Sound Of The South

It’s the time of the year again where we witness the talent of Country Music’s biggest and brightest performing on the Grand Ole Opry stage for the CMA Country Christmas show.

The country twist on Christmas classics amazes us every year; 2015 being no exception. With glittering performances from the likes of Martina McBride, Charles Kelley and LeeAnn Rimes, it was a night not to be missed!

We caught up with the stars of this year’s CMA Country Christmas to get the low-down on their favourite Christmas gifts, traditions, and their plans for next year:

LeeAnn Rimes has a Christmas album out now called Today is Christmas and it just so happens to be her favourite song off of the album!

Charles Kelley’s favourite Christmas gift was when he proposed to his wife Cassie, by placing a ring in the bottom of her stocking.

Kelsea Ballerini says that it is a huge goal of hers to write and record a Christmas song next year! Watch this space! 

Dan and Shay promise us that we can expect some great photos of their dogs in Christmas outfits this winter season!

Alternative singer/songwriter Ella Janes has made it onto our London radar with her outstanding new release ‘String Theory’.

The four track E.P is Ella’s third self release featuring Nashville-style guitar, warm jazz licks and nostalgic cello sections.

Ella’s songs are built on folk-storytelling traditions with lyrics inspired by novelists such as Charles Dickens. Her stories are softly presented by her emotive and haunting vocals; warm and soothing in places, while chilling and fragile in others. To top it all off, Ella is also bilingual and will pleasantly surprise you with live performances both in French and English.

In 2013 Ella was selected for the Glastonbury Longlist and has since played alongside Toploader, Simple Minds, as well as performing at the Isle of Wight Festival earlier this year. Currently residing in London, Ella is a past resident of Ronnie Scott’s in Soho and is frequently performing in the city and across the UK.

‘String Theory’ and previous releases are available from her website. Follow Ella on twitter, Facebook and instagram for more updates.

**Upcoming shows include: **

The Railway (Winchester). Wednesday 23rd December

Country might be the heart of Music City, but travel to east and you’re more likely to hear the secret sounds of Nashville. A new wave of rockers, mods and movers.

During our last stay in the city, we waded through the bright lights of broadway to discover the grunge that lies beneath.

Introducing: Rusty Shipp.

The 4 piece band, led by Rusty Shipp (yes that really is his birth name), bring some real black magic to the music scene.

Rusty wooed us with their dedication to the cause with rough and ready vocals, slurring guitar licks and bitterly bruising drum fills. The sound comes together to create the true American angst.

We were pleasantly surprised to find that the personalities behind the suffering songs are warm and welcoming. Rusty himself shared his philosophies on life, love and friendship while promoting us to guzzle down on some deep-fried alligator, Nashville style!

Rusty Shipp are a prime example of dedicated underground musicians whirling the cogs in Music City and soon enough, their scene will rise.

Nashville based artist Sonia Leigh will be bringing her waves to the UK once again this December. Having toured with the likes of Eric Church and Zac Brown Band, it’s no wonder her storming talent is so welcomed across the sea. In March, Leigh featured at the prestigious pop up stages of C2C London, completed her UK tour with Sasha McVeigh in April and October bought another successful UK trip for this critically acclaimed songwriter. If you’ve missed the hype so far, make sure to catch Leigh for her final three UK dates in 2015.

Leigh’s influences range from Bruce Springsteen to Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne to The Rolling Stones, and when asked what inspires her songwriting, her response was ‘pain and struggle inspire the greatest songs’. From playing guitar as child, Leigh has nurtured her passion for music, her dedication to song and her talent in writing. She is now a renowned Nashville performer, an inspiring female artist and her thunder is still getting louder!

In the past, Sonia has co-written many tracks, including the no.1 singles Sweet Annie and Goodbye In Her Eyes on Zac Brown Band’s record. More recently, Sonia’s sound has taken a turn into a fresh blend of indie and country rock. With infectious melodies and sassy lyrics, this girl has something to say!

Check out Sonia’s latest single When We Are Alone :

Catch Sonia on tour in London this December and follow her on Twitter here to keep up to date with her music!

DECEMBER TOUR DATES:

Dec 15 - Timeout “Best Of” Showcase @ Jazz Cafe (SOLD OUT)

Dec 16 - Muse Soho - Sonia Leigh Birthday Jam

It has been a couple of weeks since the hype of the 49th Annual CMA awards, but that doesn’t mean that we’ve forgotten about the incredible performances, the well-deserved wins and the stunning attire worn by some of the world’s leading country acts. Let’s take another look at Country Music’s biggest night!

The show saw some crazy jokes:

First-class performances:

and some stunningly dressed country stars:

We witnessed a great night for country music y’all! Lets take a look at this year’s winners:

Entertainer of the Year Garth Brooks Luke Bryan -- WINNER Kenny Chesney Eric Church Miranda Lambert

New Artist of the Year Sam Hunt Maddie & Tae Thomas Rhett Chris Stapleton -- WINNER Kelsea Ballerini

Album of the Year Old Boots, New Dirt, Jason Aldean Pageant Material, Kacey Musgraves Pain Killer, Little Big Town The Big Revival, Kenny Chesney Traveller, Chris Stapleton -- WINNER

Female Vocalist of the Year Miranda Lambert -- WINNER Kacey Musgraves Carrie Underwood Lee Ann Womack Kelsea Ballerini

Male Vocalist of the Year Dierks Bentley Luke Bryan Eric Church Blake Shelton Chris Stapleton -- WINNER

Single of the Year "American Kids" Kenny Chesney "Girl Crush," Little Big Town -- WINNER "I Don't Dance," Lee Brice "Take Your Time," Sam Hunt "Talladega," Eric Church

Music Video of the Year "Biscuits," Kacey Musgraves "Girl Crush," Little Big Town "Girl in a Country Song," Maddie & Tae -- WINNER "Little Red Wagon," Miranda Lambert "Something In The Water," Carrie Underwood

Song of the Year "American Kids," Kenny Chesney "Girl Crush," Little Big Town -- WINNER "Like A Cowboy," Randy Houser "Like A Wrecking Ball," Eric Church "Take Your Time," Sam Hunt

Musical Event of the Year Django and Jimmie, Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard "Lonely Tonight," Blake Shelton & Ashley Monroe "Raise 'Em Up," Keith Urban & Eric Church -- WINNER "Smokin' And Drinkin'," Miranda Lambert & Little Big Town "Wild Child," Kenny Chesney & Grace Potter

Musician of the Year Sam Bush, Mandolin Jerry Douglas, Dobro Paul Franklin, Steel Guitar Dann Huff, Guitar Mac McAnally, Guitar -- WINNER

Vocal Duo of the Year Brothers Osborne Dan + Shay Florida Georgia Line -- WINNER Maddie & Tae Thompson Square

Whilst in Nashville, we had the honour of seeing some incredible talent. Nashville lives and breathes music and is overflowing with talented performers, musicians and songwriters and we enjoyed every minute of it!

A show that stood out to us whilst we were in town was Monday night’s Song Suffragettes at The Listening Room Cafe, which featured some fierce talent from female songwriters in Nashville including Kalie Shorr, Lena Stone, Livy Jeanne, Alana Springsteen and Nora Collins.

The girls performed a writers round, each performing their original songs, from heartfelt ballads to sassy country anthems.

Check out their original songs below:

Kalie Shorr

Lena Stone

Livy Jeanne

Alana Springsteen

Nora Collins

Striking Matches are a duo consisting of Sarah Zimmermann and Justin Davis, the first to be signed to I.R.S Records. Striking Matches met back in 2007 when they attended Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee and have been working together ever since.

They are in the early stages of their career, but have already made quite a name for themselves, having already toured with the likes of Train, Vince Gill, Hunter Hayes and Ashley Monroe and having performed on the Grand Ole Opry Stage over 50 times. Perhaps their biggest achievement, though, was making and releasing their first record. ‘It was at the top of the list of things we wanted to accomplish as far as dreams go…and even doing it with someone like T.bone Burnett was incredible as well’.

The duo also mentioned making it to the UK as being a huge achievement for them too. ‘We always knew that we wanted to make it over to the UK. It happened a lot sooner than either of us thought and it’s just been an incredible blessing.’

Justin and Sarah had a wide range of influences for their debut album ‘Nothing But The Silence’. ‘We grew up listening to everything from Country to Rock and Blues…We love the Country guys as far back as Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed. The acoustic stuff kinda comes from that, but we love bands like Fleetwood Mac and John Mayer.’ Many of these influences are reflected in their record, which incorporates many styles; from bluesy chords used by John Mayer to catchy lyrics and melodies from Fleetwood Mac.

When asked what their favourite song off the record to perform live was, Justin’s response was ‘It changes from night to night. If it’s an intimate venue, ballads like ‘When The Right One Comes Along’ can be really amazing, because you can feel it connecting with people. But probably ‘Make A Liar Out Of Me’. The energy that can come out of that song; It’s just so much fun for us and the reaction we always seem to get.’

Sarah and Justin’s innovative guitar skills compliment each other and this has become apparent in most of the songs that they have written together. ‘Trouble Is As Trouble Does’ has very fast, intricate, hooky guitar melodies that resonate in the song giving the song that unique ‘Striking Matches’ flavor that they have quickly acquired.

Perhaps their first big break that gave them recognition for their brilliant songwriting was when their song ‘When The Right One Comes Along’ was featured in the hit ABC show ‘Nashville’ sang by Clare Bowen and Sam Palladio. Their song was not only recognised by US viewers, but also UK viewers, where the show is also very popular. Since then, they have had 7 more songs featured in the show. ‘It (The show) gets people interested initially. It’s definitely just something that’s brought people in that may of otherwise not listened in the first place.’

Striking Matches are heading on an 11 date UK tour in November with their buddies, John & Jacob. ‘We’ll be bringing it more than ever, because we love the UK so much; we wanna just top our last performance. ‘

UK TOUR DATES:

_Monday 9th November 2015 – Plug, Sheffield Tuesday 10th November 2015 – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham Wednesday 11th November 2015 – Arts Club, Liverpool Friday 13th November 2015 – O2 Academy2 Oxford, Oxford Saturday 14th November 2015 – Concorde 2, Brighton Sunday 15th November 2015 – Waterfront, Norwich Tuesday 17th November 2015 – Sage Gateshead – Hall 2, Gateshead Wednesday 18th November 2015 – Oran Mor, Glasgow, Scotland Friday 20th November 2015 – Manchester Academy 2, Manchester Saturday 21st November 2015 – The Library at The Institute, Birmingham Sunday 22nd November 2015 – O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London _

Last Friday, Zac Brown Band took over Wembley Arena for their eagerly anticipated Jeckyll + Hyde tour. ZBB played some of their biggest hits, including an emotional performance of Homegrown, an energetic Chicken fried and a perfect rendition of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. Thousands of fans flocked to the arena to witness two jam packed sets from Zac and the gang, along with a lively support performance from Irish rockabilly princess Imelda May.

The Shires are certainly building their own Nashville here in the UK! Having performed on the Satellite Stage at Country 2 Country, Hyde Park and their own headline tour, these guys are sure to be on your radar soon, if not already.

The Shires consist of Crissie and Ben who have been performing as a duo for two years and found each other through Facebook. Yep! That’s right! FACE BOOK! 

Shortly after, they signed a deal with Decca Records, which led them to sign a deal with Universal Music Nashville, making them the first UK country act to sign with a Nashville label.

Since, their debut album has charted at no.10 in the UK Charts, they’ve had the opportunity of playing the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and they filmed their music video for Friday Night State Side in Los Angeles.

The magical Miley Cyrus, the hit talent show America’s Got Talent, the rock chick turned loving mummy Kelly Clarkson, The White Stripes and tons of other amazing entertainers are all showing one serious similarity! Have you worked it out yet?

They all love Dolly Parton and her legendary masterpiece ‘Jolene’!

In fact, the song has had such a massive impact on the world of music that NBC are now creating a movie about it!

Check out how these performers recreate the heartbreak and tragedy in true Dolly style!

Miley Cyrus strips down from her pop production-heavy sound to produce a surprisingly beautiful take on her godmother’s song. Recorded for the Backyard Sessions, the song showcased Cyrus’ vocal talents.

Benton Blount wowed the audience with his raw and fragile performance in this seasons America’s Got Talent! #TeamBenton!

Accompanied only by piano, Kelly Clarkson‘s emotional vocals sent shivers through her audience in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Probably one of the most surprising covers comes from The White Stripes. The band performed their alternative version of the song during their live performance in Blackpool, England. The live version reached number 16 in the UK charts.

Dolly gets in on the action herself and joins the acapella group Straight No Chaser on their soft and soothing vocalised version.

18 year-old Oklahoma native, Anastasia Richardson, is quickly making her stamp in country music. She has a big heart, a story to tell and some major talent. That’s a recipe for success, right?!

Anastasia is a flourishing new country-pop artist who is self-taught on 5 instruments and writes songs about life experiences close to her heart. For instance, her song ‘I Am Beautiful’ talks about her troubling times back in high school, where she was the victim of bullying.

This hasn’t stopped Anastasia from doing what she’s doing, though. In many ways it’s made her stronger and she’s able to deliver a positive message to others.

She is backing an ‘anti-bullying’ campaign and hopes to influence other victims and tell her story. ‘I want to change the world one song at a time’ Anastasia says, and this is evident in the response that she has received from her music.

Her music video features her friends who were also victims of bullying and has garnered 33k views.

Anastasia takes influence from the likes of The Band Perry and Taylor Swift, which is evident in her music.

She released her first album in March this year, and it has been aired on several radio stations in the U.S, Canada, UK, Japan and Hong Kong. Since the release, she has also performed at local festivals, state fairs and private events.

Another song with a strong and heartwarming message is her dedication to the Veterans called ‘Where Would We Be’, which has been ranked in three national digital charts.

The song has a beautiful acoustic quality featuring the Acoustic Guitar and the Mandolin. Two of our fav instruments in country!

Be sure to check out Anastasia’s upcoming shows! Her next performance is on 26th September at the 100th WWII ‘Friends of Peace’ memorial and is not to be missed!

This week’s country playlist is a proper little gem! Filled with big lead country artists and splashes of the undiscovered.

The playlist is frequently updated and there’s over one day’s worth of music to help you find some of the best of recent underground talent.

Bulgarian native, multi-linguist and award winning hot country rock artist ILONA has most certainly had Crowdmix hooked to her single ‘Beautiful Country’ this week.

With soft swirling melodies, soothing guitar and a crescendo to give you goosebumps, this talented young singer-songwriter has proven the same performance skills and wisdom as the likes of female icons Shania Twain, Karen Carpenter and Stevie Nicks.

ILONA has gone from performing her first ever solo gig of 1 song live to headlining festival stages and touring the UK and US.

She has supported Passenger, Hudson Taylor, Gabriella Cilmi and Adam Ant to name a very few, played SXSW, jammed with Ed Sheeran, and performed at The House of Commons!

Still an unsigned artist, she won an award for Best Video for her song ‘It’s 1966′ in the Ladylake Independent Music Awards in Florida.

Her second single LOVE IS STUPID was released on May 13th 2013, received extensive airplay in the UK and made the national playlist on SubTV for 2 weeks (1.75 million viewers weekly).

4 of her songs are currently featured on the national playlist for Caffe Nero in the UK., where she has performed exclusively for Caffe Nero Head Offices, and for new initiative Penny for London.

Currently recording her next E.P which is set to release in 2016, this busy artist is also preparing to perform at Brewfest at the O2 in London on August 30th, and Free From Festival in Brick Lane on August 31st.

Make sure to check out ILONA’s next shows and witness her unique tone, natural sense of dynamics and the ability to sing truly heartfelt stories.

Isbell is one of only a few country artists who have proven that you don’t need radio play to be successful.

The Alabama singer-songwriter debuted in first place on the billboard country charts with his latest album Something More Than Free. Isbell saw similar success with his award-winning fifth studio album Southeastern, despite being unknown by a vast majority of modern country music fans.

His music roots country sounds, but steers away from commercial songwriting. His lyrics hold raw emotion which is perfectly softened with soft and imperfect guitar and vocals.

His sell-out U.S concerts have been described as ‘a unique experience‘ by online publications such as Diffuser, and some fans have claimed his performances have left them believing ‘he is his generations Johnny Cash‘ via Ticketmaster.

Isbell is now set to play UK tour dates in 2016. This is one act you will not want to miss!

Randy Houser is currently on tour with Luke Bryan, but the country star will soon be headlining his own arena tour for the first time in his musical career.

After three solid and successful albums, Houser is now set to tour major arena locations in eight cities.

The tour will begin in Kentucky, November the 20th and continue for one month with a final performance in Akron, Ohio. The tour will be supported by up and coming country talent Frankie Ballard and Craig Campbell.

Crowdmix are only hoping that this tour will progress Houser into booking some UK dates in the future!

Randy Houser Tour Dates 2015

The Grammy award winning Zac Brown Band are royalty on country radio. Their catchy, original songs are always flying high on the Billboard charts and their engaging stage performances never fail to sell out global venues. They’re one of the most successful bands in country music.

The entertainment from the group doesn’t stop there. ZBB are also known for some of the most entertaining and interesting music videos in country. Who else can say they’ve featured one of the band members real-life wedding in a video?

We’ve picked five Zac Brown Band videos which feature the good, the bad, the romantic and the sad for all your emotional and entertainment needs!

As She’s Walking Away

Sweet Annie

Colder Weather

Toes

Knee Deep

Bored of repeating the same old playlist? In need of some fresh country songs, but can’t find the good stuff? Well the search ends here!

We’ve surfed the wonderful world of Spotify to bring you the best country music playlists out there.

This weeks playlist is Top Country Hits. For all the latest country music hits!