Amanda Shires doesn’t shy away from the dark. Instead, she fearlessly and beautifully explores it in her songwriting, finding comfort in the universal emotions we all feel, and the universal discoveries we make when we come out of the darkness and into the light. “I like exploring the darker things,”… Read more...
BMI will present an in-depth conversation on the art and craft of songwriting, featuring John Doe, Todd Snider and Jesse Malin, moderated by Jody Williams, BMI VP of Writer/Publisher Relations. The “How to Track and Capture Wild Roots Songs of North America” panel will be held on Thursday, March 15… Read more...
Nashville music writer and singer/songwriter Peter Cooper recently compiled “50 Country Songs Every Songwriter Should Know,” and the majority of ranking honky-tonk prototypes are BMI classics. Featured in the current issue of American Songwriter, the list kicks off with “Lost Highway,” penned by BMI songwriter Leon Payne and inimitably recorded… Read more...
BMI proudly hosted the annual Americana Honors & Awards Nominee Announcement Party on Wednesday, May 12 at the W.O. Smith School of Music in Nashville. Roots royalty Emmylou Harris and Todd Snider announced the 2010 nominees after the crowd savored the live sounds of the Carolina Chocolate Drops. From time-tested… Read more...
Singer-songwriter Todd Snider is the consummate outsider, a rough cut auteur who, over the course of eleven albums, has distinguished himself as one of American music’s most offbeat, arresting voices. Blunt, bluesy and languid, Snider’s nakedly personal observations mix sardonic ironies with wistful self-analysis but never sacrifice a consistently high… Read more...
BMI continued its enthusiastic support of the Americana Music Festival and Conference this year, sponsoring the 9th annual installment of the roots music extravaganza. On Thursday, September 18, BMI’s official showcase offered wistfully soulful singer/songwriter Sarah Siskind and melodically brazen rockers the Branded Sons. At the Americana Honors & Awards… Read more...
Will Kimbrough’s guitar playing and production work are mentioned often. He’s carved out a niche supporting high-quality singer/songwriters like Rodney Crowell and Todd Snider, and producing, too. But those aren’t the only things he does well: There’s also the songwriting. In fact, Kimbrough first gained visibility playing original music with… Read more...
Raised in Oklahoma now living in Nashville, singer/songwriter TJ McFarland recently released his 4th independent record “Howlin’ Wild”. A spontaneous acoustic affair, the record includes thirteen McFarland compositions with subtle, sparse accompaniment. The record follows Rosenbum’s Gin (2005), an album he made while living in Los Angeles. The record was… Read more...
Rap’s not the easiest genre to break into, especially if you’re an 18-year-old white woman. But New York native Lanz isn’t one to be fenced in by expectations. Signed to Interscope Records, which will be releasing her debut album, Young $ Restless, on Feb. 12, 2008, Lanz is currently on… Read more...
BMI is proud to sponsor the second annual Mucklewain Music Festival September 28 & 29. Held in Pinewood, Tennessee, 45 miles west of Nashville, the event basks in the ample glow of southern art, music and culture. A lineup including BMI roots artists Todd… Read more...
Captured at SXSW 2012
