New Music Video From Deana Carter and Phil Vassar - "Brand New Year"

Phil Vassar To Release Stripped Down On Jan. 17

Artist: Phil Vassar
Album: Stripped Down
Release date: January 17, 2020

“It’s very under-produced instead of over-produced,” Phil Vassar said of the album in a mid-December phone interview with TribLive. “This is just flat out, some of the songs are just me and an acoustic guitar or me and some band sounds or something, like a little loop to kind of get the groove going. But I really like it — a lot.”

Many a songwriter will say the true test of a song is whether it holds up in a solo acoustic format, which means “Stripped Down” should be as much of a showcase for Vassar’s songwriting as for his singing and piano playing — and a significant departure from his other albums, which have typically featured pretty full arrangements and a good number of up-tempo, feel-good songs.

Along with newly written material, “Stripped Down” will include two songs Vassar wrote two decades ago that come from a stack of unreleased compositions he’s accumulated over the years.

“It’s funny, one of my friends out in California, I said ‘Listen to this tune,’ and it’s one of the songs called ‘I Won’t Forget You,’ and she was weeping, I mean, crying. She goes ‘This is the best song you’ve ever written,’” Vassar recalled. “I said, ‘You know, I love this song. It just never made sense to cut it on one of these other records.’

“And there’s another song called ‘Perfect World’ that I wrote,” he elaborated. “It’s really sort of poignant right now. It kind of talks about politics, the world and all of this stuff, but it’s fun. It’s a funny kind of a tongue-in-cheek song. So I love it. Those two songs along with the other stuff that’s brand new, I really like it.”

Track Listing:
Postmarked Birmingham
Takes Me Back Again
Where The End Starts (Featuring Haley Vassar)
Perfect World
I Won't Forget You
Lemonade
Polaroid
High School

That Nashville Sound Saturday Newsbytes: New Projects From Phil Vassar, Miranda Lambert, Hunter Hayes, Old Dominion and Midland

Welcome to the weekend- we've got a number of new album announcements out in the last day or two, so without further ado...

- Phil Vassar will be releasing a new EP right after the first of the year called Stripped Down. It will feature new material as well as a cover of “Postmarked Birmingham,” which was recorded by Blackhawk, and was co-written by Vassar along with Don Sampson.  “We’re peeling back the music to the core with just a piano and guitar, so we can give fans an intimate evening of conversation and music. It’s how these songs were written and I think it will be a fun, unique experience,” Vassar shared.

- Miranda Lambert’s hotly anticipated seventh studio album Wildcard will arrive Nov. 1 on Vanner Records/RCA Records Nashville. “When people listen to this record, I want them to know that I see them and hear them,” said Lambert. “I feel you, because I’m just a girl from East Texas, writing about all the things that go on in my world and in the worlds of people around me. I want people to get along, you know, just be who you are, own it and move on from the moments you couldn’t live in.” The track listing includes a who's-who of amazing songwriters. 

01. White Trash (Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, Natalie Hemby, Laura Veltz)
02. Mess With My Head (Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, Natalie Hemby)
03. It All Comes Out in the Wash (Miranda Lambert, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose)
04. Settling Down (Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, Natalie Hemby)
05. Holy Water (Miranda Lambert, Brent Cobb, Mike Harris, Joshua Taylor)
06. Way Too Pretty for Prison [feat. Maren Morris] (Miranda Lambert, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose)
07. Locomotive (Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe, K.S. Rhoads)
08. Bluebird (Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, Natalie Hemby)
09. How Dare You Love (Miranda Lambert, Jamie Kinney, Ashley Monroe)
10. Fire Escape (Miranda Lambert, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose)
11. Pretty Bitchin’ (Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, Natalie Hemby, Jon Randall)
12. Tequila Does (Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram, Jon Randall)
13. Track Record (Miranda Lambert, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose)
14. Dark Bars (Miranda Lambert, Liz Rose)

-  Multi-instrumentalist Hunter Hayes revealed his new album Wild Blue would be released immediately to the fans months earlier than expected, and was released yesterday. Released on longtime label Warner Music  Nashville, his brand new 10-song album, Wild Blue, featuring the current single “Heartbreak,” is available on digital platforms everywhere and is already number one on the iTunes Country Chart. “I wanted Wild Blue to be a place for people to go, not just a series of songs but a world to dive into, but not so specific that you cannot finish the story yourself,” Hayes revealed to USA Today. “I knew that I wanted it to be about flying, or simply the feeling of flying, turbulence included…I was going through a lot of shifts in my life and I knew that the letting go of those things was the only way that I was going to grow and learn how to be human again.”

1. Madness (Hunter Hayes, Sam Ellis, Sara Haze)
2. Wild Blue (Hunter Hayes, Troy Verges, Gordie Sampson)
3. Heartbreak (Hunter Hayes, Thomas “Tawgs” Salter, Gordie Sampson, Simon Wilcox)
4. One Good Reason (Hunter Hayes, Sam Ellis)
5. Dear God (Hunter Hayes, Andy Grammer, Dave Spencer)*
6. Loving You (Hunter Hayes, Jordan Reynolds, Dave Barnes)
7. My Song Too (Hunter Hayes, Jordan Reynolds, Dave Barnes)
8. One Shot (Hunter Hayes)**
9. Night and Day (Hunter Hayes, Derrick Southerland, Sam Ellis)
10. Still (Hunter Hayes, Troy Verges, Tommee Profitt)

-  Old Dominion have announced the details for their long awaited and highly anticipated new album. The album will be self-titled and will be released on October 25th. Lead singer Matt Ramsey has this to say about the new project, "It’s a self-titled album, so we’ve been kind of slowly releasing some songs off of it so everybody can get a little bit of a taste of what it’s gonna sound like. It sounds like us, but it’s definitely gone a little bit of a different direction than it has in the past. But we still love the craft of writing songs and take great care in that, so we’re very proud of all of these songs. I think they just expand who we are as a band, at least we think that way. I think it’s just a natural evolution of who we are as a band and who we are as men, and the period of our lives that we’re in. I think we’ve just become that way – a little bit more introspective and a little bit more honest in our writing. And those were the songs that spoke to us a little bit more. Because we’ve certainly written our fair share of catchy ditties too. So I think those were just the songs that spoke to us a little bit more as we were recording this album.

1. Make It Sweet
2. Smooth Sailing
3. One Man Band
4. Never Be Sorry
5. My Heart Is a Bar
6. Midnight Mess Around
7. Do It With Me
8. Hear You Now
9. I’ll Roll
10. American Style
11. Paint the Grass Green
12. Some People Do

And last, but certainly not least, Midland has a new music video for their new song, "Fast Hearts and Slow Towns":

New Music Video From Phil Vassar and Lonestar - "Not So Silent Night"

New Music Video From Kellie Pickler and Phil Vassar - "The Naughty List"

New Music Video From Phil Vassar - "American Soul"

Phil Vassar To Release First Studio Album Since 2009 In December

Artist: Phil Vassar
Album: American Soul
Release date: 12/2/16

Phil Vassar has built a legion of fans over the course of his award-winning career, and he is constantly being asked when he is going to release new music. The wait is now over, as the singer, songwriter, producer and proven hit maker has set December 2, 2016 as the date his American Soul project will be available. The title cut single has just been dropped to country radio.

"I am beyond excited about this new music," said Phil, whose reign of signature songs includes 10 No. 1 singles and 26 Top 40 Hits. "We have an amazing team put together, and the time is right to get this new music out to the fans."

American Soul was produced by Vassar and his longtime vocalist/guitarist and collaborator Jeffery Smith. Vassar and CMA and ACM Song of the Year winner Tom Douglas co-wrote the upbeat title cut, which makes reference to iconic American imagery. In addition to Douglas and Smith and one song he wrote solo, co-writers on the 11-song album include Billy Alcorn, Charlie Black, Scooter Carusoe, Aubrey Grant, Pete Kipley, Layng Martine, Matt Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Tim Ryan and Craig Wiseman.

The unique album cover was painted by noted artist Jason Irwin whose portfolio of abstracts includes some of the biggest names in music, sports, television and movies. The beautiful American Soul cover is filled with classic Americana references - musicians, ice cream, classic cars, and nods to hunting, beer, sailing and more. The vibrant, edgy artist also speaks to Phil's music, which many liken to Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen.
The album cover can also be found wrapping the first Music City Beer Co. commemorative packaging. Music City Light, the flagship beer, was created by Nashville musicians and venue owners to embody the spirit of Music City. Music City Beer Co. plans to partner extensively with the Nashville music community. Given Vassar's wide range of success and long-standing community involvement, he was a natural choice to serve as the brand's inaugural ambassador.

When not on the road over 150 dates a year, Phil has been taping episodes of his popular "Songs from the Cellar" show. Each episode incorporates artists, songwriters and wine connoisseurs such as John Rich, Tommy Shaw, Steve Cropper, Mike Tyson, Carrot Top, CAM, Hunter Hayes, Jeffrey Steele and others as featured guests. The celebs intertwine storytelling and music with wine and food pairings, and the wine, beer, bourbons and other cocktail favorites featured during the shows are inspired by the guests themselves.

American Soul Song List:

"American Soul" (Phil Vassar, Tom Douglas)
"I'll Meet You There" (Phil Vassar, Layng Martine)
"Big Time" (Phil Vassar, Craig Wiseman)
"I'm Not Made That Way" (Phil Vassar, Jeffrey Smith, Pete Kipley)
"Mississippi" (Phil Vassar, Jeffrey Smith, Billy Alcorn)
"Sound of a Million Dreams" (Phil Vassar, Scooter Carusoe)
"Stay With Me" (Phil Vassar, Jeffrey Smith, Aubrey Grant)
"2nd Avenue" (Phil Vassar, Charlie Black, Jeffrey Smith)
"Voice In My Head" (Phil Vassar)
"Sure Feels Good" (Phil Vassar, Matt Ramsey, Trevor Rosen)
"The Ballad of Pretty Mae" (Charlie Black, Tim Ryan)

Interview Flashback - Under The Big Top with Phil Vassar

I have been blessed to write contributions/reviews/interviews/opinion pieces for several country music and roots-oriented websites and publications over the years including Saving Country Music, Nashville Scene, Country California, Country Weekly, American Noise, The 9513 and Engine 145. As a regular contributor to the last two in that list, I did close to a 100 interviews with different artists- and since both of those great sites have come down, I will reprint some of those interviews here to give them a home in perpetuity. This interview was originally published in December 2009 on The 9513.

Phil Vassar the singer has charted nineteen singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including two Billboard Hot Country Number Ones in "Just Another Day in Paradise" and "In a Real Love." 

Phil Vassar the songwriter has written a number of smash singles for other artists including Tim McGraw ("For a Little While", "My Next Thirty Years"), Jo Dee Messina ("Bye, Bye", "I'm Alright"), Collin Raye ("Little Red Rodeo"), and Alan Jackson ("Right on the Money"). In 1999, he was named by ASCAP as Country Songwriter of the Year.

But it is Phil Vassar the road performer that is the inspiration for his new December 2009 album release, Travelling Circus. Playing the role of ringmaster- and even pictured that way on the new album cover- he’s taking his band of travelling showmen out on the road to promote the new album. Forget lions, tigers and bears. It’s guitars, pianos and fiddles, oh my. 

The 9513 had a chance to catch up with Vassar as he prepared for the launch of his new big top-themed album and talk about music, songwriting and his future on Broadway. 

Ken Morton, Jr.- Before we talk specifically about your brand new music, talk to me about the title of this new album and the meaning behind it. I take it you don’t have a secret ambition to drop everything and go to work for Barnum and Bailey quite yet.

Phil Vassar- (Laughter) Well you know I’m actually a trapeze artist. Just kidding. I’ve always called our group a travelling circus. Anybody that knows my game knows why. As I was looking for a title for the record, we looked at everything. We used to call ourselves a frat house on wheels- whatever that was. Travelling Circus just fit. It fits a theme because it’s what life is. It’s scary. It’s funny. And we’re kind of like a bus that’s like the clowns that jump out of the Volkswagen. We’re sort of like the clowns that jump out of the bus. So I thought it was a good overall theme. And then my buddy painted the cover. It’s just really cool. He told me that I’d have to be the ringmaster and I said, “Oh my gosh, that’s so cool.” And that’s before I even told him that it was a circus theme. That’s pretty interesting, you know?

KMJ- That’s a talented friend painting an album cover for you.

PV- Yeah, he did all the artwork for the record. Last year, he painted my girls and I. And he’s just great. He’s just a local guy- a local national artist. And we talked and both thought that would be cool. I’m sick of the whole glamour shots that we use on the cover. I just think that’s silly. No one wants to look at me. (Laughter) I just don’t look that good. 

KMJ- That’s funny. Well, talk to me about the new album. What can the Phil Vassar fan expect from the new record musically?

PV- I went with my band for one. The guys never get to go into the studio to do records which is kind of silly. I kind of get sick of working with studio guys because they’re working on your album at ten and then on McGraw’s record at one and then so-and-so’s at six. And I think it’s all between the lines too much. Everything to me starts to sound alike. The production is the same. I wanted to do it different. I think you can really tell. It sounds like me more live. I think that’s what I really wanted to capture. It’s more organic. And the way we set up in the studio was a little different this time. I used this little funky studio that I used to cut demos in that my engineer used to help me with instead of these $20,000 per
week fancy studios. Or per day. Whatever. Anyways, it’s a whole different deal. It’s a lot more me for sure. 

KMJ- You were the producer on this album. When you say more organic, what do mean when it’s different production-wise?

PV- I’ve always produced my own records, but I’ve always done it with somebody like Byron Gallimore, Dan Huff, or Frank Rogers. At this point, I don’t need those guys to produce my stuff anymore. I just wanted to go in with my own guys and do my thing. So that’s just how we did it. I love all my records and I’m proud of all the ones we’ve cut. I just wanted to do something different this time around. 

KMJ- Did it bring some different thinking having your own road guys in the studio this time around?

PV- Oh yeah. It allowed us to kind of hunker down in the studio for awhile. Instead of looking at the clock knowing that we can only do this and only do that, the guys would set up knowing we’d have an entire week at our own leisure and do stuff all day. And all night. The each had their own ideas and their own input. Sometimes it would work and sometimes it would be a train wreck. But what did work worked really well. And what didn’t work didn’t make the record. It was that easy.

KMJ- Any favorite tracks on the album thus far?

PV- I don’t know. I don’t know if I really have one. There’s just so much I really like. Even songs like “I Will Remember You” which is an older track that Kenny Chesney and I wrote awhile back that had never made a record, which hadn’t made the last three or four records, made this one. Everything on the record is pretty brand new, but on every album I’ve had one thing that I’ve brought something back from several years ago that hadn’t made a record previously for some reason. 

KMJ- As I looked through the writing credits, your name is on every track but with other writers. But how do you go about choosing who you want to work with? Is it pretty free-flowing or do have certain songwriters in mind for certain kinds of songs?

PV- No, never really that. I just have guys I write with. For the most part, they’re just friends. Not many. We just write and see what happens. 

KMJ- How did that Kenny Chesney collaboration and song theme come about?

PV- One of us was going through a break-up. I don’t remember which one of us. I think it was him. It’s a really good song, I just hadn’t found a spot on one of my previous records. 

KMJ- I know the record previously had a February release date on it but they’ve pulled it forward into December. What was the reason for the big move forward?

PV- I don’t know, that’s a record-label thing. It wasn’t my choice, that’s for sure. We’ve got a song just coming up the charts right now. But when you’re on a big label, they have their own agenda and it’s rarely the artist’s agenda. It seems rushing it a bit if you ask me, but it’s their decision. That’s just what we’re going through. But we’re dealt what we’re dealt and you just go out and do it. 

KMJ- Your first single off of the album was one that obviously gathered lots of discussion, “Bobby With An I.” What were your thoughts of the song and that single being released first?

PV- I just thought it was a fun song. I think it’s a great song. I think it’s funny. I’m sick of the same old songs- sick of hearing about our economy and talking about how bad life is. I thought it was time to throw something out there really different. Of course, we had a lot of people that were kind of offended by it. But I think they’re idiots. That’s what I think. It was just meant to be funny. It is what it is. It wasn’t meant to save the whales or anything like that. I wish I could do that with every song, but I can’t. We just have to stop taking life so seriously. That’s really what the song is about. 

KMJ- I thought the last track was one of the most autobiographical of the bunch and is called “Where Have All The Pianos Gone?” That’s been a distinction of yours within the country genre. Talk to me about that song and how the two work together.

PV- I wrote the song with my friend, James Slater, who’s a really good friend. And he’s another piano player- and a great songwriter. And we were talking the one day about Billy Joel, Elton John, Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Charlie Rich, Barry Manilow, Ronnie Milsap- the list just went on and on. Think about all those guys and how many great piano guys there were. Lionel Richie is another. The first song I ever learned was “Easy Like Sunday Morning.” I was just a kid. We asked one-another, “Where have all the piano players gone.” And out of that, came the song. And it’s a really cool song. And I don’t know if it would have ever made another record if it wasn’t up for me to do it. 

KMJ- Beyond Travelling Circus, what does the future hold for Phil Vassar?

PV- We’re going back out on the road and it’s the biggest show we’ve ever taken out. It seems like every year, I’ve taken out a bigger and bigger show. Our Circus Tour is going to be a lot of fun. So I’m definitely working on that. And we’re in the middle of working on a Broadway show from a movie about a waitress and I’m in the middle of that. There’s a lot of different things going on. It’s all really good stuff. I’m excited about the next year and I’m just trying to keep it all rolling. 

KMJ- For this Broadway show, are you just doing the music for it or is there more to it than that?

PV- I’m just doing the songs. Music and lyrics. I don’t have any aspirations of being in it or anything. It might be fun to do something like that at some point. There’s been movies and things offered before which may be fun to do some time in the future, but we’ll have to see how it pans out. 

KMJ- Last question for you. What is country music to Phil Vassar?

PV- I think it is real music for real people. It’s a very lyric-driven genre. It’s not about how many chords you can put in a song or what the production is like. That’s what I really like about it. It’s about a song. It’s really as simple as that fact. 

 

New Music Video From Phil Vassar- "She's On Her Way"

New Music Video From Phil Vassar- "Love Is Alive"

Get More: Love Is Alive, Phil Vassar, Phil Vassar Videos

Country Artists Record Children's Hospital Benefit Album

Heartfelt songs penned by a group of patients of Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt while working with their music therapist are being released May 14 worldwide on a compilation CD featuring some of Nashville's top recording stars.

Artists Kix Brooks, Melinda Doolittle, Fisk Jubilee Singers, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Faith Hill, Alison Krauss, Maura O'Connell, Johnny Reid, SHEL and Phil Vassar breathe life into songs written by patients Austin Bagby, Ethan Carpenter, Courtney Gaoette, Erica Kilburn, Amy Overton, Gigi Pasley and Christopher Weber, along with music therapist Jenny Plume.

Everybody Has A Story is a selection of songs written by patients over the past six years, each song the result of a clinical music therapy session involving the patient and music therapist Jenny Plume. The patients who participated were treated for a variety of chronic illnesses such as cancer and cystic fibrosis, two were heart transplant recipients, and one was hospitalized for pneumonia.

Plume helped patients shape their thoughts and feelings into lyrics and a melody. Some lyrics were crafted out of a story idea, and some were created by long discussions about the patients' feelings and situations. The song topics range from serious to fun and silly.

Sometimes we wrote about a real life experience, other times I would ask questions and the answers would make the lyrics, sometimes we used their poems, Plume said. So, it was very collaborative, with me trying to draw those ideas and words out of them.

I hope they will go on to know that they can do anything, they can create things, and hopefully music will always be in their lives. For those patients who have passed on, this will be a legacy to celebrate their lives. Proceeds from the sales of this CD will benefit the Julian T. Fouce Music Therapy Fund, founded at Vanderbilt in 2007 by Tom and Maria Fouce in memory of their son, Julian, a great lover of music. Julian died in 2005 after a long battle with leukemia.

Plume's idea of making a CD to celebrate her patients' talents mixed well with Tom Fouce, a Music Row recording engineer who approached his industry contacts to see if there was interest in having the songs brought to life by professional artists. The artists enthusiastically agreed to donate their voices and time. 

Visit EverybodyHasAStoryCD.com for more information, including a video chronicling the making of the CD with artist and patient interviews.

New Music Video From Phil Vassar- "Santa's Gone Hollywood"

New Music Video From Phil Vassar- "Don't Miss Your Life"

Get More: Don't Miss Your Life, Phil Vassar, Phil Vassar Videos

Hear It Here- Phil Vassar- "Don't Miss Your Life"

Phil Vassar has topped the country charts on numerous occasions both as a writer and artist and seems to be on the verge of doing it again with this brand new single. "Don't Miss Your Life," is causing a bit of a buzz at country radio even before it has been officially released.

"I wrote this song on a plane recently, when I was really missing my family and especially my two daughters," said Phil. "The response we're receiving from country radio and from fans has been absolutely incredible. I am always amazed when a song touches people like this." 

Listen to the new track HERE. 

Phil Vassar Preps Holiday Album For 11/22 Release

Phil Vassar is realizing a dream-come-true with the release of his new holiday cd simply titled Noel. The 10-cut collection on RodeoWave Entertainment includes five original songs and five holiday classics and will be available at all digital retailers, at www.PhilVassar.com and at his concerts beginning November 22.

"I've always dreamed of making a Christmas record," said Phil. "From the time I was a boy-listening to Nat King Cole, Andy Williams, Bing Crosby and all the classic singers- I've wanted to do this."

The Jazzy "Doesn't Feel Like Christmas Without You," which Phil wrote with his co-producer of Noel, Dane Bryant, kicks off the album. Texas Swing master Ray Benson guests on "Big Ole Texas Christmas," and the slightly irreverent "Santa's Gone Hollywood" describes Jolly Ol' St. Nick after he hits the lottery and moves to LA. The rockin' "I Saved Christmas," which Phil wrote solo, is heavy on piano and Hammond B3, and the sultry "Let's Make A Little Christmas Tonight" needs no introduction.

Standards on Noel include his version of "What Child Is This," "Oh Come All Ye Faithful/Angels We Have Heard On High" and "I'll Be Home For Christmas." Also included is his version of "Merry Christmas Darling," and he turns "Away In A Manger" into a powerful duet with guest singer/songwriter Kellys Collins. His rendition of "What Child Is This" is being offered as a free download in the new issue of People Country, which hits newsstands on November 11, 2011.

"I love the way Christmas makes you feel," he added "How it makes you slow down and re-evaluate your life. It makes you think about years past and look ahead."

Country Music News Round-Up- Songwriter Bill Morrissey Passes and Kenny Chesney Writes For ESPN

Ira Dean- Average Joe's Entertainment

• Folk singer/songwriter Bill Morrissey passed away in Georgia this last week.
• If only for the fantastic personal family recordings interspersed between every other song on her album, it’s worth picking up the new bluegrass album On The Brooklyn Road by Nell Robinson.  You can read my review on the album that I did for Engine 145 HERE.
• Lots of new music videos released in the last week- with Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood being the more recent with “Remind Me.” Other new videos include:
• Pistol Annies — “Hell On Heels”
• Ronnie Dunn — “Cost of Livin’”
• Billy Chernoff — “Circle of Grace”
• Billy Currington — “Love Done Gone”
• Steve Richard — “Love’s Gotta Go Somewhere”
• Steve Holy — “Love Don’t Run”
• Phil Vassar — “Let’s Get Together”
• Alan Jackson –- “Long Way To Go”
• Indian Rodeo —“If I Could Go Back”
• Brandon Rhyder with Radney Foster (Live) — “Lord I Hope This Day Is Good”
• Jack Ingram shared his foolproof way to break up fights at his shows this week on his Acoustic Motel series.
• With the Dixie Chicks’ Martie Maguire in attendance at her most recent concert, Taylor Swift covered the Chicks’ “Cowboy Take Me Away.” Check out the video HERE.
• Kenny Chesney has written a new theme song for ESPN.
• After $1,500 went missing after his recent concert, Bucky Covington has been accused of grand theft.
• 3^rd Place American Idol finisher Haley Reinhart has signed a record deal.
• Mick Buck, Curator Director at the Country Music Hall of Fame blogs a bit about what will be going into the new Chet Atkins exhibit at the museum.
• Average Joe’s Entertainment added to its growing roster when it signed former Trick Pony member Ira Dean this week. His song “Beer or Gasoline” is currently at radio.

Hear It Here- New Single From Phil Vassar- "Let's Get Together"

Only a few weeks after announcing his new label Rodeowave Entertainment and the arrival of new music, Phil Vassar returns with his brand new single "Let's Get Together," which debuted at #55 on the Billboard Singles chart in its first week.

"Let's Get Together" is the debut single from Rodeowave Entertainment. The song was co-written by Vassar and Tony Mullins and co-produced by Vassar and Ross Copperman.

"Country radio has always been so supportive of Phil Vassar and his music and we are thrilled that his first single from Rodeowave is off to such a great start!” says Teddi Bonadies, Rodeowave Entertainment team member.

CD Reviews- Phil Vassar- Traveling Circus

The Background
Phil Vassar made his name as a chart-topping songwriter before landing a record deal and becoming a hitmaking artist in his own right. After college, Vassar moved to Nashville, learned to play piano, and sang his original material in clubs. One club patron and fan brought Vassar's demo tape to his father, crooner Engelbert Humperdinck, and Humperdinck wound up recording "Once in a While," a song Vassar had co-written with a bartender friend, in 1996. Vassar's songwriting career blossomed from there, as he landed a publishing contract with EMI and penned hits for Collin Raye ("Little Red Rodeo"), Alan Jackson ("Right on the Money"), Tim McGraw ("For a Little While"), Jo Dee Messina ("Bye Bye," "I'm Alright"), and BlackHawk ("Postmarked Birmingham"). He signed a record deal of his own with Arista in 1998 and was named ASCAP's Country Songwriter of the Year in 1999. His self-titled debut album was released in 2000, and the lead single, "Carlene," shot into the country Top Five; its follow-up, "Just Another Day in Paradise," went all the way to number one. "Six-Pack Summer" also reached the Top Ten, and yet another single from the album, "That's When I Love You," became Vassar's third Top Five hit in early 2002. Phil Vassar was certified gold for sales of half a million copies, and its follow-up, American Child, was released later in 2002. The title track gave Vassar yet another Top Five single. Prayer of a Common Man appeared in 2008 from Universal South.

The Review
I hope to refine music, study it, try to find some area that I can unlock. I don't quite know how to explain it but it's there. These can't be the only notes in the world, there's got to be other notes some place, in some dimension, between the cracks on the piano keys- Marvin Gaye
Now releasing his sixth album, Traveling Circus, Phil Vassar approaches his uniquely piano-based style of country music from his own school of thought. For Vassar, country music means relying on the black and white keys that have provided a niche as country’s piano man. Though pop music has its share of ivory ticklers including Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder and Elton John, Vassar joins Ronnie Milsap as one of the few elites who still uses the piano so prominently. Vassar has a more hands on approach to this project whereby he produced all the tracks here himself and relied on his road band to get a change of pace to what’s happening on Nashville radio right now. It’s without surprise then the songs that are the strongest on Traveling Circus let the piano shine through on ballads without the over-production that can sometimes bog down the up-tempos. The first star is "She's on the Way." It celebrates the amazing feelings of becoming a father to a daughter. With a new daughter who just turned a year, this reviewer found the lyrics touching and profound- and very easily relatable to Vassar’s own shoes (who has daughters of his own.) It’s emotive, raw and heartfelt- great combinations in a song. Another strong song is the melancholic piano driven ballad "A Year From Now,” a powerful testament that we all believe that time will heal our pains. Again, Vassar pulls from experience from his own divorce and delivers a performance that is as believable as it is emotional. an ode to the transcendence of time that will heal our deepest pains. Misses? The Kenny Chesney co-write with Vassar, "I Will Remember You," won’t be remembered long and the somewhat strange, "Bobbi With an I," is (while catchy) a tune about a cross-dressing weightlifter. It missed as the first single released to radio and becomes a testament to the fact that fans look to hear themselves in a song. But the best song on the album is also the last. “Where Have All The Piano’s Gone?” has Vassar asking Nashville for more artists like himself- artists that inspire the listener with tunes based from playing those same piano keys. It’s a terrific tune with historic musical relevance and an autobiographical side to it that relates well to the listener. Overall, it’s an above-average album worthy of being in any country music lover’s collection.

Sounds Like
Randy Housers Voice With Ronnie Milsap’s Piano Playing & Songwriting

Track Highlights (suggested iPod adds):
John Wayne
She’s On Her Way
Where Have All The Pianos Gone?
A Year From Now

The Verdict:
Three & A Half Stars Out Of Five

New Music Video For Phil Vassar- "Everywhere I Go"

A Very Merry Phil Vassar Acoustic Christmas EP Giveaway

As a Christmas gift to his fans, Phil Vassar is offering his new Christmas album Acoustic Christmas as a FREE download!

After you fill out the short information form HERE, an email will be sent to your provided email address. This email will have your personalized link and password to download your free Phil Vassar Christmas EP.

Track Listing

•Silent Night
•O Little Town Of Bethlehem
•O Holy Night
•What Child Is This
•Away In A Manger (feat Haley Vassar)