MUSIC CITY MADNESS

CMT.com and Comcast have partnered to bring live local auditions throughout the month August to the cities of Atlanta, Nashville , Pittsburgh and Knoxville as the network searches for the next breakout country music act in the third annual Music City Madnes. Undiscovered singer/songwriters will have a chance to video tape an original song and submit it to CMT.com’s national on-line competition. The local auditions will be held in August, and grand prize winner from each city will be guaranteed a spot in the top 64 finalists and receive a Comcast/CMT-sponsored showcase in their hometown, along with $5,000 in prizes. In addition, the auditions will be taped and packaged for Comcast’s local video on demand channels.

Here is the local schedule:

KNOXVILLE
Saturday, August 16 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Fountainhead College of Technology
3203 Tazewell Pike, Knoxville, TN

PITTSBURGH
Saturday, August 23 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Westin Pittsburgh
1000 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA

ATLANTA
Saturday, August 23 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Cobb Centre Galleria
Two Galleria Parkway, Atlanta, GA

NASHVILLE
Wednesday, August 27 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Oceanway Studios
1200 17th Avenue South, Nashville, TN

Steeldrivers Featured on CMT

The steeldrivers were recently featured on CMT's Unplugged at Studio 330. Check out the link to watch the show.

Hope for an Indie Artist - Randu Kohrs gets grassroots support on CMT

Defying the odds, resophonic guitarist Randy Kohrs' video "Who's Goin' With Me" (from his excellent album Old Photograph) has risen up to number 3 on the listener picked CMT Pure 12 Pack countdown show. He is also starting to get a bit of notice from radio outlets. Anyone who understands how things work in Nashville can understand how difficult it is for an independent label and artist to get this kind of play. I take this as a sign of life for the Nashville mainstream music scene. Maybe they are willing to try something new in the wake of declining sales. If the Nashville music industry's greed and desire for revenue begin to favor "real" and indie country artists for a change, that will be the ultimate irony. We can only hope.

See the article on Cybergrass

Give him a vote on CMT