Alabama-based singer, songwriter, guitar player who has put out two new singles this year and has more new music on the way.  The pandemic being in the rearview mirror she is definitely back performing, with eleven live show dates in June and eleven more in July, with a booking even as far out as December already.  On her recordings she has been working with two of the industry’s top songwriters and producers, who she names in this interview.  She has performed at numerous venues and events, ranging from opening for Luke Combs, Easton Corbin, and Thompson Square, among others, to playing at BB King’s.  She will also be hosting her first charity golf tournament real soon.

Now Hear This Entertainment

NHTE 383 Cameron DuBois

A trio who released a twelve-song album at the end of August, with one of the songs featuring a recent NHTE guest.  They had also released a ten-song album exactly two years earlier.  This episode was recorded at the 37th Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival in Alabama where they did multiple shows.  Plus, they’d also have performances coming up in Tennessee and Texas and had recently performed in South Carolina, Ohio, Mississippi, Missouri, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana and more.  They were named Mississippi’s Songwriters of the Year and this year were inducted into CMT’s Next Women of Country Class of 2021.  The three vocalists are Danica Hart - known for her work on the GRAMMY-nominated "Spyboy" album - along with her sister Devynn Hart and their cousin Trea Swindle.

NHTE 408 Chapel Hart

Based in Iceland, he is a singer, songwriter, guitar player who last year released three singles and a 15-song album.  In recent years he has extensively toured Australia, the U.S., Canada, the UK, and Europe, playing over one hundred live concerts per year. He has been written about by the German edition of Rolling Stone as well as a notable magazine in Australia. He has been releasing original music since 2009 and has almost 36 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify and more than three-quarters of a million combined video views on his official YouTube channel.  Along the way, at one point his band participated in the final 5 competition on BBC World Service’s Next Big Thing, playing for millions of viewers and listeners all over the world.

NHTE 420 Svavar Knutur

Seattle-based composer, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter who splits his time between the Pacific northwest and Los Angeles.  His latest album – a ten-song release – came out last August, and almost one year ago to the day he had a 31-track release that was an original television soundtrack.  He has a new album in production, targeted for release in late spring or early summer.  A regular performer and recording artist, he also composes and produces for various projects, with his credits including a number of Lifetime films and singing for video games.  He is a former member of the Seattle Symphony Chorale and works as a sessions artist for commercial music and soundtracks, having studied with two-time Emmy Award winning composer Hummie Mann.
Enter by Jan. 31, 2023, to win a Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen audio interface: https://bit.ly/Focusrite_NHTE-Jan23

NHTE 466 Anton du Preez

He spent ten years living and working in Nashville at the start of his music career.  Now based in Kansas City, Missouri, he is a singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and arranger who is in the process of releasing (beginning of March) a new album featuring 24 songs.  In addition, he is working on a new body of work, plus he has a film production company (doing 70+ films a year), for which he has written and scored hundreds of short films and documentaries.  He also wrote a book – endorsed by many GRAMMY Award-winning and nominated engineers – titled, “What the Pros Use,” which chronicles what the top engineers in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, and Miami use to track 31 instruments, including the voice.  And, he has given concerts all over the U.S. and abroad.

NHTE 469 Michael McGlinn

Nashville-based singer, songwriter, guitar player who is releasing a new album just two days from now.  Last year she was the Artist of the Year in the annual Josie Awards, and a few months ago made her Grand Ole Opry debut, plus last month she performed at CMA Fest.  In 2021 she won awards for Songwriter of the Year and Vocalist of the Year.  She has a whopping twelve nominations for the 2023 Josie Awards that will take place in October.  She tours extensively and her upcoming shows calendar will see her perform in the likes of Minnesota, Missouri, Florida, and the 3rd Lake Martin Songwriters Festival late this month in Alabama.  She is originally from Ireland and before coming to America was part of an all-female Swedish quintet.  She released two albums and was signed to Warner Music Sweden.

NHTE 490 Clare Cunningham

Award-winning singer, songwriter, guitar player who just last month put out a seven-song EP.  She is also beginning work on a new album as well as a separate EP, both of which she talks about here.  She regularly travels back and forth to Nashville and was named “One to Watch” by Nashville Songwriters Association International in Spring 2021 and Spring 2022.  Earlier this month she took home the silver for “USA Entertainer of the Year” at the 2023 International Singer-Songwriters Association awards.  Her top five songs on Spotify alone have a combined total of almost 440 thousand streams and she has more than 13 thousand monthly listeners on that platform.

NHTE 497 Jennifer Alvarado

Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist who has released three singles this year, the latest of which came out on September 1st.  Plus, he has another new song coming out next week Friday, January 5th.  By the age of 12 he had co-headlined international guitar festivals in Mexico and toured around the U.S.  After college he moved to Nashville where he continued to tour for other artists at the professional level for years until setting his sights on his own project.  His background even includes having recorded with George Clinton.

NHTE 515 Nyan Feder

A California-based singer/songwriter, her lyric video got voted onto MTV and she has over 1.3 million Likes on her Facebook page.  When she was just ten years old she was teaching piano to approximately 25 students.  She talks about the label she is signed with, her latest single, her previous releases, and how growing up as the oldest of eight children with no TV in the house and not being allowed to listen to the likes of the Rolling Stones or The Beatles shaped the songwriter – and the person – she has become.

NHTE 36 Scarlett Rabe

Los Angeles-based award-winning artist who has a new album that features two GRAMMY winners and two GRAMMY nominees coming out on August 30th.  In just over two weeks she will be performing at Sages and Sciences with Deepak Chopra at Harvard, and at the end of next month at The Clive Davis Theater at the GRAMMY Museum.  She has previously collaborated with the likes of Prince, Enrique Iglesias, and GRAMMY-nominated producer George Landress, among others.  She has performed in Europe as well as here in the U.S. at South By Southwest.  Her top five songs on Spotify alone have a combined total of over 2.6 million streams.

NHTE 550 Radhika Vekaria

Award-winning singer, songwriter, DJ, producer, and label owner who has had two Billboard #1 singles.  She has received three GRAMMY nominations and has collected awards from the prestigious International Dance Music Awards, the International Songwriting Competition, and topped Billboard’s “Most Played Dance Songs of the Decade” chart (2000-2010).  Her tours have touched the shores of six continents with landmark shows at international events such as the Beijing Summer Olympics.  Last month she released a track that features a collab with Jerome Isma-Ae and on Spotify alone she not only has approximately 487 thousand monthly listeners, but more than 48.6 million streams on her top five songs alone.  Plus, her official YouTube channel has a combined almost 4.5 million video views.

NHTE 579 JES

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.

NHTE 585 Bruce Sudano

Los Angeles-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.

NHTE 586 Tara Beier

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.

NHTE 587 Jim Fish

NHTE 588 Harmoni Kelley

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.

NHTE 589 CL Turner

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.

NHTE 590 David Roush

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.

NHTE 591 Joe Salvatto

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.

NHTE 592 CARA

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.

NHTE 593 Jennifer Klein

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.

NHTE 594 Richard Rossi

NHTE 595 Frankie Raye

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.

NHTE 596 Scarlett Taylor

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.

NHTE 597 TJ Troy

The lead vocalist for Dream Aria, ranked number one on the overall ReverbNation charts.  The band has released three CDs, is working on new music, and has a video in heavy rotation on DirecTV.  She talks about performing with her childhood idol, Glenn Hughes, formerly of Deep Purple, and about many influences that have resulted in Dream Aria’s wide ranging sound.  She also advocates for vocal health and lists the long line of musicians in her family.

NHTE 75 Ann Burstyn

Jessica Jolia and then Malynda Hale each performed and then sat down for these interviews during the Winter 2017 NAMM show in California.  Both are singer/songwriters based in that state.  Jolia had a song placed in the film “Sister Code” and on Spotify’s “Fresh Finds Top Tracks of 2016 Playlist.”  She is recording a new album, slated for release in July, and is also touring the country with Eric Benet and Johnny Gill.  Jessica tells a funny story about something no one knows about her.  Malynda Hale won Best Female Vocalist at the 2016 Hollywood Music in Media Awards.  She is also an actress and is a SAG member, having even done national commercials and a Lifetime movie.  She also co-hosted “The Vampire Diaries” after-show and was the main host for “The Walking Dead” after-show.  She mentions having even done modeling and voiceover work.  On top of all that she’s working on a new five-song EP for release this summer

NHTE 159 Jessica Jolia AND Malynda Hale

A singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist whose new music video got over 12 thousand views in the first week alone and is working toward a new EP.  She has won multiple female country artist awards, plus, one of her original songs was chosen for a bullying awareness charity, which led to her headlining the Teen Nation Tour.  Although she’s based in Atlanta, she does travel to Nashville regularly, having started doing so at the age of just ten years old!  She is also quite accomplished in modeling as well, having been on the Spring 2017 cover of Teen Fashion Magazine, appeared at New York Fashion Week, walked at New Orleans Fashion Week, Miami Beach Week, and more.

NHTE 175 Katie Belle

An illustrator, animator, cartoonist, and children’s book author, whose work includes the syndicated comic strips The Duplex and The Flying McCoys.  His nationally syndicated editorial cartoons have been reprinted in the New York Times, USA Today, and Newsweek, and appear frequently on CNN.  He also works for many of the top magazines, greeting card companies, and publishing houses in the country.  His clients range from Playboy to Parade and he has designed and written for several TV and feature animation studios including Dreamworks, 20th Century Fox, and Walt Disney TV, among others.

NHTE 186 Glenn McCoy

Hawaii-based singer, songwriter, guitar player who has been releasing new music for 22 years, including 17 albums, and has a new release that he's hoping to have out by the start of 2018.  He performs throughout the Hawaiian Islands, the U.S., and around the world.  He both opened for and appeared on stage with Willie Nelson, and in recording studios he has worked with the likes of Michael McDonald and Kris Kristofferson, among many, many others.  He has even earned four Hoku Award nominations, which is Hawaii’s version of the Grammys.  Plus, he was also honored with the Ghandi and Martin Luther King Peace Hero Award.  During this interview he also tells of how he got a Number One song in Tahiti.

NHTE 197 Marty Dread

As the last episode of 2017 being released and having just passed the milestone 200th episode a couple weeks ago, we pause to look back on some of the highlights from the second hundred episodes of “Now Hear This Entertainment.”  This episode includes clips from some of the episodes released between the last “Best Of” episode (number 101) and now and is great for someone who might have just recently discovered our show as well as the regular listeners who might have missed an episode or simply want to enjoy a refresher.

NHTE 203 Best Of Volume 2

She plays eleven different instruments and is a seasoned performer and headliner of over 4000 festivals and concerts.  She tells an amazing tale about being in a car accident such that she hit the windshield and the visor hit her throat and one of her vocal chords was paralyzed and they weren't sure it was ever going to move again.  ("I'm a walking miracle," she says.)  She is going to Europe later this year to tour, having just released her latest album, "Blazing."  She produces music for herself and other artists, produces shows and videos, and is co-writing a novel trilogy about the music world.  A true nomad, she talks during this interview about being born in Alabama and moving to Minnesota and California (now lives in Nashville).

NHTE 212 Mean Mary

She has sung with some of the biggest names in music, from Phil Collins to Ringo Starr, Barbra Streisand, Stevie Wonder, Sting, and many, many more.  She has even sung for a Super Bowl commercial that won an Emmy.  She is also a writer, producer, and actor, and served as a representative on the Governor’s Board of the National Recording Academy (Grammys) and is a member of its Advocacy Board.  Along the way she has also made numerous television appearances.

NHTE 231 Amy Keys

She fronts a rock band that has performed more than 2,500 shows.  A singer, songwriter, guitar player, she has more than 100 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify.  She has just released a new video and to say she is on tour is putting it mildly, with 17 shows in the 30 days of June alone, plus European dates later this year, including two shows with some really big names.  She has been getting radio airplay in the UK and has been featured in Guitar World magazine.  Her band have already been billed alongside the likes of Jefferson Starship, Kansas, the Marshall Tucker Band, Cage The Elephant, Alanis Morissette, and more.  She has been writing new music, which she hopes to record late this year.

NHTE 277 Hannah Wicklund

Now Hear This is a Tampa, Florida-based agency specializing in management, publicity, and related services.  The company president, Bruce Wawrzyniak, hosts a weekly podcast called "Now Hear This Entertainment," featuring interviews with guests who are having success in entertainment (primarily music), with the content presented in a way that not only entertains fans of that guest and fans of good music (interviews) in general, but in a manner that educates musicians, singers, songwriters – entertainers who want to learn from those who are being interviewed.  The guests come from a wide array of genres and locales.

Now Hear This Inc

Popular tracks