Shawna to join Kix Brooks at OilPatch Festival

Shawna is the special guest star with headliner Kix Brooks (from Brooks and Dunn) at the July 4 Summer OilPatch Festival in Drumright, Oklahoma. Click here to read all about it in this month's edition of The Current.  

Music City Encore

Shawna was featured in Music City Encore with a feature story and audio interview.

Feature story: http://musiccityencore.com/shawna-russell-expanding-her-fan-base-one-single-at-a-time/

Audio interview: http://musiccityencore.com/mce-interview-shawna-russell/

Shawna Russell Releases Hot New Summertime Single "Sounds Like A Party" to Radio via Play MPE

Nashville, TN (May 22, 2012) - Way Out West Records' singer/songwriter Shawna Russell has released her latest single "Sounds Like A Party" to radio via Play MPE. The release is fast on the heels of her previous single "Waitin' On Sunrise," which landed at #29 last week after spending five consecutive weeks as the top small label independent artist on the MusicRow chart. Russell is only the second independent female to hit the Top 30 on their chart in the past year.

"Sounds Like A Party" was produced at LOUD Studios in Nashville by Grammy-winning engineer Julian King, along with Clif Doyal and Tim Russell. The track features Shawna on vocals and electric slide guitar, along with a cast of all-star backing musicians, including Shannon Forrest (Rascal Flatts, Chris Young), bassist Mike Brignardello (Luke Bryan, Sugarland), acoustic guitarist and 7-time IBMA "Guitar Player of the Year" Bryan Sutton, electric guitarist Jon Conley (Kenny Chesney sideman for "Brothers Of The Sun" tour), and keyboardist Jim "Moose" Brown (Jamey Johnson, Darius Rucker).

"Sounds Like A Party" is Russell's third single from her critically-acclaimed self-titled 2011 album. When it was first released in Europe last spring, the song rose to #3 on the Hotdisc chart in just three weeks.
Promotion plans for "Sounds Like A Party" include a dance club and venue promotion with Marco Club Connection. A video for the song is planned.

"Sounds Like A Party" has also been chosen as the "Official" song of the July 4 "Summer OilPatch Festival" in Drumright, Oklahoma, one of the state's largest annual holiday celebrations. Russell returns as a special guest star at this year's concert and lifestyle event where she has appeared every year since 2008 and performed to an estimated 10,000 people at last year's show.

"I am excited to release 'Sounds Like A Party," Russell says. "It is a lighthearted song with a retro feel that is the perfect soundtrack to Summer fun!"

Russell's promotion team is helmed by Way Out West Managing Partner, Clif Doyal. Radio promotion is led in-house by Way Out West's VP of Artist Development, Promotion & Marketing, Mike Severson, and includes veteran promoters Regina Raleigh and Ann Chrisman. Russell is represented for digital strategy and marketing by CRM Studios of Dallas. Publicity and marketing services are by CDA Promotions-Nashville and Bobbe Morhiser as Manager of Venue Marketing for Marco Club Connection. Russell is represented for management and booking by The Clif Doyal Agency.

Shawna Russell Interviewed at Billy Bob's Texas by the Golf Channel for "Golf Now" Travel Documentary Series

Lauren Thompson (L), Host of the Golf Channel show "Golf Now" interviews Shawna Russell (R) on her bus prior to her performance this week at Billy Bob's Texas.

NASHVILLE, TN (May 18, 2012) - Way Out West Records' artist Shawna Russell was interviewed by Golf Channel host, Lauren Thompson, at Billy Bob's Texas this week for a future episode of the network's popular travel documentary series, "Golf Now." The Golf Channel was in the D/FW area for the Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas.

Thompson caught up with the Oklahoma songbird on her tour bus just before Russell took the stage at "The World's Largest Honky Tonk" to visit with her about her career and life on the road with her band travelling the country in a vintage touring coach formerly owned by the legendary Willie Nelson. Afterward, the Golf Channel film crew captured the dynamic singer and guitarist in a performance of her forthcoming single "Sounds Like A Party," and her current Top 30 MusicRow chart hit, "Waitin' On Sunrise."

*Photo credit: Giovanni Galluci

Shawna Nominated for Top 'Country Album' by 11th Annual Independent Music Awards

NASHVILLE, TN (March 12, 2012)- Way Out West Records' artist Shawna Russell has been nominated by the 11th Annual Independent Music Awards in the 'Country Album' category for her self-titled sophomore album.

This is the second IMA nomination for Russell. Her debut album, Goddess, was nominated in the same category in 2008.

More than 300 exceptional self-released and independent label artists, as well as former major label acts were named by Music Resource Group (MRG) recently as Nominees in The 11th Annual Independent Music Awards (The IMAs), the influential awards program for independent bands and fans. IMA winners will be promoted to more than 50 million music fans worldwide.

The 11th IMA Nominees are an eclectic mix of established artists and artists on the rise. In addition to Russell, other nominees include Bruce Cockburn (Folk/Singer-Songwriter Album), Ellis Marsalis (Concept Album and Cover Song), Larry Carlton (Tribute Album), April Verch (Americana Album and Acoustic Song), RuPaul (Social Action Song), and retro-rock recording artist JD McPherson (Rock/Hard Rock Album), among others.

Representing the broad spectrum of today's global independent music scene, the Nominees in over 70 Song, Album, Music Video and Design categories were culled from thousands of submissions from North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Australia and Europe.

Winners will be determined by a panel of 77 influential artist and industry judges including Keith Richards, Tom Waits, Kathleen Brennan, Suzanne Vega, Joshua Redman, Tori Amos, Michael Franti, Bettye LaVette, Del McCoury,  Ozzy Osbourne, Shelby Lynne, Alan Light (Live From The Artists Den), Kevin Lyman (Warped Tour), Bill Bragin (Lincoln Center), Sara Beesley (Joe's Pub), Chris Diaz (Knitting Factory Entertainment), and Evan Schlansky (American Songwriter) and will be announced in April, 2012. In addition to industry-determined winners, music fans from around the world have until Friday, July 20, 2012 to cast their votes for Russell and other nominees at  The IMA Vox Pop Jukebox to determine the fan-selected IMA Winners.

Russell's latest single, "Waitin' On Sunrise" is currently #37 on the MusicRow chart.  She is currently filming a reality television series tentatively titled "Small Bus, Big Country," which documents her life as a working female artist who travels the country in a tour bus once owned by musical icon, Willie Nelson. The series is being developed by CRM Studios of Dallas, Texas.