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.

Kenny Chesney Is Taking it Slow in 2010

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Kenny Chesney has announced that he will NOT be planning a 2010 summer tour. Kenny Chesney sat down with Entertainment Weekly to discuss his decision to take touring out of his 2010 schedule: “I’m not quitting,” he told the magazine. “It’s just a short pause. It would be easy to keep doing it, because it’s fun and the fans are unbelievable. … Then you realize that at some point you’re missing a part of your life. … I need to recharge creatively and get off the clock of having to be somewhere … and having to keep juggling all these things. And people needing answers. I just felt like this year it finally hit me that I need to get reconnected with my family.” This is a surprising move for one of the top-grossing acts in country music, although not completely unheard of. Kenny Chesney’s last 2009 tour date will be September 19th at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN. Chesney stated he will have some performances in 2010, most likely acoustic performances, just not the big shows. “Something to feed my soul,” he said. “I’ve given a big part of my soul for this for so long, and nothing has really been filling that up. It seems like in the last couple of years, I’ve been on an empty tank. And that’s gotta change.” Country Music Photo Gallery

Martina McBride Tapped for VH1 Divas Special

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Martina McBride to sing duet with Jordin Sparks on Thursday’s VH1 Divas special. Martina McBride is set to take the stage with American Idol Jordin Sparks this Thursday night at the Brooklyn Academy of Music for a duet as part of this year’s VH1 “Divas” special. Other performers include Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Hudson, Adelle, Kelly Clarkson, and Leona Lewis. The show is set to air at 8pm central. Now here’s where I have an issue… Back when VH1 first started the Diva’s concert series, they included female artists who were phenomenally talented, musical groundbreakers, and unarguably the BEST in their genres. They called for acts such as Whitney Houston, Faith Hill, Cher, Tina Turner, Gloria Estefan, LeAnn Rimes, Sheryl Crow, Carole Kingand hell, even Elton John. So how is it that Martina McBride, possibly one of the most amazing country singers of the last 20-30 years, gets stuck of there with Miley ‘Disney Party Princess’ Cyrus and a bunch of American Idols who’ve barely learned what “stage left” means? Sure the other performers may have talent. Sure they may sell records to a bunch of pubescent kids. Sure they may even help the special earn higher ratings from the younger viewers. And this all goes to benefit the Save The Music Foundation, which I am in full support of. But at the end of the day, I would hardly call these kids Diva’s or try to put their level of talent, experience, and stature on a level playing field with Martina McBride!Country Music Photo Gallery

GAC Nights To Close Up Shop

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The popular country music show GAC Nights will be closing its’ doors after 2 years of production. GAC Nights: Live From Nashville, hosted by Suzanne Alexander and Buzz Brainard is calling it a day after the team was unable to find a syndicate to pick up the third season. GAC Nights was dropped by Citadel Media after Citadel ended their relationship with the GAC Network. Suzanne will return to hosting duties at GAC-TV while the fate of the rest of the show’s staff has yet to be determined.Country Music Photo Gallery

Jay Leno Packs a Punch on Taylor Swift’s Behalf

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Jay Leno puts rapper Kanye West in the hotseat after his embarrassing behavior at the MTV VMA’s towards Taylor Swift. Kanye West sits down with Jay Leno and offers up his apologies for stealing Taylor Swift‘s groundbreaking moment on the  MTV VMA’s. Jay hits Kanye with the tough question of “What would your mom have said” [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrSg7nALbDM] Now my take:  Kanye West is indeed a jackass, but you can’t take that moment back. Some radio stations have taken action against Kanye, either on their own or at the request of their listeners and pulled Kanye’s music from their rotation, leaving it up to the listeners to vote him back in. (WBVD and KHOP being just two of them). “Team Taylor” is showing up all over the web, from trending topics on social media to web-celebs making her the center of their latest vlogs and blogs. At the end of the day, Kanye’s behavior was inexcusable, but the resulting outpouring of fan support proves nothing else but the fact that Taylor REALLY won that award. Taylor Swift HAS captured the most widespread audience in today’s music, crossing all genre boundaries and building an emphatic and passionate  fanbase that has the power to bend radio stations and even ornery rap stars to their will. Congratulations Taylor, and enjoy the FULL depth of your interrupted moment!Country Music Photo Gallery

Luke Bryan Announces First Headlining Tour

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Luke Bryan announces his first nationwide headlining tour to support his new album “Doin My Thing” Luke Byran has been busy doin’ his thing in the studio for a while but now it’s time to hit the road! Luke’s new album “Doin My Thing” hits store shelves October 6th and he’s heading out on his first headlining tour at the end of October to support the album. The tour kicks off in Jacksonville, Florida on October 30th, giving the star plenty of wiggle-room to fit in the SEC Georgia vs Florida rivalry football game in the process. About touring, Bryan says: “Every performer dreams of the day you can take your own tour on the road,” says Bryan. “We just enjoy being out there, getting to know the fans and really working hard to make them have a good time.” Luke Bryan Tour Dates: October 30 Jacksonville, Florida Mavericks at the Landings November 4 Tuscaloosa, AL Jupiter Bar and Grill November 5 Birmingham, AL Zydeco November 6 D’Iberville, MS Guitars & Cadillacs November 7 Orlando, Florida UCF Arena November 12 Grand Rapids, MI The Intersection November 13 Indianapolis, IN 8 Seconds Saloon November 14 Covington, KY Madison Theater November 16 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom November 18 Allentown, PA Crocodile Rock Cafe November 19 Clifton Park, NY Northern Lights November 20 Foxborough, MA Showcase Live! November 21 Mechanicsburg, PA West Shore hardware Bar November 27 Greenville, SC Blind Horse Saloon November 28 Charlotte, NC Coyote Joe’s December 4 Baton Rouge, LA Texas Music Hall December 5 Milledgeville, GA Capitol CityCountry Music Photo Gallery

Miranda Lambert – Live Performance

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Miranda Lambert performs songs from her upcoming album “Revolution” Miranda Lambert recently visited the Walmart Soundcheck studio where she performed several songs from her upcoming album “Revolution” which releases in just two short weeks! Visit Miranda Lambert at Soundcheck to see an exclusive interview with the redneck wonder-woman sing “Dead Flowers”, “Only Prettier”, “Heart Like Mine” and her fan favorite “Famous In A Small Town”. [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrfkLwVdt-8]Country Music Photo Gallery

Brad Paisley & Keith Urban’s “Start A Band” Added to CMA Nominee List

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The CMA has announced that Brad Paisley & Keith Urban’s “Start A Band” was “inadvertently omitted” from the list of final nominees for “Musical Event Of The Year” at the 2009 CMA Awards. The omission occurred when transferring the information from the online ballot to the list of final nominees. “Start A Band” will be added to the final list and the other nominees will remain on the list in that category. CMA CEO Tammy Genovese said: “We take the integrity of the CMA Awards balloting very seriously. And when an oversight like this occurs we commit ourselves to a thorough review, thoughtful and immediate correction, and complete disclosure and accountability to the artists and our industry. I can assure CMA’s valued constituents that we have examined every detail of the ballot for other discrepancies and all other categories were correct as announced. We sincerely regret the omission of these two deserving artists from the list of nominees and apologize to Brad and Keith, and their representatives, for any confusion.” The additional nomination now gives Paisley a total of seven, the most of any artist nominated this year. Urban’s nomination count now jumps from four to five. For more on the CMA Awards, visit www.cmaworld.com.Country Music Photo Gallery