Inbox Update: Gary Rossington, Phil Vandermost, Mac Powell

There is a little bit of everything in today's post, so let's jump right in...here are some releases that have landed in my inbox over the past day or so.

Gary Rossington

Lynyrd Skynyrd founding member Gary Rossington will join a distinguished roster of Georgia performing artists and music industry leaders in accepting awards on-stage at the 34th Annual Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards Concert and Show, scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 14 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Rossington will be honored in the Songwriter Category having written well over 120 songs throughout his career including classic iconic songs like “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Simple Man,” and “What’s Your Name.” Lynyrd Skynyrd release their new album, Last of a Dyin’ Breed, on August 21, 2012.


Atlanta’s celebrated television icon Monica Pearson will be Mistress of Ceremonies of the event. A Special Performance by American Idol stars and recording artists Snellville, GA-raised Diana DeGarmo and her fiancée Ace Young, who met while appearing in the Broadway revival of “Hair,” will be another highlight of the evening. Many of the inductees will also perform during the Concert.

At the Concert and Show, to be televised live by GPB (Georgia Public Broadcasting), artists representing extraordinary talent in classical, contemporary, country and Southern Rock music will be saluted and will perform on-stage during the evening. According to Dr. Bobbie Bailey, President of Friends of Georgia Music Festival, Inc., “Since the first presentation in 1979, at which the legendary Ray Charles was an inductee, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards Show and Concert has emerged as the premier forum for recognizing the scope of the performing virtuosity of Georgia-born-or-based music professionals.” Dr. Bailey thanked Jack Sawyer of Wilmington Trust, Joel Katz of Greenberg-Traurig, Delta Air Lines and Michael Taormina of the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre for “their generous and loyal sponsorship support.”

The 2012 inductees will also include: Robert Spano, recipient of the Chairman’s Award; 38 Special (Group); Alex Hodges (Non-Performer), Riley Biederer (Horizon Award), and others.

The honorees and luminaries of Atlanta’s entertainment, cultural and philanthropic scenes will walk the Red Carpet, beginning at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 14. For early arrivals, a cash bar will open at 4:00 p.m. The Awards Concert and Show will begin at 5:00 p.m. Tickets starting at $60 per person and $20 per student are available for sale from August 4th onwards through www.cobbenergycentre.com or www.ticketmaster.com or call 1-800-745-3000.

Phil Vandermost & Telesound to perform in Huntington Beach on Saturday, Aug. 4 as part of International Pop Overthrow

Vandermost and Telesound are excited to be making a rare north Orange County appearance this Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012, when they play at Fitzgeralds Irish Pub in Huntington Beach as we perform at the International Pop Overthrow (IPO) Festival. The cover is just $10 and the night will feature eight bands including Walter Clevenger, SparkleJets and past OC Music Award winners Scarlet Crush, and you'll get a sweet compiliation CD featuring many of the bands playing at the IPO festivals throughout the world.


For directions and more info on the show, click on the venue link in the calendar below. For more information about the International Pop Overthrow Festival, go to http://internationalpopoverthrow.com.


Third Day Frontman Mac Powell to release self-titled debut country project on Aug. 21

Mac Powell, who fronts multi-platinum-selling Third Day, is set to release his self-titled debut country music album on Aug. 21, 2012.

The CD features twelve songs by the #1 hit songwriter including his first single, “June Bug” which he released last month through his Twitter account (@macpowell) to his more than 80,000 followers.



His recent solo country performance debut at the 2012 CMA Music Festival in Nashville resulted in a host of media and fan accolades. Of his song, “One Mississippi,” USA Today’s Lucas Hendrickson writes, “Note to country radio programmers: keep an ear out for ‘One Mississippi.’ And keep a spoon handy, for you will be eating this song up with it.”

"I grew up listening to country music," Powell tells Billboard. "It was a big part of shaping me musically and I think that's pretty evident in Third Day music. There's always been little tinge of it."

To help further shape the sound he was looking for, Powell worked with producer Jason Hoard who has been touring with Third Day since 2010. Hoard, a multi-instrumentalist, played banjo and mandolin on the album and also contributed to the songwriting credits along with famed tunesmith Brett James (“Jesus Take the Wheel,” “Love You Out Loud,” “Out Last Night,” “When the Sun Goes Down”).

"I started writing with Brett. He was really the first step," says Powell in his Billboard interview. "We just hit it off really well and came up with a lot of ideas in a short amount of time, and then Jason worked on a few of those ideas as well. We started recording them and it just started feeling great.

“There have been so many times in the past that I had song ideas that didn’t really fit lyrically or musically with Third Day,” Powell wrote on his personal Tumblr site, announcing the project. “I filed those songs away to the ‘maybe sometime’ category. Well, that time is now.”

Powell is already booked for over two dozen shows this summer and fall to introduce fans to his new music. He’s back by a seasoned group of country musicians, affectionately named The Backsliders, and although it’s a bit of a change for an artist whose primary outlet puts him in front of thousands of fans a night, it’s a change he clearly feels led to follow. “It’s different to think about getting in a van with a trailer and driving five to eight hours a night,” Powell told USATODAY.com. “It’s something I never thought I would do again, but when you’re driven to get this music out, you’ll do it.”

Powell also stresses that his work with Third Day continues, with the band putting the finishing touches on a new album – helmed by veteran rock producer Brendan O’Brien – that’s due for release this fall, with a Spring 2013 tour to follow.