NASHVILLE |
MSO NASHVILLE UPDATE—SPRING 2014
- WYNONNA JUDD: The iconic country singer is touring throughout 2014 and recording her eighth studio album to be released in 2014. It will be the latest in a string of hit albums that started with her quintuple platinum 1992 solo debut, Wynonna. That set spawned four number one hits and was the bestselling country album ever by a female artist at that time. In 1994, WYNONNA received the coveted Top Female Vocalist of the Year trophy at the ACM Awards, and Rolling Stone called her “the greatest female country singer since Patsy Cline.” Last year, she was a contestant on “Dancing With The Stars” and also debuted the documentary “The Road Back” about her husband/drummer’s Cactus Moser’s recovery from a motorcycle accident, in which he lost a leg. Check out a clip here: http://www.wynonna.com/videos.html Read an interview with her at Raise The Question.
- BILLY RAY CYRUS: The multi GRAMMY-nominated BILLY RAY CYRUS is an American singer-songwriter-musician and actor who has sold more than 25 million albums internationally; he has also had three No. 1 hit singles. Over the course of 12 studio albums since 1992, Cyrus has earned nearly 30 chart singles, including 15 Top 40 hits. Cyrus has also received major music awards including American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards and Country Music Association Awards. Over the last decade, Cyrus has established himself as a successful musician, actor in TV and film, performing in lead roles such as the title character of the PAX-TV series “Doc” and as Robby Ray Stewart, the father of daughter Miley Cyrus’ fictional character in the smash Disney Channel series “Hannah Montana.” A developer of the hit TV series “Surprise Homecoming” on TLC, Cyrus has multiple TV projects currently in development. In 2013 alone, he released his latest solo album Change My Mind (Blue Cadillac Music), a best-selling memoir Hillbilly Heart and performed on Broadway in Chicago in the beloved role of Billy Flynn. NPR noted of his memoir Hillbilly Heart “There’s something very refreshing about Billy Ray Cyrus’ new memoir Hillbilly Heart. It’s not just that he’s candid about being, at many points throughout his life, a headstrong jerk, or, as he puts it, a ‘heathen,’ an imperfect man.”–John Rabe. With the release of “Hope Is Just Ahead” a duet with the legendary singer Dionne Warwick and multiple singles as well as a new album planned for mid-year, Billy shows no signs of slowing down in 2014. http://www.billyraycyrus.com
- ALL FOR THE HALL:The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum’s All For The Hall fundraiser, the museum’s first ever brick and mortar campaign, addresses the museum’s need for long-term financial security. For the seventh year in a row, the museum took its “annual giving” event on the road, hosting previous ALL FOR THE HALL events in New York in 2007, 2008 and 2013, and in Los Angeles in 2009-11. The annual fundraising event returned to Los Angeles for the first time in nearly three years. The Tuesday, March 4 event at Club Nokia, followed the traditional “guitar pull” format and featured performances by Country Music Hall of Fame members Vince Gill and Emmylou Harris, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members Heart and Grammy Award-winning artist Jason Mraz. Acclaimed actress/singer/film producer Rita Wilson hosted the event. ALL FOR THE HALL Los Angeles is chaired by BMI President and CEO Del Bryant and produced by CAA’s Rod Essig, Vector Management’s Ken Levitan and BMI’s Jody Williams. Thanks to the generosity of AEG Live and Club Nokia, the 2014 event was a success. http://countrymusichalloffame.org/all-for-the-hall/
- DEL BARBER: The award-winning singer/songwriter DEL BARBER will release his fourth album Prairieography in the US on April 15. BARBER grew up in the Canadian Prairies, and that landscape is as much a part of him and his music as the people he has met along the way. BARBER sings from the heart about his roots, telling tales from the road, and offering incredibly personal and sincere observations of the world around him. Recorded at Empire Recording in Winnipeg, BARBER’s latest album is born out of a love for his home, its people and their stories. Praireography is the earnest travelogue of a wandering troubadour and the realization that creativity is rarely a bolt of lightning. For more information on DEL BARBER, visit www.delbarber.com.
- JO DEE MESSINA: The multi-platinum, award-winning country singer/songwriter continues touring throughout 2014. The live performances showcase MESSINA’s commanding vocal prowess which has earned her nine #1 country singles, over five million records sold, two Grammy nominations and various CMA and ACM awards throughout her career. In May 2013, JO DEE announced that she’ll be releasing new music independently via a Kickstarter campaign dubbed, “My Time. Our Music.” Her new album Me is set to be released March 18 via her new label, Dreambound Records. She performed a new song, the powerful and upbeat “A Woman’s Rant,” on the Today Show in May. Her new single “Peace Sign” was released in August and she will return to the Today Show March 18, the day her new album is released, to perform the album’s title track.
- JOHN FOGERTY: FOGERTY, one of rock’s most important artists and a national treasure who’s sold over 100 million records, returned in 2013 with his much-anticipated album Wrote a Song for Everyone. It’s a celebration of his revered songbook (classics and deep tracks) and some brand new songs released on Vanguard Records, his first for the label. It entered the Billboard Albums Chart at #3 and features collaborations with Foo Fighters, Bob Seger, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, My Morning Jacket, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, Dawes and more. Receiving rare five-star review from Rolling Stone, this marks the Grammy Award-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee’s highest-debuting album of his career (including Creedence Clearwater Revival releases). In addition, this is FOGERTY’s highest charting record since 1985′s Centerfield hit #1. Visit www.johnfogerty.com for updates.
- DWIGHT YOAKAM: The multi-platinum, Grammy-winning country music innovator is riding a new wave of success and acclaim with his latest album 3 PEARS (Warner Bros) and single “A Heart Like Mine.” He dominated best-of-2012 lists including Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, the Village Voice and NPR. Rolling Stone picked “A Heart Like Mine” as one of the year’s best singles of the year, and 3 PEARS broke the 2012 record for spending the most weeks at #1 (eight) at Americana radio. It also marks his highest-charting debut on the Billboard 200 and Billboard Country Albums charts. Dwight toured heavily in 2013 following his performances at festivals including Stagecoach and Bonnaroo and his two sold-out shows at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium in April. In September, Dwight won the Americana Music Association’s coveted “Artist of the Year” award. In January 2014 he appeared on one of the last nights of “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” marking his record-setting 28th performance there.
- DAVE STEWART: The solo artist, producer and co-founder of the Eurythmicsreleased his new album LUCKY NUMBERS last year via Kobalt Label Services. DAVE recorded the new album in (well, you know DAVE) the South Pacific, Nashville and Los Angeles. It’s a rootsy rock affair with blues, country and soul stylings, and he is again backed by the best players in Nashville: guitarist Tom Bukovac, drummer Chad Cromwell, bassist Michael Rhodes, pianist Mike Rojas, accordionist Kieran Kiely and steel guitarist Dan Dugmore, who also did the same honors on STEWART’s acclaimed 2011 (The Blackbird Diaries) and 2012 (The Ringmaster General) releases.
- BRIGITTE DeMEYER: Acclaimed singer/songwriter BRIGITTE DeMEYER shares a new batch of stories–inspired by the inimitable spirit of the South–with the release her new album SAVANNAH ROAD, out Tuesday, April 29 on indie label BDM Music, with distribution by The Royal Potato Family/RED Distribution. SAVANNAH ROAD is raw, stripped down and the lyrics read like a novel about life, love, yearning and mystery. BRIGITTE recorded the majority of the album in her own home studio and, for the first time in her career, she self-produced the collection as well. She collaborated with longtime friend and previous producer Brady Blade, frequent collaborator and songwriting partner Will Kimbrough and acclaimed engineer David Z (Prince, Etta James, Johnny Lang).
- DEE JAY SILVER: Ground-breaking country DJ/remixer/producer DEE JAY SILVER has been touring for over 10 years, performing at premier venues in virtually every major market in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. For the past several years, SILVER has thrilled millions while on tour with Jason Aldean and is out now with Brad Paisley on his “Beat This Winter” tour. 2013 marked the release of SILVER’s much anticipated EP titled Country Club (Sony Nashville) which features country mash-ups of some of the format’s most popular and beloved stars, including Alabama, Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, Jake Owen, and Love and Theft. Check out a sample of Country Club here: https://soundcloud.com/djsilverstl/dee-jay-silver-country-club. He also finished up the year as the official DJ for the Tennessee Titans NFL team, made his national TV debut on “Fox & Friends” and served as house DJ for the American Country Awards in Las Vegas, performing throughout the telecast. 2014 finds SILVER hosting and programming his own nationally syndicated weekly country radio show, “The Country Club with Dee Jay Silver.” SILVER’s unique brand of entertainment crosses over to audiences in multiple music genres in all kinds of venues.
- 2014 ANNUAL SOURCE AWARDS: SOURCE, founded in 1991, is a nonprofit organization supporting women executives and professionals who work in all facets of the Nashville music industry. In 2003, the annual SOURCE Awards were established to pay respect to and honor the women who helped develop and build upon the foundation of the music industry in Nashville.
| Mitch Schneider, President | lwenner@msopr.com | 615-973-4160 |
| Marcee Rondan, Executive VP | mschneider@msopr.com | 818-380-0400 |
| Libby Coffey, VP | marcee@msopr.com | |
| Alexandra Greenberg, VP | lcoffey@msopr.com | |
| Lyndie Wenner, Nashville Director | agreenberg@msop.com | |
| Angela Villanueva, Account Executive | avillanueva@msopr.com | |
| Bari Lieberman, Tour Press Director | blieberman@msopr.com | |
| Amanda Kaiser, Tour/National Publicist | akaiser@msopr.com | |
| Aaron Feterl, Publicist | aaron@msopr.com | |
| Mike Gowen, Associate Publicist | mgowen@msopr.com |
(MSO’s artist Q&A site)
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SOURCE–an organization of women executives in Nashville’s Music Industry–held its monthly members’ luncheon at ASCAP on February 22, 2012. Mitch Schneider, President of MSO PR, was the guest speaker.
Photo Credit: Denise Fussell
Left to Right:
Lainie Allbee (SOURCE President/Martin-Allbee & Associates), Mitch Schneider (MSO PR – President), Lyndie Wenner (MSO PR – Nashville Director), Nicole Hardy (Neste Event Marketing VP Sales)
Left to Right:
Lon Helton (Country Aircheck), Joe Galante (Galante Entertainment), Lyndie Wenner (MSO PR – Nashville Director), Stacy Schlitz (Schlitz Law)
Left to Right:
Mitch Schneider (MSO PR – President), Billy Block, Lyndie Wenner (MSO PR – Nashville Director), Angela Villanueva (MSO PR – Account Executive)
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MSO COUNTRY/AMERICANA CLIENTS: PAST & PRESENT*
(Offices in Nashville and Los Angeles)
WHERE COUNTRY & ROCK PUBLICITY REVERBERATES
CURRENT
Billy Ray Cyrus: new album on Blue Cadillac Music planned for 2014; new single “Hope Is Just Ahead” released in February
Brigitte DeMeyer: Savannah Road (BDM Music, to be released 4/29/14)
Dee Jay Silver: Country Club (Sony Nashville, released 6/4/13)
Del Barber: Prairieography (True North Records, to be released 4/15/14)
Dwight Yoakam: 3 Pears (Warner. Bros, 2012)
Jo Dee Messina: ME (Dreambound Records, to be released 3/18/14)
John Fogerty: Wrote A Song For Everyone (Vanguard Records, released 5/28/13 featuring
Bob Seger, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert, Zac Brown Band, Alan Jackson, Kid Rock)
The Source 2014 Awards (non-profit organization of executive women in all facets of the Nashville music industry)
Wynonna Judd: new album on Curb Records planned for 2014
RECENT
Aaron Lewis: Town Line, (R&J Records, 2011)
Americana Music Association (2009)
Bob Schneider : A Perfect Day (Kirtland Records, 2011)
Blackberry Smoke: Little Piece of Dixie (BamaJam Records, 2009 and 2010 reissue)
BrokeDown Cadillac: Somewhere in America (Self-released, 2009)
Country Music Hall Of Fame® And Museum’s annual All for the Hall fundraiser (2009-2011)
Cody Beebe & The Crooks: Out Here (independent, out 5/7/13)
Country Throwdown Tour: debut multi-act outdoor amphitheatre tour, with headliners
Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson, Little Big Town and Jack Ingram (2010)
Dolly Parton: Better Day (Dolly Records, 2011)
Dolly Parton: Live From London DVD & CD 2-Disc Set (Dolly Records, 2009)
Dolly Parton: Backwoods Barbie (Dolly Records, 2008)
Dolly Parton: Original Broadway Cast Recording of 9 to 5: The Musical (Dolly Records, 2009)
Hank Williams III: Damn Right, Rebel Proud (Sidewalk Records, 2008)
Hank Williams III: Rebel Within (Curb, 2010)
Jason Boland and the Stragglers: High In The Rockies: A Live Album (Proud Souls/
Entertainment/Thirty Tigers, 2010)
Jim Lauderdale: Patchwork River (Thirty Tigers, 2010)
Jim Lauderdale: Grammy campaign for his 2009 album Could We Get Any Closer, nominated in the “Best Bluegrass Album” category
Johnny Cooper: Follow (Tenacity Records, August 2009)\
Jo Dee Messina: Unmistakable (Curb, 2010
Lonestar: Life As We Know It (4 Star Records; out 6/4/13)
Marvin Etzioni: Marvin Country! (Nine Mile Records, 2012):
Miranda Lee Richards: Light of X (Nettwerk, 2009)
Randy Travis: Christmas on the Pecos DVD (Image Entertainment, 2008)
Reckless Kelly: Good Luck & True Love (self-released, 2011)
Revival Tour (2009, a diverse group of musicians in indie Americana, rock, punk, Irish folk, Cajun, zydeco and blues)
Sam and Ruby: The Here and the Now (Rykodisc, 2009)
Stagecoach: California’s Country Music Festival (2007-2011)
The Greencards: Fascination (Sugar Hill, 2009)
The Source 2009-2012 Foundation Awards (non-profit organization of executive women in all facets of the Nashville music industry)
Truth & Salvage Co.: Raise Me Up (Megaforce/Sony RED, released 7/23/13)
PAST
BoDeans: Joe Dirt Car (Slash Records, 1995)
Bottle Rockets: Blue Sky (Sanctuary Records Group, 2003)
Brooks and Dunn: The Greatest Hits Collection Volume II (Arista Nashville, 2004)
BR-549: Big Backyard Beat Show (Arista, 1998)
The Derailers: Reverb Deluxe (1997)
Dwight Yoakam: Buenas Noches From a Lonely Room (Reprise, 1988) through
Tomorrow’s Sounds Today (Reprise, 2000)
Dwight Yoakam: Blame the Vain (New West, 2005)
Elizabeth Cook: Hey Y’all (Warner Bros., 2002)
Little Texas Little Texas (Warner Bros. Nashville 1997)
Maria McKee: High Dive (Eleven Thirty, 2002) and Peddlin’ Dreams (Eleven Thirty, 2005)
Michelle Shocked: The Texas Campfire Tapes, Short Sharp Shocked (Mighty Sound re-issues 2003)
Pete Anderson: Working Class (Little Dog Records, 1994)
Sara Evans: No Place That Far (RCA, 1998)
SHeDAISY: The Whole Shebang (Lyric Street Records, 1999); Brand New Year (Lyric Street
Records 2000)
Slobberbone: Barrel Chested (Doolittle Records, 1997)
Stacy Dean Campbell: Lonesome Wins Again (Columbia, 1992)
Todd Thibaud Favorite Waste of Time (Doolittle Records, 1998)
Victoria Shaw: In Full View (Reprise, 1995)
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DATE: JULY 10, 2008
FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER
MSO BUILDS NASHVILLE PRESENCE
AS IT UNITES WITH LYNDIE WENNER
MSO, the music publicity firm that handles artists and festivals in the fields of rock, alternative, country, hip-hop and electronic, has announced that it is building its presence in Nashville by uniting with Lyndie Wenner as MSO’s Nashville Representative & Consultant. The Nashville-based music industry executive and communications consultant will develop new business prospects and strategic alliances for MSO with artists, record labels and management companies as well as cover MSO artists on-site in the city.
Mitch Schneider, President of MSO, first worked with Wenner when they met at the publicity company Solters/Roskin/Friedman in Los Angeles. Since she moved to Nashville in 1994, the two have maintained strong ties, paving the way for this union.
MSO: THE MITCH SCHNEIDER ORGANIZATION represents a wide range of artists including David Bowie, Dolly Parton, Allman Brothers Band, Aerosmith, Depeche Mode, Smashing Pumpkins, Hank Williams III and Paul Oakenfold as well as such festivals as Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Stagecoach: California’s Country Music Festival, Vans Warped Tour, Ozzfest, Rock The Bells, Voodoo Experience and the Ultra Music Festival, among others.
Lyndie Wenner’s credits include working with legendary photographer Norman Seeff, producing photo sessions, working as photo editor, and producing his book “Sessions” (James Taylor, Johnny Cash, Judds, Tammy Wynette, Joni Mitchell, Willy Nelson, Aerosmith, Jimmy Page). She was also Assistant Art Director to Virginia Team at the company Team Design, directing photo shoots, photo editing and overseeing CD cover designs and copy for ads, box sets and marketing tools including projects by Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks Reba McEntire, Jimmy Buffett and many more.
“As MSO expands its services into Nashville, I feel Lyndie is a fantastic asset for the company, as her expertise will result in lots of new opportunities and excitement for MSO,” says Mitch Schneider. “Having Lyndie based in Nashville,” adds Schneider, “will also be a huge benefit for all our artists.”
“The pulse in Music City is so exciting and so incredibly strong,” says WENNER. “The music and the talent that is coming out of here is amazing! Nashville is a great place to be as witnessed by many of the newly introduced artists and multi-platinum selling artists in Country, Rock, Pop, Rap and Hip Hop, and other genres of music who are calling Nashville their home in recent years. We have so many great and diverse artists living here. Injecting MSO into the mainstream of Nashville is a vision I have shared with Mitch for several years now, and I am extremely proud and excited to have this opportunity to introduce and implement MSO into the Nashville community.” She adds: “The thing that I have always admired about Mitch in our 20-some year relationship is his ability and talent to stay on the cutting edge. Any artist or event that wants to be ‘out in front’ and ‘lead the pack’ in a unique and innovative manner will definitely benefit from Mitch and his team.”
Schneider founded MSO in 1995 with longtime Senior Vice Presidents Todd Brodginski, Marcee Rondan and Kristine Ashton-Magnuson. The company, which also recently announced the promotions of Alexandra Greenberg and Libby Henry to Vice Presidents, currently employs 15 people in its Sherman Oaks, CA office.
MSO (an offshoot of Levine/Schneider Public Relations) has represented various country artists including Dwight Yoakam (from 1988’s Buenas Noches From a Lonely Room through 2000’s Tomorrow’s Sounds Today as well as Blame the Vain in 2005), Brooks & Dunn, Elizabeth Cook, Stacy Dean Campbell, Little Texas, BR-549, The Derailers and Victoria Shaw. MSO also handled the publicity for the inaugural Stagecoach: California’s Country Music Festival in 2007, as well as the 2008 Stagecoach which was expanded from two to three days. MSO joined forces with Dolly Parton in 2007 to implement the campaign forBackwoods Barbie, her first mainstream country album in 17 years, marking the first-ever release on her own label. The album entered the Top 200 Albums chart at #17 and at #2 on both the Country Album and Indie Album charts and marks her highest album debut ever on the Billboard pop albums chart, and first entry into the Top 20 since 1993’s Slow Dancing With The Moon.
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