Friday, April 29, 2016
Martina McBride’S RECKLESS available today!
You can catch McBride performing on the American Country Countdown Awards on Sunday, May 1st at 8:00 PM on FOX.
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Keith Urban releases "Wasted Time" video off of RIPCORD!
Today marks the release of Keith Urban’s new video “Wasted Time,” for the song that is
one of the fastest rising chart singles of his career. The video marks the second from
Urban’s new album RIPCORD (“John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16), which will be
released on Friday, May 6th, and the third directed by John Urbano (“Cop Car” and
“Somewhere In My Car”).
"Wasted Time" is a nostalgic throwback to simpler times. The upbeat song was co-written by Urban along with Greg Wells and J Hart.
You can catch Keith Urban's Ripcord tour in New England this summer featuring Brett Eldredge and Maren Morris. The Ripcord tour will be in Gilford, NH for two nights on July 2nd and 3rd. Tickets are already available. The tour will also stop at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA on Saturday, June 25th. Tickets for that show are currently only available through the Live Nation Mega Ticket but should go on sale individually soon.
Check out Keith Urban on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
"Wasted Time" is a nostalgic throwback to simpler times. The upbeat song was co-written by Urban along with Greg Wells and J Hart.
You can catch Keith Urban's Ripcord tour in New England this summer featuring Brett Eldredge and Maren Morris. The Ripcord tour will be in Gilford, NH for two nights on July 2nd and 3rd. Tickets are already available. The tour will also stop at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA on Saturday, June 25th. Tickets for that show are currently only available through the Live Nation Mega Ticket but should go on sale individually soon.
Check out Keith Urban on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Friday, April 15, 2016
The Kelley Brothers bring the "The Driver" to Boston
Charles Kelley at HOB Boston 4-11-16
When I heard Charles Kelley was embarking on a solo project,
I was intrigued to see (and hear) how his solo album would compare to the projects from Lady Antebellum. As a longtime fan of Dierks Bentley and a new fan of Eric Paslay, I was pleased when the three collaborated for, “The Driver”. The song ended up with a GRAMMY nomination and, while it lost to “Girl Crush”, it helped to create buzz for The Driver album and tour.
The Driver album ended up being one of my early favorites of the year. The album quickly became one of my
most played and I began to get really excited for The Driver Tour to come to
Boston.
Josh Kelley at HOB Boston 4-11-16
Monday night’s show at the House of Blues Boston completely
exceeded my expectations. The show began
with Charles’ older brother, Josh, playing an acoustic set with some of his own
hits like “Amazed” and “Georgia Clay”.
Josh regaled us with stories about life growing up as Charles’ older
brother and his time in Boston complete with a trip to Fenway Park to catch the
Red Sox home opener and a stop at a college bar (The Bell in Hand). Josh was showing off his fun side with
playful covers and also shared some of the stories that inspired his new album. His first single off the album, "It's Your Move" is about the fight that makes or breaks a relationship. Josh's wife, Katherine Heigl, costarred and directed the music video.
Aside from the fun, Josh showed how talented he is with his own hits and soulful covers of Bruce Springsteen’s “The River” and Roger Hornsby’s “Mandolin Rain”.
Aside from the fun, Josh showed how talented he is with his own hits and soulful covers of Bruce Springsteen’s “The River” and Roger Hornsby’s “Mandolin Rain”.
His new album, New Lane Road, will be available for
purchase on April 22nd. You can preorder
the album on iTunes or Google Play.
Charles Kelley at HOB Boston 4-11-16
After Josh’s stellar performance, Charles came to the stage
flanked by familiar faces from the Lady A band. Kelley’s set was passionate and included
almost the entire The Driver album as
well as many of the Lady A favorites (“Need You Now” and “Better Off Now That
You’re Gone” among others) that gained him his original fans. The Driver has given Charles the opportunity to take some artistic leaps in the form of songs that didn't fit the Lady A mold.
In addition to his own songs, Charles sang two Tom Petty covers, “Southern Accent” which is a duet with Stevie Nicks on The Driver and “I Won’t Back Down” where he was joined by his brother Josh. Charles also included a tribute to Glenn Frey in the form of the Eagle’s “Take It Easy” as well as a stripped down "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus. It was easily one of the most fun shows I’ve been to in a long time. Charles was clearly comfortable on his own stage and excited to share his solo work with some new audiences in smaller venues. It was great to hear the multi-talented Abe Stoklasa take a break from the steel pedal and saxophone to sing "The Driver", a song he co-wrote. Overall, Charles' vocals were phenomenal and you could tell how much the band loves playing together.
In addition to his own songs, Charles sang two Tom Petty covers, “Southern Accent” which is a duet with Stevie Nicks on The Driver and “I Won’t Back Down” where he was joined by his brother Josh. Charles also included a tribute to Glenn Frey in the form of the Eagle’s “Take It Easy” as well as a stripped down "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus. It was easily one of the most fun shows I’ve been to in a long time. Charles was clearly comfortable on his own stage and excited to share his solo work with some new audiences in smaller venues. It was great to hear the multi-talented Abe Stoklasa take a break from the steel pedal and saxophone to sing "The Driver", a song he co-wrote. Overall, Charles' vocals were phenomenal and you could tell how much the band loves playing together.
You can purchase The Driver on iTunes and Google Play.
Follow Charles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Click here for additional dates on The Driver Tour.
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
5 Must Haves for the Tortuga Music Festival
1. Map and Set List. The days at Tortuga aren't short. You'll have 12 hours and only 100% battery to get you through. Tortuga does have a nice app but one way to save up on your charge is by printing out the festival map and lineup ahead of time. If you're someone that likes to be close to the action, you're going to have to make tough choices. Identify two or three acts that you want to get up close and personal with. For me, it was Will Hoge, Sam Hunt, and David Nail. Will was easy enough as he was one of the first acts of the day. Sam, of course, was another story. He drew the biggest crowd of the weekend with the exception of Zac Brown Band and Kenny Chesney., We went to his stage (he was on the side stage), as soon as the venue opened and didn't leave for any other acts. From the side stage where we were, we could hear and see (kind of) Chase Rice and Frankie Ballard but missed entirely the acts that were on the opposite end. Like I said, you'll have tough choices. In order to get close to David, we also skipped entire acts on the opposite end. You're probably not going to see everyone so orchastrate your plan ahead of time to be sure to see the acts that you're most excited about.
2. Sun Protection. The biggest party on the beach, right? Kind of. While the beautiful Atlantic Ocean is just to your left, you need to leave the festival to make a splash, so much of your day is spent, basically, in the desert. Bring sun screen, a hat, and chap stick with SPF. You don't want to be a lobster on day two!
3. Reusable Water Bottle. Tortuga has water stations available. Most of the time we skipped going through that busy area by just drinking the tap water from the showers near the beach. At the risk of sounding like your grandma, hydrate! Be mindful of the heat and sun. The crowd thins out a lot in the late afternoon and you don't want to miss Blake, Tim or Dierks.
4. Snacks. Food at Tortuga is very reasonable and varied but they allow you to bring in individually wrapped snacks but you can save yourself a few dollars by bringing your own. Make sure they are individual sized as I got my giant bag of pretzels confiscated. Also, I read a lot of people complaining about lines for food at last year's festival. One easy way to avoid that is to vary your eating times. Lunch and dinner times are busy at the lines. We ate just before the gates opened at 11, then had a late lunch around 3 then usually got a snack just before the headliner came on at night. Also we aren't picky eaters, so we always just chose the shortest line.
5. Beach Towel. Bring an old, worn out towel to the beach. We were flying home to Boston and ended up leaving ours at the hotel. After two days of basically living on the blanket and having strangers walk on it as they walked through, it had served its purpose.
Some other helpful hints: We took a shuttle from the hotel day one and couldn't get a shuttle home after. We ended up walking about 2 miles towards our hotel before eventually getting a taxi. Tortuga also offers extensive shuttles and has deals worked out with the water taxis. You can check those out here. Day two we drove down and found a spot on the street about 4 blocks away. We knew we'd be at an expired meter, but figured Fort Lauderdale police would be busy with the festival and let us be. We were right. I also saw a lot of complaints regarding bathroom lines. I never waited more than 10 minutes. If there's a long line, I'd check out another line or wait a little bit. Finally, dress comfortably. The festival is a marathon not a sprint! Have fun!
Monday, April 11, 2016
New Music Monday featuring Craig Campbell's "Outskirts of Heaven"
Photo Credit: Jason Myers
Red Bow recording artist Craig Campbell has sent a new song, "Outskirts of Heaven" to country radio. Campbell is known for his great songwriting and strong, traditional country sound. Campbell's songwriting even caught the attention of Garth Brooks who released "All-American Kid" on his latest album. His song, "Family Man" was his first top 15 hit while the catchy, "Keep Them Kisses Comin'" made it to the top 10.
In "Outskirts of Heaven", Campbell shares lessons learned from a grandfather, including hunting, fishing, the Bible, and Heaven. Campbell's strong, steady voice and the song's beautiful imagery paint a picture of what he's hoping for when he reaches the other side. "Outskirts of Heaven" is available on iTunes and Google Play.
For more information on Craig Campbell and upcoming tour dates, please visit www.craigcampbelltv.com. You can also follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Monday, April 4, 2016
New Music Monday featuring Waterloo Revival and Keith Urban
"Front Row"
by: Waterloo Revival
When Cody Cooper and
George Birge first penned, "Hit the Road' upon arriving in Nashville, the
Austin natives never could have imagined the path that song would set them on.
"Hit the Road" helped them to earn the attention of TK Kimbrell, Toby
Keith's manager, which eventually helped them to land a meeting with Scott
Borchetta from Big Machine Records which lead to their record deal and airtime
on national radio. The band mates, friends since middle school, recently
released their EP "Front Row".
The six song EP showcases Birge and Cooper's strong harmonies and vocals as well as their
strengths as songwriters. Birge co-wrote all six tracks while Cooper
wrote three. The EP starts with the upbeat love song, "Summer
Thing". That gives way to the romantic, "I Could Get Used To
This", complete with a great guitar solo. The emotional lyrics and
vocals of "That Damn I Didn't Give" is the heart and soul of the EP
and is quickly becoming a fan favorite.
The country-rocking
"Backwood Bump" is a fun party song. The seductive "Front
Row" isn't about sitting up close at a concert, while "Meet Up In The
Middle" has great melody and tells the story of a I-just-need-you-now
relationship. The EP is well arranged and offers something for every
country music fan.
“Front Row” Track Listing:
1.
Summer Thing
2.
I Could Get Used To This
3.
That Damn I Didn’t Give
4.
Backwood Bump
5.
Front Row
6.
Meet Up In The Middle
You can purchase "Front Row" on iTunes and Google Play.
You can catch Waterloo
Revival on the road at the following spots:
-Sunday, April 10th –
Virginia Beach, VA – Crush n’ Country
-Saturday, April 16th –
Fort Lauderdale, FL – Tortuga Music Festival
-Friday, April 22nd –
Austin, TX – 3TEN Austin City Limits Live
-Saturday, April 23rd –
Frisco, TX – Off the Rails Country Music Fest
-Friday, May 6th – Dewey
Beach, DE – Rusty Rudder
-Saturday, May 7th –
Morgantown, WV – Schmitt’s Saloon
-Wednesday, June 15th –
Cadott, WI – Country Fest
"Wasting Time"
by: Keith Urban
Keith
Urban released the third single to country radio off his upcoming Ripcord album.
"Wasting Time" has big steps to follow as the two previous
tracks, "John Cougar, John Deere, and John 3:16" and "Break On
Me" which both went #1 respectively. "Wasted Time" is a
nostalgic throwback to simpler times. The upbeat song was co-written by
Urban along with Greg Wells and J Hart. Ripcord is scheduled
to be released on May 6th.
You can catch Keith Urban's Ripcord tour in New England this summer featuring Brett Eldredge and Maren Morris. The Ripcord tour will be in Gilford, NH for two nights on July 2nd and 3rd. Tickets are already available. The tour will also stop at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA on Saturday, June 25th. Tickets for that show are currently only available through the Live Nation Mega Ticket but should go on sale individually soon.
Do you have any artists you think you should be featured here? Please share via email, tag
@countryhub on twitter, or @countrymusichub on IG and I'll be happy to check
them out!
Sunday, April 3, 2016
New Music: Dierks Bentley releases video for "I'll Be the Moon" featuring Maren Morris
Dierks Bentley has released the second track off his forthcoming album, Black. With "Somewhere On a Beach" still climbing the charts, Dierks has released the sultry "I'll Be the Moon" featuring up and comer Maren Morris. The stripped down song tells the story of being the third person in a relationship.
The video is the first of a four part installment. Look for the second part on Rolling Stone Country on April 15th.
The video is the first of a four part installment. Look for the second part on Rolling Stone Country on April 15th.
Chris Stapleton Returns Home to Kentucky with Ram Trucks and ACM Lifting Lives
The two day event started out with the delivery of $57,000 of band instruments from two trucks, including sousaphones, trumpets, clarinets, tubas and flutes, donated by Lifting Lives (the charitable wing of the Academy of Country Music) via its partnership with the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation arrived via Ram Trucks, which also helped to sponsor the event. Once the instruments were unloaded and set-up, the schools music teacher was walked into the classroom, followed by sixteen students, who were caught by surprise. Amid tears of joy, Stapleton entered the room and met with the students, who had already broken open the instruments and began to play. Students and teachers then enjoyed a concert on the newly constructed Ram Nation stage. The drop off of the instruments and construction of the stage was facilitate by Ram Nation volunteers, a grassroots group of Ram truck owners. Stapleton went on to perform another free concert for the rest of his hometown.
You can catch more about Stapleton's visit during a 60 second spot by Ram Trucks by tuning in tonight to the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards broadcast on CBS at 8 EST.
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