The Black Lillies http://www.theblacklillies.com Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:59:40 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Independent Film Channel’s “Sounds of the Cities” http://www.theblacklillies.com/2012/02/17/independent-film-channels-sounds-of-the-cities/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=independent-film-channels-sounds-of-the-cities http://www.theblacklillies.com/2012/02/17/independent-film-channels-sounds-of-the-cities/#comments Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:54:12 +0000 theblacklillies http://www.theblacklillies.com/?p=456 We’re very excited to announce that we have been selected for inclusion on the Independent Film Channel’s “Sounds of the Cities” compilation CD.  IFC has chosen the musicians who they feel best represent the unique sounds of the communities that are their top markets.  We’re joining artists such as Hymn for Her, Chris Knight, and Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band on the album, which will be released this spring.

The album will be promoted on IFC (of course!) but also at Record Store Day promotions nationwide and via Amazon.com and YouTube. There will be a short film/music video competition and other cool tie-ins.  The first of these is a cover art competition.  Artists can submit their CD and cover art designs by following the directions below.  The winning design will be used on the album, and the designer will be paid and receive some pretty incredible promotion.  Check it out!

]]> http://www.theblacklillies.com/2012/02/17/independent-film-channels-sounds-of-the-cities/feed/ 0 CMT’s Top 30 Videos of 2011 – We Need Your Votes! http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/12/13/cmts-top-30-videos-of-2011-we-need-your-votes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cmts-top-30-videos-of-2011-we-need-your-votes http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/12/13/cmts-top-30-videos-of-2011-we-need-your-votes/#comments Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:49:30 +0000 theblacklillies http://www.theblacklillies.com/?p=444 Wow – CMT is celebrating the top videos of the year, and we made the list!  However, only the top 30 (as determined by fan voting) will make the final cut to be aired on CMT Celebrates: Top 30 Videos of 2011. Please take a moment to vote for “Two Hearts Down” and let’s see if we can crack into the top 30! There’s some very stiff competition, but you guys have come through for us in the past and we think we have a pretty decent shot.  Vote here and then tune in to CMT to see the results.  CMT Celebrates: Top 30 Videos of 2011 airs Saturday 12/31/11 8a EST; Sunday 1/1/12 8a EST; Monday 1/2/12 9a EST, only on CMT!

]]> http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/12/13/cmts-top-30-videos-of-2011-we-need-your-votes/feed/ 0 Pick up this week’s “Country Weekly” magazine … http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/10/04/pick-up-this-weeks-country-weekly-magazine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=pick-up-this-weeks-country-weekly-magazine http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/10/04/pick-up-this-weeks-country-weekly-magazine/#comments Tue, 04 Oct 2011 18:20:50 +0000 theblacklillies http://www.theblacklillies.com/?p=435 … because we’re in it, right there on page 9 above Carrie Underwood and next to Lady Antebellum. We’re featured as the magazine’s “On the Edge” band. Apparently we’re “rapidly budding into a buzz band” and the “many strains of vintage country that collide in this rising band’s sound make the Lillies a crossbreed to watch.” This may be the one time that being called a “crossbreed” is a good thing!

 

]]> http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/10/04/pick-up-this-weeks-country-weekly-magazine/feed/ 0 #2 on CMT! http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/09/13/2-on-cmt/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2-on-cmt http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/09/13/2-on-cmt/#comments Tue, 13 Sep 2011 18:34:29 +0000 theblacklillies http://www.theblacklillies.com/?p=431 Thanks to your votes, “Two Hearts Down” was the number 2 video in the CMT Pure 12 Pack this week!  We truly appreciate your support.  Voting starts fresh each week, so keep ‘em coming.

]]> http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/09/13/2-on-cmt/feed/ 0 Going back to the Opry, 12 Pack results, and Mountain Stage! http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/09/08/going-back-to-the-opry-12-pack-results-and-mountain-stage/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=going-back-to-the-opry-12-pack-results-and-mountain-stage http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/09/08/going-back-to-the-opry-12-pack-results-and-mountain-stage/#comments Thu, 08 Sep 2011 03:52:48 +0000 theblacklillies http://www.theblacklillies.com/?p=426 We can hardly believe it, but we’ve been invited back to the Grand Ole Opry – less than three months after our debut there!  We’ll be playing this Friday, Sept. 9 at 7 pm.  Tickets are available at opry.com and of course the show will be broadcast on WSM 650 AM in Nashville as well as via the Opry’s site.

After we played there in June, we all looked at each other and said that we hoped we’d get to do it again sometime soon.  I think we were hoping for sometime in a year or so.  To think that it is happening this fast is just crazy.

More craziness … we were the 7th video in last week’s CMT Pure 12 Pack as voted by fans.  Thank you so much for your support! When our video wasn’t number 12, we figured we just hadn’t made it … number 7 is mindblowing! We still need your votes to stay in the top 12, as well as to see if we can get any higher.  You can vote as often as you like, Fridays through Thursdays.  The new 12 Pack is revealed each Friday evening.  Vote here – a lot.  Maybe 50 times a day.  This is one instance where we highly encourage ballot stuffing.  ;)

We were also in the top 50 of all videos viewed on CMT.com.  We came in at number 34, right in between Darius Rucker and Shania Twain. In fact, pretty much every name on that list is a big name from a traditional record label.  We’re very proud to have performed that well and appreciate all of the time you’ve spent watching the video and passing it along to friends.  If you want to see it again, you can do so right here.

We also learned today that our Mountain Stage performance from last year will be rebroadcast on NPR stations this weekend, beginning 9/9.  Check your local listings to find out when it will air: http://www.mountainstage.org/mtnstageaffiliates.aspx. Of course, you can also listen online at  NPR.org beginning September 9.

All right, that feels like a lot of news for one little update! Thanks, as always, for your support.

]]> http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/09/08/going-back-to-the-opry-12-pack-results-and-mountain-stage/feed/ 0 “Two Hearts Down” directed by David McClister http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/08/29/two-hearts-down-directed-by-david-mcclister/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=two-hearts-down-directed-by-david-mcclister http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/08/29/two-hearts-down-directed-by-david-mcclister/#comments Mon, 29 Aug 2011 03:16:17 +0000 theblacklillies http://www.theblacklillies.com/?p=354 Here it is! “Two Hearts Down” premieres exclusively on CMT today. We’re thrilled to finally be able to share it with you and we hope you enjoy it!

Click to watch The Black Lillies, Two Hearts Down.

Please help us get into the “Pure 12 Pack” of most requested videos! You can vote as often as you like (and we hope you want to vote a lot) right here.

]]> http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/08/29/two-hearts-down-directed-by-david-mcclister/feed/ 4 The World Premiere of “Two Hearts Down” http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/08/26/the-world-premiere-of-two-hearts-down/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-world-premiere-of-two-hearts-down http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/08/26/the-world-premiere-of-two-hearts-down/#comments Fri, 26 Aug 2011 21:27:44 +0000 theblacklillies http://www.theblacklillies.com/?p=347 We can finally, officially announce that the “world premiere” (CMT’s words, not ours – it sounds so important!) of the “Two Hearts Down” will take place Monday, August 29 exclusively on CMT.  The video was directed by David McClister, who is not only amazing and incredibly supportive of us, but also award-winning. He directed the videos for Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now” (which won about a million awards) and The Band Perry’s “If I Die Young” – which actually won CMT & USA Today’s award for “Breakthrough Video of the Year” on the very day that David was shooting our video.  When the call came in that he had won, he didn’t even break stride – just kept on working on “Two Hearts Down.”

We’re so proud of this video and excited to share it with you.  It will be in heavy rotation on CMT Pure, online at CMT.com and available on the CMT iPhone and Android apps beginning Monday.  They will have it exclusively for a few days and then it will be aired by other national outlets, as well.

We’ll also need your help voting for us to make the “12 Pack” most requested videos.  Let’s bring roots music to Nashville and show ‘em how it’s done!

More details as we have them.

]]> http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/08/26/the-world-premiere-of-two-hearts-down/feed/ 0 Whiskey Angel wins an Independent Music Award! http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/07/26/whiskey-angel-wins-an-independent-music-award/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=whiskey-angel-wins-an-independent-music-award http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/07/26/whiskey-angel-wins-an-independent-music-award/#comments Tue, 26 Jul 2011 04:15:17 +0000 theblacklillies http://www.theblacklillies.com/?p=275 We can’t thank all of you enough. Thanks to your votes, we’ve been awarded the Independent Music Award Vox Pop (People’s Choice) for Best Album, Americana for Whiskey Angel. Who would have thought when Cruz pulled together a group of friends to record some songs over a weekend – in his living room – that it might result in this?

We’re incredibly honored and humbled.  Thank you.

]]> http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/07/26/whiskey-angel-wins-an-independent-music-award/feed/ 0 Recap of the summer so far, and a look at upcoming festivals http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/07/07/recap-of-the-summer-so-far-and-a-look-at-upcoming-festivals/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=recap-of-the-summer-so-far-and-a-look-at-upcoming-festivals http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/07/07/recap-of-the-summer-so-far-and-a-look-at-upcoming-festivals/#comments Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:58:42 +0000 theblacklillies http://www.theblacklillies.com/?p=271
Happy summer!
And what a crazy summer it has been … 100 Miles of Wreckage hit number 11 on the national Americana radio charts (and 16 on the international roots music charts!), we’ve gotten to visit some fantastic radio stations and play some great shows, we performed at the CMA Festival & Fan Fair in Nashville, shot a music video with an acclaimed director, and we even got to make our debut on the Grand Ole Opry!
It’s hard to put the whole Opry experience into words.  To know that you’re about to play where so many legends of country music have played before is pretty mind-blowing.  And everything about the place was just incredible.  From the minute we walked in and saw this sign in the lobby:
To the quotes on the dressing room walls:
And then, walking out and seeing a sold out crowd of 4400 people, being introduced by Little Jimmy Dickens, and playing on that circle of wood that once graced the stage of the Ryman … wow.
You can listen to the archives of our performance online – we come on about 45 minutes into the broadcast.
So, June 17, 2011 … the day The Black Lillies debuted on the Opry. Hopefully it was the first of many performances to come there!


Video Shoot
Also in June, we shot our first “official” music video!
We’ve done some live videosin the past, but this was the first time that we had a director who had a storyline in mind, a full professional crew, makeup artists and hairdressers and costumers and the whole nine yards.  David McClister, our director, even won the CMT/USA Today Award for Breakthrough Video of the Year (for The Band Perry’s “If I Die Young”) while he was shooting our video!  David had tremendous vision for this one, and we’re really excited with the results.  We’ll have details on the premiere really soon, but for now we can tell you that the song is “Two Hearts Down” and there’s kind of a Day of the Dead theme going on … dancing skeletons and fire and a definite Appalachian Gothic kind of vibe.

Upcoming Festivals:
You definitely want to try to attend one of the festivals we’ll be playing this summer! We’re returning to some of the places we loved last year, and we have a brand new (to us) festival coming up as well.
First up is Pickathon in Portland, Oregon August 5-7. We had an incredible time here last year and can’t wait to return. A beautiful setting, great people, laid back vibe, good (local) food and beer, and just a lot of fun.  This festival is known for finding up-and-coming acts who you may not know but you’ll almost certainly love.  They’ve got some big names, too – Mavis Staples is headlining this year!  It’s even a good one for families, as they put a lot of effort into programming and activities for kids. Weekend and single day tickets are available.
The next festival is a new one for us, but one that sounded so great that we’re actually flying back from the Northwest so we can make it (then leaving immediately afterwards to pick up our tour again in Colorado!). Stillwell ShineFest 2011 is at Fontana Village Resort in North Carolina August 19-21 – in the middle of the Smoky Mountains on a gorgeous lake, with cabins available to rent (or campsites, a lodge … lots of options depending on how much you like to commune with nature or be pampered in luxury!). It’s a festival that honors the music and essence of the Smokies, including a traditional favorite … moonshine! We’ve heard nothing but great things from people who have attended the festival in the past, and we’re thrilled to join Matt Stillwell, Blackberry Smoke, and a great lineup of country and Americana songwriters for what is sure to be a very fun weekend. Tickets start at just $40 and are available now.

September 2-4, you’ll find us back in Pagosa Springs, Colorado for Four Corners Folk Fest. Keb’ Mo’, Los Lobos, Infamous Stringdusters, Punch Brothers, Jackie Greene … the list goes on.  There’s no shortage of fantastic music and just like Pickathon and ShineFest, the setting is absolutely amazing.  This is another festival that’s great for the whole family – in fact, kids under 12 are free. Plan to camp and get ready for a good time.  Tickets on sale now.

Then we head back toward home and hit a festival that is near and dear to our hearts … Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, September 16-18 in Bristol Tennessee and Virginia. It’s the only festival we know of where you can watch a show with one half of your body in one state and the other half in another! We’ve got a lot going on at this one … in addition to two Black Lillies performances, you’ll see a lot of familiar faces popping up in other shows throughout the weekend.  Tom and Jamie are playing a reunion show with the everybodyfields, Trisha Gene will be up on stage with the Naughty Knots, and Cruz is leading the festival’s closing performance – the “All-Star Carter/Rodgers Revival” featuring Darrell Scott, Carrie Rodriguez, Langhorne Slim, Danny Barnes, Michelle Malone and more.  You’ve never seen Carter Family songs performed quite like these! Weekend passes are only $40.

Upcoming Shows
We may be coming to a town near you soon! Here’s what’s coming up in the next few weeks:
Tonight (July 6) – Seaside Summer Concert Series, Seaside, FL (free show)
Thursday, July 7 – Brothers Bar, Jacksonville AL
Friday, July 8 – WorkPlay, Birmingham AL (co-bill with Michelle Malone)
Saturday, July 9 – Uncle Slayton’s, Louisville KY
Sunday, July 10 – Theatre at Lime Kiln, Lexington VA
Friday, July 15 – Nightfall at Miller Plaza, Chattanooga TN (free show)
Thursday, July 21 – Sunset Concerts, Southern Ill. Univ, Carbondale IL (free show)
Friday, July 22 – BroadRipple Park, Indianapolis IN (free show)
Saturday, July 23 – House Concert, Indianapolis IN (email for details)
Thursday, July 28 – Woodlands Tavern, Columbus OH
Friday, July 29 – Doc’s Music Hall, Muncie IN
Purchase tickets via the venue links above. We hope to see you at one (or several!) of the shows!

 
Of course, we’re always open to house concerts, too.  If you want to host one, email our manager, Chyna.

Thank you for your support!

 

]]> http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/07/07/recap-of-the-summer-so-far-and-a-look-at-upcoming-festivals/feed/ 0 Playing the Grand Ole Opry! http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/05/18/playing-the-grand-ole-opry/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=playing-the-grand-ole-opry http://www.theblacklillies.com/2011/05/18/playing-the-grand-ole-opry/#comments Wed, 18 May 2011 03:32:47 +0000 theblacklillies http://www.theblacklillies.com/?p=261 We are thrilled to announce that we will make our Grand Ole Opry debut on Friday, June 17! Complete press release and details below ….

The Black Lillies make their Grand Ole Opry debut June 17

First Knoxville artists since Kenny Chesney to play Opry

East Tennessee-based band The Black Lillies will make their debut performance on the Grand Ole Opry on Friday, June 17.  The band, which chose to use a fan-funded model to record their new album, 100 Miles of Wreckage, rather than signing to a label, will be the first independent artists from the Knoxville area to be featured on the Grand Ole Opry.  They join the ranks of local Opry alumni Dolly Parton, Roy Acuff and Kenny Chesney.

100 Miles of Wreckage has quickly gained national attention and is currently #11 on the Americana radio charts. Acclaimed video director David McClister (Lady Antebellum, Leann Rimes, Dierks Bentley) has selected the album’s first track, “Two Hearts Down,” as his next project. The video will be filmed in June in Nashville. Additionally, the band is slated to perform at the Country Music Association’s Festival & Fan Fair on June 10.

These developments follow a whirlwind two years for the band formed by Cruz Contreras in early 2009. Their debut album, Whiskey Angel, topped 2009 best-of lists across the country and was nominated for an Independent Music Award for Best Americana Album. They’ve graced the stages of venues as legendary as the Ryman Auditorium and conquered festivals including Bonnaroo Music + Arts, Pickathon, the Americana Music Association Festival, and Four Corners Folk Festival. National Public Radio featured them on Mountain Stage and they currently have two concert specials airing nationwide on PBS, with a third to be taped this summer.

The Black Lillies have one remaining Knoxville performance before heading out on tour this summer. They will play the Bijou Theatre on Saturday, May 28 with special guest Tift Merritt. Tickets for the Bijou show are $25 and are available now via all Tickets Unlimited outlets.

Tickets for the Grand Ole Opry are $28.50 – $55 and are available now via opry.com or by phone at 800-733-6779. Group packages are available.

For more information on The Black Lillies, visit www.theblacklillies.com.

 

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