Nashville – Kelly Shea Cunningham

Jackson Dreyer Drops New Single “Step Back”

Jackson Dreyer was inspired to start playing music listening to Santana. He thought that he was going to be a musician that never had to find his voice. However, he found out from his father that to be a frontman, you have to sing. Soon after he discovered songwriting and then it was a one-way ticket to Nashville to study music.

When Dreyer first stepped foot in Nashville he knew it was going to be beneficial for his career.

“I become a better musician every time I leave my house,” Dreyer said. “It’s music first, not status, everyone is here for the music.”

Focusing on that music route, Dreyer released his new single today “Step Back” following an upcoming album. It comes from a place of starting to reconnect with someone you’ve dated in the past.

“She was in my heart still but I knew things had to be over,” Dreyer said. “It documents the moment of us reconnecting briefly and that’s all it took, but I knew we couldn’t be together again.”

Dreyer hopes that listeners groove and have fun with it. It takes from more of his R&B influences that come together for an upbeat and unique track. The lyrics also have a meaningful story behind the melody.

“It may feel like you’re going backward but you’re really going forward when you realize you have to move on,” Dreyer said. “You can’t force anything when it comes to love because the right person is out there for you.”

Having not released a song in a year, Dreyer is ready for listeners to dive back into his music. This is the first song that is the next iteration for Dreyer and his sound that will be featured on his upcoming album.

“Step Back” is now available to buy or stream on all digital platforms.

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Up & Coming Artist: Lauren Davidson

Interviews

Some of Lauren Davidson’s earliest memories include her father playing guitar and singing around the house. He was a singer/songwriter and used to play clubs around New York City. It wasn’t before long that she realized that she loved singing before she could even speak. Now, she finds herself playing in some of those same clubs her dad did.

Splitting time between New York City and Nashville, Davidson has been able to network and experience different sides of the music industry.

“What drew me to wanting to spend time in Nashville was that I had the opportunity in New York and New Jersey to open for all these amazing artists that were coming on tour,” Davidson said. “It helped me make connections with people whether that be the artist or musicians in the artists’ band.”

Davidson has opened for various artists including Carly Pearce, Michael Ray, and Russell Dickerson. Visiting Nashville and reconnecting with these people that she has toured with has helped her immersed herself into the city’s scene.

She’s excited about her most recent songs coming soon and her latest drop “Find Me”. It’s a song she wrote with Tommy Cole about finding yourself again after a relationship.

“I love the story behind this song because it’s a strong female empowerment track,” Davidson said. “I also loved co-producing it because it’s a little different than any other song I’ve released before, it’s a little more pop production.”

Layering different instruments, ideas, and vocals onto this track helped her explore what she’s capable of and do something she has never tried before.

Davidson released the title track of her next EP “Love Ain’t Fair” which has already curated over 10,000 streams. She’s planning to release more of her EP in five parts in the coming year.

“Find Me” is available to buy or stream on all digital platforms. Make sure to follow Davidson’s social media for more updates.

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Canaan Cox drops new EP “Stilettos”

Album Review, Interviews

Canaan Cox found his music career in his genes. His dad writes music and his mom played in a band. He grew up in a large family of seven, always having an audience and that strong craving of attention. It wasn’t until he made the move to Nashville that he knew that he could make a name for himself.

“Nashville is definitely the place to create buzz in town, network, and get the ‘car out of the garage’ as my day would say,” Cox said. “Talent is necessary but I don’t think people understand how much of a business it is.”

The entrepreneur mindset was something that Cox had to find out through hard work and viewing himself as a brand/business.

“Once I got here I was off to the races,” Cox said. “Everyone’s story is different on how they got to where they are, I’m just still writing mine.”
– Canaan Cox

Cox’s latest drop “He Loves Me” comes from his dad being his best friend. “From wrecking the Ford Bronco to jumping in the Jeep after football practice when I was playing termite football saying I wanted to quit, everything is true,” Cox said. “He’s a huge reason I continue to push hard at this career.”

Cox explained that his dad is the reason he is who he is today and there will never be enough time to explain how much he means to him.

Not only did Cox release “He Loves Me” in late June, but last week his new EP “Stilettos” dropped. “I wrote down everything I wanted to accomplish digitally this year,” Cox said. “I’ve finished the list, including this EP.”

Cox has been working on the EP “Stilettos” since November 2019 and couldn’t be more excited to share it with everyone.

“I focused more on what I specifically loved about music and put that magic into my own product,” Cox said. “This EP is the definition of Canaan Cox.” His craving for creativeness and different stages of his writing career is shown throughout the tracklist.

With the craziness of COVID-19, Cox also started his own production company, Wait For It Entertainment, focusing on helping other artists tell their stories. “With most of my music videos I direct, produce, edit and even choreograph,” Cox said. “I come from a musical theatre background but I’ve always loved being behind the camera.”

Cox is in production now for the music video of his EP’s title track “Stilettos”, which is coming out sooner than we think.

“Stilettos” is available to buy or stream on all digital platforms. Make sure to follow Cox’s social media for more updates.

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ODELL Releases Track “17 Hours”

Album Review, Interviews

NASHVILLE, TENN. (May 29, 2020) — Independent artist ODELL has released today his second single “17 Hours”. The anticipated single follows ODELL’S first single “Eventually,” which accumulated 60 THOUSAND plays on Spotify. ODELL was put on the social media map when he was a contestant on Season 10 of NBC’s Emmy-Award “The Voice” in 2016.

Packed with ODELL’s impeccable vocal tones and ambient sounds, “17 Hours” is penned by ODELL himself and produced by John Luke Lewis.

The idea behind “17 Hours” started in 2019 while he was thinking about a past relationship. He was struggling with handling the breakup, not because he couldn’t handle it, but because he didn’t handle it at all. “The idea is best described as the breaking point after the breakup,” ODELL says. “You drive into the night trying to get away from it all, but you still end up in the same place you were when you started, avoiding the breakdown.” The song comes from hopeless romantic escapism that takes you to a midnight drive trying to clear your thoughts.

Click HERE to listen to “17 Hours”

Up & Coming Artist: Matt Gorman

Interviews

Growing up in Philadelphia, Matt Gorman was raised a city boy with no country lifestyle. He picked up his first guitar in 2nd grade, but he didn’t find his true passion for it until about six years later. Gorman found his love for songwriting during his junior year of high school. A portion of his English class consisted of poetry, and while writing a poem, Gorman got the idea to turn it into a song. Little did he know, recording that song on the GarageBand app on his phone and sending it to his closest friends would have a monumental impact on the future of his musical career.

Country music wasn’t a part of Gorman’s life until he was about 12 years old. As a kid, Gorman had a natural inclination towards country culture that most other kids growing up in Philly didn’t have. When the television was on, Gorman was rarely plopped down in front of a cartoon like other kids his age. “I used to watch John Wayne with my grand-pop and uncle and my favorites were Western movies like McLintock, El Dorado, and The Cowboys,” Gorman explained. “ I always loved wearing a cowboy hat and a rubber pair of fireman boots that I used to pretend were the boots John Wayne wore on the TV. I didn’t know any different because I was young, but I think my parents would say that they knew I was going to be a little different compared to the other city kids when I grew up.”

Along with being a musician, playing college baseball has been a goal of Gorman’s for as long as he can remember. After two years of playing junior college baseball, he was interested in playing for Lipscomb University after a friend’s advice. “I had an old summer ball coach reach out because he knew one of the Lipscomb coaches,” Gorman said. “He said it didn’t seem realistic because of timing and money, however, I was hopeful and I truly gave it to God that he would place me in the perfect place.” Once he visited Lipscomb, he knew it was the place for him.

“I get to play Division I baseball at Lipscomb University with incredible teammates and great coaches, and in my spare time, I get to record my music and work alongside people who I truly love in Nashville, Tennessee.”
– Matt Gorman

Gorman’s first single, “Back To You,” was written this past summer and took just a few days. “It’s one of those songs that just came to me because it is based on a real-life experience that I had with a girl that I thought was going to be the one,” Gorman said. “The songs that I write all come from some kind of experience that I’ve had because I can’t write about pick up trucks in a field down south and doing a lot of the stuff that most country artists have experienced because I grew up in a big city.”

The lyrics in “Back To You” tell the story of being blindsided by a breakup and continuously telling oneself that you’ll be back with that person until you realize it’s best if you aren’t. He wrote the song by himself and brought it to Lipscomb student/producer Joey Liechty. His favorite part of the process is that the song, production, promotion, and videography are all done by Lipscomb students.

“Back To You” is available now to buy or stream on all digital platforms. Make sure to check out Gorman’s social media for more updates.

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Dalton Mauldin Drops NEW Single “Blinded”

Interviews

Dalton Mauldin’s next hit is around the corner with his anticipated new single, “Blinded,” out today, Friday (Aug 2.) If you loved his first single, “Nights Without You,” you won’t be disappointed with the sound of his next chapter.

The idea behind “Blinded” started a couple of months ago while Dalton was thinking about a past relationship of his. He was struggling with handling the breakup, but explained, “The idea is best described being blinded to the thought that a person you truly love or care about is going to change, but they never do.” The song comes from a hopeless romantic reminiscence that you’re hoping your partner will change to make the relationship work. That person comes back into your life again and you think things will turn out differently, however, you realize that it wasn’t meant to be.

“I guess I’m just blinded / Can’t find my way out the door / I’m still reminded that you don’t love me no more / Slowly as time goes, I’ll make my way back to you / Cause we’ll think it’s different, but really it’s nothin’ new.”
– Chorus of “Blinded”

The idea for “Blinded” came to Mauldin while he was writing and playing guitar in his free time. As he pondered through some old notes with the hope of launching something new, a couple of words stood out. “I came across a note that said “Blinded” and “Nothing New.” It immediately sparked an idea in my head that led me to write “Blinded,” Mauldin said. “I really liked the idea, and I wanted it to be perfect so that people understand it completely – and especially relate to it.”

As he was nearly finished writing the song, he sent it to his manager who motivated him to finish it. “What’s cool about the song is the way I recorded it on my phone after I finished it – it is a little different from the actual version I’m releasing,” Mauldin said. “We kept the same chords I originally wrote the song for but switched up some melodies.” After the production process, he found a love for the new version.

“It’s always a good idea to hear other options or opinions from people you trust to interpret the sound.”
– Dalton Mauldin

Even though “Blinded” sounds different from his first single, “Nights Without You,” he loves the way it turned out. “I’ve been focusing on making music the way I want to and also the vibe I’m feeling,” Mauldin said. “I feel as that you tend to limit yourself and you begin to believe you have to conform your sound to a certain genre.” Mauldin plans on being himself and having fun with his music. He feels that if he’s open-minded and stays creative, he’ll be happy.

Mauldin recently played his first live concert in St. Louis back in June. His friends at Apogee Promotions arranged for him to open for American Idol’s Season 14 runner up, Clark Beckham. “It was so cool to hang out with fans and take pictures for the first time ever,” Mauldin said. “After all this time I’ve spent practicing in my room, I actually got to play in front of a sold-out crowd. It was a dream come true.”

“Blinded” is available now to buy or stream on all digital platforms. Make sure to check Mauldin’s social media for his NEXT release, “Lost In The Blue,” coming soon.

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Artists to Watch: CMA Fest 2019

Concert Review, Year In Review

It’s that time of the year again, 90-degree weather mixed with thousands of country music fans on Nashville streets. But besides that, If you’re heading out to CMA Fest this year, you’re in for a treat. Being able to see the bigger artists is always a blast, but there’s something special about seeing the uprising artists. Here are some of my top picks for CMA Fest 2019 that you don’t want to miss:

Seaforth

I’ve been DYING to see this duo live. If you haven’t listened to their tracks yet you’re missing out. They’re already impacting country fans with their catchy songs that will be stuck in your head. The amount of times I’ve blasted their tracks is ridiculous and I’ve been waiting for CMA fest to finally see them. Their upcoming single “Love That” hit country radio earlier this week. Give their EP a listen and head over to the Chevy Breakout Stage on Saturday, June 7th at 11:50 AM to check them out.

Gabby Barrett

Barrett is an artist I’ve admired since her third-place finish on American Idol. Her fiery vocals take over in her single “I Hope” and has put her #1 on The Highway XM. This track has been on repeat since it dropped. It’s such a classy breakup tune that will get you fired up for sure. Make sure to check out Barrett Thursday, June 6th at 12:45 PM on the Maui Jim Broadway Stage at Bridgestone Plaza.

Riley Green

Green is someone who I’ve been lucky to see many times, yet it never gets old. All of his tracks are underrated and should be blasted at all times. He’s bringing the old-school country back and it’s time we do too. Green’s single “There Was This Girl” earned #1 on the Mediabase/Country Aircheck chart and it won’t be his last. His current single “In Love By Now” will soon take over country radio. Make sure to check out Green on Sunday, June 9th at 3:15 PM on the Chevy Riverfront Stage.

HARDY

If you’re at CMA Fest for a good time, HARDY is your man. He was one of the writers on Florida Georgia Line/Morgan Wallen collaboration “Up Down,” which is a #1 platinum-selling country single that’s on everyone’s summer playlist. His EP “WHERE TO FIND ME” released earlier in the year has some tracks that make you wanna turn up the radio as loud as possible. Check HARDY out at the Chevy Breakout Stage on Friday, June 7th at 12:00 PM.

James Barker Band

This band does not have one bad song. With over 95-million global streams, this band is taking over country music one unforgettable song at a time. This Canadian group released their most recent single “Keep It Simple,” which currently has over 10-million streams. James Barker Band just dropped their album “Singles Only” that’s a must listen. Check out James Barker Band at the Chevy Breakout Stage on Friday, June 7th at 3:10 PM.

Jaden Michaels

This is the one you need to keep an eye on. I’ve been following her on Instagram for quite some time now and I’m obsessed with the song teasers for her upcoming EP. Her melodic single “Behave” has over 800,000 streams, give it a listen. Make sure to check Michaels out at the Nashville Acoustic Corner on Saturday, June 8th at 12:45 PM.

Don’t forget to download the CMA Fest app for scheduling and updates on everything festival related.

Tin Pan South Night Two: busbee, Ryan Griffin, Emily Shackelton, and Carly Pearce

Concert Review, Writers round

Ryan Griffin, busbee, Emily Shackelton, and Carly Pearce took the stage Wednesday night at Third and Lindsley to start off the second night of Tin Pan South.

busbee is based in LA, but Nashville has adopted him over the years. If you don’t know busbee, he’s a songwriter, producer, and musician who has collaborated with a wide range of artists including Lady Antebellum, Pink, Lennon Stella, 5 Seconds Of Summer, Kelly Clarkson, and many more. He also has worked/is working with everyone in this round. He’s basically a musical genius. He started off the round with introducing “My Church” cut by Maren Morris. Morris walked into the co-write saying “I was just driving up the PCH and I was in my car listening to music and I just felt like that was my church.” He picked up a guitar and sang the chorus right to her and started singing the rest of the melody. In addition, busbee sang his co-write of the smash single “H.O.L.Y.” by Florida Georgia Line, which quickly reached #1 on the Billboard country chart. He brought up sixteen-year-old Lindsey Lomis who shocked the crowd with her strong, bright voice. She sang her songs “Quit On Us” and “Simple Love.” He also brought up Cameron Jaymes, a part of Altadena, to sing his tracks “You Should See Her” and “Summer Forever.”

Newly signed to Warner Music Nashville and Altadena, Ryan Griffin’s talent recognition is long overdue. His voice is a mix of country, soul, and a touch of R&B that’s ready for the world to hear. He performed his songs “Best Cold Beer,” “Nothing Looks Good On You,” and of course his #1 song, “Dibs” performed by Kelsea Ballerini. In addition, he sang his new track “If You Were My Girl” dedicated to his wife. “It was the moment that I met my wife, I told busbee and Emily Shackelton about it; everything I wish I could have said to my wife when she was with somebody else,” Griffin says. “I went home and I was thinking about her, If I could tell her everything that was on my heart, this would be it.” Because of Griffin’s pure talent and refreshing tracks, his album he’s recording with busbee is going to be something special.

Emily Shackelton played her track “Doing Fine” cut by Lauren Alaina and performed a Runaway’s June cut called “Unbreak Your Heart.” Shackelton performed her next song “Dashboard Jesus” and said she wrote it in 2011 and it came back to life this year thanks to Carly Pearce. Pearce cut the song for her new record and man is it the perfect track for her. Shackelton and Pearce performed it together to give us a little tease to Pearce’s next album. The song’s about how hard it is following your dreams and being crazy for believing in them. Pearce jumped into the second chorus, taking over with her powerful vocals.

Pearce gave us another hint of a track on her next record called “It Won’t Always Be Like This.” “I thought since we’re all friends maybe I can share a new baby with you,” Pearce says. “I wrote this song with Sam Ellis and Natalie Hemby. I think so many things in 2018 have taught me that pain takes you somewhere, heartache takes you somewhere, struggles take you somewhere, where you come from, the people in your life that built you and made you who you are; don’t take those for granted. I thought about that sweet sixteen-year-old artist up here and I remember being her. If I could go back and explain to her the things that’s she’s going to experience are all on the path to be where she should be and that it’s all going to be ok.”

“I had big wings / But didn’t have a sky / Just a front row view of everybody flying high / Waiting for my time”
“It Won’t Always Be Like This” – Carly Pearce

Night two of Tin Pan South was full of unexpected song teasers and smash hits. You can find out more about Tin Pan South and when you can catch a show here.

Tin Pan South Night One: Jordan Walker, Tyler Rich, John Gurney, and Adam Doleac

Concert Review, Writers round

To kick off Tin Pan South on a Tuesday night, I attended my first round including Tyler Rich, Jordan Walker, John Gurney, and a special guest Adam Doleac.

Jordan Walker, who was previously a part of Walker Mcguire, sang his smash hit “When It Rains It Pours” that changed his life for the better. “This was my first ever hit and it got me a wife and a house. I wrote this song with one of my best friends in the world, Ray Fulcher and a guy named Luke Combs,” Walker says. “The day we wrote this song Luke I had known for about 2 hours and he said he wanted to write a song about his ex-girlfriend and I go yeah I can write a breakup song. Then he says I really wanna write it about her mom though. And I said alright, now I’m very interested. I say let’s write a song about your ex-future mother-in-law” and the rest is history. Walker also performed his Walker Mcguire track “Mysteries Of The World” along with a song he penned with Mitchell Tenpenny called “Mixed Drinks” that’s currently on Tenpenny’s EP.

John Gurney is an artist you need to keep an eye on. He currently has singles you can stream and buy. “Home With Her” has over 11 million streams and his new track just released in January “That’s How You Got It” has 700,000 streams and counting. Gurney also performed his track that’s released called “Fairytale Dress.” “I was fortunate to win the 2018 NSAI Song Contest, presented by CMT with this one,” Gurney says. “It did a lot for me in the last year. It’s all about holding onto the look of innocence that we hold onto when we’re young and trying to bring that into adulthood.” He also played a clever track I hope he releases soon called “Drink I Think.” The chorus says “I could use a drink I think / but every time I drink I think of you” and he explained that it was inspired by a late-night conversation on Broadway.

“Drink I Think” – John Gurney

California native Tyler Rich started off his turn by introducing “Made For A Small Town” that he comes from a little town north of Sacramento; where the only thing it’s famous for is the feral chickens that run around on the highway. Rich also brought out an old song he has never played before called “Lost Time.” He played his potential single that he just recorded and it’s a fan favorite, “Leave Her Wild.” It’s about Rich being in a controlling relationship and him realizing she was turning him into something he’s not. “I’ve realized this thing about relationships, I see friends that meet someone and they like them and they spend an entire relationship trying to change them into their vision rather than just letting a person be themselves,” Rich says. “My buddy in the writer’s room said if you’re going to make a woman do something, make her smile. I said to write that down and then the whole chorus poured out. As they say, happy wife happy life.” Lastly, Adam Doleac was a surprise addition to this round. He first played his track cut by Darius Rucker called “Don’t” along with his songs released “Famous,” “Whiskey’s Fine,” and “Mom and Daddy’s Money.”

It was the perfect round mixed of talent and humor to keep the audience entertained. You can find out more about Tin Pan South and when you can catch a show here.

Up & Coming Artist: Dalton Mauldin

Interviews

Growing up in Lake City, Florida, Dalton Mauldin grew up hunting and fishing on his farm, while also his life has always revolved around baseball practices and tournaments. Ever since he was a kid, singing was always something he loved to do. Luckily enough in high school, one of his friends showed him an electric guitar, which led to borrowing his acoustic guitar, to ending up immediately looking up youtube videos learning how to play. Little did he know baseball and music would lead to double life in college. With a cover he posted of Dan + Shay’s smash hit “Tequila” that went viral, Mauldin’s music career is off to a promising start.

Mauldin transferred from playing baseball at Bethune Cookman University in Daytona Beach, FL, a Division I school, to Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tennessee, which is Division II. When asked what sparked this decision, he explained “I loved my last school back in Florida but I knew Nashville was where I wanted to be ultimately. After I got my release from my old school, I was looking for a place to continue my education as well as baseball career somewhere around the Nashville area and I was fortunate enough to get an opportunity to play in right here in Nashville. It was a big decision, but after talking to the coaches at Trevecca, it was a no-brainer that this was the place I wanted to be.” Continuing to seek out music opportunities in Nashville as he plays baseball, every day he plans to get better at least one thing. Whether it’s practicing guitar, keyboard, or writing new lyrics, he always dedicates time daily towards his music.

“You’ll make time for the things that you really care about.”
Dalton Mauldin

The writing process from Mauldin usually comes from hearing something that someone says or when he gets a thought in his head. Going through relationships, experiences, and seeing his friends go through relationships will inspire him on the spot. You can hear his catchy, romantic writing in his first single “Nights Without You” that was released in the summer and currently has over 700,000 spins and counting. “I think it’s absolutely crazy that a song that I put out has reached so many people. I always knew being a musician/artist would be a dream for me. I never thought I actually would be able to do it though,” he says. “After putting this song out its made me realize that I really can do this now. I have the support from so many people and every day it reminds me how blessed I am to have an opportunity to be an artist. It’s so surreal to me to have all of these people who support me and have made a dream that I’ve had start to develop like this.”

With baseball being in the mix of his music career, feeling limited to the music scene isn’t a worry on his mind.”I know that time is an issue but I always look at the bigger picture. How lucky I am to even be able to play baseball, go to school, and be in Nashville,” he says. “I’m surrounded by such a great team and coaches it’s crazy to me. I don’t have any complaints about anything at all so to complain about time limitations isn’t even an option. I’m just happy to be here.” With that attitude and the advice he has received, trusting his gut and staying true to who he is will be the most important part of navigating through the industry.

Mauldin plans to work on and release new music in the upcoming year and he can’t wait for everyone to hear it. If you want a little taste of what he’s all about, make sure to stream “Nights Without You” on all digital platforms and follow him on social media to see what’s coming next.

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