April 2021 - STAGING Maverick

Review: Amy Speace – There Used To Be Horses Here

Leave a Comment / Top Picks / Rochelle Mills

For her tenth offering, Amy Speace reflects on the short period between the birth of her son and her father’s passing in 2019. The album is deeply personal as Speace experiences the joy of childbirth whilst musing over a tangled relationship with her father, until she became very close some seven years ago, as he became her hero and sharpest critic. The opening track Down the Trail encapsulates perfectly her childhood memories and her father’s words to her in his final days. Influenced by the likes of Judy Collins and Kathy Mattea, Speace wrote or co-wrote all songs on the album apart from Warren Zevon’s classic Don’t Let Us Get Sick which closes the album. ‘There Used to be Horses Here’ probably represents Speace’s most intimate and emotional song writing to date and whilst the subject matter may appear heavy, it is by no means a sad collection. As a fan and friend of Nashville outfit The Orphan Brigade, she invited them to collaborate as songwriters and producers and the result is something to be savoured. By John Roffey To stay up to date on the latest country music news, please register to receive our newsletter here. Media contact Zoe Hodges, Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE: Mike Ross releases new single Driftwood

Leave a Comment / Exclusives, News / Rochelle Mills

The incredibly talented Mike Ross teases what’s to come on the Clovis Limit: Tennessee Transitions with the release of his latest single, the slide guitar-rich ‘Driftwood’. Mike Ross is a man with many a string to his musical bow, as composer, performer and producer. His forthcoming new solo album ably demonstrates that range, virtuosity and attention to detail, and also explores the rich tapestry of Southern musical traditions and styles that Mike calls ‘The Clovis Limit – The Tennessee Transition’, It’s an album which resonates as a companion to Mike’s acclaimed ‘Clovis Limits’ album duology, and is due for release on 28th May. Lovers of country and Americana will find much to woo their ears and fascinate them in The Clovis Limit – Tennessee Transition’, not least Mike’s brand-new single and video ‘Driftwood (Acoustic)’ — which drops on 30th April — with fans of slide guitar being particularly catered for! There’s a kind of early, gritty backwoods country music: the lyrical content of which mirrors the hellfire and damnation imagery that can be found ‘across the tracks’ in neighbourhoods of the Southern United States. The song serves as further evidence of the interconnected tapestry of all American music. ‘Driftwood’ serves up an extra helping of down-home authenticity, with Mike’s deft, beguiling, period-specific, hula-style slide woven with pulpit-pounding imagery (not to mentions plenty of “piss and vinegar; tiny bits of stars”) delivered with impassioned vocals, contemporary verve and sparkling performance. Speaking to Maverick about the song Mike shared “Driftwood is off Clovis 1 and will be on The Tennessee Transitions. It’s about being reborn again, having faith in a higher power. Its got this Johnny Cash, Hank Williams kind of bounce to it but it’s got a blues slide guitar element to it. It’s a good expression of the way I like to melt genres together.” ‘Driftwood’ is available to buy NOW! You can pre-order the album HERE! To stay up to date on the latest country music news, please register to receive our newsletter here. Media contact Zoe Hodges, Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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Jack, Jon and Miranda to release film about the making of ‘The Marfa Tapes’

Leave a Comment / News / Rochelle Mills

Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, and Jon Randall will give viewers a rare glimpse inside the creative process behind their anticipated, upcoming album The Marfa Tapes with a full-length film premiering Saturday, May 8 (7:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. CT). Available to view for 24 hours via Lambert’s official Facebook page, the film was directed by Spencer Peeples and features live performances set against the West Texas backdrop, candid interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage captured during the five-day album recording sessions in Marfa last November. Barely a dot on the map, Marfa is an eccentric outpost in the midst of a vast expanse of nothingness, the perfect place to lose – or find – yourself. For Lambert, Randall, and Ingram, it’s both. For more than half a decade, the desolate location has become a songwriting haven for the trio, yielding both massive hits and profound personal growth. Recorded raw and loose with just a pair of microphones and an acoustic guitar, The Marfa Tapes is a stunning work of audio verité; an intimate, unadorned snapshot of a moment in time fueled by love, trust, and friendship. The Marfa Tapes arrives May 7 via Vanner Records/RCA Nashville (pre-order/pre-save here). Anticipation continues to grow for the album, which Entertainment Weekly proclaims “both familiar and new in equal measure, and one of the most inspired projects Lambert has ever released.” The trio recently performed the debut release, “In His Arms,” on the “56th ACM Awards.” Watch here. Heralded as a “tender, lovely tune” (Consequence of Sound), “In His Arms” has been lauded as “a low-key charmer…Wistful and romantic” (Billboard) and “a lovely dose of traditional, bare-bones country” (Brooklyn Vegan). Additional early highlights include “Tin Man,” revisited in its original, stripped-down state for the first time since its whirlwind run up the charts and slew of award nominations, as well as a win for ACM Song of the Year. The “harmony-drenched cheating saga” (Rolling Stone) “Am I Right Or Amarillo” and the “slow, sexy” (Whiskey Riff) ballad “Anchor” are also available now, along with accompanying videos. The trio recorded much of the album outdoors, inviting the ambient sounds of the desert to seep into their live, bare bones performances, and the atmosphere is utterly transportive. While a couple of the tracks may already be familiar to listeners – “Tin Man” as well as fan favorite “Tequila Does” – the vast majority of these songs have never been heard outside of Marfa. The result is a candid, unvarnished look at Lambert, Randall, and Ingram’s undeniable chemistry in its purest, most honest form. The Marfa Tapes Album Track List: 01) In His Arms 02) I Don’t Like It 03) The Wind’s Just Gonna Blow 04) Am I Right Or Amarillo 05) Waxahachie 06) Homegrown Tomatoes 07) Breaking A Heart 08) Ghost 09) Geraldene 10) We’ll Always Have The Blues 11) Tin Man 12) Two-Step Down To Texas 13) Anchor 14) Tequila Does 15) Amazing Grace (West Texas) To stay up to date on the latest country music news, please register to receive our newsletter here. Media contact Zoe Hodges, Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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Lukas Nelson to release new album ‘A Few Stars Apart’

Leave a Comment / News / Rochelle Mills

Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real’s highly anticipated new album, A Few Stars Apart, will be released June 11 on Fantasy Records and is now available for pre-order. In advance of the release, the album’s first single, “Perennial Bloom (Back To You),” is out today—listen/share HERE. Already one of Rolling Stone’s “54 Most Anticipated Albums of 2021,” A Few Stars Apart is a testament to finding a human connection: between close family and friends, as well as one’s own heart. Produced by Grammy Award winning producer Dave Cobb, the album was inspired by the stillness Nelson found while riding out the beginning of the pandemic with his family in Texas and was recorded with the full band live on eight-track tape over three weeks at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A. The eleven songs reveal what it means to come home again, to be still, and to find community—and yourself. “I’m from what one might say is the ultimate road family—I’ve been on the road my entire life,” shares Nelson. “I’ve never been anywhere longer than three months, and suddenly here we are, the four of us together. And thank god we were together. I can’t remember the last time we had that much time together as a family. We had a lot of really important bonding that happened during that time. And I have to say, as terrible as the pandemic has been in so many ways, for my inner peace, I was able to take a lot of good from this time. I was able to pause and reflect.” He continues, “It took me a really long time to come back to the home in my heart. In a physical sense, that’s Texas and Hawaii. But in a spiritual sense as well—I think I finally decided not to run from who I am and who I am destined to be. First and foremost, that’s a songwriter. That’s what this record means to me. There’s a story being told through the whole record. A story about connection and coming home.” Based in Texas and Hawaii, Promise of the Real is: Lukas Nelson (lead vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano), Anthony LoGerfo (drums, percussion, tambourine), Corey McCormick (bass guitar, upright bass, Mellotron, vocals), Tato Melgar (percussion) and Logan Metz (piano, Wurlitzer, B3 organ, lap steel, banjo, Mellotron, vocals). Since their debut over a decade ago, the acclaimed band have toured relentlessly playing countless sold-out one-night shows and festivals around the world and occasionally serving as Neil Young’s road band. Nelson also co-produced the music for 2018’s lauded A Star Is Born film in addition to appearing in the film with the band and went on to win a BAFTA Award for Best Original Music and a GRAMMY Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media for his work. Pre-order A Few Stars Apart: HERE A FEW STARS APART TRACKLIST 1. We’ll Be Alright 2. Perennial Bloom (Back To You) 3. Throwin’ Away Your Love 4. A Few Stars Apart 5. No Reason 6. Leave ‘em Behind 7. Wildest Dream 8. Giving You Away 9. Hand Me A Light 10. More Than We Can Handle 11. Smile To stay up to date on the latest country music news, please register to receive our newsletter here. Media contact Zoe Hodges, Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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Exclusive First Look: Leo Sawikin – A Whole World Waiting

Leave a Comment / News / Rochelle Mills

Take an exlusive first look at the video for Leo Sawikin’s single ‘A Whole World Waiting’ off his upcoming record ‘Row Me Away’. Leo Sawikin originally gained attention as frontman of the folk-rock group, The Chordaes, before deciding to step out on his own. ‘A Whole World Waiting’ is the latest in a line of releases leading up to the singer’s debut full length, Row Me Away, which is set to drop in Autumn 2021. Sawikin’s songwriting is a mature and measured response to always feeling like someone else has it better, that looks at the world’s problems and wonders why there is such a lack of compassion. Instead, the compassion and companionship is created through his music. As a songwriter, Leo is deeply inspired by classic pop and rock legends Brian Wilson, Carole King, Burt Bacharach, and Jimmy Webb – the latter two especially for the way they blended simple melodies with complex harmonic ideas. “Overall, the new album reflects this feeling that you’ve missed out on the best the world has to offer, and just the pervading sense that things are getting more difficult in the world – and every attending emotion that goes along with it,” Leo adds. “It’s kind of like letting go of that and trying to figure out what you do after everything falls apart. When I wrote these songs, they were about the way my friends and I were thinking, that the world we think we have is not going to last long. We were thinking more in terms of issues like climate change or the political divisiveness, but the pandemic, which none of us expected, gives the songs more power. We’re already starting to live that new reality where you can’t turn your back for a second. In the old world, we could distract ourselves with our day to day lives, but now we’re forced to stare down just how fragile everything is.” ‘A Whole World Waiting’ is out on Friday 16th April 2021. Full length Row Me Away will be released in Autumn 2021. To stay up to date on the latest country music news, please register to receive our newsletter here. Media contact Zoe Hodges, Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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Reba McEntire releases new song ‘Somehow You Do’

Leave a Comment / News / Rochelle Mills

Country icon Reba McEntire is giving fans their first taste of new music in two years today with the release of the original song “Somehow You Do,” listen HERE. “Somehow You Do” was written by Diane Warren for the feature film Four Good Days and marks the third time Reba has collaborated with the award-winning songwriter following the success of “What If” in 1997 and “I’ll Be” in 2000. The song also reunites Reba with longtime producer Tony Brown. This stunning video, which highlights Reba among a picturesque Southern Californian backdrop, was directed by acclaimed filmmaker Jon Avnet (Fried Green Tomatoes, Risky Business, Black Swan). Fans can watch HERE. “Somehow You Do” is the featured track in the new motion picture Four Good Days, which opens in select theatres on April 30, 2021. Directed by Rodrigo Garcia, Four Good Days includes knockout performances by Glenn Close and Mila Kunis. The film had its worldwide premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. In celebration, Reba has released the official music video today. “It’s an honor to get to sing a Diane Warren song anytime, but then to be associated with talented actors in a movie like Glenn and Mila is just icing on the cake,” says Reba. “Add in Jon Avnet directing the video and it just doesn’t get much better!” “Reba’s interpretation of Diane Warren’s song was so nuanced and moving,” adds Jon. “When I was asked if I would direct the filming of it, I jumped at the opportunity. I hoped to use the film to interpret both the song and the movie ‘Four Good Days.’ It was worth every minute in the desert working with Reba. She’s a pro’s pro and fun to boot! And of course, this is my second go around with Diane Warren. The first was ‘Because You Loved Me,’ that Celine Dion sung for my film ‘Up Close and Personal.’ That one worked out well and I think ‘Somehow You Do’ should as well.” “‘Somehow You Do’ is a song about hope, about how even through the times that are so hard and moments in your life that are so devastating, that somehow you will get through them and get to the other side,” shares Diane Warren. “It is a song about strength of the human spirit and no voice can convey that as much as Reba McEntire. She makes you feel with every note that you might think you can’t get through it, but somehow you will, and somehow you do.” To stay up to date on the latest country music news, please register to receive our newsletter here. Media contact Zoe Hodges, Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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Jameson Rodgers releases new EP!

Leave a Comment / News / Rochelle Mills

iHeartRadio Music Awards Best New Country Artist nominee Jameson Rodgers is quickly cementing his place as one of country music’s most intriguing singer/songwriters. Not only does the Mississippi born, now Nashville native, currently find himself enjoying the success of his Gold-certified No. 1 hit “Some Girls” and the smash “Good Dogs” co-written with Hunter Phelps, Jake Mitchell, and Brent Anderson’- he now releases focus track “Cold Beer Calling My Name”, featuring label mate Luke Combs, to UK Country radio. Now this multi-talented 33-year-old is utilizing these powerful, addictive songs as the firm foundation for his new EP, “In It for the Money”- released 23rd April 2021. It’s all a part of a journey that began in 2010, when Rodgers moved to Nashville and started laying the groundwork of his career at a myriad of open mic nights in Music City. Soon, Rodgers’ talent as a songwriter began to get noticed, as he co-penned Platinum-selling hits for Florida Georgia Line (Top 10 single “Talk You Out of It”) and Chris Lane (No. 1 smash “I Don’t Know About You”), along with “Camouflage Hat” on Jason Aldean’s most recent album 9 and the title track of Luke Bryan’s latest release “Born Here Live Here Die Here”. In 2019, Rodgers found himself in arenas of screaming fans as an opener on Combs’ tour, only to find himself off the road in 2020 due to the pandemic. But it is this time that offered him the chance to create a new EP that takes bits and pieces of Rodgers’ truth and puts them together into a project in which a shy guy speaks loud about life and love and lessons learned. As well as writing the EP, Rodgers decided to help Nashville live venues remain viable during COVID-19. In conjunction with local radio stations, he is hosting ‘Jameson Rodgers & Friends’ events at The Listening Room venue in Nashville with all proceeds going to MVAN, a coalition working to ensure no Nashville independent music venue closes its doors permanently due to the pandemic. Livestream Tickets for this are available here: https://listeningroomcafe.com . PRESAVE /ORDER “IN IT FOR THE MONEY” HERE: https://jr.lnk.to/IIFTMEP “IN IT FOR THE MONEY” TRACK LISTING: 1. Cold Beer Calling My Name (Jameson Rodgers/Brett Tyler/Hunter Phelps/Alysa Vanderhym) 2. Good Dogs (Jameson Rodgers/Hunter Phelps/Jake Mitchell/Brent Anderson) 3. Some Girls (Michael Hardy/Jake Mitchell/C.J. Solar) 4. In It for the Money (Jameson Rodgers/Jake Mitchell/Hunter Phelps/Brent Anderson) 5. Rolling Rock, Rolling Stones (Jameson Rodgers/Jake Mitchell/Smith Ahnquist/Hunter Phelps) 6. When You Think Of Mississippi (Jameson Rodgers/Smith Ahnquist/Jake Mitchell/Josh Miller) 7. Desert (Jameson Rodgers/Josh Miller/Jake Mitchell/Smith Ahnquist) To stay up to date on the latest country music news, please register to receive our newsletter here. Media contact Zoe Hodges, Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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Interscope Records and UMG Nashville Announce Partnership to Release Upcoming Kacey Musgraves Album

Leave a Comment / News / Rochelle Mills

Today Interscope Records and UMG Nashville announced a unique partnership under which the two labels will jointly release the forthcoming new album by multi-GRAMMY Award winning singer/songwriter Kacey Musgraves. The album is set for release later this year. “Kacey is one of the most powerful storytellers in music today, a true albums artist who creates potent song collections that are timeless,” says Interscope Geffen A&M Chairman & CEO John Janick. “We are truly delighted to have her as part of our Interscope Records family and look forward to working alongside the UMG Nashville team and her manager Jason Owen to deliver this important project to audiences around the world.” Interscope Geffen A&M Vice Chairman, Steve Berman commented: “Kacey’s unique approach to making music and her overall boundless creative presentation is innovative and absolutely exciting. We are so happy to welcome her into our Interscope family.” Under the new partnership agreement, both labels will collaborate together on marketing, radio promotion and international marketing for Musgraves upcoming release. “I have never worked with anyone whose cultural reach is so vast,” says UMG Nashville CEO & Chairman, Mike Dungan. “This artist and her music have thrived in so many diverse environments. Kacey, the music, and the career deserve the broadest base of experience and expertise. We have discussed some type of cross label partnership for her music for a couple of years now and this is the perfect fit. We’re excited to partner with our friends at Interscope on the next chapter of Kacey Musgraves.” “Kacey’s music has never had boundaries,” adds UMG Nashville President, Cindy Mabe. “Her clever songwriting, adept storytelling, vulnerable and real emotional delivery, and her overall ‘take me or leave me’ spirit have translated through genre, time, space and culture. She simply connects. As we begin to set up her new music, it made sense to once again push the boundaries to reach more fans around the world as we continue to serve the fans who have been here from the beginning.” The 6x GRAMMY Award-winning singer-songwriter’s studio album Golden Hour (2018, MCA Nashville) earned Musgraves her third No. 1 debut on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and distinguished her as the third artist ever to take home Album of the Year at the GRAMMY Awards, Country Music Association Awards, and Academy of Country Music Awards. Golden Hour was named one of the best albums of 2018 by everyone from Apple Music, NPR, Time, The Associated Press, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Billboard, GQ, Esquire, American Songwriter, Complex, Consequence of Sound, and Vulture, among others. In support of the album, Musgraves played the biggest venues of her career, including New York City’s Radio City Music Hall and her first headlining arena show at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, and to top it off she became the first-ever female country artist to play Coachella. Musgraves has been honored at Billboard’s Women in Music event, Variety’s Power of Women event, and celebrated the opening of her exhibit, All of the Colors, at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. At the 2019 CMAs, Musgraves received two wins for Female Vocalist of the Year and for Music Video of the Year for “Rainbow.” Musgraves first received massive critical acclaim and recognition with the release of her gold-certified major label debut album Same Trailer Different Park (2013). The album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, making Musgraves the first solo female in 5 years to top the chart with a rookie release and only the seventh to do so in Nielsen SoundScan’s 22- year history. Same Trailer Different Park earned Musgraves 2 GRAMMY Awards for Best Country Album and Best Country Song (“Merry Go ‘Round”), 2 CMA Awards for “New Artist of the Year” and “Song of the Year” (“Follow Your Arrow”), and an ACM Award for Album of the Year. Musgraves’ follow-up album Pageant Material (2015), earned Musgraves her second No. 1 debut on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and soaring to No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. To stay up to date on the latest country music news, please register to receive our newsletter here. Media contact Zoe Hodges, Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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Ziggy Alberts: An Adventure to Last a Lifetime

Leave a Comment / News / Rochelle Mills

Ziggy Alberts offers an antidote for the past year with new album Searching For Freedom Ziggy Alberts is a free spirit, something that is evident on his latest record ‘Searching For Freedom’. His music is the embodiment of exploration, from the interesting acoustic guitar parts that support his captivating, storytelling lyrics to his international approach to the recording process. The record, due out on March 19th, will be his fifth studio album and after starting his career off busking to touring globally, Alberts has come to realise that he is on one big adventure that will last a lifetime. Those early days, picking up a guitar for the first time and busking around town, must seem a while ago now to Alberts who was always a bit of a loveable vagabond just searching for what he should take up next. Songs From the Surf “I started playing guitar 10 years ago, the first year after I had graduated – I was looking into different career paths, but very quickly I started pursuing freelance journalism and music while working at a music bar and at a coffee shop. My early decision making was if I did a couple more shows a week, I would be happier, just as broke and have more time to surf!” Alberts searched for freedom in both music and in the waves, something which he still does now. In fact, some of the songs on this record were inspired whilst out in the surf. He’s had more time to do that recently and in this crazy world we’re currently residing in, Alberts hopes this record will be the antidote that many need right now. “The record ‘Searching For Freedom’ probably wouldn’t exist if it hadn’t been for the pandemic. Many of the songs wouldn’t have as deeper meaning, and likely wouldn’t have been written.” The pandemic gave Ziggy Alberts a chance to reflect on the life he leads and get back to his roots in many ways. “I chose this album title because I think it is the overarching theme of both the record and human existence. I believe the pursuit of love and freedom connects everyone on the planet.” This desire to connect through music lead him to write some of the most deeply personal songs that he’s written. Alberts pours his heart and soul into the track Circus as the song takes us on a lyrical journey, “I wanted listeners to look up four minutes later and wonder where they went.” Similarly the title track, the last Ziggy Alberts wrote for the project, is perhaps one of the most poignant on the album as he takes us on a quest of self-identity. It is a testament to the formidable songwriter that he is. When someone has that raw talent it’s sometimes indescribable even to themselves! “The writing process is different every time, but in general, the process of finding a melody is kinda like catching it as it flies on past through the universe, whilst my lyrics are much more intentional. My instrumentation is somewhere between these two. I feel it is a great balance!” Finding his own voice For all the hard hitting, thought provoking songs, Ziggy Alberts isn’t afraid to have a little fun and get creative within his writing, whilst discussing the strangest things to write about in a song Ziggy revealed the strangest line he’d ever written features on this upcoming record. “There is a line in track 11 of the new album – a song called feeling you – that talks about “dogs out on the street chasing satellites” – which is about UFO’s and the likely satellite pollution astronomers and common folk could face in the future when looking up at the stars.” The unique sound of Alberts’ music has gained him a global fanbase, he attributes this to the array of influences he had growing up “Mum listened to the likes of Salt’n’Pepa and Destiny’s Child, while my father listened to James Taylor and The Eagles. I think that explains a lot about my music. I listen to just about everything these days. Right now, I am just listening to my favourite records of Ben Howard, Jack Johnson, Asgeir, Hozier and Matt Corby.” Many of those influences can be heard in this latest album but its Ziggy Alberts ability to turn a phrase that sets this record aside from the rest of the pack. Alberts’ looks forward to getting back to where it all started, performing live and connecting in person with his fans. For now he delivers a record which captures a snapshot of the man he is, the road he’s travelled and the lessons he’s learned all set to a minimalistic yet purposeful production. READ THE FULL ARTICLE IN THE LATEST ISSUE OF MAVERICK MAGAZINE. GET YOUR COPY HERE! To stay up to date on the latest country music news, please register to receive our newsletter here. Media contact Zoe Hodges, Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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‘Big Dreams’ are coming true for Track45

Leave a Comment / Exclusives / Rochelle Mills

As their latest single Met Me Now goes to radio, the sibling trio reflect on moving from small town life to Music city in pursuit of their ‘Big Dreams’. Track45 enjoyed their small town life in Meridian, Mississippi. It was where they learnt the tools of their trade, how to play, how to harmonise, but also what it means to be a close knit family – something which is an integral part of the country music genre and part of their identity as a band. Their first EP ‘Small Town’ came out towards the end of 2020. It told the authentic story of the sibling’s upbringing, laying down some roots for the group who have, for so long, been hidden in writing rooms honing their craft and telling other people’s stories. Just a few months later and their second EP ‘Big Dreams’ is garnering lots of positive reviews as it continues the story of the group who swapped their small town life for the big city. Growing up Jenna, KK and Ben were exposed to a lot of different music “Grandma taught us how to play piano and Grandad was our church choir director so music was always around our house.” KK begins. Meanwhile on long car journey’s their parents were playing classic rock and The Beatles; “We were so obsessed with the Beatles we tried to sing in British accents for a little bit” Ben laughs, as he tries to answer my questions in his best British accent! However the trio searched for their own tastes too Ben delved deep into the pop music he heard on the charts, exploring its songwriters, “I was very into the songs Max Martin wrote, songs like Teenage Dream by Katy Perry.” KK developed a love of Soul and Rock n Roll music “I was obsessed with Elvis, so much so that I had a blue fiddle which I named ‘Suede’ after the song ‘Blue Suede Shoes’”. Meanwhile Jenna drew influence from Dolly Parton, George Jones and Tammy Wynette; “For a while when I was about six I would walk round town singing D.I.V.O.R.C.E. and eventually my Mum would say “You’ve got to stop singing that when we’re out.” While the trio explored different genres, they took up different instruments too and began playing together, “We started out playing all the nursing homes round town! Our first real gig was at Dollywood, we did a Bluegrass and Barbecue festival there – four shows a day and that’s when we decided we wanted to pursue music together.” KK looked back fondly on those early performances. Although live shows are a big part of what they do, especially with those harmonies, much of the trio’s success has come from their ability to craft beautiful lyrics and killer hooks. Ben says, with a grin, “I come up with song ideas when I’m on stage. I heard Taylor Swift once walked off stage in the middle of a show to record a voice memo of a song she just wrote whilst performing and then just carried on with the gig! That’s the sort of thing I’d do.” The trio’s varied tastes in music probably helped them to branch out as three individual songwriters in their own right. All three have publishing deals and have had success writing for artists such as Dierks Bentley, Lee Brice and Charlie Puth to name a few. Ultimately they always gravitate back to each other. “When we’re writing for other people it’s somebody else’s story we’re telling, when we’re writing for ourselves it’s very autobiographical, and authentic to us”. The siblings were all heavily involved in the writing and production process of ‘Big Dreams’. “Me + You originally started in a writing session I was in with Hunter Phelps and Charlie Handsome” Ben recalls. “We were talking through ideas and Hunter said ‘What about nothing adds up like Me + You’. So we wrote about half the song and then I took what we had to Jenna and KK and we finished writing it.” From small town beginnings, to moving to Nashville, Track45 are carving out a path in country music that they can walk along together. As they think back on those early days at Dollywood, Jenna ponders “Wouldn’t it be great if we could do this for the rest of our lives? Whether that’s in the street or in a stadium, but preferably in a stadium.” It’s clear that Track45 have achieved a lot, but they still have ‘Big Dreams’ to chase. READ THE FULL ARTICLE IN THE LATEST ISSUE OF MAVERICK MAGAZINE! GET YOUR COPY HERE! To stay up to date on the latest country music news, please register to receive our newsletter here. Media contact Zoe Hodges, Editor, Maverick Magazine Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823920 Email: editor@maverick-country.com

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