Mason Lively at Freiheit Country Store this Friday!

Mason Lively recently dropped his first full-length album "Stronger Ties", and is having a CD release party this Friday (4/27) at Freiheit Country Store! Pedigo's Magic Pilsner is opening the show and the doors open at 7pm! Come see this amazing, young talent and pick up his new album! Mason is definitely one to watch, especially on the younger end of the Texas music scene. Stewart Mann and Trey Newman of the newly formed War Bird Management have been helping Mason with both his music and career, and they officially signed Mason on April 23rd!

Mason Lively grew up in the small town of Inez, Texas population 2,000. Lacking big city stimulation, Mason spent his developmental years taking his lessons from songs that were born long before he was. Completely immersed in the patchwork of genres he found the blueprint for songwriting at a very young age and wrote his first one at age 15. At the age of 16 he was already in the studio cutting his first 5-song EP called "Living Large in a Little Town" co-produced by Lloyd Maines and Pat Manske. Being his first music project, Mason did little more than sell it in local parking lots and hand it out to family members, but the promise it foretold of a budding career grabbed the attention of several “players” in the scene who sat back with eagle-eyed anticipation to wait patiently for the young maverick to ripen. They didn’t have to wait long. Trey Newman at the Lee Crosby Agency was one of the eagle-eye watchers who witnessed over time the cultivation of the kid’s stage presence, and in 2017 signed Mason as a booking client. Soon thereafter Trey introduced Mason to Stewart Mann, frontman and primary songwriter for the acclaimed country blues band The Statesboro Revue who stepped in to co-manage the upstart’s career. All agreed the time was at hand to release some new music and with Mason’s kettle of reserved songs now at the boiling point, he went back to the studio to record his first full length album “Stronger Ties.”

First impressions always speak the loudest and the very first thing that stands out about this album is its diversity. Where most artists strive for a cohesive sound and overall theme, Mason decided to let his genre flags fly and the result is a buffet-style feast for the ears, and there is something here for everyone. He wrote all 10 songs, and with the help of producer Pat Manske, each one came to live comfortably in its own world of sound. The first single “Lonely Comes Back Around” by far waves the Texas alt-country flag the highest, and will no doubt secure a permanent seat at radio’s table. “Heavy Toll” runs a close second, but takes it up several notches with a menacing guitar riff and rock-styled chord progression that is hammer on nail, touching on the taboos of road life that only a working musician can truly understand. And “Early Grave” and “Ballad Of The Broken Heart” are kissing cousins bringing in the “tonk” to douse the flames that devil woman set to your heart. But stamped on the lighter side of that tainted coin is the impression of optimism, and “Worry About Nothing” is the album’s cleverly crafted talisman: country cool and soothing like the stroke of a familiar hand on a worried brow. And for those that like their music a little blues-infused, they will break into their happy dance with “Role Play,” the brightest star in this constellation. And there is so much more. “Stronger Ties” is Mason’s way of paying tribute to the music scene that he loves and is proud to be a part of. “This is me not only as a music artist, but also as a listener.”

quotes:
“Mason is hands down one of the most driven, motivated, and knowledge-hungry young artists I’ve ever met, and he reminds me a lot of myself at his age, except I had a lot less talent. His appreciation for all genres of music and his ability to weave in and out of styles both as a writer and a singer is what initially intrigued me, and honestly he’s just too damn nice. How can a 20 year old be that talented and humble? I don’t have an answer to that but it’s what led me into the world of artist management for the first time in my career. I can’t wait for the world to hear Mason’s genre bending, Texas country meets blue eyed soul Americana music.” -Stewart Mann

"Mason Lively is the real deal. Blues/Rock/Americana/Texas all mixed together into something beautiful." -Shayne Hollinger/The Ranch Radio Ft. Worth.
links:
masonlively.com
facebook.com/masonlivelymusic
twitter.com/masonlively

Josh Ward to release new album on May 4th!

Nashville, TN-(April 10, 2018)-The legion of Josh Ward fans who have eagerly awaited his brand new album will be more than satisfied come May 4th with the release of “More Than I Deserve.” The album’s first single “All About Lovin’” is already sitting at the #30 spot on the Texas Regional Radio Chart after only 3 weeks. In celebration, Josh Ward’s Tonk Fest & CD Release Party will follow on Saturday, May 5th at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Conroe, Texas. Doors at 5:00 PM. Music starts at 6:00 PM with performances from Josh Ward, Jarrod Birmingham and Jake Worthington. Advance single tickets are $20. $25 at the gate, 12 and under free. The event also offers VIP packages at $150. There are only 100 available-21 and up only. Packages include 1 admission to VIP tent, 4 complimentary drink tickets for full liquor, wine and beer service, meal ticket for 1, reserved VIP seating close to stage, private VIP restrooms, VIP meet & greet prior to show, VIP laminate and 1 autographed CD. Tickets can be purchased at Outhouse Tickets.

“All grit and no quit.” These are the deeply rooted words that Josh Ward lives by to an absolute fault. An anchored mindset that has led this Texas country music rising star from a drifter’s adolescence to the jeopardous game of the rodeo circuit to the punishing toil of the Texas oil fields, and on into the fickle arms of the music business. Some might argue whether it is having nine consecutive #1 hit singles in Texas under his belt that has garnered him staying power, or that he is killing it in the social media world with over 2 million views on YouTube and over 3 million streams globally on Spotify. Maybe it’s his 3 venerated album releases, or maybe because he can not only bat a full house on a 200 plus dates a year touring average, but also rope in crowds on a first time performance in an unfamiliar town. While impressive, all those distinctions can come and go in the world of music. The reason for his staying power turns out to be quite a simple one. And that is because Josh Ward is country music blood to bone, and both Josh Ward and country music are simply not going to go away.

The culmination of his radio success and his victories out on the road can easily be attributed to the actual man behind the music. In life, sometimes a person gets dealt a lean hand and has to choose his family from strangers along the way, people who make a conscious choice to take you under their wing and help guide you through life. Ward considers himself a very lucky man despite some rough teenage years. The love and support of his extended family and his chosen family was the concrete foundation he built his life on, and his fans are a big part of that. It’s why they are drawn to him through the speakers, because he is what he sings. It’s why they are drawn to him from the stage, because he’s an old friend who’s come back to visit. And so his brand new album, so aptly named, is Ward’s dedication to his growing family.

“More Than I Deserve” marks Ward’s fourth full length album release and it will greet the fans on May 4, 2018. With the philosophy of “don’t fix what isn’t broken” Ward went right back into the Rosewood studios where he recorded all his previous releases and joined producer Greg Hunt once again behind the board to create the next dimension of Josh Ward country music. The new album is 11 tracks strong featuring the signature instrumentation from guys like John Carroll (Cory Morrow) on guitar, Nate Coon (Aaron Watson) on drums, Milo Deering (The Eagles) on acoustic guitar, steel, dobro, fiddle, viola and mandolin, and Terry McBride (McBride and The Ride) on backing vocals and also writer of three of the tracks. The album is classic Josh Ward style on every front with just a little more gusto and a little more miles on it. Full bodied and emotionally fragrant, every song jumps out kicking up the kind of country music nostalgia Ward is revered for. The first single “All About Lovin’” (written by Brice Long, Terry McBride and Chris Stapleton) tells you everything you need to know about this album, a sexy tonkafied driver of a song that guarantees you’ll be lacing up your dancing shoes by the time you hit the chorus. “Home Away From Home” is country piled on top of more country, and is, as the song says, “a two steppin’ juke box heaven.” While Ward has never been afraid to sing other people’s songs due to his belief that a good song simply needs to be heard, his own savvy for the art just so happens to be represented on three of the most powerful tracks. “A Cowboy Can” is the true grit of this album and is what Ward says best describes himself. “One More Shot Of Whiskey” is a sobering tale told with 90 proof conviction, and then there is “More Than I Deserved” ringing out with its vulnerable steel and head hanging resolve. “More Than I Deserve” is country music addiction in its purest form. Josh Ward did not reinvent the wheel here, but damn, it’s polished surface sure rides smooth.

Josh and his band will be seeing a lot more of the country this year hitting a lot of new places on his never ending tour. It’s still hard for him to believe he has come this far and he doesn’t take one mile of it for granted. “I never thought I would be rolling down the road with one of the hottest bands inTexas playing shows across the United States. I’m happy to be here.”

The Josh Ward band is Josh Ward (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Steve Cargill (bass), Travis Bishop (keys, organ, harmony vocals), Justin Cognito (drums), Rob Smith (lead guitar) and Cody Angel (steel guitar).

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