FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 27, 2016
ROCK RIDGE MUSIC SIGNS MANAGEMENT DEALS
WITH MATT HIRES AND GRANVILLE AUTOMATIC
Nashville-based music company Rock Ridge Music, which has both label and management arms, has signed two artists to management deals: alternative singer-songwriter Matt Hires and Americana duo Granville Automatic. They join a management roster that already includes such artists as Christian Lopez, Tony Lucca, Ike Reilly, JD Eicher, Matt Brown, Kyle Cox, and Riley Etheridge Jr.
“We’re thrilled to be adding both Matt Hires and Granville Automatic to the RRM family,” says Rock Ridge Music President Cynthia Cochrane. “We’ve been a fan of Matt’s for a long time and his new album exhibits so much depth and pure talent; it’s the perfect evolution in an already strong catalog and we’re excited to help him shape the next phase of his career. The addition of Granville Automatic brings us two individuals who are equally talented as writers as they are performers. We were incredibly impressed by Elizabeth Elkins and Vanessa Olivarez’s passion, intelligence and unique approach to storytelling.”
Rock Ridge Music CEO Tom Derr agrees: “The foundation of Rock Ridge Music is based on the talents of our roster of artists. Matt Hires and Granville Automatic only strengthen that foundation.”
“It’s been a couple of years since I’ve had management,” says Hires, “so I’m really pumped to have a team in my corner again. Especially a team of people that are so artist friendly and easy to work with.”
Says Elizabeth Elkins of Granville Automatic: “Signing with Rock Ridge provides a great opportunity to expand our writing and artist careers. We are lucky to join an incredible roster, which includes bands we admire. We feel fortunate to have Tom’s, Cynthia’s and the rest of the team’s expertise, and we’re excited that they believe in what we do as songwriters.” Her partner in Granville Automatic, Vanessa Olivarez, concurs, saying, “I am thrilled to be a part of the Rock Ridge family! Tom and Cynthia are business sharks, and have a great understanding of what we do, and how to take us to the next level. We are so lucky to have them guiding us through the next steps in our musical endeavors.”
About Matt Hires:
Alternative singer-songwriter Matt Hires will release his third, full-length album, American Wilderness (via Rock Ridge Music’s label division), on October 14, 2016. At 30-years-old, Hires finds himself at a crossroads contemplating life, growth, faith, culture and his own place in the world. Hires recently moved to Nashville (from Tampa, FL), and it was there, in the Music City, that he quickly linked up with like-minded creatives who inspired him to set aside pre-conceived notions of who he was as an artist and tap into his own instincts and intuition. Setting his writing into overdrive, Hires discovered his new ‘voice’, driven by personal conviction and an unwavering honesty.
American Wilderness was recorded in Nashville and produced by Randall Kent. The album is the follow up to two previous, major label releases including This World Won’t Last Forever, But Tonight We Can Pretend, and Take Us To The Start, which hit the Top 10 on iTunes’ overall Top Albums chart. Hires’ songs have been heard in TV series such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice,” “Cougar Town,” and more. Hires is set to tour in support of the new album this fall. www.matthires.com
About Granville Automatic:
With a publishing deal with BMG Nashville, artists/songwriters Elizabeth Elkins and Vanessa Olivarez, who compose the Americana duo Granville Automatic, are starting work on their next album, which will be Radio Hymns – a collection of songs inspired by Nashville’s vanishing history. Similar in concept to the duo’s lauded 2015 record, An Army Without Music: Civil War Stories from Hallowed Ground, the album will focus entirely on Nashville and its historic buildings and spaces that are threatened or have disappeared – replaced by towering condos, highways, industry and commerce. Associated Press called An Army Without Music “haunting tales of sorrow and perseverance,” while No Depression applauded the album’s “almost magic transformation of history into modern songwriting. A quiet, intricately researched and captivating effort that haunts long after the first listen. This is storytelling, songwriting, and musicianship at its creative best.” The New York Times praised the concept, writing, “Music is one way the stories of the war can be told and re-told, even if many of the battlefields in Atlanta, Nashville and other cities are now buried by neighborhoods and business districts.” www.granvilleautomatic.com
About Rock Ridge Music:
Rock Ridge Music is an artist management company and independent record label with worldwide distribution through ADA (WMG). Founded in 2004 and with their office in Nashville, TN, Rock Ridge Music is focused on artist development at every level, working collaboratively to build long-term, sustainable careers.