January 2023

Multi-Platinum hitmaker Jordan Davis has announced his highly anticipated new full-length album, Bluebird Days. The album, available on February 17 via Snakefarm in the UK, will include Davis’ US 2 x Platinum No. 1 single, “Buy Dirt”, which earned him his first ‘Song of the Year’ win at the 2022 CMA Awards.  One of the most-streamed songs of the year in 2021 and 2022, “Buy Dirt” was co-written by Davis and his brother Jacob, along with Matt Jenkins and Josh Jenkins. Davis shared the album cover and title with American Songwriter before joining Bobby Bones to discuss the release… “It’s been an evolution, and not just from a songwriting standpoint,” said Davis, reflecting on the process of creating Bluebird Days with producer Paul DiGiovanni, who also produced his debut album, Home State. He added, “Everything matches the song…letting the song be a song and letting the lyrics lead it. Nothing feels forced. To me, it’s an album expressing exactly where I’m at right now.” “Buy Dirt” (feat. Luke Bryan) about “faith, family and friends” continues to resonate with fans on a global scale, topping the US country radio airplay charts for two weeks, amassing more than 735 million global streams to date, and earning the NSAI ‘Song of the Year’ accolade (2022). In addition to its 2022 CMA ‘Song of the Year’ win, “Buy Dirt” has tallied multiple awards nominations, including ‘Top Country Song’ at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards, ‘Musical Event of the Year’ at the 55th CMA Awards, and ‘Music Event’, ‘Single’ and ‘Song of the Year’ at the 57th ACM Awards. Read the story behind the making of “Buy Dirt” here.  In addition to “Buy Dirt”, Bluebird Days will feature several recently released tracks, including fan-favourites “Next Thing You Know”, “Midnight Crisis” (feat. Danielle Bradbery), “Part of It”, and current hit single, “What My World Spins Around”, which has amassed more than 145 million streams since its release this summer. In addition to his direct support slot on a Stateside tour with Luke Combs, Davis has headlined sold-out US venues coast to coast, and played back-to-back sold-out nights at Nashville’s famed Ryman Auditorium in 2022, with Music Row noting, “Davis… rises to stardom, shines on Ryman Stage”.   Davis will next join Thomas Rhett early next year for the international leg of his Bring the Bar To You Tour.  For more information on upcoming tour dates and to purchase tickets, visit jordandavisofficial.com/tour.

South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals (March 10-19, 2023) announced the Opening Night film, Feature and Short Competitions, Midnighters, select titles from other categories and XR Experience for the 30th edition of the SXSW Film & TV Festival. The rest of the lineup will be announced in early February. SXSW Film & TV will open with Paramount Pictures and eOne’s Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, directed and co-written by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. In the film a charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers embark on an epic quest to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. The movie brings the rich world and playful spirit of the legendary roleplaying game to the big screen in a hilarious and action-packed adventure starring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez,  Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Chloe Coleman, Daisy Head, and Hugh Grant. “We are thrilled to announce the first wave of our incredible lineup for SXSW 2023,” said Claudette Godfrey, VP Film & TV. “It’s an amazing collection of films, TV series and XR experiences that promise to inspire, entertain and challenge our audiences. We’re also proud to open with Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, a raucous and engaging fantasy adventure, and look forward to welcoming everyone to Austin in March for what promises to be an unforgettable event.” SXSW draws thousands of fans, film and television creators, press, and industry leaders to immerse themselves in the smartest, most innovative and entertaining new films, TV and XR projects of the year, as well as giving access to hundreds of Conference Sessions, Music and Comedy Showcases, Creative Industry Exhibitions, Mentoring, Meetups and Special Events that define the cross-industry event. The 2023 Film & TV Festival will be in-person only. Feature films in the SXSW 2023 lineup screen in the following categories: Headliners; Narrative Feature Competition presented by Panavision; Documentary Feature Competition; Narrative Spotlight; Documentary Spotlight; Visions; Midnighters; Global presented by MUBI; 24 Beats Per Second; Festival Favorites, and Special Screenings. The TV program consists of TV Premieres, TV Spotlight, and the Independent TV Pilot Competition. The SXSW 2023 Shorts Film Program presented by IMDbPro will present seven competitive sections. XR Experience Competition, XR Spotlight and XR Special Events programming round out the Film & TV Festival program. All Categories with the exception of Special Screenings and TV Spotlight will be eligible for section-specific Audience Awards.

South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals has announced the addition of Keynote Session Unfold The Universe: NASA’s Webb Space Telescope and the third round of Featured Speakers for the 37th edition of its annual Conference, which celebrates the convergence of technology, film, television, and music. SXSW takes place March 10 – 19, 2023 in Austin, Texas. The Keynote Session Unfold The Universe: NASA’s Webb Space Telescope includes NASA Goddard Communications Team Lead for the James Webb Space Telescope Laura Betz, Astrophysicist and James Webb Space Telescope Deputy Project Scientist for Exoplanet Science Dr. Knicole Colón, Planetary Scientist and James Webb Space Telescope Deputy Project Scientist for Planetary Science Dr. Stefanie Milam and Astrophysicist and Deputy Project Scientist for James Webb Space Telescope Science Communications Dr. Amber Straughn. The Session will feature a never-before-seen image from the James Webb Space Telescope. “We are honored to host a Keynote Session featuring members of the James Webb Space Telescope team,” said Hugh Forrest, Chief Programming Officer and Co-President. “They join an impressive group of Featured Speakers who have consistently strived for progress and discovery across a diverse range of industries, including healthcare, technology, transportation, food, and the arts.” Author of the national bestseller The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life and Executive Director of the Religion & Society Program at the Aspen Institute Simran Jeet Singh has been announced as Opening Speaker. The SXSW Conference is organized into 25 programming tracks presented in a variety of session formats. The tracks for 2023 include 2050, Advertising & Brand Experience, Cannabis, Civic Engagement, Climate Change, Creating Film & Episodics, Culture, Design, Energy, Film & TV Industry, Food, Game Industry, Health & MedTech, Markets & Economies, Media Industry, Music & Tech, Music Careers, Psychedelics, Sports, Startups, Tech Industry, Transportation, Travel & Leisure, Workplace Revolution and XR & Metaverse. More information about SXSW programming tracks and formats can be found here.

No. 1 hitmaker and multi-genre phenomenon Jelly Roll scores his first No. 1 on US Country radio, as his debut Country single ‘Son Of A Sinner‘ sits at the top of the Billboard and Country Aircheck/MediaBase charts. Following a massive, history-making year that included selling out Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, making his Grand Ole Opry debut, scoring his first Country radio No. 1 and two-week Rock No. 1, and releasing his label-debut album Ballads Of The Broken on BMG/Stoney Creek Records, the Antioch native has more than “cemented his rising mainstream stardom” (Tennessean). Amassing more than 4 Billion career streams, Jelly Roll’s ‘Son Of A Sinner’ continues to dominate Billboard’s Emerging Artist chart for an astounding 20 straight weeks – marking the second-longest reign ever on the chart.Written by Jelly Roll with fellow Nashville native ERNEST and David Ray Stevens, the Jelly shared with Billboard his appreciation for his first #1 single at Country radio, noting “There is no greater reward for a singer and songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee than to have the #1 song on Country radio. Now, imagine that happening to a guy that grew up in this town…a guy that, at every turn the first 25 years of his life, made the wrong decision. Imagine everyone telling that guy he had no chance at Country radio. ‘You’re too overweight, you have too many tattoos, they will never let another convicted criminal on Country radio’ – now imagine Country radio proving everyone wrong and taking the chance on the song, the message and the man. If you can imagine that, then you can understand why I’m so filled with gratitude as tears stream down my face while I type this: I currently have the number 1 song on Country radio. Thank you, Country Radio and all the Streaming Partners, for making ‘Son of a Sinner’ my first #1 at Country radio. I vow to never let you down or forget the chance you gave me when everyone told you not to! I want to take a second to thank my label STONEY CREEK AND BMG — Loba and his misfits — y’all took the biggest chance. Every label in town told me I had a better chance signing with a label in LA than to ever have a chance in this town with my history — not only did that not scare BMG, it made them want to double down and go all in!”Last year ahead of his sold-out headlining date at his hometown venue, Bridgestone Arena, Jelly also shared with Billboard, “I want to keep making music that helps people,” and detailed the behind-the-scenes process of his song, ‘she’ the soul-stirring ballad that brings the hidden perils of addiction into the light. Quickly resonating with fans, ‘she’ encouraged people through the music video and Jelly’s partnership with Shatterproof to seek help with addiction and mental health. Watch the powerful video for ‘she’ HERE.Jelly’s next release from his highly anticipated forthcoming album will be ‘NEED A FAVOR,’ which dictates “the internal fight between faith and vices” (American Songwriter), impacting US radio 13 February. Ahead of its official radio release, the video for ‘NEED A FAVOR’ will premiere this Friday, 13 January, on YouTube, along with a live stream after party for fans HERE.After independently building his own fanbase, the past year has marked Jelly Roll’s biggest to date. With his two-week rock No. 1 ‘Dead Man Walking’ – his first No. 1 ever as an artist or songwriter – Jelly became the first act this decade to top the Rock charts while simultaneously having a Top 30 song on Country radio (‘Son Of A Sinner’), and he is the first artist in Billboard history to do so with debut singles. It was also just over a year ago that Jelly Roll signed with BMG and sold-out the Ryman Auditorium in under an hour, prompting an immediate invitation to the historic Opry to make his debut.

As anticipation builds for their annual destination concert vacation, HootieFest: The Big Splash, Diamond-certified band Hootie & the Blowfish has announced the official performance schedule for April 26-29, 2023. Hosted on a picturesque stretch of white sand beach at Moon Palace Cancún, the four-day celebration of all things rock will feature three headlining performances on the beach by the GRAMMY Award-winning band, as well as daily pool parties, intimate oceanfront performances from Goo Goo Dolls, Barenaked Ladies, Collective Soul, Gin Blossoms, Everclear, Edwin McCain, Lit and Cowboy Mouth as well as a special Hootie & the Blowfish sunset show. Wednesday, April 266:15pm Lit7:45pm Edwin McCain9:45pm Hootie & the Blowfish Thursday, April 271:00pm Voice of Harold (Pool Party)6:30pm Occasional Milkshake8:00pm Gin Blossoms10:00pm Goo Goo Dolls Friday, April 281:00pm Cowboy Mouth (Pool Party)6:30pm Hootie & the Blowfish (Sunset Show)8:00pm Everclear10:00pm Barenaked Ladies Saturday, April 291:00pm HootieFiesta (Pool Party)6:15pm Cowboy Mouth7:45pm Collective Soul9:45pm Hootie & the Blowfish

Praised by American Songwriter as “one of Country music’s most intriguing and lasting acts,” Chase Rice brought one of the title tracks off his forthcoming album, I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell, to viewers nationwide with the television debut of “I Hate Cowboys” on this morning’s edition of “Good Morning America.” Watch his performance HERE and stream the song on all platforms now. With “I Hate Cowboys” serving as an ode to how enviable true cowboys are, the official music video released today also offers a visual homage to cowboy culture. Showcasing vintage rodeo footage – including scenes of the great Lane Frost, Tuff Hedeman and Chris LeDoux – the video also features Rice performing the song from the iconic Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo arena. Watch HERE. Featuring 13 tracks ranging from admiration of a Western way of life in recent releases “I Hate Cowboys” and “Way Down Yonder” to emotional reckoning in Key West & Colorado” and a reimagined album version of “If I Were Rock & Roll,” the forthcoming album set for release on Feb. 10 also honors Rice’s late father, Daniel, with its cover art. “My dad was one of those good guys you read about – tough, hardworking, always helping other people out,” Rice shared of the man gracing the album cover. “I try to live my life in a way that would make him proud. I haven’t always measured up to that, but I get closer to that man I want to be and the man he’d be proud of every single day. “Making this album was a big step towards that musically, too,” he continued of the project for which he served as a writer on all 13 tracks, including three solo writes. “Not only is it the most vulnerable I’ve ever been, it’s also something he’d enjoy listening to and is full of stories I wish I could tell him. I’ve always wanted to honor him by using this photo as an album cover, and I know this project is the one that deserves that. I can’t wait for y’all to hear it.” Fans will also get to hear the new music live on Rice’s upcoming Way Down Yonder Tour, set to visit iconic venues such as Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, Boston’s House of Blues and Athens’ Georgia Theatre from March 3 through July 1, with 13 new dates added today. For all the latest news on his forthcoming music as well as tickets to all upcoming tour dates, visit ChaseRice.com and follow Rice on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok @ChaseRiceMusic and on Instagram @ChaseRice.