 Texas born and raised artist Leslie Satcher has found herself a family within the country music community. Having begun singing in her local church choir from a young age, Leslie always had a passion for music. By the age of 26 Leslie followed her heart to Nashville where she quickly felt at home among fellow artists.
Now Leslie is widely known for her songwriting. An observant artist, Leslie writes about what’s going on in her life as well as the world at large. Most commonly known for writing Troubadour for country legend George Strait, Leslie has also had the opportunity to work with Willie Nelson, Bonnie Ray, and Trisha Yearwood. Most recently Leslie formed the Electric Honey Badgers which is made up of some of country music’s best musicians including Bob Seger's guitar player, Jim Brown, and Tommy Harden who’s formerly played drums for Reba McEntire. In fact the band recently released a new album titled 2 Days In Muscle Shoals. So find Leslie’s music on CD Baby and Spotify or on her website at http://www.lesliesatcher.com/.
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East Hallows, LLC. has announced it will launch the first ever, all-female touring music festival this fall, taking a stand against gender inequalities in the music industry. Featuring a lineup of powerhouse female headliners—which will be announced in spring—the “Zenitheve” music festival will make stops in Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and New York with a final show in Nashville. Local emerging artists will also be invited to perform in each city for a chance to take center stage in the Nashville finale.
“Zenitheve was born out of the desire—and the need—to shine a light on the discrimination women face in the country music industry,” said Rae Solomon, Nashville recording artist and co-founder of the festival, who has experienced these industry inequalities firsthand. “We also want to dispel the myth that female artists’ tours and albums don’t perform as well as their male counterparts. Zenitheve is all about celebrating the female voice and our equal place in the music business.” The festival will be held in 15,000-25,000 capacity indoor arenas within select markets, and tickets will be on sale starting in the spring following the announcement of the lineup. “We believe that women and their music are not a charity. For that reason, we have chosen to be a for-profit organization and festival, paying female artists the value they are due,” said Jacob Green, co-founder of Zenitheve. “A portion of our ticket sales will go directly to benefit a foundation set to support women and positive change in the industry.” To learn more about the festival, its mission, the show lineup and ticket sales, visit zenitheve.com.  Continuing the tradition of bringing the hottest new talent to the festival, Stagecoach 2018 has invited teen rockers Minor Emergency, singer-songwriter Julia Rizik and country-pop trio Auburn Road, to join the ranks of Half Pint Hootenanny stage alumni, Tegan Marie and Temecula Road as this year’s festival newcomers.
Sunday, April 29 Pop-Country-Americana, teen trio Auburn Road will be sure to mesmerize with their stunning three-part harmonies. Alicia Paulson, Paxton Martin and Kristen Brown are lifelong friends who are staying true to their country roots, but also daring to push the boundaries of the modern genre. With a tell-all, attitude-filled songwriting approach and feisty personalities they are sure to crash through the stereotypes with three voices that blend perfectly together. They self-released their debut Fancy in their senior year of high school, graduated, and have since been busy playing shows, writing and recording songs for their upcoming EP series Mustang Vol. 1 and Mustang Vol. 2. Taking the destiny of their career in their own hands they are funding the upcoming releases through their touring, merchandise sales and a preorder campaign on PledgeMusic here.  What's new in Nashville? Not country. Not even rock. In fact, it's something completely different and hard to categorize. There is a reason “Americana-Pop” is not a widely recognized music genre, it’s because the ladies of mmhmm created it. It’s impossible to put them in a box, so we had to come up with our own genre for their sound.
Nashville-based duo mmhmm is made up of Hannah Fairlight and Raelyn Nelson. Raelyn Nelson has been singing since she can remember, having been raised on a steady diet of traditional country and gospel music. A gift from her grandpa Willie Nelson, in the form of a guitar, was the inspiration she needed. She began writing her own songs and formed The Raelyn Nelson band, a completely fresh and original sound, a true hybrid referred to by some critics as "Country/Garage Rock." ”I don’t really have a desire to be a ‘solo-artist’. Everyone in my family who plays music has always placed a lot of importance on band chemistry, on stage, off stage and in the studio. Hannah and I can read each other’s minds. Why would I wanna mess with that?” Hannah Fairlight, a Midwestern girl turned TV-personality and original music pioneer, hasn’t wasted any time paving her future in Music City since she landed there in 2013. After landing a leading role on A&E’s Crazy Hearts: Nashville and released a self-produced EP reminiscent of Jack White’s raw rock sound, Fairlight went on to work with legendary rock producer Michael Wagener (Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osborne, Motley Crue) before landing the role of Veracity in Universal’s Pitch Perfect 3. "People always ask me what genre my music is. I never know how to respond," says the Bowie-and-Patti Smith-inspired young rocker. "I like to take risks and stay true to myself." Says Fairlight. The pair have gained a lot of traction individually with their solo projects, and now the universe has pushed them together to form a genre-mixing duo that was has been deemed “envelope pushing” by Nashville Arts Magazine. With catchy melodies, pretty harmonies, and their sassy, sweet and sexy vocals, it’s no wonder The East Nashvillian named them “the breakout duo of the year.” When Midwest native Hannah Fairlight moved to Raelyn Nelson's hometown of Nashville, TN, the people of the village kept confusing them for one-another, so the two like-minded lookalikes decided to form a band.  Living the southern lifestyle in Lansing Michigan, artist Candi Carpenter become obsessed with country music as a child. Following in the footsteps of her hero Dolly Parton, Candi made the move to Nashville at the age of fifteen. With the stage as her classroom Candi began performing at every bar and honky tonk dive around.
Now Candi writes music of her own, often oversharing personal details of herself which ultimately bring her closer to her fans. Hoping her music reminds her listeners that they are not alone, Candi’s music is easy to relate to. Working with Sony Music Global and CTK Management Candi is excited to build a fanbase of her own. For now you can catch Candi performing with the Song Suffragettes. In fact Candi was asked to collaborate on the empowering hit Time's Up which was written by fellow Song Suffragette Kalie Shorr. Reflecting on her journey with the Song Suffragettes, Candi says “I’ve learned that if we want to see more women at the top of the charts, we have to support, love, and champion one another without jealousy. Let’s celebrate our differences, and what makes our music unique. Armies can accomplish a lot more than one lone warrior. We are an army of girls with guitars.” In the future Candi wants to continue writing new music and eventually host an episode of her favorite show, Saturday Night Live. So find Candi’s music via YouTube and follow her on social media @CandiCarpenter.  With country music in her blood artist Brailey Lenderman knew she wanted to pursue a career in music at a young age. As a child Bailey participated in a number of sports including swimming and rowing. Though wanting to go straight into music, Brailey’s parents convinced her to attend college. Ultimately grateful for the experiences that college gave her.
After graduation it was a matter of three weeks and Brailey had moved to Nashville where she now resides. Jumping into the music city scene, Brailey felt right at home. Not afraid to expose her vulnerabilities in her music, Brailey’s music is honest and reflects real life emotions. Recently releasing her debut single Remember All The Nights with the help of producers Jared Logan and Aswan North, Brailey can’t wait to build her fanbase. In support of equal representation for women in music, Brailey will continue to support all women of all genres and speak up for those who are being shelved saying “I will never stop writing and playing either, I am going to be told no a lot just because I am a woman, but who cares, I know what I can do and I'll do it.” Spending as much time in the studio as she can, Brailey is full of new material. So check out her single Remember All the Nights on iTunes and Spotify and follow Brailey on social media at @Brailey_Music.  Have your Top Down and cruise while listening to the duo Brown and Gray. Made up of Texas-born and Nashville-raised artist Kaci Brown and London’s Sam Gray, the duo is ready to take the country music world by storm.
For Kaci music choose her. With female artists from Trisha Yearwood to Kacey Musgraves and Carly Pearce to look up to, Kaci is confident in what she can accomplish as a female artist. Sam began his career in music by playing the violin. Later learning how to play the guitar, Sam formed a band in college and has been pursuing music ever since. Though exposed to a variety of genres, Sam couldn’t be more grateful to have met Kaci who introduced him to country music. Falling in love with the genre’s ability to share the real stuff, the duo Brown and Gray reflects personal stories in their music. This summer Brown and Gray will be hitting the road. Thrilled to connect with audiences across the nation and perhaps become best friends with fellow performers Adam Doleac and Ashley McBryde, you’re not going to want to miss seeing these two perform. In fact the duo was asked to perform at this year’s Stagecoach Festival on SiriusXM’s Spotlight Stage and will be taking over our Instagram story for all of you who are unable to make it. Working on their debut EP, Brown and Gray are ready to take the next step in their journey as artists. So find their single Top Down on iTunes, YouTube, and on Spotify’s Wild Country playlist and follow the duo Brown and Gray via social media at @BrwnandGray. Inspired By Fellow Female Artists Karen McCormick Recognizes That a Song Is More Than "Just A Song"3/14/2018  Though artist Karen McCormick began singing her in church and school choirs, it wasn’t until she was riding in the car with her father listening to Taylor Swift’s song Tim McGraw when she realized that music was her passion. Begging her father for a guitar at the age of 13, Karen began writing and producing her own songs.
Finding songwriting to be therapeutic as well as a way to think through a tough situation, Karen hopes her music reflects real emotions and is relatable to her audience. Karen’s style is contemporary. By creating songs which combine aspects of both the country and pop genres, Karen wants to introduce fans who only listen to pop music to country music and vice versa. This Friday Karen will release her new single Just a Song, which recognizes a song’s ability to reflect different meanings on different people. The idea for the song came from attending a Song Suffragettes show in Nashville, where Karen currently lives. Inspired by the talent and passion of her fellow female artists, Karen wrote Just a Song in just four hours. Hosting a release party this Thursday, Karen wants to remind those who have influenced and supported her throughout her musical journey. By the end of the year Karen plans to release her debut EP and tour across the country. So follow Karen’s journey by finding her on social media at @KarenLMcCormick and on her website at http://karenmccormickmusic.com/ and preorder Just a Song here.  Never knowing what life is like without music, Carolyn Routh was destined to become an artist herself. Being asked to sing “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth” in second grade, Carolyn stepped into the spotlight and was immediately hooked knowing the stage was the right place for her to be.
With her family and friends behind her, Carolyn set out to write her own music. Being a passionate person Carolyn speaks from the heart. Enjoying country music for its fluidity between genres, her music can be enjoyed by any listener. Later teaming up with friend Daniel to form the duo Nu-Blu Carolyn is curious to see how her audience reacts to their new style. Now ready to hit the road, Carolyn hopes to “reach as many people and touch them on an emotional level, one day at a time, one person at a time.” So find her music available on iTunes, Spotify, and on Nu-Blu’s website at www.nu-blu.com.  The new Americana single from Jodee Lewis, Buzzard’s Bluff is a cathartic release from deep within the Missouri Ozarks. The natural lush landscapes are home to beautiful views, but just like the numerous birds of prey, a dark secret is always circling. The swelling ache of the violin takes center stage as the melodies wander deeper into the mountains. It is the first single and title track off the upcoming album, Buzzard’s Bluff, due out April 6.
Lewis, now living in Chicago, grew up in Missouri where a deep passion for music rang through her home at an early age. The sounds of Merle Haggard, EmmyLou Harris, and Waylon Jennings became a familiar chorus of voices that influenced her own storytelling. Buzzard’s Bluff opens with a haunting chill that quickly becomes an anthemic march. With a raw and honest cadence, Lewis sings with a spine tingling melody that commands attention. The steady beat of the drums intertwine with a deep bass, energetic strings, and a harmony filled chorus. The memory of the area still clings to Lewis as she explains, “There were a number of things about my childhood that were tragic and unhappy, yet the Ozarks is deep in my bones and I still carry a great love for the area and it’s beauty, even after fleeing to Chicago almost 20 years ago.” Buzzard’s Bluff draws inspiration from growing up in a small town, the trials of faith, and a 19-year marriage with children. No journey is without its crosses, and the album emerges after years of self-reflection and struggle. As an artist, Lewis had to search deep within her spirit to deal with the unexpected turns of life. Dealing with personal loss is hard enough, but the devastation can shake repressed memories loose and bring them to the surface. Now sober for five years, Lewis has grown an exceptional amount both personally and as an artist. She explains, “My songs are more honest and they’re executed much better because I have my head on straight. I’m proud to share that with my friends and family who have supported me along the way.” |
FOLLOW USABOUT MEI am currently a student at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles as a marketing major. Upon realizing that I wanted to change the way people perceive country music and to help women have a voice, I began The Women of Country in 2015 promoting new female artists and sharing their stories with the world. You can find me via Instagram @nicolemmarchesi or contact me via email at nextwomenofcountry@gmail.com ARCHIVES
May 2019
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