MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL — Blending a soulful combination of vocals and story-rich lyrics, the Atlanta-based, 24-year old Alex Guthrie and his band have created a synergy of 70s, southern blues bands through an infusion of soul, folk and rock.

Today, Guthrie and his band will release his new single, “Is it Me”— a prelude to Guthrie’s in-process new album. The new song was recorded and engineered by Zac Brown Band founding member John Driskell Hopkins at Hopkins’ new studio, Brighter Shade Studios.

Guthrie’s band includes bass player Jonathan Norwood, drummer Dave Ragsdale and keyboardist Adam Holliday...

ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTUTITION — Jay Bailey saw the Black Panther character on screen two years ago while watching “Captain America: Civil War” on a flight from California to Atlanta.

The moment immediately transformed him from 40-year-old man to 12-year-old fan, he said. He wanted to give that same experience to kids once the Black Panther movie hit theaters.

ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE — On Feb. 15, Atlanta Business Chronicle's Phil W. Hudson sat down with the Atlanta-based singer-songwriter Alex Guthrie for a wide-ranging discussion.

Guthrie first gained national attention in 2017 through the American Family Insurance commercial that features him playing in Atlanta’s Woodruff Park when the Grammy Award-Winning singer and performer Jennifer Hudsonsurprises him and joins him in singing Bill Wither’s beloved “Lovely Day.”

Guthrie and his band have performed events including Milwaukee’s Summerfest, which was also featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Music. as well as the 30A Songwriter’s Festival in Florida. He recently played the Coca-Cola Roxy in Atlanta...

ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION — ChooseATL and the DeKalb Entertainment Commission are teaming up for “ChooseATL Tracklanta,” a competition that will send one aspiring musician to the ChooseATL House at SXSW on March 12 in Austin, Tex. Submissions will be accepted via SoundCloud through Feb. 23. There is no entry fee, but entrants must be at least 21, amateur, unsigned and not associated with a label or distribution company. And, you must hail from the Atlanta area.  Here is the link for your submissions.

ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION — John Driskell Hopkins speaks on his Grammy award and current Zac Brown Band Grammy nomination with the AJC's Melissa Ruggieri.

ATLANTA PATCH — If you've settled into a movie theater seat this holiday season, there's a good chance the big screen in front of you was showing scenes filmed in the Peach State. Two of the three top-grossing movies in theaters over Christmas weekend — "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" and "Pitch Perfect 3" — and three of the top 10, were filmed in Georgia. Top upcoming titles like "Black Panther" and "Den of Thieves," and recent smashes like "Baby Driver" and "Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2" also called Georgia home during filming.

WSB RADIO, "THE MONICA MATTHEWS SHOW" — Merry Christmas everyone! I’ve been on an extended vacay this past week. I managed however, to sit with one of my favorite Atlanta musicians to discuss his new holiday album. It’s not too late to order a great piece of art for your music collection and finish out your year with a big band bang! You can find him here.. www.johndriskellhopkins.com

90.1 WABE "CITY LIGHTS" (NPR) — You better watch out for John Driskell Hopkins! He’s a founding member of the Zac Brown Band, and he is back with his second Christmas album, which he recorded with the Joe Gransden Big Band. It’s called “You Better Watch Out!”and focuses on songs about Santa Claus.

OZ MAGAZINE — The new DeKalb Entertainment Commission officially launched in October with an event welcoming hundreds of Georgia entertainment industry leaders and influencers. A division of Decide DeKalb, the DEC is charged with stimulating economic growth across the county in film, television, music and digital entertainment (gaming).

STOMP AND STAMMER — Zac Brown Band bassist John Driskell Hopkins has a fun new Christmas album, titled You Better Watch Out!, featuring Atlanta’s own Joe Gransden (pictured here with Hopkins) and his Big Band.

It’s a mix of styles, with a jazz ensemble backing a country and bluegrass crooner as he interprets his favorite holiday classics. This team-up does wonders with the greatest redneck Christmas carol of them all, “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer.” Hopkins revises the work of Elmo and Patsy with help from one of the world’s best banjo pickers, Bela Fleck. The end result makes the most of the talent at hand without diminishing the song’s sense of humor.

GEROGIAMUSIC.ORG — John Driskell Hopkins (of the Zac Brown Band) has released his second Christmas album. While 2015’s In The Spirit was recorded with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra, You Better Watch Out is a collaboration with Atlanta’s esteemed Joe Gransden Big Band. The new holiday album also features appearances by Bela Fleck, Aofie O’Donovan, Daniel de los Reyes and fellow Zac Brown Band member Clay Cook. The songs are mostly familiar Christmas classics – “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Here Comes Santa Claus,” “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and so forth.

ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE — Zac Brown Band founding member John Driskell Hopkins has a new place to play when he’s not on the road with his three-time Grammy Award-winning band.

Hopkins recently opened Brighter Shade Studios, a 2,500-square-foot professional-grade recording studio to be exclusively used by Hopkins, his friends and colleagues in his home base of Atlanta. 

In addition to his work with Zac Brown Band, Hopkins is an artist-in-residence at Kennesaw State University, producer, actor and frontman of his own John Driskell Hopkins Band.