Author Archives: Shauna "WhiskeyChick" Castorena

About Shauna "WhiskeyChick" Castorena

Shauna "WhiskeyChick" Castorena is a freelance writer for both Country Music News and Country Music On Tour. Want to collab on some content? Email me. Want my rates for commercial promo work? Get them right here.

Country Music Blog Rodeo: 2013-The Year of Social Media in Country Music

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For the first installment of Blog Rodeo, host CountryMusicNewsBlog asks “What are we really looking forward to in 2013?”. My answer: Country music fans truly embracing social media! Over the award show and tour seasons through 2012 we saw artists, news outlets, and record companies dabble with social media sites, trying to figure out that magic formula that pop music seems to have down to a science. We’ve seen award shows and televised performances with twitter hashtags displayed throughout the broadcast. We followed along as Jana Kramer used Instagram to build a buzz about her album release through photo challenges. We’ve gotten to know the sass and crass of artists like Blake Shelton and LeAnn Rimes thanks to their sharing (and sometimes oversharing) across the board. We’ve even seen the rise of Google+ hangouts featuring live interviews from stars as big as Taylor Swift. Heck, just last week Dierks Bentley used facebook to successfully find his lost dog Jake! To put it plainly, country stars want in on social media action and they’re trying hard to get fans to join them! The common thread among all of these things is that the artists are able to be themselves in a public space without losing control over their privacy, and this allows them to reach fans on a more personal level. Never before have fans had such open access to get a message to their favorite artist, or receive a direct response. It’s a power many pop celebrities have built their career around, but country music seems to be just a bit late to the game. There’s a lot of reasons for this, but those reasons are getting less relevant every day. While much of the online interaction between stars and fans has followed a natural growth, 2013 is the year the guys behind the scenes will learn how to take advantage of this limitless guerrilla marketing tool. We’ve had time to tinker and see what fans respond to, and how to best get the attention of the masses, and weigh the results of some not-so-popular online moments. Top Country Music Social Media Engagement Trends to Expect in 2013: So after the disorganized experimentation that our industry has done in the past, what I expect from 2013 is a real focused strategic effort at connecting fans with their favorite stars by directing marketing toward encouraging social engagement. You will see a lot more Easter Eggs, for example, Carrie Underwood’s album Blown Away featured a promotion where if you scanned the album cover with a special app on your iphone, android, or other tablet device, the artwork would “come to life” and conveniently link you to the album purchase options on iTunes. I expect to see a lot more of this Easter Egg kind of content that teaches fans how to use technology in new and innovative ways to get more out of the album-buying experience. You will also see artists making a more genuine effort to express themselves over social media Continue reading Country Music Blog Rodeo: 2013-The Year of Social Media in Country Music→

Please Pardon the Dust

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Pardon Our Dust As We Make Some Changes! Please pardon the dust as we make a few changes around here. You may not see a difference in our look, but hopefully you’ll notice it in our performance as we have had to upgrade the server Country Music News Blog is hosted on. It seems we’ve gotten a little big for our britches and had to let a notch or two out on the ole’ belt! We should be done with this madness in another day or two, but in the meantime you can connect with us using the following links: CMNB on Facebook CMNB on Twitter CMNB on Google+ Thank you so much for making us one of the most successful independent country music sites on the web! All of your visits, comments, and interactions on our social media channels like Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ tell us every day that the work we do is appreciated and make us dig all that much deeper to get you the best content we can get our grubby little paws on! Cheers! ~WC~

Kenny Chesney No Shoes Nation 2013 Tour Announcement

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Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band, Eric Church and Kacey Musgraves all on ONE tour? It’s a No Shoes Nation! Team Kenny took to Facebook and twitter this morning with a single line that got the whole internet abuzz. All it said was simply “Tour announcement right now at http://noshoesradio.com/.” Of course I zipped right over to a site that was already crawling from the overload but had NO information on it! Then I started listening… On the embedded No Shoes Radio, Eli Young Band‘s “Crazy Girl” was just finishing up and the DJ breaks in and announces that you can see EYB live as they join Kenny Chesney on the 2013 No Shoes Nation Tour!!! They’re releasing one tour date at a time over the radio and digging in deep about each stadium and venue they’re hitting. Also featured on the tour is Zac Brown Band, Eric Church and Kacey Musgraves. Here’s what we were able to catch so far, and stay tuned and we’ll have a full list of Kenny’s 2013 Tour Schedule! Date City State Country Venue Mar 16, 2013 Tampa FL US Raymond James Stadium May 04, 2013 Columbia SC US Williams Brice Stadium May 11, 2013 Dallas TX US Cowboys Stadium May 18, 2013 Milwaukee WI US Miller Park May 25, 2013 Landover MD US Fed Ex Field Jun 01, 2013 Seattle WA US CenturyLink Field Jun 08, 2013 Philadelphia PA US Lincoln Financial Field Jun 15, 2013 Kansas City MO US Arrowhead Stadium Jun 22, 2013 Pittsburgh PA US Heinz Field Jun 29, 2013 Columbus OH US Crew Stadium Jul 12, 2013 Minneapolis MN US Target Field Jul 20, 2013 Denver CO US Sports Authortiy Field at Mile High

2012 CMA Award Winners!

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Congratulations to the winners of the 2012 CMA Awards! Every year the CMA Awards seems to get bigger and better, and this year we’ve even got Miss Molly right there in the audience giving us the inside scoop! Keep up with us as we let you in on all the highlights from the 46th annual CMA Awards! *refresh often as we will update the winners as they are announced! Single of the Year (Award goes to artist and producer) Jason Aldean, “Dirt Road Anthem” Blake Shelton, “God Gave Me You” Dierks Bentley, “Home” Little Big Town, “Pontoon” Eric Church, “Springsteen” Vocal Duo of the Year Big & Rich Love and Theft Sugarland The Civil Wars Thompson Square Song of the Year (Award goes to songwriters) Eli Young Band, “Even if It Breaks Your Heart” – written by Will Hoge and Eric Paslay Blake Shelton, “God Gave Me You” – written by Dave Barnes Dierks Bentley, “Home” – written by Dierks Bentley, Dan Wilson and Brett Beavers Miranda Lambert, “Over You” – written by Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton Eric Church, “Springsteen” – written by Eric Church, Jeff Hyde and Ryan Tyndell Musician of the Year Sam Bush Paul Franklin Dann Huff Brent Mason Mac McAnally Album of the Year Luke Bryan, Tailgates and Tanlines Eric Church, Chief Miranda Lambert, Four the Record Dierks Bentley, Home Lady Antebellum, Own the Night Music Video of the Year Eric Church, “Springsteen” Kenny Chesney, “Come Over” Miranda Lambert, “Over You” Little Big Town, “Pontoon” Toby Keith, “Red Solo Cup” New Artist of the Year Lee Brice Brantley Gilbert Hunter Hayes Love and Theft Thompson Square Vocal Group of the Year The Band Perry Eli Young Band Lady Antebellum Little Big Town Zac Brown Band Male Vocalist of the Year Jason Aldean Luke Bryan Eric Church Blake Shelton Keith Urban Female Vocalist of the Year Kelly Clarkson Miranda Lambert Martina McBride Taylor Swift Carrie Underwood Musical Event of the Year “Dixie Highway,” Alan Jackson and Zac Brown Band “Feel Like a Rock Star,” Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die,” Willie Nelson featuring Snoop Dogg, Kris Kristofferson and Jamey Johnson “Safe and Sound,” Taylor Swift featuring the Civil Wars “Stuck on You,” Lionel Richie and Darius Rucker Entertainer of the Year Jason Aldean Kenny Chesney Brad Paisley Blake Shelton Taylor Swift

George Strait Announces 2013 Concert Tour Dates!

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King George is hittin’ the road again! We’ve got your scoop on the schedule for the 2013 George Strait tour! Updated with tour dates! Well George Strait fans, we’ve known it was coming for a while now, and the day is finally here! On September 4th, Team Strait posted the following on the official GS facebook account: From Team Strait: Hey George Strait Fans! It is time to get excited about the 2013 George Strait Tour. George will be holding a press conference in late September and will be announcing his tour dates for next year. Rumor has it that other major announcements may be made as well. Stay tuned for further updates. And now there’s a press conference scheduled for today at 12:35pm Central with a big announcement. We know the tour will be covered, but the big mystery is around what the other announcement will be. George has always had amazing tour partners so perhaps it’s another powerhouse pairing? Other fans are guessing that it’s a retirement, but for the sake of the rest of us who live to see George on tour I’m hoping that’s not the case! Either way, the minute the press conference starts we will be updating this post as well as live-sharing the news on Twitter (@CountryMusicNB) and on FaceBook (Facebook.com/MyCountryMusic). OFFICIAL GEORGE STRAIT TOUR DATES: Concert Date – Venue – City,State – Tickets Onsale 1/18/13 – United Spirit Arena – Lubbock, TX – Onsale 10/12/2012 1/19/13 – Chesapeake Energy Arena – Oklahoma City, OK – Onsale 10/12/2012 1/25/13 – Idaho Center – Boise, ID – Onsale 10/12/2012 1/26/12 – EnergySolutions Arena – Salt Lake City, UT – Onsale 10/12/2012 1/31/13 – Power Balance Pavilion – Sacramento, CA – Onsale 10/19/2012 2/1/13 – SaveMart Center – Fresno, CA – Onsale 10/12/2012 2/2/13 – MGM Grand – Las Vegas, NV – Onsale TBD 2/15/13 – Xcel Energy Center – St. Paul, MN – Onsale 10/12/2012 2/16/13 – Ralph Englested Arena – Grand Forks, ND – Onsale 10/12/2012 2/22/13 – First Niagara Center (formerly HSBC Arena) – Buffalo, NY – Onsale 10/12/2012 2/23/13 – XL Center – Hartford, CT – Onsale 10/12/2012 3/1/13 – Thompson-Boling Arena – Knoxville, TX – Onsale 10/19/2012 3/2/13 – Rupp Arena – Lexington, KY – Onsale 10/12/2012 3/22/13 – Bi-Lo Center – Greenville, SC – Onsale 10/12/2012 3/23/13 – Greensboro Coliseum – Greensboro, SC – Onsale 10/12/2012 4/5/13 – The Pit – Albuquerque, NM – Onsale 10/12/2012 4/6/13 – Pan American Center – Las Cruces, NM – Onsale 10/12/2012 4/12/13 – Verizon Arena – Little Rock, AR – Onsale 12/14/2012 4/13/13 – New Orleans Arena – New Orleans, LA – Onsale 10/19/2012 6/1/13 – Alamodome – San Antonio, TX – Onsale 3/9/2013 Watch with us on George’s official page!

2012 CMA Nominees Announced!

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Nominees for the 2012 Country Music Association Awards were announced this morning and Eric Church takes the lead! With FIVE nominations on his tally, Eric Church stands to make a clean sweep at this years CMA Awards. The awards, hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, will be broadcast live on ABC Thursday, November 1st. And now for th complete list of nominees: 2012 CMA Nominees: Entertainer of the Year Jason Aldean Kenny Chesney Brad Paisley Blake Shelton Taylor Swift 2012 CMA Nominees: Album of the Year Eric Church – Chief Miranda Lambert – Four the Record Dierks Bentley – Home Lady Antebellum – Own the Night Luke Bryan – Tailgates & Tanlines 2012 CMA Nominees: Male Vocalist of the Year Jason Aldean Luke Bryan Eric Church Blake Shelton Keith Urban 2012 CMA Nominees: Female Vocalist of the Year Kelly Clarkson Miranda Lambert Martina McBride Taylor Swift Carrie Underwood 2012 CMA Nominees: Vocal Group of the Year Eli Young Band Lady Antebellum Little Big Town The Band Perry Zac Brown Band 2012 CMA Nominees: Musician of the Year Sam Bush (mandolin) Paul Franklin (steel guitar) Dann Huff (guitar) Brent Mason (guitar) Mac McAnally (guitar) 2012 CMA Nominees: Single of the Year “Dirt Road Anthem” – Jason Aldean “God Gave Me You” – Blake Shelton “Home” – Dierks Bentley “Pontoon” – Little Big Town “Springsteen” – Eric Church 2012 CMA Nominees: Song of the Year “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” – Eli Young Band “God Gave Me You” – Blake Shelton “Home” – Dierks Bentley “Over You” – Miranda Lambert “Springsteen” – Eric Church 2012 CMA Nominees: Musical Event of the Year “Dixie Highway” – Alan Jackson and Zac Brown “Feel like a Rock Star” – Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw “Roll Me Up” – Wilie Nelson, with Snoop Dogg, Kris Kristofferson and Jamey Johnson “Safe and Sound” – Taylor Swift featuring The Civil Wars “Stuck on You” – Lionel Richie and Darius Rucker 2012 CMA Nominees: Duo of the Year Big & Rich Love and Theft Sugarland The Civil Wars Thompson Square 2012 CMA Nominees: New Artist Lee Brice Brantley Gilbert Hunter Hayes Love and Theft Thompson Square 2012 CMA Nominees: Video of the Year “Come Over” – Kenny Chesney “Over You” – Miranda Lambert “Pontoon” – Little Big Town “Red Solo Cup” – Toby Keith “Springsteen” – Eric Church

Major Taylor Swift Announcement

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Explore the possibilities behind Taylor Swift’s live webchat with us! The anticipation is killing us as we wait for tomorrow to roll around. As you probably already know, Taylor Swift took to YouTube last week to invite fans to a special live webchat event so that she can share some big news. Now we’ve spent the last week combing the web to see if we can guess the announcement. Heck, some of us are even placing bets on what it will be. Here’s what we’ve got so far: We believe that Taylor will be announcing the release date for her new album, and that date will be before September 30th (In order for an album to be considered for a 2013 Grammy, it has to be released by September 30th this year). We also believe that the first leg of her accompanying tour will be announced, with all secondary market (mid-sized cities) dates, and that tour will most likely begin in early November, with a major-market (big city) tour to follow in the spring. Here’s an interview Taylor did with MTV that explores some of the new albums creative proccess: Get More: Music News Of course we could be way off the mark. She could be announcing an engagement to her latest love Conor Kennedy (paired with her sudden publicity around this relationship and the purchase of a $4.9Million dollar home in the Kennedy compound this isn’t so far-fetched.) She could also be sharing the news of her upcoming starring role in the film “Girls Like Us” where she will play the part of Joni Mitchell. Filming for this begins January 13th, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. For more details on the film, visit our source at the Examiner. Either way, when Taylor talks to fans like this, it’s always good news! Tune in Monday August 13th at 7ET 4PST for the big Taylor Swift announcement!

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill Vegas Soul 2 Soul

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Country music powercouple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill announce a limited engagement concert series at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas Nevada where they will showcase their blockbuster Soul II Soul show. Tim and Faith are set to begin the limited run on December 7th, and only play on weekends to better work around their daughters’ school schedules, finishing in April. “This will be a moment in time in our careers,” McGraw, 45, said Tuesday of the Soul2Soul series, which will feature 40 shows in an intimate 1,800-seat theater through April 2013. “We will be parachuting in and out of the city,” Hill, 44, says. “Our children are pretty thrilled for us though.” No word yet on whether this double-decker of a headliner show will hit the road come summer, but if I had to guess, my answer would be a resounding yes!

Mobile Country Concert Tickets

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Great news from our partners at CountryMusicOnTour.com! They’ve gone mobile! Next time you’re out with your friends and planning the next country concert you want to go see, you can turn to your trusted and now MOBILE country concert tickets source at CountryMusicOnTour! We’ve updated our dedicated database of Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean and countless other country concert tickets to be more mobile-friendly than ever before! There’s no reason you should have to wait through slow and hard to read ticket sites when our system is fast, easy and ready to go on the go! Want more? You can also sign up to receive text updates when the summer’s BIGGEST country concerts go on sale so you can grab yours before they sell out, no matter where you are! To sign up for text alerts, text LIVE to 22828. It’s that simple! This post is brought to you by our sister site CountryMusicOnTour.com

Inspirational Country Music Quotes

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Sometimes we all need a little pick-me-up. A boot in the pants to get us out of our blues and on to the next step we’ve got to take. A reminder that we’re all human and all fall, but if we really want to be happy we’ve got to get back up and keep moving, and who better to do that for us than our favorite country legends? Here’s a few pieces of country music wisdom that help me shape my days: What’s your favorite country music quote?