SCOTCOUNTRY MUSIC NEWS

Glasgow now has a chapter of the Nashville Songwriters Association International, under the co-ordination of Martha L Healy, who spent several months in the Tennessee capital last year.
THe first meeting iset for Tuesday April 4th in The Training Suite, 3rd Floor, The Connal Building, 34 West George Street, Glasgow.
Meetings consist of reviewing a lesson on the craft of songwriting or a music business related subject. We then host a feedback session where participants share a song with the group. Members should bring a song to share and lyric sheets for the group.
E-mail: nsaiglasgow@gmail.com

This year's Millport Country festival is bigger than ever, with a line up including US and UK stars. Previously started back in 1995 as the Millport Country and Western Weekend. 22 years on the festival has gone from strength to strength, featuring country bands from all over the UK to become one of the most popular on the West Coast of Scotland, and one of the biggest Country Music festivals in Scotland.
This year, the addition of a huge 3,000 capacity concert marquee that will host international country stars such as Mark Chesnutt, The Shires, Adley Stump, David Ray, Morgan Frazier and Ashton Lane will add to the fun and excitement of the core festival within the grounds of the Garrison House and local venues.
The festival is held September 1st-3rd.
http://millportcountrymusic.com/

The monthly Acoustic Night at Rutherglen's Meeting Place , within Stonelaw Church has a double header this month. Katee Kross, who recently performed a live session on Celtic Music Radio, is a young lady from Bishopriggs making a name for herself in the folk scene, will be joined by Turadh, a female instrumental duo. Of course The Mairs Family Band will be on hand too.
It all happens on Friday February 24th from 7.30pm

The Acoustic Stage  performers have been announced for next months c2c Festival in Glasgow. These acts perform on the King Tuts Stage upstairs at The Armadillo, as an alternative to main stage acts like Reba , Brad Paisley and Marty Stuart.
Friday March 11th - Jill Brown, Sinny & Steve Grozier
Saturday March 12th - Lewis Capaldi , The Miss's, Tennement & Temple and The Step Brothers
Sunday March 13th - Michael Cassidy, Awkward Family Portraits Quick, and Panic Anchor.
The whole event is a sell out.

Glasgow duo Raintown have announced a couple of dates later in the spring :
May 6th- Aros Centre, Portree, Skye
Jun 2nd - King Tuts Glasgow.
Paul & Claire will also be playing London C2C next month and a UK Country Live event in Mannchester in June.
The title track to their latest album, "Writing On The Wall" has just been released as a single, or focus track to European radio.

Tia McGraff is an internationally renowned and award winning Americana/Country songstress from Port Dover, ON, Canada. With Scottish/Transylvanian roots running through her songwriting and voice, Tia’s talent has been described as “haunting and soul-gripping.”
6 international cd releases, 4 videos on CMT Canada, various film/tv placements, and numerous nominations and awards (including 2010 Hamilton Music Awards), have earned Tia a respect in the music industry and a global fan base that continues to stretch beyond demographics.
Tia’s latest cd release, Crazy Beautiful, was released in spring 2015, and immediately impressed Americana and Country radio programmers in the USA/Canada/ Europe, resulting in significant chart action.The latest single from Crazy Beautiful is "Wing Walker"!
She's arrives in Scotland, for tour dates, which include :
Friday, February 17: St Andrew Blackadder Parish Church – North Berwick
Thursday, February 23 – The Acoustic Music Club in Kirkcaldy – Kirkcaldy,
Friday, February 24: Performing Arts Centre – Killbarchan.

UK Country Live who promote original UK Country talent, are coming to Glasgow in April with a show featuring local duo's Ashton Lane and Gravel Tracks, as well as 19 year old Hollie Atkinson from Nairn.
The event will be held in Broadcast on Saturday April 22nd.

Nashville based quartet Little Big Town have announced a UK to which sees them come to Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall on Monday October 2nd.
The group, whose most notable hit was 2015's "Girl Crush", recently announced their next album will be a pop record rather than Country.  No change there then!
Their new single, "Better Man" was written by Taylor Swift.

Marty Stuart is set to release his new album, "Way Out West" in the UK , to tie in with his visit to the Country2Country Festival. He appears on the Saturday night at Glasgow( March 11th)

Dean Owens is one of Scotland’s finest singer songwriters, with fans including Bob Harris, Ricky Ross, Irvine Welsh and Russell Brand.  His songs including Raining in Glasgow and Man From Leith have been hailed as classics of Scottish songwriting.
 His new single – Julie’s Moon – is released (via itunes, download sites) on Fri 10 Mar to coincide with Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal.  All proceeds from sales of the single will be donated to the Marie Curie charity.
 In September 2015 Dean’s beloved big sister Julie finally lost her battle with cancer. She was 50. Julie was a huge supporter of her brother and his music, always encouraging him, always at his gigs. Written very shortly after her death, Julie’s Moon is one of Dean’s most personal songs, although it was a subject he would have preferred to avoid. But some songs insist on being written, and the final result is lyrically poignant but also characteristically musically memorable. It’s a searingly personal song, an ocean of the heart - a special song for a special girl and a special cause.

Willie Nelson premieres 13 stellar new songs on God's Problem Child, his 9th studio album for Legacy Recordings, available on CD, 12" vinyl and digital configurations