10 Random Questions with Sunny Sweeney

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Sunny Sweeney Answers Our 10 Random Questions! She hails from good ol Texas and never goes anywhere without her guitar, Sunny Sweeney is about as country as they come. She signed with Republic Nashville in 2009, and by 2010 her single”From A Table Away” had hit radio stations across the U.S. In 2011, her second single debuted, and it’s one of my favorites! “Staying’s Worse Than Leaving” sends a great message to women everywhere who are in bad relationships. This year has already brought big things Sunny’s way as she is currently nominated for an ACM Award for “New Female Vocalist Of The Year“! Fans can vote up until Feb 4th (get the info here!). So, I decided to catch up with Sunny for my 10 random questions, check it out! 1. At what age did you know you wanted to pursue music? During college 2. What artists did you listen to growing up? I listened to old school country – Merle, Loretta and Jessi Colter 3. What artists do you currently listen to? These days I listen to Randy Houser, Miranda Lambert, Tom Petty and Merle, Lorretta & Jessi. I guess you could say I’ve branched out a little. 4. One thing you can’t live without? My pillow 5. Favorite animal at the zoo? Giraffe or the monkeys at central park zoo with glow in the dark butts 6. Candy or ice cream? Junior Mints 7. Beer or whiskey? Beer. I get crazy when whiskey is in my veins. 8. Do you have a life motto? My past made me what I am today. Proud? Not of everything. Regrets? No. 9. What can we expect in 2013? Any big plans? Lots of writing, touring and meeting new fans! 10. What would you like to tell the world about Sunny Sweeney? I’m supposed to be doing this music thing. It’s hard. I’ve devoted my life to it and I am here to stay! You can follow Sunny on twitter @GettinSweenered, and be sure to vote! Brittany is a guest contributor! You can find more from her via Twitter.

Gretchen Wilson New Single and Albums for 2013

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Gretchen Wilson Releases An Avalanche of New Music In 2013! It’s always good news when we hear our “Redneck Woman” is working on new music! Just getting off the road after the Gang of Outlaws Tour with ZZ Top and 3 Doors Down last year, Gretchen Wilson has a brand new single, “Still Rollin,’” ready for airplay and will be releasing a whopping three albums in the upcoming months! “I am very excited to have so much new music coming out this year. We are already touring, and are looking forward to an incredible year with old friends, and new beginnings!“- Gretchen Wilson Besides the new single, Wilson is releasing new album Right On Time, a collection of 12 new songs, on April 2. This will be followed by two other releases, Under The Covers, featuring 12 of Classic Rock hits from the 70s on May 28, and Gretchen’s first full-length Christmas album in October. Like Wilson said, this is gonna be an incredible year for her! So, mark your calendars and be on the look out for the new records!

Gary Allan Set You Free Album Review

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Gary Allan Hits with Full Force with New Album Release Set You Free. Gary Allan‘s single “Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain),” featured on his new album which dropped last week, is already a run away success having reached Gold status earlier this month. After listening to Set You Free from beginning to end and over again, it’s simple to see that “Every Storm” is in good company with the other eleven tracks featured on the new record. Allan’s album has that rocker edge to it that we all know and love, and each song reaches right in and grabs a hold of you, pulling you in with well-written lyrics, haunting and/or catchy melodies and Gary’s gruff but velvety vocals. Poetry of a Broken Heart. The major theme on this album is easily heartbreak. Even songs like “You Without Me”  and “One More Time” that aren’t strictly about broken hearts and relationships are still  heart wrenching because the love and desire for a life well lived he describes are just so intense! Even though most of the songs share different variations of this common thread, each song still manages to be poetic, unique and powerful. There is a different story for each track, and each is as compelling as the next. With “Sand In My Soul,” it is easy to visualize the beach, the tiki bar, and a lone figure drinking alone then shuffling off to his room as the world moves on around him. Anyone who has loved can relate to the addiction metaphor  (“stoned mind” “jonesing for another kiss” “high on love” “strung out on a woman”) employed in “Hungover Heart.” As you listen to the album, each track is just a vivid as the next and it’s difficult to not have an emotional reaction to the music. Two songs which stand out from the heartbreak theme are “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)” and “Good As New.” Both of these tracks are optimistic and bolstering. Like the heartbreak songs, these two tunes don’t deny the hurt in the world, but highlight it, and in the process emphasize just how good the good things really are in contrast. This lyrical quality is in keeping with the more mournful tunes as it still maintains a poetry and powerfulness that is certain to touch listeners. It’s The Little Things. Besides having 12 well-written, compelling and unique songs on Set You Free, there are little details embedded in each song that add musical diversity to the album as a whole while setting the tracks apart from each other. In “Bones” there is a strong presence of harmonica that gives it a serious groove. The intro to “It Ain’t The Whiskey” features an organ riff that immediately caught my attention. With “Sand In My Soul“, the fiddle stands out and really adds an extra layer of sorrowfulness to accompany the lyrics. When we get closer to the end of the album “Drop” really shakes things up with a jazzy/bluesy quality that increases Continue reading Gary Allan Set You Free Album Review→

Josh Turner Find Me A Baby Video

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Josh Turner Releases Adorable Video for Find Me A Baby! Josh Turner just released his new video for single “Find Me A Baby” just a couple of days ago, and it is absolutely adorable. Featuring “candid” shots of what appears to be real families posing for the camera, happy as can be, the video just makes you smile. At the end (spoiler alert), we even get what looks like a couple photos of Josh and his babies! This is such an optimistic, cheery song, and I’m really glad I started my day with it! Watch for yourself below! Watch Josh Turner’s Find Me A Baby Video.

Jana Kramer Whiskey Video Review

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Jana Kramer Releases Official Video for Whiskey: Worth the Wait? Jana Kramer’s second official single from her self-titled debut album, “Whiskey” has been heard over the airwaves for quite some time without any real video. There was a video posted a couple of months ago to her channel, called ‘Kickin’ It With @Kramergirl’, and many websites and blogs assumed THAT was the video for ‘Whiskey’. And, while it’s a nice video, it is rather simple (in fact it’s just one camera shot with nothing much going on in the scene), so I’m glad Jana has released this video too, to let us get to know the song on a deeper level. And that has happened, I think. I was a little surprised by the nature of the video – I just expected it to be about your slightly runaway small-town heart breaker, but instead the video shows scenes of something entirely different. From Jana meeting the guy in a bar, their eyes doing that “I want to sleep with you” thing, and then the guy being ‘called’ (ha, clever play on the lyrics) by another man, only to start punching this other man and getting into a brawl, the rowdy and passionate nature of the relationship is clear. Jana obviously looks shocked at first, but as soon as her love interest returns to her after his brawl, back comes the flirty smile and they go off together. Err, huh? Just an interjection, but I don’t care how cute a guy is, if he starts fights I’m not going to go home with him. Seems like sound advice, as the video ends with said lover being arrested in the middle of the night from the trailer where he and Jana are sleeping. Jana looks betrayed and slams the trailer door as her lover gets put into the police car. Finally, she gets it. Between this start and end scenes we get a lot of Jana looking gorgeous, yet sad and dramatic in various scenes, lying down in her trailer, sitting in the woods with a shawl wrapped round her, it’s standard music video stuff, and I wouldn’t have expected anything less from someone who is also partly selling her sex appeal alongside her music (we have to admit it’s a marketing tactic for many). There are some very obvious interpretations of the lyrics, such as the lover drinking copious amounts of Jack Daniels straight from the bottle, in front of a campfire, symbolizing the fire of the relationship. Something interesting to note about this video is the amount of time it focuses on the passionate kiss between Jana and her on-screen lover. Country music is still a rather traditional medium, so to have this and a brief showing of them taking each others’ clothes off, is quite risqué, especially considering the criticism Shania Twain received in the nineties for showing her midriff. You could say country music has moved on, but there’s still a lack of openly sexual visuals in country Continue reading Jana Kramer Whiskey Video Review→

Backroad Anthem Live at Georges Majestic Lounge

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Backroad Anthem Explodes Onto The Country Scene with Performance at Georges Majestic Lounge, Headed Somewhere Fast! I have a feeling that sometime soon, I’ll be telling everyone how I met the boys from Backroad Anthem before they made it big. I first stumbled across this group of local talent when they opened for Dustin Lynch at Georges Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville, AR at the beginning of January. I didn’t even know they were on the night’s bill until I got to the show, and I was immediately blown away by the energy in their performance, their original sound, and how they had the fans on their feet and grooving in a matter of seconds. I thought maybe Dustin’s fans were just particularly exuberant, but I caught Backroad again just a little over a week ago when they headlined at George‘s and sold out the venue. For the second time, I was taken aback by these guys, especially considering that, as I later learned, they’ve only been together a short time (less than six months!). No matter the short time frame, these talented young men have hit just the right note, and they’re headed in the right direction. The Energy The first thing you’ll notice about Backroad Anthem is the raw, no holds barred energy that they put into their performances. according to lead vocalist frontman  Craig Strickland this is exactly what they’re aiming for. “We want to offer people somewhat of a country power band, where everyone is incredibly talented at their instrument. When people walk out the door from a live show we want them saying ‘That band had something that other bands don’t have. Their crazy energy on stage is addictive.’” – Craig Strickland For his part, Strickland never stays in one spot for long as he’s constantly jumping, running around on stage, dancing on an amp or interacting with the crowd. At the same time the extraordinarily talented fiddle player, Eric Dysart, isn’t taking any breaks either and keeps things upbeat and sizzling with his superb skills. Meanwhile, Isaac Senty kills it on the drums, Toby Freeman‘s smooth vocals balance out Craig’s more rocker vibe while adding to the overall sound with his rhythm electric, and Josh Bryant keeps a cool demeanor without holding back as he fires away as lead guitarist.  Every single one of them is constantly giving it their all, and the result is a loud, well-performed, high energy show that has the audience on their feet, dancing, singing along, and cheering for more the entire time. Bottom line, one thing is for sure, the crowd won’t leave without having a great time. The Sound Besides the high energy of their shows, Backroad Anthem has an interesting and original sound, and is sure to draw folks back for more. Granted, at this early stage, they are still filling their set with a lot of covers of popular country hits, but even still, they demonstrate a pretty wide range in the process. They cover classics Continue reading Backroad Anthem Live at Georges Majestic Lounge→

10 Random Questions with Phoenix Stone

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Guest Writer Brittany Vance Asks Phoenix Stone 10 Random Questions! Is it just me or is Phoenix Stone such a kick ass name? His name really does match his music, unique. Stone is a true southern boy from Tampa, FL who discovered the spotlight as a teen. He was signed to Warner/Chappell record label, and worked with folks like The Backstreet Boys. However, I believe his pop days are probably long gone. His current single “100 Proof Moonshine,” which he wrote and produced on his own, has been getting a lot of attention, and he was also named one of the “25 Most Beautiful People Of Nashville 2012.” All I have to say is, any friend of moonshine is a friend of mine! Plus, he was brave enough to take on my 10 random questions… so, consider me a fan. 1. How does it feel to be one of the “25 Most Beautiful People Of Nashville 2012?” I was honored and flattered but I’ve never really considered myself beautiful haha 2. What artists do you currently listen to? Eric Church – any classic rock like guns N roses and Fleetwood Mac recently 3. If you could duet with any female artist who would you team up with? Kelly Clarkson or Sheryl Crow 4. How many tattoos do you have? 5 5. Beer or Wine? whiskey or moonshine for me 6. Do you have a favorite sport? White water rafting, UFC or baseball 7. Favorite Restaurant? Roosters BBQ in Nashville 8. Do you have any bad habits? Probably 🙂 9. What can we expect from you in 2013? Full length album and continuing to tour. 10. Is there anything you want the world to know about Phoenix Stone? That it takes a long time and it’s a long road to being an “overnight sensation” work hard and let your passion for music lead you…all the rest will fall into place. You can follow Phoenix on Twitter @phoenixstone1! Watch: Phoenix Stone “100 Proof Moonshine” Official Video. Brittany is a guest contributor! You can find more from her via Twitter.

Rose Falcon Talks Upcoming EP 19th Avenue Vol 2

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Interview: Singer Songwriter Rose Falcon Talks Upcoming Release 19th Avenue Vol 2 EP! Up and coming country singer songwriter Rose Falcon has a new EP, 19th Avenue Vol. 2, releasing next week and she took a couple minutes to chat with me and discuss the upcoming project, her influences, and more! The single aspect that stands out the most in Falcon’s music is the honesty in her well-written lyrics. There is a very feminine and simultaneously strong quality in the quiet songs featured on the upcoming EP. She claims influences like Tammy Wynette, Patty Lovelace and Reba McEntire, and it’s easy to connect the dots between these iconic artists and this rising star. Rose’s songs are lyrically raw and personal, and musically have hints of roots and Americana. She had this to say of the tracks and her personal “sound” featured on the upcoming EP, “It’s fairly organic, not a lot of fancy production and lyrically driven. The instruments are meant to paint around, highlight the song the best they can without taking away or distracting from the lyrical content.“ This is not surprising to hear from someone who grew up around songwriters (her father is legendary singer – songwriter Billy Falcon), spends four days a week co-writing songs and who loves living Nashville, TN which she suggests is home to best singers and songwriters in the whole world! Falcon is authentic, and in a way the simplicity of her songs is what gives them staying power. There are lots and lots of talented folks in country music these days, but not everyone can cut it as a writer. So, I was curious about her particular process and style. “I co-write a lot. It’s a process of giving and receiving what I call ‘gifts’. Someone you write with might have a gift to give you, an idea and you have to be open to that. Or one day I might have a great idea to offer. You end up with something you wouldn’t of had if you hadn’t been working with that person on that day. It’s a really magical process, and I think that God is a part of it in every step.“ In the tracks featured on Falcon’s 19th Avenue, you can hear how invested she is in the words and the stories they tell. I have no doubt that as her star continues to rise, country fans who get to listen to her music will find it relatable and this will draw them in and keep them listening. I also have a feeling that Falcon would be a wonderful singer to catch live…hope I get the chance soon! Be sure to check out the new EP when it releases Tuesday, January 29th, and stay tuned for more from Rose in the next year! Find her on Twitter and iTunes!

Getting To Know Ben Wells

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Let Me Take A Minute To Introduce You To An Artist Who Is Always Ready To “Get Down.” I got the chance to talk with Ben Wells for a few minutes the other day. For those of you who don’t know, Wells is a small town guy with big time dreams! Releasing his self-titled album this past fall and it reaching #26 on the National Country Chart sure is making those dreams a little more realistic each day. His current single from that album is “Get Down.” It’s about…well, getting down! This tune is sure to put you in the partying mood and quick! The song has done very well for him and we hope that his next single does just as good, if not better, at radio! I can’t say for certain, but I have a feeling the next single has something to do with dads…hint, hint! Like I said, Wells is making his dreams come true day-by-day, show-by-show. His favorite part of performing is the audience! Obviously the bigger the crowd the better, but Wells loves a smaller group too. He says a crowd of 200-300 is great because it’s a big party, but he can still connect to a group of that size. “A crowd too small can be awkward,” Wells said. Just for kicks, I asked Wells some pretty random questions. But hey, the piece IS called Getting To Know Ben Wells… Who did you listen to growing up? “My aunt use to take me to school when I was little and she listened to things like Tim McGraw and Shania Twain. So I listened to Tim McGraw and Shania Twain. When I got a little older I listened to a lot of Eminem, but then I went back to country.” What is your favorite drink? “At a bar that would be whiskey and sprite. When I’m trying to be healthy I go with a screwdriver, because I feel like the juice is better for me. But I love purple Gatorade!” What about breakfast? “Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds.” (That was the quickest answer of the entire interview. He REALLY loves the Honey Bunches!) What is your go to t-shirt? “About every 3 shows I wear this Rolling Rock Pale Ale shirt. But I wash it, it’s clean!” The year 2012 was a crazy roller coaster for Wells. Like the rest of us, he is ready for the things 2013 has to offer and he is looking at it with tons of positive energy and enthusiasm! Jump on over to BenWellsOnline.com for any other information you might need, including his show schedule! His current album which includes “Get Down,” “Valdosta Rain,” “Daddy In Me,” and “Might Be Worth It” is available on iTunes now!

Best Of The West Benefit Concert Set For February

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The Second Annual “Best Of The West” Benefit Has Been Set For February 25 In Nashville. The 2nd Annual “Best of the West” benefit concert is returning! It will be held Monday, February 25, 2013 at Nashville’s Exit/In. Stoney LaRue, Trent Willmon, Kristen Kelly, Ryan Beaver, Bleu Edmonson, The Cadillac Black, Rob Baird, Brian Keane, Kimberly Kelly and other surprise guests will be there to help raise money for Musicians On Call. Doors open at 6:30PM with music starting at 7PM, for what is sure to be an amazing night with some of the best artists from west of Tennessee for one of the best music industry causes. Fans 18 and up can purchase general admission tickets for $15 along with a limited number of $40 VIP packages in advance starting Friday January 25th at 10am. To get your tickets or make a donation visit BestOfTheWest.preferredfan.com. Those in attendance will also be able to participate in the live auction of autographed memorabilia from some of your favorite artists. All proceeds from the event will benefit Musicians On Call. For the most up to date information on the event, check out their Facebook page.