Listen: Ashley Monroe New Song Use

Listen to Ashley Monroe’s New Song “Use” From Upcoming Album. To the delight of country music fans, Ashley Monroe (of the Pistol Annies) recently announced that she will be releasing a new solo album, Like A Rose, in 2013. Notably, the new album is co-produced by Vince Gill and Justin Niebank and all the tracks were co-written by Ashley! Now, the date has changed since we last talked about it, and it will now be debuting on March 5th via Warner Nashville. Luckily though, Monroe is more than willing to keep giving little tastes of what is to come. The most recent sample from the album is her single, “Use“, that is beautifully mournful and heartbreakingly relatable. If this tune is any indication of what to expect from the rest of the record…well, let’s just say I can’t wait! Hear it for yourself below! Listen: Ashley Monroe’s “Use”. Be sure to check out Monroe’s title track from the album as well!

Jake Owen Added to Country Thunder Wisconsin 2013

Jake Owen Added to the Popular Country Thunder Wisconsin, 2013 Line-Up. Good news, country fans! Jake Owen has officially been added to the 2013 line-up of the popular annual festival, Country Thunder Wisconsin! Owen joins an already fantastic roster of artists including Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Little Big Town and much more! Other newbies to the line-up also include Sarah Darling and Dean Alexander. Taking place in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin July 18-21, this fest is shaping up to be a heck of weekend! Find the complete line-up below. You can only purchase passes for a few more days! The deadline is Dec. 31st, and the early bird rate is currently $99. Complete Country Thunder Wisconsin Line-up. Thursday, July 18th: 5:30-6:30pm Chris Janson 7:00-8:30pm Justin Moore 9:00-10:30pm Dierks Bentley Friday, July 19th: 1:00-2:00pm TBA 2:30-3:30pm Morgan Frazier 4:00-5:00pm Parmalee 5:30-6:30pm Dustin Lynch 7:00-8:30pm Little Big Town 9:00-10:30pm Keith Urban Saturday, July 20th: 1:00-2:00pm TBA 2:30-3:30pm Sweetwater Rain 4:00-5:00pm Phil Vassar 5:30-6:30pm Lee Brice 7:00-8:30pm Chris Young 9:00-10:30pm Brad Paisley Sunday, July 21st: 1:00-2:00pm Dean Alexander 2:30-3:30pm Sarah Darling 4:00-5:00pm Edens Edge 5:30-6:30pm Joe Nichols 7:00-8:00pm TBA 8:30-10:00pm Jake Owen Get the low down on Country Thunder Arizona!

Lady Antebellum Own The Night Tour DVD Giveaway

Enter For A Chance to Win Lady Antebellum’s Own The Night Tour DVD! Earlier this month, Lady Antebellum released a special documentary style concert DVD filmed during the recent 2012 Own The Night World Tour! The footage is primarily from their Little Rock, AR concert which they performed the final weekend of the the North American leg of the tour. The DVD features 90 minutes of interviews, behind the scenes shots and performances by the trio including “I Run To You“, “We Owned The Night“, “American Honey“, “Just A Kiss“, “Our Kind Of Love” “Need You Now” and more! Sounds pretty great, right?? Well, you’re in luck because we’ve a copy and we want to give it away to Lady A’s biggest fan! Follow the instructions below! Win a Copy of Lady Antebellum’s Own The Night Tour DVD! Step 1: (If you aren’t already!) Follow us on Twitter: @CountryMusicNB Step 2: Tweet a link to this post and be sure to tag us so we it! Step 3: When we receive you’re tweet, you will automatically be entered to win! Important Details: Winners will be randomly selected and notified individually via Twitter. Prizes were provided by Kayos Productions. Tweets must be received by Friday, December 21st. Winners will not be eligible for another prize drawing until 90days after this one. Watch: Lady A’s “We Own The Night”.

Video: CMA Country Christmas 2012 Behind the Scenes

Get Behind the Scenes with The Band Perry, Little Big Town and More for the 2012 CMA Country Christmas! The annual CMA Country Christmas special for 2012 is quickly approaching, airing next week on Thursday, December 20th! Like most country music fans, we really look forward to this show, hosted again this year by Jennifer Nettles and with performances from The Band Perry, Martina McBride, Little Big Town, Dierks Bentley and more, and it looks like the 2012 edition is going to be just as great as the previous years! While you’re waiting for Thursday to roll around, go ahead and get a behind the scenes look below! Video: Behind the Scenes, CMA Country Christmas 2012!

Brad Paisley Southern Comfort Zone Video: Review

Brad Paisley’s Southern Comfort Zone Video Is An Unlikely Masterpiece: Review I am a big fan of Brad Paisley so I was excited for the music video for “Southern Comfort Zone“, a brilliant song about Southern pride still encouraging people to see the world, and then be glad to come home! The video appears to have been recorded while Brad conducted the recent leg of his European tour, and The Band Perry even have a couple of cameos since they opened for him during the tour. In addition, he visited the Masai tribe that he donated cows to a couple of months back, and filmed the remainder of the video there. It’s a lot different than Brad’s previous music videos, and certainly very different from your average country music video. The idea behind involved Brad running through various cities, and seems designed to show an almost-seamless fit between places and his journey. Eight countries in eight days, apparently. Amateur Quality = Relatable. The beginning of the video consists of Brad playing the beginning of the song, just him and an acoustic guitar, by a truck, seemingly in the African safari. It is a delightful clash of cultures, but done more subtly than expected, and the writing across the screen to declare the title of the song and artist is in childish font. This pretty much sets up the whole ethos of the video, in that it is oddly, and yet fantastically, amateurish. Sometimes the camera doesn’t focus properly and you experience it focusing in and out. A lot of the time Brad is simply running down random streets in various cities and passers-by stare at him over their shoulder. The beginning and the end of the video where Brad is playing guitar is the live sound, and it doesn’t sound exactly like the polished studio recording. Some of the camera angles aren’t up to much and you get the feeling a lot of it’s been filmed on a handheld. Sometimes the camera holds its shot on completely unknown people and things. Whilst Brad is running someone occasionally throws him a new jacket which he catches and throws on like it’s nothing. He walks into a pub in Ireland and the crowd gathered sing the chorus of the song loudly and unabashedly. He plays guitar next to a real life giraffe and jerks it away slightly when the giraffe goes to try and eat it. Throughout Brad appears unassuming and without star status, he is simply ordinary. Everything is done with the utmost casual vibe, we get no theatrical expressions and sometimes the colors are fairly dull. And that makes me completely love this video. No Glam = Down To Earth While, I like the glitz and the glam and the creative videos that clearly have been worked hard on, there’s something about this that is fun, and perhaps even more interesting than other videos that have had hours of work and a lot of money put into them. This feels Continue reading Brad Paisley Southern Comfort Zone Video: Review

10 Random Questions with Greg Bates

Interview with Country Music Newbie Greg Bates in 10 Random Questions! 24-year-old Tennessee native Greg Bates has a lot to be proud of right now! With his first single “Did It For The Girl” moving up on the country charts, fans seem pleased with how genuine his music is, and this pearl snap wearing country boy is definitely just as sweet and genuine as his music! I would describe Greg using the three “P’s”: polite, patient & passionate, but deep down inside, I’m sure there is a wild side he wants to let out, right? Well, let’s ask him some questions and get down to business! How does it make you feel to hear people talking about how “genuine” your music is? It’s the biggest compliment anyone could give to me and my music. When I was writing these songs and making this record, I really wanted people to listen to it and feel like they were getting to know me. My music is a representation of who I am and if “genuine” is the word that people choose to use then that’s alright by me. Describe yourself in three words! Happy, Sarcastic & Stubborn If you were stranded on an island and could only have one country album with you, what album would you pick? Randy Travis “Storms of Life”. You seem like such a nice well behaved kinda guy, do you ever let your wild side out? I have been known to let the wilder side of me show, but even then I’m pretty tame. I’m just an easy going guy that tries his best to stay out of trouble. What is the one food you can’t live without? Bacon. Where do you do most of your shopping? Do you keep up with clothing trends? I would hardly consider myself “trendy” when it comes to clothes. I’m pretty much a t-shirt, blue jeans, baseball hat, and cowboy boots kinda guy so I do most of my shopping at Target ha! If you had to pick only one, would you go hunting or fishing? Fishing! It’s way more relaxing and half the work! If you could do a duet with a female artist (past or present) who would you pick & why? Either Patty Loveless or Tammy Wynette. Both to me are the perfect example of classy ladies with the purest voices I’ve ever heard. Is there anything you want the world to know about Greg Bates? Anything you want your fans to know? I play country music because that’s what I love and that’s what I’m a fan of. Every note I play or sing is because somebody in the history of country music has influenced me and all I ever want to do is make country fans proud of my music. There ya have it! It seems Greg is just a good ol’ country boy looking to stay out of trouble. Feel free to follow Greg on Twitter and on Facebook! We can’t wait to hear what Continue reading 10 Random Questions with Greg Bates

Inspirational Country Music Songs: Zac Brown Band Day That I Die

Inspirational Country Music Songs: Zac Brown Band’s Day That I Die. One of the things that I love most about country music is that there is a story in every song, and those stories are steeped in someone’s hopes, dreams, and life experiences. Since country music is so rooted in real living, it seems to me that country songs tend to be inspirational…maybe purposefully but also maybe even accidentally. Either way, there’s probably a lesson that can be learned. One such song that has stuck with me the past couple months is Zac Brown Band‘s “Day That I Die” from their 2012 release, “Uncaged“. This song is about living life to the fullest, making sure that you aim for your dreams and reach your goals. It’s about not taking your time on this earth for granted and making sure that you absolute make most of it, giving back and leaving a legacy. In light of the tragedies we’ve experienced as a nation as of late, Hurricane Sandy ripping apart the Eastern seaboard, the shooting in Oregon and the senseless slaying of children and school faculty in Newtown, CT this past Friday, these individual communities as well as as our country in a larger sense, are in need of comfort and inspiration. So, the lyrics to Zac Brown Band’s “Day That I Die” hold special resonance with me now because as the song insinuates as individuals we have to be the positive, we have to bring the good in the world, we have to make our time here count. In the face of such tragedy, it is simple and easy to point fingers, but if we take a moment to think about what we can do, what steps we can take to help our communities and those around us who need help, we could go a long way to being the “good” our world so desperately needs. To hear more about this inspirational song, and it’s roots…get behind the scenes with the folks that made it come alive. Behind the Scenes: Zac Brown Band’s “Day That I Die”.

RaeLynn Premiers Boyfriend On The Voice

RaeLynn Premiers Her New Single, “Boyfriend,” On The Voice. Last night we found out that another contestant wouldn’t be making it to the finals. Trevin Hunte was eliminated, leaving the top 3 of season 3. Cassadee Pope and Terry McDermott remain for Blake Shelton‘s team and Nicholas David for CeeLo Green’s team. A contestant from last season, a Shelton team member, also made an appearance last night. RaeLynn premiered her new single, “Boyfriend.” Although she didn’t win, or make the top finals, RaeLynn does have a record deal with Republic Nashville. You can find her single on iTunes and should get to hear a full length album in 2013. There has been much debate on whether the young girl is “country” or not. So we would love to hear what our readers have to say. Do you like the song? Do you like her voice? Is she country? Watch the video of her performance below and fire away in the comments section!

12-12-12

If You Were Ever Going To Buy A Lottery Ticket, Today Might Be The Day. Hey everybody! As you all know (it is all people are talking about), today is 12-12-12. Some say this is a magical day, some say it isn’t. However you feel about, I hope today is great for you. I have and will be spending mine working and studying, but I am quite alright with that! But if you do believe this day has some kind of special powers, then buy a lotto ticket, go on a blind date or enter a karaoke contest. You never know…you could become a millionaire, find the love of your life or be discovered as the next big thing!