We are proud to announce the Country Music Cares’ Toys for Tots Benefit Concert. The intimate, acoustic show will feature Jordyn Shellhart, Sarah Darling, Mallary Hope, & the Carter Twins! The event will be held at Mercy Lounge in Nashville, on Tuesday, December 14, 2010 at 7pm. Doors will open at 6:00.
Tickets will NOT be sold to this event. General admission entry to the show will be permitted for those who bring a $10+ value new, unwrapped toy. The toys will be taken upon entry, then a representative from Toys for Tots will collect the toys at the end of the evening. Also, We will be auctioning signed items. You’ll want to make sure you have cash on hand to purchase raffle tickets for the items. Come out and show your support and help brighten a child’s life this Christmas.
The event will be partnered with our annual Christmas Kids efforts. We wanted to expand to Nashville this year, so we decided to hold the concert to support the Nashville area Toys for Tots. In addition to the concert we will hold our annual auction of autographed items, conduct our #10Until10 Twitter fundraiser, and raffle autographed items at the benefit concert. Keep your eyes open over the next few weeks for details.
Can’t make it to the event? No worries! Nixa Country will be streaming the event with live audio and video! You can listen and view online HERE. Also, Kevin Nixa will be emceeing the event!
Continue reading for info on the artists who are so graciously donating their time to make this event possible:
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Growing up in Akron, Ohio, 20-year-old twins Josh and Zach Carter were surrounded by music from the time they were born. Their mother, who worked in country radio, encouraged Zach to spend time at their family piano while she taught Josh standards on guitar—including riffs such as the ones present on “Stairway to Heaven,” –but, despite a broad appreciation for music in general, both boys seemed to gravitate most heavily to country music due to their fascination with the rich storytelling component found in the format.
The family decided that with the twin’s growing interest in music, there was only one real avenue to pursue and that led them to Nashville, Tennessee—aka, Music City USA. With that, the family made a joint decision to relocate from South Carolina so the twins could pursue their music career full-time.
Still settling into their new digs, Josh and Zach plan to spend summer 2010 working with some of Music City’s best songwriters. No stranger to hard work, Josh and Zach have, together, penned just over 60 songs since their move.
“The songwriting community has really embraced us,” says Josh in awe. “It’s been an unbelievable feeling to be welcomed and thought enough of to write with us.”
Their debut album, slated for release in late 2010, will feature collaborations with Charles Kelly (Lady Antebellum), Liz Rose (Taylor Swift), Tia Sillers (“I Hope You Dance”) and a host of other top tunesmiths. Another feather in their cap is a nod from famed producer Frank Rogers, Billboard magazine’s #1 country producer of the Year, who has agreed to be at the helm of their debut release.
“Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Montgomery Gentry, Chris Cagle…the list goes on and on,” adds Zach. “Having a machine-of-a-producer like Frank behind us–guiding us–is the most incredible feeling in the world.”
Critics have already started speculating about the achievements on the horizon for the duo. With a nomination at the 2009 CMT Awards for Best New Duo as well as Breakthrough Video of The Year, it’s clear to see why these music savvy brothers are well poised for stardom.
“Heart Like Memphis” and “ So What” both ran in heavy rotation on CMT
Josh and Zach recently became celebrity spokespeople for Soles4Souls Inc., the charity dedicated to providing free shoes to people in need. They traveled with the non-profit to Haiti in May 2010 to help distribute shoes to the area that was hit by the January 12, 2010 earthquake.
The life-changing trip can be seen in a video tribute featuring their moving song, “Erasable”.
Soles4Souls has committed to distributing 1.3 million pairs of shoes to Haitians who are working to rebuild their country, and is rolling out an aggressive plan to provide long-term solutions to the victims of the shattered country. This means providing new shoes and clothing, but also sustainable housing, education, medical care, and access to micro-enterprise solutions. The charity is partnering with dozens of respected charities in Haiti and the U.S. to offer micro-loans and will sponsor small businesses opportunities for hard-working entrepreneurs in Haiti.
Purchase the Carter Twins’ music on iTunes HERE. Visit their official site HERE.
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Country-music newcomer Mallary Hope has pursued her dream with a single-minded determination for as long as she can remember. That dream is coming true with the release of her debut single, the powerfully emotional “Love Lives On.”
It began when she was a little girl singing in her father’s church in little Cohutta, Georgia. At age 9 she traveled with her family to Nashville and talked her way on stage at The Nashville Palace to sing “Unchained Melody” and “Daddy’s Hands.” She formed her first band when she was just 12 years old. Mallary wrote her first song when she was 15. She sang it at a talent competition, won first prize and subsequently made her first CD single and music video.
By the time she was a sophomore in high school, Mallary Hope was performing 150 shows a year. Her determination was so intense that her entire family pulled up stakes to move to Music City when she was 17 in order for her to pursue her dream fulltime. She finished her education as a home-schooled student while en route to signing a song-publishing contract and recording more than 500 “demos” as a Music Row session singer. Last November, at age 21, Mallary signed a recording contract with MCA Records.
Mallary speaks with a soft Georgia accent and is a lovely brown-eyed brunette. As a songwriter, there is real depth in her lyrics, as any listen to “Love Lives On” reveals. The song is told from the point of view of a widow with a child, missing the man she loves.
The lyric sprang from a conversation that Mallary had with her older sister. Mallary’s brother-in-law is in the Army and was just deployed to Iraq on August 3, 2009. The couple has a baby boy and when Mallary’s sister was pregnant, she asked her if the baby was planned.
“When your husband is in the military, always in the back of your mind is the thought that he might not come back home,” she replied. “If you lose him, having a baby to remind you of him and your love might make it hurt less.”
As a result of that conversation, an intensely moving song was born.
Purchase Mallary’s music on iTunes HERE. Visit her official site HERE.
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Purchase Sarah’s music on iTunes HERE. Visit her official site HERE.
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Purchase Jordyn’s music on iTunes HERE. Visit her official site HERE.