena*

Oct. 11 | Pittsburgh, Pa. | Consol Energy Center*

Oct. 16 | Charlottesville, Va. | John Paul Jones Arena**

Oct. 17 | New York, N.Y. | Madison Square Garden**

Oct. 18 | Philadelphia, Pa. | Wells Fargo Center**

Oct. 23 | Manchester, N.H. | Verizon Wireless Arena**

Oct. 24 | Uncasville, Conn. | Mohegan Sun**

Oct. 25 | Uncasville, Conn. | Mohegan Sun**

Oct. 30 | Knoxville, Tenn. |Thompson-Boling Arena**

Oct. 31 | Memphis, Tenn.| FedExForum**

Nov. 1 | Tulsa, Okla. | BOK Center**

Nov. 13 | London, Ont. | Budweiser Gardens**

Nov. 14 | Hamilton, Ont. | FirstOntario Centre**

Nov. 15 | Ottawa, Ont. | Canadian Tire Centre**

Nov. 20 | Green Bay, Wis. | Resch Center

Nov. 21 | Peoria, Ill. | Peoria Civic Center***

Nov. 22 | Evansville, Ind. | The Ford Center***

Dec. 5 | Kansas City, Mo. | Sprint Center

Dec. 6 | Sioux Falls, S.D. | Denny Sanford Premier Center***

Dec. 11 | Atlanta, Ga. | The Arena at Gwinnett Center***

Dec. 12 | Lexington, Ky. | Rupp Arena***

Dec. 13 | Birmingham, Ala. | BJCC Arena***

All dates with special guest Dwight Yoakum

*denotes Brothers Osborne

**denotes Brandy Clark

***denotes Halestorm

BRANDY CLARK MADE HER DEBUT ON “ELLEN”

Photo: Courtesy "The Ellen DeGeneres Show

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – March 25, 2014 – Country singer/songwriter Brandy Clark made her debut performance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” on Monday, Mar. 24, performing “Stripes” from her critically-acclaimed album, 12 Stories. View the performance HERE.

“Performing on ‘Ellen’ was a bucket list item for me, and I was thrilled to be there,” said Clark. “I appreciate her support of new artists and music from all genres, and hope to have the opportunity to return to her show some day.”

Clark is currently touring with Jennifer Nettles, and will perform at The Wiltern in Los Angeles this Saturday, Mar. 29. In an interview with journalist Tricia Despres for Country Weekly, headliner Nettles had this to say about Clark: “[Brandy] feels to me as someone country music needs right now. It’s been a joy watching the audience realize that they know her and her music, but I also just love that she is coming out with us now to support her own music. I have been a fan of hers for a long time. She is the real deal.”

Journalist Melinda Newman recently interviewed Clark for Hitfix.com, writing, “Clark’s clear, silky voice carries the tales of people that you either recognize yourself or your neighbor in they are so richly drawn and cinematic in their detail. There’s a realness to the characters.” Earlier this year, Hitfix named Clark “one of 5 country artists to watch.”

In addition to writing and performing her own songs, Clark also writes for other artists. Miranda Lambert took her song “Mama’s Broken Heart” to No. 1, as did The Band Perry with “Better Dig Two.” She’s also had songs recorded by Sheryl Crow, Reba, Kenny Rogers, Darius Rucker, and frequent collaborator, Kacey Musgraves.

For tour dates and more information visit www.brandyclarkmusic.com.

BRANDY CLARK TO MAKE HER DEBUT ON “ELLEN” THIS THURSDAY, MARCH 20

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – March 17, 2014 – Earlier this year, Ellen DeGeneres danced to Brandy Clark’s song “Stripes” during the Beats Music Super Bowl commercial. This week, the two entertainers will meet when Clark makes her debut appearance on the nationally-syndicated “Ellen DeGeneres Show” this Thursday, Mar. 20. During the appearance, Clark will perform “Stripes,” which can be found on her first album, 12 Stories.

“It was incredible that my song was used in the Beats Music commercial starring Ellen earlier this year, and now I am going to perform ‘Stripes’ on her show,” said Clark. “I am so excited, and I look forward to meeting her.”

Since being released in October 2013, 12 Stories has received tremendous critical acclaim. Hitfix’s Melinda Newman wrote that Clark was “the best new artist country radio isn’t playing” and that 12 Stories “made almost every music critics’ best of 2013 list for its heart, wit, smart wordplay, and Clark’s expressive vocals.” When reviewing 12 Stories, Randy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times wrote, “This is the country debut of the year.” Rolling Stone’s Will Hermes noted, “Her debut is all airtight craftsmanship, sly wit and precise detailing that treats mainstream style like artisanal fast food.” New York Magazine’s Jody Rosen named 12 Stories his favorite album of 2013 remarking, “She’s a brisk, vivid, witty storyteller; her tunes unfold in old-fashioned weepers and chugging honkytonk, with fiddles, pedal steel, and vocal harmonies driving home the punch lines and pathos.” The Tennessean’s Peter Cooper observed in a cover story last November, “She is about expression, not impression. Which is why she's impressive” before noting an already remarkable feat: “As voiced through others, her songs have moved two or three million other people. Now, Clark's songs may be heard in her own rich voice.”

Clark is currently touring the country opening for Jennifer Nettles. In addition to writing and performing her own songs, Clark also writes for other artists. Miranda Lambert took her song “Mama’s Broken Heart” to No. 1, as did The Band Perry with “Better Dig Two.” She’s also had songs recorded by Sheryl Crow, Darius Rucker, and frequent collaborator, Kacey Musgraves.

For more information visit www.brandyclarkmusic.com.