NashvilleGab - Country music news and Nashville celebrity gossip

Exclusive: Songwriter Kalisa Ewing on Kelly Clarkson and Kellie Pickler cuts, grandfather's influence and her Grand Ole Opry debut

Kalisa Ewing is someone you need to know.

She's spent 10 years paying her dues, and this year, all her hard work is paying off. With Kellie Pickler and Kelly Clarkson choosing to cut two of her songs, Kalisa is the next big thing, as far as elite songwriters go. She's also honed her skills as a live performer. She recently performed a slew of shows during CMA week, including at the ASCAP Bubble Stage down on Broadway.

Nashville Gab recently spoke with the singer-songwriter about her Grand Ole Opry debut, having Kellie and Kelly cut her songs and how a tragic car accident inspired her to pursue her career.

Exclusive: Australian duo Baylou dish on "Novocaine," debut album and admiration for Dolly Parton

Australian born duo Baylou are a force brewing just under the surface.

With such influences as Springsteen, Dolly Parton and the Dixie Chicks, the sister pairing, comprised of Victoria and Barbara Ballie, have developed a strong and rather dark brand (see their current single "Novocaine"). On their debut record, Go to Hell and I Love You, Baylou soars from the sassy "These Lips" to the tender "Sweet Red Wine."

At a recent Cornhole Challenge, an event to bring awareness and raise money for colon cancer, presented by fellow singer Craig Campbell, Nashville Gab had a chance to talk with Baylou about their upbringing, biggest influences and what's currently on their playlist.

Darius Rucker to appear on The Bachelorette

In a recent phone conversation with Bachelorette contestant (is that what you call them?) Ben Scott, he teased an appearence from a country singer in an upcoming episode. After a little sleuthing, I found out that Darius Rucker will appear on next weeks episode. I'll be watching because, well, my wife watches and I want to get laid.

Exclusive: The Farm opens up about underwear, George Jones and current single "Be Grateful"

The Farm is a diversley unique trio that incorporates a vast collection of influences into their music, ranging from bluegrass to pop to rock. Nick Hoffman, Krista Marie and Damien Horne couldn't be more different, but it is their passsion for making music that has catapulted the group into superstardom. As they prep new material (to be released this fall), they've taken a step back to gather their thoughts and charge full steam ahead into a new era.

At a recent Cornhole Challenge, an event to bring awareness and raise money for colon cancer, presented by fellow singer Craig Campbell, Nashville Gab chatted with the trio to talk about what their future holds, strange fan interactions (invovling plenty of underwear throwing) and who they think could step into George Jones' shoes.

Exclusive: Dean Alexander on new single, West Virginia upbringing and Roy Orbison connection

Dean Alexander comes from humble West Virginia beginnings but has quickly gained momentum since making the move to Nashville in 2006. Within two week of doing yard work for Roy Orbison's wife, Barbara, he had landed a publishing deal. Now, he heads into the release of his Warner debut record with confidence and humility, ready to take over the world.

His first single "Sunshine On My Rain" is just a small taste of what fans can expect on the record. Nashville Gab recently caught up with the singer at Craig Campbell's Cornhole Challenge, an event to bring awareness (and raise money) for colon cancer. Dean opened up about the event, as well as his upbringing and what story Barbara shared of Roy (and much more)

CMA Fest 2013 - Nightly Concerts at LP Field - Recap: Miranda Lambert, Eric Church Impress

This past week (June 6-9), fans from all over the world made the sojourning trip to Nashville for the annual CMA Music Festival. As part of the jam packed week, there were nightly concerts at LP Field. Everyone from Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert to Taylor Swift and Luke Bryan took to the summer stage to perform their latest and greatest hits, as well as surprise collaborations along the way. There was a nice jumble of various musical influences and something for every kind of Country music fan.

This year's event was my first experience (of many more to come). I was impressed with everyone and their unabashed nature with which they attacked their sets and interacted with the glowing fans.

CMT Music Awards 2013 Review: Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Florida Georgia Line are fan favorites

On Wednesday (June 5), Country music fans flocked to Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville for the CMT Music Awards. As the answer to MTV's Video Music Awards, the show was jam packed with dirty puns, jabs at fellow artists and other jokes that didn't quite land with the crowd. Throughout the two and a half hour broadcast, screaming fans rallied behind their favorite artists, as they took the stage to perform their latest hits.

I had the pleasure of attending (my first awards show ever), so I went into the experience not knowing what to expect. I have to admit, there was a certain high that permeated the crowd and left me rather drained afterwards. I had always wanted to attend one of these shows (I mean, who hasn't right?) to see exactly how it all goes down and to see if there were any interesting interactions between the superstars during commericials and off camera. While the media section was quite a distance from the celebrity seating, I did catch a few cool moments.

‘Nashville’ Is Right: Country Music's Ageism Is Sexist

For those who don’t know by now, I am an avid watcher of ABC’s ‘Nashville’. While it is rather sudsy at times, its relationship to reality is what really interests and intrigues me, aided by its placing of fiction right alongside fact in its construction. Well-known country stars feature in cameos, and regular references are made to other artists and country music staples like the CMA Awards, the Grand Ole Opry, the Bluebird Café and the Ryman Auditorium. However, the drama that unfolds is entirely made-up, and the characters do not resemble real people in any way – or do they?

Jett Williams Talks About "The Last Ride"

Jett Williams is the daughter of the legendary Hank Williams Sr. and lately she has been busy with a project that portrays the life of her late father. "The Last Ride" is a independent film about Hank's relationship with his driver he hired to take him through the Appalachian mountains for shows in West Virginia and Ohio. It's a brilliant film with a different take on country's original bad boy. Jett is not only a big supporter of the movie, she is also featured on the soundtrack as well.

What does country music mean to you?

It means everything to me. I grew up with country music, I lived country music and I love country music.

How did it come about that you would be doing a few songs on the soundtrack, how was that process?

Actually, Henry Thomas asked me if I would like to be a part of that musical project and would I like to sing a couple of my dads songs and a couple of my own songs so I was thrilled to be part of the team and go in there and share some of my dads songs and I just think the soundtrack truly compliments the movie.

What were your thoughts on the movie?

I was very impressed with the movie. Unless you were actually there no one can say what really happened but overall I think when people see it that it gives not only a glimpse to the genius Hank Williams but also to the man Hank Williams.

How do you think the public will respond to this movie?

Some people will say oh they didn't use any Hank music but to me that is the beauty of it. It's not a bio type of movie so during his ride and during that time he didn't sing. I think more people are so use to having that biopic and movies about their career than they are that last part of their life. It just depends on the individuals but it is a very heart felt story about Hank the man in those last hours of what he tried to accomplish.

Do you think this soundtrack will inspire you to do any kind of touring?

I think the soundtrack is just fabulous and we were actually talking about getting some of the artist on that to do like a package tour. If you take it like that it's kind of like a mini Grand Ole Opry and each artist have their own style and it's not something you just turn on and all the sounds are alike. The songs are so powerful and I just think it would be a show people would really enjoy.

For more info about Jett please visit www,jettwilliams.com .

Follow me on twitter @brittwv

Jo Dee Messina Exclusive: Kickstarter Project

Jo Dee Messina is back in action with a new album in the works, however, she has entered a whole new world. With only fifteen days to go before her kickstarter project ends, she needs your support more than ever. The goal is to raise $100,000 in just thirty days and it's an all or nothing kind of deal. The money raised during this project will go toward studio time, background vocalist, mixing, recording and everything involved with making a record. I got to chat a little bit with Jo Dee about her new project and she couldn't be more excited.

So with this album it'll be all you right? You have full control?

It is. I've written alot of the stuff and I've spent years writing stuff just to hear "thats not going to work" so this gives me the freedom to record a bunch of stuff I've wrote. It also gives me the opportunity to do different kinds of stuff. There is a bluegrass tune on there, a rock song that I wrote with Pink in mind and just different kind of songs.

What is it like doing the independent thing so far, is it something your having fun with?

It's only three days old (laughs) but its been fun. I dont want it blown up to be like every record will be done this way but it's something I thought would be a fun project. For those people who are dedicated fans they actually get something in return at a certain level of funding so it's just a fun thing and I wanted to try it out.

Jo Dee's kickstarter project will also allow fans to submit artwork for the album cover and it really gets the fans involved one hundred percent. A new album is not the only thing in the works for Jo Dee, she will also be touring this summer. To check out future dates or to donate to her kickstart project and be a part of the album making process you can visit www.jodeemessina.com .

For more country music news, updates & gossip follow me on twitter @brittwv