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Tag Archives: Zac Brown Band
Nominees for ACAs Announced
The nominees were just announced earlier this morning for this year’s American Country Awards. The third edition of the fan-voted award show will once again air live on FOX from Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. While the co-hosts remain the same with Trace Adkins and Kristin Chenoweth, there is something new about the award show – the addition of the “Song Of The Year” category which will honor country music’s top songwriters of 2012. The nominees for Song of the Year are determined by the National Songwriters Association International (NSAI). The award show will air live on December 10th on FOX at 8 pm EST.
Artists leading all nominees this year are Luke Bryan with seven, and Lady Antebellum tying for second with Zac Brown Band with six nominations each. Eric Church and Taylor Swift both have five nominations each. Check out the full list of nominees below and let us know who you’ll be voting for. Fans can vote at theacas.com for their favorite artists, and make sure to tune in December 10th to see who wins!
Performers and presenters will be announced shortly, so stay tuned for that announcement too!
Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney & Eric Church Added as CMA Award Performers
The CMA Awards are building quite the lineup of performers for their 46th Awards show. ABC has announced that the show’s co-host Carrie Underwood will perform, as will Kenny Chesney, Eric Church & the Band Perry.
The new group of performers join previously announced performers, including Underwood’s co-host Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Kelly Clarkson & the Zac Brown Band.
The show will air on ABC on November 1st, live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena ABC.
VIDEO: Zac Brown Band on Walmart Soundcheck
Country music group Zac Brown Band stopped by the Walmart Soundcheck sessions for a preview of their new album “Uncaged.” In the brand new Soundcheck, the group performs tracks from their new #1 record, including hit single “The Wind.” Check out the preview of their performance below:
Make sure you check out the Soundcheck concert right here on Walmart’s page, along with a special behind-the-scenes look at their famous “Eat & Greet” and a look at the band’s tour bus on the Soundcheck All-Access Facebook page. Fans can also enter to win a Zac Brown Band cooking bundle and an official Zac Brown beanie through the Walmart Soundcheck official Facebook page here. Make sure to enter and good luck!
Zac Brown Band Announced as Fourth Artist in “Road To The Ram Jam” Series
The “Road to the Ram Jam” series and sweepstakes, presented by the Ram Truck brand, features five of today’s top country acts – Kellie Pickler, Brantley Gilbert, Easton Corbin, and newly added Zac Brown Band, and provides fans the opportunity to win prizes including trips for two to an invitation-only 2012 Ran Jam concert event December 29th in Nashville, TN where all five artists will perform – awesome!
Fans can enter the chance to win the sweepstake trips for two to the invitation-only 2012 Ram Jam concert event at www.RamTrucks.com/RoadtoRamJam or on the Ram Trucks Facebook page at www.ramjamsweeps.com. The Road to the Ram Jam series and sweepstakes helps bring country music fans closer to some of their favorite artists with exclusive video content, free music downloads, and the opportunity to win some cool prizes, like collectible posters and vinyl records through participating country radio stations nationwide.
CMT Music Awards Presenters Announced
With only two days remaining until the 2012 CMT Music Awards, Nashville is brimming with excitement in anticipation of the big night.
Today, a list of presenters were announced for Wednesday’s show. The list includes: Jason Aldean, Sara Evans, Ronnie Dunn, Alan Jackson, Jake Owen, and Kellie Pickler. Previously-announced performers The Band Perry, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan will also be on hand to present awards.
Several other presenters comprise the list, such as American Idol finalists Colton Dixon and Skylar Laine, CMT hosts Tom Arnold and Steve Austin, 2012 Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti, Twilight star Ashley Greene, Tony Hawk, Denise Richards, Dax Shepard and Jordin Sparks.
The show will feature performances from some of the best in country music: Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Toby Keith, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Willie Nelson, Brad Paisley, Pistol Annies, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, Hank Williams Jr. and Zac Brown Band.
The show, hosted by Toby Keith and actress Kristen Bell, will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena June 6th at 8PM EST on CMT and CMT.com.
We will be at the show, so be sure to check back with us as Keepin’ It Country will be up-to-date on everything related to the Awards and CMA Fest!
Zac Brown Band Has “Powerful Chemistry” on New Album
Zac Brown Band fans don’t have to wait much longer for a new album. The Band’s third studio album, ‘Uncage’ is set to release on July 10 and lead singer Zac Brown is promising the album is full of “powerful chemistry that’s developed by living, traveling and working as a band.”
We’re always trying to push the barrier of our musicianship and I’m proud to say that there is a little bit of something for everyone.
‘Uncaged’ offers an array sounds over the eleven song album, from right, rocking songs to the characteristic harmonies of the Zac Brown Band. There are many guest vocals and musicians on the album, including Amos Lee and Trombone Shorty. Jason Mraz and Wyatt Durrette, a longtime collaborator with the Band, helped pen some of the tracks on the album. Jimmy De Martini of the Zac Brown Band said that through the diverse mix of songs on the album, “it remains true to the Zac Brown Band sound, which has become a style in itself.”
This album will be the first with the newest band member, Daniel de los Reyes. Brown said on his first meeting with Reyes:
We sat and played djembe one night until our hands bled…I love his spirit.
Check out the video below to see Zac Brown Band perform the title track off their album, ‘Uncaged.”
Cruisin’ With Blake Shelton Playlist
With the days getting warmer and the date getting closer, us here at Keepin’ it Country got together to put together a list of our favorite beach-flavored tunes for the Blake Shelton Cruise. We’ll be aboard the biggest live country music event ever to set sail, and we want to help our fellow country music fans get ready for the party of the year!
The 7-night cruise leaves Miami on October 14th, then returns on October 21st after 7-nights at sea. You’ll visit San Juan, Tortola, Nassau, and St. Thomas over those fantastic seven nights. Not only will we be on-board, but so will some of the biggest stars in country music… Blake Shelton will perform twice during the cruise, and he’s bringing along some friends to perform and party with too. There’s so many great performers announced so far that it would take all day to list them here, so visit blakesheltoncruise.com to book your cabin or for more information on the country music party of the year. If you mention Keepin’ it Country when you book your cabin you’ll receive a free gift from us on-board!
Take a look at our ultimate Blake Shelton Cruise playlist below, which we’ll be playing on our iPods as we board the beautiful Norwegian Pearl in October. Leave us your suggestions and maybe your favorites might make our Cruise playlist part 2 at a later date.
EXCLUSIVE: Interview With Ray Gibson
You read it here first: Canadian singer/songwriter Ray Gibson is an artist that the country music world undoubtedly needs to watch out for.
Hailing from Maple Ridge, Vancouver, this eighteen year old is turning heads with both her originals and covers. She even caught the attention of country superstar Carrie Underwood. The artist posted Ray’s cover of “Good Girl” on her Facebook for all of her fans to see on Ray’s eighteenth birthday – what a great present! If that weren’t enough, the newcomer is working alongside Canadian country artist Aaron Pritchett. The two have been writing together and have recorded videos of them singing some of Aaron’s songs. Ray also won the Carly Rae Jepsen cover contest for her rendition of “Call Me Maybe”.
Her covers range from songs by artists like Adele, Lil Wayne and Katy Perry to Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert. Ray’s original songs, such as “Couple More Kisses” and “Barefoot On The Beach” showcase her incredible vocal range and writing talents. Something interesting to note is that this young artist has taught herself to play both the guitar and piano and plays the instruments solely by ear!
Now, this YouTube sensation is starting to write original material and is looking ahead to creating her own record and performing for fans. She will be writing songs in Los Angeles this summer and Nashville in the fall.
We caught up with Ray to talk about her influences, what she loves about the country genre and plans for her future in country music.
Trust us when we say that you won’t be disappointed by this girl’s gift: her voice.
EXCLUSIVE: Interview With Jason Charles Miller
Jason Charles Miller is definitely not your ordinary urban cowboy. Rather, he represents the dark, gritty side of country music – the type of country music that should receive more acknowledgement than it does.
Regardless, this Virginia native knows his way around the entertainment industry. Although he might be most known for heading the rock band Godhead, Jason has travelled many paths throughout his life. His impressive resume includes writing, producing, voiceover recording and acting. If that wasn’t enough, Jason is busy overseeing his own recording studio, Central Command Studios.
We caught up with Jason today to talk about the release of his new single “Up To Me,” his recent signing with Render Records, how he feels about the music industry and what he has to offer.
We can promise you that this man has a mind and heart evident in both his thoughts and music that any country music fan could appreciate and love. Take a look for yourself:
Zac Brown Band Add New Member & New Album
With two GRAMMY wins and already more than 50 award nominations to their name, Zac Brown Band are heading back into the studio for work on a new album. They’ve announced that they’ll be releasing that new record, “Uncaged,” on July 10th. It’s a big album for the Zac Brown Band, who will be having brand new member percussionist Daniel de los Reyes make his debut as part of the group.
The band is currently nominated for a Billboard Music Award for Top Country Artist, and they also have two nominations in the fan-voted CMT Music Awards for Collaborative Video of the Year for “Knee Deep” with Jimmy Buffet, and Best Group Video for “Keep Me In Mind.”
Zac Brown Band have already had a huge impact on country radio with only two albums released so far. Their debut album, “The Foundation,” went double-platinum. Their sophomore album, “You Get What You Give,” debuted at the number one spot on the Billboard 200 Chart in 2010.
The band is made up of Zac Brown (vocals, guitar), Jimmy De Martini (vocals, violin), John Driskell Hopkins (vocals, bass), Coy Bowles (guitar, organ), Clay Cook (multi-instrumentalist), Chris Fryar (drums), and now percussionist Daniel de los Reyes.
