NPR: Walker Hayes’ Mixtapes Keep Country Conversational: World Cafe Nashville →

"Walker Hayes details his journey in the industry, shares inspiration for his 8Tracks and reveals the story behind his new single, “You Broke Up With Me.” Hayes also speaks about his opportunity for a second chance in music and details how this time is different than the first time around. "I have ultimate freedom to write the truth. To me that's the biggest difference — and I got a haircut,” Hayes says.”

CMT: Jo Smith's Soul-Searching Evolution →

CMT dives deep into the artist evolution of Jo Smith, calling Smith’s current music, "Sassy, frank, warm, bold and real.” Smith candidly admits that it took years to figure out who she is as an artist, but remarks that her journey is filled with gratitude for her past experiences and lessons learned among the way. “That’s the whole thing of learning to listen to your inner voice,” Smith says. “I know that sounds super corny. It took me my first decade in Nashville to know that that little thing inside was what I should listen to.”

Jo Smith is a Rolling Stone “New Country Artist You Need to Know: May 2017 →

Rolling Stone Country has named Jo Smith one of ten “new country artists you need to know” in May 2017. Rolling Stone Country recommends Smith for fans of Maren Morris, Kelsea Ballerini and Sixties girl groups. 

"I grew up in South Georgia listening to my dad’s country and Motown records, and it was so important to me to blend those influences on my new EP,” Smith says. "My single 'Old School Groove' sets the tone perfectly of who I am as an artist, and I'm so proud the world is getting to hear it."

Sony Music's Monument Records Revived By Shane McAnally, Jason Owen

1/26/2017 by Marc Schneider

Back in its heyday, Fred Foster's Monument Records had quite a knack for signing future songwriting legends, including Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton and Roy Orbison. The label shuttered in 1990 before being revived a few years later, notably breaking the fiery Dixie Chicks. Now, the imprint's iconic name, logo and genre-bending ethos are being resurrected once again, as part of a joint venture between Sandbox Entertainment founder Jason Owen and songwriter/producer Shane McAnally, in collaboration with Sony Music Entertainment.

Sony Music has confirmed the venture, with CEO Doug Morris calling Owen and McAnally a "great team and a terrific addition to the Sony Music family." The revived imprint will operate out of Sandbox's Nashville offices, with support from its parent in New York City. UMG Nashville's Katie McCartney has been brought in as senior vp of marketing and label operations. Kelli Porter, formerly of UMG, has been tapped as manager, marketing & label operations

The label's first singings include singer-songwriters Caitlyn Smith and Walker Hayes, both of whom McAnally says are "impossible to compare to anyone else; they are true originals and originality is what we intend to build Monument on."

 

 

"It has always been in my nature to create new paths and identify unique opportunities for artists, especially for those who don’t necessarily fit into one particular box," Owen said in a statement. "I’ve been waiting to find the perfect scenario, to explore that passion and take it to the next level, and this partnership with Shane and Sony is the perfect opportunity to purposefully sign and market excellent music from unique, one-of-a-kind artists, regardless of genre boundaries. It is something that we believe is needed."

Formerly of Universal Music Group, Owen founded Sandbox in 2010 as a full-service artist management and marketing firm. Its clients include Kacey Musgraves, Dan+Shay, Little Big Town and Charlie Worsham, among others, as well as the estates of Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. McAnally has penned tracks for Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum and others.

Country Music Hall of Famer Fred Foster had singer-songwriters in mind when he co-founded the original Monument with Buddy Deane in 1958. "If your artist can write, you don’t have to go out and break your back searching for a hit," Foster told Billboard last October. "Plus, I also wanted someone that was readily identifiable, that didn’t sound like anybody else. If you’ll notice, all those people (Parton, Orbison, Nelson), you know them immediately."

 

Read more: http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7669714/monument-records-sony-music-label 

Kelleigh Bannen, Shane McAnally Talk ‘That’s Not Country’ Debate in ‘This Nashville Life’ Podcast Read More: Kelleigh Bannen, Shane McAnally on This Nashville Life Podcast

 

By Kelleigh Bannen October 6, 2016 1:00 PM

 

Courtesy of Kelleigh Bannen

Every other Thursday, Kelleigh Bannen will provide behind-the-scenes analysis, stories and insight into Music City’s No. 1 export, with help from some of Nashville’s top songwriters, artists, executives and producers. Taste of Country will debut each new episode of her This Nashville Life podcast, and Bannen herself will introduce it as a guest writer. Thoughts and opinions expressed by Bannen are hers alone and do not reflect the opinions of Taste of Country, unless she’s talking about #TomatoGate, in which case, yeah … she’s spot on. 

We’ve made it to Episode 4 of the This Nashville Life podcast, which we’re calling, “That’s Not Country!” This week’s episode features an interview with hit songwriter and producer Shane McAnally. He’s written No. 1 hits like Kenny Chesney’s “Somewhere With You,” Sam Hunt’s “Take Your Time” and most recently, Dierks Bentley’s “Different for Girls.” He’s also the producer behind the song “Forever Country,” which brought together 30 of country music’s biggest acts to mark the 50th anniversary of the CMA Awards.

Have you ever noticed that people love to say, “that’s not country!”

I look up the music video for Sam Hunt’s “Take Your Time” on YouTube. It has over 110 million views and over 12,000 comments. A lot of the comments are people discussing Sam’s “hotness,” or expressing their desire to be his girlfriend. But a lot of the comments touch on liking it because it’s country, or not liking it because it’s country, or liking it because it’s not country and then arguing about what’s country. But that’s Sam. His songs are pretty progressive. Maybe this conversation is to be expected?

Hmm …

So I look up Blake Shelton’s video for “Boys Round Here”. Over 55 million views. Over 15,000 comments. Similar discussion. Hmm …

Now I look up Eric Church’s “Record Year” — 14,933,000 views, over 1000 comments, similar discussion. Some mention of “outlaw country” and whether this song is or isn’t “outlaw country.” But the conversation about what is and isn’t country rages on.

So, why all the time and energy arguing over what is and isn’t country on the internet? Is it just that the internet makes trolls of us all? Brings out our worst? But this isn’t just run-of-the-mill hate. This is a really specific critique. Instead of “I don’t like this,” it’s more like “this isn’t country, so it sucks!”

It got me thinking: what is country music, and what is great country music? Is it as simple as Harlan Howard’s definition of “three chords and the truth”? And why is it that people seem to love to hate on anything that doesn’t meet their definition of “country music”? I wanted to bring Shane in on this particular episode, because who better to talk about what is and isn’t country than someone who has been so heavily involved in songs that span the extremes in country music? On one end we have Brandy Clark and Kacey Musgraves, and on the other we have Sam Hunt. I have to say, Shane really surprised me with his honesty and vulnerability in this interview. And I find his answer to “What is country music?” particularly interesting. Perhaps there is something inherently authentic about connecting over sadness. And if there’s one theme that most people claim they want out of country music, it’s authenticity.

On a comical note, my co-producer Kevin reads us some of the YouTube comments that are on the music video for my 2013 single “Famous.” It’s hilarious and makes me want to hide under my bed.

Ultimately, I think we just scratched the surface with this topic; there’s just so much to say. If you’re interested in continuing to brew on this subject, I would point you to two songs from entirely different perspectives: Walker Hayes’ “Your Girlfriend Does” and Aaron Lewis’ “That Ain’t Country.” Check them out and let us know what you think on Twitter at @KelleighBannen. And you can subscribe to my podcast at iTunes.

As always, thanks for listening.



Read More: Kelleigh Bannen, Shane McAnally on This Nashville Life Podcast | http://tasteofcountry.com/kelleigh-bannen-shane-mcanally-this-nashville-life-podcast/?trackback=tsmclip

Old Dominion Breaks Down the 20 (Yes, 20!) Songs It Name-Checks in 'Song for Another Time'

 
 

For Old Dominion, their third single – "Song For Another Time" – might just be their most charming, and certainly their most unique, yet.


"This song means so much to me and I'm so proud of how it came out," frontman Matt Ramsey tells PEOPLE of the band's follow-up to their big hits "Break Up with Him" and "Snapback."


What makes it so special? The lyrics are actually made up of 20 other song titles – and the song almost didn't make the album. It was written on their tour bus one evening last summer on the Kenny Chesney tour, just days before the album was finished.


"Then we played it at a sound check one day," Ramsey, 38, says. "We were in I think Gillette Stadium and it was massive sounding. It just sounded so big, and we all just looked at each other and said, 'Man, we are making a mistake if we don't get back home and record this song!' We called our producer and the record label and said, 'Please let us book a flight home and assemble this team for one more song,' and we did. A lot of the background vocals and things like that were recorded in dressing rooms and hotel rooms and things like that on the road, because we had to get it done. We're so happy that it's getting a shot."


The initial idea for "Song For Another Time," first came to Ramsey from hearing people say the phrase, "Well, that's a story for another time." We were on the back of the bus and I said, 'I have this title called 'Song For Another Time,' and I need some help figuring out what that means," says Ramsay. "We wound up thinking, 'What if we could tell a story about a couple that is losing each other, but they're still trying to hold on and hold onto this moment. And tell it using song titles.' The band, along with co-writer Matt Jenkins, had the song written that night.

Ramsey breaks down the 20 song titles name-checked in the song:

"Marina Del Rey" (George Strait)

"Trevor threw that one out. I think that's the first song that he ever learned to play on piano. It's an iconic George Strait song that, if you're a fan of country music like we are, that's a big one. It's poignant for the story that we were telling because it's got that happy and sad mix. It's this amazing relationship, but it's over, but I'm happy it happened, but I'm sad it's ending."

"Yesterday" (Beatles)

"Just such an iconic song. We wanted to pick songs that people would definitely know and feel, and they're definitely emotional songs, especially in the verse. That's one that's such an emotional and sad song that we had to throw it in there."

"I Can't Make You Love Me" (Bonnie Raitt)

"That's one of my, and I know it's one of Brad's, all-time favorite songs. It's so painful and it just rips my heart out every time. It's so simple and there's no real tricks in it. It's just raw, from-the-heart words, and it just fits together so perfectly. To reference that song, that's the pain that I think this couple is getting ready to feel, that real pain. But before that happens, let's enjoy this moment."

"Brown-Eyed Girl" (Van Morrison)

"Once you get into the chorus, we wanted those fun songs that a couple could listen to together and sing, and "Brown Eyed Girl" is one that everyone has had a moment with – driving down the road singing, 'Sha la la la la.' That is just, let's get lost in this moment and have fun right here now, song. It's the ultimate song for that."

"Sweet Caroline" (Neil Diamond)

That's one too. These are just explosions of joy. That "Sweet Caroline," you just hear it at a baseball game, everyone goes, 'Ba-ba-ba.' It's those fun little images of people just enjoying themselves."

"Free Fallin'" (Tom Petty)

"The giant chorus of these two people just in that moment, like you want to be free fallin' with somebody. Tom Petty is obviously a huge influence on this band. There was a club that we used to play a long time ago, probably eight years ago, we used to play all the time, and they used to call us the heart-breakers all the time because half of our set was Tom Petty songs."

"Small Town Saturday Night" (Hal Ketchum)

"That one was a huge influence for Trevor. He was a big Hal Ketchum fan. He's one of the people that inspired him to go to Nashville. That song meant a lot to me too growing up, because I am from a small town, and that song described everything that we did."

"You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" (Righteous Brothers)

"You know, we're big Top Gun fans, so that's always on our minds. In the writing process, you have to turn it back to the hook a little bit. We're happy, happy, happy, let's figure out a way to say, "Before you lose that lovin' feelin'," and point the lyrics back to our hook a little bit. That one is one that worked well there."

"Dancing on the Ceiling" (Lionel Richie)

I'm a huge Lionel Richie fan and I think that one might be one that flips under the radar sometimes, with at least the country audience. I just think Lionel Richie is a genius. 'Dancing on the Ceiling' is one of those songs that excites me and makes me want to party and have fun. I like how it fit there."

"Teenage Dream" (Katy Perry)

That was probably one of the harder ones to figure out what should go in that spot. We had all these iconic songs and we wanted something current. We needed something that we felt like was a big song, but was also a newer song. 'Teenage Dream,' as songwriters, that's another that we always talk about. What a perfect song. It has that mix too, it's a happy song, but it has this sad undertone to it too, just like 'Song For Another Time' does.

"Paradise City" (Guns N' Roses)

That's Brad right there. He's a Guns N' Roses guy through and through. That was his first concert ever. He went with a church youth group to a Guns N' Roses concert, which is odd. It's funny, we have a little intro that plays before we play live, and it goes through snippets of a lot of these songs that are in it. For just 10 seconds, when the crowd hears that guitar for the Guns N' Roses, they go nuts."

"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" (Hank Williams)

"That's like the pinnacle of sad country songs right there. Pretty soon, that's what he's going to be feeling. Pretty soon, I'll be so lonesome I could cry, and that set the hook perfectly. That's a song for another time, that's not for right now. Right now, I want to be with you."

"One More Day" (Diamond Rio)

"One More Day" is one that, I remember that song first coming out when I first moved to Nashville. That was one that took me off guard and sounded so different. Again, I'm always impressed with lyrics that seem so simple and it sounds like someone just talking to you, and so easy to sing, and so easy to say. Those lyrics really hit home, and it's a really powerful song.

"Take Me Home, Country Roads" (John Denver)

"Some of them just fell into place perfectly, and that seemed to be one of them. Each song almost creates a different image for me when I'm singing it. I can close my eyes and when I hear that song, I get an image, and when I say those words in our song, I get the same image. It is just a windows down, back in my hometown in Virginia, just riding down this little back road that I used to go down all the time."

"Oh Pretty Woman" (Roy Orbison)

"That one was just like, be my pretty woman. You are right now, and when you're riding down that country road with a beautiful girl by your side, that's what she is."

"Sunday Morning Coming Down" (Johnny Cash)

"That was another iconic country song that I grew up listening to. Lots of people have covered that song, Kris Kristofferson wrote it, and then Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson, and I feel like all of those iconic country guys recorded that song. It means so much to country music, and it fit nicely there."

"Pink Houses" (John Mellencamp)

"'Pink Houses' is one that we've actually been playing a lot right now in our set because we love it so much. It's just a great anthem song, and it paints such a great picture of America and humanity. I felt like we needed to put that in there because we spent a lot of time as a cover band in the past, and we've played that song a million times probably, and we still love playing it."

"Candle In the Wind" (Elton John)

"That's such an image – that candle in the wind – just those words alone, 'You live your life like a candle in the wind.' To put a relationship into that realm, 'We're a candle in the wind,' you don't need to say anything else. You know exactly what that means, and those are some words that mean one thing and one thing only."

"Always on My Mind" (Willie Nelson)

"That one is in the same category for me as "I Can't Make You Love Me." It's just so perfect, and so simple, and so painful. It breaks my heart every single time I hear it, and it's like, I want to hear it again, but I don't want to hear it again. It's so painful."

"I Will Always Love You" (Dolly Parton)

"That's another one that, it's so fortuitous that we even thought of these songs that they fell into place like they did, because that again is just such a sad song. It's that push and pull, tug of war of happiness and sadness of, 'We were great, and in my heart we'll always be great, and I will always love you, even though I can't anymore.'"

Don't miss a beat of country music news, photos and videos! Click here to get all this and more in the PEOPLE Country Newsletter.>

BY DANIELLE ANDERSON @dak5000 08/12/2016 AT 12:30 PM EDT

For Old Dominion, their third single – "Song For Another Time" – might just be their most charming, and certainly their most unique, yet. 

"This song means so much to me and I'm so proud of how it came out," frontman Matt Ramsey tells PEOPLE of the band's follow-up to their big hits "Break Up with Him" and "Snapback." 

What makes it so special? The lyrics are actually made up of 20 other song titles – and the song almost didn't make the album. It was written on their tour bus one evening last summer on the Kenny Chesney tour, just days before the album was finished. 

"Then we played it at a sound check one day," Ramsey, 38, says. "We were in I think Gillette Stadium and it was massive sounding. It just sounded so big, and we all just looked at each other and said, 'Man, we are making a mistake if we don't get back home and record this song!' We called our producer and the record label and said, 'Please let us book a flight home and assemble this team for one more song,' and we did. A lot of the background vocals and things like that were recorded in dressing rooms and hotel rooms and things like that on the road, because we had to get it done. We're so happy that it's getting a shot." 

The initial idea for "Song For Another Time," first came to Ramsey from hearing people say the phrase, "Well, that's a story for another time." We were on the back of the bus and I said, 'I have this title called 'Song For Another Time,' and I need some help figuring out what that means," says Ramsay. "We wound up thinking, 'What if we could tell a story about a couple that is losing each other, but they're still trying to hold on and hold onto this moment. And tell it using song titles.' The band, along with co-writer Matt Jenkins, had the song written that night. 

Ramsey breaks down the 20 song titles name-checked in the song: 

"Marina Del Rey" (George Strait) 

"Trevor threw that one out. I think that's the first song that he ever learned to play on piano. It's an iconic George Strait song that, if you're a fan of country music like we are, that's a big one. It's poignant for the story that we were telling because it's got that happy and sad mix. It's this amazing relationship, but it's over, but I'm happy it happened, but I'm sad it's ending." 

"Yesterday" (Beatles) 

"Just such an iconic song. We wanted to pick songs that people would definitely know and feel, and they're definitely emotional songs, especially in the verse. That's one that's such an emotional and sad song that we had to throw it in there." 

"I Can't Make You Love Me" (Bonnie Raitt) 

"That's one of my, and I know it's one of Brad's, all-time favorite songs. It's so painful and it just rips my heart out every time. It's so simple and there's no real tricks in it. It's just raw, from-the-heart words, and it just fits together so perfectly. To reference that song, that's the pain that I think this couple is getting ready to feel, that real pain. But before that happens, let's enjoy this moment." 

"Brown-Eyed Girl" (Van Morrison) 

"Once you get into the chorus, we wanted those fun songs that a couple could listen to together and sing, and "Brown Eyed Girl" is one that everyone has had a moment with – driving down the road singing, 'Sha la la la la.' That is just, let's get lost in this moment and have fun right here now, song. It's the ultimate song for that." 

"Sweet Caroline" (Neil Diamond) 

That's one too. These are just explosions of joy. That "Sweet Caroline," you just hear it at a baseball game, everyone goes, 'Ba-ba-ba.' It's those fun little images of people just enjoying themselves." 

"Free Fallin'" (Tom Petty) 

"The giant chorus of these two people just in that moment, like you want to be free fallin' with somebody. Tom Petty is obviously a huge influence on this band. There was a club that we used to play a long time ago, probably eight years ago, we used to play all the time, and they used to call us the heart-breakers all the time because half of our set was Tom Petty songs." 

"Small Town Saturday Night" (Hal Ketchum) 

"That one was a huge influence for Trevor. He was a big Hal Ketchum fan. He's one of the people that inspired him to go to Nashville. That song meant a lot to me too growing up, because I am from a small town, and that song described everything that we did." 

"You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" (Righteous Brothers) 

"You know, we're big Top Gun fans, so that's always on our minds. In the writing process, you have to turn it back to the hook a little bit. We're happy, happy, happy, let's figure out a way to say, "Before you lose that lovin' feelin'," and point the lyrics back to our hook a little bit. That one is one that worked well there." 

"Dancing on the Ceiling" (Lionel Richie) 

I'm a huge Lionel Richie fan and I think that one might be one that flips under the radar sometimes, with at least the country audience. I just think Lionel Richie is a genius. 'Dancing on the Ceiling' is one of those songs that excites me and makes me want to party and have fun. I like how it fit there." 

"Teenage Dream" (Katy Perry) 

That was probably one of the harder ones to figure out what should go in that spot. We had all these iconic songs and we wanted something current. We needed something that we felt like was a big song, but was also a newer song. 'Teenage Dream,' as songwriters, that's another that we always talk about. What a perfect song. It has that mix too, it's a happy song, but it has this sad undertone to it too, just like 'Song For Another Time' does. 

"Paradise City" (Guns N' Roses) 

That's Brad right there. He's a Guns N' Roses guy through and through. That was his first concert ever. He went with a church youth group to a Guns N' Roses concert, which is odd. It's funny, we have a little intro that plays before we play live, and it goes through snippets of a lot of these songs that are in it. For just 10 seconds, when the crowd hears that guitar for the Guns N' Roses, they go nuts." 

"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" (Hank Williams) 

"That's like the pinnacle of sad country songs right there. Pretty soon, that's what he's going to be feeling. Pretty soon, I'll be so lonesome I could cry, and that set the hook perfectly. That's a song for another time, that's not for right now. Right now, I want to be with you." 

"One More Day" (Diamond Rio) 

"One More Day" is one that, I remember that song first coming out when I first moved to Nashville. That was one that took me off guard and sounded so different. Again, I'm always impressed with lyrics that seem so simple and it sounds like someone just talking to you, and so easy to sing, and so easy to say. Those lyrics really hit home, and it's a really powerful song. 

"Take Me Home, Country Roads" (John Denver) 

"Some of them just fell into place perfectly, and that seemed to be one of them. Each song almost creates a different image for me when I'm singing it. I can close my eyes and when I hear that song, I get an image, and when I say those words in our song, I get the same image. It is just a windows down, back in my hometown in Virginia, just riding down this little back road that I used to go down all the time." 

"Oh Pretty Woman" (Roy Orbison) 

"That one was just like, be my pretty woman. You are right now, and when you're riding down that country road with a beautiful girl by your side, that's what she is." 

"Sunday Morning Coming Down" (Johnny Cash) 

"That was another iconic country song that I grew up listening to. Lots of people have covered that song, Kris Kristofferson wrote it, and then Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson, and I feel like all of those iconic country guys recorded that song. It means so much to country music, and it fit nicely there." 

"Pink Houses" (John Mellencamp) 

"'Pink Houses' is one that we've actually been playing a lot right now in our set because we love it so much. It's just a great anthem song, and it paints such a great picture of America and humanity. I felt like we needed to put that in there because we spent a lot of time as a cover band in the past, and we've played that song a million times probably, and we still love playing it." 

"Candle In the Wind" (Elton John) 

"That's such an image – that candle in the wind – just those words alone, 'You live your life like a candle in the wind.' To put a relationship into that realm, 'We're a candle in the wind,' you don't need to say anything else. You know exactly what that means, and those are some words that mean one thing and one thing only." 

"Always on My Mind" (Willie Nelson) 

"That one is in the same category for me as "I Can't Make You Love Me." It's just so perfect, and so simple, and so painful. It breaks my heart every single time I hear it, and it's like, I want to hear it again, but I don't want to hear it again. It's so painful." 

"I Will Always Love You" (Dolly Parton) 

"That's another one that, it's so fortuitous that we even thought of these songs that they fell into place like they did, because that again is just such a sad song. It's that push and pull, tug of war of happiness and sadness of, 'We were great, and in my heart we'll always be great, and I will always love you, even though I can't anymore.'"

Don't miss a beat of country music news, photos and videos! Click here to get all this and more in the PEOPLE Country Newsletter.