Arkansas native, Ashley McBryde has been releasing albums since 2006. Her self-titled album Ashley McBryde led the way. Elsebound and Girl Going Nowhere followed and most recently, Never Will was released on April 3rd. Never Will is her second major album released with Warner Music Nashville. It’s possible that we have Eric Church to thank for helping discover one of Country’s powerhouse females. In 2017, Church invited McBryde on stage to perform, “Bible and a .44.” Being introduced on stage as a “whiskey drinking badass” by Eric Church is no small feat.
2019 was McBryde’s year. She won New Artist of the Year at the CMA Awards, New Female Vocalist of the Year at the ACM Awards and “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” received Breakthrough Video Of The Year at the CMT Awards. With the instant success of her first single, “One Night Standards” off Never Will, it’s likely she will continue to bring home numerous awards this year! Rolling Stone has praised McBryde for, “countering Nashville’s trucks-and-tailgates formula with stripped down realism.” Never Will is an 11-track album home to, “opinionated women, small-town secrets, motel trysts and revenge fantasies.” Never Will is full of bluegrass and southern rock influence. From the powerful female anthem of “One Night Standard” to the heartbreaking story of her brother’s death “Stone”, McBryde mixes her tough side with her soft side. The album's namesake, “Never Will” reveals the struggle that women in country music face. Despite those who attempt to downplay her accomplishments, claim she is a sellout, and the never ending country radio battle, McBryde never will give up. She sings, “Well, I didn’t, I don’t, I never will No, they just started a fire they can’t control And I wouldn’t trade one moment for the way it feels Knowin’ I didn’t, I don’t, I never will Oh, I never will” Haley Moloney
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While the ACM Awards have been pushed back to September 16th, the academy decided to host a two hour special in its place. ACM Presents: Our Country was hosted by Gayle King with performances from Kelsea Ballerini, Carrie Underwood, Brandi Carlile and more on Sunday, April 5th. The songs brought hope in a time of uncertainty and a few of the artists added words of encouragement too.
"I know it's not exactly how we pictured this going, but what a time for music." Kelsea Ballerini "Lean into your music... let that heal you, music is medicine." Miranda Lambert "Here's what I know, I have hope and you should have hope. We will gather again." Eric Church "Just remember though, we're not really alone. We are alone together, And that is exactly how we're gonna get through this mess." Carrie Underwood "Together we are stronger and I promise you we will get through this." Keith Urban How Music Brings US Together In Uncertain Times: Haley Moloney on Watching Live Performances Online4/1/2020 It is a strange time to say the least. Life has essentially been put on pause, and the world is eagerly waiting for the day that coronavirus will be a thing of the past and we can resume our regularly scheduled lives. Weddings have been cancelled, vacations have been cancelled, and many more major events have had to be postponed. For the country concert enthusiast, that most likely means that the show you have been looking forward to has been rescheduled for a later date. Such a disappointment!
Our favorite country artists are just as disappointed by this turn of events. They live for the adrenaline rush of performing a live show and the excitement of meeting their fans. In the meantime, Instagram Live has been a lifesaver. While on Instagram Live, an artist can interact with fans through the comment section, perform unreleased songs, host Q & A’s, take us on a tour of their quarantine setup, and generally put a smile on our face. Despite everything around us being cancelled, music is not cancelled. Neither is kindness, conversations, relationships, and hope. Artists have taken it upon themselves to be that light and continue performing for fans. Turn on post notifications for any artist that you do not want to miss! Many artists post ahead of time what time they will be performing on Instagram Live, however it’s better to make a schedule of who you want to watch in case the performances overlap! I have personally caught Jake Owen, Riley Greene, Jon Pardi, Morgan Wallen, Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Hardy, Travis Denning, Cole Swindell, Thomas Rhett, Russell Dickerson, Lainey Wilson, Ingrid Andress, Runaway June, and Kelsea Ballerini perform on Instagram Live. Kelsea Ballerini released her third album, kelsea, on March 20th. Having to cancel her release tour consisting of exciting media stops such as Good Morning America, Kelsea had to get creative with her release. She went Instagram Live hours before her album was set to release at midnight. She performed new songs off the album and even chatted with surprise guests Kenny Chesney and Halsey who both duet with Kelsea on the album. Talk about truly making the most of a situation! Jake Owen and Dierks Bentley have both partnered with Bud Light to bring you the, “Budlight Dive Bar Tour.” Budlight wants to bring y’all a party while being stuck (safely) at home. Luke Bryan partnered with Chipotle during his Instagram Live to encourage everyone to stay at home and use his Chipotle discount code to have food safely delivered. Whisky Jam, a free concert series at Winners Bar in Midtown Nashville, to continue hosting concerts on Instagram Live. Their Instagram Live series is called, “Risky Jam” and has featured artists Caylee Hammack, Ashley McBryde, Ashland Craft, Lauren Alaina, Jessi Alexander, and many more! Stay safe, healthy, and positive. We will be back to singing every word to our favorite country songs in our favorite bars before we know it! In the meantime, practice social distancing and continue to stream and support your favorite artists. Rising star Caitlin Quisenberry is a Colorado native who splits her time between Denver and Nashville. While she is pursuing her career as a solo artist, Caitlin also devotes her time to performing live with her band based in Denver. Caitlin has a Vocal Performance minor from Pepperdine University where she studied and performed classical music. She also studied voice in Lausanne, Switzerland with renowned opera singer, Karine Mkrtchyn. Having been professionally trained, Caitlin has been able to hone her craft to give her the perfect foundation for pursuing her true passion for country music.
Recently she premiered her debut music video for her lead single "Blue" off her new EP. Directed by Monico Candelaria, a longtime friend, photographer and videographer of Quisenberry, the video was shot in Quisenberry's home state of Colorado in two days. One day in Elizabeth for outdoors scenes with a horse, and the next day indoors at the Flying Horse Ranch, a popular wedding venue in Larkspur. Throughout the picturesque video, Quisenberry's vocals mesmerize as the forlorn song weaves through the different "seasons" of love. Eloquently-written by Nashville songwriter, producer and talent scout, Erin McCaffrey and songwriter Billy Falcon, "Blue" was produced in Nashville at Off The Row Studio. Watch the "Blue" video via CMT here. |
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May 2024
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