WE Fest

07Aug

Raised on a chicken farm in Carrollton, GA, singer/songwriter Noah Hicks brings an authenticity that’s as real as the dirt roads he grew up on. After making the move from his small hometown to Nashville, he quickly found his place among some of the city’s most respected writing circles. Since signing with RED Creative Group in 2020, he’s amassed more than 60 million streams and has collaborated with artists like Rhett Akins, Ashley Cooke, Travis Denning, and Jon Langston. Two of his standout tracks, “I Can Tell You’re Small Town” and “Dirt On It,” have proven Noah’s ability to authentically and naturally connect with fans. The former song sparked an organic TikTok trend, with over 29K videos created and counting, while the latter has been embraced by NFL and MLB stadiums, organically finding its way into the ears of sports fans. Sharing the stage with artists including HARDY, Ernest, Justin Moore, and Parker McCollum, and making appearances at festivals like CMA Fest,…

Hailing from the small town of Hull, GA, Mackenzie Carpenter is the spunky blonde girl-next-door that fell in love with music as a kid, writing alongside her brothers and singing in church. Years later, the outspoken singer-songwriter is breaking the mold for small-town women by writing and singing her truth, armed with the knowledge that everyone has a little bit of “hot mess” in them, no matter how shiny the book cover may seem. With an upbringing consisting of a rowdy support system, back porch hootenannies and juicy drama, the affable and kind Carpenter also embraces the crazy and “tacky” aspects that make life more interesting. She kickstarted her career as a songwriter for Lily Rose’s 2021 No. 1 hit “Villain,” and has since co-written songs including Top 15 single “I’m Not Pretty” and new fan-favorite tracks “Indifferent” and “28th of June” with breakout star Megan Moroney all while starting her own career as an artist. Fans are loving SiriusXM Highway…

Pecos & The Rooftops have been perfecting a signature heavy blend of lowdown country and classic rock since their inception in a big five-bedroom house in Lubbock, Texas. Formed in 2019 by a tight-knit squad of college friends, the band outfits their soulful Americana with muscular guitar grit, yet remains tuneful and melodic. They’ve carved out a singular niche for themselves in the rich songwriting tradition of their home state, as evidenced by their debut Warner Records single “5AM.” Anchored by the heart-baring songwriting and booming voice of former Marine Pecos Hurley, the band is rounded out by top-tier players and songwriters Brandon Jones (rhythm guitar), Zack Foster (lead guitar), Kalen Davis (bass), Garrett Peltier (drums) and Hunter Cassell (guitars & keys).

Capitol Nashville “songwriter/producer/full-throttle vocalist” (HITS) Caylee Hammack has carved a place for herself in country music, acclaimed as an artist who “bleeds creativity, fire and determination so completely that she’s a beacon in an industry of thousands” (The Tennessean). Now laying the groundwork for her next creative chapter, the rising star is rooted in fostering her most authentic sound, working alongside Brother Osborne’s John Osborne, together paying homage to the stories and characters that shaped her into the person she is today. Hammack released her debut record IF IT WASN’T FOR YOU with writer and producer credits for the entire project, earning high praise from critics, with Billboard declaring “Hammack deserves to be a star.” Tapping Chris Stapleton for a guest vocal on a new version of her deeply personal song “Small Town Hypocrite,” co-written and co-produced by Hammack, she garnered even more acclaim, with NPR and Esquire singling out…

Iconic entertainer, Sammy Kershaw, has amassed three platinum and six gold albums that have scanned and streamed in excess of 5 million records and nearly 100 million combined songs sold. Often referred to as the “heir apparent” to legendary ‘voice’ George Jones, the GRAMMY nominated performer helped shape and make the ‘90s a shining decade for country music. His multi-platinum albums were propelled into the record books by hits such as “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful,” “Queen of My Doublewide Trailer”, “I Can’t Reach Her Anymore,” “National Working Woman’s Holiday,” “Love Of My Life,” “Cadillac Style,” “Don’t Go Near The Water,” “Haunted Heart”, “Vidalia” and many other milestones.

08Aug

Evocative artist-writer Zandi Holup is a wildflower: unique, free as the wind, and blossoming in Music City. Born in Pennsylvania, she drifted from city to city until she found her home in Nashville six years ago. Cut from the same cloth as legendary folk singer-songwriters like Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, and Joni Mitchell, Holup’s raw brand of original folk country flourishes through unfiltered storytelling reminiscent of Dolly Parton and emphasized by her emotive vocals. A grassroots following placed her on the map as snippets of demos and unreleased songs resonated across social media in increasing numbers. Her first release, “Wait for You,” sat at No. 1 on the all-genre Spotify Fresh Finds playlist, amassing over a million streams with no promotion outside of her TikTok following. She has opened for the likes of 49 Winchester, Steve Earle, Amanda Shires, Ann Wilson of Heart, and more. Named a 2023 Artist to Watch by The Nashville Briefing, Holup signed a publishing deal with…

Treaty Oak Revival is an up and coming young band consisting of Sam Canty (lead singer/acoustic guitar), Lance Vanley (rhythm electric/background vocals), Jeremiah Vanley (lead electric), Andrew Carey (bass), and Cody Holloway (drums). Their sound is rooted in Texas/Red Dirt country but draws from southern rock and punk influences, ultimately leading to a combination of styles that make the end product raw and refreshingly rough around the edges. The band’s latest release “Have a Nice Day” is currently streaming on all platforms.

It’s not every day we get to watch the rapid rise of an American rock ‘n’ roll band, from performing as an unknown at an open mic night to soon after selling out the venue multiple times, then moving rapidly to major stages.

GRAMMY, CMA and ACM award winner Ashley McBryde cut her teeth playing country songs in biker bars – and it shows. The Grand Ole Opry member’s 2018 major label debut Girl Going Nowhere (Warner Music Nashville) charmed The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, Paste, The Washington Post and more, all en route to landing a GRAMMY nomination for Best Country Album. McBryde closed out 2019 with ACM New Female Artist, CMT Breakout Artist, a New Artist of the Year win at the 53rd Annual CMA Awards and two nominations for the 2020 GRAMMYs for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance for “Girl Goin’ Nowhere.” Her follow-up Never Will was tagged by Rolling Stone as one of the most anticipated of the year alongside NPR, who also ranked her Top 10 RIAA Platinum-Certified single “One Night Standards” as one of the best songs of 2019. The album earned McBryde a 2021 GRAMMY nomination for Best Country Album, making Never Will the only album nominated for Country Album of the…

Big Loud Records/Big Loud Rock heavy hitter HARDY—crowned “Nashville’s nü-metal king” by the Los Angeles Times—continues his breathtaking ascent with his much lauded new LP Quit!! out now. His first full-album embrace of his rock sound topped the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart and features standouts “PSYCHO”—currently climbing rock charts, “SIX FEET UNDER (Caleigh’s Song)”—storming country radio, and “PSYCHO”—which hit the rock Top 5. Quit!! follows HARDY’s critically acclaimed half-country, half-rock sophomore album the mockingbird & THE CROW, adding to 4.6 billion career streams. The 17-track effort debuted top five all-genre on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and topped seven additional Billboard charts in its first week, including Top Country Albums, Top Rock Albums and Top Album Sales.

Only 20 years old and already attracting attention from esteemed media outlets like Rolling Stone, Billboard, American Songwriter and more, exciting newcomer Avery Anna “further displays promise and prowess” (GRAMMY Awards) on her celebrated debut album, Breakup Over Breakfast, available everywhere now. The album features 17 tracks all written or co-written by the “towering, soul-baring tunesmith” (Billboard) and showcases her ability to harness raw emotion and infuse it into a nuanced lyricism well beyond her years. Produced by David Fanning, Breakup Over Breakfast contains stories ranging from romance to rage, penned with a sacred honesty and sung with a soulful heart. The “brave debut album” (Entertainment Focus) follows her 2022 debut EP, Mood Swings, that earned her Artist To Watch nods from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube, MusicRow and CMT. The seven-song introduction features her viral, Platinum-certified hit, “Narcissist,” that she performed…

Rodney Atkins, one of Country Music’s biggest stars, has reached such heights as being named the Top New Male Vocalist at the ACM Awards, and seeing his single “Watching You” become the Number One Song of the Decade, according to Country Aircheck, and earn the songwriter a BMI “Million-Air” Award.

09Aug

Alex is a Texas born soul singer/songwriter & guitarist. Alex spent much of his childhood learning to sing, play, & write from his grandfather who was a country singer/songwriter himself. Coming from Texas he was strongly influenced by classic country, soul, blues and R&B. Alex cut his teeth in Los Angeles writing songs for artists like Justin Bieber, Carly Rae Jepsen, Chris Rene, and more, but is now pursuing an artist career of his own in Nashville,TN.

Gavin Adcock is a 25-year-old Georgia native born and raised in Watkinsville. Former Georgia Southern University football player, Gavin grew up working on his family cattle farm and dreamed of riding bulls in the PBR. He started writing songs in high school, but it wasn’t until the spring of 2021, when he tore up his knee playing football, that he used his time healing to record and release his first original single. Since then, he has put all focus into his music and has released multiple singles that have now amassed over 235 million US streams collectively with his recent release, “A Cigarette,” having over 50 million streams and counting. As he continues to write and record new music for a 2024 album, he is hitting the road touring throughout the year with sold-out headline dates and major festival plays.

Fast-rising Country artist Rafe Carlson (pronounced RAYF) was only 22 years old when he left his job selling RVs in his hometown of Duluth, Minnesota and bought a one-way ticket to Nashville to bring his unique Northwoods edge to songwriting rooms up and down Music Row.

A Country phenomenon with major star power and massive talent to match, Megan Moroney is the rare artist to earn icon status soon after breaking onto the scene. With over 1.5 BILLION total global streams to date, the Georgia-bred singer/songwriter kicked off the latest era of her formidable career with her critically acclaimed sophomore album Am I Okay?: a July 2024 release that debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200, emerged as the year’s third-biggest debut from a female Country artist, and won rave reviews from many of the music world’s leading publications (including Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Variety, Billboard, American Songwriter, and more). Featuring the Emo Cowgirl’s post-breakup ballad “No Caller ID” — a track that shattered the record for the biggest Country female song debut in streams in the U.S. — Am I Okay? continues the meteoric rise first set in motion with “Tennessee Orange,” a 2X PLATINUM #1 hit included on her 2023 blockbuster debut Lucky.

Since first hitting the country landscape, Pardi has separated himself from the pack, carving a lane that was all his own by producing, writing, and singing songs he created from the melodies up, and earning praise for it. Having “cut a path through modern country’s embrace of pop, hip-hop and EDM” (The New York Times), ACM and CMA award-winning artist Jon Pardi is a “hero in the making” (Variety) with “an emboldened work…that draws both vitality and assurance from his anything-but-sterile relationship to his tradition’s modern era” (NPR). With his “state-of-the-art blend of traditional instrumentation and progressive grooves that point to country’s future” (Rolling Stone), Pardi is “a leader among a growing number of artists bringing back fiddle, steel and twang” (People). His “long-lasting mark on the genre” (MusicRow) and his impressive ability to carve out his own path with “the kind of country music multiple generations came to know, and love, can…

Nineteen-year old Bayker Blankenship from Livingston, Tennessee has had one heck of a few months, going from playing his first home town gigs to signing his first record deal and going viral with his first hit “Maxed Out” in a short amount of time. “Maxed Out” is hitting new peaks at such an incredible speed- to name a few, it reached #2 on the Spotify Viral charts, #43 on Apple Country, and has over 100k creates on TikTok. Bayker has garnered over 40M+ streams in just a few months. “Maxed Out” highlights Bayker as one of Country’s rising stars, with fans falling for his bright personality and warm heart along the way. Bayker’s debut EP “Younger Years” released in July 2024, hitting over 4M+ streams the first week and making it obvious he is far from a one-hit wonder.

To all appearances, Gretchen Wilson went from talented obscurity to phenomenon almost overnight. Her meteoric rise, the kind experienced by only a handful of artists in the past few decades, was that rare instance where talent and moment met to form a cultural tidal wave.

10Aug

It’s place and perspective that drive 22-year-old musician NoahRinker’s sound. It propels his lyricism and informs his entire point of view. Growing up in the mountains of California, he found song wherever he could. He picked up the guitar at 14, learning to play it like a lap steel because he assumed the fretboard might work the same way a keyboard did. At 16, he wrote his first song. But it was “leaving for sessions with other collaborators that made me realize that home was the thing that made me who I was all along.”