The Boot News Roundup: 2019 Mile 0 Festival Lineup Set + More
Welcome to The Boot's News Roundup, a morning rundown of the news country music fans need to know. Read on to learn more about the latest goings-on in the country, Americana, bluegrass and folk genres.
In early 2019, Red Dirt artists will take over the beaches of Key West, Fla., for the second annual Mile 0 Fest. The festival will feature performances from Turnpike Troubadours, the Randy Rogers Band, the Band of Heathens, Bonnie Bishop, Trampled By Turtles, Wade Bowen, Jamie Lin Wilson and more artists from Texas and beyond. Passes for the festival, which also include lodging and excursions on the island, are on sale now at Mile0Fest.com.
Sad news for Colt Ford and his family: On Twitter, the country rapper and Average Joes Entertainment owner announced that his Uncle Cornelius died at the age of 93 on June 27. Ford describes his uncle as a "unique and special guy;" Cornelius would have turned 94 in July.
Country up-and-comer Frankie Ballard has scored a key to his hometown of Battle Creek, Mich. Ballard accepted the honor at a Battle Creek City Council meeting, sharing his memories of visiting the building as a kid and watching those meetings on public access television. "It's an amazing thing, and it's a head-snapper," he says. "When I heard about this, I immediately felt like I didn't deserve it. Music aside, as a citizen and community member, I didn't feel like I'd done enough to deserve something like this, so I'm really honored and humbled and blessed."
The Avett Brothers will celebrate the arrival of 2019 with two shows around New Year's Eve. According to a press release, the band will perform at Charlotte, N.C.'s Bojangles Coliseum on Dec. 30 and Dec. 31, 2018. Tickets for those shows go on sale to members of the band's Avett Guild fan club on July 10; the general public will be able to snag theirs starting on July 13.
Continuing their climb to the top, Dan + Shay have racked up yet another milestone with their new self-titled album. During the July 7 chart week, the duo became the first country duo or group since 2009 to sit at the top of the Billboard Country Albums and Country Airplay charts at the same time. The Dan + Shay album has been streamed more than 200 million times, with 29 million streams occurring in its first week alone.