Country music is set to dominate the UK in early March as Country to Country adds more performers to their weekend bash at London’s O2 Arena on March 7-8. BBC Radio 2 also gets in on the act with the announcement of a pop-up DAB radio service dedicated to country music that  will broadcast from Thursday March 5 to Sunday March 8 (midday to midnight). Country Music Association (CMA) Songwriters Series will be presented on Friday March 6 at Indigo at The O2, with host Kix Brooks and featuring Brandy Clark, Sam Palladio, Jessi Alexander and Jon Randall. Veteran broadcaster Bob Harris will be bringing his Under The Apple Tree sessions to the event and there will also be a special all-star CD compilation released by HumpHead Records, featuring 20 acts that have appeared at the Country to Country Festival over the past three years.

The main event at the massive O2 Arena will take place on Saturday and Sunday March 7 and 8 beginning at 4pm. Appearing on Saturday will be top American performers Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Lee Ann Womack and Brandy Clark, an on the Sunday it will be Lady Antebellum, Jason Aldean, Brantley Gilbert and Kip Moore

For many, the weekend really gets under way on Friday evening with the CMA Songwriter Series at Indigo at The O2. This show turns the spotlight on the songwriters, the very lifeblood of country music. This year’s show will be hosted by Kix Brooks (one half of legendary duo Brooks & Dunn) and will feature the distinctive Brandy Clark, Nashville TV series star Sam Palladio and husband-and-wife songwriters, Jon Randall and Jessi Alexander.

This is a unique opportunity to hear first-hand how such hit songs as Mama’s Broken Heart, Whiskey Lullaby and Drink On It came to fruition as these talented singers and songwriters take turns telling the stories behind their songs and performing them acoustically as originally written.
 Music begins in the O2 on Saturday March 7 from 11am at the various Pop Up stages and continues into the early hours of Sunday morning with new After Show parties with special surprise guest artists. There are more than 50 acts scheduled to appear on the Pop Up stages- these are (in alphabetical order): Acoustic Journey, Ann Doka, Aubrie Sellers, Balsamo Deighton, Callaghan, Carolynne Poole, Case Hardin, Chloë Chadwick, Claydon Connor, David Bradley, Dexeter, Ellie Dibben, Emma Jade, Emma Swindells, Fitzwallace, Flats & Sharps, Hannah Jane Lewis, Harper J, Holloway Road, Honey Ryder, InBlauK, Jeannine Barry, Jess & The Bandits, Jess Roberts, Jon Randall & Jessi Alexander, Katie Armiger, Katie Nicholas, Laura Oakes, Lewis & Leigh, Lisa Redford, Liv Austen & The Banned, Luke and Mel, Lucy May, Megan O'Neill, Mim Grey, Paul Carella, Pauper Kings (formerly McKay), Raintown, Sam Hunt, Sasha McVeigh, Sonia Leigh, Stephanie Manns, Talia Simone, The Cains Trio, The Dirty Beggars, The James Clode Band, The Shires, The Tuesday Syndicate, Ward Thomas, Winters Hill.
  It will be impossible for you to be able to watch all of these, so to help you out I’m going to choose just a few (not in any particular order) that I urge you to try and see.

Dexeter are a five-piece band from Leicestershire. I saw the Dexeter duo (lead singers-songwriters Dee and Gareth) at Midwinterfest in January and was suitably impressed by their excellent original songs, Dee’s distinctive and powerful vocals and their overall stage presentation. They have self-released several singles and an album and will be releasing their second album, FOUR THOUSAND MILES TO NASHVILLE in May.
 The Cains Trio comprising siblings Madison, Taylor and Logan from Hartselle, Alabama, are not only singers and songwriters, but also skilled musicians who play guitar, piano, bass, harmonica, and more. They began harmonising together as youngsters and while all three were students at Troy University, the trio entered into a video contest, eventually winning the opportunity to open for Dave Barnes in Birmingham, Alabama. They released their debut album, STAY ON BOARD, at the end of last year following the success of their single, Be Yourself With Me, a mid-tempo, tender-hearted song about allowing loved ones to take their guard down and be open and honest with one another.

“We have a gut feeling that performing in London will be a turning point in our career,” commented youngest sister Madison Cain. “We're gaining fans from the UK daily since C2C announced our name on their website, and we are counting down the days until C2C.”

Aubrie Sellers was born and raised in Nashville, the daughter of Lee Ann Womack and her first husband singer-songwriter Jason Sellers. She has contributed background vocals on the records of artists such as Ralph Stanley, Stoney LaRue, David Nail, and Miranda Lambert. Aubrie is currently in the studio working on her debut album with producer Frank Liddell (her step-father who has produced Miranda Lambert, David Nail, Pistol Annies and Lee Ann Womack). Very much a soul-inflected singer, Aubrie is destined to make a big impression at C2C.

I first came across Lincolnshire singer-songwriter, Callaghan around seven or eight years ago. She had recently returned from a trip to Nashville and was enthusing about the doors that could open for her in Music City. Her christian name is Georgina, but she prefers to go by just her surname. She moved to Nashville in the summer of 2010 and since then has been busily carving out a career for herself and gaining fans all across America. Her debut album, LIFE IN FULL COLOUR was produced by singer-songwriter Shawn Mullins, in and around Atlanta and released in summer 2012 to a great reaction. Now part of the Nashville singer-songwriter community, she recently appeared in the BBC Four show Bob Harris My Nashville, and performed live in the companion show Back to Beth’s: A Nashville House concert alongside stars such as Beth Nielsen Chapman, Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires. Her new album, A HISTORY OF NOW, produced in Nashville by Dennis Matkosky, is due for release this spring.
 Flats and Sharps bring a bluegrass sound to the O2. Long-time favourites at the Maverick Festival and commanding a sizeable following in the West Country, the five-piece band perform a mix of bluegrass classics and their own highly original songs. The talented young musicians have honed their skills in four years of more than 300 live performances, wowing audiences with their musical skills and onstage personalities. They are currently recording with a producer at a top studio in London for an album release later this year.

Honey Ryder blend folk and rock into a country-inspired fusion that has been gaining them fans across the musical spectrum. Formed originally by former MTV employee Lindsay and session guitarist Martyn, Honey Ryder won thousands of fans across the UK when supporting Michael Bolton and Will Young on tour, and tracks from their debut album, RISING UP were play-listed on Radio 2. With TV appearances and live gigs under their belts, the act expanded to a trio and escaped to Thailand for two months to write their second album MARLEY’S CHAINS.
  Houston-born Jessica Clemmons is the dynamic lead singer of Jess and the Bandits’. I recall her solo albums going back over the past four or five years, which were a distinctive mix of country and pop. Now, at the helm of the five-piece band, Jessica’s ready to take things up another gear with an exciting country-rock approach with a fine sprinkling of sad-edged country ballads, all self-penned.

Texas-born Katie Armiger has come a long way since her teenage success with CONFESSIONS OF A NICE GIRL some four years ago. After winning a talent contest at age 14, sponsored by a Houston radio station, she arrived in Nashville for the first time to record the demo sessions that were her prize. Those demos soon turned into a full album, which led to a recording deal with Cold River Records. Her extensive touring experience includes opening slots for some of country music’s biggest artists including Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Little Big Town, Eli Young Band, Darius Rucker, Josh Turner, Rodney Atkins and Kellie Pickler, amongst others. Last year Katie embarked on a national tour of the UK to promote the release of her album FALL INTO ME. Produced by Grammy award winner Chad Carlson, the stunning collection features the empowering hit single Better in a Black Dress.
 In recent years, the UK country scene has witnessed what seems like a plethora of young female country singers. Many of them, are, for want of a better word—chancers. They don’t necessarily have a deep-down passion for music, more of a desire to be famous, never mind in what musical genre or sphere of the entertainment business that might be. So when I come across a singer who is not in it just for the fame and money, I tend to get a little excited. That’s very much the case with Mim Grey, who first crossed my radar some five years ago. She possesses a unique voice, a mix of torch, soul and deep-down passion. She’s also a skilled, and somewhat personal songwriter. Her first album, 2010’s GREY MATTERS, is still very much in my semi-regular play pile. On stage she has that rare ability of connecting with her audience almost on a one-to-one basis, whilst at the same time involving each and every person in the room. Her most recent album is the excellent CHASING TIGERS.

Both Jessi Alexander and Jon Randall should be well-known singing stars, but over the years, despite each of them releasing outstanding albums, they have failed to make that all-important commercial breakthrough. Now happily married and parents, both of them have been concentrating more on songwriting than recording and performing. This has resulted in them individually providing hit songs for such diverse recording acts as Brad Paisley, Alison Krauss, Gary Allan, Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Miley Cyrus, Dierks Bentley and Lee Brice. Jon Randall is the possessor of one of the most emotive country tenors you’re ever likely to hear and Jessi Alexander has a beautiful southern soul feel that is quite irresistible. Together, they are the finest unsigned country couple currently residing in Nashville. You don’t want to miss them.  

Alongside the Pop-up stages there will be a new venue this year, The Saloon, which can be found in the WM Jazz Club at The O2 and will feature an intimate space for singer-songwriters to perform and talk about their songwriting. C2C ticket holders are invited to come along, sit back, relax and enjoy the programme. The Saloon will include a Bob Harris curated programme Under The Apple Tree Sessions with legendary Texan singer-songwriter Kimmie Rhodes, the up-and-coming Nashville singer-songwriter, Angel Snow, Ward Thomas and American singer Katie Armiger plus Woody Pines, Worry Dolls, Loud Mountains and the Goat Roper Rodeo Band.

The Under The Apple Tree sessions will take place between 12 - 2pm each day, showcasing a total of 8 artists. Performance times are: 

Saturday
12.00-12.25 Goat Roper Rodeo Band
12.30-12.55 Worry Dolls
13.00-13.25 Angel Snow
13.30-14.00 Katie Armiger

Sunday
12.00-12.25 Loud Mountains
12.30-12.55 Woody Pines
13.00-13.25 Kimmie Rhodes
13.30-14.00 Ward Thomas

Another additional performance area will be the Satellite Stage, which will be in the main arena,  located behind the sound desks at the opposite end of the arena to the main stage. Four acoustic artists will be performing in-between the main stage acts (two on each day). So far announced are Nashville-based Sam Hunt, a former college football player who first came to the fore as the writer of hit singles for Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban and others and last year scored his own number one hit with Leave The Night On; and British duo, the Shires, who made their C2C debut as relative unknowns and have since seen their debut single Nashville Grey Skies being play listed on BBC Radio 2. Their debut album will be released in C2C week, on Monday March 2.
 
Another new event this year will be the official C2C After Parties, which will take place at Brooklyn Bowl at The O2. A surprise guest will perform each night and country music fans are invited to continue the festival spirit into the small hours. Hosted by country music DJ and radio/TV presenter DJ Baylen Leonard, the doors to Brooklyn Bowl will open once the final main stage artist has waved goodbye to the crowds each night. Also, during the day, Brooklyn Bowl will be hosting a special concert featuring Ward Thomas.

If you can’t make it to C2C, then BBC Radio 2 will be giving you a flavour of the whole weekend with their special pop-up DAB radio service dedicated to country music, which will broadcast from Thursday March 5 to Sunday March 8 (midday to midnight) and will include a range of specially commissioned programmes and guest presenters from the world of country music; brand new and archive documentaries as well as live broadcasts—kicking off with Welcome To BBC Radio 2 Country With Bob Harris (Thursday 5 March, midday-1pm)—in which Radio 2’s face of country music will preview what listeners can expect to hear across the service.
 
Programming highlights across the four days include Suzy Bogguss’ Classic Country (Thursday 5 March, 3pm-4pm), Ricky Ross on Celtic Roots from BBC Scotland (Thursday 5 March, 11pm-midnight), Baylen Leonard’s Bro Country (Friday 6 March, 8pm-9pm), Simon Mayo’s Big Screen Country (Friday 6 March, 4pm-5pm), Steve Wright's Country Love Songs (Sunday 8 March, midday-1pm); and a major exclusive as Patrick Kielty Meets Garth Brooks (Thursday 5 March, 4pm-5pm).

The service will broadcast live coverage of Country to Country from London's O2 on Saturday 7 March and Sunday 8 March from 4pm to 11pm/10.30pm. Radio 2 Country will broadcast live performances from Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Lee Ann Womack and Brandy Clark on Saturday, and Lady Antebellum, Jason Aldean, Brantley Gilbert and Kip Moore on Sunday.

The four day service will complement the network's current country music programme Bob Harris Country (Thursdays - 7pm-8pm).
In addition, HumpHead Records have announced the release of a special Country To Country compilation CD, set for release at the end of February to celebrate the great and varied country music that has been featured at C2C. The 20-track album will feature American acts Luke Bryan, Little Big Town, Vince Gill, Dierks Bentley, Lady Antebellum alongside UK acts like the Shires, Raintown, Alan West and Ward Thomas.

Tickets for Country to Country are available from www.axs.com/c2c 08448 24 48 24 and www.gigsandtours.com / 0844 811 0051.