Country Thunder — the largest Country music festival brand in North America —releases a brand-new episode of its fan favorite podcast, “On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer,” out now. For this latest installment, The Core Entertainment Co-Founders, industry-leading managers, and visionary entrepreneurs Simon Tikhman and Chief Zaruk chat with host Troy Vollhoffer about their successful partnership, respective journeys, managing some of the biggest new stars in Country, and what the future holds.
They divulge how The Core Entertainment initially came together. As the story goes, a mutual friend recognized a potential kinship between them and introduced Tikhman and Zaruk back in 2019. Straight away, they hit it off. Tikhman recalls, “Chief was—funny enough—interested in things I was doing, and I was really interested in things he was doing. It was like, ‘Oh, this could be a perfect situation’.” Without wasting a moment, Zaruk breaks down the no-frills approach that bonded them as they agreed, “Let’s see if we can develop some acts and see what happens.”
The duo focused on organically building up a diverse and dynamic stable of acts. An old friend and former colleague turned Zaruk on to Bailey Zimmerman who was 21 years old at the time (with only one song to his name). Zaruk smiles, “There was something there,” proceeding to laugh, “His nickname was ‘Hurricane Bailey’ forever, because he was the guy that would just get in a room and go.” The Core Entertainment shepherded this “Category 5” of energy and talent towards a massive breakthrough earmarked by record-breaking success, multiplatinum plaques, sold-out venues, and a mega-anticipated new album, Different Night Same Rodeo, out August 8. Together, they have also catalyzed Nickelback’s current renaissance and guided clients such as Nate Smith, Josh Ross, and more.
Tikhman sums up their collaboration best. He observes, “Why we’re great partners is we don’t agree on everything. We challenge each other,” going on to elaborate, “We put in the day-to-day work very much like we all do with our wives. You have to be heard and seen and understood.”
With a robust team, ever-expanding roster, and a myriad of projects on the horizon, The Core Entertainment has only just begun to set the pace for Country music and culture.
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Next weekend, Country Thunder Wisconsin takes over Shadow Hill Ranch in Twin Lakes, WI on July 17-20. The festival first planted roots in the “Badger State” almost thirty years ago in 1996 and even received “Festival of the Year” from ACM in 2015. This year has all the makings of a milestone moment though. Its stacked lineup features Cole Swindell, HARDY, Jelly Roll, Dierks Bentley, Gavin Adcock, Ashley McBryde, Tyler Hubbard, Zach Top, and many more. Not to mention, the “one millionth fan” will walk through the gates and be treated like royalty. The lucky attendee will win First Row Reserved Seats and Camping for life, unprecedented access to Festival Catering and Artist Hospitality, and much more. In April, Country Thunder Arizona celebrated the same successful milestone and hosted the biggest, brightest, and boldest west coast iteration of the festival, while Country Thunder Florida lit up the Sunshine State in May.
Simultaneously, season two of “On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer,” has effectively cemented Vollhoffer as a major voice in the world of podcasting. So far this year, he has spoken to MULTI-PLATINUM Country superstar Jake Owen, MULTI-PLATINUM, 9X-GRAMMY® nominee Blake Shelton, MULTI-PLATINUM arena-filling phenomenon HARDY, MULTI-PLATINUM artist Justin Moore, award-winning PLATINUM superstar Jordan Davis, rising Georgia Country star Gavin Adcock, ACM award-winning North Dakota-born duo Tigirlily Gold, and more.
This year, “On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer” expanded to include video as season two gains traction, landing at #1 in Music among Apple Podcasts in the U.S. with already featured episodes including MULTI-PLATINUM rising star Koe Wetzel, top booking agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema, and MULTI-PLATINUM Country superstar Dustin Lynch – whose episode launched in the Top 1% of all podcasts. The Jordan Davis episode was also the highest performing YouTube video with nearly 100,000 views. Making waves, MusicRow touted the podcast and Amazon Music has included it in their Featured Podcasts.
The show is hosted by Country Thunder owner and founder Vollhoffer. With cameras rolling and tape running, he engages in funny and freewheeling discourse with A-list Country talent as well as buzzing acts. The episodes are filmed from Vollhoffer’s tour bus and home studio, providing an unfiltered vignette into the lives of artists as they tell stories, recall memories, and share unwavering passion for music.
During season one, Vollhoffer played host to Country music royalty with a string of fascinating, funny, and enlightening conversations. The roster included Dierks Bentley, Jon Pardi, Bailey Zimmerman, Ashley McBryde, Nate Smith, Marty Stuart, Parker McCollum, Terri Clark, and Big Kenny, among others.
The podcast stands out as a must-listen for Country aficionados and music fans at large. Boasting an intimate format, exclusive content, and an elite lineup of all-star guests, there’s nothing quite like it.
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