BILL ANDERSON RECEIVES ANOTHER AWARD

BILL ANDERSON RECEIVES ANOTHER AWARD

CONTINUES TO ENJOY GREAT SUCCESS

(November 16, 2011) Bill Anderson continues to enjoy the fruits of his labor from songwriting, to personal appearances, and constant new awards for his work.  He is always in demand to write as one of music’s greatest songwriters of all time. because of his magic mind and hand, that continue to write hits for many major artists.  A long time member of the Grand Ole Opry, slowing down does not seem to be a part of Bill’s life at this time.  The fan base that he has built up over the past many years makes him one of the legendary artists still in demand as witnessed by his recent appearance in York, PA.

A capacity crowd of fans gathered to enjoy a night with the legend Country Music Hall of  Fame member Bill Anderson Saturday evening November 12^th at the York Expo Center in York, PA.

The show produced by Tim Michaels Productions of York was attended by Bill Anderson fans from all over the  East Coast.  Michaels said the contingent of fans many of whom  traveled hundreds of miles to York, were treated to an amazing evening with Bill showcasing the 6 decades of hits that he has written for countless artists in Country Music as well as his perennial favorites like “Still” “I Love You Drops” and  “Tips of My Fingers,” just to name a few.

One of the highlights of the evening was a special presentation to Bill on behalf of all Pennsylvania Country Music fans, and Tim Michaels Productions.  A unique plaque shaped in the form of the State of Pennsylvania was presented to Bill on stage by Michaels and a new and upcoming country singer/songwriter from York, PA, 14 year old, Leah Burke..

For Country Music fans in Pennsylvania it truly was a great night with A Legend.

Marty Martel

NEW ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Robin Meade

NEW ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Robin Meade
By Bob Doerschuk
© 2011 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.
As host of HLN’s “Morning Express with Robin Meade,” this award-winning journalist and television personality lives in a whirl of 2:30 AM weekday wakeup calls, six hours of anchoring the news each day, assignments (like skydiving with President George H. W. Bush) and honors, including induction into the Ohio Broadcasters Hall of Fame and the 2010 Gracie Award for Outstanding Anchor from American Women in Radio & Television.
But she has also loved singing in front of audiences as far back as kindergarten and Country Music specifically since first hearing a Mary Chapin Carpenter CD.
Her two sides intersect on her debut album. Brand New Day is produced by Victoria Shaw, with Billy Dean coproducing “Morning Sunshine,” which he wrote and sings with Meade. That’s one of six tracks that she co-wrote, most of them a mix of down-home and uptown. When she fumes about being stuck behind a car whose turn signal blinks for six miles on “Letting It Go” (written by Meade, Shaw and Matt Lopez) or revels in her command of big-city office politics on “Put My High Heels On” (Meade, Shaw and John Rich), you know she’s writing about what she knows, which after all is the essence of Country.
Still, when called back to her roots, Meade doesn’t disappoint. From her duet with Jim Brickman on the searing ballad “Welcome Home” (Brickman and Shaw) to her first single, a banjo-studded treatment of Don Henley’s “Dirty Laundry” (Henley and Danny Kortchmar) featuring Bo Bice, Kix Brooks, Gary Burr, Sarah Buxton and Shaw, she proves that those roots thrive just under the surface.
Brand New Day is available exclusively on iTunes and in greeting card sections of Target stores.
In Her Own Words
DREAM DUET PARTNER“I have two: Kenny Chesney and Bono of U2.”
SONG YOU WISH YOU HAD WRITTEN“‘Never Alone,’ by Victoria Shaw, Gary Burr and Sarah Buxton.”
BOOK ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND“The Power, by Rhonda Byrne.”
SONG YOU SING IN THE SHOWER“Whatever is stuck in my head.  Last week it was an old song by Mike + the Mechanics.  This week it’s ‘If I Die Young’ by The Band Perry.”
PET PEEVE“My pet peeve is when cashiers ask you three separate times if you’d like to open a store credit card, even though you’ve already said no each previous time.”
WHAT YOU HOPE PEOPLE SAY ABOUT YOU IN 50 YEARS“She wasn’t typical.”
SOMETHING WE’D NEVER GUESS ABOUT YOU“I grew up eating squirrel! Maybe it played into my vegetarianism now. Ha!”
On the Web: www.CNN.com/Robin

A long time coming for Joe Ely

A long time coming for Joe Ely

 


Texas country rocker Joe Ely goes so long between shows in California that it’s tempting to think he’ll visit the Golden State only at gunpoint.

 

That’s certainly not the case, Ely said last week from his home in Lubbock as he geared up for a trip that will bring him back to the Southland for one of his rare concert stops on Thursday at the Mint in Los Angeles. But were it true, it wouldn’t be unprecedented: That’s just the way he came to the City of Angels the first time, some 45 years ago.

“I was playing the old Cellar Club in Houston,” Ely, 64, said, launching a scenario that sounds like one of the richly detailed shaggy dog tales that’s been a key part of his musical repertoire since he emerged from Lubbock in the 1970s with a string of critically lauded solo albums.

“I had some differences with the management one night,” he said in the languid West Texas drawl that contributes to his reputation as a canny storyteller. “I’d met some friends at the old Market Square in Houston — they were black guys — and I invited them to the club as my guests. When we got there, the bouncers pointed to a sign they kept way high over the door that read ‘$99 cover charge.’ It was there to keep blacks out of the club. That was in 1966.

“It really made me mad, so I quit the club,” Ely said. “When I came back the next day to get my stuff and my paycheck, the manager pulled a gun on me. I’d never had that experience before. Right at that moment, somebody else came in the side door, so I dove and hit the front door running.

 

  “I found a friend of mine who had enough money for two plane tickets to L.A. The only piece of equipment I had left was a [Fender] Super Reverb amplifier that I’d left back at my hotel room,” he said of the workhorse guitar amp that weighs close to 65 pounds.

 

“I grabbed the amp and we took the bus to Fort Worth, hopped a plane to L.A. My friend only knew one person in L.A., and that was in Venice. We walked there from the L.A. airport, with me carrying the Super Reverb the whole way. To this day, one of my arms is longer than the other one because of that.”

 

Ely hasn’t turned that incident into a song — yet — but he did say it inspired the title of a book he’s been working on for several years and which he expects to publish next year. It will follow his 2007 book “Bonfire of Roadmaps,” in which he weaved together journal entries, song lyrics and other documents of his life on the road.
“It’s called ‘Super Reverb,’ and it’s sort of an autobiography,” he said. “I didn’t make it strictly about me.”

 

That’s also true of his considerable body of songs that have charted the path of a lifelong maverick and restless spirit born of the grand expanses of West Texas he grew up in, songs that artfully process real-life circumstance through a creative writer’s imagination.
Although his music never clicked with a mass audience — he suffered from the “too rock for country audiences, too country for rock audiences” syndrome — he’s long been a favorite of critics and musicians of various stripes: The Clash once tapped him as an opening act, as did the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and Linda Ronstadt. He collaborated with Los Lobos members Cesar Rosas and David Hidalgo, Freddy Fender and Flaco Jimenez and others in the Mexican American all-star band Los Super Seven. The collective yielded Ely his one and only Grammy Award, in 1988, for Mexican American music performance. Ely’s last appearance in L.A. proper was in 2007 for a Walt Disney Concert Hall program, when he shared the stage with John Hiatt, Guy Clark and Lyle Lovett.

 

Ely’s latest album, which he’ll be highlighting at the Mint in a duo performance with slide guitarist Jeff Plankenhorn, is “Satisfied at Last,” a title that’s thrown many longtime followers for a loop given his seemingly unquenchable thirst for something more.

 

“That kind of came from back in the early ’80s when I picked up Muddy Waters at the airport,” Ely said. “He was playing in Lubbock; a friend of mine had brought him in. The first thing I said to him when he got in the car was, ‘Man, Muddy, you’re traveling all the time. How is that?’ He said, ‘You know, every day is 22 hours of misery and 2 hours of ecstasy.’ And that’s what it is.

 

“I’ve found that when things are done — when a show is over or a trip is complete — I am satisfied at last,” he said.

 

The album’s title song, as it turns out, isn’t any turnaround from the spiritual yearning Ely has long expressed. He sings of being satisfied at last only after he’s breathed his last breath. Several of the album’s other songs also deal with facets of mortality — his own and the three he didn’t write: Billy Joe and Eddy Shaver’s “Live Forever” and two by longtime friend and Flatlanders bandmate Hancock, “Leo and Leona” and the album-closing “Circumstance.”
“On this record there are a lot of little stories,” he said. “Two or three of them came from the B or C sections of the newspaper. One I got from the obituary section in a small town — I think it was in Arkansas — about a guy who loved to shoot skeet with his friends on his back 40. When he died, they found in his will that he wanted to be cremated and have his ashes put in shotgun shells and shot out over his land. It was so funny because it was a complete story of somebody who had enjoyed their life and also planned their going away.”

 

And somebody who found satisfaction at last — if only at gunpoint.

 

— Randy Lewis

DOLLY PARTON’S NEW SINGLE & VIDEO “THE SACRIFICE”

DOLLY PARTON’S NEW SINGLE & VIDEO “THE SACRIFICE”
GETS A LITTLE “EXTRA” SPECIAL TREATMENT

Nashville, TN –  Iconic singer, songwriter, musician, actress and philanthropist DOLLY PARTON is getting some “EXTRA” special treatment from Mario Lopez and the EXTRA TV crew!   Tonight, EXTRA will debut a portion of the video on the daily syndicated entertainment magazine show with a link to watch it in its entirety from www.extratv.com.  “The Sacrifice,” is the second single from her critically acclaimed latest album BETTER DAY (Dolly Records, distributed through Warner Music Nashville). The music video will be distributed to all video outlets worldwide starting November 15th.

Of the new song, DOLLY says, “’The Sacrifice’ is another song that is just so, totally, me. I think it’s so totally everybody that has a dream and desire to be successful, and in order to be successful we have to give up things that we’d rather not.  But if we’re not willing to make that sacrifice usually we don’t see those dreams come true.”

In other DOLLY news, she will return to the silver screen alongside Queen Latifah in Joyful Noise (Warner Bros. Pictures), a musically driven feature that tells the story of an unlikely partnership between two strong-minded women who are forced to work together to save a small town Gospel choir after budget cuts threaten to shut them down.“Joyful Noise will also feature musical contributions from DOLLY. This marks DOLLY’s return to movies, having starred in Steel Magnolias, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and the Academy Award-nominated 9-5.  See the Joyful Noise trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiNEwLKmSq0

For more information, please visit http://www.dollypartonmusic.net

WADE BOWEN RELEASES FIRST SINGLE “SATURDAY NIGHT”

 

SINGER/SONGWRITER WADE BOWEN

RELEASES FIRST SINGLE “SATURDAY NIGHT”

FROM UPCOMING BNA RECORDS DEBUT

 

Nashville, TN – Nov. 14, 2011 – Award winning singer/songwriter and lifetime road warrior Wade Bowen releases the first single “Saturday Night” this week from his forthcoming studio album on Sea Gayle/BNA Records. The new track reflects Bowen’s dynamic live show and signature songwriting and officially goes for adds at country radio today. Seventeen stations across the country from San Jose to Kansas City, Denver to Hartford have jumped on board early, already adding the track.

“I wouldn't be here today getting the opportunity to record for a major label if it weren't for all those shows I played and for all those die-hard music fans at home coming out to see me,” said Bowen. “They are the reason I am being afforded this opportunity. When it comes to my intent as a musician, I’ve not changed anything since day one. I’ve only tried to mature and to get better, and I think ‘Saturday Night’ is representative of that."

To preview “Saturday Night,” click here: http://www.thegreenroompr.com/wadebowen.html

Thirteen years after launching his career at Stubb’s Barbecue in Lubbock, TX, Bowen’s new music isn’t a debut, more like a fresh start on a bigger stage. He has made a living of 200-plus nights a year on the road and patient grassroots fan development. With eight No. one’s on the Texas Music Chart, multiple awards including 2009 Texas Music Awards’ Male Vocalist of the Year and the 2010 Lone Star Music Awards’ Live Act of the Year, three studio albums and a Live At Billy Bob’s CD/DVD combo at the iconic club in Fort Worth under his belt, the Texas native is currently in the studio recording his first album for a major country label.

 
For more info and a full list of tour dates, visit www.wadebowen.com.

LADY ANTEBELLUM SOLD OUT CROWD IN KNOXVILLE, TN

LADY ANTEBELLUM KICKS OFF OWN THE NIGHT 2011 TOUR WITH SOLD OUT CROWD IN KNOXVILLE, TN Radio Programmers Name It  A "Must See" Concert This Fall Nashville, TN – Nov. 14, 2011 – CMA Vocal Group of the Year Lady Antebellum kicked off their headlining arena OWN THE NIGHT 2011 Tour sponsored by GAC this weekend in Knoxville, TN with a sold out concert at the Knoxville Coliseum. "Lady A has taken their tour to the next level,” said Mike Hammond, Program Director for Knoxville’s WIVK. “Their energy, enthusiasm, stage presence, big screens, the music, the stage, etc. This is definitely on the must see list this fall." "Lady A’s live show has gone to a whole new level,” commented Entercom’s Director of Programming Mike Moore. “A new stage, bigger production, HUGE video screens and their typical rock solid performance rocked the house in Knoxville on opening night!  Sure to be one of the must see shows of 2012!" The trio’s new album OWN THE NIGHT debuted at the No. one position on Billboard’s Top 200 album chart in the states and Canada this Sept., becoming the biggest first week debut by a country artist this year. Its current Top 10 hit “We Owned The Night” follows the album’s chart topping lead single “Just A Kiss.” Lady A is currently nominated for Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group for the 2011 American Music Awards and will be honored as one CMT’s five Artists of the Year in December. The first leg of their OWN THE NIGHT 2011 TOUR will continue this week in El Paso, TX (11/16), Phoenix, AZ (11/17) and Las Vegas, NV (11/18).

CMA AWARDS 2011 - WOW, WHAT A NIGHT!

WOW, WHAT A NIGHT!   From the outstanding performances to the presentation of the awards, we couldn't have asked for better night! More than 16 million Country Music fans tuned in to see Brad and Carrie host another unforgettable show!    In case you missed it, here are some of the big winners of "The 45th Annual CMA Awards":

Entertainer of the Year Taylor Swift New Artist of the Year The Band Perry Single of the Year "If I Die Young" The Band Perry Female Vocalist of the Year Miranda Lambert Vocal Group of the Year Lady Antebellum Album of the Year My Kinda Party Jason Aldean Male Vocalist of the Year Blake Shelton Vocal Duo of the Year Sugarland Song of the Year "If I Die Young" Kimberly Perry

Go to CMAawards.com for all 12 winners from Country Music's Biggest Night™!   Thanks for watching and be sure to tune-in to CMA Country Christmas Thursday, Dec.1 at 9|8c on ABC featuring performances by Lauren Alaina, Amy Grant, Faith Hill, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, Brad Paisley, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, Brian Setzer, Sugarland, Keith Urban and Vince Gill Performs with Miss Piggy!

"THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD" "THE GREATEST NIGHT IN COUNTRY MUSIC" 2011 CMA AWARDS SHOW

Not sure of who I should congratulate, CMA, ABC Network, nominees and recipients, and all artists in attendance, but last night’s CMA Awards Show might have been the beginning of a new era in country music.  Last night’s event looked and sounded as if someone, somewhere, had a meeting of the minds and decided  that  if this really was the Greatest Night in Country Music, then changes had to be made, and I believe changes were made.  Someone got together in a secluded room and told the industry giants and the artists to buy some new duds, and look like stars, not like some of them were just coming in from bush-hogging.  Get a haircut and have their hair done, buy some clothes that dictate who we are in country music and where we are going-make a statement.  Last night the ladies were beautiful and dressed to the nines, and most of the dude’s looked better than they ever have.  They represented Country Music and Nashville the way we used to be.  We are not the hillbilly nation that everyone assumes we are. 

With all of the hype and promotion that CMA and ABC put forth to make all of us think that this is really the biggest night in country music-IT WAS.  The glitz and glamour abounded from the Red Carpet to the arena.  Last night I really believe I was witnessing the true beginning of the CHANGING OF THE GUARD.   I was really impressed with how beautiful the ladies looked, their fashion driven dresses, beautiful hairdos, less skin, and all camera ready.   The class of 2011 was awesome.   I am hoping that from here on out, all of the awards shows will be like last night, with great production, dress code, and everyone on the same page when it comes to acceptance speeches!!!!  But please let’s fix the sound so that the singer is the most important part of each segment, and not the band???? Oh yeah, I did not forget the guys who really looked great in suits and ties, all looking cool.  Some of the guys with baseball hats and jeans, I could do without, at least for this special night, but some never change, and I respect them for how they perceive themselves.

My editorial is not going to be so much about the winners, but about our music in general.  I opted not to include pictures in this article.  The winners were in some cases surprises, but all in all the winners were great choices.  Just so I do not get in any trouble with the fans of Lambert and Shelton, I will keep my thoughts about all choices to myself.  I did notice that there were times that disappointment was evident with some of the nominees, but that comes with the territory of hope, anticipation, dreams, and reality.

The mood of the evening was evident from the opening of the show, that this just might be the Greatest Night in Country Music.  Blake Shelton and Kenny Loggins “Footloose” gave me the feeling that this could be a great show, and I personally was not disappointed in the outcome.  There are issues that need to be addressed especially the sound, which never seems to compliment the singer, and that is what The CMA Awards are all about.  2012 surely will have better sound.  And now that ABC has signed on to air the CMA Awards for the next 10 years.  I am hoping that this issue will be addressed immediately. 

Several years have passed when many of us, and I mean many of us, just turned to another channel on the TV, instead of watching the awards show, with its rock n roll sound, and no direction or any semblance of what a show of this magnitude meant to our country music industry.  During these year’s I don’t think the younger set really cared about dressing up, or looking great for the world to see. Not all of the artists on the past awards shows were in the category of looking like “let’s get this over and party,” so last night I know many of us that turned to another channel in past years, stayed up to watch this particular show.  And considering past shows, this was no doubt the best CMA Awards Show I have seen in many, many years.

Yes I know that many of you might be thinking that I am a traitor to pure traditional country music and that I have moved over to the other side, but trust me, I have not.  I was impressed with changes that have been made to accommodate what is no doubt going to be the direction country music is going to be.  I feel that the time is getting closer, that we will be hearing fiddle’s and steel guitars again, and  it is not too far in the distant future.  I am country, and most of these young artists are making music the way they feel it, and I am hearing more and more country in their songs.  Drinking, cheating, loving, hurting, happy country song’s.  THAT IS GOOD.  The record labels, disc-jockeys, and artists have got to make more real country records.

In the past when the show invited other successful artists from other genre’s, I was not too keen on that, but last night hearing Lionel Ritchie with Rascal Flatt’s, Gregg Allman with Zac Brown Band, I enjoyed that part of the show.  I have personal thoughts on some of the segments, but I feel the entire three hour show was a success.

To see Faith Hill back on the CMA Awards was awesome, and she came back with a super song “Come Home” from her new CD, and showed us why she has sold more than 40 million records.  Her performance was as good as it gets.  Also great to see, Hank Jr., and Little Jimmy Dickens in their spoofs.

My nod for the best part of the entire show was the Tribute to Glen Campbell.   Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, and Jimmy Webb paid honor to Glen, and it was the evenings most important segment, including tears of joy and super awesome performances by Vince, Brad, Keith, and Jimmy.   Glen was truly humbled by this tribute to his music and I thought the camera shots were perfect for what this tribute meant to Glen, and to our music industry.   This special segment of the awards should be included each year for artists who have given so much to the music world.

The changing of the guard takes time to be fully understood, but last night was evident that we are making some stride’s, and that if the CMA Awards Show is truly going to be The Biggest Night In Country Music, then I believe we have made a great start.  Now, I am going to make a suggestion to CMA and ABC.  For the future awards shows, let’s invite Stonewall Jackson, George Jones, Alan Jackson, Jack Greene, Jean Shepard, Bill Anderson, Lynn Anderson, Gene Watson, Jan Howard, Bobby Bare, Connie Smith, Jim Ed Brown & The Browns’, Jimmy C. Newman, Ray Price, Kitty Wells, Jesse McReynolds, Bobby & Sonny Osborne, John Conlee, John Anderson, Freddie Hart, and the list goes on and on.  Seat them in a special section of the venue and make sure the camera gives them attention during the show, and pays tribute to them for laying the foundation of country music so strongly that it has withstood the pains and troubled times.  Let the younger artists be seated with them in this special section.  Make a segment where all of these legendary artists are joined together on stage to sing maybe a special song written especially for them.  Tape the segment earlier in the week of preparations for the live show.  We are beginning the passing of the torch, so instead of thinking that we can just put out one torch and light another, let’s pass the torch the way it should be done, from the past to the present, for the future.   Passing this type of torch takes time to keep the flame burning brightly.  And as we all know there have been times it looked like the flame was going to die out.  

I am still wondering why Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, and George Strait were left off as nominees for Entertainer of the Year!!!!!!  I do congratulate Taylor Swift.

So I am adding one more award to last night’s show, to CMA’s head man, Steve Moore and his staff, also to ABC Network for a job well done and hopefully the following 10 years will continue to be bigger and better.   One more thing I would like to see less of is the pyrotechnics involved in the show.  Let the Rolling Stones and all of the Rock and Pop acts do their thing, but let us keep the Country Music Awards on the same level as the Oscar’s are to the film industry-classy.  For the Country Music Awards, it is all about the music, the nominees and recipients, not the fire and smoke, not the hosts, JUST THE MUSIC. 

For those that might have missed this year’s CMA Awards because they felt it was not going to be any better than in past years-give it a chance in 2012-you might be surprised as I was this year.  It did not go on without a hitch, but a changing of the guard is taking place, and I think the changes are going to be good for country music.  As long as we have more Brad Paisley’s, Carrie Underwood’s, Martina McBride’s, Vince’s Gill’s, etc., we hopefully can change the direction of the road that our music has been traveling.  It seems as though country music has rebounded from past years of decline.  When more artists who love country music, take control of their music, and record country music, then we will see more success. 

I have included all of the categories and winners, but needless to say, all of the nominees were winners.  As we all know, when there is an awards show, there is only one winner.  Sometimes I wish there were more nominees to select from, instead of five, but that is the rules of the awards show, and I voted for who I wanted to win and I was happy with my selections.  BTW, I am happy that Reba, one of three inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this year, paid honor to Jean Shepard and Bobby Braddock, who were inducted with her.

As always I would enjoy hearing your comments, both pro and con.  Keep it Country. 

Marty Martel

© 2011

2011 Country Music Award Winners
Category	Winner
Single of the Year	If I Die Young (The Band Perry)
Song of the Year	If I Die Young (The Band Perry)
Vocal Duo of the Year	Sugarland
Album of the Year	My Kind of Party (Jason Aldean)
Best Group	Lady Antebellum
Music Video	You and Tequila (Kenny Chesney)
Best New Artist of the Year	The Band Perry
Male Vocalist of the Year	Blake Shelton
Female Vocalist of the Year	Miranda Lambert
Entertainer of the Year	Taylor Swift

“The 45th Annual CMA Awards” Airs Nov. 9 on ABC

“The 45th Annual CMA Awards” Airs Nov. 9 on ABC
By Bob Doerschuk
September 6 was a morning of firsts as the names of CMA Awards nominees for 2011 were revealed live on ABC Television’s “Good Morning America” and at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.
“GMA” unveiled its new set that day, relocated to street level so that passersby on Times Square got a close look at Jake Owen as he performed with his band and joined The Band Perry to announce the finalists in five of the Awards categories. And at the Ryman, where the rest of the nominations were revealed onstage by Jerrod Niemann and Thompson Square, Jack Greene, the inaugural winner of CMA’s Male Vocalist, Single and Album of the Year honors in 1967, presented those three trophies to CMA as a gesture of appreciation.
For The Band Perry and Thompson Square, it was also a day of surprises, as both received news of their own nominations at the New York and Nashville announcements respectively. And for “GMA” viewers and those on site at the Ryman, a picture quickly took shape of how this year’s Awards would play out.
If any single word could characterize the 2011 Awards, it would be “competitive.” First-time nominees made their presence known in 12 CMA Awards categories, including Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Album, Vocal Duo, Single, Song, Music Video, Musical Event, Musician and New Artist. No one artist ran way ahead of the rest in terms of how many nominations they received. Indeed, four of them tied for first place in this tabulation with five each.
• Jason Aldean earned nominations for Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Album for My Kinda Party and Single and Musical Event of the Year, for “Don’t You Wanna Stay” with Kelly Clarkson.
• Defending Entertainer of the Year Brad Paisley made the finals for Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Album for This Is Country Music and Musical Event and Music Video for “Old Alabama” (featuring Alabama, members of CMA’s Country Music Hall of Fame). These raise Paisley’s total career nominations to 57, placing him in third place on the all-time list behind George Strait (81) and Alan Jackson (80).
• Five nominations went as well to reigning Male Vocalist Blake Shelton, who is in contention for Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Album for All About Tonight and Single and Music Video for “Honey Bee.”
• Taylor Swift also garnered five nominations, for Entertainer, Female Vocalist, Album for Speak Now and Song and Music Video for “Mean.” And if she wins for Album of the Year, Swift will also receive a trophy as producer.
That’s not all. Two more acts are close behind with four nominations each. The Band Perry is up for Vocal Group, New Artist and Single and Music Video for “If I Die Young.” And Zac Brown Band made the finals in categories for Vocal Group, Album for You Get What You Give, Musical Event for “As She’s Walking Away” with Alan Jackson and Single of the Year for “Colder Weather.”
All CMA Awards finalists were featured on “CMT Insider Special Edition: 2011 CMA Awards Nominations,” which included in-depth coverage of all the nominations, artist interviews and more. The 30-minute special premiered Wednesday, Sept. 7, and re-aired Saturday, Sept. 10 and Sunday, Sept. 11. Additional preview coverage was offered in “CMA Close Up Presents Road to the CMA Awards,” a half-hour special packed with artist interviews and highlights from past interviews, airing on local ABC affiliates from Oct. 28 through Nov. 9.
The CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by the 6,400 industry professional members of CMA, which was the first trade organization formed to promote an individual genre of music in 1958. The first CMA Awards Banquet and Show was held in 1967 at Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium. The following year, the CMA Awards moved to the Ryman Auditorium and was broadcast on NBC television for the first time — making it the longest-running annual music awards program on network television. The show aired on NBC through 1971 and on the CBS Television Network from 1972 through 2005 before moving to ABC in 2006.
Winners of “The 45th Annual CMA Awards” are determined in a final round of voting by eligible voting members of the Country Music Association. CMA Awards balloting is officiated by the international accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP.
“The 45th Annual CMA Awards" will be hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood for the fourth consecutive year and broadcasted live on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 7-10 PM/CT) on the ABC Television Network.
“The 45th Annual CMA Awards” is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the Executive Producer, Paul Miller is the Director, and David Wild is the writer. The special will be shot in high definition and broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound. Premiere Radio Networks is the official radio packager of the CMA Awards. Chevrolet is a Proud Partner of the CMA Awards and Official Ride of Country Music. CMA is a Proud Supporter of DRIVE4COPD.
Text CMAINFO to 66937 to join the CMA Mob. Visit CMAawards.com for information on Awards nominees and past winners, highlights, games, merchandise and more, and to sign up for CMA Exclusive.
On the Web: www.CMAawards.com

Jonathan Edwards Finds Perfect Balance

 

By Bob Keyes bkeyes@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

"We were surprised that we could find this much privacy and seclusion so close to town. And yet, we can get on our bikes and in 20 minutes be on a beach that no one knows about. We love it here," says Edwards, the affable folk singer who has just released his first studio recording in 14 years.

Tucked among the canopied trees of Cape Elizabeth, Edwards' home is a testament to his creative life. His basement recalls the past -- black-and-white photos from his heyday in the Boston folk scene in the 1970s, sharing the stage with James Taylor, Jon Pousette Dart and others; framed LP jackets; copies of his CDs.

The rest of his home captures the present and portends the future: hand-crafted, painted mirrors that Edwards likes to make; an unfinished painting of Marilyn Monroe; an elegant living room piano that indulges Edwards almost every day. He proudly shows off a new pine floor in the kitchen that he recently installed.

Edwards, 65, endeared himself to a generation of music lovers with his Vietnam War-era crossover pop hit "Sunshine" in 1971 -- then spent the next 40 years dodging the call of fame. He's lived in a lot of remote places, including many years on a boat, and made decisions that rewarded him personally but did not benefit his music career.

After moving to dry land in Cape Elizabeth about two years ago and plugging into Portland's collegial music scene, Edwards has rediscovered his love of music, and relaunched his career with the CD "My Love Will Keep." It's a comfortable collection of acoustic songs, mostly falling into the folk-country-bluegrass genre.

It sounds like what we have come to expect from a Jonathan Edwards record over the years: full of energy, hope and an infectious feel-good spirit.

Edwards recorded in Portland with mostly Portland musicians. Jim Begley helped produce and engineer the disc. Grammy Award-winner Bob Ludwig mastered it. This fall, Edwards is touring to support the CD with a combo that includes Portland musicians Tom Snow on piano and Joe Walsh on mandolin.

Edwards has released many CDs over the years, although lately they've been live albums. He has toured enough to maintain his fan base, but not enough to return to the level of chart-topping popularity he enjoyed in the early 1970s, when he played concerts coast to coast and across the globe.

Then again, Edwards didn't particularly enjoy those days.

He never embraced the chaotic travel required of a popular musician -- he was playing 200 or more shows a year back then -- and never felt he was doing what he calls "honest work."

"It was time to follow my heart, and I wondered what it was like to do honest work," he says, seated on a sofa with guitar in hand. "There was a part of me that wanted to be respected and known for skills that you could really admire -- like raising horses, raising a crop or raising a family."

After the release of his second album, "Honky-Tonk Stardust Cowboy," in 1972, Edwards told his manager to stop booking shows. He moved to Nova Scotia, bought a farm "30 miles down a dirt road," and began working the earth with hands and horses.

The dramatic move wasn't made on a whim, but it certainly was made without concern for his commercial viability. Edwards made no apologies for his decision then, and does not today. He looks back without any hint of regret.

"I'm really a product of convergences in my life, for better or for worse. I try to listen to all the forces that come to bear in a person's life," he says. "I've always followed many different paths."

Up in Nova Scotia, Edwards lived as self-sufficiently as possible, and came out of the woods only long enough to make records and stay connected to his friends. He even joined a local band, The Pitcou County Woodchippers, but never revealed his fame. He just answered an ad in the local paper for a guitar player and showed up at the beer hall for the gig.

In 1975, Emmylou Harris recruited him to sing backup on her landmark second album, "Elite Hotel," so he hopped on a plane to Los Angeles. Since then, he has struck a balance between having a life and having a career.

His desire for both brought him to Portland.

Edwards has known Maine pretty well over the years. He's played here a lot, has made a lot of friends here, and keeps his boat at a marina in Harpswell.

"I've always admired the honesty of people's endeavors here," he says. "And besides, I get recognized a lot in Maine. I don't in Connecticut or Massachusetts. It felt very welcoming and comfortable to put down roots here, as much as you can put down roots anymore."

Edwards has lived in the Caribbean, Texas, New York, Boston -- always moving, always on the go. He compares Portland and its music scene to that of Austin, Texas, but on a smaller scale.

He likes the politics of Maine more than Texas. In concert, he quips that he decided to move after "I woke up one morning and found out that Austin was right smack dab in the middle of Texas."

When it came to finding a base from which to operate the next phase of his career, Portland presented itself as a logical option. After he settled and set the course for making a record, Edwards began his association with Begley. A mutual friend introduced them.

At first, Edwards wasn't so sure about the match. Edwards is no slouch, but Begley is a big man, and he struck Edwards as an imposing figure.

"I thought, 'Uh-oh, this could be a short session,' " Edwards says, "but Jim turned out to be the sweetest, most capable producer and most creative guy I've ever worked with."

They began making "My Love Will Keep" last winter. Some of the songs are those Edwards had stowed away for years; a few are new.
He wrote five of the CD's 12 songs, including a tribute to the late John Denver, "Johnny Blue Horizon." The two men knew each other and played a few shows together, but they were not close.

Nonetheless, Edwards views Denver as something of a mentor and an example of someone who blazed a trail for singer-songwriters who came in his wake, including himself.

The record also includes an outrageous arrangement of The Beatles' "She Loves You" and a song by Edwards' buddy Henry Gross about unemployment, called "Everybody Works in China."

A friend's niece wrote the title track, a beautiful song about the enduring nature of love.

Edwards wants to get this record out nationally. Appleseed Records, based in Pennsylvania, is distributing the CD. Edwards is committed to the record, and is touring to promote it. His fall schedule is full of dates mostly across New England, and he is in the early stages of planning a spring tour of the Midwest.

"This record has definitely energized me," he says. "I feel new energy for the gigs, and I find myself listening more and am more aware of other people's music.

"I'm really enjoying this, and glad to be doing it here in Maine."

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood Return to Co-Host “The CMA Awards”

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood Return to Co-Host “The CMA Awards”
By Deborah Evans Price
© 2011 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.
As Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood prepare to host the CMA Awards for the fourth consecutive year, they’ve learned to expect the unexpected.
“You just keep it moving and you always have a job to do no matter what happens,” said Underwood.
The longtime friends, who scored a No. 1 hit this year with the duet “Remind Me” (written by Paisley, Chris DuBois and Kelley Lovelace), have learned to roll with the punches in juggling their hosting duties. They’ve also both become more acutely aware of the ticking of the clock.
“I had 40 seconds to change my entire outfit,” Underwood recalled of one particularly tight wardrobe change during the 2010 CMA Awards.
“She didn’t make it in rehearsal,” Paisley interjected. “She was a minute late.”
“My zipper busted in rehearsal,” Underwood explained. “I was like, ‘Don’t worry. I’ll make it work. I’ll make it.’”
And she did. She substituted another dress and the millions watching the ABC live telecast would never have known a stressful rehearsal had preceded the flawless live show.
As the three-hour broadcast neared its end, Underwood and Paisley experienced a new challenge, rarely heard of during an awards show. “We were two minutes under going into Entertainer of the Year,” Paisley said of the unexpected surplus on the clock.
“That part is scary,” admitted Underwood. “That never happens. You’re never under. You’re always over.”
“If whoever gets it just gives a minute speech, you have a minute to kill,” recalled Paisley of the discussion backstage.
“And that sounds like nothing, but a minute in TV Land is forever,” Underwood said.
Paisley nodded his head in agreement. “You can only tap dance for so long before someone changes the channel.”
The time problem was happily solved when Paisley was named Entertainer. “Luckily someone was very long winded in his speech,” he said with a grin.
Sitting in a Franklin, Tenn. recording studio, Underwood and Paisley demonstrated the easy camaraderie and playfulness during the interview that made them such a winning combination as co-hosts. “I love doing it and we’re having a great time, so I hope everybody else is,” said Paisley, who has earned 14 CMA Awards, including three consecutive Male Vocalist accolades (2007-2009).
“I look forward to that moment when we go out there to deliver the monologue,” he continued. “That’s really the thing that we spend the most time on in weeks prior. Garrison Keillor said something to me once when I went to see a production with him in New York City. He said, ‘One of my favorite moments in life is when the lights go down in the theater,’ and it’s like that. It feels like the highest stakes moment in the year for Country Music, as you hear Paul Miller’s voice, the director, say ‘Two minutes to show,’ and those lights go down.”
“It’s like a nice date,” Underwood said of the event. “I love everyone getting dressed up. I think it’s really nice seeing most of the guys cleaned up and looking good and the girls all pretty. It’s just a nice date that we’re all on together.”
Underwood has developed a reputation for being one of the best-dressed artists and her multiple wardrobe changes during the show are eagerly anticipated by viewers. “This year I’ve already decided I’m going to take a slightly different approach,” said Underwood, a five-time CMA Award winner, including three consecutive Female Vocalist titles (2006-2008). “This is going to be a different direction. I want this year to feel different. When I look at pictures, I want to know ‘That’s from year four,’ so I’ve got some ideas in mind.
Underwood and Paisley have distinct skills they bring to their hosting duties. “Brad is quick witted. He does a lot in the preparation stages as well,” said Underwood, who earned a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications at Oklahoma’s Northeastern State University. “I can deliver the news. I can say, ‘Next up.’ But Brad is quick. He’s good on his feet and he contributes a lot in the planning stages, a lot of ideas and stuff for gags and things like that.”
“She does too,” Paisley interjected. “Some of the greatest things we’ve ever had, like last year she said, ‘What if you sang Lady Gaga?’ Then the year before that there was this discussion: ‘Who do you want to talk about in the monologue?’ I said, ‘We’d love to mention Tim (McGraw) and Faith (Hill), but we just don’t know how.’ And Carrie said, ‘They both have fragrances.’ She has the best ideas of anybody.”
Both Paisley and Underwood enjoy the collaborative process on the road to Country Music’s Biggest Night. “I appreciate that it’s a team effort,” said Underwood. “Everybody brings their ideas. Nobody is telling us what we can or can’t do. We come with ideas and they do too and we kind of mesh all of it together. We’re all working towards the same goal, so it’s not like somebody says, ‘Read this and this is all you can do.’ We tell them why things won’t work and they tell us why things won’t or will work and come up with the show.”
“It’s a great team of people,” adds Paisley. “(Executive Producer) Robert Deaton is a tremendous guy, a good friend of mine now and so talented. Paul Miller has directed everything over the years and he’s smart and sharp. David Wild, who writes the show, is a well-respected musical writer in many circles. (Paisley and Wild co-authored the book Diary of a Player, scheduled to release Nov. 1.) It’s a great team of people who have become like family to us and Vicki Dummer (Senior VP, Current Series and Specials, ABC Entertainment Group) and Mark Bracco (VP, ABC Entertainment Group), who come into town work so hard on it as well. It’s neat how many people can get involved and really do put their iron in their fire and say, ‘Here’s some things that I think could benefit the show.’ I love the process.”
“The 44th Annual CMA Awards,” hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood for the fourth consecutive year, will broadcast live on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 7-10 PM/CT on the ABC Television Network.

VINCE GILL “HE IS A ‘GUITAR SLINGER”

VINCE GILL

“HE IS A ‘GUITAR SLINGER”

OCTOBER 24-MONDAY

RELEASE DATE FOR GUITAR SLINGER

Before I started to write this article I went through the Webster to find words that have not been written about Vince Gill, and I must tell you I am almost at a blank, because everything seems to have been written about this great human being.  So I will write what I feel and I hope you will enjoy my thoughts of Vince Gill and what he means to our country music community and to our City of Nashville.

There is no “what’s in it for me,” with Vince Gill.  It comes from his heart, his mind, and love of family, friends, associates, and people in general.  An avid golfer, one of the great guitarist of our times, one of the greatest voices ever in country music.  How many other superstars can you count on your 10 fingers who welcome the chance to sing with other artists with no gain, but to lend his time, talents, and friendship, to another superstar, a legend, or an upcoming artist.

On October 13, 2011, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean declared the entire week from Oct. 10 thru 17 officially Vince Gill Week.  I have lived in here for over 40 years, and I don’t recall any artists getting this type of tribute paid to them, but this one is rightfully deserved.  Mayor Dean said, “His big heart is amazing, and his talent as a singer, songwriter and musician have made a remarkable mark on the city, and he does it with grace and humor and usually while wearing a Predators jersey.” “AsVince writes in his song “What You Give Away,” the measure of a man is one who lends a hand.  I think of few others who lend a hand as Vince does to make Nashville a better place.  On behalf of the people of Nashville, thank you.”

This is the Vince Gill that all of us know.  He is generous with his time and talents on an unlimited scale.  I am one that can attest to this from first hand knowledge.  When he was having a difficult time with a bad knee, and R.O.P.E. was paying tribute to his long time friend and steel guitarist John Hughey, I asked him if he would consider coming to our event and saying hello to everyone, and if he felt like singing a song, we would appreciate it.  At the time I asked him I did not realize that he had problems with his knee, but he accepted, and came to the banquet and stay for a long time and performed the song he wrote for John.  There are so many wonderful stories of Vince Gill great deeds, that it would take a book to detail all that he has done for our Nashville community and our music industry.  And to say that he is a sports nut, would be an understatement.  I see him at most of the Predators hockey games.  He is not like me, because I am one of the crazies and he is a super fan. 

I wondered just how much I would write about Vince Gill, but there is no amount of space that would cover his great career, his goodness, his family values, his compassion, and his love of his trade.  He has helped so many to believe in themselves.  He is a true superstar, super Dad and husband, married to another superstar, Amy Grant.  They are a cornerstone of our industry, and I feel in my own way of saying this, that Vince is possibly the glue that holds our industry together.  He is involved in the music in all forms.  Vince might not look at himself in that way, but I am speaking from what I see.  He is one of the most gifted musicians, songwriters, singers, and entertainers in all music genre’s.  ONE OF A KIND.

A 20 time Grammy Award winner, he will be the Grand Marshall for Nashville’s 59^th annual Christmas Parade at 7PM on December  2^nd in downtown Nashville, and he will also light thee city’s Christmas tre in the Public Square Plaza. 

Before I forget, beginning October 24^th, go to your local record shop and get a copy of Vince’s new album, “Guitar Slinger,” and if the title of the album is any indication of what this grouping of songs will be, you can bet it will be awesome, because Vince Gill is a guitar slinger.  I have not heard an album of Vince’s that was not great.  He is the classic proof that good guys finish first, and he has been first in our hearts and music for many years, and many years to come.

We have been blessed to know him and to be proud of him.  If you are ever in the same area that he is, you will find him able to talk to, will sign an autograph and take a pix, and there will be no manager telling you that you cannot bother him.  He is a peoples person, always has been, always will be.  We have all seen him shed tears at the loss of someone he loves, or someone in our industry, especially John Hughey.   His song “God Rest High On That Mountain,” has become a standard for the world.  I see a man who feels the hurt of those around him, and tries to ease their pain however he can.

I wish all of mankind would take a lesson from Vince Gill, and I know we would have a better world.  I wrote this article because in some way I owe him for all that he represents in life, and I feel that the only way I could spread his word is to write about him, and tell him thank you, thank you Vince for being who you are.  You carry the flag of integrity, honesty, compassion, and love of family and life.  You have been a hero to me, and a guide that I try and follow toward my fellow man.  Recognition is not a part of who you are, you are just Vinny Gill-oh yeah, and A SUPER PREDATOR FAN.

I wish that I could have written better words to describe how great a human being that you are, but I will just say, “Thanks Vince.”

Marty Martel

Vince Gill sings in support of Nashville

Vince Gill sings in support of Nashville, country music

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Peter Cooper

He’s such a pleasant sort. Back when Gill hosted the CMA Awards (motto: “We’re still kind of, sort of different from all those other country awards shows”), he lent a folksy, casual air to the proceedings. And throughout his career — a career that has landed him in the Country Music Hall of Fame — he has shown an ability to laugh at himself, to support fellow musicians rather than take sides in whatever petty squabbles are going on, and to remain affable, kind and funny.

I tried to railroad him on the phone, when I called the day after Hank Williams Jr. got the Monday Night Football yankeroo for comparing President Obama to Adolf Hitler. I figured I’d surprise Gill with an impossible-to-answer-without-looking-like-a-jerk question. It’d be my entry into gotcha journalism.

“Would you compare the president more to Hitler, or, say, Stalin?” I asked.

“I’m not sure. Ask the Dixie Chicks,” Gill answered, then chuckled.

Alright, so he’s unflappable. Cannot be flapped. But still, intense.

An ever-present icon

Gill works on his craft each day, seldom going 24 hours without playing guitar. He obsesses over improvement, focusing on getting better even years after his legacy has been ensured.

“After I got to town, (Country Music Hall of Famer) Harlan Howard said to me, ‘Kid, you’re a great singer. And you’re a pretty good songwriter,’ ” he recalled. “I said, ‘OK, I get what you’re saying.’ I always remember my worst reviews, because if you’re smart enough, you can learn from them and take them as motivation. Not as in, ‘I’ll get even,’ but I knew I could learn something from the criticism. I worked on it and got better.”

Gill has won four CMA song of the year prizes, which isn’t bad for a guy who was supposed to be a singer and musician first and a songwriter second. Or would that be third? Or maybe fourth, behind singer, musician and doer-of-good-works. On Thursday, Oct. 13, Mayor Karl Dean and the Nashville Predators will honor Gill for his charity work and for his role as an ambassador of the city and of its spunky hockey team.

He’s a fixture at Preds games, where he and wife Amy Grant stomp their feet, swig beer and hurl foul invectives at opposing players.

Wait, no, I’m thinking of Taylor Swift.

Actually, Gill is just a well-behaved fan with a well-known face, and he played guitar at the sold-out All For The Hall concert (“All For The Hall” is an initiative he spearheaded, to raise dough for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum) while wearing a Preds jersey.

His charity, of course, extends beyond hockey rinks and halls of fame.

Googling “Vince Gill” and “benefit” lands you more than 1.5 million results. His friend Nanci Griffith actually calls him “Benefit.”

If it’s a worthy cause, chances are Gill has picked and sung in its support: flood relief, mental health, children’s advocacy, Alzheimer’s research, cancer research (What kind of cancer? Pick a cancer, any cancer), AIDS research, housing initiatives… Someone needs to explain to Gill that ubiquity is a profit-buster, that being everywhere in support of every good thing puts an end to the mystique that is supposed to go part-and-parcel with fame.

Actually, plenty of people have explained that to Gill. And his response is a rather intense, “So what?”

“People theorize that you water yourself down if you make yourself available for everything, but at the end of the day, it’s always worth it for me,” he said. “Why wouldn’t you help if someone asks you to and you can? It’s just like if there were people at the record label saying I shouldn’t be singing on Reba’s records, or Sara Evans’ record or all those other records. It’s what I’ve always done, and if I suffer because of it, it’s OK with me. I’ll be the anti-star, I guess.”

Challenging music

The anti-star’s new album, Guitar Slinger, comes out on Tuesday, Oct. 24. It’s full of songs from his own pen, songs of a compositional and lyrical level far above what Gill could muster three decades ago, when he left Pure Prairie League and went to work in Rodney Crowell’s backing band, The Cherry Bombs. On paper, that one looked like a foolish transition, but Gill knew that being around musicians the caliber of Crowell, drummer Larrie London and bass man (and, now, producer) Emory Gordy Jr. would force him to raise his game.

“Everything I chose to do in my career was a chance for me to get better,” he said. “Joining the Cherry Bombs was a giant leap forward, musically. And that’s still my reason for doing the things I do today.”

Among those things: Joining classic country and western swing revivalist combo The Time Jumpers, with whom he plays Monday nights at the Station Inn, and joining Sting for a CMT Crossroads episode that’s set to air Nov. 25.

“With The Time Jumpers, I’m finding myself challenged in a big way as a guitarist, and it’s great for my learning curve,” he said. “And the Sting thing was fantastic for me. To me, he’s Beatle-like in his talent. And his music is difficult: It was a chance to learn into something that was out of my comfort zone. We wound up really hitting it off, and I think they got a great show out of it.”

In truth, Gill is never far from his comfort zone when he’s got a guitar in his hands.

Recorded at his home studio, his new album is filled with six-string adornments and with songs that find Gill referencing his own life and times.

The album-ending “Buttermilk John” is a tribute to his late steel guitar-playing pal John Hughey, who played the signature steel intro on Gill’s hit single, “Look At Us.” “Billy Paul” is a troubled letter to a troubled friend who took his own life, and the album-opening title track is a statement of purpose and fact.

“I swear, I’ll play for free,” he sings.

And he does play for free, for the benefit of others in his city of Nashville and elsewhere. He plays for free, with intensity, and still feels intensely well-paid in the end.

Reach Peter Cooper at 615-259-8220 or pcooper@tennessean.com.

Gill’s new album, Guitar Slinger, will be released Tuesday, Oct. 24. www.vincegill.com

Gill recently recorded a concert for the CMT series Crossroads with Sting. The special, which features the two singing each others’ hits, airs Nov. 25, the day after Thanksgiving. www.cmt.com

Gill sits in when he can with his band The Time Jumpers on Mondays at the Station Inn, 402 12th Ave. S.