DRX is Now Finalizing 2015 Showcase Sponsors
(Nashville, TN – Feb. 18, 2015) – Online social network and country lifestyle portal, Digital Rodeo, announces Jeff Bates as the guest host as well as the artist line-up for the upcoming DRX Artist Showcase to be held Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. on Nashville’s famous 3rd and Lindsley Bar & Grill stage.
The live performance will be streamed and can be viewed at: http://digitalrodeo.com/
The DRX monthly showcase highlights some of the platform’s most promising Country artists and will help to promote some of the website’s featured independent artists. The February DRX showcase will feature Kaitlyn Baker, Sim Balkey, Hannah Bethel, Rivers & Rust and Megan Moreaux.
DRX showcases offer valuable opportunities for attendees to enjoy musical performances from up-and-coming acts while engaging and networking with others in the field.
Music industry representatives that RSVP in advance to showcase@digitalrodeo.com will be offered a limited number of complimentary drinks during the event.
Nashville, Tennessee’s Skydancer Entertainment recording artist, Jeff Bates, has been a staple in Country music for over 10 years, delivering numerous hits such as “Long Slow Kisses,” “The Love Song” and “I Wanna Make You Cry.” He has had more than seven Billboard chart-topping singles, four secular Country music albums and two inspirational albums. His most recent project, titled Me and Conway, includes a duet with the legendary Loretta Lynn, “After The Fire Is Gone,” which is currently being promoted as the album’s first single.In 2011, Bates humbly accepted the award for ICM’s Mainstream Country Artist of the year and the title cut off his inspirational album, One Day Closer, landed at No. 1 on the Christian Country Charts. In 2013, Bates was honored to be a nominee for ICM’s coveted Entertainer of the Year award and was also nominated for their Mainstream Country Male Artist award in 2014.When not on the road touring, performing and speaking, you can find him at home in Bateshop Studios writing, recording and producing for himself along with numerous other artists.
Kaitlyn Baker was born and raised in Pound, Va., a small coal-mining town (population of 1,073) nestled in the heart of the Appalachia region, with its profound and rugged beauty in its landscapes, culture and people. At 7 years old, Kaitlyn climbed on a stool in church and sang her heart out for the first time. From that moment on, it was evident that she had a gift and was destined to sing.Now at age 20, Kaitlyn appears on the cusp of Country music success.
Some of the artists Kaitlyn has opened for include Travis Tritt, Billy Currington, Doug Stone, Sawyer Brown, Rhonda Vincent, Sammy Kershaw, Brett Eldredge, Josh Gracin and more.
Whether she’s playing for local crowds at the state fair with her band or the famous Tootsie’s in downtown Nashville, her voice, sassy, sweet and full of Southern grace, captivates her audience and holds nothing back while performing.
SIM BALKEY:
If the right side of the brain is the creative hub and the left side tends to be more logical and analytical, then Sim Balkey is one of those rare individuals who have both sides fully engaged. After all, how many Country singers have a chemistry degree and moonlight in systems engineering at a National Laboratory? Balkey is obviously not your typical Country newcomer, but you’ll find quickly that it’s not because of his side job, but because of his sincerity as a Country artist.Balkey has a distinctive voice that has been seasoned by years of live performance. Quite simply, he doesn’t sound like anyone else in Country music today. There’s an edgy intensity in his voice that brings out the best in every song, whether it’s a vulnerable ballad or uptempo party anthem. Balkey was born and raised in northern New Mexico, just south of the Colorado border, on a small farm— as Country as it gets. Playing over 500 dates over the last seven years, he has captured the attention of audiences throughout the Southwest and ever-increasingly across the country, converting them into devoted fans. Balkey has shared the stage with Eric Church, Clint Black, Love and Theft, Steve Holy, Mark Chesnut and many others. With an album just completed and ready to release, a recent single release doing great on radio and a solid touring band behind him, Sim Balkey is well on his way to a great future in Country music.
Hannah Bethel grew up on Country music and classic rock in the backwoods of northern Michigan. She spent most of her teenage years traveling the upper Midwest, performing original music at fairs, bars, talent shows, coffee houses, shopping malls and Country-Western shows. Hannah self-released her first record at age 17 and moved to Nashville, Tenn. the following year. Hannah completely immersed herself in the Nashville songwriting and business community. In 2010, she self-released her second record, No Stopping, Standing, Parking, which was recorded at Ricky Skagg’s studio, Skagg’s Place, in Hendersonville, Tenn. Several of the tracks from No Stopping, Standing, Parking were featured in independent films and television shows.
Hannah has spent the last year touring the United States, performing shows from Alaska to New Jersey and everywhere in between. She has shared the stage with such artists as Joe Nichols, Rodney Atkins, Trisha Yearwood, Charlie Worsham, Buddy Jewell, Frankie Ballard, Canaan Smith, Nine Days and Leigh Nash. Hannah’s newest record, Never Ending Sky, released in October 2014 and was co-produced with Brennin Hunt. Hannah was named one of CMA Close Up’s Who New to Watch in 2014.
Rivers & Rust are a raw mix of soul, rock and Americana, personified by the duo’s Sheila Marshall and Kyle Cook. Marshall— a bluesy, Texas songstress with years of songwriting and road time under her belt— partners with Cook, who rose to fame as the guitarist for the multiplatinum Matchbox Twenty and has gone on to make a name for himself as a singer, songwriter and producer.
Marshall, who grew up in the East Texas town of Nacogdoches, began her career by fronting a rock band while attending Stephen F. Austin State University. That’s when her love of Hank Williams, Willie Nelson and Patsy Cline merged with new-to-her artists such as Led Zeppelin and the Band, giving her voice a bluesier tint and even more soul. Playing the Houston rodeo and other high-profile sporting events built her fan base and her acoustic EP, Beautiful for Situation, earned her a national Budweiser sponsorship. Then came a stint on the talent show “Nashville Star,” where she became a Top 10 finalist, resulting in her album Makes Perfect Sense and the Texas-embraced single, “Radio.”
10 years ago, Cook and his family relocated from Orlando, Fla. to Music City, where the Indiana-native has flourished as a songwriter, producer and musician. In addition to his duties as a Matchbox Twenty member, Cook has opened the Tennessee Recording Company with longtime friend and collaborator, Mike Fiorentino.
Marshall and Cook first met nearly eight years ago when a mutual friend passed some of Marshall’s songs along to the rocker. “He liked my music, so we ended up meeting in Nashville and we just hit it off,” she recalls. Cook produced her second album, What If I Was, building a friendship and professional respect between the two. In late 2014, the pair decided to mix their voices and styles to become Rivers & Rust. They’re currently working on their first album.
Megan Moreaux is a California Country girl. Born in Monterey, Calif., Megan found Country music as an escape from her traumatic childhood. Coming from an unstable family environment, a mom who left her at an early age, a father who sold drugs for a living, and a childhood full of physical and mental abuse, abandonment and neglect, Megan found solace with her aunt when she was 5. For the few months she spent with her, her aunt introduced her to Country music. To escape the family drama, she would take horseback rides and listen and sing to Country music.
From being a Miss American Starlet Beauty Pageant Queen to winning a singing contest at Country Thunder USA and opening for ZZ Top, Megan is a constant performer and inspirer. Her top-notch performances and passion have landed her gigs on numerous radio stations, including NIXA country radio GAC TV, Universal Studios as Mary Jane in “Spiderman Rocks” and featured at Disneyland in “High School Musical”.
Currently, Megan is living in Nashville, wowing crowds at shows with her amazing vocal range and continuing to write with some of the industry’s top writers, including Jennifer Adan, Mitch Allen, Kristi Osmunson from Bomshel, Johnny Garcia, Will Rambeaux, Drew Davis, Karleen Watt, Beau Fuller, Monica Spendlove, Dan Franklin, Jaeson Ma and numerous others.
About DigitalRodeo.com: DigitalRodeo.com is the premiere Country news, music and lifestyle site for Country music fans everywhere. DRX membership offers fans and artists alike added perks and benefits above and beyond a basic Digital Rodeo membership. Basic DR Memberships are always free and provide the opportunity for Country fans and artists to connect with each other, upload and download audio and video, watch exclusive content and stay updated on what’s happening in the world of Country music. For more information, visit www.DigitalRodeo.com.
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