Today's Headlines - 3/31/11

Brad Paisley's Next Album to Include Duets With Blake Shelton & Carrie Underwood - As we noted in yesterday's news, Brad's next album "This is Country Music" will feature not only the title track as well as the current single "Old Alabama" (a duet w/ Alabama), but will also include duets with both Blake Shelton & Carrie Underwood. The album even includes Clint Eastwood and Sheryl Crow as well!

Jason Aldean Talks About "Dirt Road Anthem" - The "My Kinda Party" album already has two smash hits, but the third single is going to rock the boat for sure. Jason calls it "a different kind of song...The song starts with the chorus and then I start with rapid fire lyrics." What he means by rapid fire lyrics is more in the style of "Hick Hop", especially since Colt Ford and Brantley Gilbert wrote the song. Starting with the chorus was a technique that was often used by Larry Gatlin and The Gatlin Brothers in such hits as "All the Gold (In California)" and "Houston."

New Music at The 2011 ACM's - As if watching the ACM's wasn't already a MUST See event with Reba & Blake hosting, it now has been announced that the ACM's will be filled with New Music. So far we know that Blake Shelton, Darius Rucker, and Jason Aldean will all be debuting new songs during the 2011 ACM Awards.

Songwriter Harley Allen Passes Away- Nashville songwriter Harley Allen lost his battle with lung cancer yesterday, March 30th. Allen is most known for his Number 1 song "The Baby" recorded by Blake Shelton, Darryl Worley's "Awful, Beautiful Life", and "Tough Little Boys" by Gary Allan.

Shania Twain is Starring in a TV Show & Promises New Music Soon - Shania announced that she is currently working on new music, but can not promise a new album yet. Shania also has a TV show starting to air soon 'Why Not? With Shania Twain' on Oprah Winfrey's OWN network.

Taylor Swift Passes the 20 Million Album Sales Mark - Congratulations to Taylor Swift who has passed the 20 million albums sold mark for her career. It's only been 5 years since Taylor's first album was released.

 

 

Today's Headlines - 3/30/11

Brad Paisley Sharing the Spotlight - Brad Paisley has never been shy to share the spotlight with other artists to record duets, and he often ends up releasing them as singles. He's already had hit duets with Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, and Keith Urban, and just release a new one with Alabama. His new album comes out in May, and it's been leaked that there's at least 2 more duets on there...one with Carrie Underwood, which is rumored to be the NEXT single after Old Alabama, as well as a duet with Blake Shelton. Which one are YOU looking forward to hearing?

Droid Users Can Now Get No Shoes Radio - If you update your iHeartRadio App on your Droid device, you should now be able to get No Shoes Radio station.

Jason Aldean Picks New Single - Jason Aldean's next single will be titled "Dirt Road Anthem." It will be his 3rd single off of the My Kinda Party album.

Shania Twain Stalker Arrested - Shania Twain's alleged stalker was arrested after being spotted in the crowd at the Juno Awards. He was already ordered to stay 500 yards away from Shania.

 

Today's Headlines - 3/29/11

• Blake Shelton to Debut New Single on ACM's - Blake Shelton will be debuting his new single, "Honey Bee" this Sunday night on the ACM Awards. Make sure you tune in to check it out!

• Country Dance now available for Nintendo Wii - Nintendo has released Country Dance for their Wii Console...it features more than 25 songs from past stars such as Johnny Cash to current stars such as Tim McGraw, Sugarland, Zac Brown Band, Miranda Lambert, Braid Paisley and more.
  

• HLN Anchor Robin Meade Releasing Country Album - Robin Meade star of Morning Express with Robin Meade on HLN is now adding country singer to her resume. Robin is expecting to release an album this summer and even performed an impromptu set at the Bluebird Cafe recently.
  

• People "Country" Magazine Giving Away Free Music Downloads - People Magazine is giving away 6 free song downloads here. You will find songs by Eric Church, The Band Perry, Randy Houser, Easton Corbin, Steel Magnolia, and The JaneDear Girls.

• Randy Travis Celebrates 25 Years in Country Music - Randy Travis is celebrating 25 years in country music with a duets album called the "Anniversary Collection". The album features artists like Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Zac Brown Band, James Otto, Josh Tuner and George Jones plus many more. The "Anniversary Collection" is slated to be released June 7th.

• Zac Brown to Host Hunting Show - Zac Brown will be hosting a new show titled "Fear No Evil" on the Outdoor Channel along with Chris Brackett.

Off-Air ACM Awards Announced!

Due to television time constraints, several ACM Awards are given off-camera before the actual show takes place, and today is the day that several of those awards were announced. Here is a quick run-down of who won what. Congrats to all of the winners! The ACM Awards will air this Sunday night at 8pm on CBS live from Las Vegas!

• Career Achievement Award - Reba McEntire

• Jim Reeves International Award - Taylor Swift (for outstanding contributions to the acceptance of country music throughout the world)


• Tex Ritter Award - Country Strong (given to a movie released and/or receiving major exposure during the preceding calendar year, featuring or utilizing country music)

• Mae Boren Axton Award - John Dorris (given in recognition of years of dedication and service by an outstanding individual to the Academy of Country Music)

• Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award - Garth Brooks, Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers (honoring individuals who are pioneers in the country music genre)

• Poet's Award - Tom T. Hall, Hank Cochran (honors songwriters for outstanding musical and/or lyrical contributions throughout their careers in the field of country music)

• Producer of the Year - Paul Worley

• Audio Engineer of the Year - Chuck Ainlay

• Bass Player of the Year - Glenn Worf

• Percussionist/Drummer of the Year - Eddie Bayers

• Guitarist of the Year - Tom Bukovac

• Fiddle Player of the Year - Aubrey Haynie

• Piano/Keyboard Player of the Year - Gordon Mote

• Specialty Instrument(s) Player of the Year - Bryan Sutton
  

• Steel Guitar Player of the Year - Dan Dugmore

• Casino of the Year - Mohegan Sun Casino - Uncasville, CT

• Don Romeo Talent Buyet Of The Year - Steve "Bogie" Bogdanovich - Romeo Entertainment Group

• Nightclub of the Year - Joe's Bar - Chicago, IL

• Promoter of the Year - Sally Williams - Ryman Auditorium

• Venue of the Year - Ryman Auditorium - Nashville, TN

Today's Headlines - 3/28/11

• Darius Rucker to Sing New Song at ACM's - Darius Rucker will be performing a new song titled "Music From the Heart" on the ACM Awards this Sunday night. The song was written by kids with developmental disabilities, along with the help of Brett James and Chris Young. No word yet if it will be recorded on an album or released as a single.

• Jason Michael Carroll to Release Album through Cracker Barrel - Former Cracker Barrel employee Jason Michael Carroll's new album "Numbers" will be released exclusively through Cracker Barrel. The new album will include his new single, "Numbers."

• Lee Brice on The Price is Right this Thursday - Lee Brice will be on The Price is Right (hosted by Drew Carey) this Thursday

• On TV Tomorrow - Little Big Town will be on Conan, Dierks Bentley will be on Leno, and Blake Shelton will be on Chelsea Lately.

• Phil Vassar Launches Record Label - Phil Vassar is following in the footsteps of many of his peers these days and is starting his own record label, Rodeowave Entertainment. It will be a full-service company, providing the following divisions: Record Label, Management, and Promotional Services.

• Thompson Square scores #1 with Debut Single - The full chart will be released momentarily, but this week's top 5 singles of the week were led by Thompson Square's "Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not," which was written by David Lee Murphy. The rest of the Top 5 are "Don't You Wanna Stay" by Jason Aldean/Kelly Clarkson, "Let Me Down Easy" by Billy Currington, "Colder Weather" by Zac Brown Band, and "This" by Darius Rucker.

• Tim McGraw to Perform Exclusive Concert on SiriusXM - This will be an invitation-only show in New York City on April 27th that will be broadcast live on SiriusXM's Prime Country and Tim McGraw Radio channels. Also performing on this unique concert billing will be The Band Perry and Luke Bryan. Do you have SiriusXM radio, and will you be tuning in?

• Wave of New Music on it's Way - Several big-name artists have either just released or will be releasing new singles in the coming month or so. Some of the tunes you may or may not have heard yet include "Old Alabama" by Braid Paisley, "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" by Jake Owen, "Honey Bee" by Blake Shelton, "Country Girl (Shake it for Me) by Luke Bryan, "Mean" by Taylor Swift, "Numbers" by Jason Michael Carroll, "Teenage Daughters" by Martina McBride, "Am I the Only One" by Dierks Bentley, "Just Fishin'" by Trace Adkins, "Wanna Take You Home" by Gloriana, "Stay Up Late" by Heidi Newfield, and "Homeboy" by Eric Church. What new music are you most excited to listen to?

• Zac Brown Band to pair up with James Taylor at ACM's - Zac Brown Band will be performing a duet with James Taylor at the ACM Awards this Sunday night live from Las Vegas. This is a perfect match in my opinion. When they're second single, "Whatever It Is" came out, I often compared it to a James Taylor song. I wonder if they'll reach back in their discography to play this, or if they'll debut something new. We shall see!

This Weekend's Headlines - 3/26 to 3/27

• Dierks Bentley Thankful For Being a Troubled Youth - In a recent interview Dierks claimed that if he hadn't gotten in trouble while as a teenager he might have not gone to Nashville, let alone ever discovered his love for Country Music.

• Garth Brooks Offers Marriage Advice to Blake & Miranda - At a recent "Points of Light Foundation" event, Garth Brooks took time out from performing and signing autographs to mention a few marriage tips to soon to be Newlyweds Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert. Garth says, "If you are going to talk to anybody about anything, talk to your spouse, that's it. No matter what. Even if it's about your spouse, it's all about communication. That's the secret." By the way the "Points of Light Foundation" event was to honor President George H.W. Bush who has been married to wife Barbara for 66 years now.

• John Rich Defends Trace Adkins on Celebrity Apprentice - Celebrity Apprentice has had a few country stars with Clint Black, Trace Adkins, & John Rich all taking their chances to win the big title. Recently John Rich spoke about Trace Adkins to Donald Trump. It seems that Donald believes that before Celebrity Apprentice, Trace was a "nobody" in the music scene and felt that Trace's success should be credited to Celebrity Apprentice and Mr. Trump. John was quoted as saying "Well, actually he was multi-platinum before he came on your show," John recalls (quote via New Mexico radio station KGRT). Donald responded, 'No, no. Trace Adkins, he was basically no one.'" So do you watch Celebrity Apprentice?!?

• Keith Urban & Lady Antebellum Selected For Japan Benefit Album - Both Keith Urban & Lady Antebellum are featured on a 38 track album with ALL singers, songwriters, producers, and others involved waiving ALL Royalties. The album is currently for sale on iTunes and is set to be available in a Double Disc set sometime in April.

• No Apologies for "Brown Chicken Brown Cow" - Not sure how we missed the commotion about Trace Adkins latest single but "Brown Chicken Brown Cow" has received a lot of static lately and not so much air play. Earlier this month during CRS in Nashville there were reports of Trace apologizing for the latest single he selected. So Trace "apologized" for his choice, but now Trace is clearing the air on what truly was meant to be said. Trace said, "I apologized for asking some ultra-conservative radio stations to play it. I should have known better than that." Trace's new single, "Goin' Fishin'," is a tale of father-daughter time, and was released to radio this week. "I don't regret releasing "Brown Chicken Brown Cow" because it's gone viral and made a lot of noise," Trace says. "We've had a lot of downloads on the video and the song. It did prove my point. I knew that where this song got played it would work. And where it did get played it sold a lot of downloads. There were just a lot of other stations that just weren't going to go there and that's okay. I get it."

• Thompson Square Wants to Crash a Wedding - Thompson Square has teamed up with CMT.com to "Crash a Wedding," with the winner recieving a Honeymoon trip to one of five pre-selected destinations. For details, visit http://www.cmt.com/community/sweepstakes/

• Toby Keith to Appear on Dancing With The Stars - No worries country fans, Toby isn't joining DWTS. Toby will be performing a 2 song set during the April 19th airing of Dancing With The Stars.

So tell me what do you think of Garth giving Marriage advice?!? How do you feel about Donald Trump attempting to claim Trace Adkins was a "no one" without him?!?

Preview: David Nail at the Round Up in Davie - 4/7/11

David Nail may be a Grammy Nominated country singer, but at one point he was almost done with country music after he decided to try his hand as a baseball coach. Thankfully David decided to return to Nashville and Country Music. David is currently working on a follow-up album to his debut album, "I'm About to Come Alive." David's debut album included the Grammy-Nominated Top-20 hit "Turning Home" (Best Male Country Performance) as well as ACM-Nominated Top-10 single "Red Light" (Single of the Year).

David is a song writer as well, having co-written 5 of the 11 songs on the album "I'm About to Come Alive." David's debut album included songs co-written by Kenny Chesney (Kenny wrote "Turning Home") and Rascal Flatt's Gary LeVox, and there is even a duet with Miranda Lambert on the album.

David's current single "Let It Rain" is off his upcoming album. The single was released in February 2011 and is currently working it's way up the charts. In a recent interview David claimed that since getting married he's had to find other sources of inspiration besides personal experiences to write songs about. David's current single "Let It Rain" was inspired by the Zach Braff movie "The Last Kiss." David's sophomore album is expected to be released in the Summer of 2011....Make sure to keep an eye out for it!

Make sure you Mark Your Calendars ...This not only is a FREE Show Presented by The Round Up in Davie, but we will be celebrating The Round Up's 10 year Anniversary!! Also, make sure to keep an eye on the website. We will be giving away David Nail Meet & Greet passes courtesy of The Round Up !!

Concert Review: Justin Moore

Justin opened the show with "Hank It" and the crowd went crazy. Song after song the crowd was just as into the show as Justin was. He drank Jack Daniels straight out of the bottle and that "Rough & Tough" persona is well, just that. From "Jackin' your jaw" to "got my jaw jacked," his lyrics show a toughness and openness that makes it hard not to like this native of a small town of a couple hundred residents in Arkansas.

When we spoke with Justin in the Meet & Greet before the show he was actually very nice, and when asked about what happened when his tour bus was pulled over entering Florida he said, "Nah, No ticket.... But thanks for askin!" And for the record, he isn't as short as people claim he is!

Throughout the show Justin kept telling his fans, "Thank You for spending your hard earned money on me." I really don't think I've ever heard an artist say "Thank You" as many times as Justin did...and he truly sounded sincere every time he said it.

Justin also gave the crowd a sneak peek at his upcoming album by playing the title track off the album titled, "Outlaws Like Me." The song is awesome and I can't wait for an actual release date on the album! Justin also played "If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away," which is off of the upcoming album and currently racing up the charts. Watching the video brings tears to my eyes, but watching him perform it live was a complete tear-jerker.

As expected, Justin played "I Could Kick Your Ass" and the crowd went nuts...I think everyone in the bar was singing back at Justin! He left the stage and most thought he was finished, but then he came back out and said "How bout one more?!?" When the crowd went crazy, Justin said "Here's a little Lynyrd Skynyrd for ya!" As the band began to play, most thought it was "Free Bird," but it wasn't. Justin and his band chose to close the night with "Tuesday's Gone" by Lynyrd Skynyrd and it was WONDERFUL! Probably one of the best versions I've ever heard played of "Tuesday's Gone."

After seeing Justin perform on the H2O Tour last year, I knew it would be a good show... But I NEVER expected Justin to be as AWESOME as he was... He proved to be not only that Rough-Tough Country boy most of the ladies fell in love with, but also an amazing performer. He kept the crowd going for almost 2 hours... And I have to say this - Justin ranks pretty high up there on the MUST SEE list... If he's coming to a venue near you I DEFINITELY Recommend seeing him live!



 

Today's Headlines - 3/24/11

• Brad Paisley to Launch Facebook Game - They are currently taking the first 10,000 people to sign up for Beta-Testing of the upcoming Brad Paisley World game on Facebook. Did you get to sign up for it?

• Eric Church to Be a Father - Eric Church and his wife Katherine are expecting their first child this fall and are "excited" about becoming parents.

• Joe Diffie Added to the Suwannee River Jam Lineup - Joe Diffie joins a star-packed lineup for the 2011 Suwannee River Jam, which takes place April 27-30 in Live Oak, FL. Also scheduled to be there: Ronnie Dunn, Kellie Pickler, Luke Bryan, Gary Allan, Jerrod Niemann, Lee Brice, Phil Vassar, Darryl Worley, Blackberry Smoke, LoCash Cowboys, and many more!

• Pre-Order Autographed Chely Wright Book - Chely Wright is releasing her paper-back version of "Like Me" and is now taking pre-orders for autographed copies. You can go to her website for all kinds of autographed merchandise by clicking here.

107.9 WIRK St. Jude's Children's Hospital Radiothon

Tune in to 107.9 WIRK (West Palm Beach) today and tomorrow as they try to raise money for St. Jude's Children Hospital. You can also listen online and donate by going to their website wirk.com.

From wirk.com: "This two day event will allow you to learn more about this amazing hospital and discover how you can give a child the greatest gift of all: the gift of life. All donations received will allow the researchers, doctors and nurses of St. Jude to continue their fight against cancer and other deadly childhood diseases."

Read more: St. Jude Radiothon – Country, Music, South Florida Country 107.9 WIRK http://wirk.radio.com/st-jude-radiothon/#ixzz1HXiB6Vpx

Every hour, they will draw a name from that hour's donors to be awarded a prize, and South Florida Country Music has partnered up with the Round Up to sponsor some prizes to be given away during the Radiothon. We are contributing 3 pairs of tickets to see the Higher Education Tour at the Round Up in Davie on April 21st featuring Lee Brice and Jerrod Niemann. There will also be a 4th prize pack featuring autographed photos of Blaine Larsen, LoCash Cowboys, Emily Brooke, Frankie Ballard, a Tom Jackson T-Shirt, and a pair of Meet & Greets to meet David Nail at the Round Up on April 7th.

If you can help, please call and make a donation. They're goal is to get partners to donate $20 a month, but any amount will be welcomed and appreciated.

Today's Headlines - 3/23/11

• Academy of Country Music to host USO Show - The ACM will host a private free show at Nellis Air Force base in Las Vegas as part of their "The Week Vegas Goes Country." The show is being put together by the ACM and the USO, and features artists such as Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Little Big Town, Montgomery Gentry, and Craig Morgan just to name a few. This is the 2nd year for the show at Nellis Air Force Base. This show is open to ALL MILITARY ID holders.

• Alan Jackson Signs With Capitol's EMI Records - Alan Jackson has signed on with EMI Records, who will team up with Jackson's own record lable, ACR (Alan's Country Records) to release his upcoming album.
  

• Billy Ray Cyrus Calls OFF DIVORCE! - In an interview with "The View" morning show Cyrus recently revieled that not only had his relationship with Miley gotten better but that he called off the divorce from wife Tish and things are "much better now." This comes just 5 months after Cyrus filed for divorce and said some pretty harsh words about Disney's Hannah Montana to GQ magazine

• In Stores This Week - Josh Turner and Billy Currington are both releasing "Greatest Hits" CD's this week.

• Sugarland Performs Madonna's "Like A Prayer" - Sugarland and Little Big Town recently got together to perform Madonna's "Like a Prayer"...check it out!

Today's Headlines - 3/22/11

• Big & Rich back together for 2011 Tour - Big & Rich are getting back together to go on tour this year with Gretchen Wilson, Cowboy Troy, and Two Foot Fred. Stay tuned as more and more tour dates are announced.

• Billy Dean to Host Songwriting Retreat - Aspiring writers who sign up to be part of Billy Dean's Writers Block will be invited to his farm for a songwriter's retreat with him and 23 other songwriters. Membership is $50, but there is only ONE slot left for the retreat.

• Colt Ford Named Spokesman for Beast Hunting Buggies - For the news straight from Colt Ford's website, click here.

• Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson at the ACM Awards - Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson have been added to the list of presenters at the 46th ACM Awards, which will take place in Las Vegas and will air Sunday, April 3rd.

• Shania Twain to Appear in Her Own Mini-Series - The series, titled "Why Not?" will air on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) beginning on May 8th. The episodes will cover all eras of her life, from childhood to her post-divorce life.

• Sugarland to Appear on Idol - Sugarland will make it's debut on American Idol on Thursday, March 24th during the results show.

• Taylor Swift to Appear in Dr. Seuss Movie - Taylor Swift will appear in Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, slated for release on March 2, 2012. This happens to be the anniversary of the author's birthday!

Today's Headlines - 3/21/11

We're going to try a new feature here where most nights, we will do our best to post a quick summary of the day's Country Music News. They won't always be this late, sorry :)

• 99.9 WKIS (Miami) Giving Away Luxury Vacation - Kiss Country has sent the Walker and Walker morning show down to Ocho Rios to broadcast live each morning this week, as they give away a trip each morning at 7:15. If you have the right birthday, you can even win $50,000!

• 107.9 WIRK (West Palm Beach) Needs Volunteers - This Thursday and Friday, WIRK will be looking for volunteers to help man the phone lines from 6am-9am for the Country Cares for St. Jude Kids. To volunteer, call 1-800-278-3383. Free breakfast will be provided!

• ACM Awards Announces More Performers - To date, the following artists have been slated to perform: Alabama, Blake Shelton, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, James Taylor, Jason Aldean, Keith Urban, Martina McBride, Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire, Ronnie Dunn, Sara Evans, Taylor Swift, Toby Keith, and the Zac Brown Band. The show airs April 3rd and is hosted by Blake Shelton and Reba McEntire.

• Brad Paisley Has Most Added Song to Radio This Past Week - Brad Paisley's new single, "Old Alabama" was the most added song to Country Radio this past week. The rest of the Top 5 Most Added Songs is rounded out by Martina McBride's "Teenage Daughters," "Mean" by Taylor Swift, "Five More Minutes" by Ashley Gearing, and Shotgun Girl" by the JaneDear Girls.

• Chely Wright to Release Dance Remix of Damn Liar - The release date to buy this digital copy is April 4th, and it will be available on iTunes and Amazon. You can hear a preview of this song on her MySpace page.

• Country Stars Honor Former President George H.W. Bush - Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Garth Brooks, Kid Rock, Reba McEntire, and Sheryl Crow were among those on hand to honor President George H.W. Bush for his work in promoting volunteerism in America. The event was called, "All Together Now - A Celebration of Service" put on by the Points of Light Institute.

• Craig Morgan Honored for Heroics - This past Saturday backstage at the Grand Ole Opry, Craig Morgan was honored by the Tennessee City Volunteer Fire Department for his efforts to rescue two children from a house fire last month. Craig is now a lifetime honorary member of the TCVFD.

• Dierks Bentley to Perform New Single on Leno - Dierks Bentley will sing his new single, "Am I the Only One" on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Tuesday, March 29th.

• Jimmy Wayne has been named a National Spokesman for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate Association) - Jimmy, a product of the Social Services system himself, completed his Meet Me Halfway walk across the United States last year to raise awareness for foster kids.

• Miranda Lambert to Perform in Tampa - The Tampa Bay Rays host a Summer Concert Series during the baseball season, and have announced that Miranda Lambert will perform after the game on Saturday, September 24th.

• Rascal Flatts to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award - Rascal Flatts will be honored by the TJ Martell Foundation at their 2011 Honors Gala with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The event will take place on Monday, March 28th.

• Ronnie Dunn Sets Album Release Date - It has been announced that Ronnie Dunn's first ever solo album will be released on June 7th. The former Brooks & Dunn star is currently watching his debut single, "Bleed Red" shoot up the charts.

• Thompson Square to Perform on Conan - It has been announced that Thompson Square, whose single "Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not" is threatening to be a Debut #1 single for them, will perform on the Conan O'Brien Show on Thursday, March 31st on TBS.

Weekend In Review: 3/17/11 to 3/19/11

South Florida Country Music had a very busy weekend out and about, and here we will give a brief recap of the events we covered.

Thursday, March 17

We started the weekend off by attending the Kenny Chesney concert at the Cruzan Amphitheater in West Palm Beach. This was the first show of the tour for Kenny, and his first visit to South Florida since 2008, as he skipped us on his 2009 tour and took 2010 off. Since it was a Thursday and most people couldn't get out of work early enough, we didn't do a full tailgate party like we usually do. We did find this awesome car though:



Uncle Cracker got the show started with about a 30 minute set, followed by Billy Currington, who rocked the place as everyone finished coming in from the tailgate parties in the parking lot.



Kenny Chesney topped the night off by playing 26 songs, bringing out surprise guests such as Mishka to perform, "Don't Worry 'Bout a Thing",



Uncle Cracker to perform "When the Sun Goes Down" and "You Never Even Call Me By My Name" and Jake Owen to perform "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy." It was a resounding success to kick off his tour before he moved on to Tampa for his big stadium show where he added the Zac Brown Band to the lineup.



Friday, March 18

Friday night we went to Renegades to check out the new place at 600 Village Blvd in West Palm Beach. The joint is packed with over 70 HD TV's that make it much brighter than the old Renegades (overkill in my opinion), and now has a full menu of food (we ordered Spinach Dip and Cheese Fries...food was good, but overpriced for the small portion sizes). The dance floor seems a bit smaller than the old one, and in fact, the entire place seems smaller than the old one.



Because they serve food, they now have an outdoor patio for smokers, as smoking is not allowed indoors. This has been getting rave reviews from the dancers, and complaints from the smokers. There are 4 bars, with one on the patio and one on each side of 3 of the 4 sides of the dance floor. The 4th side is where the DJ booth is as well as the Mechanical Bull.



For concerts, they plan on moving the bull out and putting in a small stage, but I'm not sure if concerts will work here as the area is kinda small for the band.



I realize this brief review seems a bit negative, but overall I did like the new Renegades. I think the biggest problem is that I was used to going to the old Renegades for so many years, it's going to take some time for me accept the new Renegades. They have a friendly, energetic wait staff, and a few familiar faces from the old Renegades on the bar-tending and security teams. Woody is back as the DJ, which helps give it a feel of the old Renegades. While I may not be used to the new Renegades, I do like it and definitely will be visiting as often as I did the old one.

Saturday, March 19

This was a whirlwind of a day. We started off by attending The Courageous Race fund raiser show in Parkland at a beautiful park.



This event was a benefit for 3-year old cancer survivor, Jordyn Gourley, seen below with Amber Leigh.



They had raised over $80,000 by the time we got there, and that was before Emily Brooke and Amber Leigh took the stage. Hurricane Wings was there serving food, as well as a few other local businesses that provided food, drinks, a bounce house, a mobile arcade, and more.





Emily Brooke opened up with a few songs in a solo acoustic set, with a couple of her own original songs, a couple of Taylor Swift covers, a Lady Antebellum cover, and even a Justin Bieber cover (I can now no longer say I've never heard a Justin Bieber song, haha). One of her songs was a beautiful song she just wrote in Nashville especially for Jordyn. Keep an eye on her Facebook page, as I'm hoping they'll be posting video of it soon.



After they raffled off some really great prizes (a golf cart, golf lessons, free pizza, etc), local favorite Amber Leigh took the stage. We couldn't stay past her first song, as we had to move on to our next event, but chances are you've seen this skilled fiddle player perform before, and know the kind of high-energy, entertaining performance she puts on. If you aren't familiar with her, make every effort you can to go catch one of her shows sometime soon.



We left this benefit to head over to Sunset Cove Amphitheater to photograph the Little River Band concert, which was a benefit show for Kids In Distress of Broward County.



We were asked to photograph the event at the last minute, and since our professional photographer was out of town, we did our best with our amateur equipment. We got there to find that they had brought in a professional photographer after all, so we were bumped from prime position for the Meet & Greets, reducing us to taking pictures from the corner of the room moments after the "real" photo was taken and before they disbanded for the next fan to join them. Pictures will be posted to our Facebook page shortly, but I'm not happy with the quality of them due to the circumstances we were put in. It was still a fun experience, and the band had nearly 100 fans come through.



Hollywood Lovescene opened the show, which we missed most of because we were doing the Meet & Greets, but we did get to hear a rockin' cover of Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" as we noticed the beautiful full moon rising to the east.



We then heard The Little River Band cover all of their classics before packing it up and heading out to our 3rd stop of the day. While this wasn't a country event, we're always happy to help with a good charitable cause when we are able to.



We then headed down to The French Quarter Bar & Grill in Pompano Beach to check out Slip and the Spinouts, who describe their music as "Florida Cracker Rockabilly." While they are not exactly country, they did play "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash and a Hank Williams Sr. song that escapes my memory. They also have some other classic country songs in their repertoire, but we didn't get there early enough to hear their full set. They did play for a solid 2 hours without a break while we were there, and they did put on a great entertaining show with a wide variety of covers that had people dancing everywhere. Definitely a fun time.



Overall, we had a blast covering these events and met a lot of great people along the way. It was great to see Kenny Chesney again, the new Renegades is pretty spiffy, we helped out with 2 great causes and got to support a local band along the way.

Country Music Happenings...

 

This week was a pretty big week in Country News…The week started off pretty badly for Randy Houser who lost just about everything in a Tour Bus fire on March 9th in Isle of Palm, South Carolina. Houser tweeted “my bus! my boots! my clothes!” with a picture of the rear of the bus engulfed in flames.

Houser later tweeted that the boots survived, although they would have to go shopping for clothing as everything else had been lost but said “Thank God we are alive and weren’t sleeping (when the fire happened)”. Houser returned to twitter on March 10th to tweet “God bless all that have sent well wishes to me and the others on the bus. We love and appreciate your concern. Thank you sooo much!” Initial reports claimed that Randy and the crew had lost everything including guitars, but Heidi Newfield posted a message on her facebook page that “My buddy Randy Houser's bus caught on fire!!! Thank God they are all ok & saved their guitars...he lost all his clothes though…”

 

Also this week Country singer Jewel was in a serious car accident… As you may remember Jewel and husband Ty Murray announced in January of this year that they were expecting a baby. The accident occurred on Friday March 11th around 11am CST in Texas. Her SUV was hit on the passenger side by a Volunteer Firetruck. Jewel tweeted Saturday morning "Hey everyone-just got released from the ER & my Dr's office- everything is fine-me & the baby r ok- thanx 4 all your thoughts & prayers."

And also this past week it was announced that Josh Thompson will now be working on TWO albums at the same time… Not only is Josh working on his follow-up album, but he is also the Producer for Chris Cavanaugh’s debut album. Chris Cavanaugh has been a singer/songwriter for some time now and has written songs with Colt Ford, Jake Owen, & Josh Thompson just to name a few. Look for BIG things coming from Chris.

Last but not least ... To us really the most important item of news ... Country singer Julie Roberts has offered to PERSONALLY write a Thank You email to any and every deployed service member she can obtain an email address for... You can send an email to JulieRobertsFans@gmail.com with the email address and name of the Solider and she will send them an email to say Thank You. You can also find information on Julie sending Letters to The Troops here on her Facebook page.

 

This Week's Radio Ads

Congraulations to Taylor Swift, who had the most added song to Country Radio this week with her new single, "Mean." Brad Paisley had the 2nd most added single with "Old Alabama." Have you heard either of these songs yet? If so, what do you think?

Other observations from the rankings...the 4th most added song is "Mary Was The Marrying Kind" by Kip Moore. Impressive for a new guy that even I've never heard of! Toby Keith, Eric Church, Eli Young Band, and Tim McGraw w/ Gwyneth Paltrow also had strong showings on the weekly rankings.

 

Rubbin' Elbows with the Stars

Do you have a unique story about meeting a Country Artist? We are offering you a chance to have your story published here on the front page of our website! All you have to do is write your story, include a photo or two of your encounter if you have them, and email us your story to mike@southfloridacountrymusic.com.

Your story will be proofread and edited as needed, then we will publish our favorite ones with you receiving full credit as the author. We will collect and save your stories, and publish them one at a time as part of an ongoing series we will do here, so keep 'em coming and don't be discouraged if you're isn't published first...odds are, we will publish it eventually. If you have any questions, leave them as a comment to this post so that we can answer them for all to see.

 

In the News: Jake Owen

by Mike Carroll




Jake Owen is a national star, but in a way he is also a local artist. The Vero Beach native went to Florida State University, does a benefit show every year in Vero Beach for the Mardy Fish Foundation, and visits often. He has a large local following and is especially popular with the ladies.

He recently performed for industry insiders during the annual CRS (Country Radio Seminar), where he played two new songs for the folks in attendance. The songs were titled, "Journey of Your Life" and "Barefoot Blue Jean Night." He also announced that the latter will be his next single.

I have not heard either of these songs, but there's a lot of buzz going on amongst his peers about one of his upcoming songs in twitter-land. Based on the titles of these songs, I would imagine he's got 2 completely opposite mega-hits on his hands. Time will tell, and as soon as we have a release date for both the single and the new album, we will be sure to let ya'll know in the "New Music" section under the "Media" tab.

You can catch Jake Owen on tour this year with Keith Urban, which includes a couple of Florida dates. Jake also has a couple of other dates as well. Here is when/where you can see him:

4/15 - Tallahassee

4/16 - Melbourne (Runaway Country Music Fest w/ Josh Kelley, Lonestar, Justin Moore, and Miranda Lambert)

6/17 - Jacksonville (with Keith Urban)

6/18 - Tampa (with Keith Urban)

Are you a fan of Jake Owen? If so, why? What are your favorite songs? Ever meet him? Use the comments section below to talk all things Jake, and maybe you'll make some new friends with other Jake fans.

 

2011 WIRK Rib Roundup Review

2011 WIRK Rib Roundup Review

by Mike Carroll and Leslie Paczosa

We started our day walking around the parking lot taking in the tailgating atmosphere. The thing that stood out the most to us was that at least 5 tailgate parties we walked past were blasting Colt Ford music. Guess he's pretty popular for not being mainstream, eh? After seeing that ya'll were ready to party, we headed inside to get situated.

The show started off with Emily Brooke singing a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem. It was beyond awesome to say the least! Emily is a very talented young lady with a bright future and is a must see if you are at a local show. If you missed her opening performance, make sure you go check it out on YouTube. You will get the chills.

Jennette McCurdy was the first act to the take the stage, and the first thing that stood out was the highly uncomfortable-looking shoes she was wearing. We had a chance to talk to her after her performance, and the first thing we asked, was "so...how're you're feet feelin'??"

"Oh my God!! My feet are KILLING ME!!!" was her response. No surprise there! She did receive a lot of compliments on the shoes from her female fans, so I guess no pain no gain, right?

The highlight of our time with her as she did her radio/fan club Meet & Greet was an adorable little boy that shyly presented her with a vase of flowers. He was so nervous that he kept looking down at the ground while she talked to him. She asked him excitedly, "Are those for ME??? How sweet of you! Come over here and give me a hug!!"

The boy slowly went around the table, bent over part way at the waist, and kept his lowered head to her side as she gave him a big hug. As soon as his time with her was done, he was off running up the hill with a big grin on his face to go play with some other kids.

After meeting with people in the roped off area, she went out and did a one-hour Meet & Greet with the rest of her fans. She had quite a line of folks waiting to meet her. She too, has a bright future ahead of her.

Tom Jackson took the stage next with his rockin' style of Country Music and put on a great show. His new tune, "All About You," has potential to be a radio hit, so make sure ya'll request his music to your local radio stations.

Frankie Ballard was running late for his Meet & Greet, but made up for it with his friendly demeanor and willingness to spend time talking with each fan. He later put on a very entertaining show, and was later seen standing off to the side of the main stage watching the other artists as they performed. You gotta love someone with that kind of respect.

Blaine Larsen was also very friendly to talk to, and spent time talking with each fan as well in the Meet & Greet. We quizzed him on why he didn't sing some of his previous singles last time he was in town (Jupiter, 6/10) after claiming that night that he didn't remember the lyrics for those songs. He was surprised that he didn't play them, and promised he'd be hitting them all on the main stage on this day. He ended up skipping his biggest hit to date, "How Do You Get That Lonely," but it wasn't on purpose. He later tweeted an apology to all of the fans at the Rib Roundup for accidentally skipping over it on the set list. As far as we're concerned, he's forgiven!

The LoCash Cowboys were awesome. Preston and Chris are funny, friendly guys that knew us from twitter. After meeting with the fans that had Meet & Greets, they went out and signed for the other fans that didn't have access to the signing area. They then went out, and, as predicted in our Preview blog, got the joint rockin'. They put on a high-energy performance that in our humble opinion was one of the best of the day.

Thompson Square was next up...like all others before them, they were very friendly and spent time with the fans in the Meet & Greet area. Unlike the artists before them, fans had to provide their own objects for autographs. (The first 4 artists had photos on hand for autographs). They then went out and put on a good show, showing why some have them pegged as the "next big thing," as their early record sales indicate.

Next up on the docket was Rodney Atkins. Once we hit the "Big 3," the Meet & Greets were a bit more rushed since things fell behind schedule a bit. We didn't have a chance to talk with Rodney, but he had the crowd standing and singing along throughout his set. He too was one of the highlights of the night.

The next big moment of the night came when the latest class of Army recruits were sworn into active duty as official soldiers in the US Army. What a privilege it was to be able to witness such a heroic moment in all of those young men and women's lives. Craig Morgan came out to thank them and gave a small speech before they marched off the stage to go protect our great country.

Next up was Joe Nichols, the ladies fan-favorite of the night hands down. He was in a playful mood before his set. When we asked him how often tweets from his twitter account were from him personally, he laughed and said, "If they're funny, it's me. Otherwise, it was my manager back in his office doing promo work."

He had several women clamoring to meet him from outside the Meet & Greet area, and he obliged for a lucky few. He then took the stage to sing hit after hit...though it appears nobody was drinking Tequila, because we didn't notice anyone's clothes falling off, even during his hit single, "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off." Oh yeah, he apparently also really likes to drink Diet Dr. Pepper.

By the time Craig Morgan stopped by to visit before his set, it was getting dark out. The Meet & Greet session was a bit rushed because of this, but he made sure to meet with every fan that was back there to meet him. He then capped the night off with the closing set, playing all of his hits.

In our Preview blog, we highlighted his pre-music career serving his country, and little did we know that the next day he'd once again be a hero. He was on his way home when he passed a house that had caught fire. He proceeded to rescue two children from the burning home, and told the story a few days later to the Jeff Elliott in the Morning Show on WIRK. I believe they have a recording of that interview on their website, so go check it out.

Throughout the day, we kept running into a gentleman who was there with his daughter. He had won Meet and Greets to meet all of the artists, and his daughter was able to have them all sign her pink guitar.

All-in-all the 2011 Rib Roundup was a great day-long event that went very smoothly and successfully. We were disappointed that we didn't have time to see the acts over on the side stage by the rib area, but the feedback we've been hearing has been very positive of the acts that performed there, especially for Emily Brooke, Tom Jackson, and Sarah Darling.

While the cold did send some fans home early, there was a good crowd for the 2nd Annual WIRK Rib Roundup, and we're already looking forward to next year's.

What were the highlights of the Rib Roundup for you? Tell us about YOUR experiences!

PHOTOS Courtesy of  L.Paczosa & M.Carroll

(Contest Closed) Justin Moore Concert Ticket Giveaway - Set #4

Ok, to win the next set of tickets to see Justin Moore at The Round Up in Davie, all you gotta do is go to our facebook page and find the photo album titled, "Possible Logos for SFCM." Go through them and click "Like" on the one you like the most. You can like more than one photo, but you will only get one entry in the contest. Feel free to leave us comments as well to help us pick a logo. We already have one of the 12 logos in mind that we're likely going to go with, regardless of the outcome of this straw poll, but we're still curious to see what ya'll think.

The same rules apply as the previous giveaways...must be 21 or older, must be able to attend the show in person with a photo ID to be allowed in the door (your name will be placed on a guest list, no tickets will be mailed), and you'll be entered into the Grand Prize drawing for the VIP Experience. If you have any questions, leave a comment!

Contest closes at 10pm Thursday, March 3rd (tonight!)

Thanks and good luck!

PREVIEW .... Justin Moore at The Round Up in Davie

 

First off… I have to start this Preview by saying that if you haven’t been to an event 

at Round Up Country Western NightClub … Well you are surely missing out! The 

venue is beautiful and there is a GREAT view from anywhere in the club. I’ve seen 

concerts at venues all over South Florida and there truly isn’t a much better Intimate

Venue than that of Round Up!

Now on to Justin Moore. Justin’s self titled debut album has a song list that had 4 

huge hits including the #1 single “Small Town USA” as well as the Top #10 single 

“Backwoods”, Top #20 single “How I got to be this way” and “Back that thing up”. His

most recent single ”If Heaven (wasn’t so far away)” is working its way up the charts 

and is due to be released on a new album coming from Justin sometime in 2011. His 

newest single is showing Country Music that Justin isn’t always one of those 

Rough-Stock type guys. If you haven't heard Justin's new single ... Well you need to, 

it is sure to be a hit for him and I feel that it says what so many of us feel about losing 

loved ones. (Click here to see the video  for the Studio cut of "If Heaven")

 2011 has already been a pretty big year for Justin, who is currently splitting his time

between a Honky Tonk Tour and Touring with Grammy winner Miranda Lambert for 

~20 shows.  Even with the busy year the Justin is already having… He is still finding 

time to give back to children as well. Justin recently held an impromptu benefit 

concert during the Country Cares for Kids Radio-thon and raised $4000 for St Judes

Children’s Hospital. 

Tickets for this event are on sale now and available at The Round Up Box Office or 

you can visit The Round Up's Online Box Office.... Tickets are $15.00 presale and 

$20.00 the day of the show.  You can also WIN YOUR WAY IN by following our 

Facebook and Twitter pages. We have 3 more sets of tickets to give away including a 

VIP experience!!