Stay ConnectedA live/podcast based out of Nashville, Tennessee that showcases Music City’s best new talent. Each week enjoy celebrity hosts, and some of Nashville’s brightest new stars.
Live taping every Monday at 7pm in Nashville at the Greenlight Bar located at 833 Hawkins St.
This episode is hosted by Austin Burke and Restless Road
Restless Road is a Nashville-based country music band formed by Zach Beeken, Garrett Nichols, and Colton Pack. Beeken and Pack initially met on The X Factor in 2013 and later formed the band. After some lineup changes, Nichols joined, and Pack eventually returned. In 2019, Kane Brown signed them to his label, leading to their 2020 debut EP and the popular single "Take Me Home" featuring Brown. Known for their strong harmonies and heartfelt songs, they released their debut album, Last Rodeo, in 2023 and have toured extensively, gaining recognition as a promising act in country music.
Performers:
Josh Brown
Dom Ellis
DEK of Hearts
Frances Praet
Noah Silver
Cooper Riley
Paul RoseWood
The hosts this week include Austin Burke, Tommy Massad & Lane Smith.
Tommy Massad fell in love with country music as a child. After graduating from Georgetown University in 2017, he moved from his hometown of Austin to Nashville to pursue a career in country music with SiriusXM.
He started as an intern at SiriusXM's The Highway channel in 2016 and later became the morning show producer for "The Storme Warren Show" for over three years.
Currently, Tommy is a host on SiriusXM's The Highway and also tours with Kenny Chesney for SiriusXM's No Shoes Radio, working as a personality/producer. In this role, he interviews fans at tailgates and shares their stories on the radio.
In addition to his work in radio, Tommy is also a songwriter.
Lane Smith is a rising country music artist from Spring Branch, Texas, just north of San Antonio. Raised in a rodeo environment as a bullfighter, he transitioned to music, seeing a connection between the demanding nature of rodeo and building a music career.
He began playing guitar at 16 and writing songs at 17. While initially balancing bullfighting with performing, he started taking his music career more seriously around age 24, eventually moving to Nashville.
Smith released his first EP in 2018 and his self-titled debut album in 2023. His music blends traditional country roots with contemporary influences, sometimes incorporating elements of rock, pop, and alternative. His songs often focus on relationships and personal experiences, delivered with heartfelt lyrics.
His sophomore album, "Austin," was released on April 11, 2025. He has toured and shared stages with artists such as Kyle Park, Matt Stell, Colt Ford, and Chase Matthews, and has played at notable venues like Gruene Hall.
Performers Include:
John Casey
Bonner Rhae
Seager Shymanski
Eastern Dreamers
Pacific Midwest
Ella Gibson
The show is hosted this week by Austin Burke, Jamie Collazo and Dalton Stanley. This episode highlights being in a band, playing an instrument for a major artist, touring and expectations for musicians in Nashville.
Performers include:
Todd Cameron
Chris Linton
Norah Bass
The Mad Uke-Bard
Chandler Marie
6 artists perform a song in front of a live audience and guest hosts.
This weeks guest host is Cooper Alan.
Cooper Alan is a rising independent country music artist known for his engaging online presence and connection with fans.
A native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Alan built a significant following through social media, amassing over 14 million followers across various platforms and garnering over 225 million streams of his music. He started playing in bars and college campuses in the Carolinas and later moved to Nashville.
He's known for his energetic performances and a sound that blends country with modern pop influences, unafraid to experiment with different musical styles. Some of his popular songs include "New Normal," "Tough Ones," "Colt 45 (Country Remix)," and "Can't Dance." He released a 5-song EP titled "Take Forever" in the fall of 2023, which tells the story behind his wedding.
Alan has toured extensively, selling over 85,000 tickets to date, including his first shows in Australia in 2024. He was recognized as a 2024 Pandora Ten Artist To Watch and was included in Sirius XM and Pandora's 2024 Future Five List.
In 2021, he started his own record label, Cooped Up Records. In 2023, he also established The Cooper Alan Foundation, with a focus on supporting mental health initiatives.
Episode 14 is hosted by Austin Burke and Storme Warren.
Storme Warren is an American television and radio broadcaster, born on March 3, 1970, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Warren is widely recognized as the host of "The Big 615" channel on TuneIn, which is part of Garth Brooks' SEVENS Radio Network. Before this, he was the long-time host of "The Storme Warren Show" on SiriusXM's The Highway channel (56) from 2008 to 2023.
His career in broadcasting began early; he got his start in radio at the age of 13. He later transitioned into television, working as a segment producer for CNN's "Showbiz Today" and then as an entertainment reporter for TNN Country News and "This Week in Country Music."
He has hosted numerous high-profile events, including Nashville's annual Independence Day and New Year's Eve celebrations, as well as events at the CMA Music Festival. In December 2009, The Tennessean referred to Warren as the "Dick Clark of Nashville."
In February 2020, he received the "BMI Ambassador Award" in recognition of his support for Nashville's songwriting community. He also launched his own podcast, "Exit 209 with Storme Warren," in late 2020, featuring interviews with artists and songwriters.
Beyond his broadcasting work, Warren is actively involved in the Nashville community and supports various charitable causes. He serves on the board of directors for ACM Lifting Lives and Operation Song and works with organizations such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation and The Charlie Daniels Journey Home Project. He was honored with the Charlie Daniels Patriot Award in September 2024 for his work with veterans' causes and the Tom Rivers Humanitarian Award for his community service within the country radio industry.
Artists include:
Stephanie Merkus
Sarah Beth Brewer
Brian Goyette
Matt Cosgrove
Ashton Butler
Hannah Smith
Show is hosted by Austin Burke, Tyler Rich and Jamie Shoemaker
Tyler Rich
Northern California-raised, Nashville-rooted Tyler Rich his love of music gathered around a Christmas tree alongside family singing holiday classics and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Fast forward to graduating college with a degree in Economics, Tyler moved to LA to pursue a different game of numbers – music – exploring various genres with songwriting and bands before taking the leap as a solo artist. Since, Tyler has amassed nearly half a billion global streams to date and notched three No. 1 hits on SiriusXM’s The Highway with his debut album TWO THOUSAND MILES (The Valory Music Co.), featuring GOLD-certified “The Difference” plus subsequent releases “Better Than You’re Used To,” “A Little Bit of You” and “Trucks Don’t Lie.” In 2022, Tyler joined forces with one of Canada’s most successful bilingual singer-songwriters, Marie-Mai for a duet on “Thinkin’ We’re In Love,” which serviced as the name of his headline tour. With his newly released I KNOW YOU DO EP, Tyler gives fans the best of both worlds fusing the spirit of youth with an easy-going buzz. Produced by The Cadillac Three’s Jaren Johnston, the three-track collection puts the many layers of the heartfelt singer/songwriter on full display. Tyler’s music embodies the feelings all people have in common – the need for acceptance, devotion and a place to call their own – and that empathetic spirit extends to animals too. With Rich Rescues, Tyler visits local shelters while out on the road to raise awareness for pet adoption. His latest album "Hello California" was released on March 7th.
Jamie Shoemaker was born and raised in Rochester, NY and made the move to Nashville at the end of 2022 to continue building and operating UPstar Music. He graduated from the State University of New York at Brockport in the winter of 2022, with a bachelor's degree in Physical Education. Trading in a career of teaching and coaching to chase a dream in Music City, Jamie is on a mission to bring a refreshing and innovative presence to the music industry. Utilizing his personable demeanor with his emphasis on soft skills, Jamie takes a “collaboration over competition” approach to running UPstar Music. He genuinely set out to make a positive and impactful footprint on Country Music and the music industry. On top of running UPstar Music, Jamie is a curator on Groover - a music promotion platform to help artists get their music heard.
The Rochester native created UPstar Music in the fall of 2017 and officially launched the music platform and community in the fall of 2019. Since establishing UPstar Music, Jamie has found creative ways to engage creatives and business individuals and provide a platform and community to create opportunities for everyone in the music industry. He has built a platform based on integrity, passion and the pride of Country Music. He also hosted and coordinated the “UPstar Music Takeover Tour” in the summer of 2022 which was made up of 12 writers rounds and 117 singer-songwriters featuring acts such as Megan Moroney, Josh Ross, Kasey Tyndall, Austin Snell, Graham Barham, Mat Roy, Adam James, Greylan James, Palmer Anthony, Taylor Austin Dye, Brett Sheroky, Lauren Weintraub and more. After moving to Nashville, Jamie started UPstar Music’s own Nashville writers round “The Showcase” located at the Rusty Nail hosting some of the best rising talent in Country Music. Jamie is a jack of all trades and is on the pulse of the rising talent in Country Music as he operates all of UPstar Music’s social media, acts as a playlist curator, books and hosts rounds/shows, does graphic design work, interviews artists and industry folks and more. JamieShoemaker and UPstar Music is gearing up for an exciting future in Music City.
Performers include:
Chris Shelby
Rachel LaRen
Will Terry
Kacy Moon
Chandler James
Billy Baker
Ava's songwriting credits have amassed over 100 million streams, and charted on both Canadian and American country radio. She also founded and actively runs Hope on the Row, a Nashville based non-profit that serves the unhoused community in Middle Tennessee.
Based in Nashville but raised in Colorado, Sophia Scott has blazed her own bold trail to Country stardom. With a rare gift for raw yet exquisitely detailed storytelling — and a one-of-a-kind sound infused with elements of Southern Rock, Pop, R&B, and Soul — the singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist has amassed over 92 MILLION career streams and drawn nearly ONE MILLION monthly listeners to date. Growing up in Boulder, she took up piano and guitar as a child and soon started composing songs of her own, then further developed her unforgettably candid songwriting voice upon kicking off her music career in Los Angeles. During her six years in L.A., Scott found early success with singles like 2018’s “White Fence” and 2019’s “Drink Too Much Wine” (both featured on coveted playlists like Spotify’s New Music Friday), but ultimately relocated to Nashville and immersed herself in sharpening her craft. A breakthrough year for Scott, 2021 brought such triumphs as opening for the Jonas Brothers, landing on an artists-to-watch list from People, and inking her record deal with EMPIRE Nashville. The fast-rising artist maintained that momentum throughout 2022, when she delivered her widely acclaimed debut EP One Of These Days — a six-song project that earned praise from American Songwriter, E! News, Entertainment Tonight, and CMT (who stated that “Nashville newcomer Sophia Scott proves she has a bright future ahead in the genre”) and explored such complex subjects as watching her loved ones struggle with addiction (on the fan-favorite “Side Effects”). Along with signing a global publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music and Ross Golan’s Unknown Music Publishing in 2022, Scott will release her debut album BARSTOOL CONFESSIONS on October 20, via EMPIRE.
The show is hosted by Austin Burke.
The performers include:
Andrea Vasquez
Sydney Shaye
Sammi Rae
Bronco Redahan
Joe Jenneman
Matt Koziol
Jake LaGrone has been in the music industry for 30+ years working with acts like Reba, Jason Aldean and Brooks & Dunn. He talks about the shooting in Vegas at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, attending the inauguration for Donald J. Trump and working with some of the biggest country stars in the world.
The show is hosted by Austin Burke.
The performers include:
Holdyn Barder
Chace Saunders
Chandler James
Cole Bradford
Gracie Calvaneso
Alexandra King
Fuller
Episode 10 is hosted by Austin Burke, Trey Lewis and Mitch Wallis. 7 artists sing a song to try to impress the hosts. The song is followed by an interview and the artists are given feedback on their song.
Artists performing include:
Pryor Baird
Colorblue Leland ft. GTTC
Nick Smith
Zach Michael
Renae Nicole
Louise Rieffer
Episode 9 is hosted by Austin Burke, McV and Jordan Gray. 6 artists sing a song to try to impress the hosts. The song is followed by an interview and the artists are given feedback on their song.
Artists performing include:
DEK of Hearts
Chace Saunders
Dylan Wolff
Megan Knight
Ben Graves
Ashton Smith
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
