Phil Leadbetter Celebrates THE NEXT MOVE … and Kicking Cancer Again

Accolades continue as Uncle Phil & friends prep for a very special concert event on January 31^st

It’s early in the year, but already a championship season for Pinecastle Records artist, Phil Leadbetter.

On the heels of his win as Dobro Player of the Year honor at the IBMA Awards, Phil has received a nomination in the annual Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America awards, again for his instrumental prowess as Dobro Performer. The 41^st SPBGMA Bluegrass Awards will be held at the Sheraton Music City Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee on Sunday, February 8, 2015. Winners will be selected by a vote on SPBGMA convention attendees.

With characteristic optimism and determination, Phil has continued to perform and promote the release of his latest album The Next Move,while bravely waging yet another battle with the Hodgkin’s Lymphoma that returned last year. Phil recently finished another round of treatment and got the wonderful news that he is, once again, in remission and cancer free.

With plans already in place for a star-studded concert to celebrate the release of The Next Move, the concert will now be an even more jubilant occasion for the cancer-free musician. Phil’s CD release show is set for Saturday, January 31^st at the Clayton Center for the Arts in Maryville, TN where he will be joined by several special guests and friends. The lineup for the show includes appearances by Steve Wariner, Ken Mellons, Shawn Camp, Gene Johnson, J.D Crowe, Dale Ann Bradley, Kenny Smith, Amanda Smith, Mike Bub, Steve Gulley, Paul Brewster, Don Rigsby, Cory Walker, Sierra Hull, Steve Thomas, Matt Leadbetter, Curt Chapman, and Richard Bennett. The concert is sponsored by Knoxville radio station WDVX.

The talented concert guests were featured on The Next Move, which was released in October on Pinecastle Records and has produced radio hit songs and elicited rave reviews. The album represents Phil’s “bucket list” of players he wanted to play with again or for the first time. It says a great deal about the man and his character that every artist said “yes.” The album also serves a reminder to never give up and always remain positive. The album was produced by Phil with Steve Thomas, recorded at Eage Canyon Studios in Lebanon, Tennessee, and engineered by Steve Thomas and Dave Kirkey.

For more information on Phil Leadbetter: http://www.unclephilonline.com

Singer-Songwriter Rachele Lynae to Perform at the 1st Annual Honkytonk Classic Benefit Concert on Saturday, February 7

Vibrant young country star, Rachele Lynae to bring her high-octane concert to TSU’s Gentry Center in Nashville, TN

One of country music’s most exciting new stars, RACHELE LYNAE, will perform at the Honkytonk Classic benefit concert on Saturday, February 7 at 7pm. The concert is in conjunction with the first annual USA Gymnastics sponsored competition that draws athletes from all across the country for a weekend long competition in Nashville. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Monroe Carell, Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

Other artists scheduled to perform include hot new country group Chasin’ Crazy and powerhouse duo Siren. Tickets are $20.00 and can be purchased on the event’s Facebook page or at the door on a first come, first serve basis. For more information about the concert and competition click here.

With her dynamic stage presence, powerhouse vocals and talent for crafting great songs, Rachele Lynae has been winning over legions of fans wherever she performs.

“I love getting on that stage,” says Rachele of performing live. “It’s an amazing feeling when you know that the fans are connecting with you and are connecting with the song. Music is a gift I don’t take for granted and the emotion that you can convey in music is unrivaled by anything else.”

From the moment Rachele steps into the spotlight on stage, she captivates her audience that will have you believing she has been doing this for decades. And in a sense, she has.

A natural born entertainer, Rachele knew at an early age that she would someday be standing center stage and performing her own songs. The Alaska native spent many Sundays singing in church with her family. She also sang in school plays and anywhere else there was an opportunity. By the time she was 12 years old, she was writing her own songs and by the time she graduated high school, Rachele was performing professionally.

Relocating to Nashville in 2006 to attend Belmont University and hone her songwriting and performance skills, Rachele quickly made a name for herself by performing at night and on weekends at many Nashville hot spots along the famed Lower Broadway. During that time, she also recorded a 5-song EP that caught the ear of producer and country star, Jamie O’Neal, who signed her to her own indie label, Momentum Label Group.

With O’Neal’s seasoned guidance, Rachele released her critically acclaimed debut album in 2014, spawning a couple of hit singles and landing the rising star tour dates with some of country music’s biggest stars, including THE BAND PERRY, TYLER FARR, RANDY HOUSER, JERROD NEIMANN, MADDIE & TAE, JOSH ABBOTT BAND, and LUCY HALE, among others.

Rachele has just released her latest single, “Whole Lotta Nothin’,” a care-free, feel-good song she wrote with Nashville tunesmiths, Hannah Bethel and David Myhre. Rachele says the inspiration came as they were reflecting on how their own lives seemingly go “a million miles an hour” most of the time, and how they long for that break we all need now and again. The new single is available now for purchase on iTunes and can be heard on country radio, as well as Sirius XM’s The Highway channel.

For more of the latest news and touring information, visit rachelelynae.com or follow her on Facebookand Twitter

Captain Joe Kent Narrates the History Channel’s Series, ‘Mississippi Men’

Captain Joe Kent is the narrator voice for the History Channel’s new series, ‘Mississippi Men’ which premiers January 28, 2015 at 9 pm CST. The show is about the people who live and work on the mighty Mississippi River and her tributaries. Captain Kent was very tight lipped when it came to the details of the show. “Of course I know what is going to happen on the show,” he said with a twinkle in his eye, “I did the voice overs for the entire first season, but all I will tell you is to batten down the hatches, and hold on if you can. It’s gonna be one helluva a ride down the muddy Mississippi.”

Being a true captain, Joe Kent stuck to the number one golden rule on a towboat-what happens on the boat stays on the boat-and applied that same principle to any and all behind the scenes or inside information. He did tell us that it was a great experience, and a lot of fun to work with the directors and film crews that developed the show. “If I could find deckhands that worked like that, it would all be smooth sailing. I think the end result of their labor, and commitment will be a kick ass show that will keep the audience tuning in for more each week. I can’t wait to see it myself!”

The timing of the show couldn’t be more perfect for Captain Joe either. He has just finished writing a book of short stories about life on the water entitled, ‘Towboat Joe’. The book will be hitting shelves from Deadly Writes Publishing at about the same time the TV show airs. A great addition to the book is a digital album with 15 songs that Captain Joe has just released as a soundtrack for his new book. ‘Towboat Joe (The Soundtrack)’ is a compilation of new and previously released original songs by various artists including Towboat Joe and The Muddy River Band.

Check out the book, Towboat Joe at: www.deadlywritespublishing.com

Download the digital album, Towboat Joe (The Soundtrack) at: www.tjkentmusic.com/towboat-joe/

It appears to be nothing but blue skies, and fair tides for the Mississippi River man on his latest literary and musical voyage. Tune in to the History Channel on January 28th to see if the calm seas are prevalent there as well or if the boat gets to rockin’. In the words of Captain Joe Kent, “It’s all smooth sailing until the ship hits the sand, but a calm sea never a skilled sailor made. Until then, earn your salt, keep it in the ditch, and I will see you on the one whistle.”

What others are saying:

He’s a real-life towboat captain in Louisiana as well as a master storyteller and emerging country singer and songwriter, and Captain Joe Kent’s autobiographical debut Towboat Joe is fascinating, funny, at times scary, and always irresistible. “The river is my life,” Kent writes, and that life is unforgettably captured in these pages. The captain’s current boat, the M/V Ron Hull, is 90 feet long and 47 feet high. Towboats, he explains, push and don’t pull other boats, and only operate in canals and rivers. Ron Hull thought so much of Capt. Joe’s work that he invited him to christen the craft, a rare honor. Towboat Joe introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters, such as a river know-it-all nicknamed Towboat Jesus, a dubious pilot known as Patch the Pirate, a one-armed barber, and Joe’s remarkable wife Denise. “I ain’t your damn deckhand,” she reminds him, and his adventures trying to buy Denise a surprise gift from Victoria’s Secret provide one of the book’s treasures. We are also treated to photographs of Capt. Joe’s beloved boat, river, and ports of call, along with poems and country song lyrics his life and absolutely unique experiences have inspired. Towboat Joe concludes with real-world words of wisdom from his decades of command, including “look in the mirror before pointing a finger,” “build a crew that replaces itself,” and “keep an even keel.” So climb aboard for a one-of-a-kind literary voyage, and enjoy every page of Captain Joe Kent’s Towboat Joe.
- Phil Sweetland
Radio contributor, The New York Times
Publisher and editor, Country Insider, Nashville

Country fans have already known Captain Joe Kent as a fine traditional country singer and sonwriter, but the beginning of 2015 finds him adding even more areas of media to his bag of creative tricks: his first book, the autobiographical Towboat Joe, by Deadly Writes Publishing. The book is a rare glimpse inside the largely secret world of towboats and life on the river in the 21st century. It’s fascinating, funny, always irresistible, and at times downright frightening. As Captain Kent writes of the Mississippi, “the river is my life,” and he captures that unique life unforgettably in its pages.
-Nashville Music Guide

Knowing nothing of tug boats or towboats, my only inclination of matters of the water was a short course in sailing, and Christopher Cross’s mesmerizing tune of the same name. But Captain Joe’s book is the perfect combination of story and music to glimpse into the incredible life of musician and towboat man. Captain Joe’s tales, music, and poems are best appreciated as his own true ongoing installments in the tale of his true adventures-maybe a soon to be released serial on YouTube? Captain Joe writes strong narratives that are drawn from an endless supply of anecdotes that typically involve water, women, whiskey, and the absurdities of life. This book is a marvel, unleashing the talent of a towboat philosopher and a man dedicated to his craft. Absolutely loved it!
-Cher Valentino Editor, Our USA Magazine

“One Life One Love” by Watkins Music

One Life One Love courtesy of Independent Music Promotions

The title track “One Life One Love” is an upbeat jazz/pop tune about falling in love at first sight. The brass section sets it on a new level of vibrant jazz/pop sound; dance music at it’s best.

You can enjoy this title track and more here at Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/asa-watkins/one-life-one-love/s-KdwPe

Described as feel good music this album is a family collaboration of brother and sister working together to share a truly God given talent of music.

Soulful dance music with an eclectic touch of hip hop and pop melded together to create a unique one of a kind sound.

“Black Widow” is smooth, alluring and takes you in from the first note. If you love to dance, this one is a keeper. What a beautiful lady dressed in red, mesmerizing the men all around her. Continue reading →

California Group Cold Blue Water Releases Self Titled Album

Cold Blue Water courtesy of Independent Music Promotions

This rocking jazz/blues mix album was recorded at the Greene Room Studios in Van Nuys, CA and I must say it’s a keeper.

The groove is addictive and you’ll want to listen to all the tracks from beginning to end. This one will be a favorite and one you’ll play often.

Andy B’s dynamic line up of Ty Dennis, Brad Cummings, Mike Finnigan ,Brian Swislow, and Don Hammerstedt, make up and amazing team. This novel approach to bringing such talent together and sharing it with the world is illuminating. Andy Bs has been playing music since the age of 12, he knows his stuff no doubt. His approach to the authentic, vintage, classic rock/blues and jazz is what sets this album apart. Continue reading →