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Country Music news
Headlines From June 2007
A
Day of MusicA
t the CMA Music FestivalBy Alison Richards
Wayd Battle and Jerrod Neimann
When you spend most of your life growing up in the shadow of New York City, being told that your love of country music is a bad thing; thoughts of going to the annual CMA Fan Fair were just a daydream. However, twenty some years later, I finally came to a realization:
The music wouldn’t exist if people didn’t like it.
This year,
191,000 plus people attended the CMA Music Festival and liked it - a lot! Being at the festival, and sitting at the Riverfront or LP Field, just listening to the music and watching the fans… I finally felt like I had come home.
My trip to Nashville was expected to be a very busy five days. There were friends to meet, the New Country Star VIP Fan Party to attend, and just a lot of fun to cram into one weekend. So Saturday was the day I made plans to just spend the day downtown at the concerts.
Out of the 27 acts scheduled that day at the Riverfront, there were three acts I absolutely had to catch, two more that I was interested in, and the rest of the day was left to find some new favorites. I got to the stage at 11 a.m., and grabbed the best spot possible. The sun was hot, but I had my lemonade, and a nice spot in what was left of the shade.
Soon after, Cowboy Crush took to the stage. I had heard about them from MySpace and New Country Star, and wanted to see these five women in action. I was VERY impressed with them and couldn’t help but fall in love with their energetic rhythms and strong lyrics. Their rendition of Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son” still rings in my ears over two weeks later.
A few acts later, one of my favorite men in country music, Jerrod Niemann, took the stage. Among the songs played, my favorite “Got Mud” was in the set list, as well as the Garth Brooks hit “Good Ride Cowboy," which Jerrod co-wrote, and his first single with Category 5 records “I Love Women (My Momma Can’t Stand)”. Jerrod never fails to disappoint me when he’s on stage, and the energy between him and band mate Wayd Battle always entertains.
Then came another hot act,
Whitney Duncan. I had heard about Whitney long before her performances on Nashville Star, but it was seeing her perform there, and then meeting her during her recent tour with Sammy Kershaw that really impressed me. With songs like her original song and Nashville Star, hit “Skinny Dippin’”, and “Exactly What I Didn’t Want," you just can’t help but sing along. Of course, the Riverfront sets were only about 20 minutes each, so I was just getting into it when Whitney's set came to a close.
T
he final two acts were Rick Trevino and Emerson Drive. Rick Trevino had actually been one of the first country artists I had ever seen perform, in New York, nearly seven years ago. Seven years later, he is still making me weak in my knees with his soulful ballads.
After Rick, came Emerson Drive. It seemed that everywhere I went during
CMA Fest, someone was talking about these guys. Catch a performance and
you'll know why! They have charisma, beautiful voices and their songs make it impossible not to groove along. Emerson Drive is definitely a
band to watch.
As the Riverfront closed for the night, I joined the mass of people making their way across the pedestrian bridge
to the LP Field for the night
of concerts. I found my seat pretty early on, and had the opportunity to talk to a few different families, all from different states across the country.
You don’t really think about it then, but it’s amazing that this festival can bring so many people from such diverse backgrounds all together with everyone’s shared love of country music.
Saturday night brought performances from Angela Hacker, Jo Dee Messina, Billy Ray Cyrus (I have now lived it all… I have watched Achy Breaky Heart live in concert!), LeAnn Rimes, Josh Turner, Martina McBride, and special guests Rascal Flatts. Each star gave wonderful performances, and I was just enthralled as I listened to every word they sang. Up until I moved from New York, I never thought I would be singing along with these bands, but there, I was able to do just that. Sure was
great for this city girl to
hang with the country crowd.
I was one of them, and I have never been happier.
Carrie Can Rock!
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Thank you to all the New Country Star fans who wrote and contributed theirCarrie Underwood concert experiences to this piece.
Carrie Underwood
New Country Star Makes Headlines in Vegas New Country Star has been makingwaves all over the industry as one of the most read country music publications on the internet. The latest piece comes from the Las Vegas Review Journal.
Artist Christy Clayton's recent win on New Country Star is talked about in the Review Journal this week. Clayton who was voted Favorite Female Vocalist in April by New Country Star readers, continues to receive publicity for her win.
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For Carrie Underwood fans that need a fix and just can't wait for the new album, we dedicate this to you. If you're an Underwood fan but have yet to see her in concert, this is one show that is worth your concert $$$. Leave it to the staff of New Country Star to give you the inside look since we are "Your Backstage Pass." We have made it our business to be everywhere there is HOT country music and amazing artists. As this column is being written, one of our staff is in London to bring you Exclusive Live concert photos and more, from one of the Hottest new Sony artists. Coming Soon!
Carrie Underwood might be considered by most country music fans, as the girl next door. A singer that can pull off a great ballad and even the occasional "I mean business" cheatin' song. But you ain't seen nothin' until you've seen Underwood Live in concert turn into a female Axl Rose! Did you read it correctly? Yes, you did. Carrie Underwood will take you all the way from "Jesus Take The Wheel" to "Sweet Child O Mine." On stage, Underwood starts with a mild acoustic version of the late 1980's hard rock song by Guns 'N Roses, and then look out, because you are in for a show! "This is a performance that blows the house down. Underwood literally has to leave stage during the ever famous duo guitar solo of the song, just to keep eyes off her and on the musicians. Doing a cover song is always a challenge for any artist and should be approached with caution for most, because they will undoubtedly be compared to the original and that sometimes makes for some really big shoes to fill, and sometimes nasty reviews. All we can say after seeing Underwood's version of the G&R song that continued to gain popularity even into the early '90s, is... WELL DONE! In fact some of the staff and country music fans we've heard from say... "She sounds better than Axl," "Wasn't expecting that!" "Who knew," "Who is her fiddle player?" "I didn't know she played guitar," "WOW!" "Totally Love It!," and our favorite fan write-in ... "The girl next door just out performed a hard rocker."
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Tracy Lawrence Films Music Video For Find Out Who Your Friends Are
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Country Music Star Tracy Lawrence Partners with Ronnie Gilley and Ronnie Gilley Properties, to Film the Music Video for his latest hit, “Find Out Who Your Friends Are” Tracy Lawrence who recently celebrated his seventeenth No. 1 hit single with his independent release “Find Out Who Your Friends Are," will shoot the corresponding music video next week. Lawrence will partner with Ronnie Gilley/Ronnie Gilley Properties LLC (RGP), with whom Lawrence currently has various real estate ventures underway, to put the musical project together. The music video will be filmed in Enterprise, AL on Monday, June 18, with Flick Wiltshire (Vintage Flick Productions, Nashville) behind the camera. Close friends who are confirmed to make cameo appearances in the music video are George Jones, Darryl Worley, Roy Oswalt of the Houston Astros, and Cornelius Griffin and Demetric Evans of the Washington Redskins. Lawrence initially established his relationship with Gilley in a real estate partnership with RGP in April 2006 to develop Mayberry Place—a quaint and charming community with a “Mayberry Feel” located in New Brockton, AL. Since then, Tracy and Ronnie Gilley have worked together on a number of projects both in the entertainment industry and real estate sector. Tracy’s music career spans over 16 years proving him to be a formidable stylist in the country music format. In addition to “Find Out Who Your Friends Are,” he has celebrated successes with gold and platinum sales and now 17 No. 1 singles including "Alibis," "If The World Had A Front Porch," "Time Marches On," "Sticks And Stones" and "Paint Me A Birmingham." |
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CMA Music Festival Many country music artists take time for the fans each year and perform personal acoustic sets during this annual celebration. These types of up-close performances are the true measure of an artists' abilities to connect with music fans in a more intimate setting. New Country Star caught several artists doing private shows and mixing it up with the fans. We're bringing it all to you this week! Get ready to read the reviews all week long, complete with photos of your favorite artists performing and getting to know their fans.
Click Below To Listen Now !
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NEWS FROM THE CELEBRITY SOFTBALL GAME
Eye On The Ball
Equity Music Group’s Clint Black coached Blair Garner’s After-Midnight team at the annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Game on June 7th. Black has participated in this event several times over the years, but this marks his first game as a coach. Though his team lost to the Opry team and coach Pete Fisher, Black remains unfazed. "We had the talent; we had the desire to win. What we needed was for all the guys on our team to keep their eyes on the ball, and not Carrie Underwood, " Black laughed.
Clint Black has been in the studio working on a brand new full length album that is expected to be released this fall. For more information Visit |
Daniel Lee
Martin
Click Below
To Listen Live !
Blake Shelton
Click Here
To Listen Now !
Celebrity Softball Game
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Rodney Atkins, Blue County, Emerson Drive, the Hackers, Jake Owen, Jason Michael Carroll, Keith Anderson, and Keni Thomas are just some of 'em Ready to Knock one out of the park for Charity on the Blair Garner Team.
Some of those going to bat for the Grand Ole Opry Live team are Carrie Underwood, Chely Wright, Craig Morgan, Dusty Drake, Luke Bryan, Trick Pony, Two Foot Fred, Vince Gill and Tennessee Titans Craig Hentrich. |
17th ANNUAL CITY
OF HOPE CELEBRITY SOFTBALL GAME
Just yesterday, Rival teams Grand Ole Opry Live and After MidNite with Blair Garner, announced the all-star team lineups for the Lynnco Custom Cycles “17th Annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Challenge to be held during CMA Fan Fest.” The game which is presented by Gibson Guitar, will take place on Thursday, 1 p.m. June 7th, at Nashville’s Greer Stadium.
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