Nashville's Top Music Makers 2014

Mary Steenburgen

Actress Mary Steenburgen has long considered Nashville “a city made up of poets, x93 but only recently did the rest of the world discover that this Academy Award winner is a magical lyric maker herself.

“I still can’t quite believe it, x93 says Steenburgen, who has been moonlighting as a legitimate songwriter in Nashville since 2007. “Many years ago, I had surgery on my arm and I was put under general anesthesia, and something happened. I basically started hearing music in my head, somewhat overnight. When I realized I couldn’t ignore it, I started studying music and paying attention to the construction of a song... and, well, here I am. x93While the story of how she got here may sound perplexing to some, Steenburgen’s successes have been embraced by the songwriting community ever since she arrived on Music Row. From Troy Verges to Hillary Lindsey to Lori McKenna, Steenburgen says she has found all of the support she was looking for right here in Tennessee.

Armed with a voice as sweet as her heart, the Universal Music Publishing Group singer-songwriter further cemented her place within the community by purchasing a part-time home in Nashville. “I’m never saying goodbye to the life I have here, x93 says Steenburgen, who has also recently taken up the accordion (a gift from husband Ted Danson) to further feed her musical appetite. “This has all been a wonderful surprise to me. x93

Johnnyswim

It is a miracle that Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano found each other. Ramirez, the son of Cuban immigrants who eloped to the United States, came to Nashville to study and play music. He serendipitously met fellow singer-songwriter Sudano (daughter and former backup vocalist of Donna Summer) at Café Coco in 2005. Too shy to talk to one another at the time, the beautiful pair reconnected three years later and formed Johnnyswim, an ambiguous fusion of rock, blues, folk, and R&B tied together by haunting, emotionally charged vocals.

There is a magic that happens upon the melding of their voices—it’s as seamless as the duo’s creative collaboration, friendship, and marriage. “It feels like Abner and I are cut from the same cloth, x93 explains Sudano. “From our first meeting I wanted to sing with him, marry him, be him! x93

Defying any specific genre, they sit among the likes of Alicia Keys, John Mayer, and Mumford & Sons. This versatility explains Johnnyswim’s spectrum of high-profile performances, from MTV awards shows to an opening slot on Old Crow Medicine Show’s 2013 tour. Currently, they’re preparing to record their first full-length record, tentatively titled Diamonds, to be released in 2014.
Photo by Anthony Batista; JohnnySwim.com

Sam Palladio

Actor-musician Sam Palladio walked onto Music Row just two years ago with a new job, an undeniable British accent, and a curiosity for a world he had never visited before. “I was cast in the show in 2012 via an audition tape, x93 he says. “I had never been to America and definitely never been down South. I was instantly blown away. Everyone was striving to be a part of this cool ecosystem here. I knew I wanted to be a part of it. x93

And from the looks of it, the 27-year-old will be part of it for a long time to come. Whether it’s via his role as the dreamy Gunnar Scott on the hit drama Nashville or his real-life budding music career, Palladio says he wouldn’t mind sticking around as long as he can. Because while fans continue to follow Gunnar’s storyline, Palladio is busy working on his own personal journey, which just might include the release of an album in 2014.

“The sound of my character is a sound I love, but my music has a bit of a more of a Southern rock influence bleeding through, x93 says Palladio. “It’s going to have a bit more grit but also have the roots of an acoustic folk guitar with some funky drums on top. It’s gonna be cool. x93

Alanna Royale

Onstage, Alanna Quinn-Broadus is an animal. Self-assured and boisterous, she fronts the band whose self-described “dirty pop, raunchy soul x93 performances grabbed 2013 by the collar—and has yet to let loose.

The Boston transplant and her fiancé, Jared Colby (a recording engineer as well as the group’s guitarist), relocated to Nashville and quickly assembled East Nashville’s Trapdoor Studios. They started shopping around for a band to back up their grunge- and punk-drenched tracks and, after playing some “doo-woppy x93 Motown tracks, were encouraged to pursue the soul and funk sound currently undergoing revitalization in the industry. “I’ve always loved punk rock, but that wasn’t the right music for me to play, x93 explains Broadus, a Berklee College of Music-trained jazz singer.

The band measures its success by how wildly they can get the audience to dance, and since self-releasing their four-song “Bless Her Heart x93 EP, Alanna Royale has been one of the most buzzed-about names in town (they’ll debut their full-length album later this year). “We don’t know into what genre we fit, but if the song is happy then feel free to smile and sing along and if it’s sad, we want you to understand where we’re coming from and feel a little deeper, x93 says Quinn-Broadus. (Catch Alanna Royale at their single release party January 25 at Mercy Lounge.) Photo by Rebecca Adler

Rosanne Cash

Legendary singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash used to be a resolution maker—but not anymore. “Resolutions make me very anxious, x93 she says. “I have learned life is about the choices you make every minute. It doesn’t happen in one day. The upward climb is part of it and can be satisfying in itself. x93

The former Nashvillian’s most recent upward climb floats delicately within the eleven songs on her latest release, The River & the Thread. With songs bred from her Southern roots and liner notes that read like the most beautiful of poetry, Cash once again floors us with her God-given talent and witty recollections of a life fully lived.
Photo by Clay Patrick McBride; RoseanneCash.com

The Wild Feathers

The Wild Feathers are a romping, foot-stomping good time. Referring to their style as simply “American, x93 the band, which is made up of four songwriters—Ricky Young, Joel King, Taylor Burns, and Preston Wimberly—produces ’70s-sounding tunes with no expiration date. All four are former front men, so when the band originally formed in Austin before landing in Nashville, the concept involved every member trading off vocals, harmonies, and turns in the spotlight. Drummer Ben Dumas explains the philosophy behind the band’s elusive sound: “The key element is the diversity of voices singing separately or in harmony, and after that, it’s straight-up rock ’n’ roll, which I view as an attitude more than a genre. x93

Their eponymous debut album, released last year under Warner Bros. Records, included the best of about 80 songs they’d written together. Comparisons to The Eagles and Jayhawks were abundant, leading to envy-worthy slots opening for Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and ZZ Ward. “Touring with Willie Nelson was unbelievable, x93 says Dumas. “To see someone doing something that well for so long and still loving every moment of it is truly inspiring and humbling. x93

The album was recorded in producer Jay Joyce’s home studio in a live-to-tape fashion, allowing the members to live and breathe each track as it transpired. The album sounds like a slicked-up jam session, punctuated by pedal steel and vicious guitar rips, yet is still as honest as the Southern roots the band stems from.
Photo by Frank Maddocks; TheWildFeathers.com

Andrew Combs

Not all musicians form a band to gain fans. Andrew Combs is soft-spoken, reflective, and introverted, preferring to pen a new catalog of songs rather than steal the spotlight. The Dallas native and East Nashvillian tours regularly with the likes of Caitlin Rose, Jason Isbell, and Shovels & Rope. His sound is dark and dirty blues marked by Southern Gothic-style storytelling, all inspired by a love of literature and musicians like Guy Clark, Mance Lipscomb, and Lightnin’ Hopkins.

Combs’s soulful vocals belie his 26 years—just listen to “Worried Man x93 off his eponymous debut EP for a glimpse into the soul of this wise-beyond-his-means drifter. (And look for a follow-up album to be released this spring.) Combs is self-taught and humbly admits that he “could still afford a few lessons because, really, why not? x93

Combs, who is signed to Razor & Tie Music Publishing, reflects on the past year, saying, “My song ‘Too Stoned to Cry’ was on hold for a Willie Nelson/Merle Haggard record. It’s not a cut, but having my two heroes even think about my song is good enough for me! x93
Photo by Bea Chiappelli; AndrewCombs.net

Natalie Stovall & The Drive

Ever seen a band that made you want to scream from the rooftops that you were in the presence of greatness? That’s exactly how HitShop Records President Skip Bishop felt when he first saw Natalie Stovall & The Drive perform in 2013—he immediately presented them with an exclusive recording contract and scheduled studio time with in-demand Grammy-winning producer Paul Worley.

Fiddle player Stovall has been at it since she was 10 years old; she graced stages at the Grand Ole Opry, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and the White House while still in her childhood. She and drummer James Bavendam met while attending college in Boston, and the two played together regularly with a rotating group of musicians until they found the rest of the band—Joel Dormer, Miguel Cancino, and Zach Morse—in Nashville. “It wasn’t magic overnight, but after a while something started to click into place, x93 explains Stovall. “When you play 200 shows a year on the road and have as much fun hanging out as we do, there’s no turning back! x93

After eight years of continuous touring, signing a record deal felt like a culmination of their efforts. And then came the trick of recording their music. “We’ve always had a hard time capturing the pure energy of our shows in the studio, but HitShop allowed us the freedom to get it right, x93 says Stovall. “Without Paul, I don’t think we would have had the guts to do that. x93They’ll release their first radio single in February and then embark on another year-round tour.
Photo by Kristin Barlowe; NatalieStovall.com

Brandy Clark

To refer to the tracks on songwriter Brandy Clark’s debut album, 12 Stories, as “leftovers x93 after bigger stars had their pick would be a huge understatement. Especially since some of them could turn into 2014’s most anticipated breakthrough hits. “I started feeling like the reason these demos weren’t getting cut was because I was meant to sing them, x93 says Clark of intriguing songs such as “Take a Little Pill x93 and “Get High. x93 “We have had a hold on these songs for two years and I started feeling really guilty, but now I don’t. It was supposed to happen this way. x93

A Washington native and Belmont University grad, Clark started playing guitar at age nine. In 2012, she scored her first number one single with The Band Perry’s “Better Dig Two x93; another number one, Miranda Lambert’s “Mama’s Broken Heart, x93 quickly followed. Now 38, Clark says she is perfectly happy living her life in Nashville, chilling out at the Starbucks in Green Hills, and telling the stories that have yet to be told.
Photo by Becky Fluke; BrandyClarkMusic.com

Ben Rector

Ben Rector’s most recent album, The Walking in Between, is a sincere effort to connect the dots between artist and audience. He’s an open book when it comes to heartache, love, and life and chooses a pop-rock palette to showcase the commonality of emotions.

The Oklahoma native began pursuing music while he was in college—he grew up listening to ’60s and ’70s classics on a Tulsa radio station and credits songwriters like James Taylor and Randy Newman with shaping his own method of mingling chords and melodies. Now a Nashville resident, 27-year-old Rector likes to connect with his fans by posting intimate yet comical YouTube videos, like a cover of “Free Fallin’ x93 in which makeshift beats on the kitchen counter and refrigerator door back his soulful vocals. Add in a relentless tour schedule and appearances on shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live, and it’s no surprise that he’s reached 2 million digital downloads.

Having wrapped up a recent college tour, Rector looks eagerly toward 2014—and more time to write. The road warrior admits that his biggest challenge is staying grounded enough to come back to the heart of why he loves music.
Photo by Brett Price; BenRectorMusic.com

Chris Stapleton

If you’re not a country listener, Chris Stapleton may convert you. This soulful singer lends a whole new appreciation to the genre. A prolific, award-winning songwriter, he’s penned tunes for the likes of Adele, George Strait, and Brad Paisley. Now, he’s stepping out of his comfort zone with his first solo record.

A writer of four number-one hits, the former front man of the Grammy-nominated bluegrass band The SteelDrivers took a stab at the spotlight last year with the Mercury Records-released single “What Are You Listening To? x93 When he was approached by the label about making a commercial country record, Stapleton admits it was a challenge. “I had been out of that mind-set because I’d been in the bluegrass and indie-rock worlds, x93 he recalls, “but I knew it was something I wanted to try. x93

“I’m a rock singer mixed with hillbilly, bluegrass, and country, so I’m just one of those odd ducks that doesn’t necessarily fit anywhere specific, x93 he muses. Keep an eye out for the full album, preceded by another single release, in early 2014.
ChrisStapleton.com

Francesca Battistelli

Dark-haired beauty Francesca Battistelli was born in New York, grew up in Orlando, and spent a few years in Atlanta—but she has always considered Nashville home. “I moved [here] in 2007 but moved to Atlanta after a few years to be closer to family, x93 explains Battistelli, who in 2011 became the first female to win the Dove Awards Artist of the Year since Amy Grant took the honor in 1993. “It was so different. People don’t understand what you do. There wasn’t a studio on every corner. All your friends weren’t musicians. And the worst part was when it was time to record, you had to pick a day to drive up and be creative. It’s a lot of stress and pressure. x93

Having moved back to town just a handful of months ago, the talented mother of two says the heartbeat of Music City will undoubtedly be heard in her third studio album, set for release this spring. “I think people will notice a freshness to the sound that is reminiscent of my very first record, x93 she says. “There is a joy to this record. My life is different. I am a wife and a mother, and I am back where I always felt I was meant to be. It’s a new season in my life. x93
Photo by Russ Harrington; FrancescaMusic.com

Kopecky Family Band

While Kelsey Kopecky is the front woman and namesake behind Kopecky Family Band, the unit functions as a collective whole. Co-founders Kopecky and Gabe Simon, from Minnesota and South Carolina, respectively, met at Belmont University in 2007 after an impromptu writer’s round in their dorm.

“At the heart of it, I think we both just enjoyed each other’s songwriting and voices and thought this would be something worth collaborating on, x93 explains Simon, who adds that both felt déjà vu when first playing together. “The music just came to us, and we wrote five songs in 45 minutes. x93

After three EPs, their full-length album Kids Raising Kids was released under ATO Records last year. The band has deemed it a “brave, new Nashville x93 sound that embraces many genres and avoids being pigeonholed into any specific Billboard chart. Kopecky Family Band has co-headlined tours with acts like The Lumineers and, last year, had a monumental moment performing their pop single “Heartbeat x93 on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

So what are they kicking around for 2014? “So much! x93 exclaims Simon. “We are going into the studio soon to start recording some new music, big tours will be announced, and plenty of festival dates. If you’re looking for something to do, come be part of the family. x93
Photo by Will Morgan Holland; KopeckyFamilyBand.com

Jon Pardi

Nashville newcomer Jon Pardi says he’s spent the last five years “hanging out, shaking hands, having a few beers, and trying to get people to answer his phone calls x93—all in an attempt at achieving country music stardom. Well, it looks like 2014 just might be his best shot.

With the upcoming release of his debut album, Write You a Song, and the single “Up All Night, x93 Pardi joins a growing list of country music newbies coming off the honky-tonks of Broadway looking for a bit of that national spotlight. Being signed to Capitol Records and having opened for Dierks Bentley sure can’t hurt.

“I’ve spent three years touring around the country playing these songs and getting ready to put this album out, x93 says Pardi, who cowrote ten of the eleven tracks. “We have pretty much let the fans pick which songs made it. What made it is a bunch of upbeat, fun, lovemaking songs that I can’t wait for the world to hear. x93
JonPardi.com

Deana Carter

A nearly fatal car accident and spinal operation makes the former country music hit maker’s reemergence these days that much sweeter. Currently promoting her seventh studio album, Southern Way of Life, Carter says she feels blessed to get out there and give music another shot at the age of 48.

“It’s like they throw you out at 40 because you are not 20, x93 explains the blonde beauty, who broke onto the scene in the 1990s with hits like “Strawberry Wine x93 and “We Danced Anyway. x93 “I’ve heard guys in the business tell me to forget it and that my fans don’t buy records anymore and that I’m frankly too old. But I still have a lot to say. x93

Carter says it took the prodding by a certain someone to get back in the studio and on the road. “My son basically asked me when I was going to start singing on stage again, x93 she recalls. “He was the baby living in the tour bus with the little one-inch laminate around his neck years ago, but doesn’t remember any of it. I’m ready to show him all that he missed. x93
DeanaCarter.com

For King & Country

Despite moving to Nashville from their homeland, Australia, more than 22 years ago, the distinctive accent from Down Under still lingers in the voices of For King & Country’s Joel and Luke Smallbone. Yet this is far from the only characteristic that sets these brothers apart from the normal twang of Tennessee.

Having recently taken home the title of New Artist of the Year at the 44th Annual GMA Dove Awards, the duo stands out as one of the Christian music genre’s most intriguing pairs of artists. They head into the New Year hopeful that they’ll create a worthy follow-up to their 2012 album debut, Crave.

“We write about life and God and relationships and the struggles within those relationships, x93 explains Luke. “There is no doubt that our lives have progressed a lot since the last album, though. We both got married and I became a father, and the feelings that come from those changes are definitely creeping their way into the lyrics of the new songs we are working on—probably a lot more than I ever anticipated. x93
ForKingandCountry.com

Steve Wariner

The words never left Nashville music maker Steve Wariner. In fact, they have been hanging out for the past eight years, floating around his head, waiting for just the right time to be spilled onto a new and much-anticipated album. Now, It Ain’t All Bad is finally here.

“It was eight years of sitting on songs that would not leave me alone, x93 the four-time Grammy winner says from his home studio in Franklin. “The melodies in my head just kept playing, and it was time to let them loose. This album is definitely as diverse of an album that I have ever done because I wasn’t in that rush to complete it. It’s just all over the map, and I kind of like it that way. x93
SteveWariner.com