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.

Breaking Southern Ground – Letters for Lyrics

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Zac Brown Band campaign, Letters for Lyrics, goes viral! Zac Brown Band fans continue to show their support for American Soldiers overseas as they submit letter after letter to the “Letters for Lyrics” campaign. Use the widget below to send a letter overseas supporting our troops. You can even add the widget to your own blog or site. As a bonus, all letter writers are eligible to either receive or donate a free copy of the “Breaking Southern Ground” CD. “Breaking Southern Ground” features such artists as Zac Brown Band, Sonia Leigh, Nic Cowan, and Levi Lowrey. The Ram Trucks “Letters For Lyrics” program is done in partnership with Soldiers’ Angels and Zac Brown Band. It’s a perfect way to encourage others to take a few minutes out of their day to support our soldiers. Country Music Photo Gallery

Brooks And Dunn Are Officially Done

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Happy trails to you Brooks & Dunn. Countless blogs and country music sites are saying their fond farewells to Brooks & Dunn today in the morning-after silence of their final concert. The duo, often described as the most successful “arranged marriage” of country music took to the stage of the Ryman Auditorium last night for one last show before parting ways. Kix Brooks will embark on a cross-country radio tour, promoting the American Country Countdown, while Ronnie Dunn has yet to announce his next move. We wish both gentlemen the best of luck.

Kenny Chesney Added To Farm Aid Concert

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Kenny Chesney to perform at the Farm Aid concert October 2nd in Milwaukee, WI. Although Kenny Chesney hasn’t toured this year, fans are still getting the rare opportunity to see him perform live. The latest of these opportunities to surface is the Farm Aid 25th Anniversary concert this coming October in Milwaukee, Wisconson. Kenny will be joining Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, and Dave Matthews on the Farm Aid stage to support the foundation. I’m honored to be asked to play Farm Aid’s 25th Anniversary,” says Chesney. “My friendship and respect for Willie, John, Neil and Dave made it an easy answer. The importance of the Farm Aid message and emphasis on the need for the family farmer has never been more evident. Food recalls and concerns about the safety of our food underscore the importance of knowing where your food comes from and who has handled it. Country Music Photo Gallery

Southwest Airlines Sweepstakes

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Country Duo of the Year nominees Joey+Rory present a Southwest Airlines sweepstakes. Flying Southwest Airlines is a regular routine for Joey+Rory so it was only natural to team up with the airline for a “This Trip’s For You” Sweepstakes. “It’s the people’s airline. We love that,” adds Rory. “Simple, but still fun. Kinda like us,” Rory chuckles. “This TRIP’s For You” Sweepstakes presented by Southwest Airlines kicks-off today, September 2nd and runs through September 20th. The title of the sweepstakes plays off Joey+Rory’s current single “This Song’s For You,” a song Rory wrote with Zac Brown that also features the Zac Brown Band. Southwest Airlines will send one lucky winner and their guest to Houston to see Joey+Rory live at the House of Blues on Friday, October 8th as they celebrate the release of their new album. One Grand Prize winner will receive Two (2) round-trip tickets compliments of Southwest Airlines to Houston TX (from the closest airport served by Southwest Airlines), a one-night stay in Houston, and a VIP Meet & Greet with Joey+Rory backstage. Second Prize: Five (5) winners will receive an autographed copy of the new Joey+Rory CD “Album Number Two” and a Joey+Rory t-shirt. Country Music Photo Gallery

Joey+Rory Celebrate CMA Nomination

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Joey+Rory are goin’ to Disneyland! They’re celebrating their CMA Nomination for Duo of the Year with a quick trip west. Husband/wife duo Joey+Rory are flying high and it’s not only a national sweepstakes with Southwest Airlines that has them on top of the clouds. The couple learned of their CMA Duo of the Year nomination today while busily preparing for the release of Album Number Two, due out September 14th. Rory also received word that the hit song he penned “A Little More Country Than That” received Song of the Year and Single of the Year nominations. “We’re both very proud to be nominated for CMA Duo of the Year again, it’s a thrill just to have our name on the same list as the other great duos in the category,” Joey says. “Personally, I’m especially excited my husband Rory’s song is nominated in two categories…for single and song of the year. This nomination is truly a testament to not only what a great artist he is…but also what an incredible songwriter he is and has been all these years.” “I’m going to Disney World!” laughs Rory. “Actually I really am. We’re flying Southwest Airlines today with our girls for a quick trip before embarking on a working cruise with Zac Brown Band and country music fans. We will certainly celebrate the nominations on the high seas!” Country Music Photo Gallery

Brad Paisley Extends H2O Tour

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Brad Paisley is extending his H2O Tour to include 13 new dates! Brad Paisley is havin’ so much fun playin’ in the water that he’s decided to extend his H2O tour through November with 13 new dates! Darius Rucker and Justin Moore will continue with the tour as special guests. Brad Paisley H2O World Tour dates: September 9 Spokane, WA Spokane Arena September 10 Portland, OR Clark County Amphitheatre September 11 George, WA Gorge Amphitheatre September 15 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre September 17 San Diego, CA Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre September 18 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Wireless Pavilion September 19 Albuquerque, NM The Pavilion September 23 Boise, ID Taco Bell Arena September 24 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre September 25 Denver, CO Comfort Dental Amphitheatre September 30 Bozeman, MT Brick Breeden Fieldhouse October 2 Vancouver, BC General Motors Place October 4 Edmonton, ALB Rexall Place October 5 Calgary, ALB Pengrowth Saddledome October 7 Winnipeg, MAN MTS Centre October 9 Grand Forks, ND Ralph Engelstad Arena October 17 TBD November 12 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena November 13 Rochester, NY Blue Cross Arena November 18 Memphis, TN FedEx Forum November 19 Little Rock, AR Verizon Arena November 20 Tulsa, OK BOK Center Country Music Photo Gallery

Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton’s Wedding Plans

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Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton’s wedding plans slowly surface. Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton‘s engagement is certainly no secret, and it seems their wedding plans aren’t too tight-lipped either. Country Music Is Love posted a great interview piece today where Miranda talks about a May wedding and the joy of being engaged.It seems the closer those two get, the better their careers go, and us fans aren’t complaining one bit!Country Music Photo Gallery

John Michael Montgomery Launches MontgomeryMixPro.com!

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John Michael Montgomery launches a new business venture – Album mixing and mastering at DIY rates. Normally I don’t single out a service or business venture that gets pitched my way, but it seems John Michael Montgomery has fallen into a loophole of mine. You see, CMNB, and The DH Network as a whole, was built on a foundation of supporting up and coming DIY artists, and John’s new business venture does just that. MontgomeryMixPro.com is John Michael’s new venture. John Michael is offering a service to aspiring artists and writers providing them with a professionally mixed mastered quality recording. From experience with the thousands upon thousands of demos we get here at CMNB each year, a good, solid, professional mix can really make you stand out in a crowd.  As I have said time and time again, when making an album, mixing is where you really want to focus your effort and budget! Montgomerymixpro.com also provides artists and songwriters with exposure to professional music companies which is an added bonus for using the service. “I’ve put together a team of top engineers, some who have worked on my own albums, to mix recordings for Montgomerymixpro.com,” says Montgomery. “I will also work on the mix sessions from time to time as well, and who knows, if I hear a song I really like, someone could be hearing from me personally!” Montgomerymixpro.com is very affordable and can start as low as $99.00 for twelve tracks. Since most aspiring musicians struggle with finances, it was important to John Michael for those who want to have a professional quality recording, but not tremendous financial resources, to be able to afford this service. Affordably priced full demo packages are also available. For more information on this new service please log on to www.montgomerymixpro.comCountry Music Photo Gallery

2010 CMA Award Nominees

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Nominees for the 2010 CMA Awards are announced – Lady Antebellum and Miranda Lambert take the lead! Nominees for the 2010 CMA Awards are being announced in a 2-part press conference, with the first taking place this morning. So far the nominees are: New Artist Luke Bryan Easton Corbin Jerrod Niemann Chris Young Zac Brown Band * Vocal Group Lady Antebellum Little Big Town Rascal Flatts The Band Perry * Zac Brown Band Vocal Duo Brooks & Dunn Joey & Rory Montgomery Gentry Steel Magnolia Sugarland * Single of the Year (Award goes to artist and producer.) “A Little More Country Than That” Easton Corbin Producer: Carson Chamberlain “Hillbilly Bone” Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins Producer: Scott Hendricks “Need You Now” Lady Antebellum Producers: Paul Worley and Lady Antebellum “The House That Built Me” * Miranda Lambert Producers: Frank Liddell and Mike Wrucke “White Liar” Miranda Lambert Producers: Frank Liddell and Mike Wrucke Song of the Year (Award goes to songwriter.) “A Little More Country Than That” Songwriters: Rory Lee Feek, Don Poythress and Wynn Varble “Need You Now” * Songwriters: Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Josh Kear “The House That Built Me” Songwriters: Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin “Toes” Songwriters: Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, John Driskell Hopkins and Shawn Mullins “White Liar” Songwriters: Miranda Lambert and Natalie Hemby Music Video (Award goes to artist and director.) “Hillbilly Bone” Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins Director: Roman White “Need You Now” Lady Antebellum Director: David McClister “The House That Built Me” Miranda Lambert Director: Trey Fanjoy “Water” * Brad Paisley Director: Jim Shea “White Liar” Miranda Lambert Director: Chris Hickey Musician Paul Franklin — Steel Guitar Dann Huff — Guitar Brent Mason — Guitar Mac McAnally — Guitar * Randy Scruggs — Guitar Entertainer of the Year Lady Antebellum Miranda Lambert Brad Paisley Keith Urban Zac Brown Band* Male Vocalist of the Year Brad Paisley* Blake Shelton George Strait Keith Urban Dierks Bentley Female Vocalist of the Year Miranda Lambert Martina McBride Reba McEntire* Taylor Swift Carrie Underwood Album of the Year (Goes To Artist & Producer) Need You Now- Lady Antebellum Play On- Carrie Underwood Revolution- Miranda Lambert Twang- George Strait Up On The Ridge- Dierks Bentley* Vocal Event of the Year “Bad Angel”- Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Jamey Johnson * “Can’t See You” Zac Brown Band and Kid Rock “Hillbilly Bone” Blake Shelton and Trace Adkins “I’m Alive”- Kenny Chesney and Dave Matthews “Till the End”- Alan Jackson and LeAnn Womack (* = CMNB’s Favorite) Stay tuned for the reasons why CMNB picked these favorites! Hosted for the third time by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, “The 44th Annual CMA Awards” airs live Wednesday, Nov. 10 (8:00-11:00 PM/EST) from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on the ABC Television Network.Country Music Photo Gallery

Lee Ann Womack to Host 2010 ACM Honors

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Lee Ann Womack is set to host the 2010 ACM Honors celebration September 20th. The Academy of Country Music has chosen the lovely Lee Ann Womack to host this year’s celebration as they present special honorees and off-camera category winners from the 45th Annual ACM Awards. ACM Honors will take place September 20th at the historic Ryman Auditorium and tickets go on sale tomorrow, Wednesday Sept 1st.