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.

Faith Hill Finishes Christmas Album

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Faith Hill will be singing “Joy to the World” this fall as her long-awaited holiday album hits store shelves this September. After 2 years in the making and a few minor setbacks (including knee surgery and a bronchial infection) Faith Hill has finally put the finishing touches on a christmas album that was two years in the making. The album, titled “Joy to the World”, will feature holiday classics like “O Holy Night” and “Winter Wonderland” as well as the original single “A Baby Changes Everything” written by Nashville’s own Tim Nichols, Craig Wiseman, and K.K. Wiseman. A big factor in the albums lengthy production was Faith Hill’s determination to make this holiday hit everything she had imagined. This means including The Nashville Orchestra as well as the London-based choirs Metro Voices and The London Oratory School Boys Choir. “I had a very clear vision for the type of Christmas album that I wanted to make,” said Hill. “Indicative of the big band orchestras of the ’40s and ’50s, with a full compliment of horns, stings, woodwinds, percussion and chorales. David’s orchestrations were a gift. They embodied everything that I could have imaged; unique and beautiful, and yet they seem as though they were always intended for these songs.” Here she is referring to David Campbell who has also worked with such greats as Paul McCartney, Beyonce, Johnny Cash and the Rolling Stones. “Joy to the World will release on September 16th 2008, and in the meantime Faith is spending her time with her children while husband Tim McGraw carries on with his “Live your Voice” tour. For Tim McGraw tour dates, as well as updates on upcoming Faith Hill concerts, please visit our partner site, Country Music On Tour.Country Music Photo Gallery

Montgomer Gentry Releases New Album

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Montgomery Gentry’s new album, “Back When I Knew it All” hits retail store shelves today! Montgomery Gentry‘s new album, “Back When I Knew it All,” the duo’s first release since 2006, and one of their most mature releases to date hits the stores and shops today. The album includes the fastest rising single in their history, “Back When I Knew it All,” and also packs a punch with “Roll With Me,” which could be the feel-good song of the summer. Other highlights are “I Pick My Parties” (with tour mate Toby Keith), “Long Line of Losers,” “One Trip,” and “It Ain’t About Easy.” For more Montgomery Gentry news or the Montgomery Gentry Tour Schedule, visit our partner site Country Music On Tour.Country Music Photo Gallery

Love Nascar? Love M&M’s?

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Are you the most colorful NASCAR fan? M&M’S® Racing and NASCAR® announced today the re-launch of the popular “The Most Colorful Fan™ of NASCAR” contest, which encourages NASCAR fans nationwide to showcase their passionate love for the sport by uploading their most eye-catching photos to NASCAR.com for a chance to win big. The contest will run from June 8, 2008, through October 2008 and will feature weekly winners who will receive an array of NASCAR-themed prizes. For details visit the NASCAR mechanic training blog.Country Music Photo Gallery

LeAnn Rimes Cancels Two Stops on the Kenny Chesney Tour

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LeAnn Rimes takes a break from the Poets and Pirates tour. Much to the disappointment of fans, LeAnn Rimes was forced to cancel two stops on her tour with Kenny Chesney because of an inflamed vocal cord. The cancellations include Thursday’s (May 29) show in San Diego and Saturday’s (May 31) concert here at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona with Chesney, Keith Urban, Gary Allan and Sammy Hagar. Rimes plans to return to the road for a headlining date Monday (June 2) in Boise, Idaho, before rejoining Chesney’s tour Tuesday (June 3) in Portland, Ore. Hopefully she’ll hit these two locations on her headlining tour as she is in my top 5 favorite artist list! For more information about the Poets and Pirates tour, or LeAnn Rimes tour schedule, please visit our partner site Country Music On Tour.Country Music Photo Gallery

Shania Twain on the Cover of People Magazine

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Shania Twain makes the cover of People magazine for the first time in almost 10 years, but she’s not smiling. Shania Betrayed is the headline and the article tells the tale of Shania Twain’s split from husband Mutt Lang after rumors of adultery and deceit. Now I’m probably one of the biggest Shania Twain critics in the country music news scene, but even I believe that this media attention during what is obviously a tough time in her life is NOT the right move. How about a little sympathy folks? A little human decency? Why must you jump like vultures on prey to capitalize on the horrible experiences that we endure? Do any of these articles cite that Shania has partnered again with cosmetics company Coty to produce a new fragrance to add to her collection? Do they talk about how Shania Twain expects to release a new album September 23rd of this year? No. They focus ONLY on the negative which is why artists often mistrust media and hide from the public.Country Music Photo Gallery

Can You Duet – The Copollas

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Sure the Coppola’s can sing… but can they sing to ME? One of the most frustrating things about watching singing competitions is the way some performers just don’t “get it”. Sadly, this seems to be the case with The Coppolas. The beautiful blond twins from Denver, CO can sing, and they can sing well, but they can’t seem to listen! Week after week they get brutal criticism from the judges on CMT’s show “Can You Duet”, especially from Naomi Judd, that visibly knocks them off their feet. Hopefully it’s shaking their pedastals a bit as well. Of course Naomi’s going to be the roughest on The Coppolas. She and her daughter battled against nearly every female stereotype to scratch and claw their way to success. They fought for fair billing, played in the smokey bars, slept in buses, beat down criticism over looks and weight and health and societal pressure, and came out on top. They didn’t bend and fold for their critics. They didn’t flash bare skin and flutter their eyes to get their way. They WORKED, and out of that work they built a legacy and a standard for female artists everywhere. What the Coppola twins can’t seem to really understand is the simple statement that you HAVE to be more than just a pretty voice and a pretty face to make fans fall in love with you. You have to open yourself up to your fans. Show them your softer side. Get up close and intimate with them through your music. Because right now all I’ve seen The Coppolas do is issue forth perfectly practiced notes and predictable but restrained spunk. They’re singing AT the audiences rather than TO us! What I’d like to see: I’d like to see Kate and Kacey find a song that makes their hearts bleed and share THAT with us. Otherwise they’ll remain “those cute twins from that singing contest” instead of having a real music career. A pretty face can get you the audience, but it’s TALENT that keeps it.Country Music Photo Gallery

Miranda Lambert Opts for the School of Rock

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Miranda Lambert says music IS her education. “My college was gettin’ on a motor home that was like a 1985 model and going around the country,” she told Dial-Global. “That was my college. People always asked me, ‘Well, what’s your back-up plan?’ A lot of older people always go, ‘You need to go to college.’ I’m like, ‘Why?’ I mean, ‘So I can fail and waste $60,000 of my parents’ money that they don’t have?’ I just knew that it wasn’t for me. I just figure now, if I keep doing this, I’ll have a retirement and my back-up plan is to go be a back-up singer for somebody or be a songwriter and get a mailbox check.” Find out how that education is getting put to good use by catching her live on Miranda Lambert’s 2008 Concert Tour.Country Music Photo Gallery

Emily Noxon Wins Performance With Rascal Flatts

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Got milk? Emily Noxon does! Orem, Utah’s Emily Noxon will sing with the ACM Award-winning group Rascal Flatts as the lucky grand-prize winner of the Milk Rocks “Be a Milk Rockstar” contest. Noxon’s debut performance with Rascal Flatts will be at the Verizon Wireless Music Center in Indianapolis June 14. Emily will enjoy the treat of a personalized Gibson Guitar tour bus parked backstage staffed to help her get primped and pretty in before taking the stage. She will also record a concert webcast from the bus. Other prizes include an autographed Gibson Les Paul Studio Guitar and signed posters and CDs from the band.Noxon will also meet with a Lyric Street Records A&R representative. “I can’t believe is happening to me! I am so excited I can’t even stand it!” said Noxon, the “Be a Milk Rockstar” grand prize winner. “I’m so grateful to Milk Rocks! I can’t wait for June 14th!” For more information about the June 14th Performance with Rascal Flatts, stay tuned to the 2008 Rascal Flatts Tour schedule.Country Music Photo Gallery

Belmont University Celebrates 25th Anniversary of ICMC

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Tennessee’s Belmont University honors authors and journalists for outstanding contributions in the study of country music Tomorrow the International Country Music Conference will begin celebrating its Silver Anniversary at Belmont University, honoring authors and journalists for outstanding contributions in the study of country music. The event, which runs May 22-24, will host top historians and scholars in country music and include presentations of The Belmont Book Award, Lifetime Achievement Award and The Charlie Lamb Awards. The Belmont Book Award will be awarded to Holly George-Warren for “Public Cowboy No. 1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry,” published in 2007 by Oxford University Press. The Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to the Country Music Hall of Fame Foundation and Library. The Charlie Lamb Awards, given to outstanding country music journalists, will be awarded to Beverly Keel in the contemporary category and Barry McCloud in the lifetime category. “At this conference we’ll have historians and scholars who have collectively written over 50 books on country music,” said Don Cusic, co-chair of the event. The conference will be held in the Frist Room of the Gordon Inman Science Building at Belmont University Thursday, May 22 – Saturday, May 24. The 2008 ICMC Program Schedule can be found here: http://www.internationalcountrymusic.org/schedule.html For more information, visit: http://www.internationalcountrymusic.org/Country Music Photo Gallery

The ACM Winners are…

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The 2008 ACM Awards are done and we’ve got your winners right here! Winners of the 2008 Academy of Country Music awards got to party it up Vegas style as they celebrated another year of milestones and fan appreciation. Reba McEntire hosted the festivities and as always, the winners were gracious, and excited. “A singer is nothing without inspiration. I thank my wonderful wife, Kim, who is not here tonight. I probably ought to thank my son for the first time for inspiration. I am so honored to carry the torch another year, and thank God for all the blessings in my life.”-Brad Paisley “There are so many people who deserve to be thanked for this, but I am going to thank one. And that’s a person that used to love to go to lunch with her friends and cook dinner for her family and sleep in her bed every night. She gave that all away and left that all behind to go on the road with her 16-year-old daughter. … And then she was sleeping in rental cars and in airplanes and rental cars with her mouth wide open because she was so tired. And so Mom, thank you so much! I love you! This is for you!” – Taylor Swift “It means so much to me that you guys really relate to this song and that you accept it. Thank you so much to my partner Kristian Bush and to Gail Gelman [manager] for believing in this song before anybody did. Thank you to Luke Lewis and your whole staff at Mercury to have big ones enough, that when we came to you and said, ‘Hey, let’s put a song without drums on the radio,’ you said, ‘Sure!’” Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland Album of the Year: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Miranda Lambert Entertainer of the year: Kenny Chesney Single of the Year: “Stay,” Sugarland Song of the Year: “Stay,” Sugarland (Jennifer Nettles, composer) Top Female Vocalist: Carrie Underwood Top Male Vocalist: Brad Paisley Top New Duo or Vocal Group: Lady Antebellum Top New Male Vocalist: Jack Ingram Top new New Female Vocalist: Taylor Swift Top Vocal Duo: Brooks & Dunn Top Vocal Group: Rascal Flatts Video of the Year: “Online,” Brad Paisley (Jason Alexander, director) Vocal Event of the Year: “Find Out Who Your Friends Are,” Tracy Lawrence with Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney For a full recap of all the winners presented on and offstage, visit the ACM’s official website.Country Music Photo Gallery