Category Archives: Artists

5 Reported Dead in Sugarland Stage Collapse

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A severe storm brings down the stage at the Indiana State Fairgrounds just moments before Sugarland was set to perform, killing a reported 5 victims and injuring dozens more. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of those lost loved ones during last night’s horrific stage collapse at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. It is reported that five were killed and at least 40 injured as severe weather caused the stage rigging to become unstable and fall to the ground with very little warning. Sugarland has predictably cancelled tonight’s performance, and there is no word yet on rescheduling the concert as all parties involved are in deep sorrow over last nights events.

Luke Bryan Announces Farm Tour

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Luke Bryan’s Farm Tour Returns For The Third Year In A Row! If you think the CMNB staff is on a bit of a Luke Bryan kick, well you’re right, we can’t get enough! We are happy to announce the Georgia native is hosting his third consecutive Farm Tour. This mini-tour will not take away from his other projects he has going on, the 6 shows will fit right between Tim McGraw’s Emotional Traffic Tour and his headline CMT On Tour: Luke Bryan Tailgates & Tanlines. “We have such a blast at these shows. We look forward to bringing music into some of these areas where concert tours can’t get to. There’s nothing like building a tour set in the middle of a crop field!” -Bryan Bryan came up with the idea for the Farm Tour as his way of giving back to local farming communities. What better way to celebrate the American Farmer than an outdoor, rocking concert?! All the proceeds made at each show will go to a local student from a farming family. It will be in scholarship form for a local college of that area. Tickets are on sale now and below are the dates and locations of the tour! September 29 – Clemson, SC (Clemson University) September 30 – Athens, GA (Tucker Plantation) October 1 – Macon, GA (Luther Williams Field) October 5 – Statesboro, GA (Longneedle Farm) October 6 – Valdosta, GA (Coffee Weed Plantation) October 7 – Carrollton, GA (VFW Fairgrounds)

Doug Stone At The Grape Festival

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Doug Stone Headlines Thursday Night at the Tontitown Grape Festival. This year marked the 113th annual Tontitown Grape Festival in Tontitown, AR. The festival was 5 days long, Tuesday August 9 – Saturday August 13th, with free entertainment each day. The headliners were: Tuesday Jamie O’neal, Wednesday Chuck Wicks, Thursday Doug Stone, Friday Studio B featuring Patrick Hall, and Saturday Andy Griggs. Thursday I decided to partake in the small town’s festivities, convincing myself I couldn’t miss the legendary Doug Stone. The weather couldn’t have been better, a breezy 75 degrees with the smell of carefully prepared food filling the air! I sampled some grapes, a cup of local wine, and purchased my grandpa a leather keychain with “Thomas” imprinted on it! Focusing on what I came for, I strategically placed my lawn chair at the perfect position among the crowd gathered on the asphalt, not too close, yet not too far. Not in the middle, but not too much on the side where all I got was a view of the sound system. When I was comfy, I sat and watched the artists do their thing. Western Justice, a close to the area Oklahoma band, was first up. Even with one band member down, the guys had a great show! They never once dropped their momentum. Sammy Sadler was next to take the “Gold Medal” stage. Known by many for an awful tragedy that occurred when he was a young man in 1989, “Murder On Music Row” has only made Sadler the strong, capable, and talented artist he is today. His album, Heart Shaped Like Texas, is available now and includes “I Wanna Be Loved By You“, “I’ll Always Have Denver“, “Thank God“, “If This Ain’t Heaven“, the title track “Heart Shaped Like Texas“, plus 6 others. Sadler sang his heart out and impressed a slew of people! Unfortunately when Stone took the stage, I almost regretted my decision of coming. I had such high hopes for the man who gave us numerous top ten hits including “In A Different Light“, “Why Didn’t I Think Of That“, “I’d Be Better Off (In A Pinebox)”, “Jukebox With A Country Song“, “Fourteen Minutes Old“, and “Made For Lovin’ You“. The crowd really seemed to enjoy his performance and easy-going attitude, but I knew he could have done so much better. It was a very “comical” show, full of jokes and laughter. The members of the band were very talented and did their best to keep their front man on his toes. Stone seemed to be having a great time, so much that he forgot his own lyrics on several occasions. I believe his favorite part of the evening was pointing out random fans who decided to leave early and talking to them (once during a song). Sticking it out until he was done performing proved to be my biggest task this week (possibly this month). Tonight is the last night the festival will take place, so don’t miss your chance to Continue reading Doug Stone At The Grape Festival→

The Band Perry Announce Tour

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The Band Perry Launch Purveyors of Performance Tour. The Band Perry has announced they will be launching their own tour, Purveyors of Performance. The tour will include their own headlining performances in addition to support performances for Keith Urban, Reba McEntire and one other artist who has yet to be announced. The tour will kick-off August 15th in Lewisburg, West Virginia, will cover approximately 75 shows all over the country, and will conclude in Tupelo, Mississippi on November 19th. “It has always been our dream to play Country music. We’ve been on the road as a family band for thirteen years and experienced the intimacy of theaters, the energy of county fairs and the joy of connecting with new faces as we support these amazing artists at arenas and amphitheaters. Artists like Tim McGraw, Keith Urban and Reba were the ones who originally inspired us to dream big…now they have helped our dreams come true. We couldn’t be more grateful to them or excited about the future.” -The Band Perry The group is currently finishing up with Tim McGraw‘s Emotional Traffic tour before they embark on Purveyors of Performance. They were recently honored with two nominations at the Teen Choice Awards, and have more exciting events to come in the rest of August! They will be performing Sunday, August 14th on CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night To Rock in addition to being featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on August 17th.

Jamey Johnson Performs at Farm Aid 2011

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Jamey Johnson Joins Willie Nelson and Others at 2011 Farm Aid Performances. Even though Jamey Johnson is currently on tour and simultaneously recording a new album, he is still taking the time to perform at the Farm Aid 2011 Saturday, August 13th at the Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City. Johnson is joining a line-up of performers which includes Willie Nelson among others. Farm Aid is a long running benefit concert founded to support American family farmers. The benefit has managed to raise over $39 million to aid family farmers all over the country and help them thrive. The mission of Farm Aid has a special meaning to Jamey as he grew up on a family farm in Alabama. “When I was a kid, we had a little bit of land and just about every bit of it was farm…I can’t even name for you everything that we grew from this land. But the fact that we couldn’t make enough money to sustain it meant that we had to eventually move off of it and let it go to someone else.” -Jamey Johnson Especially considering the current climate in the nation from government to the economy, support systems like Farm Aid are little beacons of hope for American farmers. By focusing on family farmers, Farm Aid helps to promote American grown food which fills plates in American homes for American citizens. “Farm Aid is not just important to me, it’s important to anybody who eats. Farm Aid is set up to look after the family farmer, the ones that actually take part in the same crops that they produce for other people. They are not just growing food to send down the line; their family eats the same foods that they sell.” -Jamey Johnson Beyond taking the time to help support American farmers, Jamey Johnson has a lot going on. He recently finished up touring on Willie Nelson’s Country Throwdown, and is now traveling all over the country on his own tour. He will be performing at the 5th Annual ACM Honors in Nashville on September 19th (which will also be in part a tribute to his good friend, singer/songwriter Hank Cochran, who passed away in 2010.). Somewhere in the middle of all this, Johnson is also finding time to complete his next album.

Luke Bryan Performs Country Girl

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Luke Bryan Promotes Album Release with TV Performances of Hit Single. As you are no doubt aware by now, Luke Bryan released his new album, Tailgates & Tanlines, Tuesday, August 9th (You can check out HaleighT’s full review by clicking here), and in between performing on Tim McGraw‘s Emotional Traffic tour, Luke has been out and about promoting his new release with TV performances! I have yet to be lucky enough to see Luke perform live and in person (Unlike HaleighT who caught him on the Emotion Traffic tour stop in OKC! Read her full account here!), but fortunately, for now, Luke’s television performances will suffice. This week he was featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live performing his hit Country Girl (Shake It For Me) (see the video below!), and he also stopped by and performed the single on the Today Show. I caught the performance of Luke featured on Jimmy Kimmel, and I have to say I am impressed. I was already sold on Luke because of his obvious talent and penchant for catchy, clever songs (Rain Is a Good Thing, Country Girl (Shake It For Me)) and softer, more emotional tunes (Do I, Someone Else Calling You Baby). However, there are artists who can produce quality work and stellar albums, and there are artists that can perform live. I am happy to report that Luke Bryan qualifies in both categories. It is obvious that when he is on that stage, he is really giving it his all and doing everything he can to make it a great show for his fans. It also doesn’t hurt that the man knows how groove. If you really want to know what I’m talking about (and ladies, especially, you DO want to know), check out the video below and enjoy! Check out Luke’s Jimmy Kimmel Live Performance Here: [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60S4c2BSAjA] So, what do you think? Is Luke Bryan as good a performer as I say he is?

Taylor Swift – Sparks Fly – Official Video

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Taylor Swift’s new video for Sparks Fly makes its debut! Taylor Swift finally releases the video for her hit song “Sparks Fly” from the album “Speak Now”. The video features footage from her highly acclaimed Speak Now 2011 Tour, and really captures the fairytale-like atmosphere of her live shows. Tell us what you think! Sparks Fly – Taylor Swift – Taylor Swift Videos

Miranda Lambert on CMA Music Fest 2011

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Miranda Lambert shows why they call it Country’s Night To Rock on the 2011 CMA MusicFest! Take a gander at some clips of Miranda Lambert‘s performance from the upcoming broadcast of the 2011 CMA Music Fest which airs THIS Sunday night. August 14th at 8/7c on ABC! [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcFNIa79PnI] Other artists to watch for include Alabama, Lauren Alaina, Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Big & Rich, Luke Bryan, Kelly Clarkson, Sheryl Crow, Sara Evans, Alan Jackson, Kid Rock, Lady Antebellum, Blake Shelton, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, Reba, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Josh Turner, Shania, Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson and Zac Brown Band.

Blake Shelton on CMA Music Fest 2011

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Blake Shelton takes the stage at the 2011 CMA MusicFest! Take a sneak peek at Blake Shelton‘s performance from the upcoming broadcast of the 2011 CMA Music Fest which airs THIS Sunday night. August 14th at 8/7c on ABC! [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW2_M9A-N6Q] Other artists to watch for include Alabama, Lauren Alaina, Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Big & Rich, Luke Bryan, Kelly Clarkson, Sheryl Crow, Sara Evans, Alan Jackson, Kid Rock, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, Reba, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Josh Turner, Shania, Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson and Zac Brown Band.

Luke Bryan Tailgates & Tanlines Review

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Tailgates And Tanlines Exceeds Expectations! Luke Bryan‘s latest album Tailgates and Tanlines was released today, August 9. The man has the perfect smile, some awesome dance moves, an out of this world personality, and the voice to match all three! This album is a great compilation to add to his discography and I can’t wait for everyone else to hear it! The 13 tracks showcase Bryan’s voice and style that we have grown accustomed to throughout his career. Bryan co-wrote 8 of the 13 songs and the album was co-produced by Jeff Stevens and Mark Bright. His liner notes include MANY thanks to a slew of people, family, friends, band, crew, producers, fellow songwriters, country radio, Buck Commander Brothers, and many, many more! To his fans… “I can never finish my thank yous without pointing out the fans who continue to show up every time and who support my music over and over again. Not one ounce of that is taken for granted. You inspire me to stand there every night and give you all I have. I hope that every time I give you something new to take away. Nut House Fans are by far the best!!” The first single, “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)“, has already had TREMENDOUS amounts of success! It has become the summer dance anthem for all the “Country Girls” to move to. I can only imagine the singles soon to come from this album will also be at the top of the charts. I truly enjoyed every song on this album, more than a few hit close to home, which again proves why I love country music and a good songwriter so much! If I had to pick my top 5 they would be “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye“, “I Know You’re Gonna Be There“, “Been There, Done That“, “I Don’t Want This Night To End“, and “Muckalee Creek Water” (in no particular order). Each song has this built in motion that makes you want to sway to and such descriptive lyrics that put you in that moment, I have to say one of the best albums of 2011! Track Listing – Writers 1. Country Girl (Shake It For Me) – Luke Bryan, Dallas Davidson 2. Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye – Luke Bryan, Jeff Stevens, Shane McAnally 3. Drunk On You – Rodney Clawson, Chris Tompkins, Josh Kear 4. Too Damn Young – Arlis Albritton, Casey Kessel 5. I Don’t Want This Night To End – Luke Bryan, Dallas Davidson, Rhett Akins, Ben Hayslip 6. You Don’t Know Jack – Erin Enderlin, Shane McAnally 7. Harvest Time – Luke Bryan, Rodney Clawson 8. I Know You’re Gonna Be There – Luke Bryan, Ashley Gorley 9. Muckalee Creek Water – Luke Bryan, Patrick Jason Matthews 10. Tailgate Blues – Brent Cobb, Neil Medley 11. Been There, Done That – Luke Bryan, Rachel Thibodeau 12. Faded Away – Luke Bryan, Michael Carter 13. I Knew You That Way – Jay Clementi, Radney Foster