MATT FARRIS
With an unparalleled passion for country music, it comes as no surprise that Skytone
Entertainment artist Matt Farris's career has gotten off to a promising start. A heart for helping
those in need paired with an incredible talent and positive energy has allowed for the early and
natural growth of a significant fan base. All of these characteristics have given Farris a strong
foundation on which to build his career – one that, at the hands of another, was almost
instantaneously taken away.
Entertaining family and friends from the moment he spoke his first word, Farris's passion for
entertainment has always been apparent. With an early exchange of lullabies for classic country
tunes sung by his mother Sandra, the Lake Havasu City, Arizonanative has ever since
gravitated toward the genre.
After graduating high school, Farris moved to Flagstaff to attend Northern Arizona University
and later to Phoenix where he became an emergency medical technician and certified fire fighter
through The Glendale Community College Fire Academy – all the while continuing to work on
his music. His plight for country music stardom, however, nearly came to a tragic end when an
altercation with two strangers trying to steal his father's truck left both Farris and his father shot.
"There were a few men looking to steal my dad's truck. We tried to stop them... At one point,
one of the men pulled out a gun and shot. My dad stepped in front of me and the bullet went
through him and into me. We were both extremely fortunate our injuries weren't more serious."
The incident put the importance of family and music into perspective for Farris, who formed a
band with his father and grandfather – both musicians themselves. Eager to get back to his
music, Farris began playing out around Phoenix, continuing to build his career and fan base. In
2010, he surprised the band by entering the Colgate Country Showdown, making it into the
Arizona State Finals. Encouraged by his success, Farris made the move to Nashville to further
his career in 2011.
In late 2011, Farris came to the attention of Skytone Entertainment owner and veteran producer
Frank Green. His first single, Redneck Radio, saw placement in both the Billboard Indicator
(peak #56) and Music Row (peak #) charts, as well as holding a position at #1 on the Indie
World Country chart four weeks in a row. His current single, Resident Redneck, continues to
ascend and was recently nominated for industry trade New Music Weekly's New Music
Country Single of the Year Award. Radio and industry trades aren't the only ones that have
taken notice – on February 1
st
, the cast of Country Music Television's (CMT) My Big Redneck
Family sported Matt Farris shirts on an all new episode.
Farris continues to play live as much as possible, sharing the stage with Darryl Worley, Trent
Tomlinson, Adam Gregory, Keith Anderson and Colt Ford. This summer he opened for Jason
Aldean, Tyler Farr, Joe Diffie,and Gord Bamford on the main stage at Country Thunder in Florence, Arizona. Despite a full schedule,
Farris still finds time to give back, supporting both the Make a Wish Foundation and the
American Cancer Society – focusing on Breast Cancer Awareness. After losing friend Denise to the disease, he started Denise's Day – an annual benefit in his hometown which can be seen at www.denisesday.org
"Giving back is extremely important to me. I love everything about what I do. But, more than
anything, I love that it allows me a platform to better help those that need it. My music gives
others a voice... I love my job."
Brandon Maddox
From sharing the stage with CMA nominee superstar Brett Eldredge, a recording featured in the Michael Ealy film Unconditional, acclaimed performances at clubs and festivals across the nation, to appearing on TV and radio shows in major markets and recordings produced by Doug Sisemore (Reba McEntire’s music director and band mate), recording artist/singer/songwriter Brandon Maddox has quickly established himself as one of country music’s rising stars. On the verge of breaking out nationally with his new recording The Bigger The Wheels, The Better The Man, the single has been selected as "The Monster Truck Song of 2014." The go-to song that celebrates the country lifestyle, Brandon was named the "2014 Lucas Oil Monster Truck Artist of the Year" and will be performing at all Lucas Oil Monster Truck Nationals and 4 Wheel Jamboree events. In just a few short weeks, the song has garnered airplay and Brandon has been featured on TV and radio shows across the country including Fox TV’s Good Day Chicago, NBC's WRCB TV 3/Chattanooga, KARK 4/Little Rock & WMTV15/ Madison, WCRX/Chicago, WTHI/Terra Haute and KKYY 101.3 Country/ Sioux City. The recording is featured on Brandon's new CD EP release also titled The Bigger The Wheels which is co-produced by Doug Sisemore and is also backed by Reba McEntire’s band. The single and EP are now available for digital download on iTunes, Amazon.com, CDBaby & BiggerTheWheels.com and for purchase at Brandon's live performances. In just a short period of time Brandon is generating buzz in music circles with his performance on the nationally syndicated World Cafe on NPR. His recording Honk, If You're Country was featured in Michael Ealy’s feature film Unconditional. Brandon's debut EP Weightless (also produced by Doug Sisemore) generated radio action including US101 Chattanooga and CMG Radio Network, as well as critical and fan acclaim. His celebrated live performances have earned Brandon fans and have included memorable shows with one of country music's hottest performers CMA nominee Brett Eldredge (the #1 gold record Don't Ya’). Brandon was a featured performer at Nashville Center Stage during the 2013 CMA Fan Fare, Shawnee Riverfest and CRS Nashville 2014, in addition to major country venues and festivals across America.
Casey Carpenter
Casey grew up in a state line town in South East Tennessee, frequently visiting Georgia and sometimes Alabama. His Father owned an auto part store where the radio stayed dialed in on the local country station. He was in church every time the doors were open, exposing him to old time hymns and Gospel standards. He credits his upbringing for sparking the interest in becoming a Songwriter.
Casey was on the front row of the very first concert he attended, which was Ronnie Milsap.
"We would drive two hours to Nashville just to get turned down" a quote from Casey referring to his early days of writing and seeking out a pub deal. The first nine years of writing and trips back and forth to Music City weren't kind, but hard work and persistence would prove to pay off.