Kip Moore Debuts New Music, Hints At 2016 Album Release at Tin Pan South

Cornman Music was one of the most in-demand showcases at Tin Pan South and Kip Moore fans lined up for hours outside of Nashville’s The Bluebird Cafe on Friday (April 8), in hopes to catch the singer live in an intimate setting at NSAI’s 24th Annual Songwriters Festival.

Moore was joined by publisher and songwriter Brett James, Caitlyn Smith and Justin Weaver in the round at the famed venue for a memorable performance where he debuted new songs as well as revealed that he’s been working on a new album that he hopes to release later this year. James introduced Moore, likening him to a little brother, as he was the first artist he signed to Cornman Music nearly nine years ago. The country singer then kicked off the round with “Crazy One More Time” from his debut album Up All Night alone on acoustic guitar as the audience listened intently.

The nearly two-hour set was a reunion of sorts for the four songwriters, who called themselves the original crew as they were the first four signed to Cornman. They joked that they are way too involved in each other’s lives and those in attendance got an up-close look at the songwriting family as both Moore and James constantly poked fun at each other while Weaver and Smith shared often humorous anecdotes behind their hit songs.

Weaver recalled first hearing Gary Allan’s debut album Used Heart For Sale as a senior in high school in 1996 and instantly loved what he heard from the country singer.

“Fast forward 14 years later and it was awesome because I had a song out with Gary Allan,” he said as he prefaced his performance of Allan’s “Get Off On the Pain,” which was the title track from the singer’s eighth studio album. “It all came full circle.”

Smith wowed the crowd with her powerful and soulful vocals as she sang “Before You Called Me Baby,” which will be featured on her debut album out later this year. James raved about the singer, saying she has “the best voice I’ve ever heard come out of a woman in this town.”

James decided to make his performances in the round a tribute to American Idol, where he has seen much success having had artists from the show record 30 of his songs including Josh Gracin with “Stay with Me (Brass Bed),” Carrie Underwood’s “Something In the Water” and Kelly Clarkson’s “Mr. Know It All,” all of which he played last night.

“It’s changed American culture and my life,” he said of the televised reality singing competition.

Moore admitted that playing at the Bluebird makes him jittery before he debuted a new song called “Fast Women” where he sings of his life on the road while his friends are starting families. “All of my buddies yeah they’re settlin’ down/ Making deep roots in their no name towns/ They got kids, someday I want kids,” he sang. Later, when he offered to invite mom-to-be Smith on his tour this coming fall, the lines of his song were thrown back at him.

“All right, Kip. With a baby, Kip? You want to babysit?” she asked her songwriting friend.

While he didn’t quite rescind his offer he did pause to think about it.

“That last song I said one day I want kids, I don’t want them now,” he admitted. “I recently took my guitar player Dave and our drummer Erich . . . I wanted them to be able to take their kids for the first time on the bus. It was so awesome because I love hanging out with them but I love that I can give them back and I’ll go surf and do my thing.”

Throughout the evening, it was evident that the four songwriters were much more than colleagues, but were in fact like family. James explained that life as a songwriter is not as glamorous as it seems and while he’s had 500 of his songs recorded, he has written over 2,500 songs which amounts to about seven years of not making any money.

“I have a lot of crappy days. Most days it’s raining and you write a song that’s not a hit and you’re like, ‘Damn. I missed again,'” James explained.

And with that Moore told him to go get on his airplane and gave him a piece of his mind, all in good fun.

“Don’t even act like that’s a bad ratio. I sweat the charts. I don’t even want to hear that s–t,” Moore asserted, before easing up on his friend. “This is my first time being around Brett in a long time. Brett and I used to spend almost every single day together. You couldn’t pull us apart. When I signed we were together every single day. I think people were worried about us for a little while. There was a bromance going on. I’m so happy to be in this round right now.”

In between stories of a grill flying off his truck and James being his wingman when he had trouble turning down a girl, Moore played “That Was Us” off his sophomore album Wild Ones as well as another new song called “My Baby’s Gone.”

“I have been working on some new material trying to get together and make a record and put it out this year,” he revealed. “This song is that realization that they’re never coming back. It’s that moment when you really realize that they’re gone for good.”

The slow ballad saw Moore struggling to live his life without his girl by his side. In the song he name dropped Merle Haggard much to the approval of the audience.

“I never knew Merle Haggard’d make you feel this way in a song,” he sang.

Additional highlights throughout the night included a guest performance of Dierks Bentley’s “Somewhere On a Beach” by another Cornman writer, Josh Mirenda, which had the packed room singing along, as well as Smith’s “Like I’m Gonna Lose You,” which she wrote with Weaver and Meghan Trainor. James assisted on vocals for John Legend’s part on “Like I’m Gonna Lose You,” which was Smith’s first No. 1 as a writer.

James called the Bluebird the Mother Church of Songwriting so it was only appropriate that Smith close the evening at the venue with “This Town Is Killing Me,” her Nashville heartbreak song which discusses the highs and lows of life as a songwriter.

“There’s a part of us that wants to create and bare our souls but it can be really hard,” she conceded.

A statement many songwriters attending Tin Pan South can agree on, Smith’s voice captivated and the audience hung on every word.

Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival runs through Saturday, April 9.