COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS
TAYLOR SWIFT’S VIEW ON COUNTRY MUSIC IN THE NORTH. Taylor Swift grew up on a Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t always been a fan of country music. In fact, she is convinced country music is quite dominant in the northern states of America. “ “I grew up in Pennsylvania and I was just as obsessed with country music as I could have been. So I think that it just has to do with…there must be something that people relate to about it. I don’t know. I’m just really thankful for it. I’m not gonna question it too much or over think it. But I really love the fact that coming up North, I guess I’ve always attributed it to the fact that I’m from here…but if you do look around, there’s a lot of love for country music up in the north.” Taylor is gearing up for her highly anticipated third album Speak Now, which is scheduled to be released world-wide October 25th.
MIKE FISHER’S FIRST POST-WEDDING INTERVIEW. Mike Fisher revealed exclusive details to his hometown newspaper, Ottawa Sun, about his wedding and honeymoon to Carrie Underwood. Before the wedding, Mike hosted a golf tournament with his close friends and family, but he didn’t complete the course. “I didn’t play 18 holes because I knew I’d be too tired. It was a long day. I needed to go relax a bit,” he says. When the wedding ceremony began, Mike confessed he didn’t have pre-wedding jitters. “I wasn’t really nervous, to be honest. I was excited to be married. I think more people were definitely watching her,” he says. As far as their honeymoon, the couple relaxed in Bora Bora for eight days, followed by three days spent in Napa Valley. After his hockey career is over, the couple plans to settle in Nashville. Until then, the two will enjoy being happily married. Mike says, “I’m with my best friend and I love her to death. There’s nothing better, for sure.”
REBA MCENTIRE WEATHERS THE STORM FOR HER NEW VIDEO. Reba McEntire and her team braved some intense weather while shooting the music video for her new single, “Turn on the Radio.” The heat index in Nashville reportedly reached 108 degrees while Reba and her crew struggled to keep from overheating. That evening, an electrical storm blew in with lightning so intense the shoot’s generator was shut off. Reba and her crew were rushed down into the basement of the warehouse while a tornado touched down only a few miles from the shoot location. Reba said, “This is only the second time one of my video shoots as been shut down because of a storm. The last time something like this happened was on the set of the ‘Does He Love You” video in Long Island. I hope that’s a good omen because ‘Does He Love You” ended up being a Grammy winning-song and a great music video!” “Turn on the Radio” is the lead single from Reba’s upcoming album which will be in stores on November 9th.
LUKE BRYAN AND BILLY CURRINGTON GET SILLY ONSTAGE WITH KENNY CHESNEY. Kenny Chesney performed at Country Thunder in Wisconsin over the weekend, and invited Luke Bryan and Billy Currington to help him cover, Steve Miller Band’s song “The Joker”. But Luke didn’t seem to be paying much attention since he sang the wrong lyrics at the wrong time. Luke asks Kenny, “Did you just sing this?” And being the nice guy he is, Kenny sang the correct line to get him back on track. Kenny’s new album, Hemingway’s Whiskey, hits stores September 28th.
SUGARLAND’S DOUBE-DUTIES PLANNING ALBUM AND TOUR. Sugarland has kept themselves busy these past couple of months, not only touring, but creating an album as well. (Jennifer) “So we’re out on tour now, and obviously the name of the tour is “The Incredible Machine,” because we want people to get excited about the album and what’s coming up. In order to also make it exciting not only for our fans, but also to keep it exciting for us, we have a whole new set. (Kristian) That’s right. Because we were creating this and the album at the same time which rarely happens in your career. We were toying around with the idea of The Incredible Machine, and the heart and the body as an incredible machine. And what would it be like, what would it feel like. And we’ve kind of built an incredible machine behind us on the stage. And it’s strange. It’s almost like it’s its own personality behind you every night. (Jennifer) It is definitely like a living entity. (Kristian) It really is. It’s like another person on stage with you, and they happen to be 45 feet tall, and like 70 feet wide. (Jennifer) And steam comes out of it… (Kristian) And there’s gears everywhere, and lights fall from the ceiling… (Jennifer) It’s really fun.” Sugarland’s new album, The Incredible Machine will be released October 19th.
GARY ALLAN’S READY FOR HIS VACATION DAYS. Brooks & Dunn have restarted their Last Rodeo Tour after Ronnie Dunn’s demanded vocal rest, and the duo’s opening act Gary Allan, is already planning vacation days for his break from the tour. “Hmm. This summer, outside of the Brooks and Dunn tour, and when I get my breaks, I’m going to fly out to beaches most likely. I’m gonna spend some time in Mexico and I’m gonna spend some time in California, and just try to get as much surfing as I can in.” After the Last Rodeo Tour is over in September, Gary will headline his own fall tour, Get Off On The Pain, starting Ocobter 14th in Chicago with Justin Moore, Jack Ingram, Jerrod Niemann, and the Eli Young Band.
CARRIE UNDERWOOD GIVES BEAUTY ADVICE. Carrie Underwood is this month’s cover girl for WEBMD Magazine, and admits a daily routine anyone can follow, is the success to her flawless appearance. Carrie says, "I work out. I drink a lot of water. I just try to moisturize. It's not all about the make-up and the stuff like that, the stuff that's on the outside. It kind of starts from the things that you do before you go to bed or when you wake up in the morning. It's all the behind the scenes stuff that matters the most." Carrie has been credited in various “most beautiful” lists, including People Magazine’s list of 50 Hottest Bodies, where she ranked over movie stars such as Cameron Diaz and Megan Fox. It’s safe to say, Carrie’s advice will work whether you are famous or not.
LAURA BELL BUNDY MAKES FRIENDS IN THE COUNTRY MUSIC INDUSTRY. Laura Bell Bundy may be new to the country scene, but other artist’s in the industry have welcomed her with open arms. “Well, over the last couple of months, I’ve had a lot of artists introduce themselves to me or be supportive of me, especially via Twitter, to the point where I can’t even believe it, ya know, even the women. Because you think women are going to be so competitive and they will go out of their way—especially Miranda Lambert and Blake, ya know, to let me know that I’m welcome. And it’s been great.” Blake Shelton has been known to rave about Laura Bell’s new album Achin’ & Shakin’ on his Twitter with messages such as, “Laura Bell Bundy’s album is so good I gave my toaster a bath and spine bricked a black footed ferret.....”
LITTLE BIG TOWN’S KAREN FAIRCHILD INJURES HERSELF BEFORE MUSIC VIDEO. Little Big Town gets sassy in their music video for their hit single, “Little White Church,” but for Karen Fairchild, shooting the video was harder than it looks. Karen managed to injure her foot before shooting, and says the scene where the group is walking towards a church and clapping, would’ve been quite awkward if she couldn’t walk. “I had a little bit of a bum-foot and I had just gotten feeling back in my toes right before we shot the video. Which, it happened…it’s a long story. So Thank God, otherwise I would have been pulling my foot, which would not have been very sexy.” Little Big Town’s new album The Reason Why will be in stores August 24th. The group is hosting an official album release countdown on iTunes, which also features weekly podcasts from the group.
DARIUS RUCKER WILL MENTOR WINNER OF SONGWRITING CONTEST. Darius Rucker will mentor the winner of a songwriting contest presented by CMT and the Nashville Songwriters Association International. The contest begins Sunday August 1st, and runs through October 31st. After the grand prize winner has been announced, fans can vote on the remaining finalists for the CMT Listeners’ Choice Award, which will be presented in early 2011. All genres of music are encouraged.
BLAKE SHELTON LOVES NASCAR? Ever wanted to know who Blake Shelton’s favorite NASCAR driver is? Watch his latest “Take Six Tuesday” to get the answers and the reasons behind his choices.
6. Dale Earnhardt Junior, “Just because I don’t want to get the sh*t beat out of me for not saying his name.”
5. Jeff Gordon, “You gotta admire a guy who paints his car the color of a rainbow.”
4. Robbie Gordon, “Rspecially when he has my face on the hood and especially when he doesn’t slam it into the frickin’ wall.”
3. Dick Trickle, “I mean, just say it.”
2. Clint Boyer, “He actually races drunk.”
1. Elliot Sadler, “You go Elliot. Prove to the world that just because you’re inbred, doesn’t mean your dreams can’t come true.”
LADY ANTEBELLUM’S LATEST WEBISODE WEDNESDAY. This week on Lady Antebellum’s Webisode Wednesday, the trio takes another country song and reworks it, just like they did a few weeks ago with Easton Corbin’s “A Little More Country Than That.” This week, they targeted Lee Brice’s hit “Love Like Crazy,” and changed it to a spoof called “Biscuits and Gravy.” The song, is centered around a meal at Waffle House, and includes the line “But the one thing I eat like crazy, is biscuits and gravy.” To view Lady A’s latest Webisode Wednesday, visit ladyantebellum.com.
CHUCK WICKS SURPRISES ONE LUCKY FAN. Chuck Wicks had more than a thought to hold after meeting 77-year old fan, Rita. Rita managed to impress a radio station in Sacramento, California after requesting Chuck’s song “Hold That Thought” over and over again. They arranged for Chuck and Rita to speak on the phone, and when he came to perform in the area, Chuck surprised Rita by calling her up on stage. Chuck had Rita sit on his lap for the first part of the song and she sang the rest of the song along with him.
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