NashvilleGab - Country music news and Nashville celebrity gossip

Exclusive: Canadian singer Amy Rose dishes on CMA Fest, strange fan requests, upcoming album and her fear of flying

Amy Rose is a force to be reckoned with.

Channeling such singers as Trisha Yearwood, Pam Tillis and Dolly Parton, Amy is setting the Canadian music scene on fire. The singer's Music Row debut single "I Just Want You to Know" peaked at No. 85 last month on the tally, and her new US single "Party Like a Redneck" was shipped to radio last week, already gaining its first radio add with WKBQ in Covington, Tenn.

To say she has her work cut out for her as a female on radio would be an understatement. However, she says she's not discouraged by the ratio of males verses females currently on the airwaves. "It used to be a man's game," she told Examiner a few months back. "I think the females are taking it by storm, honestly. Every person you hear on the radio is a new up and coming artist. There's a lot of great males, but, you know, there's a lot more females."

In fact, it simply fuels her drive even more. Nashville Gab recently caught up with the mother of three about her growing success, her upcoming performance at CMA Fest, stange fan interactions and her fear of flying, and more.

Are Blackjack Billy Set To Be The Rolling Stones of Country Music? [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW]

They’re a band who bill themselves as something brand new and revolutionary and say they’re “on the verge of taking over the world”. Big claims, especially when they also call their music a melting pot of country, blues, soul, rock and hip hop, and that they sound like Jason Aldean, Toby Keith, Lynyrd Skynryd, Eric Chuch and Brantley Gilbert.

So just who are these guys, so sure of their place within the country rock canon? Meet Rob Blackledge (vocals & guitar) and Noll Billings (vocals) – they are the key and founding members of Blackjack Billy. From Madison, MS and Kennett, MO respectively, Rob started off touring as a solo artist and attending Belmont School of Music Business, while Noll signed a publishing deal as a songwriter with EMI Music Group, also attempting a solo career. Neither were very successful until they met in Nashville in January 2011, and began writing together. They teamed up with producer Jeff Coplan and signed to Vandermont Music, and added a few members to the band, including their producer Jeff Coplan (guitar), Patrick Cornell (bass, they met him when he moved to Nashville from LA) and Brad Cummings (drums). Since then they have shared the stage with Lynyrd Skynyrd, Justin Moore, Dustin Lynch, The Doobie Brothers, Trent Tomlinson, The Usual Suspects, Lady Antebellum, One Republic, Tonic, Josh Hoge, Will Hoge, Chris Young, Easton Corbin and Lo Cash Cowboys. The last few months they’ve been touring around the south, and are on the rise with some great press.

So in the wake of all this hype and success, I decided to interview the band, to find out what’s to come, where it’s all come from and what makes them tick. Read the full exclusive interview after the jump.

Justin Moore Interview: Tour, Album & Nascar

Justin Moore has been taking the country music world by storm, and never slows down. His Outlaws Like Me Tour kicks off March 14th in Pikeville, KY and he is already working on his upcoming album. Oh, and did  I mention Nascar? Justin Moore is set to perform at the Daytona 500 this month as well. We caught up with Justin for the 411 on his upcoming projects.

I'll actually be in Pikeville, KY on the 14th to check out the show and you couldn't of picked a better place to kick this thing off, KY is going to be a great crowd right?

We started talking about kicking off the tour and where we wanted to play and I thought Kentucky has been so good to us let's just do it there. Two of my band members are actually from there so it'll be exciting for them as well as us.

You got Dustin Lynch & Jon Pardi, how's that going? Are you all good buddies?

Dustin and I are managed by the same guy so we've gotten to know each other pretty well and we're happy to have him out he'll do great. Jon I don't know personally, his first single it was out this past year and I loved it. We're lucky to get him on it and I'm looking forward to getting to know him so it's going to be al ot of fun. I'm looking forward to it but it's a little scary at the same time because if things go wrong its your fault. We're very fortunate to get to this point in our career, most people don't get to this point and we're just very very lucky.

Will you be doing any new songs from the upcoming album?

We will, we were just talking the other day about what songs we were going to do. I'm not done with the album we probably have about half of it done. We have a new single coming out here in a couple of weeks and we've started playing that song obviously and we'll put another song or two in there as well.

A lot of fans have been asking about your tattoo in the video for "Til My Last Day" what's the story behind that?

The tattoo that was shown in that video, it's my oldest daughters birth date 2.11.10 and it's in roman numerals. She came along at a time when we all needed a smile on our face we had unfortunately a couple deaths in our family and my wife and I wasn't planning on having kids yet..my career was just taking off and everybody always says things happen for a reason and I believe that. She's obviously a blessing in our lives so I got that for her and now I gotta go get another one for Kennedy our youngest and I dont know what Im gonna do about that

What's it like being in a house full of just girls?

(laughs) There's a heck of a lot of estrogen floatin' around, I'm swimmin' in it. No, it's great I'm lucky to have two little girls and a wife who supports me at what I do. I got a boy dog thankfully but its pretty wild around my house right now.

I hear you will be performing at the Daytona 500 pretty soon?

Yeah, we're excited. I'm a huge Nascar fan so it'll be fun. To be here for the reason we're here, we've teamed up with Crown Royal to kick off their annual "Your Heroes Name Here" program. It was something that I was fortunate enough to get to do last year and it's for fans who are 21 and older they can go to www.crownroyalheroes.com to nominate somebody who has made a huge difference in their life and folks get to go vote, the winner has the brickyard 400 named after them. Last year it was named after a gentleman named Curtis Schaffer, a firefighter in Alabama who done some incredible things and I got to be a part of it. It's really rewarding for us to get to do this and put a smile on some folks faces. We're actually kickin that off in the fan zone in Daytona on sunday so it's exciting.

So I wanted to throw a quick random question at you here, If you could only pick one for the rest of your life either hunting or fishing which would you pick?

Boy, I love em both. I'd probably say huntin', I think I'm better at huntin'. I'd stand more of a chance of eatin' if I picked huntin' over fishin'.

You can check out www.bigmachinelabelgroup.com for upcoming tour dates.

10 Random Questions With Brett Eldredge

 

Illinois native Brett Eldredge has arrived in the world of country music and it's obvious he is here to stay.

Brett's musical influences are Ronnie Dunn and Ray Charles which makes perfect sense if you have ever seen him perform live.

It was such an honor to be in the audience when he shared the stage with Lee Brice, Kelleigh Bannen and Jarrod Neiman on Feb 7th in Silver Spring, MD for the iheart concert. All four artists were on stage together and they each took turns singing their most popular songs. Brett's voice is unique and full of soul and it amazes me how effortless it is for him. It's really a voice you can never forget. Most people know Brett by his 2010 single "Raymond"which was written with his grandmother in mind since she fought a battle with Alzheimer's. The song is one that tugs at your heart and really shows what a great song writer Brett Eldredge is.

Brett was willing to answer my 10 Random Questions so I caught up with him backstage to get the 411.

1. At what age did you know you wanted to pursue country music? 15

2. If you could duet with any female artists who would you pick? Miranda Lambert

3. What is your favorite cereal? Oatmeal with peanut butter, fruit and honey all mixed together. Does that count?

4. Beer or whiskey? Whiskey

5. Favorite reality tv show? Judge Judy

6. How many tattoos do you have? Just freckles

7. What do you keep in the trunk of your car? Currently a blow up kiddie pool to put outside the bus for summer festivals

8. Hunting or fishing? Fishing

9. What is your favorite country song of all time? "Neon Moon" Brooks & Dunn

10. What do you want the world to know about Brett Eldredge? I don't wanna grow up I'm a Toys R Us kid. Seriously I'm just a kid at heart, livin' this cray life and singing along .. that's why I am always smiling.

You can follow Brett on twitter @bretteldredge

 

The Cadillac Black Storm Nashville And Put The Rock Back Into Country [ARTIST FEATURE]

If you haven’t yet heard of The Cadillac Black, you have a lot of catching up to do. They’re already making huge waves in Nashville with their unique brand of Southern rock, and fans in the likes of Eric Church and Dierks Bentley, both of whom they’ve toured with. In addition, their first ever show was opening up for ZZ Top, and they’ve also toured with Lynyrd Skynyrd (“it certainly has helped us open some doors”), and they have Billy Gibbon’s cell phone number, to name but a few. If that isn’t enough, no less than three of the songs from their self-titled debut album were featured on a recent episode of ABC’s ‘Nashville’ (including the cover of Ring of Fire that character Scarlett sang on). Their tracks have also been featured on The Vampire Diaries, Hart of Dixie and CSI Miami, not to mention a host of others.

Yet The Cadillac Black isn’t a five-piece supergroup, but three ordinary guys from Nashville who accidentally became a three-piece and found a way to make it work, even with such a wide host of instruments utilised in their music. These clearly talented musicians have only been together for just over a year, but Kelby Ray, Jaren Johnston and Neil Mason (described by Jaren as a ‘long-haired hippie drummer’) have already built up a great reputation on the live circuit and their support from such big artists and mainstream TV shows mean they have a big year ahead that is bound to see them every success. But it’s not just about their music. Jaren, the lead singer and guitarist, produced Dierks Bentley’s ‘Country & Cold Cans’ EP, and he has penned tracks for Dierks, Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans, Keith Urban (the #1 hit ‘You Gonna Fly’) and Tim McGraw. He’s also been nominated for Music Row Magazine’s 2012 Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year. All this means you’re in safe hands when choosing to listen to such an already accomplished band, so early in their career.

I interviewed Jaren and I loved how genuine and real he came across as. The three band members grew up together in Nashville and they’ve been friends as long as they can remember, playing together in a very organic process. In an industry where so much is manufactured, it doesn’t get much better than this. In fact, their album was thrown together totally organically in a couple of days at Sound Emporium in Nashville, recorded live with their engineer Ryan Gore. Jaren grew up watching his dad play drums at the Grand Ole Opry, and even saw Garth Brooks play the legendary stage for the first time – so it was only natural that his musical influences ranged from those popular during the 1990s, to more traditional artists such as Keith Whitley (inspired by his parents) to the classics such as Willie. But the music Jaren actually owned strayed a little. “My first cassette tapes were Lynyrd Skynyrd's greatest hits and Metallica's "And Justice For All"... I think I was like thirteen or something. I never thought about that before this band but that honestly explains our sound almost to the T!” Jaren also cites bands such as Rage Against The Machine, Tom Petty, Nirvana and the Rolling Stones as huge influences on The Cadillac Black’s music, among others.

Frank Foster - Louisiana's Best!

Frank Foster is Louisiana's best kept secret. He is true country music to its core. His music has a true country sound and his voice is unique. When I hear music like Frank Foster's it makes me proud to be part of the country music family, as a fan and as a writer. Frank grew up listening to legends like Waylon & Hank. He picked up his first guitar when he was in college and his first show was at a local bar in front of a hundred people. Frank's biggest crowd has been about 3,000 and he enjoys playing in Alabama, Louisiana and Texas. Frank also does some shows down in Mississippi. He moved to Tennessee to be closer to the music scene and seems to be doing great. He is an independent artist and is pretty happy with the way things are. He just put out his second album back in September titled "Redwings & Sixstrings" but one of his favorite tracks is "Dirt Road" which is on his first album. Frank has a special bond with that song and it's very personal to him. Frank Foster may not be a household name just yet, but he should  be. If this is the future of country music, then I can't wait. I hope you guys enjoy his music as much as I do.

You can visit Frank's website at www.frankfostermusic.com or follow him on twitter @TheFrankFoster.

 

Joe Bachman Interview

Joe Bachman is a country/pop artist who grew up in PA. He is funny, super cool and mad talented. Oh wait, did I mention he is pretty darn good looking too? Well, we can add that to the list. Joe made his way to nashville about five years ago and its been pretty amazing for him. He was welcomed by artists such as Big Kenny, Lee Brice and Zac Brown Band. Joe's music is very soulful and genuwine. He also has a fun factor in his music that I love. His album "one" made it to the top of the list on reverbnation hot country chart and it was well deserved. My favorite track is "Small Town Rockstars" because it totally reminds me of my friends back home in my small town. If you haven't checked out Joe's music, I have one question...what are you waiting for?

What do you love most about making music? love the ability to tell a story or verbalize the emotions of myself and the people that listen to my music. My songs are my heart, my life experiences.  I love being able to share that with people and open myself up to them.  It's terrifying and liberating and exciting. It's the best high on earth.

Tay Humphrey Interview!

Taylor Humphrey is young, talented and good looking, however, not very well known....yet. I classify Taylor as true country music. When I first heard his new song "Like I Don't Love You" it reminded me of something I would hear back in the 90's(which is a good thing by the way, back then country was pure country.) I decided I would ask Tay some questions, that way I can say I was one of the first people to interview him before the fame came along!

How long have you been singing country music? I grew up listening to Country
Music with my grandma Raney, she used to make me sing with a hairbrush probably
around the age of 4 or 5. She introduced me to all the great country classics,
including my all time favorite country song "Everything that Glitters (is not
gold)" by Dan Seals.

Where is your favorite place to play? Right now I like to play anywhere! No
matter small or big any place is great to have people hear my music.

Who is currently your favorite country artist? I can't say I have a favorite, I
like a lot of songs and artist and there are so many. Right now in my IPOD is
Don Williams and Jamey Johnsons latest albums.

I heard you once tried bullriding, is this true? I didnt try. I was a bull rider
throughout middle school and onto High School Rodeo with PRCA. It was a big part
of my youth. I won 2nd place in my very first ride.

Do you think we will be hearing your music on the radio anytime soon? We should
be releasing a single to radio in early 2013! So definitely stay tuned!

If you could describe yourself in three words, what would they be?  Hard
Working. Stubborn. Loyal.

 If you would like to hear more from Tay you can follow him on twitter @TayHumphrey.

Shania Twain ready to start recording again ... just needs to find the time

Shania Twain launched her new Vegas show, Still The One, on December 1st to rave reviews. Now that the butterflies are gone, Shania tells Vegas Magazine that she's getting antsy to record new music but with a successful new show, she just doesn't have the time yet.  

“I’m so confident how my voice is coming across, I know I am ready to go back in the studio and record an album. I just don’t have the time yet. I don’t want to lose contact with my fans. I don’t want to lose that element of being able to touch people and connect with them and not be separated from them. For me, it’s like a dream.”

Despite fans being anxious for new music, I'm pretty sure they will patiently wait. What's another year or two when they've already waited so long?

(Strip Scribbles)

Jason Aldean sings a little of the big hit that got away

Most successful singers probably have that one song that got away that ended up being a big hit for someone else. 

Jason Aldean's no different. 

During an exclusive SiriusXM Town Hall event, Jason revealed the big hit that he passed on ... by singing a piece of it. 

Question: Did you ever see a song, pass on it, somebody else recorded it and made a hit?

Jason: "Yep, yes I have. Actually when we were looking for songs for this "Night Train" album, my producer and I were flying out to Las Vegas and he was playing me some songs that he had found. I was really in the mindset of trying to find like up tempos and these big, rockin' sort of songs. So he's playing me these songs and I heard this one song that I dug but it wasn't really what I was looking for at the time and just kind of tossed it aside like, 'eh, it's okay,' but it's a song that goes ... Girl, you make my speakers go boom boom, dancin' on ... You know? So I passed on it, my brother got it and had a big ol' hit off of it. So ... but yeah, that happens quite a bit. 

Jason isn't the only one who has passed on what turned out to be a huge hit. Jason tells about another singer who was originally pitched one of Jason's biggest hits. 

But again it happened with a song that we had; Big Green Tractor was pitched to Jake Owen, he passed on it, we got it and four-week number one with it. I think certain songs like that fall into the right hands for a reason. That song was a big song for Luke and may not have even ever been a single for us so it landed where it was supposed to. 

Jason's definitely right, the songs do fall where they're meant to because I couldn't imagine anyone else singing Big Green Tractor or Luke Bryan's Drunk On You.