Kellie Pickler Tough Video

Kellie Pickler Releases Video for Single Tough. Kellie Pickler has released the video for her most recent single “Tough” that was released over the summer. The release of this single marks Pickler’s first musical release since 2008, and the wait was well worth it. “Tough” is a strong song about a strong woman. The music is upbeat and sassy with well-written lyrics to match. I am happy to report that the video definitely lives up to standard set by the song. There is a fair amount of hip shaking and sexy prancing around by Pickler, but not to the point that it is detrimental to the message. She really does embody a strong, country gal who has made the best of the lemons life has thrown her way. Also, she manages this just fine all on her own. I certainly hope that the rest of the music on the album “Tough” belongs to is just as strong as this initial single. Check Out The Video for “Tough” Now! Tags: Tough, Kellie Pickler, Kellie Pickler Videos

Heidi Newfield Shes Country Tour

Heidi Newfield and Bridgette Tatum Kick-Off The She’s Country Tour Heidi Newfield and Bridgette Tatum will be headlining the She’s Country Tour which will be kicking-off in Little Rock, AR on November 2nd. The She’s Country Tour is an all-girl country genre club tour that is being presented by Pendleton Whiskey in association with Paradigm Talent Agency Nashville and 343 Agency. Both Newfield and Tatum have committed to 13 dates so far, which are listed below. “Paradigm Nashville is proud to help launch this unique all-female tour…Heidi and Bridgette both bring high-energy performances and a ‘let’s party’ attitude that are perfectly suited for these venues.” –She’s Country Tour co-producer and Paradigm Nashville co-head, Mike Snider You might know Newfield from her days with the country group Trick Pony whose singles include “Pour Me” and “Its A Heartache“. Or you may know her just for being Heidi Newfield having released a solo debut album, What Am I Waiting For, in 2008 which was nominated for five ACM Awards. Bridgette Tatum released her debut album Sex, Church & Chicken in 2010, and her single “Loud” was chosen as the ACC Football Conference’s 2010 season theme song. Also, Tatum co-wrote Jason Aldean‘s hit “She’s Country“. So, clearly both these ladies have the chops to headline a tour like this. It is extremely refreshing to see a tour like this come together which specifically showcases the female talent, spirit and hard-work in the country genre. Be sure to see if the She’s Country Tour is coming anywhere near you! Initial She’s Country Tour dates include: Nov 2 – Little Rock, AR – Revolution Music Room Nov 3 – Dallas, TX – Glass Cactus Nov 4 – Katy, TX – Mo’s Place Nov 5 – Helotes, TX – Floores Country Store Nov 6 – Austin, TX – Midnight Rodeo Nov 9 – Nashville, TN – LOCATION TBD Nov 10 – Wichita, KS – Denim & Diamonds Nov 11 – Des Moines, IA – Krazee Kafe Nov 12 – Kansas City, MO – Denim & Diamonds Nov 16 – Memphis, TN – Newby’s Nov 17 – Starkville, MS – State Theater Nov 18 – Jacksonville, FL – Mavericks Nov 19 – Atlanta, GA – Peachtree Tavern

Takin’ a Break with HaleighT – Country Music News Ep3

HaleighT Discusses Her Favorite Season, Jason Aldean, and Dierks Bentley! In the third episode of “Takin’ a Break with HaleighT“, HaleighT sits down to talk about her favorite season and all the fun things that come with it, and Jason Aldean‘s new video for his moving “Tattoos On This Town“. Also, we get to hear about HaleighT’s surprise run-in with Dierks Bentley and what she thinks of her new single “Home“. Tune in and don’t forget to let us know what you think! Check It Out Now! [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9i5daBHLCA]

Country Represents at MTV O Music Awards 2

Taylor Swift, Blake Shelton and Dolly Parton Nominated for O Music Awards 2. Taylor Swift, Blake Shelton and Dolly Parton are the representative group holding the fort for country music at the next round of “O Music Awards” hosted by MTV. The “O Music Awards” (as you are no doubt wondering by now) is a strange but (arguably) inevitable development of digital and web culture. MTV is essentially honoring musical artists online activities, typically relating to promotion or contacting fans. The “O” literally stands for “offbeat, outrageous, online”. So, this is not your average award show, and the categories are less than average as well. Taylor is nominated in the “Fan Army FTW” category for her “Taylor Nation” legion of fans, and Blake Shelton (we really should not be surprised here) is nominated for “Must Follow Artist On Twitter”. The one really interesting part of this is Dolly’s nomination. She pops up in the “Best Vintage Viral Video” for “Jolene“. Taylor and Blake’s nominations make complete sense, but Dolly’s nomination is especially important. It really demonstrates how classic music can live forever, and how this music can be relived and re-experienced through digital technology. Even though this is kind of a wacky award show, it is fun to see that amidst all the really random categories and equally random nominations, a piece of classic, solid country made it in. You can watch the nominated video here! [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1plvBR02wDs]

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood Perform Remind Me

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will Perform Remind Me at CMA Awards! The November 9th, 2011 CMA Awards show will officially mark the first live performance of Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood‘s duet Remind Me! So, this is turning out to be quite a busy night for both Paisley and Underwood! In addition to this performance, don’t forget that the pair are reprising last year’s role as hosts for the award show. Also, Paisley has been nominated in a total of five categories and Carrie is nominated for the female vocalist category! I hope they both get plenty of rest the night before the show! The 2011 CMA Awards will take place on November 9th, and air on ABC at 8PM ET. Tickets for the 45th Annual CMA Awards are on sale now!

Rascal Flatts Invited to Join Opry

Vince Gill Invites Rascal Flatts to Join The Grand Ole Opry. During a performance at the Grand Ole Opry, Tuesday, September 27th, Rascal Flatts was surprised on stage by Vince Gill. Gill popped up between songs, and definitely took the boys, Gary Levox, Jay Demarcus, and Jon Don Rooney off guard! The boys of Rascal Flatts were even more surprised when they realized that Vince Gill was their to extend an invitation to join the iconic Opry! The reactions from all three are pretty priceless, and it is more than evident how much the invitation means to each of them. When Levox regained his composure and found his voice, he let the audience in attendance know that the invitation is more than just an invitation. “You know, we’ve gotten to do a lot of amazing things in our career like going to Iraq and visiting our soldiers, selling out arenas, and doing a lot of magnificent things that … you can’t even dream that big. But all three of us grew up listening to the Opry: Jay with his grandfather, me with my grandmother, and Jon Don with his entire family. You can’t even put into words what this means to us. When we first signed our record deal in 1999, our main goal was to play the Grand Ole Opry and someday be members of the Grand Ole Opry. Thank you so much for being here.” – Gary Levox The group will be formally inducted on Saturday, October 8th during the Opry’s 86th birthday weekend. The show will air live at 8pm (CT ) on GAC. Watch the Video of Rascal Flatts’ Surprise Invitation! [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4MjY_X9wiU]

Matt Stell & The Crashers

Let’s Get To Know Matt Stell & The Crashers! Matt Stell is a tall guy with a killer voice looking to play loud music for whoever will listen! Although he has been recording music for the past few years, he has started a new adventure with a fresh new band! Darren Barry (guitar), Cliff Aaron (drums) and Eric Williams (bass) make up what is The Crashers. They are all really enjoying the ride and are excited to see where it takes them! I recently had the opportunity to sit down with band after getting to peek in on their sound check before a show in Fayetteville, Arkansas where the guys opened up for the Eli Young Band. It is hard to pin point exactly what genre this band fits in, there is a bit of everything. I like to call it the rockin’/soulful/smooth/blues/country/story telling genre. MS&C really puts out a sound that is like no other. They all love what they’re doing and you just have to see them perform one song to see that. Cliff Aaron was the first to say that music picks you more than you pick it and the others were quick to agree! “You have to love to play music whether your making money or not” -Aaron Everyone in the band also agreed that they couldn’t picture themselves doing anything else. The combined amount of time put into this craft by these men is quite impressive. Another thing that is impressive is Stell’s songwriting capabilities. He has had a hand in penning all of his songs for the last two records in some way or another. One thing he is adamant about is writing about things he knows. If people can relate to a song, then that is just a bonus! “Vestibule Blues“, is the title track of the album and a song that Stell is pretty proud of. The lyrics speak about a specific church from Stell’s childhood and brings us back to the reason we have funerals in the first place. Stell spent a good amount of time doing radio tours for his single “Robert Tatum” and it is currently in the 50s (call in to request it!). The band is looking to release their next single pretty soon, but still making the final decisions on what it might be. There are a couple front runners but my vote would be “Break Me Down” or “Piney Woods“, so be looking for a new song to hit the radio! The band will be playing the Great Arkansas Pig Out in Morrilton this Friday, September 30. Jason Boland & the Stragglers and the Turnpike Troubadours will also be there. This is about as close to their hometown festival as it gets, so come out, eat some good food and listen to some great music! If you can’t make it to that show have no fear, head on over to www.mattstell.com and find a performance near you! Vestibule Blues Track Listing 1. Break Me Down 2. Continue reading Matt Stell & The Crashers

The Band Perry Collaborates with Justin Bieber

The Band Perry Joins Bieber On His Upcoming Christmas Album. It is an epidemic. I am honestly considering calling the CDC (Center for Disease Control). Okay, maybe I’m being just a tad over dramatic here, but country music fans, we have a problem. The Band Perry is collaborating with Justin Bieber on his upcoming Christmas album. Now, maybe if this was the first time this had happened, I would be a little less irritated (or maybe not…). However, I am beginning to notice a trend, and I do not like where it is headed. We have not kept our opinions to ourselves on this topic, over here at the CMNB newsroom. I have discussed this whole Bieber and country music …thing… several times, and HaleighT sounded off on it in her video segment last week (check that out here.) Yet, we’ve really only talked about it in bits and pieces, so right now, I’m going to paint the big picture. So, let’s go over this one more time. Rascal Flatts started this when they collaborated with Justin Bieber on his single “That Should Be Me” released in February of 2011 on his Never Say Never album. Then this summer at the 2011 CMT Music Awards, Justin Bieber won the very first award of the evening for this collaboration. I would like to point out two things. First, this award was won by Justin Bieber not Rascal Flatts. Second, this is not a country song. It isn’t even trying to pretend to be a country song. Actually, this song is so not country, it makes Rascal Flatts sound like they are not country. Yet, there we were at the 2011 Country Music Television Awards watching Justin Bieber win the first award of the evening…for not country music. Then just a couple of weeks ago, Justin Bieber popped up at Taylor Swift’s concert in L.A., and they performed a song together. Did they perform one of Taylor’s songs? No, they performed Justin’s “Baby“. (Sidenote, Bieber collaborated with Ludacris on that song. If you remember, Ludacris performed “Dirt Road Anthem” with Jason Aldean at the close of the 2011 CMT Awards. I’m just sayin’.). Shortly after Taylor and Justin’s performance together, we got word that Taylor and Justin are actually recording an original song together. Now, Taylor is known for branching into other genres that are a little less than country oriented (Think The Story of Us, released as a single earlier this year, pretty much 100% Pop. You can kind of hear the banjo in the background, but only if you ignore the drums and electric guitar.) Also, it could be argued that Taylor and Justin already share a substantial fan base (i.e. 13 year-old girls). Still, did she really have to record with Justin Bieber? Are there no other options? Now, The Band Perry is on the Bieber train. That’s three country artists/groups in just under a year. All three collaborating with a teenage pop sensation. My question is: Why? And Continue reading The Band Perry Collaborates with Justin Bieber

Jason Aldean Sells Out Nashville Tour Date

Jason Aldean Sells Out Upcoming Tour Date In Nashville. This past Friday tickets went on sale for Jason Aldean‘s February 24th “My Kinda Party” tour stop at Nashville‘s Bridgestone Arena. In an exciting turn of events, the show sold out in just minutes (that’s over 15,000 tickets)! While he has been riding a wave of success for awhile now, Aldean is still blown away by such a display of loyalty from his fans! “It feels good to sell out any venue in any city, but to sell out your hometown is just an unbelievable feeling. I can’t wait to come home for this one … you can bet me and the boys in the band will be ready to go that night!” -Jason Aldean For that particular show date, Luke Bryan will be the opening act. So, that really is gonna be one heck of a show!

Willie Nelson Lyle Lovett and More Host Texas Benefit

Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Dixie Chicks and Others Perform Relief Concert. Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, The Dixie Chicks and Asleep at the Wheel will be hosting a benefit concert, “Fire Relief: The Concert for Central Texas” on October 17th at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, TX. The event will be hosted by “Friday Night Lights” star, Kyle Chandler and actor Turk Pipkin. Other special guests include Shawn Colvin, The Court Yard Hounds, Steve Miller, The Texas Tornados, guitarists Eric Johnson and Joe Satriani. Tickets will go on sale Friday, September 23 at 12pm and are $25, $35, $100 and $250 VIP. The VIP ticket price includes premium seating and access to the VIP Lounge in the Lone Star Room. In addition to performances, there will be a silent auction with specialty items autographed by the artists, and T-shirts with the concert’s logo for sale. This concert event is intended to raise funds to support the families who have suffered complications from and dealt with the wildfires in Texas all summer. All proceeds from this event will of to Central Texas Wildfire Fund at the Austin Community Foundation. It’s great to see that no matter the need, country musicians and fans are willing to step up to the plate, pitch in, and help those in need.