The weekend got a little bit of a kick-start on Thursday night when Universal Music Canada took over the stage at Jasper Dandy on Queen Street East for the first New Hot Nashville showcase of 2019.
Arkansas singer-songwriter Adam Hambrick headlined the night, with Ontario acts, East Adelaide and Owen Barney also taking turns in front of the Toronto crowd. The trio of emerging acts offered a look at what's coming from each of them, a chance to get a closer look at what they have to offer as performers, and put on a good country show for the intimate audience.
Before the snow started falling and the show got underway, we spent some time with all three of the New Hot Nashville artists in the afternoon. In our time we took the opportunity to play a round of 5 Quick Questions with Adam, Mike and Andrew of East Adelaide, and Owen as we were getting to know a little more about each of them. Scroll down to see the East Adelaide and Owen Barney interviews, behind-the-scenes photos, and pictures from the New Hot Nashville show.
Adam Hambrick, the only American in the bunch, was also the artist we knew the least about going into the day. His single, Rockin' All Night Long is a great listen that's been catching the attention of country fans since its release last fall. But that should come as no surprise when you consider that he's put pen to paper and come up with smash #1 hits Somebody Else Will (Justin Moore) and How Not To (Dan + Shay) in his career. We talked to him about writing and performing, and Adam told us that while his concentration has shifted to the performing side of his professional life, he is committed to making sure that it does not come at the detriment of his songwriting.
He explained that in Nashville there are two general paths, one of the songwriters, one for the performers. The writers put on their hard hats and grab their lunch pails and go to work 9-5, Monday to Friday and grind in search of great songs. The performers, they've got to focus on a different kind of grind that puts them in meetings with radio folks, doing promo work with the label, and doing media hits with people like us as well as their time recording and getting on stage. Having spent significant time on the writer's track, he's ready for the performing side.
And we're ready for him. On Thursday night he played the two #1 singles as the crowd sang along, and dropped in his own new tunes including Broken Ladder, Country Stars, White Lying, and Forever Ain't Long Enough. He showed a power and range in his voice that fits everything he did on stage. As he moved from song to song, he looked more and more ready for bigger stages and crowds. By the time he closed his set with Rockin' All Night Long, it had clicked for us that this dude is on his way to brighter lights, soon.
Check out 5 Quick Questions and our photos of Adam Hambrick.
Adam Hambrick
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East Adelaide (Mike Robins, Andrew Mackay, and Randie Van Gorp) are all music pros with plenty of experience. But together, they're just getting started, and it's an exciting time. We saw the trio's first public set in Hamilton at the 2018 CCMA weekend, and we've played the heck out of their debut single, You Don't Get To Love Me.
With radio and fan love in their past (Robins and Mackay's time in Autumn Hill shouldn't be forgotten, and Van Gorp's work with Tebey, Fefe Dobson, and more has created great experience) these three know what to do to make things work. And on Thursday night at the New Hot Nashville showcase, we saw them do just that. Sadly Randie was unable to be with the boys, but just the same, East Adelaide showed off their groove, they showed off some new songs ( Young Hearts In Old Cars, Back On) that we hope to hear soon on an EP, and they looked comfortable on stage.
It's not often that the new kids on the block are the ones with the most experience, but in this case, they do, and it's awesome.
Check out 5 Quick Questions with Mike and Andrew a couple photos from Jasper Dandy on Thursday night.
East Adelaide
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Owen Barney's been strumming and singing for most of his young life, and he's not stopping now. As the teen from Ontario puts more and more work in, he's finding more polish and depth. We can see it and hear it in his voice on stage, and as we spoke with him in the afternoon, it was clear that he's getting a handle on things.
We asked Owen about playing in front of crowds, and he told us that he's still always appreciative and wowed by applause. When he was playing gigs in the corner of a restaurant while people ate, he didn't expect much clapping, but always loved it when someone would take their time out of a conversation to show their appreciation. Now, he's standing up on stages, the crowds are paying attention to him first. And the clapping is coming for frequently and louder.
He should get used to that. The Letting Go singer has more songs ready to go, and EP planned, and a voice that was made for country music.
Check out 5 Quick Questions with Owen Barney and stay tuned for more from this young Canadian country singer.
Owen Barney
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