Now Hear This Entertainment

Multi-award-winning singer, songwriter, guitar and bass player. Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn as well as multiple bluegrass artists have brought his original songs to number 1. In addition, he has seen continued songwriting success with songs recorded by such artists as Wynona Judd, Jake Owen, Lee Ann Womack, Dan Seals, Don Williams and many others including three songs recorded on Chris Stapleton’s multi-platinum selling album “Traveller.” One single won the ACM award for “Song of the Year.” The album received the ACM and CMA award for “Album of the Year” as well as a Grammy award for “Country Album of the Year.” As an artist, the International Bluegrass Music Association has awarded him Male Vocalist of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, Gospel Performance and Recorded Event of the Year multiple times for each category. He’s also been awarded Songwriter of the Year from the association. As a vocalist, he has recorded with various artists including, Alan Jackson, Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Lee Ann Womack, Chris Stapleton, and John Fogerty, among others.

Singer, songwriter, guitar player who has been nominated for two GRAMMY Awards, a Golden Globe, and numerous other awards. Plus, she was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014. She has accumulated accolades as a songwriter for artists as diverse as Etta James, Bonnie Raitt, The Neville Brothers, Patty Loveless, George Strait, Bryan Adams and Faith Hill. Her song “Independence Day,” recorded by Martina McBride, won a CMA Song of the Year award in 1995. As an artist, she even performed at Farm Aid in 1996, got radio airplay on the BBC, and performed three times at Glastonbury. She has over 2.2 million combined video views on her official YouTube channel and on Spotify – where she has over 116 thousand monthly listeners – her top five songs alone have gotten over 14.3 million streams on that platform alone.

Austin, Texas-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, model, actress, and even a painter and photographer! She is finishing up an album project while also navigating a Monday night open mic residency and numerous other initiatives. She is known for her performances with the Guy Forsyth Band, the Hot Nut Riveters, and the Honeysuckle Rage Riders. Among the various projects she’s involved with is the Harmony Sisters, which is a group for females that work within the Austin and surrounding areas music industry. She also serves as Community Leader for an organization called Austin Texas Musicians, consisting of musicians advocating for musicians on city, state, and federal policy and providing education and opportunities to improve their quality of life. She is also putting together Musician Market Days, which starts next month.

A "sampler platter," providing excerpts from 14 of the last hundred episodes of "Now Hear This Entertainment," giving a peak into just some of the many, many highlights from all the great guests who have been interviewed over that span.

Hollywood-based guitar player, award-winning film producer, and one of the founders of the revolutionary new music streaming service that just launched, called Coda Music, which combines full social with music streaming. He has a great story about auditioning for the guitar spot in Ozzy Osbourne’s band and has played countless shows in renowned venues such as Whisky-A-Go-Go, The Roxy, The Troubadour, and The Viper Room. Over the years he has been a prolific session musician and producer, additionally working as a "ghost player" for top charting rock and metal bands, and he has recorded sessions in top L.A. studios.

Nashville-based singer-songwriter who, in June, put out a new music video that was added to CMT Music’s rotation and got featured on their fan-voted 12 Pack Countdown. That same month she not only made her CMA Fest debut but opened for The Band Perry, adding to a growing list of high-profile support slots that includes Brad Paisley, Maddie & Tae, Lonestar, Clint Black, and more. She is working towards a new release and her original music has landed on the likes of Spotify’s New Music Nashville and Apple Music’s Country Risers. She has over 12 million career streams, almost 790 thousand TikTok followers, and she has a combined total of more than 3.4 million video views on her official YouTube channel.

Singer, songwriter, guitar player, and producer. Performing under the artist name Osmunda Music, she just released a new single less than three weeks ago, having put out three new songs since April 25th now, in the leadup to an August 15th EP. Her influences and the music she releases have been described as spanning numerous genres and her original music has been submitted for several GRAMMY nominations. She is also a founding member and the lead singer of the band Space Babies, and in 2010 opened Earthstar Creation Center, a recording studio in Venice, California. More recently, along with two other artists, she established the nonprofit Pandion Music Foundation in 2022, to help independent music creators further their careers with free weekly online music industry workshops and a monthly newsletter.

Percussionist, composer, producer and Grammy Award-winning artist, multiple Grammy nominee, and the founder of the indie rock band Run Downhill, whose newest album just came out last Friday, after they put out two new singles two weeks apart. Not only has he performed alongside the likes of Pete Townshend, Billy Idol, and numerous other notable names in music, but he has performed at some of the most prestigious festivals of traditional and contemporary music worldwide. When he’s not touring, recording, or performing live onstage, he conducts masterclasses, creates online performance video works, and his original compositions continue to gather international acclaim. He even presented classes and workshops to students worldwide and has developed musical curriculum concepts for school-age children for use in the United States and China.

L.A.-based alternative pop singer songwriter who just released a music video for her single that came out last December. She has close to 70 thousand followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok, and her top five songs on Spotify alone have gotten more than 180 thousand streams. Originally from Minneapolis, where she recorded and released four albums, since moving to Los Angeles seven years ago she has performed at notable venues on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, the Whisky-A-Go-Go and The Rainbow. She is signed to Borderline Music and has more projects in the works, which she talks about during this interview.

Singer, songwriter, guitar player currently working towards her next single release. She is one of the busiest performers in this area, having averaged 334 bookings a year over 2021, 2022, and 2023. In the leadup to this interview she had back-to-back weeks of performing six out of seven days. She has performed at notable venues and events from the Hard Rock here in Tampa to The Bitter End in New York City to the House of Blues in Anaheim, California, where she also played at the massive NAMM Show. Plus, she has been featured at songwriters festivals along the way as well. Last September she started a “Songwriter Diaries” vlog series that she has been publishing on her YouTube channel and talks about during this interview. She was a guest on this show way back on Episode 279.

Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, guitar player, filmmaker, and author. He has written over a thousand songs and his first ever album reached best-seller status the first day it was released and reached No. 11 on Amazon's Top 100 list. In his early years, he and a friend performed their original folk rock songs on national TV on the 700 Club and in a CBS documentary. Their music was played on the radio, and they toured for several years. His 2021 film – based on a novel he wrote – made the finalized Oscar list for Best Picture, and five of his original songs were up for Best Song. His latest film has won 15 awards at film festivals and can be seen for free on Amazon. Some years ago, he also hosted a radio talk show.

San Diego area singer, songwriter, guitar player who is going into the studio in Los Angeles this coming weekend to record two new original songs. She performs regularly in southern California and has played at notable venues – such as The Belly Up – and events – such as the big music festival in San Diego called KABOO. She is a voting member of the Recording Academy and recorded multiple full-length albums in Nashville. She has been featured in Guitar Girl Magazine and her top five songs on Spotify alone – including a single that she released late last year – have a combined total of more than 130 thousand streams.

Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter who just released a new single this past Friday and has a new album in the works. Her previous single reached number 2 on the Mediabase Top 40 Pop Independent Artist chart and even hit the Top 40 Pop chart. Plus, the track was also featured in SPIN, LA Weekly, and Rolling Stone UK. Five months ago, the music video for her previous single was released and is up to more than three-quarters-of-a-million views on YouTube. She previously had earned recognition with her remake of the Beastie Boys’ song "FIGHT," which was licensed by SONY ATV and received approval from both the Beastie Boys and producer Rick Rubin. Her version of "FIGHT" climbed the charts and earned her a spot as the #1 spun independent artist for four consecutive weeks on Mediabase. She has opened for high-profile artists such as Lil Jon, Mike Jones, and Soulja Boy. She has also been featured on television shows, including a live performance on Bravo TV’s ‘Watch What Happens Live,’ where she was both a guest and one of the first musical performers in the show’s history.

He has made a career of 40-plus years in music on the non-performer side of the glass. His time in recording studios has included sessions involving some of the biggest names in music, from Billy Joel to John Lennon to Frank Sinatra. He built and designed a recording studio in Manhattan that he ended up owning, with an office inside there being home to the personal management company for the legendary Keith Richards. Another studio that he built was included in a cover story that Mix Magazine did on the ten best studios built in the world at the time. Present day he is Product Specialist for Equi=Tech.

Composer, bassist, and one of two singers in the experimental rock band Ecce Shnak. Two weeks ago, the band released a four-song live EP, which follows a six-song EP they’d put out in early February. Plus, on April 10th they released a video that got over 166 thousand views on YouTube in its first seven weeks. This month they will be touring the west coast – seven states, eleven shows, fifteen days – with platinum-selling legends Spacehog and EMF. The band is working on a new full-length album and has amassed 2.6 million combined video views on their official YouTube channel.

Songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and founder of Austin, Texas-based Alt-Rock band Arctic Wave, who have been releasing lots of new music in the first months of this year. Having worked with a GRAMMY-winning producer, the band just last week released a new music video. He is also the founder of a nonprofit, serves on the board of a different nonprofit, and helps fund education programs through his church. The band’s top five songs on Spotify alone have a combined total of approximately 328 thousand streams and their official YouTube channel has well over 200 thousand combined video views.

Nationally touring bassist and vocalist currently performing with country superstar Kenny Chesney. She has over two decades of experience both on the road and in the studio and has worked with bands of all musical genres from rock to pop, blues, funk, bluegrass, country and Americana. She has toured with Hank Williams, Jr., Radney Foster, Bonnie Bishop, Holly Williams and Louise Mandrell. Splitting her time between her hometown of Austin, Texas, and Nashville when she’s not on the road with Kenny Chesney, she continues to tour and do session work with various artists around the country.

Oklahoma City-based singer, songwriter, guitar player who was the original guitar player with the Henry Paul Band, the group named for the co-founder of The Outlaws. He and the Henry Paul Band opened for the likes of The Rolling Stones, ZZ Top, Peter Frampton, The Allman Brothers, Charlie Daniels, and more. He also was the original guitar player for the Byron Berline Band and, present day, plays on a new release from Dave Werewolf. He has played with countless artists and at a long line of venues and events and has met numerous other notable names in music throughout his career.

Laguna Beach, California-based singer, songwriter, guitar and piano player who just last month released a brand-new album. Her prior album had been done with a three-time GRAMMY-nominated producer and was released on the same record label that has artists such as Moby, Duran Duran, and Yoko Ono on its roster. She has been featured by USA Today, Rolling Stone, Billboard, American Songwriter, Harpers Bazaar, Glamour, and more. Last November she even attended the Billboard Awards, which she talks about during this interview. She also talks here about surviving a near-death experience while giving birth to her twin boys. In addition to her music, she has launched Lovendar, a lavender-based fragrance line that is a nod to the healing journey behind her album. She has more than 425 thousand streams on her top five songs on Spotify alone.

Calling in from Milan, Italy, a singer, songwriter, guitar player who has created songs for artists such as Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, and his late wife of 30-plus years, GRAMMY Award-winning singer Donna Summer. Meanwhile, as a recording artist, he just released a new single at the beginning of this month, following a 2024 in which he released three singles, plus an album done with a two-time GRAMMY-winning producer. His résumé also includes having appeared on the iconic TV show “American Bandstand,” a single that hit #7 on the Billboard charts, and being in both Rolling Stone and Billboard. His official YouTube channel has a total of almost six million combined video views and his top five songs on Spotify alone – where he has close to twenty thousand monthly listeners – have a combined total of approximately a half-million streams.