SEPTEMBER 9, 2009

CMA's New Artist of the Year Nominee Zac Brown Band Host & Perform Benefit Show To Revive Iconic Athens, GA Venue

Amid a schedule packed with arenas and amphitheatres, CMA's New Artist of the Year nominee Zac Brown Band will make a hometown stop on their "Breaking Southern Ground" tour this fall for a Georgia Theatre benefit show at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia on October 30. Proceeds from the show will go to rebuild the dearly beloved and recently decommissioned Georgia Theatre. Prior to a devastating fire earlier this year, the movie-palace-turned-music-club hosted performances by all the local legends including R.E.M., B-52s, Drive-By Truckers and Widespread Panic.

"My band and many others have come up playing there," explains Zac Brown. "That building means far more to us, and the community, then its brick and mortar foundation. We want to make sure that it gets proper funding so we can rebuild it better than it was. It will remain a center for art and music long into the future with everyone's help."

"The Zac Brown Band are showing their incredible generosity and their love for the Athens music scene by hosting this benefit," says Wilmot Greene, Georgia Theatre owner. "The presence of the Theatre in Athens has allowed bands to find an important early audience that helps to bring bigger success later. That's a big part of the tradition of the Theatre and is an important aspect of why it needs to be rebuilt. This concert will be a huge help."

While the Zac Brown Band are hosting the show and mark the first confirmed performers on the bill, the concert hopes to host a variety other well-known and successful acts who also came up through this legendary local venue. Tickets will cost $100 and are available via Ticketmaster.

Presented by Outback Concerts, proceeds of the show will go directly to The Georgia Theatre Rehabilitation Fund, handled by The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.

SEPTEMBER 2, 2009

Look Who’s Cookin’ Now – Cracker Barrel & Zac Brown!

New Zac Brown Band album includes three previously unreleased recordings.

As Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® observes its 40th anniversary of offering up such dishes as meatloaf and chicken fried chicken, the popular family restaurant chain is pleased to join forces with an artist whose career is now taking off, in part because of the popularity of his song, Chicken Fried! On September 7th, Cracker Barrel will offer an exclusive new version of the Zac Brown Band’s CD The Foundation. In addition to featuring new artwork and two of Zac’s #1 hits, “Chicken Fried” and “Whatever It Is,” this disc includes three previously unreleased recordings, live versions of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “I Lost It,” and “I Shall Be Released.”

“Working with Cracker Barrel on this project makes for a good fit because they understand the importance of good music and good food,” says Zac Brown, who demonstrated his abilities as a chef at his own restaurant in Georgia where he was known for his homemade sauces and good Southern cooking. Zac still cooks when he can, but devotes most of his time to music. That dedication is paying off – The Foundation just recently went platinum, and the Zac Brown Band was named Top New Group by the Academy of Country Music this year and won the 2009 Country Music Television Award for Breakthrough Video of the Year for “Chicken Fried.”

“I’ve known there was something special about Zac Brown since the first time I heard the band,” says Cracker Barrel’s Vice President of Marketing Peter Keiser. “Each band member is a virtuoso and together they have a sound that appeals to fans of a variety of musical styles including, of course, country music. And Zac, born and raised in a small town in Georgia, is as authentic in his musical renderings as a refreshing glass of sweet tea.”

In addition to making his music available to its guests, Cracker Barrel will also be offering “Southern Ground Grub,” a rub and a sauce for cooking meat that is Zac Brown’s own recipe he has shared with his family and friends through the years, as well as a cookbook of Zac’s recipes. These items will be available in the Fall.

This exclusive new version of The Foundation goes on sale at all Cracker Barrel locations on September 7th and is the latest project in an impressive collection of exclusive music available only at Cracker Barrel. It follows August’s George Jones release of A Collection Of My Best Recollection, May’s release of Montgomery Gentry’s For Our Heroes, which debuted at #5 on Billboard magazine’s Top Country Album Chart, and March’s release of Dolly Parton’s Collectors’ Edition of Backwoods Barbie, which debuted at #9 on that chart. The series also includes a number of exclusive releases in 2008 - November’s release of Bill Gaither’s Homecoming Hymns, the August release of Kenny Rogers: 50 Years, the July release of Ricky Skaggs’ The High Notes and the April release of Aaron Tippin’s He Believed. Over the last few years, Cracker Barrel has released exclusive CDs featuring Alison Krauss & Union Station, Josh Turner, Amy Grant, Sara Evans, and Charlie Daniels.

About Cracker Barrel

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store restaurants provide a friendly home-away-from-home in their old country stores and restaurants. Guests are cared for like family while relaxing and enjoying real home-style food and shopping that’s surprisingly unique, genuinely fun and reminiscent of America’s country heritage all at a fair price. The restaurant serves up delicious, home-style country food such as meatloaf and homemade chicken n’ dumplins as well as its signature biscuits using an old family recipe. The authentic old country retail store is fun to shop and offers unique gifts and self-indulgences.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBRL) was established in 1969 in Lebanon, Tenn. and operates 588 company-owned locations in 41 states. Every Cracker Barrel unit is open seven days a week with hours Sunday through Thursday, 6 a.m. – 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 6 a.m. - 11 p.m. For more information, visit: crackerbarrel.com.

AUGUST 28, 2009

Zac Brown Band Sends A Million Thanks for Their Platinum Debut

“We want to thank our fans for believing in us, coming to our shows and supporting our music by buying ‘The Foundation.’ We couldn’t have done all this without you! To show our appreciation, our ‘Breaking Southern Ground’ tour will be pulling out ALL the stops this fall - we’ll have opportunities for fans to win passes to join us for a pre-show feast with our signature dishes and we’ll be bringing along the Southern Ground Records Artists to join the party. Look forward to seeing you there.”

Zac Brown Band

AUGUST 26, 2009

This Year's Breakouts Zac Brown Band Announce Their Biggest-Ever Headline Tour

This year's breakout new artist the Zac Brown Band kick off their "Breaking Southern Ground" tour next month - marking their biggest national headlining tour to date. Behind only Lady Gaga, the Zac Brown Band are the biggest selling new artists of the year with their near-platinum debut album 'The Foundation' (Atlantic Records) and a third hit single "Toes" climbing the charts at #19 this week on Hot Country.

Last August, Zac Brown Band performed to a sold out crowd at New York City's 250-body Mercury Lounge. This year, they will return to the city headlining the 3,000 person-capacity Terminal 5 during the CMJ Music Marathon. With many amphitheaters and arenas booked across the country, this tour will bring the Zac Brown Band to their largest audiences yet as headliners.

The tour will provide concert goers with the full Zac Brown Band experience: eat-and-greets featuring Zac cooking up his signature recipes for a few lucky fans in most markets, to performances by three up-and-coming Atlanta-based artists who have been signed by Zac Brown to his label Southern Ground Records: Sonia Leigh, Levi Lowrey and Nic Cowan. The shows will host various on-stage combinations of the musicians integrated throughout the event as Zac Brown Band will make appearances during each artist's set and invite them to join the full band later in the night.

"Obviously we're always working on our music, but with this tour we're building an experience that involves all senses," says Zac Brown of the tour. "When people come to our show, we want them to smell the food cooking, taste our favorite recipes, watch the light show, listen to some great new artists and feel our excitement - a full five-sense experience."

The Zac Brown band are widely respected for their live shows and musicianship:

"These Georgia boys know how to put on a show." - Rolling Stone

"...this show emphasized musicianship." New York Times

"They are a local legend and are an incredible band. If y'all have a chance to see them, do it." - Atlanta Journal Constitution

Here's a quick peak at upcoming dates this fall. For full 2009 tour details visit: ZacBrownBand.com

UPCOMING ZAC BROWN BAND TOUR DATES:

• Fri., Sept. 4th - Duluth, GA - Wild Bill's (FREE & Presented by Verizon Wireless Championship Racing)
• Thurs., Sept. 17th - Bloomington, IL - US Cellular Coliseum*
• Fri., Sept. 18th - Montgomery, AL - Riverwalk Amphitheatre (FREE & ESPN Bassmaster Elite Series Event)
• Sat., Sept. 19th - Indianapolis, IN - Lucas Oil Field*
• Thurs., Sept. 24th - Cary, NC - Koka Booth Amphitheatre
• Fri., Sept. 25th - Simpsonville, SC - Heritage Park
Amphitheatre
• Sat, Sept. 26th - Charlotte, NC - Uptown Amphitheatre
• Sun, Sept 27th - Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion (WPOC Fall Fest)
• Fri., Oct. 2nd - Grand Prairie, TX - Nokia Theatre
• Sat., Oct 3rd - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Music Festival
• Sun., Oct. 4th - Oklahoma City, OK - Zoo Amphitheatre (on sale 8/29)
• Fri., Oct. 9th - Knoxville, TN - World's Fair Park
• Sat., Oct. 10th - Charleston, SC - Family Circle Magazine Stadium
• Sun., Oct. 11th - Portsmouth, VA - Ntelos Pavilion (on sale 8/28)
• Fri., Oct. 16th - Boston, MA - Agganis Arena (on sale 8/28)
• Sat., Oct. 17th - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center
• Sat., Oct. 24th - New York, NY - Terminal 5 (on sale 8/28)
• Sat. Oct. 31 - Talladega Superspeedway, AL- AMP Energy 500 race weekend
• Thurs., Nov. 12th - Augusta, GA - Bell Theatre
• Sun., Nov. 15th - St. Petersburg, FL - Ribfest @ Vinoy Park (on sale TBD)

AUGUST 24, 2009

The Zac Brown Band Offers Fans A Taste Of Bonnaroo On Exclusive iTunes EP

Live recordings of the Zac Brown Band's critically praised performance at this year's Bonnaroo will be available on August 4th as an iTunes exclusive EP. The package will feature performances of two songs from the band's RIAA gold-certified, major label debut 'The Foundation' (Atlantic Records), which peaked at #11 on the Billboard 200 this week.

"When Brown crooned lyrics like 'Not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand/ Life is good today,' he pretty much nailed the sentiment of everyone at the [Bonnaroo] fest for day one," praised Rolling Stone.

Watch a montage of their performance:
Billboard.Blogs.com

Track Listing

1. Toes
2. Free / Into the Mystic
3. The Devil Went Down to Georgia
4. Who Knows*

*Who Knows (video) - iTunes exclusive only

The digital EP will be available to all other outlets August 11th.

In addition to their their #1 platinum single "Chicken Fried" and #1 gold single "Whatever It Is," the Zac Brown Band's current single "Toes" is climbing the charts at #28 this week on Hot Country. The band has also been named the Academy of Country Music Awards' Top New Vocal Group and their video for "Chicken Fried" was donned CMT's USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year.

JUNE 25, 2009

Zac Brown Band Reaches New High At #12 On The Billboard 200 With 'The Foundation'

After 31 weeks on the charts, Zac Brown Band's RIAA gold-certified debut 'The Foundation' (Atlantic Records) has hit a new high this week at #12 on The Billboard 200.

The chart spike came following the band's fan-voted win at the CMT Awards last week, where their #1 Platinum single "Chicken Fried" was crowned USA Weekend's Breakthrough Video of the Year. The Zac Brown Band was also awarded many kind words for their performances at both CMA Fest and Bonnaroo earlier this month:

"...when Brown crooned lyrics like "Not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand/ Life is good today," he pretty much nailed the sentiment of everyone at the fest for day one." - Rolling Stone

"Brown delivered a set that alternated between light as air sing-a-longs and extended major key guitar-fiddle-keyboard jams." Spin.com

JUNE 17, 2009

Zac Brown Band Wins USA Weekend Breakthrough Video Of The Year

Last night, the fans spoke and crowned the Zac Brown Band's "Chicken Fried" as CMT's winner of the USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year. Directed by actor/director Clifton Collins Jr. (Star Trek, Capote, Traffic), "Chicken Fried" was the band's first music video and went on to become a #1 platinum single.

"We want to thank our fans because without you supporting us and buying our album, we wouldn't have a life in music," expressed Zac Brown as the band accepted the award.

This award marks the second fan-voted win for the Zac Brown Band this year after taking home the Top New Vocal Group honor at the Academy of Country Music Awards in April.

Zac Brown Band's gold-certified, major label debut 'The Foundation' is out now on Atlantic Records.

MAY 20, 2009

Zac Brown Band Lands Second Top Ten Hit, Two CMT Nominations

With the certified #1 platinum debut single "Chicken Fried" on their resume, the Zac Brown Band is charging up Billboard's County Chart this month with their second single "Whatever It Is" at #8 this week.

CMT also announced this week that the Zac Brown Band's video for "Chicken Fried," which was directed by Clifton Collins Jr., has made it to the final round of voting for two fan-voted 2009 CMT Music Awards: Group Video of the Year and USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year.

Voting is open and will continue through June 15. The winners will be announced live from the 2009 CMT Music Awards show broadcast from Nashville on Tuesday, June 16 at 8 p.m. ET on CMT and CMT.com.

Zac Brown Band's gold-certified, major label debut 'The Foundation' is out now on Atlantic Records.

APRIL 20, 2009

Zac Brown Band’s ‘The Foundation’ Goes Gold, Performance On Leno April 29

Fresh off winning the Academy of Country Music’s Top New Group award, Zac Brown Band’s major label debut ‘The Foundation’ (Atlantic Records) has received its official RIAA gold certification for surpassing 500,000 copies in sales.

Zac Brown Band will celebrate with a performance of their latest single “Whatever It Is” on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on April 29.

In other ZBB news, the band’s video for their #1 platinum single “Chicken Fried” is nominated for two fan-voted 2008 CMT Music Awards: Group Video of the Year and USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year.

The first round of voting is open at CMT.com through May 11. The top four contenders in each category will be announced on May 19 and automatically nominated for the 2009 CMT Music Awards show broadcast live from Nashville on June 17 at 8 p.m. ET.

APRIL 2, 2009

Win A Recording Session with Zac Brown Band at Bonnaroo

Zac Brown Band, Bonnaroo Music Festival and Country Music Television (CMT) have announced the “The Bonnaroo Music Festival Flyaway with Zac Brown Band Sweepstakes.” One lucky winner (and their guest) will receive a five day/ four night Bonnaroo getaway, including flights, hotel, two tickets to the Festival AND the opportunity to meet and record a song with Zac Brown Band at a mobile studio backstage.

The Sweepstakes are open for entries until 11:59:59 PM (CDT) on May 22, 2009. Full details and eligibility are available at: http://www.cmt.com/interact/sweepstakes/bonnaroo-with-zac-brown-band/

Zac Brown Band is nominated for the fan-voted Academy of Country Music’s Top New Artist Award. Voting is open at VoteACM.com until the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards Ceremony goes live on CBS on Sunday, April 5th at 8:00pm ET/PT.

Zac Brown Band’s major label debut ‘The Foundation’ on Atlantic Records has already sold over 350,000 copies and their debut #1 single “Chicken Fried” is certified platinum by the RIAA.

The Bonnaroo Music and Arts festival takes place June 11-14 in Manchester, TN. This year's lineup features over a 100 acts including Bruce Springsteen, Phish, Elvis Costello, Merle Haggard and Lucinda Williams. For more info visit www.bonnaroo.com

MARCH 31, 2009

Zac Brown Band Celebrates First Platinum Single, Pollstar Cover, Top New Artist Nomination

Zac Brown Band's debut single "Chicken Fried" has officially received its RIAA Platinum certification for surpassing one million sales. "'Chicken Fried' is a testament to Brown's lyrical ability, it's one of those songs that galvanizes crowds to sing at the top of their lungs" (Relix).

In this week's Pollstar cover story, front man Zac Brown tells the magazine, "I'm a lifetime musician. I dedicate my life to the music and everybody in my band does."

Read the full article at: http://tinyurl.com/ZBB-Pollstar.

The band is also in the midst of a fan-voted race to become the Academy of Country Music's Top New Artist and will play a full set at the free-access ACM Weekend on Freemont Street in Las Vegas, Nev. on Saturday, April 3rd at 7:40pm.

Voting is open at VoteACM.com and continues right up until the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards Ceremony goes live on Sunday, April 5th at 8:00pm ET/PT. Broadcast on CBS, the winner will be announced live at the ceremony.

Zac Brown Band's major label debut 'The Foundation' on Atlantic Records has already sold over 350,000 copies.

MARCH 9, 2009

Zac Brown Band Wins Top New Vocal Group Award, Nominated For Top New Artist Award By Academy Of Country Music

The Academy of Country Music Awards today announced that the Zac Brown Band has won the fan-voted nomination for Top New Vocal Duo or Group - joining the company of previous winners Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town and Sugarland - and will go on to contend for the honors of Top New Artist.

Fan voting will open on March 16th at VoteACM.com and close on April 5th. The winner of this category will be named at the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards Ceremony on Sunday, April 5th beginning at 8:00pm ET/PT on CBS.

Tune in March 19th: Zac Brown Band will perform on GAC-TV's "ACM Top New Artists" special hosted by Sara Evans at 10pm ET.

Zac Brown Band's major label debut 'The Foundation' out now on Atlantic Records.

JULY 22, 2008

ZAC BROWN BAND BRINGS A SOUTHERN VOICE TO LA'S TROUBADOUR ON JULY 21, 2008

— New York, NY. (Shore Fire Media)

The Zac Brown Band plays over 200 shows a year, and as one journalist put it, they "might just be one of the hardest-working group of guys in the business. How else do you describe a guy who can make his band sound like Jimmy Buffett, Bob Marley, Robert Earl Keen and James Taylor, often within the course of two or three songs?" (Post Courier, SC)

Equal parts country, bluegrass, southern rock, pop and reggae, the Zac Brown Band has a sound that rocks crowds everywhere it plays.

"It's kind of crazy how we can go to a place where no one's heard of us before and by the time we leave people are singing the songs," bandleader Zac Brown says.

While the Zac Brown Band has opened for everyone from Sugarland and The Allman Brothers, to B.B. King and Etta James, the group is in California in July supporting Alan Jackson with additional shows scheduled at the Konocti Harbour Amphitheater in Kelseyville (7.25); Pacific Amphitheater in Costa Mesa (7.26); and at the Midstate Fair in Paso Robles (7.27).

The Zac Brown Band brings its distinctive sound to L.A.'s Troubadour on July 21st performing songs from the forthcoming album 'The Foundation,' set for release in late summer.

Zac Brown Band is:
Zac Brown / Lead Vocals Acoustic Guitar
Jimmy De Martini / Fiddle
John Driskell Hopkins / Bass
Coy Bowles / Guitarist/Organist