The 13th Annual Hog's Breath Key West Songwriters Festival looms enticingly on the horizon. Presented by Cherry Heart Music and proudly supported by charter sponsor BMI, the event is slated for April 30 through May 4 in Key West, Florida. The festival revolves around five days and nights of more than 20 free shows, staged at an array of the island's most popular drinking holes and hot spots. Informal adaptations of Nashville's signature in-the-round acoustic showcases dominate much of the schedule, while this year, a street concert Saturday, May 3 featuring the Jeffrey Steele Band and Robert Earl Keen adds a Mardis Gras fillip to the mix.

BMI songwriters dominate the diverse lineups. Americana trendsetters including Robert Earl Keen, Raul Malo, Kim Richey and John Oates will perform alongside Nashville's most engaging and prolific hitmakers, including Jeffrey Steele (Rascal Flatts' "What Hurts the Most"), John Scott Sherrill (Steve Wariner's "Some Fools Never Learn"), Wendell Mobley (Rascal Flatts' "Fast Cars & Freedom"), Jamey Johnson (George Strait's "Give It Away"), Scotty Emerick (Toby Keith's "As Good As I Once Was"), David Lee (Tim McGraw's "I Need You," featuring Faith Hill), Keith Follese (Tim McGraw's "Something Like That"), Jim Beavers (Gary Allan's "Watching Airplanes"), Heather Little (Miranda Lambert's "Gunpowder and Lead"), Steve Bogard (Dierks Bentley's "Every Mile A Memory"), Bobby Pinson (Sugarland's "Want To"), Doug Johnson (Randy Travis's "Three Wooden Crosses"), Chas Sandford (John Waite's "Missing You"), Chuck Cannon (Toby Keith's "How Do You Like Me Now"), Max T. Barnes (Diamond Rio's "That's How Your Love Makes Me Feel"), Chuck Jones (Chris LeDoux's "Cadillac Ranch"), Rodney Clawson (Jason Aldean's "Why"), Gary Hannan (Joe Nichols's "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off"), Billy Yates (George Jones's "Choices"), Jerrod Niemann (Garth Brooks' "Good Ride Cowboy") and Dallas Davidson (Trace Adkins's "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk"), with Curb recording artist Lee Brice (Garth Brooks' "More Than A Memory"), singer/songwriters Heather Morgan, Stephanie Chapman and Lauren Lucas and Orange County rock outfit Lit's Jeremy Popoff.

For a complete list of sponsoring hotels, local businesses, schedules and participating songwriters, please visit www.keywestsongwritersfestival.com or call 305.296.4222.

Jim Beavers is the younger brother of contemporarily prolific producer, songwriter and musician Brett Beavers. "I'm not sure, but I believe I'm a bit younger than you were when you scored your first no. 1, Brett," Beavers quipped, "By about 19 days. Not that I'm counting, or anything."

Photos by John Russell

Rodney Atkins nailed the capstone on his red-letter year by receiving six nominations, including Top Male Vocalist, Album and Song of the Year. One of the feel-good stories of 2007, Atkins saw his ACM-nominated project If You're Going Through Hell achieve platinum status. After toiling in Nashville for 10 years in relatively ambiguity, the universally loved honky tonker's hard-earned recognition and fan-driven success slapped smiles on faces all over Music Row.

Duos Big & Rich and Sugarland each scored four nods. Charismatic and eclectic, Big & Rich earned recognition in the prestigious Top Vocal Duo category and Single, Song and Video of the Year for the poignant ballad "Lost in this Moment." Big Kenny landed an additional two nominations for his producing credits. Sugarland underscored their staying power with a Top Vocal Duo nod as well; the pair's stirringly original tune "Stay" became one of the industry's buzz songs, earning nominations for Single Record, Song and Video of the Year. Member Kristian Bush also earned recognition for his production of the tune.

Miranda Lambert and Taylor Swift snagged three nods each. Critical darling Lambert's nominations for Top Female Vocalist, Album and Single Record of the Year reflect both the growth of her audience and creativity. Country's favorite wunderkind Taylor Swift's nominations reflect the strength of her year: nods in both Top Female Vocalist and Top New Female Vocalist reiterate the breakout strength of her year.

BMI affiliates swept both the Top Vocal Duo and Top New Male Vocalist categories. Duo nominees include Brooks & Dunn, Halfway to Hazard and Montgomery Gentry; Luke Bryan, Jack Ingram and Jake Owen will vie for the Top New Male Vocalist prize.

Additional BMI nominees include Keith Urban for Entertainer of the Year and Top Male Vocalist; Rascal Flatts, also for Entertainer of the Year plus Top Vocal Group; Martina McBride and Carrie Underwood for Top Female Vocalist; Diamond Rio, the Eagles and Little Big Town for Top Vocal Group; Sarah Buxton for Top New Female Vocalist; Lady Antebellum and The Wreckers for Top New Duo Vocal Group; Gary Allan and his latest no. 1 single "Watching Airplanes" for Single Record of the Year; producers Tony Brown, Mark Wright, Nathan Chapman, Scott Borchetta, John Hobbs, Justin Niebank and Byron Gallimore; songwriters Rodney Clawson and Keith Anderson for co-penning Big & Rich's "Lost in this Moment"; as well as Tim McGraw, Vince Gill and Sheryl Crow in the Vocal Event of the Year category.

2008 BMI ACM Award Nominees

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Rascal Flatts
Keith Urban

TOP MALE VOCALIST
Rodney Atkins
Keith Urban

TOP FEMALE VOCALIST
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

TOP VOCAL GROUP
Diamond Rio
Eagles
Little Big Town
Rascal Flatts

TOP VOCAL DUO
Big & Rich
Brooks & Dunn
Halfway To Hazard
Montgomery Gentry
Sugarland

TOP NEW MALE VOCALIST
Luke Bryan
Jack Ingram
Jake Owen

TOP NEW FEMALE VOCALIST
Sarah Buxton
Taylor Swift

TOP NEW DUO OR VOCAL GROUP
Lady Antebellum
The Wreckers

ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company]
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Miranda Lambert (Columbia)

If You're Going Through Hell
Rodney Atkins (Curb)
Co-produced by Rodney Atkins

Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift (Big Machine)
Produced by Scott Borchetta, Nathan Chapman

SINGLE RECORD OF THE YEAR [Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company]
Famous In A Small Town"
Miranda Lambert
Columbia

Lost In This Moment"
Big & Rich
Co-produced by Big Kenny
Warner Bros/WRN

"Stay"
Sugarland
Co-produced by Kristian Bush, Byron Gallimore
Mercury

"Watching Airplanes"
Gary Allan
Co-produced by Gary Allan, Mark Wright
MCA Nashville

SONG OF THE YEAR [Award to Composer(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]
"Don't Blink"
Co-written by Casey Beathard
Publishers: Lavender Zoo Music (BMI), Sony/ATV Acuff
Rose (BMI)

"Lost In This Moment"
Big & Rich
Co-written by Keith Anderson, Rodney Clawson
Publishers: Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI), Writer's Extreme Music (BMI)

"Watching You"
Rodney Atkins
Co-written by Rodney Atkins, Steve Dean
Publishers: Bethar Music (BMI), Mike Curb Music (BMI)

"Stay"
Sugarland

VIDEO OF THE YEAR [Award to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]
"Lost In This Moment"
Big & Rich
Co-produced by Big Kenny

"Stay"
Sugarland
Producer: Kristian Bush, Byron Gallimore

"Watching You"
Rodney Atkins

VOCAL EVENT OF THE YEAR [Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company]
"Because Of You"
Produced by Tony Brown
MCA Nashville

"Find Out Who Your Friends Are"
Featuring Tim McGraw

"What You Give Away"
Vince Gill With Sheryl Crow
Produced by Vince Gill, John Hobbs, Justin Niebank
MCA Nashville

“Don’t Blink” marked yet another No. 1 hit for 2007 BMI Country Publisher of the Year Sony ATV. Pictured are (l to r): BMI’s Jody Williams, Casey Beathard and Sony ATV’s Troy Tomlinson.

“BMI’s Jody Williams (right) welcomed songwriter Casey Beathard (left) to the party.

“Don’t Blink” co-writer Chris Wallin drew warm applause.

BMI songwriter Casey Beathard grinned as he shared the story behind his most recent No. 1.

Pictured at the late afternoon bash are (l to r): BMI’s Jody Williams, co-writer Chris Wallin, BMI songwriter Casey Beathard, producer Buddy Cannon and Sony ATV’s Troy Tomlinson.

Photos by John Russell

That probably says it well enough. But in case further explanation helps, we’re talking about that intersection where Chuck Berry rock and George Jones country converge. We’re talking about love songs that veer off the beaten path with honest slices of rural imagery and humor.

It’s a place on the musical map that’s entirely familiar but just a little too rowdy, a little too much fun (and in truth, too rooted in tradition) to be called mainstream country

If you’ve heard Summar’s 2000 debut album, the critically acclaimed Trent Summar & The New Row Mob, or seen his raucous live act in recent years, you may already be a staunch farm rock adherent.

If not, there’s a good chance you know Summar by his work anyway. As a songwriter, he’s had cuts recently on quite a few records, including Billy Currington’s popular sophomore album, Doin’ Something Right ("She Knows What to Do With a Saturday Night"), and Gary Allan’s 2003 release See If I Care ("Guys Like Me"). “Love You,” which Summar co-wrote with pal Jay Knowles, is currently on the charts as a single for Jack Ingram.

All this brings us to Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, Summar’s latest recorded effort and his first with the Tex-centric independent label Palo Duro Records. It features several songs cut by other artists, including a take on “Love You” that will give fans of Ingram’s recording something new to chew on. “My daddy likes my version better!” Summar boasts.

Like the rural-Tennessee native’s earlier work, humorous tones run throughout this album. “I like a clever country song, and I don’t mean goofy songs … Of course, I’m the guy who wrote ‘Pink John Deere’,” Summar says of his ode to a female FFA honcho.

Most often, the jokes aren’t for the sake of themselves; humorous lines on the album have a way of revealing the sometimes-sordid realities of small town life and love. Like the opening line of “Never Really Loved Her Anyway”: “If there ain’t at least 10 beer cans in your front yard …”

While Summar’s sharp songwriting is a focal point of Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, one cover will likely catch listeners’ attention. It’s a punched-up treatment of the classic “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” Summar says, “It’ll probably make some people mad, some people smile. At least it gets a reaction.”

The entire batch of songs, it seems, was recorded with maximum reaction in mind; it is not a timid production. With veteran songwriter and producer Rand Bishop at the helm, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades lays it all out there: Summar’s vocal performances are full of life and a sense of fun, and a cast of top-flight players keeps the riffs coming. No question — the chops are purely big league all around. But Bishop, Summar and band keep Horseshoes & Hand Grenades from becoming a too-slicked-up affair.

Several Nashville luminaries shine on the album, including Raul Malo, who contributes harmony vocals on “Guys Like Me,” and Brooks & Dunn steel guitarist Gary Morse, whose tasty playing can be heard throughout.

The core group of players isn’t shabby, either. Ken McMahan is on guitar. “He’s the best smash-mouth guitar player I’ve ever heard,” says Summar. That’s saying something, considering that former Georgia Satellites hero Dan Baird is in the band, too (“He’s not bad,” Summar says in obvious understatement.). Dave Kennedy, formally of Walk the West and the lone holdover from Summar’s debut release, is on drums while Michael “Supe” Granda, a founding member of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils and co-writer of two of the album’s tracks, plays bass and provides background vocals.

As good as the group is in the studio, Summar says it’s the live performance that reminds him how fortunate a front-man he is. “When I leave the stage after playing with these guys, I can be totally satisfied … It’s all I ever wanted to do.”

Horseshoes & Hand Grenades should propel Summar and his band toward a busy touring schedule in the coming months. His debut album (recorded with a different cast of musicians) certainly gave Summar the chance to get out on the road. While Music Row standards for record sales can be pretty outlandish, Trent Summar & The New Row Mob was by all reasonable accounts quite a success: It put him and his band on regular rotation on CMT. It got him a spot on the Grand Ole Opry. It led to tours of Europe and Japan — and Texas, where The New Row Mob’s sound earned Summar a fervent base of fans.

With the songwriting breakthroughs Summar has enjoyed since his first record, he is likely poised for even greater returns this time around. Regardless, Summar realizes that he’s managed to carve out a fairly enviable life in the Nashville scene — a healthy balance of songwriting and publishing, solo recording and performing.

And for Summar, there’s no notion of retreat. “I’m a lifer. This is what I’m going to do.”

Pictured after the dinner are BMI's Mark Mason, Moonkiss Music's Brandi Warden (and Monte Warden's wife), "Desperately" co-writer Monte Warden, country artist Kelly Willis, "Desperately" co-writer Bruce Robison and BMI's Paul Corbin.

The "Million-Air" celebration was held at Eddie V's restaurant in Austin during the recent SXSW Music Conference. Based on an average song length of three minutes, one million spins is equivalent to 50,000 hours or 5.7 years of continuous airplay.

Among Robison's other songwriting credits are cuts by Lee Ann Womack, Gary Allan, his wife Kelly Willis, and the #1 singles "Angry All The Time" by Tim McGraw and "Travelin' Soldier" by the Dixie Chicks.

Warden won his first Austin Music Award for Best New Band at the age of 15 with his trio Whoa Trigger! After that, Warden played with the Wagoneers, who landed a major label deal with A&M at the first ever SXSW conference in 1986. His solo projects include his self-titled debut in 1993, 1995's Here I Am and Another Try in 1998.

Brooks & Dunn	Sugarland	Little Big Town

In addition to the veteran duo, new faces dominated many of the categories this year, from Sugarland's Top New Vocal Duo or Group, Album, Single Record and Song of the Year nominations, to Rascal Flatt's first-ever Entertainer of the Year nod, adding to the trio's total of four ACM nominations (including Top Vocal Group, Album and Song).

Miranda Lambert	Julie Roberts	Carrie Underwood

Newcomers Miranda Lambert, Julie Roberts and Carrie Underwood are all contenders for Top New Female Vocalist, while Underwood gained an impressive Top Female Vocalist nomination as well. Comeback kids Little Big Town continue to plunge through their life-changing year with nominations for Top Vocal Group and Top New Duo or Vocal Group.

Rascal Flatts	Gary Allan	Mark Wright

BMI writers vying for the Song of the Year trophy include Sugarland's Kristian Bush for "Baby Girl," Ronnie Dunn for "Believe," Doug Johnson for the Rascal Flatts' hit "Skin (Sarabeth)" and George Teren for "When I Get Where I'm Going" by Dolly Parton.

Keith Urban	Toby Keith	Tim McGraw

Songwriter/producer/artist Gary Allan received praise for his moving release, Tough All Over, nominated for Album of the Year; he also scored a Single Record of the Year nomination for "Best I Ever Had." Mark Wright, the album's co-producer, hopes to share the spotlight with Allan.

Faith Hill	Big and Rich	Byron Gallimore

Fan favorites Keith Urban and Toby Keith earned two nods each and will face off in the Entertainer of the Year category, while Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's collaboration "Like We Never Loved at All" landed the couple a Vocal Event of the Year nomination.

Other BMI nominees included Big and Rich, who garnered three mentions, and producer Byron Gallimore, who secured yet another nomination for Producer of the Year.

The 41st Annual Academy of Country Music Awards will air live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Tuesday, May 23 at 8:00pm ET/PT on CBS.

BMI's 41st Annual ACM Nominees:

Entertainer of the Year
Brooks & Dunn
Toby Keith
Rascal Flatts
Keith Urban

Top Male Vocalist
Keith Urban

Top Female Vocalist
Sara Evans
Martina McBride
Carrie Underwood

Top Vocal Group
Alabama
Little Big Town
Lonestar
Rascal Flatts
Sugarland

Top Vocal Duo
Big & Rich
Brooks & Dunn
Montgomery Gentry
The Warren Brothers

Top New Male Vocalist
Jason Aldean
Craig Morgan

Top New Female Vocalist
Miranda Lambert
Julie Roberts
Carrie Underwood

Top New Duo or Vocal Group
Big & Rich
Little Big Town
Sugarland

Album of the Year
Feels Like Today
Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts, producer

There's More Where That Came From
Byron Gallimore, producer

Tough All Over
Gary Allan
Mark Wright and Gary Allan, producers

Twice the Speed of Life
Sugarland

Single Record of the Year
"Baby Girl"
Sugarland

"Believe"
Brooks & Dunn
Tony Brown, Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks, producers

"Best I Ever Had"
Gary Allan
Mark Wright and Gary Allan, producers

"Jesus Take the Wheel"
Carrie Underwood

Song of the Year
"Baby Girl"
Sugarland
Kristian Bush, writer
Dirkpit Music

"Believe"
Brooks & Dunn
Ronnie Dunn, writer
Sony/ATV Tree Publishing Co. and Showbilly Music

"Jesus Take the Wheel"
Carrie Underwood

"Skin (Sarabeth)"
Rascal Flatts
Doug Johnson, writer
Mike Curb Music/Sweet Radical Music

"When I Get Where I'm Going"
Dolly Parton
George Teren, writer
House of Full Circle Music Publishing

Video of the Year
"As Good As I Once Was"
Toby Keith

"Believe"
Brooks & Dunn

"I May Hate Myself in the Morning"
Trey Fanjoy, director

"Kersosene"
Miranda Lambert
Trey Fanjoy, director

"When I Get Where I'm Going"
Dolly Parton

Vocal Event of the Year
"I Play Chicken with the Train"
Big & Rich
Big Kenny, producer

"Like We Never Loved at All"
Faith Hill with Tim McGraw
Faith Hill, producer

"When I Get Where I'm Going"
Dolly Parton

Producer of the Year
Byron Gallimore

Audio Engineer of the Year
Justin Niebank

Musicians of the Year
Bass
Mike Brignardello
David Hungate
Larry Paxton

Fiddle
Glen Duncan
Larry Franklin
Rob Hajacos
Aubrey Haynie
Jonathan Yudkin

Guitar
J.T. Corenflos
Kenny Greenberg

Piano/Keyboards
Gordon Mote
Reese Wynans

Specialty Instrument
Eric Darken
Jim Hoke
Jim Horn
Rob Ickes

Steel Guitar
Paul Franklin
Sonny Garrish
John Hughey
Mike Johnson

Just listen to his latest release, Next Five Miles (Cream-Style Records), and you’ll understand. Part John Prine — with whom he writes — part Van Morrison, part Stevie Ray Vaughn, yet wholly, unequivocally Pat McLaughlin, Next Five Miles is grown-up, literate soul/pop/cool.

Next Five Miles opens with “Hey, Yeah,” an adult feel-good anthem. “Just Getting By,” with its loping, rise-above-the-fray cinematic quality makes you feel good about the struggle. The of “Little Grass Shack” conjures up Vaughn with Elvis Costello as his channel, and “Mornin’ Train” reincarnates Sam Cooke as Morrison. This is, quite simply, magnificent music for the mature music fan.

And though McLaughlin may not be on the tip of the average music consumer’s tongue, he, for a couple of decades, has been many a musicians’ favorite musician. He’s even been called the greatest rhythm guitar player on the planet. He plays rhythm — he calls it “chunking” — with some venerated bluegrassers, including Tim O’Brien and Ronnie McCoury. And McLaughlin even got a gig as a rhythm player for the last round of the American Recording sessions with Johnny Cash. “That was probably the biggest reward for learning to chunk,” he says.

Besides being a revered under-the-radar artist — an anonymity he nearly escaped with a Capitol recording deal in the mid ’80s — he’s also a heralded songwriter with about 40 cuts. Not bad for a guy who doesn’t really do the Nashville songwriting thing. Delbert McClinton and Tanya Tucker had a hit with “Tell Me About It.” Steve Wariner had a #1 with “Lynda,” and Texafornian Gary Allan recently took McLaughlin’s “Songs About Rain” into the top five. Alan Jackson cut “It’s Alright To Be a Redneck,” and, just to show how deep is his soul, McLaughlin has even been covered by blues icon Taj Mahal.

The Waterloo, Iowa native credits his parents for giving him his start in the business. “I got a lot of encouragement from my parents to play music,” he says. “I came from a family who liked to just sit around and sing songs.”