|
International Country Music Association Update February 2002 Post Office Box 292937, Nashville, TN 37229 On The Web: www.radiocountry.org Email: intlcma@aol.com Publisher: Scarlett Vanek Editor: Bobbie Patterson Music Reviews: Rhett Ashley Research Assistant: Dale Roberts Circulation: 76,500 Plus ************************************************** Get Listed In The International CMA's Country Music Source Book Bands, songwriting associations, disc jockeys, state and regional CMAs, instrument makers, booking agents, recording studios, publishing companies, photographers, audio engineers, soundmen, sound and lighting companies (sales, rentals, installation, and cartage) venues, festivals, and anything else you do in country music. Are you in the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, or elsewhere? It doesn't matter! If you want listed in our directory, we want to hear from you. If you operate a country music related business, organization, or association, we want to list you in our directory. We intend to make it the most complete directory available. It will be heavily advertised and shipped throughout the world. Our source book will be available on www.radiocountry.org. It will be written about in this newsletter and dozens of others. It will be promoted in magazines and on radio broadcasts. Country music has gone international. It is time we have a truly international source book. To get listed, email us at intlcma@aol.com. (Please do not email the webmaster.) ************************************************** The Following DJs Need Your Music Hillbilly at Harvard, WHRB-FM, 389 Harvard St., Cambridge, MA 02138 Cousin Lynn, email Hillbilly@whrb.org Mel Hague, 37 Wroot Road, Finningley Village, Doncaster, DN9 3DS, United Kingdom James Pearson, 36 Staney Hill, Lerwick, Shetland Isles, United Kingdom Tommy Truesdale, 3 Mc Colgan Place, Ayr, Scotland, United Kingdom German Country Music Magazine reviews CDs. For details contact Christian Lamitschka e-mail: Ch.Lamitschka@t-online.de British Country Music Archives (They archive country & bluegrass music for future generations.) David Barnes, 163 The Gateway, Marine Parade, Kent, CT16 1LJ, United Kingdom ************************************************** Our U. S. Postal Mailing Address Is Changing They have announced plans to close our old post office. Please change your address books. Our new U. S. Postal mailing address is P. O. Box 292937, Nashville, TN 37229. The old mailing address will be invalid in several weeks. The U. S. Postal Service will not forward mail from our old P. O. Box to our new one. Please be sure to send music for review and any other regular mail to our new address. ************************************************** Tennessee CMA Competition Scheduled The TCMA will be having their annual talent competition event next month. The exact dates are March 15 though March 17. The event will be at the Clarion hotel in Nashville. For entry forms and complete details visit their website. It is http://www.tennesseecma.org ************************************************** Where Can Unsigned Singers Get Discovered? Over 30 Record companies will be checking out the stages at Ambassador Charlie Ray's Nashville Music Festival. If you want the Nashville Music Industry to know what you have to offer, don't miss this event. Details are posted at http://www.nashvillemusicfestival.com ************************************************** Music Industry Pros Doing Seminars At Ambassador Charlie Ray's Nashville Festival Ed Turnley, Nashville music row attorney, will conduct a one hour seminar entitled "Songwriting & The Law." Ed is highly regarded in both Nashville's music industry and the legal community. If you write songs, don't miss his seminar. Minette Streeter conducted a very informative seminar at last year's festival. Her topic was: deducting your music expenses from your federal income taxes. This year her seminar will be twice as long and twice as informative. Colonel Buster Doss will conduct a seminar entitled "So You Want To Be A Star." Buster has an unmatched background in entertainment. He was a star of western movies as Bronco Buck Cody. He was on the Louisiana Hayride with Hank Williams, Sr. He has toured the country as a magician, a circus owner, a singer, and a concert promoter. He currently serves on the boards of directors of several country music organizations and runs Stardust Records. During his 50 plus years in the entertainment industry, he has forgotten more than most people know. Mark this down as a must see seminar. Celine Bosch is the founder and President of Women In Music, Music In Women. She manages acts, from as far away as Poland. Her seminar entitled, "The Grassroots Approach to Promotion," is sure to be a winner. Rein Wortelboer has been a disc jockey in the Netherlands for more years than most of you have been singing. He understands the European country music market inside out. He will conduct a seminar entitled "Country Music Radio In Europe." He did a similar seminar at last year's festival. I saw folks writing notes fast and furiously. Fifteen European nations are united as the European Union. Their combined 350 million people make it a bigger market than the United States. If you're serious about your career, you cannot ignore the European Union. You need to hear what Rein has to say. His wife, Els Wortelboer, distributes country music in both Holland and Belgium. Be sure you meet her as well. Darryl Harrellson, Vice President of the California CMA, studio owner, record company owner, musician, soundman, and manager will conduct a seminar entitled "Getting Ready For The Big Time." Darryl is a legend on the West coast and well known across the nation. He'll be passing on a great deal of hard-learned knowledge. If you want to move ahead quickly and avoid pitfalls, catch his seminar. Colonel Keith Bradford spent 16 years on the road as Kitty Wells' opening act. He toured with Freddie Hart when Freddie was CMA Entertainer Of The Year. He has recorded more than 100 albums of original songs. For more than 30 years, he has made his living in country music. He will conduct a seminar entitled "Introduction To The Nashville Number System." Nashville studio musicians and those touring with country music stars do not use sheet music. The Nashville Number System is faster to learn and delivers better results. You need to know about this. To find out more about this event visit http://www.nashvillemusicfestival.com More great seminars will be announced in future issues. ************************************************** Jessica Shepherd in Australia Singer/Songwriter JESSICA SHEPHERD, from Austin, Texas visited Australia from mid December 2001 until the end of January 2002. The visit included promotional appearances on radio, and performances at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, the premier country music event in Australia. This is Jessica's third visit to Australia in the past 18 months and she is developing quite a following. Her appearance at Tamworth this year, including being the presenter at the awards ceremony, is certain to lift Jessica's profile in Australia. She expects to return to Australia again in August 2002. ************************************************** Where Can Songwriters Pitch Their Songs Directly To Producers & Artists? There is only one place we know of where a songwriter can walk up to hundreds of singers and personally pitch them a song. There is only one event we know of where there is a special stage just for songwriters. You can sing your song the way you want it sung. The audience will be full of record producers and recording artists. If you've written some great songs, don't miss this event. Details are posted at http://www.nashvillemusicfestival.com ************************************************** Carlene Carter Has Legal Problems An arrest warrant was issued in Albuquerque, NM for Carlene Carter. They say she didn't appear in court for a felony drug possession charge. ************************************************** Country Boy Goes To Vegas Neal McCoy will be filling in occasionally for Wayne Newton at the Stardust in Las Vegas. Neal & Wayne have become good friends. ************************************************** Country Girl Receives Honors Loretta Lynn will receive an honorary doctorate in March, from the University Of Kentucky. ************************************************** Mark Chestnut's Come Back Mark Chestnut has another major label deal. He signed with Sony Columbia. "She Was", will be released to radio as a single. ************************************************** Jeff Carson Injured In Sledding Accident Curb recording artist Jeff Carson was in the top 10 last December with, "Real Life." His new single, "Until We Fall Back In Love Again," was shipped to radio this month. February 7th, the singer was sledding and hit a tree. Doctors at Nashville's Vanderbilt hospital said a vertebra in his upper back was broken. They do not expect long term disability. In spite of the pain Jeff still has his sense of humor. He asked the emergency room doctor, "When all is said and done will I be able to play the piano?" The doctor said, "Yes." Jeff said, "Good, I could never play the piano before." ************************************************** Good-by To Waylon
We know you are in Heaven. You you will live forever in the hearts of Country fans. ************************************************** Music Reviews By Rhett Ashley If you'd like your music reviewed, please mail it to Rhett Ashley, International CMA Music Reviews, POB 292937, Nashville, TN 37229. We don't want to embarrass anybody. Reviews of music rated at less than 3 Stars will not be published. We will contact those people privately and offer our advice. Japan; Edison & Hirsch, "Out Of Character," 5 sides & "Silver Moon," 4 sides, Al Hirt said there are only two kinds of music, good and bad. This is good pop! It's still playing, in the office. 5 Stars California; Curtis James, "Curtis James," 10 sides, Fine vocals, overall good instrumentation and skillful use of organ makes this a feel good album. 4 Stars California; Kevin Buchanan, "Silvertown," 10 sides, Good vocals combine with highly creative use of keyboard & killer mix. 4 Stars Ohio; Delta 88, "Delta 88," 11 sides, I believe this could have been a very good album. However; it is excessively noisy. Mastering is desperately needed. 3 Stars Texas; Steve Calvert, "Steve Calvert," 10 sides, With solid vocals, songs, and production this is a quality piece of work. 4 Stars Michigan; Ken Bierschbach, "Somewhere Out There," 13 sides, country, folk, rock, & pop this album has some of everything. There's not a bad cut in the bunch. 4 1/2 Stars Minnesota; The Urban Hillbilly Quartet, "Beautiful Lazy," 12 sides, It's a fascinating blend of bluegrass instruments, in a near rock style. 4 Stars Missouri; Bobby Cage, "Coming Home To You," 13 sides. He wrote the songs, played lead guitar, and did the vocals his way. It's a good way. 4 Stars New Jersey; Brian Clayton, "Extended Play," 6 sides, Anybody who still believes Yankee boys can't sing country hasn't heard this album. 4 Stars Ohio; Pam Kalson, "The Great Unknown," 9 sides, Her totally professional approach to this album paid off. The only thing better than the guitar work is her vocals. 4 Stars California; Ashley Jay, "Only When," 13 sides, This lady is a kick ass singer with a bad ass attitude. You gotta love it! 4 1/2 Stars California; J. Muffin Yessian, "Stand Tall America," 1 side, The events of 9/11 inspired a lot of patriotic songs. This is one of the good ones. 3 1/2 Stars Pennsylvania; Rhonda Watson, "Cracks & Shadows," 10 sides, She makes you believe it so strongly, you want to whip the man, who did her wrong. 4 Stars Nashville; Billy Yates, "If I Could Go Back," 10 sides, I haven't heard a slow ballad voice this good since Randy Travis arrived. 5 Stars Texas; Perry Wing, "Walking The Back Streets," 12 sides, Austin has long been a top entertainment center. This album shows it's a 1st rate recording center. 4 Stars Kentucky; Heidi Howe, "A Real Piece Of Work," 13 sides, At her worst, she's great. At her best, she fantastic. 4 1/2 Stars Kentucky; Daniel Smith, "Genesis," 10 sides, Outstanding song selection, good vocals, production, and mix. 4 Stars Alabama; Katrina Laney, "Out There On The Water," 12 sides, Her voice is so sweet and pure, it makes you stop whatever you're doing and listen. 4 1/2 Stars Nashville; Sherrie Austin, "Following A Feelin'," 10 sides, This lady is not just another pretty girl singer. She's a talent to be reckoned with. 5 Stars Nashville; Holly Sweet, "Requested Material," 14 sides, She's candy to the eyes and candy to the ears. You can't say nuthin' bad about a lady like that. 4 1/2 Stars Pennsylvania; Jody King, "The Lonestar Cowboy," 13 sides, He's almost got a good thing finished. Volume varies from one song to the next. It needs mastered. 3 Stars California; Josie Kreuzer, "As Is," 13 sides, Good old fashion honky tonk music done right. 4 1/2 Stars Pennsylvania; John Flynn, "To The Point," 18 sides, Live recording with a simple production which doesn't get in the way of the great story songs. 4 1/2 Stars Virginia; Larry G. Hutton, New Beginning," 10 sides, The production & mix are weak, but the vocals and songs are much stronger. 3 Stars New York; Bob Grez, "Ain't Plain Country." 13 sides, "Still A Cowboy," 13 sides, The ladies in the office say he has a "bedroom voice." I just say these are two good albums. 4 Stars Maryland; Maria Rose, "We Need To Be The Re-United States," 1 side, Inspired by 9/11 the message is a good one. It's just a little heavy for my tastes. 3 Stars Georgia; Michael Stacy, "After The Storm," 12 sides, Modern country with outstanding guitar work and vocals. 4 Stars Connecticut; Joe Leggo, "Always Country," 14 sides, Solid country songs, production, vocals, and mix. 4 Stars Texas; Mike Allen, "Mike Allen," 10 sides, Good songs, clean Texas style production and great vocals make this album enjoyable to hear. 4 Stars ************************************************** |