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Big Machine & Outnumber Hunger Reach for Rewards..You CAN Help

I may be behind in my things to do; but the work to support and erase hunger never stops.  Since the inception in 2012 of the Outnumber Hunger program 6,825,375 meals have been secured, not too far from the goal of up to ten million that has been set. Can they meet and exceed such a large undertaking?  I believe they can.

In April of this year the first ever Outnumber Hunger LIve concert event took place in Las Vegas on Friday night, during the 2013 Academy of Country Music weekend.  The event brought awareness for the Outnumber Hunger Program in their quest to secure meals for its network of local food banks. This marks the second year that Big Machine Record Label is working alongside Feeding America, and General Mills to reach their goals.  There is also no shortage of support from the label's roster of artists which include The Band Perry, Brantley Gilbert, Justin Moore, Florida Georgia Line, Cassadee Pope and Greg Bates who put on a wonderful night of music to kick off the 2013 campaign.  There will also be other support from artists such as Rascal Flatts, Reba, the Eli Young Band, Thomas Rhett, Raelynn, The Mavericks and Ella Mae Bowen throughout the campaign.

But after all the glitz and glamour the work still continues.  As part of the 42nd Annual CMA Fest taking place in Nashville June 6-9 country artist Thomas Rhett has invited fans to volunteer at the Second Harvest Food Bank for the 2nd consecutive year.  Volunteers will be participating in helping sort and pack food alongside Thomas to help hungry Middle Tennesseans . This event filled up very quickly and it will give those involved a chance to learn more about hunger issues throughout Middle and West Tennessee followed by sorting food for Second Harvest's Emergency Food Box Program.

There is a misconception that hunger only relates to the very poor. This has led people to think it could not possibly be someone they know like a neighbor or a family in their church or childrens school.  Yet it is true; it could be anyone you least expect. Please take the time to read these startling facts and dig deep into the ways you can help this program.  It is so easy and totally affordable. You purchase certain products with the Outnumber Hunger banner on the front; find the code in the back of the packaging; go to the website; enter your code; follow the instructions and you are done.  You will feel so good knowing you helped.  http://www.outnumberhunger.com/hunger-in-america

There are many programs to help fight hunger which are very easy to work into your life. You don't have to be a big star to help; the bottom line is: JUST HELP DO WHAT YOU CAN...The rewards outweigh the awards.

 

(Pictures by Deb Sixta)

 

CMAs Performance Review – Part 1

The main reason for watching the CMAs is the winners announced, of course, but the performances take up far more airtime and are always a major talking point each year. So I thought I’d do a brief rundown of each of the performances broadcast last Thursday, November 1, as part of the 46^th Country Music Association Awards (ignoring the

First up was the combined performance of Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and Eric Church. I actually missed the first ten minutes of the show so when I watched this back on YouTube I was very disappointed as it had been billed as a great performance. To my dismay I felt the vocals were weak and uninspiring, there was no energy in the performance, and none of the performers looked excited, happy, or particularly into the song, in fact all three looked bored and indifferent. It wasn’t the worst I’ve since but they could have done a lot better to open up the show, and picking a song where the verses were semi-rapped was not one of their best decisions, whoever made it. Rap is still new in country music and just because Jason rapped a little in his smash hit ‘Dirt Road Anthem’, does not mean that he can rap in a manner that actually sounds like rap as opposed to odd semi-spoken song, and the fact that Luke tried to copy his method did not help. In addition, the contrast of Eric Church’s voice in comparison to Jason and Luke made Eric sound weedy and like he was on helium, because of the differences in vocal styles and tone. All three of them are known as rockers and the song just didn’t rock out like I hoped it was going to.

The second performance was from Tim McGraw, of his new single. This wasn’t bad but it was an average country performance and rather forgettable unfortunately. There was an emphasis on guitars on stage and the melody reminded me of ‘Home’ by Michael Buble/Blake Shelton, but otherwise nothing really stuck out for me from this performance at all. However, next was Miranda Lambert, in tight leather pants, high-heeled boots, and a multi-colored corset, and instantly I was watching avidly. Her vocals were decidedly weak but the nature of the song she was singing ‘Fastest Girl In Town’ allows for that. Headbanging and jumping around, Miranda really rocked up the CMA stage and woke everyone up despite her vocal issues. Following this, Zac Brown Band took to the stage to drop the energy back down, their beautiful harmonies creating a rustic feel. It was very low-key, which really contrasted with Miranda.

Dierks Bentley was next, bringing in the rock vibe once again, with a similar stage setup to Tim McGraw. His vocals were good but they needed to be made louder, and at times he was literally straining to be heard. I noticed a few other people having this same problem and it could easily have been fixed by sound check. The Band Perry were a highlight for me as Kimberly’s feistiness came into play with a performance of their new single ‘Better Dig Two’, which is full of attitude and contrasts of sound, eventually settling in crashing drums and distorted guitars. Not only was there a cool light show, but the three of them are very active on stage which makes their performance visually stimulating and interesting. Kim’s outfit was cute and classic, and her vocals were strong. The CMAs seemed to be getting into their stride as Eric Church took to the stage and performed his mega-hit, ‘Springsteen’, coupled with an unexpected mash-up of ‘Born To Run’, by Bruce Springsteen. I loved the driving through desert highway video in the background, very atmospheric, and though his movements were understated (the way he patted his shoulder on the ‘tattoo’ line) they were effective and matched his stage persona. The guitar additions were good, and his vocals were great until he went into ‘Born To Run’, and then they got very wobbly, but his charisma as a performer still required the attention of the whole arena.

Running straight into Eli Young Band, their performance just didn’t seem as intriguing, and though classic, it was a safe choice. Physically it was nice to move the action to the middle stage, but the whole performance was kind of ruined by the jittery vocals. There was a great deal of audience participation however which built up the energy a little, and not being familiar with Eli Young Band, he kind of reminds me of Gary LeVox in how he presents himself on stage. Just a thought. After this the CMAs became an ode to Parisian dining as Taylor Swift did her typical elaborate stage setting. It was a nice, thought out setup, but after the initial accordion stuff and the interest waned, all she did was stand there and sing slightly off-key as usual. Her outfit was nice and I liked the touch of the falling leaves towards the end of her performance, but otherwise it was too simple and boring and ruined a beautiful song. Next was the award-winning Little Big Town which a complete switch-up. They were standing within boxes surrounded by projected animations that matched the song, in particular the infamous ‘motorboating’ lyric! It really added some energy to the song without them having to do much other than stand there and sing/play instruments, and as a result it was one of the strongest vocal performances of the night, which will make up for the sheer amount of leather present on that stage. A little too much for me!

That’s it for part 1 of the 2012 CMA Awards performance reviews, and watch this space for part 2.

Posted by Vickye (Guest Writer).
If you want to check out my own blog it's For The Country Record, and you can follow me on twitter @planmymistake. You can email me at vickye.countrymusic@gmail.com.

 

Rascal Flatts announce "The American Band Tour" (press release)

Apparently Rascal Flatts are a little tired of all these darn Australians - we're looking at you Keith Urban - and Canadians coming over here and touring their little foreign hearts out because the boys have decided to launch the very non-foreign-sounding The American Band Tour brought to you by equally home-grown-sounding Farmers Insurance. 

 

The tour will begin this summer and will feature opening acts Little Big Town, Eli Young Band, and Edens Edge.  

Check out the press release below for more info and tour dates....

    As one of the hottest touring acts in any genre, Country music supergroup Rascal Flatts announced today they will launch a brand new tour beginning this summer, Farmers Insurance presents “The American Band Tour.” The tour will feature an all band set-up with Little Big Town, Eli Young Band and Edens Edge opening. The shows will begin in Hartford, Conn., on June 15 at the Comcast Theatre. Please check www.rascalflatts.com for up to date tour information.

Stagecoach Music Festival Rolls Out "Guest List" for 2012 Adding Third Day

The announcement of this event line-up is almost like waiting for the joys of the upcoming Holidays. For the past five years the Stagecoach Music Festival held in Indio, CA at the Empire Polo Field has hosted some big name acts such as Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Toby Keith, Trace Adkins, Reba, & The Judds to name a few. So after the "BIG" line up news today, either announced on local radio stations or learning of it on the website, the phone lines, internet, (Twitter & Facebook) & of course texting were all jammed with people sharing the news and making plans.  Some hotels were already sold out today, and some do not have many rooms left.  So to say this event is popular is an understatement.

Stagecoach returns for their sixth year taking it from the traditonal two day event to three beginning April 27th through April 29th.  With the stellar line up which includes names like: Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, Alabama , Martina McBride, Kenny Rogers, Luke Bryan, Sara Evans, and more the third day was a must to get it all in. 

There are some new faces this year like Blake Shelton, Martina McBride, Alabama, Kenny Rogers, Chris Isaak, The Band Perry and more, as well as some return guests like Jason Aldean and Sara Evans who start it off on Friday, Miranda Lambert takes over the stage on Saturday & Brad Paisley closing out the three day run on Sunday.

With access to three different stages there is music for everyone from bluegrass to good old honky tonking.  As of today (10/20/11) here is the line up of all the artists:  Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Alabama, Martina McBride, Kenny Rogers, Luke Bryan, The Mavericks, Sara Evans, The Band Perry, Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers, Chris Isaak, Justin Moore, The Jayhawks, Eli Young Band, The JaneDear Girls, The Del McCoury Band, Brett Eldredge, Aaron Lewis, Ralph Stanley & His Clinch Mountain Boys, Uncle Monk, JD Crowe & The New South, Sara Watkins, Sunny Sweeney, Dave Alvin and the Guilty Ones, The Unforgiven, Greensky Bluegrass, Split Lip Rayfield, Elizabeth Cook, JD Souther, Old Man Markley.

Tickets go on sale Friday October 28th at 10 AM PDT at: http://www.stagecoachfestival.com/

Three-day weekend passes start at $149 for a limited time to the first 5,000 passes and layaway options are available. The festival also offers, camping and RV packages. For a complete breakdown of available ticketing and onsite camping/RV options, please visit the website. Children 10 and under will be admitted for free. Premium reserved-seating passes will run $749-$999.  Like the old saying goes; "Be there or be square."

STAGECOACH is produced by Goldenvoice and The Messina Group.

Eli Young Band Riding High With Release of "Life At Best" In Stores August 16th

The media frenzy has been on for the Eli Young Band in anticipation of their upcoming fourth album release, and first with Republic Nashville, "Life At Best", in stores August 16th.  The lead single, "Crazy Girl" has not gone without it's fair share of rewards.  The song has been certified gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 downloads. The single made its debut at #1 on iTunes and has sold an average of 40,000 downloads a week for the last month.  Just recently they were presented their Gold plaque from RIAA; sharing this accolade with Big Machine's Scott Borchetta. 

Photographed left to right are: EYB's James Young, Big Machine Label Group's Kelly Rich, EYB's Mike Eli, Big Machine Label Group's Scott Borchetta, EYB's Jon Jones, Chris Thompson and Triple 8 Management's George Couri.

“When the Eli Young Band came to Republic Nashville there were a lot of promises made,” said Scott Borchetta. “Today, on the eve of the release week for their debut album on Republic Nashville, we get to check one of those promises off…”Crazy Girl” is a Gold single!” He added, “We need more bands like EYB. Great bands who come about this honestly, hard working, brotherhood, the real stuff. Always love it when our brothers do good. On behalf of myself, Jimmy and all at Republic Nashville, well done guys!”

I have had the pleasure of catching this Texas based band on the Country Throwdown tour last year as well as in Las Vegas during Rodeo Week.  They bring you right along with them as they give you a show not to be missed.  These boys are no longer "rookies' when it comes to making music, they feel more comfortable with this new album and have a great fan base they work on not disappointing.

During the media blitz we were invited to catch up with them and handed out a few questions to capture their life, music and the appreciation of the fans who support them. They started out recording in a friends basement and have gone no where but UP from there. Give a listen and then find one good reason why you should not go out and buy, "Life At Best."  I cannot think of one. 

Thanks to the Eli Young Band, & Big Machine Records for including us in this exciting time in their continuing successful career.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Eli Young Band have a great way for you to save for your next album purchase

I've said it once and I will say it again, the Eli Young Band are hilarious in their YouTube videos.  

In this latest installment, the boys know that times are tough for most people so they want to share a handy tip on how to save up to buy their new album “Life At Best” which hits stores August 16th. 

Hint: You have to have a pretty damn dirty mouth to get it done.  

{Source: Kilt}

Eli Young Band Has Reason to Celebrate: "Crazy Girl" Goes Gold

 

ELI YOUNG BAND CELEBRATES FIRST GOLD SINGLE WITH “CRAZY GIRL”

LIFE AT BEST IN STORES AUG 16

 

Nashville, TN (July 28, 2011 – Republic Nashville artist Eli Young Band’s “Crazy Girl” has been certified GOLD by the RIAA this week for sales of over 500,000 downloads. By the time reports came in this morning, the band had sold nearly 600,000 downloads. The lead single from their forthcoming album, LIFE AT BEST, was an obvious hit with fans right from the start.

The single made its debut at #1 on the iTunes Country Singles Chart with over 47,000 downloads the first week and has sold an average of 30,000 downloads a week, every week, for months on end. The song has continuously outsold a large majority of the singles above it on the radio chart. In the last two weeks the band has sold over 40,000 downloads a week, with numbers increasing every week. With its debut as the most added single at Billboard, “Crazy Girl” is the fastest rising single of the bands career and is currently Top 20 and climbing.

When the band learned they had been certified GOLD drummer Chris Thompson said, “gold rocks!! You grow up hearing about artists going gold and dream of what it would be like. Gold has always been such a measure of success.” Lead singer Mike Eli added “it’s pretty cool that the single went gold before the record even came out.” Thompson continued, “this is a huge milestone for us.” "This is an amazing accomplishment that sends one message loud and clear – Country music fans love the Eli Young Band and ‘Crazy Girl!’

Everyone at Republic Nashville could not be happier or more excited and we all look forward to the release of the debut album on August 16. Fans are going to love this album,” said Jimmy Harnen, Republic Nashville President. About ELI YOUNG BAND: Eli Young Band’s lead single, “Crazy Girl,” has sold over 500,000 downloads weeks before the band’s new album LIFE AT BEST hits stores on August 16. The Top 20 hit has exploded on every front. “Crazy Girl” made its debut at #1 as the most added single at Billboard and catapulted to the top of the iTunes Country singles chart landing at #1 just 15 hours after release.

The video for “Crazy Girl” also made its debut at #1 on CMT.com and is currently in rotation on CMT, GAC and TCN, while the CRAZY GIRL EP also made its debut at #1 on the iTunes Country Albums Chart just 8 hours after release. The full album, produced by Mike Wrucke, is sure to please critics, fans and newcomers alike. It’s a seamless blend of rock laced guitar riffs, honest country lyrics and Mike Eli’s signature soaring vocals.

http://www.eliyoungband.com/#

REPUBLIC NASHVILLE NEWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nashville At Nite chats with my secret husband

Sorry, I have no comment because I'm too busy watching this interview Carrie Smith from Nashville at Nite did with Gary Allan.  She also interviews Jack Ingram and the Eli Young Band.

 

Congrats to the newest groom-to-be

I want to send a big ol' congrats to Mike Eli, lead singer of The Eli Young Band, who popped the question to his girlfriend of six years, Kacey Jann Herndon, on September 22. The romantic fella even went so far as to design the ring himself. 

Mike tells People.com that he had the ring delivered to their home by FedEx and was scared Kacey would see the bauble.

"I prayed that she wouldn't answer the door and accidentally see her ring," Mike says. "I told her that FedEx was coming to deliver my taxes!"

Yeah, I'd say a wedding ring is a little more fun than taxes.  Again, congrats to the happy couple.

{via The Boot}

It's olive and ringtone fun with The Eli Young Band

It must be past my bedtime because I actually laughed longer than the 11 seconds it took to play this video.  I should probably sleep now.