You're Invited To: The Nash News' 23rd On The Verge Writer's Round

The Nash News will host its 23rd writer's round with independent and up-and-coming country artists this Thursday, April 20th from 6-9 p.m. in downtown Nashville at Assembly Food Hall in the Fifth and Broad complex.

Artists performing include Brian Goyette, Carly Zimmerman, Christen Ball, Bryan Ruby, Alyssa Tucker, Sofie Lynn, Hampton Hall, Virginia Louise, and Zach Ray. Get to know the artists and their music below.

Brian Goyette

A country singer/songwriter from Greendale, Wisconsin, Brian has had a passion for music all his life. He began listening to country music in his early teens, and soon after picked up a guitar at the age of 14. In 2018, he started posting videos to social media and gained a following and attention from various different avenues in the music industry. He is currently located in Nashville, and his musical influences include 2000’s country artists like Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, and Jason Aldean, but also modern country artists like Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, and Riley Green.

Carly Zimmerman

Carly is a songwriter from Dallas, Texas. Before settling in Nashville, Carly lived and worked in Europe and the Middle East as an event operations manager but always looked to put her music degree to good use! Carly owns the custom songwriting business Carly Z Creative and would love to help you give the most unique gift ever to someone special in your life by writing them a custom song! Visit www.carlyzcreative.com for more info.

Christen Ball

Christen Ball is a music artist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in Nashville, TN. Her music explores themes of hope, faith, honesty, wisdom, hurt, and forgiveness. With influences like The Beatles, Radiohead, and The Moody Blues, Christen brings a “music as art” authenticity to her sound—a spectrum of Psychedelic Rock, Americana, and Brit-pop—all with an acoustic bend. Christen has shared her music throughout the US (she has played live in the US over 100 times this year alone), as well as in England, Israel, India, Haiti, and China. She is married to Michael Ball (who is the drummer in her band).

Bryan Ruby

Bryan Ruby is a trailblazing professional baseball player and rising Country music artist based in Nashville. As a songwriter, Bryan has penned songs that have appeared on the Texas Country Top 50 chart and the iTunes Country Top 25, and songs he has written have been featured on both Huffington Post and People Magazine. As an artist, he won season 7 of the talent-search competition Nashville Rising Song and is preparing for the release of his upcoming debut EP. Bryan's first single, Left Field, was featured on The TODAY Show and added to rotation on SiriusXM Country Pride, as well as the Academy of Country Music's Ultimate Pride Playlist. He recently completed a Stadium Tour singing the National Anthem and performing pregame and postgame concerts at ballparks around the country. In 2021, he became the only active professional baseball player to come out as gay, and his story was featured on the front page of USA Today and in hundreds of media outlets around the world including CBS, Yahoo, Bleacher Report, and Teen Vogue.

Alyssa Tucker

Alyssa Tucker hails from the great state of Texas! She moved to Nashville to pursue her dreams of creating music that would bring a smile to people’s faces. She received her degree in music and in 2022 released her first single “Sunny and 75."

Sofie Lynn

Wholesome storytelling, southern twang, and a touch of sweet California sunshine are what makeup Los Angeles Native and Nashville-based artist Sofie Lynn. Sofie has had honorable mentions in The Huffington Post, Country Living, People Magazine, and more. As a writer, her songs have had prestigious placements on the hit Paramount TV show Yellowstone, and have been used in over 720k videos on TikTok. Sofie Lynn's music closely follows her life, as she tells stories of her own journey from the heartbreak of losing her grandma, to the excitement of getting married. Her debut EP is sure to give you a deep dive into who she is, slated for release in late 2023.

Hampton Hall

Hampton Hall is a singer-songwriter that grew up in Alabama and dropped out of school and moved to Nashville last year. He was introduced to music at an early age by his father. Some of his earliest memories were in the studio as a toddler while his Dad was recording an album.

Virginia Louise

Virginia Louise brings introspective, guitar-driven anthems to a new level while working to inspire the world with her infectious heartfelt personality. Her songs have a lyrical composure similar to Maggie Rogers with musical elements inspired by Haim, Soccer Mommy, and classics like Sheryl Crow. She very clearly and intentionally draws from a heavy female influence of fantastic artists, and wants to inspire all others with her music just the same. You can hear in her lyrics the raw emotion that comes out of the vulnerable moments we face as humans, and you can’t help but relate while singing along to her melodies.

Zach Ray

Originally from Blanchard, Oklahoma. Zach Ray got his start singing on the stage at his home church. Raised on Country music and Jesus, you’ll find his songs focus on the important things in his life; God, his wife, family, and life in general. Currently, he is living in Nashville with his wife, Brittney. He released his first EP at the end of 2019, and his second EP "Roots" in the summer of 2022.

Do you like going to concerts? You can get $20 OFF your first order at SeatGeek! Use promo code: THENASHNEWS at checkout.

To hear more of country music’s best new releases, head to our Playlists Page and follow The Nash New Releases playlist on Spotify. For the latest in country music news follow The Nash News on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok, and don’t miss our brand-new newsletter!

Please note that this article may have affiliate links or The Nash News may receive compensation. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own.