On one night back in l995, Brad Fischer and Dan Wunsch were listening
to a singer by the name of Billy Dee performing in Skull’s Rainbow
Room in Printers Alley. During the break, Billy Dee told Dan Wunsch,
“I’m busy down here making a living, and I ain’t got the time to kiss
butt on Music Row to get a record deal. And no one in this town is
giving any publicity to performers like me.” That’s when the light
bulb went on in Dan Wunsch’s head, and he realized there was a need
to have a FREE country magazine to write about the country performers
trying to make it in Music City. The only free paper at the time was
THE SCENE and being an urban publication, their articles
were mostly about pop and rock acts. Dan Wunsch commented, “They say
it takes 2 years for a new business to turn a profit. We started
making money with our second month. Where there is a need, and you’re
the first one on the block to fill that need, the chances are high
you will be successful.” That was the birth of Nashville
Music Guide (NMG) Magazine, and the free monthly magazine is
currently in it’s 12th year of publication. The company’s success
is reflected by the feature article entitled “Nashville Music Guide
Influences In Musical Ways,” written by journalist Ron Wynn. The article
appeared in the music business section of the October 30th,
2006 issue of THE CITY PAPER, a daily Music City news
publication.
In 2006, Nashville Music
Guide launched it’s record label, Nashville Music Guide Records .
Dan Wunsch, editor of the magazine and now president of the label
commented, “In 12 years of covering the country
music scene, the major complaint of country music fans is too many
of the singers and songs on country radio sound the same. There
is a need today for more signature voices and signature musical styles
on the country radio airwaves. My pledge to country music fans is
we will not release a record on any artist that the listener will
not be able to instantly recognize.”. Mr Wunsch may be on the right
track, for that formula is what Country music was built on with artists
like Hank Williams, George Jones, Emmy Lou Harris and Willie Nelson,
and still is the cornerstone of long-term success today with the voices
of LeAnn Rimes, George Strait, Vince Gill, Alison Kraus
and most recently Josh Turner. His partner Brad Fischer
echoes the same sentiment, “The murder on Music Row will be vindicated
when listeners can experience the craftsmanship of writers of simple
lyrics and catchy tunes performed by artists with distinctive vocals
instead of cookie cutter clones.”
“RETRO-COUNTRY” Is Born
There is No better artist NMG Records
could have chosen for their first album project than David Frizzell.
The 3 time Grammy nominee and ACM/CMA award winner has already
proven his longevity in the business with countless albums and a rigorous
touring resume that spans over 25 year since his mega hits, “You’re
the reason God Made Oklahoma” and “I’m Gonna Hire Me A Wino.”
The record being released in Mid- February to country radio is
entitled “Water Makes Her Clothes Stay On” and can best be described
as RETRO-COUNTRY, a truly new unique sound that is the fusion of
contemporary country music with traditional country. WSM 95.5 FM Wolf
DJ Su-Anna commented after listening to a pre-release of the tune,
“This song brings a smile to my face and is a breath of fresh air
from all the sound-alike cry in your beer songs. It is a new, refreshing
and fun record that country music fans will enjoy.”
The song will also create a buzz with radio DJ’s and listeners
because it resurrects the tradition of country come-back songs. The
most famous one was Kitty Wells’ rendition of “It Wasn’t God
That Made Honky Tonk Angels”, the answer song to Hank Thompson’s “The
Wild Side of Life”. The Water song is the answer to Joe Nichol’s smash
hit “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off.” However, unlike the Tequila
song, “The song has a very moralistic message,” commented recording
artist and ex-DJ Larry Joe Cashen, “finally a song where the girl
says no to sex after drinking all night.” Dan Wunsch’s response to
this is, “Well that’s true, but I wouldn’t be looking for this song
to be played during a Sunday church service.”
The Mean and Lean
All-star Record Team
To promote this record, NMG has hired an all star team of freelancers:
Tom McBee and Associates for radio promotions, Independent PR consultant
Summer Harman, radio promoter Mike Kelly and attorney Rodney Phelps.
This cast of talented individuals have played major roles in
launching the careers of Ray Charles, Garth Brooks, Jason Aldean,
Keith Whitley, Charlie Pride to mention just a few. Rodney Phelps
is not only an experienced entertainment attorney, who has represented
major artists, but he also has argued a case in front of the US Supreme
Court and was the agent for the late Howard Cossell.
The Marketing
Plan
There is a 3 prong marketing
plan on getting the songs into the hands of radio music directors,
program directors and DJ’s. The first promotions blitz will
occur on Feb. 19th when the song is mailed to over 2000 radio stations
on CDX volume #416. The song will also be in the registration bag
of every person who attends the 37th Annual Country Radio Seminar
from Feb 28th thru March 2nd. The single will also be mailed to specific
Billboard and Music Row chart tracking stations after the CRS convention.
The Video Company Born Out of Ashes
Originally the video was to be filmed in March of last year. NMG contracted
a company to do the video, but 5 days before the shoot, the production
company backed out. This has turned out to be a blessing in
disguise. Dan Wunsch asserted, “My ambition has always been to do
independent films. This gave me the time to rethink paying out $20,000
to do a high end film video. With the music contacts we have thru
the magazine and the seed money from an anonymous donor, we have been
able to build a film production company of our own. In fact, Brad
Fischer, my partner, was a natural to be creative director for the
new company since he is an internationally acclaimed writer, producer
and director of commercials and music videos.”
The video of “Water Makes Her Clothes
Stay On” will have it’s own signature style. Best way to describe
the video script is “Mel Brookish”, comedic from start to finish.
The stars of the video are David Frizzell as the singing troubadour
while Kimberley Dahme is the water girl. Ms. Dahme is currently recording
a new solo album and preparing to go on a multi-city tour as a band
member of the rock group Boston. The other “Hee Haw” type characters
are Patriotic Patty, singer / songwriter Denise Benson, who flashes
her top to reveal her red, white and blue bra. Recording artist
and ex-DJ Larry Joe Cashen is Jugger, who loves his jug and cradles
it like his baby. Ironically, Larry Joe also has a song entitled “Jesse
James” that will be released on the same volune of CDX, #416, as the
“Water” record. Another coincidence is that Larry Joe has collaborated
with David’s brother, Allen Frizzell in penning several songs. Natalie
Wayne is Dollar Bill Jill. She is the daughter of music pioneer
singer / songwriter / musician David Holcroft. The Hogman is played
by Jerry Ingram, who has recorded over 100 comedic songs and performs
regularly in Nashville clubs. Casting is still open for the character
of Gay Freddie, and for legal reasons the character of Casanova Cowboy
cannot be disclosed at this time.
Timing Is Everything
They say “Timing is everything” in the music business. NMG records
is entering a highly competitive industry, that usually requires millions
of dollars to be successful at. The record label plans to make up
in creativity what it lacks in finances, and the time is right for
the independents right now. Will the label be successful ? Dan Wunsch
said it the best, “The big advantage is we won’t have suits deciding
what artists to sign and what songs to release. We can place creativity
before marketing and hopefully that will result in great music
being recorded by our company. Country music is going thru a transition
right now, and we hope to influence the way the wind will blow in
a positive, ‘It’s About The Music’ direction.”
