Boston Country Hub

Since signing their record deal in March, Old Dominion has been nothing short of road warriors.  This past week was no different with three shows in New York, one in New Jersey, the Boston show and concluding a packed week (and year) with their national television debut, playing "Break Up With Him" and "Snapback" on NBC's Today Show. Old Dominion, made up of Matthew Ramsey (lead vocals), Trevor Rosen (guitar, keyboard), Whit Sellers (drums), Brad Tursi (guitar), and Geoff Sprung (bass guitar), recently celebrated their first number-one hit with "Break Up With Him". The show at the Royale featured a jam packed set list including much of their debut album, Meat and Candy as well as the songwriting that put them on the map, including "Say You Do", "Sangria", and "Save it for a Rainy Day".  Old Dominion offers something for everyone including songs leaning towards young and hip ("Wrong Turns") to sweet a...

ENCINO, CA (December 16, 2015) – The Academy of Country Music is announcing the 4th ACM Party For A Cause® Festival in 2016 being headlined—with full set performances!—by superstars Carrie Underwood on Friday, April 1, Dierks Bentley on Saturday, April 2 and Kenny Chesney on Sunday, April 3, 2016 at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, in the heart of the famous Las Vegas Strip.  These ACM Award-winning artists will be joined on the Main Stage by some of the biggest and best names in country including Frankie Ballard, Kelsea Ballerini, Lee Brice, Cam, Sam Hunt, Chris Janson, Dustin Lynch, Kip Moore, Kellie Pickler, Chris Stapleton, Chris Young, Maddie & Tae, Old Dominion and more to be announced. The Party Stage will feature more hit makers and rising stars including Lauren Alaina, Kelleigh Bannen, Chase Bryant, Lindsay Ell, Jana Kramer, Chris Lane, Jackson Michelson, Granger Smith, Brothers Osborne and more to be announced.  Full daily schedule to be announced closer to the fe...

The first line in the lyric book for Cam ’s debut album, Untamed, is fittingly, “You can live in their world, or you can make up your own.”   Cam’s debut album, five years in the making, has been all about Cam taking on country music her way.  Cam wrote all the tracks for the album and was dedicated to making sure they represented her unique sound. One of the most fun elements of Untamed (Arista Nashville/RCA Records) is that while full production elements, none of them detract from Cam’s powerful voice and clever word play lyrics.  The opening track sets the stage for this combination nicely.  “Untamed” begins with crickets and train whistles, along with banjos and a harmonica, and sets the scene of a party filled with moonshine and kisses.  Untamed offers something for everyone, whether you’re looking for a knee slapping fun (“Country Ain’t Ever Been Pretty”) or a somber heart break song (“Cold in California”).  The album closes...

NASHVILLE, TN – December 9, 2015 – Gary Allan, Big & Rich, Frankie Ballard, Eric Paslay, Chris Janson, Old Dominion, Neal McCoy, The Swon Brothers, The Cadillac Three, Jana Kramer, Outshyne, William Michael Morgan and Annie Bosko will perform at the 4th Annual Taste of Country Music Festival, the Northeast’s premier 3-day country music festival. The Festival will be held June 10-12, 2016 at Hunter Mountain Resort (Hunter, NY) in the Great Northern Catskills of Greene County. This star-packed list of performers will join Kenny Chesney and Jake Owen – who were previously announced as headliners – on the TOC stage in 2016.  “Taste of Country is shaping up to be another record-breaking year,” said Dhruv Prasad, Executive Vice President, Live Events, Townsquare Media Inc. “It’s important to us to provide our fans the best country music and camping experience in the Northeast, and we believe our strong lineup paves the way for an amazing 3- days.“ Tickets for the Taste of Country...

Even before the release of their debut single, “Break Up With Him”, Old Dominion was already influencing what country music fans were hearing on the radio.  The quintet, comprised of Matthew Ramsey (lead vocals), Trevor Rosen (guitar, keyboard), Whit Sellers (drums), Brad Tursi (guitar), and Geoff Sprung (bass guitar), has written No. 1 hits for some of today’s top country artists. While Ramsey and Rosen have written for the likes of Dierks Bentley (“Say You Do”) and Craig Morgan (“Wake Up Loving You”), Ramsey also collaborated with band mate Tursi for Kenny Chesney’s “Save It For A Rainy Day” and Rosen wrote “Neon” for Chris Young and “Come Back To Me” for Keith Urban. Although these projects seem by design, the collaborations with most artists are sometimes more happenstance than not. “We don’t set out to write for other people. We just try to write the best song we can,” he explains. “Break Up With Him” was the first song that all five members collaborated on, and ...

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The Recording Academy announced nominations today for the 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards, reflecting a diverse blend of talented music makers as determined by The Academy's voting membership. This year,  Kendrick Lamar  leads nominations with 11, followed by Taylor Swift  and The Weeknd, who each earn seven. Additionally, music producer/songwriter Max Martin receives six nominations and mastering engineer Tom Coyne, rapper  Drake , and engineers/mixers Serban Ghenea and John Hanes each earn five nominations. The eclectic nature of this year's nominations is exemplified in the Album Of The Year category, where nominees range from the alternative and soulful rock of  Alabama Shakes  and Lamar's thought-provoking jazz-infused rap to the classic country sounds of Chris Stapleton, the pop emergence of Swift, and the genre-bending R&B style of The Weeknd. "The diversity in the creative community is what makes music a universal language, and it's gratifying to...

After a busy summer opening for Kenny Chesney's The Big Revival Tour, Chase Rice has again set out on the road, this time headlining his own tour Jack Daniels and Jesus.   Rice is currently enjoying the success of his second consecutive top 5 hit with his love song, "Gotta Wanna Tonight".  His song, "Ready Set Roll" earned RIAA Platinum certification for selling  more than a million units on iTunes. At last night's show at the historical Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Rice showed he has something for everyone.  From party anthems like, 'I Like Drinking, Cause It's Fun" to "Ready Set Roll", fan favorite "Ride" and slower love songs like "Gotta Wanna Tonight" to fun covers like Garth Brooks and Blink-182.  The auditorium proved the perfect venue for Rice with the general admission bottom floor keeping the dance party moving. For more dates on the Jack Daniels and Jesus Tour, visit  http://chaserice.com/events ...

Nashville, TN – (October 27, 2015) – Seven-time Grammy winner and Pollstar’s three-time top female country touring artist, Carrie Underwood, who just released her fifth studio album, Storyteller, will launch a new arena tour in 2016 to take her new music on the road. The Storyteller Tour -Stories in the Round, in association with award-winning cosmetics brand ALMAY, will kick off on January 30 in Jacksonville, Florida, playing 40 arenas across the U.S. and Canada. “I can’t wait to play new music from Storyteller for the fans,” shares Underwood. “I am so blessed to have this career and get to do to the things I do, but there is nothing like that moment when I get to step onto the stage to sing and all the fans are singing along with me.” The Storyteller Tour – Stories in the Round will be Underwood’s first tour “in the round.”  With the stage in the middle of the arena floor, the 360-degree setting will allow fans on all sides of the arena to get a very intimate and unique conce...

Fresh off the Sounds of Summer tour with Dierks Bentley and Maddie & Tae, Kip Moore is returning to the road in support of his much anticipated sophomore album, 'Wild Ones'.  Moore's first single, 'I'm to Blame' reached the top 100 on Billboard's Country Chart. Moore will be playing a sold out show at Boston's House of Blues on Friday night.  For more dates, visit www.kipmoore.net/tour

DOVER, DE (Oct. 26) – The second annual Big Barrel Country Music Festival will take place June 24-26, 2016 at The Woodlands of Dover International Speedway. The festival will feature headliners Eric Church, Brad Paisley, and Sam Hunt as well as Hank Williams, Jr., Tyler Farr, Eli Young Band, Martina McBride, The Band Perry, Lee Brice, and many more.  Returning in 2016 are fan-favorite attractions including Harvest Moon Dance Hall, The BBQ Pit, and The Big Barrel Market. The family-friendly area, The Patch, will also return complete with The Stable, Big Barrel’s on-site petting zoo. Tickets go on sale on Friday, October 30 at 10am EST through BigBarrel.com. Three-day general admission passes start at $149 and kids eight and under are free. Camping packages go on sale at that time. Guests can choose from RV packages, tent camping or The Corral Club, which includes a private air-conditioned tent. Payment plans are available.  Complete festival information can be found at...

Brad Paisley has announced his 2016 winter leg of his highly successful “Crushin’ It World Tour,” which kicks off January 21 in Jonesboro, AR.  The tour will continue across the United States and Canada during the winter months. Special guests will be breakout country artist Eric Paslay and new country sensation Cam. Brad Paisley is a critically acclaimed singer, songwriter, guitarist and entertainer whose talents have earned him numerous awards, including three GRAMMYs, two American Music Awards, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards and 14 Country Music Association Awards (including Entertainer of the Year), among many others. He has been a proud member of the Grand Ole Opry since 2001. Paisley has written 20 of his 23 #1 singles with the first being his 1999 hit “He Didn’t Have To Be” and his most recent, “Perfect Storm,” from his chart-topping 2014 album Moonshine in the Trunk.Paisley has recently completed  his highly successful Crushin’ It World Tour for 2015 and the free ...

Big Machine artist Thomas Rhett released his latest album Tangled Up.   The album includes Rhett's fourth straight #1 single, 'Crash and Burn' as well as his current single, 'Die A Lucky Man'.  Rhett's released two fun music videos ahead of the album release, both staring his wife Lauren. According to Rhett, many of the tracks for this R & B inspired album were written ahead of his debut album, Make Me Wanna.   For more information about the album, check it out on Apple Music here:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/tangled-up/id1033353325

And the nominees are... Entertainer of the Year Garth Brooks Luke Bryan Kenny Chesney Eric Church Miranda Lambert I was lucky enough to see all these nominees this year except for Miranda Lambert (You're at the top of my list, Miranda), and each of these artists put on a fantastic show.  Still, no one does it like the Chief. Female Vocalist of the Year Miranda Lambert Kacey Musgraves Carrie Underwood Lee Ann Womack Kelsea Ballerini Love to see some young blood take the award away from the perennial winners.   Male Vocalist of the Year Dierks Bentley Luke Bryan Eric Church Blake Shelton Chris Stapleton I feel like Dierks has been overlooked here so many times I hope this is the year he takes it home.   Album of the Year Jason Aldean,  Old Boots, New Dirt Kacey Musgraves , Pageant Material Little Big Town,  Pain Killer Kenny Chesney,  The Big Revival Chris Stapleton,  Traveller I knew of Stapleton the song wri...

Friday night I tried out a CID Entertainment VIP package for the first time.  I've often been tempted to try but they are often pretty expensive.  The closest thing I've done to prior to this was when I paid $40 to meet Brett Eldredge ahead of his show with Keith Urban in Gilford, NH but this was the first time I've done a VIP through http://www.cidentertainment.com/. I'm a huge David Nail fan and love all his music so it seemed like a good time to try one out.  His VIP experience was cheaper than most ($89) and included a question and answer session, meet and greet with photo, drawstring backpack, VIP laminate, koozie, and really cool printed poster that you David would autograph for you.  I had purchased my tickets separately $60).  We met with the rest of the group about 6:15 (about 15 people) and went in to wait for David.  I was nervous that the question and answer session would be awkward but David was really excited to meet everyone and...

Craig Campbell released the first music video for his new label, Red Bow Records, "Tomorrow Tonight".  The song, written by Campbell has been steadily gaining airplay as Campbell returns to after a 19 month absence.  Campbell is currently recording his first record for the new album and hopes to have something ready for fans in early 2016.  Check out the video here and head over http://www.craigcampbell.tv/ for upcoming tour dates and more.

Big Machine is giving away a chance for you and a friend (ME!) to go to CMA Fest 2016.  Check here for the entry form and official contest rules!  Good luck.  http://form.jotformpro.com/form/51584070006952?

“’Remedy’ may well be the group's farthest-reaching, most ingratiating   record yet.”   –  NPR Music O ld Crow Medicine Show will be performing at Blue Hills Bank Pavilion in Boston, MA on  Friday, August 21st . Willie Nelson & Family will co-headline the show, which starts at  7:30 PM . Old Crow Medicine Show is touring in support of their recently released album  Remedy  on ATO Records.  Remedy's  release marked the band's highest debut on the  Billboard  Top 200 (#15) in the band's 16 year career, and also won the  Grammy  for  Best Folk Album  at this year’s awards. The press has unanimously embraced  Remedy.    NPR Music  premiered the album via  First Listen  followed by an in depth interview for NPR’s Morning Edition.   (Click  HERE  to listen.)  The album has also received coverage in the form of positive reviews and features via  Rolling Stone...

Lance Stinson is gearing up for a string of Massachusetts tour dates.  Stinson will be playing  Lucky Dog Music Hall  in Worcester, MA on Thursday, July 2 nd  and following that with back to-back shows at  Loretta’s Last Call  in Boston the 3 rd  and 4 th .  Ahead of his Boston dates, Stinson will have an acoustic set with his guitar player at Judge Roy Bean Saloon in Bristol, RI on Wednesday night.   When we spoke, Stinson was coming off of chat with students of Wentworth College Mass Communication class about social media.  He was impressed nearly all of the students were fans of country music.  Stinson is active on social media and says, " It helps build your fan base to where it's more of a grass roots kind of thing.  It gives you the opportunity to interact with people that like your music."   Stinson has a distinctly rocking country sound.  Of his sound, Stinson says, "It's a kind of country wi...