Morgan Evans has released the music video for his latest song, ‘On My Own Again’, via YouTube Premiere. The emotional but uplifting track, written by Evans alongside Zach Kale, Geoff Warburton and produced by Chris DeStefano, is taken off his upcoming Life Upside Down EP, that he has announced will be available on 21 April. The beautifully shot video showcases Evans’ travels from around the world as he picks up the pieces and looks forward to a life full of thrilling uncertainty.

“8 shows, 7 countries, 3 bicycles, 2 goats & 1 camel. For a song documenting a poignant moment in my life, I thought it’d be appropriate to make a video the same way. I invited the guys behind the ‘Over For You’ music video and the docuseries on the road in Morocco, Europe, Ireland and the UK for one of the adventures of my life so far.” – Morgan Evans

Life Upside Down EP Track Listing:

1. Over For You
2. On My Own Again
3. Hey Little Mama
4. All Right Here
5. Over For You (Live in Melbourne)

PRE-SAVE:  Life Upside Down EP

“I called the EP ‘Life Upside Down’ because this collection of music could only have come from this time, when my life felt exactly that. To me, these five tracks journey through unexpected heartbreak, self-rediscovery, new beginnings and a new found gratitude for the present moment.” – Morgan Evans

Recently, Evans wrapped his co-headlining U.K. Day Drunk Me Tour with Mitchell Tenpenny and performances on three headlining stages at C2C Festival, including to a crowd of 20,000+ in London. He is currently on the road with Brett Young in the states for Young’s 5 Tour 3 2 1 and will also provide support on select dates with Billy Currington.

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Following the release of her EP Masquerades, released to critical acclaim last year, Tenille Townes has now announced the release of her forthcoming project – Train Track Worktapes – next month, a five-song project to be released 21 April.

“Being in motion is my favorite state. I love the hum of the engines and the blur of the evergreens out the window, in any mode of transportation. I really do believe that home is not a place, but a feeling that you get,” said Townes. “And being on the road, singing songs for people and feeling a part of a collective brought together through music, that feels like home to me.”

Conceptualised, written, and recorded on a charity train trip that covered nearly 3,000 miles, the Train Track Worktapes is a unique and special collection, with a powerful story. A tradition in her native country, the CP Holiday Train benefits local food banks when their need is greatest, as each attendee brings donations to catch the free concert that occurs right on the train cars, the doors folding down to become a stage. During their 15 days onboard last December, Townes and her band played 65 shows to crowds ranging from dozens to thousands in communities across southern Canada.

“The generosity of everyone bringing donations to their local food banks as we travelled along was a reminder to me of how much good there is in the world, especially in the heart of the smaller, remote communities. In between all these shows, I made it my mission to write about what it felt like to witness that, ride the high and capture what I was feeling on the trip,” said Townes.

Townes, a producer on the project alongside guitarist Jaxon Hargrove, and her band got resourceful with their setup, turning suitcases into kickdrums, teacups into triangles and paperbowls into shakers. They borrowed equipment and microphones from the train cars housing the stage and gear. Recording mainly in the train’s caboose, sometimes capturing takes in 20-minute spurts between shows, the group allowed the rattle and rhythm of the train to sink into each song in its natural, fated manner.

“This collection of songs will always represent that travelling spirit. I hope anyone who listens feels like they are riding right there with us,” said Townes.

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“’Over For You’ is me singing what I’m feeling.” – Morgan Evans. In addition to showcasing his music, Evans is bringing viewers along on the ups and downs of his 2022 musical journey with a five-part documentary series, out now. The series takes you along in Australia and New Zealand, including CMC Rocks QLD Festival, where he debuted the single for 25,000 people. “This song is the most personal thing I’ve ever written and the most personal thing I’ve ever shared,” said Evans.

Directed by Peter John, the docuseries brings viewers backstage and back home where Evans grew up. After a year of planning and just weeks before shooting, Evans went through a divorce. That’s when Evans sat down to write what he calls “the song from my heart.” The CMC Rocks performance received hundreds of thousands of views on social media. In response, ‘Over For You – Live in Melbourne‘ was then recorded and released to DSPs. “It felt like channeling all that sort of awfulness into something positive,” said Evans.

More than a show, Evans says the song became a release. “I didn’t realize that I was going to feel this, but after I played it at CMC Rocks, I did feel a weight off my chest.” Evans recently released the music video for ‘Over For You.’ ). Also directed by Peter John, the video was captured in tandem with the documentary.

Praise for ‘Over For You’ has ranged from Us Weekly, E!, Entertainment Tonight, The Bobby Bones Show, Taste of Country and more. Describing the single, Billboard writes,“many of the best songs come from heartbreak, and this is absolutely one of Evans’ best releases to date.” People describes Evans “channeling his heartbreak into song,” and CMT says Evans “places his heart on the line.”

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Sony Music Nashville/Columbia Records’ rising star Megan Moroney has announced that her debut album, LUCKY, will drop on May 5 and fans can pre-save/pre-add now. 

Gambling on poor decisions, the luck-struck title track is the next taste of the hotly anticipated project and will release March 10.“ After we wrote the title track ‘Lucky,’ I knew I wanted it to be the name of my debut album,” shares Moroney. “If you know anything about me and my story, a lot of things (both good and bad) happened to get me to where I am today, and I just feel very lucky. I couldn’t live out this dream without the support of my fans, family, and team. I can’t wait to bring these songs on the road with me this year and I hope everyone loves them as much as I do!”

Co-written by Moroney with Casey Smith, Ben Williams, and David “Messy” Mescon, the Kristian Bush-produced “Lucky” follows her latest hit “I’m Not Pretty.” Moroney catapulted onto the scene with her viral breakout “Tennessee Orange,” the Top 25-and-climbing at Country radio track was recently the #1 weekly streamed song by a solo female Country artist and has amassed nearly 140 million total global on-demand streams to date. 

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The Poet Laureate, singer-songwriter, Chicago-based Kara Jackson has shared details for her upcoming debut album Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? out April 14th via September.  They enlisted close friends and fellow artists Nnamdi, Kaina and Sen Morimoto to help on the album’s production. 

The album announcement comes alongside the release of their new single “pawnshop.” With a Western-inspired guitar lick and echoing background vocals from Kara, the song paints a picture of a lover taking them for granted only to be left painted as the foolish one by Kara. It’s a sharp and clever proclamation of knowing one’s worth. 

Of the track, Kara says,” pawnshop is a song about uncovering how worth is subjective. It’s taking “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” and reveling in that sentiment, taking pride in the fact that even if people can’t understand your value, only you know how priceless you are.”

In addition to “pawnshop,” the album will feature Kara’s previously released brilliant, blunt, and beautiful first song, “no fun/party,” and double-single, “dickhead blues” and “brain.” 

Last year, Kara performed at the US Ambassador’s Residence in the UK where she played new music and hosted a number of up-and-coming talents in the UK’s poetry circuit. She also took her show to the British Library, playing an intimate set, dazzling her audience who undoubtedly left as new and long-term fans. Be sure to look out for European tour dates this year. 

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Just over ten years since award-winning sibling duo The Wolfe Brothers captured the attention of their home country as they progressed to the final of Australia’s Got Talent, they have announced the release of their sixth studio album, Livin’ The Dream, out worldwide on April 14th, 2023 via BMG.

Two tracks from the project are already available; the title track and multi-week Australian #1 radio hit ‘Livin’ The Dream’, and a brand new song, ‘Here’s To The Ones’.

The Tasmanian brothers, Nick and Tom Wolfe, wrote the songs during the pandemic over many Zoom writing sessions with writers all over the world. Nick Wolfe took on production duties, working alongside veteran Australian record producer and musician Rod McCormack, along with multi-award winning producer Matt Fell.

The Wolfe Brothers have become renowned over the past few years for their jaw-dropping live shows and steady ascent to Australian country music’s upper echelon. Part of their rise has been due to talent, and a lot of it due to hard work. But the truth is, Nick explains, “we come from four generations of farmers and musicians. We grew up and Tom still lives on the farm that has been in the family for over 120 years.”

Their father, Malcolm Wolfe, encouraged them to start playing and helped facilitate their first shows in their early teens. Malcolm was a rock drummer in the popular Tasmanian band Midnight Revival. Their grandfather played saxophone, touring around the brothers’ home state of Tasmania with the Wolfe Family Band. Their great-grandfather was a fiddle player. It is this pedigree and the abundance of musical influences that were always around them at home on the farm throughout the brothers’ youth, combined with an innate musicality, that has resulted in the development of a unique yet embracingly familiar sound that is The Wolfe Brothers.

The title track from Livin’ The Dream was released in October 2022, and scored the brothers another #1 in Australia. Nick Wolfe explained “‘Livin’ The Dream’ is a phrase I’m sure we all have heard every day in conversation. Most of us have probably even said it ourselves. Usually, it’s making light of a challenging situation. I love it because instead of having a whinge about how snowed under we are, how tired we are, how overworked or how busy we are, we do the Aussie thing and just say – yeah mate just livin’ the dream. To me it’s saying there’s good and bad in every job out there. That’s life. It’s keeping your spirits up, cracking a smile and rolling with it.

“Sonically, ‘Livin’ the Dream’ is a conscious decision by us to get back to our country roots. We explored a lot of pop and rock territory on our last record but we want to come out of the gate swinging country style and give everyone a taste of what’s to come for the rest of this record that we’re really proud of!”

Tom Wolfe added, “We are very excited for this new single and next chapter in our music. if feels right, fun and is a real return to our roots. We are country boys from Tassie who are just Livin’ The Dream”.

On ‘Here’s To The Ones’, the duo deliver a song of respect and gratitude to all women, an ode that is a well overdue musical “tip of the hat” to the women who nurture, protect and inspire the males of their country – the mothers, wives, partners and friends.

Explaining the origins of the song, Tom Wolfe shares, “we consider this one of the more important songs we have ever written and recorded.

“The original spark of an idea for this song began at a mate’s farm in Parattah, Tasmania a few years back. After watching him work literally sun up to sun down he said some words that truly stuck with us. When speaking about the love he has for his wife, he said ‘that’s the backbone of our country, the ones who feed the ones who feed the country’.  It was an incredible sentence. I had never thought about it or heard anyone say it like that before.

“We started thinking about this statement and how it applies in our own life and how incredibly lucky we are to do what we do. There is no way that any of what Nick and I are doing now would have happened without some incredibly supportive women.”

“At the end of 2022 we lost our family patriarch, our biggest supporter, our incredible mum. She consistently put others first for her entire life as a teacher, friend and mother. We could have never achieved any of this without her.”

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Showcasing the rich baritone that has been so celebrated over the years – including by Billboard as “one of the most distinctive voices of country’s modern era,” Diamond-certified star Darius Rucker offers a powerful take on Rihanna’s Oscar-nominated “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” theme song, “Lift Me Up,” offering his version of the anthemic ballad available everywhere now.

Written by Rihanna together with filmmaker Ryan Coogler, composer Ludwig Göransson and Nigerian singer Tems as a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, who starred in the original “Black Panther,” the song plays over the end credits of the film, which is where Rucker first fell in love with its message.

“I’ve been a huge fan of comics since I was a kid, and I love all of the Marvel movies, so I couldn’t wait to see ‘Wakanda Forever’ when it came out a few months ago,” explains Rucker. “I was so moved by this song playing at the end of the movie and I felt inspired to try my hand at singing it. I hope y’all love this version we created as much as I do.”

The release comes as Rucker puts the finishing touches on his forthcoming album, Carolyn’s Boy, and follows the news earlier this week that his Riverfront Revival Music Festival will return to Charleston this fall for its second year, with lineups for the October 7-8 event to be announced soon. Early access tickets are available now via RiverfrontRevival.com.

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Chris Janson serves as one of country music’s pulse points – from his feel good track “Buy Me A Boat,” a 2016 ACM Single of the Year nominee to the cautioning sister’s-keeper ballad “Drunk Girl,” a 2018 CMA Song of the Year nominee, few artists tap into the tides that pull everyday people like the Missouri-born, hell-raising performer with a heart of gold and collaborative touch that’s co-written and played on songs for Tim McGraw, Eric Church, Cody Johnson, and Hank Williams Jr., to name a few.

Janson has always been known to mix things up and push the boundaries. With “All I Need Is You,” the rambling single that embraces all things good ole boy but acknowledges it’s nothing compared to the woman he loves, Janson drops his Big Machine debut, out now via BMLG Records in partnership with his own Harpeth 60 Records. It’s a compelling and charming track that posits a new era in his music, underlined with exceptional musicianship.

Working with Oscar-nominated and GRAMMY-winning producer Julian Raymond (Glen Campbell, Cheap Trick, Insane Clown Posse), Janson’s easy baritone sweeps through 30A, a blue clear lake, a brand-new truck, a winning lottery ticket, his kid’s ball team, and the Gulf of Mexico as he unravels what really matters in the breezy song co-written with Ashley Gorley, Brad Clawson, and Mitch Oglesby.

“There are so many things we all want,” says the harmonica-playing virtuoso. “We’ve all gotten caught up in the biggest buck of the season, the newest Chevrolet, or whatever’s caught our eye— and that’s half the fun of living. But when you strip it back, when you look at what really matters, it comes down to that one ride-or-die person who believes in you and your dream, no matter what happens. I’m blessed because my person is my wife, my manager, and my best friend.”

Executive produced by Janson and Scott Borchetta, “All I Need Is You” employs the best of Nashville’s musical community. Award-winning electric guitarist Tom Bukovac and the legendary Paul Franklin on steel populate a band that also includes Sam Hunter (electric guitar), George Doering (acoustic guitar), Jimmie Lee Sloas (bass), Tim Lauer (Keyboards), Victor Indrizzo (drums), and Blake Bollinger (vocals). Kristen Wilkinson was the string contractor; Lauer orchestrated the string parts. Noted rock engineer Chris Lord-Alge also mixed the track.

“Fun songs feel good, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t great musicianship underneath,” says the Bass Pro Shop brand ambassador. “Working with Scott and Julian, they understand how seriously I take the music and the writing, and they believe in bringing the best of the best into the studio. Recording this was a blast— and there’s so much more music coming this year!”

Beyond joining the team at the Big Machine Label Group, Janson has taken his maximum good-time live talents to United Talent Agency. Beyond his focus on conservation efforts and outdoor life, Janson will be expanding his reach as both a concert draw and an advocate for protecting the natural world for hunters, anglers, and future generations.

“I’ve been able to achieve things I never would’ve imagined,” the proud member of the Grand Ole Opry says. “To have my signature black hat raise nearly a million dollars at Bass Pro Shops and be able give those proceeds to the Harpeth Conservancy, Hunters for the Hungry, and Tennessee Riverkeeper, and tour with my heroes? It’s why I keep reaching— and why when I sing ‘All I Need Is You,’ you know I mean it!”

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Last year, Caitlyn Smith released her phenomenal project High, the first half of her new self-produced record. Smith has announced the completion of that project, adding six new songs to make her full record, High & Low, due April 14. 

On High & Low, Caitlyn Smith navigated the highs and lows of living life in the public eye – pretending everything was fine, while experiencing the lows on the inside. On the project, Smith learned to peel back the curtain, embracing all aspects of her life, including the “lows” she once kept private.   

“Lately” is the first taste of what’s to come from High & Low and is out now. The track delves even further into this human experience, detailing the attempt to overcome loss using a series of distractions.

“I’d realised that I’d grown into this version of myself that only wanted to show and talk about the highs and became quite dependent on keeping up this façade that I have it all together,” Smith details. “Real life is gritty, and wild, and never perfect, and it’s given me so much freedom to be able to be more vulnerable, not always put on a happy face, and be honest and unafraid of the more difficult feelings.”

Written by Smith with Gordie Sampson and Troy Verges, you can listen to “Lately” here: Lately (lnk.to).

The additional five new tracks capture the full picture of who Smith is as an artist and as a creator.

Track listing
1              High – Intro
2              High
3              Dreamin’s Free
4              Lately
5              Mississippi
6              Good As Us
7              Alaska
8              Maybe In Another Life
9              I Think Of You
10           Nothing Against You
11           Downtown Baby
12           Writing Songs and Raising Babies
13           I Don’t Like The World Without You
14           The Great Pretender

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Following the release of their album Invitation – Ward Thomas are set to return with their new album Music In The Madness – on March 10th, 2023. The first glimpse of the record is offered on ‘Justice & Mercy’ – listen here. The track follows Nashville’s tradition of interesting storytelling – begun on a Nashville trip, the creepy country corker is a fictional tale was inspired by the pair’s shared love of true crime podcasts.

“It’s a fun story song about a wrong ’un who ruins lives on his travels and meets a sticky end,” says Lizzy. “I imagine it set in the ‘20s Western States, although we partly based the psychopath on Putin. There are two outcomes when you listen to true crime – one merciful, one justice-driven. Either the perpetrator has to die or his soul can be saved. There were some deep discussions in that writing session. If one of us was murdered, would the other be team justice or team mercy?”

Music In The Madness is both a harmony-soaked balm for shattered souls and an uplifting reminder of what really matters. Love, family, unity and the healing power of music are recurrent themes on an album begun as war broke out in Ukraine and the world went into a post-Covid tailspin.

“In Ukraine in particular we witnessed these wonderful, moving moments of music in the madness,” says Catherine. “Soldiers singing the national anthem and getting married on the front line. The viral video of the girl in a bomb shelter singing Let It Go. In times of crisis, music matters even more. That’s what we set out to celebrate.”

An aforementioned trip to Nashville in February – the Hampshire sisters’ second home since they recorded their debut in the city while still at school – nailed the spirit of the album. The duo then returned to their homes in Hampshire with half a dozen songs captured mostly as voice memos on their mobiles. In a first for the duo, the songs were recorded with their long standing live band – at the suggestion of producer Ed Harcourt, which brought their live chemistry into the studio. The duo then returned to Nashville to create the remainder of the tracks, including ‘Love Does.’

The duo are set to hit the road in March & April next year – tickets go on sale on 18th November here.

March 2023
Thu 30th                      Glasgow, Old Fruit Market
Fri 31st                         Gateshead, Sage

April 2023
Sun 2nd                      Liverpool, Olympia
Tue 4th                       York, Barbican
Wed 5th                     Manchester, Albert Hall
Thu 6th                        Birmingham, Town Hall
Mon 10th                    Cambridge, Corn Exchange
Tue 11th                     Cardiff, St. David’s
Thu 13th                      Bexhill, De La Warr Pavilion
Fri 14th                        London, Barbican
Sat 15th                      Southampton, Central Hall
Mon 17th                    Reading, Hexagon
Tu 18th                        Bath, Forum

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