1 Day Away from NC Ag Jam 09!

Tomorrow's second annual NC Ag Jam has been a year in the making. There have been countless zany ideas and behind the scenes meetings with sponsors and partners who all want to see another successful event. It's so awesome to see what it has become! Now all we need is to fill Walnut Creek with our ag and country fans to make this thing the success we know it will be for the second year in a row! The weather is going to BEAUTIFUL tomorrow as well. Come out to eat eat eat, support NC farmers and producers, and listen to some great tunes. Rock out tomorrow guys, it's all for you!

Join us for the shooting of a Gretchen Wilson reality program at NC Ag Jam 09!

We're only 2 days out from NC Ag Jam 09! Aside from the wonderful food and music, an additional exciting bit of information: national country artist Gretchen Wilson will film scenes for her new reality show on location at NC Ag Jam 09!

We're so excited about this televised publicity coming to Gretchen, and of course to all the farmers and producers of North Carolina. We can let the rest of the world know that it's Got to Be NC!

Brian Davis was raised in the Carolinas somewhere between the Saturday night honkytonks and the Sunday morning steeples…surrounded by fields, farms and everything in between that makes country…country. You can hear it in his voice and the way he bends the strings on his telecaster, but there is also a side to him that along with his country roots, has brought the mass appeal and extensive fan base that he now enjoys…and that is his diverse love of music in everything from Matchbox-Twenty to Waylon to Counting Crows to Hank to Dwight Yoakam to Bob Marley to Garth to AC/DC to Tom Petty…and it’s ALL PACKED INTO HIS MUSIC!!!!!! Brian brings every ounce of influence to every show and delivers country music with an explosive high-energy sound and style that is THE perfect combination of every great concert that you have ever experienced rolled up in to one. Brian’s four studio albums are the fuel for his live shows encompassing everything from heart breaks to Good Times to tailgating to fishing to tryin’ to forget to tryin’ to remember to first times to last times to fallin’ in love and EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN!!! There is everything for everybody inside of his music!!! Brian has the truest sense of what country music is and has a way of delivering this truth with a voice that is outlined by the roots of country but colored in by every musical influence imaginable and speaks right to the heart of everyone who hears him perform. Brian has a way of writing songs that present the world to you the way he sees it with such detail that you can taste, touch, smell, see and hear his music. Brian has built an extensive fan base through the Carolinas as well as other regions of the country through performing headline shows as well as sharing the stage with some of Nashville’s top artist such as Dierks Bentley, George Jones, Jason Michael Carroll, Keith Anderson, Jason Aldean, Lee Brice, Alabama, Miranda Lambert, and Gary Allan just to name a few.

Artist Spotlight: Johnny Orr and the South Station Band

Johnny Orr and the South Station Band opened for Kenny Chesney & Lee Ann Rymes in August of 2008 @ Walnut Creek as a local contestant winner for Kenny's very own contest "Next Big Star". They also opened for: the Zac Brown Brown Band (twice), Gretchen Wilson, Chuck Wicks, Josh Gracin, Phil Vasser, Sarah Buxton, Jason Jones, & Josh Thomson. Johnny was a finalist for Nashville Star in 2006 He was also featured on the Nationally broadcast Tv show called "BIG BREAK" on CMT network with Sara Evans.

He's also done a lot of acting over the years including a Subway commercial and a Goody's Powder commercial and is SAG-E. He is also registered as a member of the NSAI in Nashville, Tn.

Johnny spends a lot of time thinking about what he can say in a song that will touch someones life beyond measure. Its important to him not to just write great songs, but to impact everyone who hears them. Playing since he was 3 years old, hes not just a musician, hes a composer. He hears, in his heart & mind, all the instruments joining together to make a song complete, with the ability to play most or all of what he hears.

After coming out of the 80s & 90s music era, his songs have reached a level of maturity that have touched people from all walks of life. From young kids, to folks that are 40 years his senior, his music has found a home in the hearts of many.

Johnnys voice is an important part of the delivery of each song. The passion in his performance is astounding. The likes of Bob Segar & Joss Stone mixed with a little John Cougar & Edwin McCain make up a voice to be reckoned with.

This guy has got some pipes some have said. Edwin McCain even told Johnnys friend & mentor Dick Hodgin, That guy can sing man. So its no surprise when Johnny plays in front of an audience that people stop and take notice. With dreams in one hand & a guitar in the other, Johnnys planning on the next few years, as an artist, to be his best. Discover the treasure that God put in the heart of a willing vessel. (www.myspace.com/johnnyorrmusic)

Got to Be NC Ag Jam 2009 yields tasty, local N.C. foods, Sept. 12 (Our latest press release!)

Sweet smells of North Carolina goodies will mingle with the sound of southern rock and country music at the second annual Got to Be NC Ag Jam Presented by Food Lion at Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek in Raleigh, Saturday, Sept. 12. The family friendly food and music festival will celebrate North Carolina agriculture with samples of local foods, beverages and other products from area growers and producers from noon to 11 p.m.

Some of the foods for available for purchase at Ag Jam include Chicken and Vegetable Curry and Rice bowls from Rolls Enterprises, Inc.; Smoked Turkey Legs and Cheeseburgers from King’s Hot Dogs and Concessions; Pork Chops, Hot Dogs, and Sausage Dogs from Wells Pork and Beef; and Nachos and Salsa from Pepper Dog Salsa.
Other local companies such as D’Vine Foods, Lumpy’s Ice Cream, Williamson Peanuts, Hawaiian Dave’s Tropical Treats, and many more will also be sampling and selling a variety of treats, from beef jerky to ice cream. Make sure you bring your appetite to sample and take home some of these great products from our Second Annual Got to Be NC Ag Jam.

Key event sponsors include Got to Be NC Agriculture, Food Lion, North Carolina’s Incredible Egg Farmers and Carolina Crisp Peanut Bars. Associate sponsors include Doug Brown Design, Q-Shack Restaurants and Springhill Outfitters.
For more information about the festival, including complete performance schedule and ticket information, visit www.ncagjam.com.

Artist Spotlight: Madonna Nash

Madonna Nash is a singer/songwriter native to Wilmington, NC. She began singing at a very early age, playing with her daddy in bars before she was old enough to drive. It wasn't until her teenage years that she began writing music. A few more years of writing constantly and playing in as many honky tonks and coffee shops as she could find, has made her into the talented and versed singer/songwriter and brilliant performer she is today.

Madonna grew up listening to Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Kenny and Dolly, and Reba to name a few. Those influences are apparent in her own voice which rings of truth, heart and soul. Her recognizable talent has allowed her to open up for various acts such as Shennendoah and make return appearances on her local country station.

2008 has been a great year for Madonna Nash, she has had the privilege of being the opening act for the historical Azalea Festival. She has also been nominated for best female country artist at the 2008 Carolina Music Awards.

Madonna realized early on that it is the power of great songs that move people. "I am very focused on my songwriting,"she states. She writes most of her own material, but doesn't limit her skills to just country music. She has also written for Disney artists and pop/rock artists. "Writing has no limitation,"
she says. She has won numerous awards for her songwriting and has grabbed the attention of many industry professionals in Nashville. But it is when she is performing live on stage that this artist really shines.

Madonna truly puts her heart and soul into every song and every performance. You feel as if it is you she is singing to, or singing about. "I want to touch as many lives as I possibly can," Madonna says, "Music is the story of our lives, from birth 'til death, sometimes happy, sometimes sad, but always the truth." Madonna Nash is truly an original! (www.musicnation.com)

RSVP to NC Ag Jam 09 on the Facebook Event Page!

We're less than 2 weeks away from NC Ag Jam 2009! If you're planning on spending the day of food, music, and fun with us, head on over to the NC Ag Jam Event Facebook page and RSVP today--the event is entitled "Got to Be NC Ag Jam Presented by Food Lion", and the host of the event is "Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek". The link is also listed below. See you there =)

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=119861636911&ref=ts

Artist Spotlight: Josh Thompson

If you want to know who Josh Thompson is – his music tells his story.

Josh was raised in a small town in Wisconsin, where he learned the true value of sweat and hard work alongside his father. He brings these blue-collar, all-American qualities to his music.

Josh wrote or co-wrote 10 songs from his upcoming album, turning the events of his life into stories that touch the heart and soul of those who listen. "Beer on the Table" is his first hit single. Take a listen today! (www.joshthompsonofficial.com)

Artist Spotlight: Jason Jones

Jason Jones is a believer. He believes life and love don’t have to be as complicated as we make them and that life is what you make it. Those philosophies are reflected in Jason’s music as well.

Born in Tallahassee and raised in Wakulla Station, Fla., Jason got his first taste of the real world at age 14 he moved to Georgia to live with his mother for a year. “I didn’t know anybody there, so all I did was play guitar,” he says. He also wrote his first song.

When he got back to Florida, Jason formed a band with some high school buddies. While the band focused on alternative and hard rock, Jason’s passion continued to be country music.

While Jason had a passion for music and undeniable talent, he couldn’t imagine himself on the big stage. A visit to Nashville at the invitation of a talent scout sealed the deal. The then 21-year-old got a job waiting tables near Music Row. The plan was to get his voice on some song demos, which he could then use as a calling card of sorts to get his foot in the door of Nashville’s publishing companies.

A writing deal with prestigious Music Row publisher Warner/Chappell secured, Jason began looking for opportunities to perform. Word spread and eventually Jason Jones and Breakaway, as his band was known at the time, became the house band at Nashville’s famous Wildhorse Saloon.

The gigs at the Wildhorse and other clubs lead to more and more bookings as word of Jason’s solid stage show spread. The group soon hit the road where they played as many as five sets a night. The performing bug bit Jason hard early on. “If I go two or three weeks without playing, it really gets to me,” he says. “I gotta get out there and play. I’ve been playing 100 shows and writing 50 songs a year for the last six years.” All the hard work finally paid off with a call from Warner Bros. Records. Jason’s dream was coming true.

And when it came time to start recording his first album, the label helped reconnect him with noted country producer and songwriter Brett Beavers, who had expressed interest in working with Jason years earlier. Out of the collaboration came a shared vision for the music and a process that is as challenging as it is rewarding for Jason as a singer and a songwriter.

In putting together the record, the blue-eyed tenor looked back to his influences for inspiration; a group that includes George Strait, Garth Brooks, Shenandoah, Diamond Rio, Vince Gill and John Mellencamp.
Some of Nashville’s best songwriters [I think we need a few names here] contributed to the project. “I never set out to write all the songs on my album,” Jason says. “I believe in the power of great songs and I just want to have the best album I can have. Period.”

In the end, Jason is extremely happy with the results. His hard work and life experience comes through in what he hopes is the first of many records.

Down to earth, honest, upbeat and fun are some of the words that Jason uses to describe his debut album. They are words that could be used to describe him as well. "I try to keep it pretty positive. I would love for my music to inspire people. To help them get away from the everyday hassles of life," he says. "It’s not really all that complicated: people should live their lives. Just be happy and enjoy the moment. And I hope that my music can be a part of that." (Jason Jones Facebook Fan Page)