Aaron Pritchett most definitely knows how to get rowdy! Donning his signature cowboy hat, Aaron started off the show with a bang with his hit “Let’s Get Rowdy.” A few energetic struts across the stage was all it took for the predominantly college-aged crowd to chant along to the anthem. Aaron followed up with a few of his memorable hits, including “New Frontier” and “Big Wheel.” Fans were lucky enough to hear the artist’s brand new song, “Suntan City,” a song that will surely be received well with the warmer months right around the corner. The set was closed out with a crowd favourite, “Hold My Beer,” a song that had everyone up on their feet singing and dancing alongside the upbeat Pritchett. Without a doubt, this man’s intensity and drive alone are enough to bring fans together for one heck of a good time.

Next to take the stage were the talented men of Doc Walker. The crowd was eager to sing along to a cover of Genesis’ “That’s All,” followed by the band’s latest single, a powerful song called “Put It Into Drive.” The guys slowed things down with their hit “Driving With The Brakes On,” but were quick to lift spirits with a notable singalong, “Beautiful Life.” Fans were happy to hear some of the band’s biggest songs, including “Rocket Girl” and “North Dakota Boy.” One of the highlights of their set was a mashup of songs that started with their single “Get Up” that blended into “Crazy In Love” by Beyonce and the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song. With the crowd singing and laughing along, the band finished off the set with “The Show Is Free.” Ironically enough, I would pay any amount of money to see these boys do what they do best again in the future. Perhaps it was due to the one thing that was overwhelmingly noticeable during the entire performance – Chris Thorsteinson’s unwavering smile. Coupled with the band’s talent and energy, it was refreshing to see an artist fully enjoy the experience just as much as their fans.

Last but not least, Emerson Drive came out to a screaming crowd that was eager to chime in to some of the band’s biggest hits. The five-piece band graced the stage with their huge grins exposing ample amounts of energy and passion. The band opened up their set with one of their past hits, “That Kind of Beautiful,” a song that set the mood for the rest of the show. Next, they hammered out several great performances of songs such as their first single “I Should Be Sleeping” and “The Extra Mile.” A memorable moment was lead singer Brad Mates pausing mid-song during “Fall Into Me” to have guitar player Danick Dupelle and drummer Mike Melancon battle it out to see who the crowd thought had the better vocals. With family from Montreal attending the show, Danick was probably quite happy to have garnered the crowd’s support. The band slowed things down with their number one hit “Moments,” a song that saw Mates keeping his eyes closed almost the entire time, clearly indicating the passion with which he was singing. It was in this “moment” that any concert-goer who perhaps did not know about this Canadian talent could not help but come to admire and respect the band. Moreover, it was this performance that showcased Brad’s incredible vocal talent. The remainder of the set undoubtedly highlighted the dance moves and charisma of the singer, especially during songs such as, “A Good Man” and “Countrified”. Fans were also lucky enough to hear a song off the band’s latest album, Roll, called “She Always Gets What She Wants,” a song that took on an edgier tone than the rest of the set. Finally, the band finished off with their first single off of the new album, “She’s My Kind of Crazy.” Without a doubt, Emerson Drive left their fans crazy for them and wanting to hear more.

Luckily, the band heard the “encore” chants and came back out to give fans what they wanted. Drummer Mike Melancon and Steve Broadhurst, touring drummer for Doc Walker, were first to come out to engage in a battle-of-the-drummers. This showcased their undeniable talent while also serving as a transition into the first song of the encore, “Let It Roll.” It was at this point when both bands came back out on stage to perform their popular duet that the crowd erupted. Perhaps the best part of the show was when the boys performed renditions of two popular songs, one of which was Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida”, the other being “The Weight.” Finally, it was time for the artists to take a bow and call it quits for the night. While the show could have easily gone on all night, it is safe to say that the memories of the concert will last for quite some time.

For more information about the remaining tour stops, visit http://www.cmt.ca/show/cmthitlisttour.

For pictures from the show, visit our Facebook page.

Related posts:

1. REVIEW: Farm Aid Ottawa
2. Review of CMT Hitlist Tour in Ottawa
3. CMT Hitlist Tour To Stop In Ottawa

Roll, the band’s latest album, was released late last year and yet the first single, “She’s My Kind of Crazy,” has already been certified gold in Canada. The album features songs written almost entirely by the boys, all of which represent the lyrical, vocal, and instrumental talent that is Emerson Drive.

The band is currently in the middle of the CMT Hitlist Tour, which has seen stops in cities all across the country with fellow Canadians Doc Walker and Aaron Pritchett. We were lucky enough to sit down with lead singer Brad Mates after a terribly long bus ride from Winnipeg to Ottawa. That didn’t seem to matter, however, when we began to chat and Brad’s charming and caring personality shone through.

You’re currently on the road for the CMT Hitlist tour. How has it been so far?

Great so far. Exciting, cause we’re actually out here with a bunch of friends, so it’s not like you’re meeting a new act for the first time and over the course of three weeks trying to get to know who they are. Everyone’s known each other for seventeen years now. So it’s a pretty easy process to get everything loaded up on the buses and travel down the road. I think people are seeing that night after night now. It’s really cool to see reactions from fans that have seen both bands throughout the years and to now see all three of us collaborating on stage and sharing something a little bit different than you would normally see at a concert, so that’s been great.

Do you have a favourite memory from the tour you would like to share?

I love the encore of what we do. You’re taking the show from the start right through to the finish, but you’re getting that big impact at the very end where each night you can tell people are very happy that they bought a ticket. And to me, that’s where it all makes sense.

You released your fifth studio album, Roll, late last year. How has the reception been on the road so far?

Great so far. I love playing the new stuff, like stuff that hasn’t been a single and maybe never will be a single. We have two songs in the show that are brand new off the album that most people haven’t heard yet unless they’ve bought the album. To me, I love gauging crowd reaction when it comes to that kind of stuff. You know, it’s a bit of a departure from anything we’ve done in the past. Kind of like the new step forward of where our sound and direction are going. So I’m always curious to see what the crowd’s reaction will be, but so far so good.

Tell us the story behind your brand new single, “With You.” Why did you want to release it as your next single?

Singles are always a crazy thing. It’s like a chess game. Sometimes you really have to see what else is out there at the time and what makes sense, if it should be an uptempo, a mid, or a ballad. We haven’t had a ballad off this album yet, so going into early spring, it feels like a good time for it. We’re getting good reaction already from stations that are playing it. We just haven’t had that slower song in a while. It represents everything that we’re doing obviously on the new album and it’s kind of a universal message, too, for anyone that’s out there. We’re in the first week of people hearing it on the radio. We’ll see what happens, but obviously we’re looking for big things out of it.

In which ways does this album differ from your last album, Believe?

Direction-wise, I think that we’ve all talked about this over the past couple of years … tweaking the sound to a point where our hardcore fans are definitely going to hear a bit of a difference in the sound. And when I say that, I mean it’s a bit harder of a sound, it’s a bit more organic, it’s not overproduced by any means. It kind of represents a timeline of like ’95-’01 for us when we played a lot of bars and pubs. Those were the days where every genre of music, you seemed to play in the last two sets in a bar. The bar owner would come to you and be like, “We don’t want any more country. We want alternative or rock stuff.” It made an impact on our sound back then. I really feel like those six years represent this album very well. And stuff that’s not foreign to us, obviously, but stuff that maybe we just didn’t push to the edge throughout the last ten or eleven years. So it’s exciting. It feels new and fresh.

What is the writing process typically like? How do you choose songs that everyone in the band can connect with?

That’s a good question. When it comes to lyrics, for the most part, it’s probably more or less about anything that I’ve gone through in my life. As a singer, it’s just easier to sing about stuff like that. Musically, I think that’s where we differ from a lot of other groups. Everybody in the band plays every instrument that is recorded in the studio. So for Mikey playing the drums, his part in that song is obviously what he puts into it. And that’s where you’re always going to get that unique sound as a band. But yeah, lyrically, I’ve always felt like I have to sing about stuff I either know or I can represent well.

You’ve had great success in both Canada and the U.S. Have you noticed any differences between how Canadian and American fans embrace your music and country music as a whole?

We’re very lucky to have had a good run in the States in the early 2000s. Everything back home here in the last few years has just stepped up to another level, too. We’ve talked about this over the years … there are a lot of acts that are from the States that never break through in Canada and vice versa. So I’ve always felt that we’re very lucky that way. We can hop across the border whenever we need to and there’s a fan base on both sides, which helps a lot. We don’t get over-saturated in each country and we’re able to play throughout the year and see fans that have been there from the start

Have you personally had any regrets in the past seventeen years with the band?

(Laughs). No, I don’t think I have any regrets. But I know there will be old pictures and songs … I have a son that is three. I know in a few more years when he gets old enough to look at some old pictures, he’s just gonna be laughing, which I think is hilarious. But I don’t know if I have any regrets. I think that we’ve all gone through different ups and downs in this business, as well as personal stuff. But I have to say, at the end of the day, I think it’s made us better in the long run. We’re more respectful and understand things a little better having gone through some of the ups and downs that you do. So I don’t know that I’d ever change anything if I could go back. It’s all been just a great experience so far, even the bad stuff. It helps you build character.

What is it about country music that you’re drawn to?

For me, personally, it’s definitely the live aspect. I love seeing any empty room right now knowing in a few hours it’s going to be full. That fuel that the crowd gives you on stage – I’ve enjoyed that for the seventeen years that we’ve been doing this. It’s never wavered. It’s always been very consistent, which is cool.

What has been the highlight of your career thus far?

I think the GRAMMY nomination was a pretty big highlight, just ’cause it was a first in Canadian country music as a band. No one else has ever been able to do that before. I love knowing that we were first in our own country to break a boundary. It was incredible. Obviously different genres have been able to do the same thing, but as a country band getting a nomination – it just sets the bar. You can look back on your career and realize that you were first at something. I think that’s great.

Is there anything in particular you want to accomplish that you haven’t yet?

I think just growing as a band and expanding more and more and building new fans is always the goal at the end of the day. The longevity thing has always been a goal from the start. And now knowing that there are seventeen years underneath the belt, I think and I believe that there are more to come. So again, just building the fan base and having our music reach out to more people is definitely going to help with anything from this point forward.

How do you boys keep busy on long trips between shows?

(Laughs). Well, we had a long trip last night from Winnipeg to here (Ottawa). There are satellites on the bus, so lots of watching T.V. The guys usually have their laptops out, either doing emails or trying to find something to pass the time. It’s one of those things – you get used to the road over the years. And for those people who don’t really understand it, it’s difficult just being confined in a 45-foot bus for many hours at a time, but you do get used to it. You just kind of find your own space and make the time go by.

Be sure to watch Emerson Drive’s BRAND NEW music video for “With You.”

Related posts:

1. EXCLUSIVE: Interview With Tim Culpepper
2. EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Jessie James
3. EXCLUSIVE: Interview With James Otto

Dean Brody opened the show with his hit “Canadian Girls,” kicking off a show that would see him win two awards: Best Male Artist and Album of the Year.

Other country faves taking home hardware at this year’s show included Carolyn Dawn Johnson, who won Female Artist of the Year and Hey Romeo, this year’s Group or Duo of the Year. Ottawa’s sweetest and brightest new talent, Kira Isabella, took home the Rising Star award. The Stellas, who have been out on the road with Johnny Reid, took home the award for CMT Video of the Year for their song “In This House.” Johnny, who had a whopping eight nominations tonight, was the recipient of the Fans’ Choice award.

This was the fourth year Reid has taken home the acclaimed Fans’ Choice Award:

“This has been a wonderful year. I have had an opportunity to cross this beautiful country and sing for so many people,” the Scottish-born Nova Scotia-based singer said . “Too many people to thank, but Saskatoon you have always had a special place in my heart. Thank you very much for this honour.”

The stage welcomed countless great performances, including Paul Brandt and a collaboration between Emerson Drive and Doc Walker. American faves, including Pistol Annies, Eric Church, and Jason Aldean made their way up north to rock the stage in addition to a solo performance by Miranda Lambert.

Also of note, the very lovely Taylor Swift made an appearance to both present an award and accept one herself. Taylor was the recipient of the New Generation award, which was introduced by Deric Rutan and Bryan Adams:

“I’m so happy to be in Saskatoon right now I can’t even tell you,” she said. “To country radio in Canada and the country music fans in Canada, you guys are the ones who choose to play my songs, you guys are the ones who choose to buy the albums and sell out the concerts and you’re the ones who make me so at home, I can’t wait to come back and see you every single time.”

Check out our recap of tonight’s winners:

Fans’ Choice Award
Johnny Reid

Single of the Year
They Don’t Make Em’ Like That Anymore – Jason Blaine

Album of the Year
DIRT – Dean Brody

Songwriter(s) of the Year
Is It Friday Yet? (written by Gord Bamford/Roger Brown/Byron Hill; performed by Gord Bamford)

CMT Video of the Year
In This House – The Stellas

Female Artist of the Year
Carolyn Dawn Johnson

Male Artist of the Year 
Dean Brody

Group or Duo of the Year 
Hey Romeo

Roots Artist or Group of the Year
Jimmy Rankin

Rising Star
Kira Isabella

Top Selling Canadian Album of the Year
Fire It Up – Johnny Reid

Top Selling International Album of the Year
Own The Night – Lady Antebellum

Image credit (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards)

Related posts:

1. CCMA Nominees Announced
2. Recap of The 2012 JUNO Awards
3. Nominees for the 2012 Juno Awards Announced

“All of today’s nominees deserve ample recognition for their excellence as well as their tremendous contribution to Canadian country music,” said Don Green, Executive Director, CCMA. “This year’s nominees reflect the depth of musical talent in Canada, and we’re so proud to be able to recognize those artists – both established and emerging – who have impacted Canadians with their music.”

A personal fave, Johnny Reid, leads the nominations with a total of eight. Country cutie Dean Brody follows close behind with seven of his own.

Performers expected to light up the stage at the Awards include Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Pistol Annies, Eric Church, Paul Brandt, Dean Brody, George Canyon, Johnny Reid, Deric Ruttan, Gord Bamford, Terri Clark, Chad Brownlee and High Valley.

Check out the list of nominees below!

FANS’ CHOICE AWARD
Gord Bamford
Dean Brody
Terri Clark
Hey Romeo
Johnny Reid

SINGLE OF THE YEAR

Canadian Girls – Dean Brody
Fire It Up – Johnny Reid
Is It Friday Yet? – Gord Bamford
Somebody Somewhere – Dallas Smith
They Don’t Make Em’ Like That Anymore – Jason Blaine

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
16 & 1 – Doc Walker
DIRT – Dean Brody
Fire It Up – Johnny Reid
Give It Away – Paul Brandt
Roots And Wings – Terri Clark

SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR
Canadian Girls (written by Dean Brody; performed by Dean Brody)
Fire It Up (written by Marty Dodson/Alan Frew/Johnny Reid; performed by Johnny Reid)
Is It Friday Yet? (written by Gord Bamford/Roger Brown/Byron Hill; performed by Gord Bamford)
Mainstreet, 1979 (written by Deric Ruttan; performed by Deric Ruttan)
They Don’t Make Em’ Like That Anymore (written by Jason Blaine/Deric Ruttan; performed by Jason Blaine

CMT VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Canadian Girls – Dean Brody
Fire It Up – Johnny Reid
Give It Away – Paul Brandt
I’m Your Man – Ryan Laird
In This House – The Stellas

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Victoria Banks
Terri Clark
Carolyn Dawn Johnson
Tara Oram
Michelle Wright

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Gord Bamford
Jason Blaine
Dean Brody
Chad Brownlee
Johnny Reid

GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR
Doc Walker
Emerson Drive
Hey Romeo
High Valley
The Stellas

ROOTS ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
Ridley Bent
Shane Chisholm
Sean Hogan
Corb Lund
Jimmy Rankin

RISING STAR
Kira Isabella
Ryan Laird
Codie Prevost
Dallas Smith
The Stellas

Related posts:

1. Nominees for the 2012 Juno Awards Announced
2. Capital Hoedown Tickets On-Sale Tomorrow!
3. CMT Hitlist Tour To Stop In Ottawa

As the nation’s capital is about to welcome The JUNOS this Sunday (April 1), both the city and the fans are starting to get into the swing of things in anticipation of the show.

There are several events set up in advance of the show featuring some of the music industry’s best, including Canada’s talented country singers.

The JUNO Cup, taking place on Friday, March 30th, will feature a collaboration of both NHL greats and musical talents on the ice, including Brad and Curtis Rempel of High Valley and Jim Cuddy.

Another popular event, the JUNO Songwriters’ Circle, will include Canada’s talented Terri Clark, among others, as they share both songs and stories on stage.

Of course, all eyes are on the actual show, taking place at the Scotiabank on Sunday night. Nominees for Country Album of the Year are:

Doc Walker – 16 & 1
High Valley – High Valley
Jason McCoy – Everything
Jimmy Rankin – Forget About the World
Terri Clark – Roots and Wings

In addition, Jim Cuddy will be up against some other great contenders for the Songwriter of the Year award. A favourite here at Keepin’ It Country, Johnny Reid, is also nominated for Single of the Year for his hit “Let’s Go Higher”; his fellow nominees include Canadian talents like Hedley, City and Colour, Nickelback, and The Sheepdogs.

Not only will Blue Rodeo be performing, but The JUNOS will  honour them for being inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

The JUNOs will be hosting a LIVE CHAT with Bell Media personalities during the show at Facebook.com/CTV, JUNOS.CTV.ca and on the CTV iPad App Social Screen. Also, check out the ongoing JUNOS Fantasy Poll on Facebook – you can select YOUR picks for some of the biggest categories of the show!

Tickets for the show can still be purchased HERE, as well as tickets for events around the city preceding the show that any of our Ottawa readers would like to attend!

The JUNOs will air LIVE on Sunday, April 1st at 8PM EST on CTV.

Related posts:

1. UPDATE: Carrie Underwood’s “Good Girl” Cracks Top 40
2. Nominees for the 2012 Juno Awards Announced
3. Update On Blake Shelton’s Dad

Among the nominees are some of our favourite Canadian country artists!

Single of the Year
Fragile Bird - City and Colour
Invincible - Hedley
Let’s Go Higher - Johnny Reid
When We Stand Together - Nickelback
I Don’t Know - The Sheepdogs.

Songwriter of the Year
Dallas Green
Dan Mangan
Feist
Jim Cuddy
Ron Sexsmith.

Country Album of the Year
16 & 1 - Doc Walker
High Valley -High Valley
Everything – Jason McCoy
Forget About the World – Jimmy Rankin
Roots and Wings – Terri Clark.

The award show will also feature Blue Rodeo being inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

Related posts:

1. Nominees Announced for 2012 Canadian Radio Music Awards
2. American Country Awards Nominees Announced!
3. Nominees for 45th Annual CMA Awards to be announced Sept 6th

Johnny Reid was the big winner of the night, taking home three awards including “Fan’s Choice Award,” “CMT Video Of The Year,” and “Male Artist Of The Year.” Dean Brody won the second most and took home two for “Single Of The Year” for “Trail In Life,” and “Album Of The Year.” Terri Clark took home “Female Artist Of The Year,” and the trio Hey Romeo took home “Group Or Duo Of The Year.” Chad Bromlee, last year’s “New Artist Showcase” winner, took home the “Rising Star” award last night. For a full list of winners click the “read more” button.

The night was highlighted with performances from Ronnie Dunn, Doc Walker, Luke Bryan, Michelle Wright, Deric Ruttan, Ron James, Chantal Kreviazuk, and Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough.

Next year’s CCMAs will be hosted in Saskatoon, Sasketchewan on September 9th live from the Credit Union Centre. The 2012 Canadian Country Music Week will take place from September 6th through to the 9th.

FANS’ CHOICE AWARD -Johnny Reid

SINGLE OF THE YEAR – Trail In Life – Dean Brody

ALBUM OF THE YEAR – Trail In Life – Dean Brody

CMT VIDEO OF THE YEAR – Today I’m Gonna Try And Change The World – Johnny Reid

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR – Terri Clark

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR – Johnny Reid

GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR – Hey Romeo

RISING STAR – Chad Brownlee

Related posts:

1. Tara Oram Gets CCMA Nod for Female Artist of the Year
2. Taylor Swift Sweeps 2011 Teen Choice Awards
3. Nominations Begin Today for 2011 CMA Awards

With the weather holding out, crowds steadily increased as travelers got into town and local fans got off work. The festival kicked off with Mackenzie Porter, one of the later additions to the Hoedown line-up. We heard her sound checking earlier, and her cover of the Dixie Chicks’ “Sin Wagon” had Ottawa up on its feet early on. A young girl who was raised on an Alberta cattle ranch, and may be recognized as the sister of former Canadian Idol winner Kalan Porter. While the young girl may not have been as experienced as the rest of the line-up, her talent and voice shined through and was an impressive start to the festival. We had the chance to meet MacKenzie before her performance, and she’s a down-to-earth, but talented, singer.

Tara Oram was next on the bill to help kick-off the Capital Hoedown. While she was running late and we did miss our interview with her, she was fantastic and knew how to take control of the stage the second she was on it. Wearing a dress similar to Carrie Underwood’s “Undo It” music video, her cover of “Twist” had the crowd laughing and dancing right along with her. An interesting choice was to take out one of her own original songs for a Sheryl Crow cover of “Strong Enough.” We heard some people in the crowd comparing her to Carrie Underwood, and the resemblance is pretty similiar – right down to the fashion choices. One thing I did miss was “Go To Bed Angry” which wasn’t performed live, however, her cover medley which included “Twist and Shout” had the crowd dancing and helped kick off the party atmospheer tha

Doc Walker seemed to be the second most popular act of the day, as the field was filling up to the estimated 15,000 – 20,000 persons for Kenny Chesney at 9 pm last night. While they mostly stayed to their specific spots on the stage, unlike Tara who took control of the entire stage and interacted with the audience throughout, the boys were still good and had the fans screaming. They were a good choice as the warm-up act right before the headliner Chesney. The Canadian group played their hits which most of the crowd surprisingly knew and sang right back to them.

The short break between Doc’s set and Kenny’s was when the field really started to fill up in both the General Admission and VIP C areas. VIP C is right in front of the stage, and standing room only. As his crew rushed to add-on the extra lighting and carpeting for his set, the crowd’s energy level (and alcohol level) increased even more. The VIP C section was packed and people were crammed right against each other. There’s no room to sit in that section, so be aware if that’s your seats: the view is great but your legs do get a workout!

The second the video screens showed some clips of Kenny’s hat on the beach with a Corona, the screaming began and didn’t stop until the end of his just-over-an-hour set. Kenny had the entire crowd in the palm of his hand, and he was all smiles throughout the entire show. While we couldn’t get a good view on the crowd from our spot, rumor has it that it hit 20,000 fans. I completely expect to double that today with both Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert in the line-up tonight.

Kenny sang most of his big hits, but he did skip out on a few noticeables:  “There Goes My Life,”  “Keg In The Closet,” “Don’t Blink,” “Shiftwork,” “Everybody Wants To Go to Heaven,” and “Down The Road” were obvious hits missing from his performance. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t fantastic: his headlining show included just Kenny and an acoustic guitar on his current hit “You & Tequila” which he dedicated to Grace Potter who wasn’t there last night.

Kenny was all smiles, even with the mix problems during his first song and a half where his vocals were completely taken over by his band. He brought the beach to Canada, and rocked his version of beach-meets-country the rest of the night. He was a hit, but would you ever expecting anything else from country’s touring king? Even a beach-ball thrown his way didn’t effect him from giving it all to the crowd. Nor did the plaid shirt thrown onstage by a male fan during “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problems.”

“Ottawa, you are looking incredibly sexy tonight,’ was how he closed off his single-song encore of “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.” The first day of the Capital Hoedown was a party atmosphere, and Kenny Chesney made sure it stayed that way.

Related posts:

1. Doc Walker Wants to see YOU at the Capital Hoedown!
2. Doc Walker Wants to Give You Two 3-Day Capital Hoedown Tickets
3. MacKenzie Porter Added to Capital Hoedown’s Star-Studded Line-Up

Are you going to the Capital Hoedown? We’ll be there and we’ll be putting up live performance pictures of your favorite artists in our exclusive gallery. Who are you most excited for?

Related posts:

1. Doc Walker Wants to Give You Two 3-Day Capital Hoedown Tickets
2. Doc Walker Releasing New Album “16 & 1″ August 29th
3. MacKenzie Porter Added to Capital Hoedown’s Star-Studded Line-Up

The Capital Hoedown is set to be the largest country music party in Canada next week, with Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, Sara Evans and Billy Currington just some of the acts taking over the nation’s capital from August 11th to the 13th. The site is ready to comfortably fit 45,000 fans located just outside Ottawa’s downtown area.

Stay tuned to Keepin’ it Country next week as we gear up for the Capital Hoedown music festival in Ottawa, Ontario. We will have live Tweeting & Facebook statuses during the performances, so make sure you follow us on Twitter and Facebook! We’ll also have pictures of the performances as well as videos. We’re your go-to source for all things country music in Canada’s capital.

Are you going? What act are you most excited to see?

Watch the music video for Doc Walker’s “Beautiful Life” under the “read more” button.

Related posts:

1. Doc Walker Releasing New Album “16 & 1″ August 29th
2. MacKenzie Porter Added to Capital Hoedown’s Star-Studded Line-Up
3. WYATT selected as Capital Hoedown Showdown Finalist Winners