Time to Unwind

Country music singer Jerrod Niemann ready to give WWETT Show attendees, exhibitors a great show.
Time to Unwind
Jerrod Niemann

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It doesn’t matter if you’re a country music fan. Jerrod Niemann is going to pull you in when he hits the WWETT Show Industry Appreciation Party stage Feb. 19 in Indianapolis.

“You have to be aware of what you’re around,” says Niemann, country music star and entertainer for the party. “If you’re doing your own show or people are there just because of you it’s one thing. If you are part of a party that has already existed for many years, we try to be a chameleon of sorts. We’ll do our own songs, but we’ll also throw in a couple different ones, too, from rock and blues and everything.”

No matter what he sings, Niemann promises a fun time for everyone at the Indiana Convention Center’s Sagamore Ballroom.

“There’s just something to be said about being around people who are pretty much just like you — hardworking, small-town Americans,” Niemann says. “For me, I love being out there and hanging out with everybody.”

IN HIS BLOOD

Country music has always been in Niemann’s blood, and he thanks his mother for that: “I was doomed from the beginning hearing country music from the womb. My parents ran a bar when my mom was pregnant with me, and I think hearing all those country songs on the jukebox got me going.”

From an early age, Niemann was influenced by country acts such as Lefty Frizzell, Keith Whitley and George Strait. After graduating from high school, he attended South Plains College in Levelland, Texas, pursuing an Associate of Arts degree. He began his professional career by singing and playing acoustic guitar in Texas clubs and bars.

“I did that for about a year, just my guitar and me,” he says. “Then I moved to Nashville and started working out there. Music is one of those things where it’s such an amazing thing to be a part of that once you’ve been bitten by the bug, there is no way out of it. It’s just who you are.”

In 2010, Niemann signed with record label Arista Nashville and released his debut single, “Lover, Lover.” In August 2010 it hit No. 1 on the country charts.

Since then, Niemann has released four albums — Judge Jerrod & the Hung Jury; Free the Music; Yellow Brick Road; and High Noon. In 2013, his single “Drink to That All Night” hit No. 4 on the U.S. country charts and No. 1 on U.S. country airplay charts.

“I got my foot in the door writing songs in Nashville, and it’s always fun being able to write your own material,” Niemann says. “Every once in a while you find a song you wish you had written.”

NEW MUSIC

One of those songs is “Blue Bandana,” his newest single. The song will be a part of his new album set for release this year.

“When I heard the song, it just took me to so many cool places and really took me to a lot of cool faces, too,” Niemann says. The song tells the story of a fan attending concerts wearing the same blue bandana and the singer noticing it each time. “Just traveling this country, you see a lot of people who are kind enough to pack up in their cars and do a road trip, spending their hard-earned money to see us. I’ve never really done a song that is a thank-you to those folks out there, but this song does that.”

The new album will combine music he’s done before — a country/rock mix — and the more traditional country sound. “It’s a wide array of music,” Niemann says.

He’ll perform some of the new songs from that album at the WWETT Show and hopes everyone can relax and get their minds off work and anything else going on in their lives.

“The real world can be quite a hard place at times for people, and if we can be the guys to get that off their minds for at least 90 minutes, then we’ve done our jobs,” Niemann says. “I just always try to keep a thread of laughter and craziness at our shows if we can.”


Three nights of WWETT Show fun

You come to Indy for the tools and equipment, the people and excitement. It’s the one time of the year when the whole industry comes together. So let’s have a party.
COLE Publishing celebrates the occasion every year with the Industry Appreciation Party. It’s a chance for everyone to relax and enjoy themselves. This year, the WWETT Kickoff Party will give you two nights to enjoy leading up to the Industry Appreciation Party.

It all starts Wednesday, Feb. 17. After the final bell rings on Education Day, you can head over to Lucas Oil Stadium, connected to the Indiana Convention Center, for a cold beverage and complimentary hors d’oeuvres while you network with manufacturers and peers. The event will repeat on Thursday, Feb. 18. The hours are 5-8 p.m. on both nights.

Exhibitors have been invited to co-host the event along with COLE Publishing, and the COLE Pub truck will return to serve as the central bar. Attendees and exhibitors can kick back, relax, share stories or solve problems with industry peers.

“We are very excited to see how creative the co-hosts decide to be,” says Brad Bisnette, the show’s coordinator. “All will be providing a good time for sure.”

On Friday night, the focus will shift from Lucas Oil Stadium to the Sagamore Ballroom in the Indiana Convention Center for the Industry Appreciation Party. Country music star Jerrod Niemann will perform a private concert for WWETT attendees. Beers are a quarter and the show is free.

Visit www.wwettshow.com for complete details on the show. The Kickoff and Industry Appreciation parties are free for all registered attendees.



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