Category Archives: News

JB and the Moonshine Band Interview

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JB and the Moonshine Band Talk About “Chasin Rainbows”! Hayden McMullen, Gabe Guevara, Chris Flores, and JB Patterson make up what is JB and the Moonshine Band. I first heard of these guys after a small fishing trip this spring. A close friend and country music fan played me a couple songs and said I should check into them for work. A short while later, after hearing their whole album, I decided I had to see them live. Of course the first opportunity I had was a show at my favorite venue on Dickson, George’s Majestic Lounge (they know how to pick entertainment!) in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I sat with the band and asked some pretty generic questions, but was pleasantly surprised that I wasn’t given generic responses! JB is very dedicated and passionate about his work and anyone who disagrees can just ask what he was doing a few years back. Even though he had a successful career in advertising, something was missing. Being more intrigued by music led him to take a chance and follow his dreams. The singer/songwriter held an open audition and had 3 people show up, it was obviously fate and the Moonshine Band was formed. Chris, Gabe, Hayden and JB have been rolling down the road ever since. JBMB is a fairly new band, they are around two years old and in what they call the “toddler” stage. They must have been watching some of those Baby Einstein videos or something because they seem to have their act together! They may not always have a packed house, but they always have a happy crowd and leave with a few more fans than they came in with. They love what they’re doing, have plenty of energy and fun on stage and this is what keeps people at their shows. JB writes all the songs for his band and helps out fellow artists when need be. Casey Donahew reached out to the front man a while back and together they wrote what is now the title track to the Casey Donahew Band’s upcoming album. JB said when you write with someone you never know how it will turn out, but he was thrilled with Casey’s excitement for their creation! “Double Wide Dream” can be heard now at www.caseydonahewband.com. I asked for some crazy stories from different shows and was told that there are plenty of stories, but sometimes its hard to keep them all straight. JB said it was more like “One big, huge, colossal show and that show is awesome!” Not only are these guys musically talented, but they are very polite and freaking hilarious! If you don’t believe me, pop on over to YouTube and check out their videos. Here is one that is particularly close to my heart (as you will see in this Friday’s episode of Takin’ A Break With HaleighT)… [youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoToe8IXkgs] Their first album, Ain’t Goin Back to Jail, was released in 2010 and includes a collection of love ballads and comical, Continue reading JB and the Moonshine Band Interview→

Darius Rucker Begins First Solo Tour

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Darius Rucker Begins His First Solo U.S. Tour This Fall. Darius Rucker is currently touring the European leg of Brad Paisley‘s H2O II: Wetter and Wilder Tour. As soon as he gets back to the states though, he will be beginning his first headlining tour of the U.S.! Rucker will be joined by Rodney Atkins, Thompson Square, Frankie Ballard and Justin Moore on select dates of his tour. This is an exciting development for Rucker, and he is definitely excited! “I haven’t headlined a tour since Hootie, so to say I’m excited is an understatement. It has been such an incredible experience to tour with Paisley and Rascal Flatts, and I’ve learned a lot being on the road with them. With this tour, I’m just excited to perform again for our fans, and I’m thrilled to have Rodney, Frankie, Justin, and Thompson Square joining us.” -Darius Rucker You can check out the list of upcoming tour dates below. A complete list will be available as soon as the remaining dates are announced. Upcoming tour dates are as follows: 10/6 Glens Falls, NY w/ Rodney Atkins and Frankie Ballard 10/7 Indiana, PA w/ Rodney Atkins and Frankie Ballard 10/8 Syracuse, NY w/ Rodney Atkins and Frankie Ballard 10/20 Charlotte, NC w/ Rodney Atkins and Frankie Ballard 10/21 Raleigh, NC w/ Rodney Atkins and Frankie Ballard 10/22 Cincinnati, OH w/ Rodney Atkins and Frankie Ballard 10/23 Pikeville, KY w/ Rodney Atkins and Frankie Ballard 11/12 North Charleston, SC w/ Thompson Square and Justin Moore

Lady Antebellum Featured on GAC-TV

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Lady Antebellum Is The Focus for Upcoming GAC-TV Special! Lady Antebellum gets up close and personal in an upcoming television special feature on GAC-TV. In light of the avalanche of success the trio has experienced over the past year, from public (winning 5 grammys!) to personal (Hillary Scotty got engaged!), and the impending release of their next studio album, Own The Night, on Tuesday, September 13th. GAC thought it was the right about time to take a closer look at Lady A! The episode gets the scoop on how the three (Hillary, Charles and Dave) got together in the first place and decided to start Lady A, and the rise to stardom which followed. It also features interviews with the group, performance videos, conversations with family members, and never before seen childhood photos! For the die hard Lady A fans or for those who want to get to know the group a little better, this is sure to be an interesting segment! The episode airs on GAC-TV Sunday, September 11th at 8pm(ET). You can also catch Lady Antebellum’s performance on September 8th at the pre-game show for the “NFL Kick-Off 2011” at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI. The show will air on NBC at 7:30pm (ET).

Jason Aldeans My Kind of Party Becomes Theme Song

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Jason Aldean’s Hit Single Becomes Theme Song for the ACC. Well, we knew Jason Aldean‘s single, “My Kind of Party“, was a big hit, but clearly country fans are not the only showing Aldean some love for this song! The ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) has chosen Aldean’s hit to be the “theme song” for the opening of all the telecasts during the 2011 football season. The single will be included in the opening video montage which will be the lead in to each week’s syndicated game. Aldean’s rocking-semi-rap-infused party anthem is sure to get the adrenaline flowing for football fans throughout the 2011 season! Meanwhile, Jason continues his tour across the U.S. through October!

Neal McCoy New Album

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Neal McCoy Records 12th Studio Album. Neal McCoy is doing what he does best, making music! The charismatic singer has been in the studio and will be releasing his newest album XII in January. There is an obvious reason for the title of the album…it is his 12th studio album, that will be released in the year 2012, and will include 12 songs! The collection is being produced by Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert and Brent Rowan. “Having Miranda and Blake involved in this project is ‘Huge’ for me. Not only do they have great vision, but they know when to have fun and when to get serious along with being Fantastic musicians.” -McCoy The man who gave us classics like “Wink“, “No Doubt About It“, “They’re Playin’ Our Song“, “The Shake“, and “Billy’s Got His Beer Goggles On” is sure to have some more hits up his sleeve! The first single “A-OK“, will hit radio in October of this year and was written by Barry Dean, Luke Laird and Brett Eldredge. This will also be McCoy’s first record with his new label, Blaster Records.

George Strait Hits Collection

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King George Set To Release Icon! George Strait is set to release an album of 11 of his biggest hits on September 13. Icon will be sold at a special price and goes on sale a week after his new studio album, Here For A Good Time, debuts. Be looking for a review of the new album in the next few weeks! Track Listing 1. “Amarillo By Morning” (1983) 2. “Ocean Front Property” (1987) 3. “All My Ex’s Live In Texas” (1987) 4. “Love Without End, Amen” (1990) 5. “I Cross My Heart” (1992) 6. “Check Yes Or No” (1995) 7. “I Just Want To Dance With You” (1998) 8. “Living And Living Well” (2002) 9. “Give It Away” (2006) 10. “I Saw God Today” (2008) 11. “River Of Love” (2009)

Americana Awards Show Gets National Coverage

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10th Annual Americana Association Honors and Awards Show Get National TV Coverage. The 10th Annual Americana Association Honors and Awards Show (whew! that’s a mouthful!) will be airing live Thursday, October 13th from the Ryman in Nashville on Nashville Public Television which reaches the Middle Tennessee viewing area. Additionally this year however, an edited version of the live show will be televised on Wednesday, October 19th on Austin City Limits which airs on PBS as “ACL Presents: Americana Music Fesstival 2011” (you can check local listings for times). Understandably, the AMA is excited to have the opportunity to receive national coverage this time around. “It was time to bring the Americana Honors to another level. We could not have better partners in Nashville Public Television President and CEO Beth Curley for our Middle Tennessee premiere and Austin City Limits Executive Producer Terry Lickona to take this to a national audience.” -Jed Hilly Executive Director of the Americana Music Association The show is one part of the Americana Music Festival and Conference presented this year by Nissan that will take place October 12th through 15th in Nashville. In related news, “Americana” is now officially recognized as a word by Merriam-Webster! So, the AMA has lots of reasons to be excited this year!

Jennifer Nettles Hosts CMA Christmas Special

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Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland Will Host 2011 CMA Country Christmas Special! For the second consecutive year, the Country Music Association is bringing together country stars to help celebrate the holidays with their own memories and stories as well as performances with the CMA Country Christmas television special. Just like last year, Jennifer Nettles, one half of the duo Sugarland, will be hosting this special holiday event. “I love holiday traditions and am so excited to add hosting CMA Country Christmas to my new list of traditions now. I’m gonna have to up my game this second time around, so I’m putting Brad and Carrie on speed dial for hosting emergency consulting services.” -Jennifer Nettles The special will be taped on November 10th (the day after the CMA Awards!) at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. The taped “live” show will be aired on ABC, but a date has not been set yet. So, check back with us for details on air dates and times, performance line-ups and other info! As soon as it’s announced will make sure you hear about it!

The Band Perry Sold Out Ryman Concert

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The Band Perry’s Upcoming Ryman Performance Sold Out in 20 Minutes! This past Friday, August 26th, The Band Perry experienced one of the true signs a band can receive that they are headed on the path towards a successful career. All 2300 tickets for their upcoming headlining performance at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville sold out in twenty minutes. Now, it would be impressive just for the tickets to have sold out period in any other span of time, but twenty minutes? Twenty. Minutes. That is a sure fire way for country music fans to show their love for this family trio! The Ryman performance is scheduled February 20, 2012. This impressive sell-out comes on the heels of the group announcing their first solo tour, Purveyors of Performance, which kicked off August 15th and will run through November 19th. Their tour will include not only their solo performances but also performances with Keith Urban, Reba McEntire and others. The Band Perry also recently released the video for the next single, “All Your Life“, which has the makings to be their next big hit! Click here to watch the video. So, you might not get to see them perform at the Ryman, but be sure to check back in for more details on The Band Perry, as they are sure to come with so many exciting things unfolding for them right now!

45th Annual CMA Nominees Announcement Date Set

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Nominees for the 45th Annual CMAs To Be Announced September 6th! The 2011 CMA Awards are quickly approaching, and it’s almost time to find out who all the nominees are going to be! We here at the CMNB newsroom, as members of the Country Music Association, have already had the opportunity to weigh in on the nomination process, and we are incredibly excited to who made it into the final nominations! The announcement of the nominees will take place Tuesday, September 6th from two different locations. The Band Perry and Jake Owen will announce the final nominees of the first five categories at 8:30am on ABC‘s Good Morning America. This will be followed by a performance of “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” by Owen!. The nominees in the last seven categories will be announced from a press conference at the Ryman in Nashville by Jerrod Niemann and Thompson Square. (Also in NASHVILLE, duo The Janedear Girls will announce the finalists for the 2011 CMA Broadcast Award Personality and Radio Station of the Year in four categories (small, medium, large, and major markets), as well as the finalists for the CMA National Broadcast Personality.) Stay tuned because as soon as the nominees are announced we will have them posted for you! The 45th Annual Country Music Association Awards will be hosted by Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley and air at 7pm on Wednesday, November 9th at 7pm.