We’re throwing another Free 103-3 Country Pickin Party at Hop Springs in Murfreesboro!
December 4 Priscilla Block, Hannah Ellis and King Calaway
Priscilla Block draws listeners in with her unfiltered, relatable songwriting and catchy melodies. Pegged as a 2021 Artist to Watch by Amazon Music, PANDORA, Spotify, CMT, The Boot, MusicRow, HITS, Sounds Like Nashville, Country Now, Music Mayhem and more, Priscilla’s honest and upfront approach promotes self-love, empowerment, and acceptance through her own blend of country pop and southern rock, dubbed the Block Party sound.
In early 2020, Priscilla was struggling to make ends meet after losing her job and her apartment. Unable to get out and play in person due to Covid-19, Priscilla began experimenting on TikTok and quickly developed a rabid fanbase with songs like “Thick Thighs,” “PMS” and “Just About Over You.” Fans rallied together to independently fund Priscilla’s recording and since its release, “Just About Over You” peaked both the iTunes Country and All-Genre song charts, the song was named one of The New York Times Best Songs of 2020, and it is now Top 20 on country radio. “Just About Over You” along with “Wish You Were the Whiskey,” “I Bet You Wanna Know” and three more originals written by the young star comprise Priscilla’s self-titled major label debut EP released April 30.
Originally from Raleigh, NC, Priscilla moved to Nashville to pursue music shortly after high school. In Nashville, the affable, hardworking, student of life worked multiple jobs to make ends meet, then a chance encounter with her idol – Taylor Swift – was the sign she needed to dive all the way in on her music. Priscilla is a seasoned performer playing sold-out shows across the southeast including Deep South the Bar in Raleigh, the storied Listening Room Cafe, and Nashville’s rowdiest block party, Whiskey Jam. Priscilla is currently on the road with Ashley McBryde and she has also shared the stage with artists including Gabby Barrett, Adam Craig and Adam Doleac.
A native of Campbellsville, Kentucky, Hannah Ellis grew up competing in every small-town contest she could find her way into and was exposed to live performance with opening slots for artists like Lee Brice and Jake Owen at an early age.
In 2012, Hannah graduated from The University of Kentucky and headed straight to music city. She had a stop on season eight of NBC’s The Voice and signed her first publishing deal in 2015.
In the fall of 2016, Hannah released her song “Officer Down,” a tribute to her slain cousin, Officer Daniel N. Ellis. “Officer Down” received national attention and brought Hannah from Nashville to the front steps of the U.S Capitol Lawn for the Fallen Police Officers Memorial Service.
By 2017 her artistry had taken off she was invited to join CMT’s prestigious “Next Women of Country” program alongside eight select female artists. Rolling Stone Magazine dubbed her one of their 2018 “Artist’s To Watch.” With momentum from a successful year and support from some of Nashville’s best, Hannah released her debut, self-titled EP. Her single “ILYSoWhat” premiered on CMT, spun on Sirius XM Radio, and landed on multiple Spotify playlists. Hannah released her most recent single “Home and a Hometown” in July of 2018. Both “ILYSoWhat” and “Home and a Hometown” have surpassed the 1 Million mark on Spotify.
Outside of her artistry, Hannah has had success as a songwriter with cuts on both household names and up-and-coming acts. Artists like Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Danielle Bradbery, and Russel Dickerson, are just a few of the artists that have recorded Hannah’s songs. Her song “You Were Never Gone” was picked up by MTV’s Teen Wolf and released on the television show’s soundtrack.
From that very first Nashville jam session in 2018, the members of King Calaway quickly discovered how each of their vocal and instrumental talents – as well as their shared love of harmonies, country and ‘70s rock music – complemented each other in perfect unison and formed an instant musical brotherhood for years to come.
By October 2019, King Calaway had recorded and released their debut album, Rivers, on BBR Music Group/Stoney Creek Records. The album amassed an impressive 59 million on-demand streams and featured their hit single “World For Two,” which was the #1 most added song at country radio in its debut week, ultimately garnering 53 million on-demand streams. Building on this momentum, the band earned massive opening performance slots for Garth Brooks & Gabby Barrett as well as national TV performances on The Kelly Clarkson Show, TODAY, The Late Late Show with James Corden, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!
The group’s breakthrough year was abruptly brought to a halt when met with news of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. Forced to retreat to their homes, the band used this time to immerse themselves in their songwriting process and hone their craft as musicians. The result was the beginnings of a brand-new project with a fresh modern country sound and a now 5-piece band featuring original members: Chris Deaton, Simon Dumas, Chad Michael Jervis, Austin Luther, and Caleb Miller.
“There are some songs that especially represent the past year and a half and what we’ve had to go through as a band, but there are also songs that are relevant for all times,” Dumas says.
In February 2021, the band set out to Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, North Carolina to record a selection of the myriad of songs they had penned over the past year and a half. On their four-song EP Midnight, set for release August 27th, the band doubles down on their signature harmonies, this time melding them with their own original compositions.
Midnight, soars with up-tempo, California-meets-country grooves; organic, signature harmonies and warm, relatable lyrics that represent their growth as songwriters, musicians, and vocalists.
“We love having a record that is almost entirely our own original music as songwriters,” Miller says.
On the EP, the group revels in a harder rock edge that showcases their musicianship on tracks like “Homegrown,” along with their live performance sensibilities.
“We definitely want people to listen to these songs and know they are listening to a band and not just a collection of studio musicians,” Jervis says. Luther adds, “In the studio we were thinking, ‘people haven’t been able to go to shows in so long – how can we put them there in the room with us just by listening to this?’”
Elsewhere on Midnight, the band welcomes BBR Music Group labelmate Lainey Wilson on the playful “Good Time To Me.”
“We hadn’t had a collaboration yet,” Deaton says. “We love working with Lainey – She’s one of the most talented singers we’ve ever met.”
Rounding out the project is the sleek, uplifting track “More People” which further encompasses the group’s mission of making music that is both expertly crafted and wields a positive influence. “We’ve all been exposed to uplifting anthems and seen how music can inspire people to move forward, and we would love our music to have that effect on others too,” Dumas says.
