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New Frontier Touring Artists Vickie Vaughn of Della Mae and Trey Hensley were awarded Bass Player of the Year and Guitar Player of the Year, respectively, at the 34th Annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards Presented by Yamaha. The Awards show, hosted by artists Ketch Secor and Molly Tuttle, was held September 28 at Raleigh, North Carolina’s Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts. Both were first-time winners at the IBMA Awards. Congratulations Vickie and Trey! IBMA – the International Bluegrass Music Association – is the non-profit music association that connects, educates, and empowers bluegrass professionals and enthusiasts, honoring tradition and encouraging innovation in the bluegrass community worldwide.

Today (9.13), 21-year-old Appalachian phenom Colby T. Helms announces his debut album, Tales of Misfortune. Out January 19th via Photo Finish Records, Helms penned all the songs on the semi-autobiographical concept album as a senior in high school. Produced by Helms’ mentor and Boones Mill, VA-fiddle-legend Billy Hurt, the 8-track collection recounts his origin story and artistic coming of age. As if in a dream, Helms delivers a devotional to his father who died of cancer when Colby was 12 and inspired his path in music, wrestles with the traveling troubadour’s life he has chosen, and acknowledges the mystical pull of his hometown that keeps bringing him back. Today, Helms shares the first preview of the album’s bone-raw brand of country folk with his debut single, “Higher Ground.” Striking a dynamic balance between country storytelling, bluegrass energy, and blues power, Helms details his time spent on the road with stark honesty and a sharp angular twang. The day he turned 16, Helms bought a stick-shift Jeep Wrangler, and hit the road playing for anyone who would have him. He hasn’t looked back since. On the heels of his debut single, Helms will open for Marty Stuart at the Annapolis Songwriters Festival on Sept. 16, and will make his AmericanaFest debut in Nashville, TN next week. Stream “Higher Ground” here Pre-Save Tales of Misfortune here Watch the album’s official trailer above and here Tales of Misfortune Tracklist: First Snow Dreaming Again Higher Ground Mountain Brandy Dove Song Leanne Smoke and Flames Daddy’s Pocket Knife All songs written by Colby T. Helms and produced by Billy Hurt Upcoming Colby T. Helms Tour Dates: 9/16 - Annapolis Songwriters Festival in Annapolis, MD** 9/21 - AmericanaFest Day-Party @ The Basement in Nashville, TN 9/30 - Rocky Mount 150th Festival in Rocky Mount, VA 10/7 - Albino Skunk Music Festival in Greer, SC 10/15 - GO Outside Festival in Roanoke, VA 11/25 - Seafood Festival in Martinsville, VA **denotes opening for Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives About Colby T. Helms: At the bottom of the Southwest Virginia foothills half-a-mile from the nearest neighbor, Colby T. Helms resides in an “underground house” built by his late father on land his family has owned for generations. Helms first dreamed of making music his life at the age of 12, when a group of Blue Ridge Mountain old-time and bluegrass players performed songs like The Ozark Mountain Daredevils’ “Standing On The Rock” and the gospel classic “A Beautiful Life” at his father’s funeral in Boones Mill, VA. He taught himself guitar, banjo, and mandolin by watching local performers and YouTube videos, and by age 18 he was a veteran performer in the Blue Ridge/Appalachian Mountains region, fronting his band The Virginia Creepers. About Photo Finish Records: Photo Finish Records is an independent record label boasting a diverse artist roster including alternative rock, indie pop and hip hop. The label was created and founded by Matt Galle and in 2021 celebrated its fifteenth year of success. As the label grew and developed, Matt brought in his business partner Mike Marquis to co-run the label with him. PFR is known for developing and breaking an eclectic roster of artists such as 3OH!3, SHAED, Marian Hill, MisterWives, ROZES, The Mowgli's, and newer signings The Maine, Colby T. Helms, Delacey, Billy Lockett, AVIV, Elliot Lee, and joan. SHAED’s track "Trampoline" is triple platinum in the US with over 2 billion streams worldwide, 3OH!3's debut album "Want" is certified Gold with 3 platinum singles and over 15 million singles sold which includes collaborations with Katy Perry, Wiz Khalifa, Kid Cudi, Lil' Jon and Ke$ha. Marian Hill's releases including their debut album “Act One” have sold 12 million tracks making big waves with the breakthrough hit "Down" as well as successful albums from MisterWives and their gold single "Reflections," Anthony Green, Handsome Ghost, and many others. Matt Galle and Mike Marquis are well known and respected leaders in the music industry having both been recognized in Billboard’s 40 under 40 and three years (2020, 2021, 2022) in a row on Billboard’s Indie Power Players list. The team is located in NYC and PFR is distributed through Virgin Music, Label and Artist Services.

Today, the Americana Music Association announced this year's Lifetime Achievement, Trailblazer and Legacy Award honorees for its 22nd Annual Americana Honors & Awards show on Wednesday, September 20. This group of top-honor recipients includes The Avett Brothers, George Fontaine Sr., Patty Griffin, Bettye LaVette and Nickel Creek. This year's honorees will be celebrated during the prestigious ceremony held at the Ryman Auditorium, which serves as the hallmark event of the association's annual AMERICANAFEST, taking place Sept. 19-23 in Nashville, Tenn. Only a prophet could have predicted the artistic trajectory of The Avett Brothers after seeing them perform in their instrument-pounding early days, as when a No Depression writer saw them debuting at Merlefest in 2004 and called them "a trio of rompin' stompin' roots Ramones." Brothers Seth and Scott, with bandmate Bob Crawford, had a thoughtful side and sense of purpose, and in a few years, their rousing folk-rock hybrid had built a fierce fanbase on the strength of their moving songs and carefully crafted vocal harmonies. They became four-time Americana Award winners, multiple Grammy nominees and North Carolina roots music icons. While it isn’t exclusively a roots music label, no record company has released music by more stalwarts of and innovators in Americana over the past 25 years than New West Records. The company, based at various times in Athens, GA, Austin, TX, Los Angeles, and Nashville, has earned the trust of era-shaping artists such as Rodney Crowell, Kris Kristofferson, Delbert McClinton, Steve Earle, John Hiatt, Buddy and Julie Miller, and Billy Joe Shaver. Through nearly 500 releases, the label has also introduced vibrant newcomers like Lilly Hiatt, Jaime Wyatt and Nikki Lane, while sustaining important careers like that of Randall Bramblett. The person most responsible for this proliferation of art and good taste is this year’s Jack Emerson Award winner, co-founder and owner George Fontaine, Sr. In the 1990s, when the Americana chart was new and rich with established women like Emmylou Harris and Lucinda Williams, Patty Griffin stood out as a striking new voice for the format's future. Over the coming years, the Austin-based songwriter realized that promise, growing in stature on the strength of her rapturous voice and incisive, personal songwriting. She was named Americana Artist of the Year in 2007 and won two Grammy Awards while inspiring many other artists to interpret her work. The bonus E's in Bettye LaVette's name might as well stand for excellence and endurance. This year's Legacy Award recipient (presented with the National Museum of African American Music) is one of the finest soul singers and interpreters of American song born in the 20th century. Still, it took until the 21st for a wide musical community to embrace and celebrate her. She's had hits and was hit with setbacks, but Bettye LaVette emerged triumphantly as a singer cherished for her open ears and determination to control her own destiny. All bands grow together, but the three members of Nickel Creek literally grew up playing together, so their innovations stem in no small part from their formative musical and personal history. Over multiple albums and hundreds of exuberant shows, they continue to expose generations to how bluegrass adapts for the 21st century, challenging orthodoxy and luring thousands of new young fans into the wonders of virtuoso-level acoustic Americana. "This year's Lifetime Achievement honorees represent the diverse sounds that contribute to the American roots music canon," said Jed Hilly, Executive Director of the Americana Music Association and Foundation. "Our honorees have inspired this community individually and have collectively changed the landscape of the music industry. We are truly humbled to be in the same room with them." In addition to these Lifetime Achievement Awards, the association will also honor distinguished members of the music community with six member-voted annual awards, revealing the winners on Americana music's biggest night at the Ryman Auditorium. View this year's nominees here. For more than two decades, the prestigious ceremony has celebrated pioneering mainstays and trailblazing newcomers while featuring unforgettable moments in musical history, including Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash's last live performance together, as well as offering show-stopping appearances by k.d. lang, Van Morrison, Mavis Staples, Bob Weir, Buddy Guy, George Strait, Don Henley, the late John Prine, Bonnie Raitt, Gregg Allman, The Lumineers, Mumford & Sons, Alabama Shakes, Solomon Burke, Rosanne Cash, the late Dr. John with Dan Auerbach, Irma Thomas, Levon Helm, Robert Plant and many more. Tickets to the Americana Honors & Awards are on sale now here. AMERICANAFEST Conference and Festival Wristbands are on sale here. For more information on the association and AMERICANAFEST, please visit www.americanamusic.org. Artist excerpts provided by Craig Havighurst.

Steep Canyon Rangers’ New Darrell Scott- Produced Album Morning Shift Is Driven By Thoughtful Storytelling And Fueled By Instrumental Command September 8, 2023 - Asheville, NC - With their new album Morning Shift, North Carolina’s favorite sons Steep Canyon Rangers have once again found a way to push the expanse of their sound, and skills, to the next level. Out today via Yep Roc Records, Morning Shift finds the GRAMMY-winning combo telling stories that both honor their roots and expand upon the living art of bluegrass music—all while solidifying their reputation as some of the most influential songwriters in today’s Americana scene. Produced by Darrell Scott, a distinguished songwriter and performer in his own right, Morning Shift also marks the band’s maiden studio voyage with Rangers newcomer Aaron Burdett. An award-winning singer-songwriter and student of folk tradition, Burdett’s stylings immediately blend with the band’s Appalachian and Piedmont roots, while adding his own mark to the 20+ years of developing their signature sound. Fans can stream or purchase Morning Shift today at this link and watch the lyric video for the title track here. The Steep Canyon Rangers will return to the stage tonight and tomorrow for the Mountain Song Music Festival in Brevard, North Carolina, before hitting the road with longtime collaborators Steve Martin & Martin Short this fall. Stopping at the Grand Ole Opry in December, a full list of tour dates can be found below or at steepcanyon.com/tour. For everything else Rangers, please visit steepcanyon.com. Morning Shift In The News: "The GRAMMY-winning band has it down to an art…’” - MOJO “...The Steep Canyon Rangers have curated an album of songs that showcases the band at its musical best…” - No Depression "... a colorful tapestry of musical storytelling... It’s the auditory equivalent of a cinematic epic – compelling, diverse, and richly textured.” - Staccatofy “‘Hominy Valley’ perfectly kicks off the anticipation of another excellent new album from the Steep Canyon Rangers.” - Folk Alley “If you listen to the Steep Canyon Rangers’ new album the way it’s meant to be listened to, you will find the song ‘Recommend Me’ at the very end, waiting to blow you away.” - Taste of Country “It’s another spectacular track that further proves Morning Shift could be some of their best work yet.” - Whiskey Riff on “Recommend Me” More About Morning Shift: Produced by the distinguished Darrell Scott and engineered by the legendary Dave Sinko, Morning Shift found the Rangers recording their 14th studio album in Bat Cave, North Carolina, at the Inn Bat Cave, a historical refuge settled near a long-forgotten crossroads of Southern Appalachia. This was the perfect space to feel confident in expanding upon that Carolina sound, the perfect runway to let their well-oiled machine do what it does best- craft stories from the ground up, as a unit. “It was like going to recording camp,” said Scott, “We ate together, we stayed at the Inn together the whole time, and we recorded. Going about it that way made for a very organic record. We had a great engineer with Dave Sinko, who could in essence create a studio space in a rustic, historic home.”

Today, The Avett Brothers have announced their plans to ring in the New Year. The folk-rock ensemble will return to their home state on Dec. 31, 2023, to welcome 2024 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. The band will welcome a special guest, Marcus King, during the celebratory stand. The main act has long been associated with their New Year’s Eve entertainment. The impending stand will serve as the group’s 20th time counting down till midnight on Dec. 31. Moreover, the show, slated to happen at PNC Arena, marks the third time The Avett Brothers have celebrated New Year’s Eve at that venue. Before closing out the year in the Old North State, The Avett Brothers will embark on a series of fall tour dates, including participation in festival bills, such as Bourbon & Beyond, BeachLife Ranch, and Willie Nelson’s traveling Outlaw Music Festival. Meanwhile, King will spend much of the fall traveling the Southern region of the U.S. and performing with special guest Joshua Ray Walker. Various new and exclusive VIP experiences and travel packages will be available. The Avett Guild fan club presale (click here to sign up) begins Wednesday, Sept. 6 at noon E.T. Public on-sale starts Friday, Sept. 8 at 10 a.m. E.T. For more information, visit theavettbrothers.com.

Nashville indie duo The Harmaleighs (Haley Grant and Kaylee Jasperson) formally announce the end of “The Harmaleighs” and launch new project LOUISE fronted by Haley Grant. LOUISE is set to drop their debut record TV DATING SHOW accompanied by a 5 episode reality dating show suspiciously titled ‘TV DATING SHOW’ written by Haley Grant. Each episode contains the visual and story representation of the song it is premiering. Trailer and first episode set to drop fall of 2024. LOUISE is represented by New Frontier Touring. TV DATING SHOW is produced by Kyle Ryan (Natalie Prass, Liza Anne, Becca Mancari), mixed by Dan Molad of Lucius, and mastered by Philip Shaw Bova (Andy Shauf, Bahamas, Angel Olsen). In this debut record, audiences are welcomed into the wild world of Louise’s dating life. The opening song “The Me Song” sets the 70’s meets reality tv scene perfectly for the journey that the listener is about to go on. Will Louise find true love? Or will she f**k everything… UP. Tune in, anywhere, at anytime… welcome to TV DATING SHOW.

The Last Revel's fifth studio album, Dovetail, is out today, available on all streaming platforms with Vinyl and CDs available for purchase on their website. "We made this record over 5 days at the same family cabin in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where we recorded our albums Uprooted and Hazard & Fate. This place has played such a major roll in the bands DNA it only felt appropriate to go back to where we learned to make records together. We couldn’t be more grateful for dear friend Kevin Israel and his sweet dog June for engineering and mixing the project" the band shared, "and we couldn’t be more excited to share this new music with you all."

The Great Divide have hit #1 on the two biggest Texas Country Music Charts in the same week. The band's single, "Infinite Line," from their most recent album, Providence, is #1 on both the CDX Traction Red Dirt Chart and the Texas Country Music Association Chart. In addition, the band is also up for several Texas Country Music Association awards this year including: Country Band of the Year, Country Single of the Year, Guitarist of the Year (Mike McClure), and others! Listen to the #1 song here!

"Recommend Me," the third single from Steep Canyon Rangers upcoming album, Morning Shift, is out today. Listen to the song and watch the new video above. Morning Shift will be released on September 8, 2023.

Don't forget today is Carlene Carter Day! MAYORAL PROCLAMATION: WHEREAS, Carlene Carter was born on September 26, 1955 in Nashville, Tennessee to her mother June Carter and her father Carl Smith and a grandmother deeply rooted in country music history, Maybelle Carter, part of country music's founding family, the Carter Family who had only 28 years earlier participated in the 1927 Bristol Session recordings; and WHEREAS, time moved forward and she became big sister to Rozanna Lea Nix (Rosie) from her mother's marriage to Edwin Lee Nix; later she became part of the Johnny Cash family when her mother married Cash in 1969 and Cash became her step-father, she found herself step-sister to Roseanne Cash and later step-sister to John Carter Cash, son of June and Johnny; and WHEREAS, Carter realized her musical talents early-on at age six when she began to play the piano and at age ten began playing the guitar and as a part of such musically blessed families she grew up always singing along with famous kin; and WHEREAS, when Carlene Carter sings about her family, one can hear the love and respect in her voice, as she seems to be in awe of them as much as any of us. She has allowed the legacy of her celebrated family to strengthen her music of which can be witnessed in her voice and songs today; and WHEREAS, in 1977 at the tender age of 22 she released her self-titled debut album and became known as an acclaimed singer-songwriter; Carlene Carter added actress to that list in 2005 when she and her cousin appeared in a Nashville musical "Wildwood Flowers". The show was about the lives and careers of Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters, Carlene played her mother June; and WHEREAS, Carlene Carter continues to carry the legacy of her family today and has never forgotten her roots that are steeped in these mountains of her grandparents; and WHEREAS, just as she closed the show "Wildwood Flowers" with the song lyrics of the ever popular Christian hymn, "Will the Circle Be Unbroken"; There are loved ones in the glory, whose dear forms you often miss, when you close your earthly story, will you join them in their bliss. Will the circle be unbroken by and by, by and by...; and WHEREAS, Carlene Carter continues to keep the voice of country music born of the mountains of East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, alive and thriving for generations to come, and insuring the circle will go unbroken. It is appropriate that with the opening of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, we recognize her gift of continuing the legacy and carrying it forward so that the "big bang" of our music, country music, continues to be heard around the world; and NOW, THERFORE, I, LEA POWERS, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF BRISTOL TENNESSEE AND I, CATHERINE D. BRILLHART, MAYOR OF CITY OF BRISTOL VIRGINIA DO HEREBY PROCLAIM THAT AUGUST 3, 2014 DESIGNATED: CARLENE CARTER DAY In the city of Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia, and I ask all citizens to join me in this observation.

[Music Ally] Secondary ticketing is currently under intense scrutiny in the US, with politicians taking a long, hard and often contradictory look at how the ticketing market works. The latest organisation providing some data to fuel those debates is NITO, the National Independent Talent Organization, whose membership comprises independent music managers and booking agencies. It has studied tickets sold and resold for 65 shows by those members in venues ranging in capacity from 1,500 to 20,000, to see what patterns it could spot. Among the claims: the average face value ticket price was $67.47, but the average resale price was $129.22. NITO also says that resellers collectively generated an average gross profit per show of $41k, based on selling an average of 543 tickets. The study also suggested that some concertgoers were paying the higher prices for secondary tickets even though primary face-value tickets were still available. Why? NITO said that confusion when secondary resellers ranked higher than primary sources in search results was one reason, while fans paying for secondary tickets because the seats were better than those still available on the primary market was another. “While many consumer and ‘fan first’ groups claim that the resale market benefits consumers, NITO’s data shows otherwise,” claimed the organisation. “Fan-to-fan face-value ticket exchanges clearly work and allow fans to buy tickets at the price the artist intended. But too often, State laws limit their effectiveness, preventing fans across the country from benefiting equally.” “Most tickets sold on the secondary market are sold by predatory ticketing professionals with access to technology that often assures that they can buy the best tickets before fans. The secondary ticket sites use their excessive profits to push their ticket listings to the top of search results, confusing fans and stifling official ticket sales.” These conclusions should not come as a surprise, as NITO is part of the wider music-industry Fix The Tix coalition, which recently unveiled its proposals for reform of the ticketing industry. Needless to say, the secondary ticketing firms will have different views on all this: American politicians will be responsible for navigating their way through the competing opinions to decide what, if any, new legislation is the best way to improve the market. [https://musically.com/2023/07/11/nito-study-slams-predatory-ticket-resellers-in-the-us/]

[IVPR] Steep Canyon Rangers Welcome Latest Member Aaron Burdett With A Fitting New Single, “Deep End” Latest single from upcoming Darrell Scott-produced album, Morning Shift—out September 8th; Next show July 13th at Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival; Shows with Steve Martin & Martin Short begin September 14 July 11, 2023 - Asheville, NC - “I’m the guy that jumps in the deep end / Find out quick if I’m sinking or swimming,” sings the Steep Canyon Rangers’ newest member Aaron Burdett on their new single “Deep End.” The song, a toe-tapping romp featuring the Rangers’ signature bluegrass-forward sound, sounds like a good-time ode to being carefree, but its origins come from a very specific, real place. “There were only three weeks between my very first conversation with [Rangers bassist] Barrett [Smith] about auditioning to sing with the Rangers and my finding myself in California on stage at the Hollywood Bowl,” remembers Burdett. “I was there with all the Rangers and Steve Martin and Martin Short, with the LA Philharmonic backing us up as I sang a bluegrass song in front of about 18,000 people. It was quite an initiation.” After their first three shows with Burdett over July 4th weekend, the band went to a cookout at one of the musician’s houses on Sunday afternoon. “I walked up and knocked on the door and when his wife answered the door I said ‘Hello, I'm Aaron. I'm here for the cookout.’ And she said ‘Oh, you're the guy who jumps in the deep end!’” Burdett started thinking about the song right then and there. “Deep End” is the latest single from Steep Canyon Rangers’ upcoming album, Morning Shift—due out September 8th on Yep Roc Records. Produced by the distinguished Darrell Scott and engineered by the legendary Dave Sinko, Morning Shift found the Rangers recording their 14th studio album in Bat Cave, North Carolina, at the Inn Bat Cave, a historical refuge settled near a long-forgotten crossroads of Southern Appalachia. This was the perfect space to feel confident in expanding upon that Carolina sound, the perfect runway to let their well-oiled machine do what it does best- craft stories from the ground up, as a unit. “It was like going to recording camp,” said Scott, “We ate together, we stayed at the Inn together the whole time, and we recorded. Going about it that way made for a very organic record. We had a great engineer with Dave Sinko, who could in essence create a studio space in a rustic, historic home.” Morning Shift also marks the band’s first album with new band member Burdett on guitar and vocals, bringing a soul-stirring element to the Rangers’ mastery of mountain music. Burdett is an award-winning singer-songwriter and a student of folk tradition providing a fresh, emotional context to the Rangers’ songbook. Fans can check out the premiere on Garden & Gun here, watch the “Deep End” music video today at this link, check out the Rangers’ previously-released single “Hominy Valley” here, and pre-order or pre-save Morning Shift ahead of its September 8th release right here. Steep Canyon Rangers are on tour throughout the summer with a string of dates with longtime collaborators Steve Martin & Martin Short beginning in September.