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Tag Archives: Zac Brown Band
Country Artists Headlining TODAY Show Concerts
Country music will be taking over the airwaves once again this summer. Superstars Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band and The Band Perry will each headline their own concert series with the TODAY show in New York City. The Summer Concert Series kicks off May 18th until August 31st live from Rockefeller Plaza in the Big Apple. Pop star Usher will be the first performance of the year at the outdoor concert. The Band Perry kicks off the country round with their free concert on Friday, June 1st, Zac Brown Band on Friday, June 15th, and Kenny Chesney on Friday, June 22nd.
See the rest of the line-up on NBC’s site. The concerts are free but on a first-come-first-serve basis for space, and fans are encouraged to show up early if they want to be sure they can see their favorites perform live. All concerts will take place outside TODAY’s window-on-the-world studio located at 49th Street and Rockefeller Plaza, and fans should arrive by 6 am EST to make sure they get in.
Country Artists Up For Billboard Awards
Country music really is starting to take over pop music. Some of country music’s biggest stars have been nominated for the 2012 Billboard Music Awards, which take place May 20th live from Las Vegas on ABC at 8 pm EST. Some of the artists nominated include Lady Antebellum, Jason Aldean, Taylor Swift, Blake Shelton, Zac Brown Band, Luke Bryan, Scotty McCreery, Eli Young Band and The Band Perry. See the full list of country nominees, and who made the general field nominations, below.
The CMA Music Festival Lineup Grows Again!
The already big CMA Music Festival just got a little bit bigger. Today the Country Music Association announced the addition of four-time CMA Female Vocalist winner Martina McBride, the newly engaged Jake Owen and newcomer Hunter Hayes to the already star-studded festival lineup.
The performers join the previously announced Dierks Bentley, Brantley Gilbert, Alan Jackson, Scotty McCreery, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood and Zac Brown Band.
All of those artists will be performing at the nightly concerts held at Nashville’s LP Field. There are still four-day tickets available and can be purchased at the CMA Fest site HERE. The 2012 CMA Fest takes place June 7-10.
POLL: ACM Awards – Vocal Group Of The Year
Thank-you to for participating in our polls so far.
Keep up the voting!
Let us know who you want to take home the ACM Award for Vocal Group Of The Year. It is a pretty tight category with The Band Perry, Eli Young Band, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, and Zac Brown Band.
ACM Awards: Vocal Group Of The Year
- The Band Perry (38%, 15 Votes)
- Lady Antebellum (33%, 13 Votes)
- Rascal Flatts (10%, 4 Votes)
- Zac Brown Band (10%, 4 Votes)
- Eli Young Band (9%, 3 Votes)
Total Voters: 39
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Check out our other ACM polls as well:
New Artist: http://www.keepinitcountryblog.com/2012/03/acm-awards-artist-poll/
Vocal Duo: http://www.keepinitcountryblog.com/2012/03/acm-awards-poll-duo/
Taylor Swift & Kenny Chesney Are Money Makers
Billboard magazine released its list of the top money makers last week, and country music’s own Taylor Swift and Kenny Chesney both represent country in the top three. Taylor earned more than $35 million in 2011, beating out rock super-group U2 who only made $32 million last year. Kenny made over $29 million in 2011, placing third on the list. Kenny made the top five along with Lady Gaga, and Lil’ Wayne. Jason Aldean found his place in the top ten at number nine with a little over $13 million, placing just one spot behind Celine Dion. See the full list on Billboard’s site.
Other country stars making the top 40 include Toby Keith at number fifteen, Rascal Flatts at number eighteen, Tim McGraw at number nineteen, Brad Paisley at number twenty-one, Lady Antebellum at number twenty-six, Keith Urban at number twenty-seven, Zac Brown Band at number twenty-eight, and Sugarland beats Justin Bieber at number thirty-four.
Billboard uses U.S. income from tours, album and single sales, and publishing royalties to calculate their rankings. They do not include sponsorships, merchandise sales or synchronizing deals to put together their impressive list.
Video Picks Of The Week: March 5, 2012
Hello friends…
We are back with our “Video Picks of the Week.”
Music Video
Brantley Gilbert is one of my new favorites. He’s the perfect mix of country and rock, and I love the tone of his voice and overall vibe.
Brantley was signed to Valory Music Group in 2011, and you definitely know him for his songwriting skills as well. Most notably, he has written songs for Jason Aldean and Colt Ford. He was a co-writer on “Dirt Road Anthem” and “My Kinda Party,” both of which were eventual mega-hits for Aldean.
This week’s pick is Brantley’s music video for his single, “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do.” The track is the second single off of his album “Halfway To Heaven.” The album is available on iTunes!
Continue reading for our live performance and cover song video picks…
Randy Travis Kicks Off 25th Anniversary Tour This Week
Randy Travis is celebrating his 25 years in country music with the people who made it possible for the legend to have such longevity: His fans. The Grand Ole Opry member is taking his music on the road with stops all across North America. The silver anniversary tour starts Feb. 10 in Grand Ronde , OR and will make at least 30 more stops along the way. (For a complete list of tour dates, visit his website here.)
The tour is the latest part of the party celebrating Travis’ milestone. In June, Warner Bros. Records released of the Anniversary Celebration album. The 17-track album features guest artists who teamed with Travis to cover his classic tracks and some original offerings. The guest singers include Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney, Kris Kristofferson, Carrie Underwood, George Jones, Zac Brown Band, Lorrie Morgan, Jamey Johnson and many more.
Travis has had 18 #1 singles and 29 top-10 hits. His lifetime sales are more than 20 million, making him one of country music’s biggest sellers of all time. His honors include seven Grammy Awards, 10 Academy of Country Music statuettes, 10 American Music Awards, two People’s Choice awards, seven Music City News awards, eight Dove Awards and five Country Music Association honors.
You’d think that after 25 years in the business, there wouldn’t be anything new for Travis to experience. Not true. What you’re about to read is from a first for him: His first interview session via conference call! It may have been foreign territory for Travis, but he sounded relaxed as he talked about the upcoming tour, changes in the making of music and if he’s finally embracing technology:
James Otto Celebrates Release Of Zac Brown Band Single
James Otto is pretty excited about another artist’s single this week. Zac Brown Band will be releasing “No Hurry,” a song James co-wrote with Zac Brown and Wyatt Durrette. It’s the fifth single off the ACM/CMA and GRAMMY-nomined album “You Get What You Give.”
“When I got the call, my wife and I stopped what we were doing and started dancing around the kitchen of our house, we were so excited.”
The slow-down-and-smell-the-roses themed song is special to James, who recently welcomed the birth of his daughter Ava Katherine.
“When she came along, I realized it was time to slow down and focus on what really mattered to me in this life — and that was being there for those unrepeatable moments of her first steps, words and discoveries…and I’m still in ‘no hurry’ to let those little moments go.”
James, who always puts family first, is planning to return to touring in 2012 to promote his new music and album “Shake What God Gave Ya.” Right now, however, he’s still celebrating the release of his song with the Zac Brown Band.
“There’s nothing like the feeling of knowing one of the most successful bands in country music right now is going to release your song,” he said. “I’m simply blown away, and utterly humbled.”
Top 10 Live Tracks (2000 – Now)
There’s nothing we here at Keepin’ It Country love more than live music, so it only made sense to put together a list of some of our favorite live tracks to share with you all, our lovely readers! This particular list is made up of only live tracks from 2000 – 2012, mostly because trying to go through the entire live history of country music turned out to be a bit daunting. Also, all tracks in consideration had to have been released commercially at some point, so no bootlegs here! (Though that could easily be another list.)
Now that the fine print is out of the way, check out our picks below!
10. Love & Theft – “Don’t Wake Me” – Live in Savannah EP
Love & Theft’s performance of “Don’t Wake Me,” off of the band’s Live in Savannah EP, highlights everything that’s great about the group. Three (now two) great looking guys singing perfect harmonies on killer pop-country songs. Any cut from this album could have made our list, but this was a personal favorite. The band gained certain notoriety when Taylor Swift wrote “Hey Stephen” about member Stephen Barker Liles, but if Love & Theft can keep their moment going with live shows like this one there’s a good chance they’ll give Rascal Flatts a run for their money in a few years.
9. Kenny Chesney – “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy – Live Those Songs Again
Kenny Chesney has long ruled the country music touring circuit; one of the few acts in any genre that can consistently sell out stadiums, so it should be no surprise that he made our list. “Tractor” is a reminder of exactly what makes Kenny so fun to see live. It’s a fun summertime party with the best soundtrack.
Check out the rest of the list after the jump!
CMA Fest Announces Second Round Of Performers
The Country Music Association has just announced the second round of performers for the 2012 edition of CMA Music Festival in Nashville. Faith Hill, Eric Church, Luke Bryan, Brad Paisley, Lady Antebellum, the Zac Brown Band and Rascal Flatts will be part of the superstar line-up in June. They join previously announced performers Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, and The Band Perry for the festival which runs June 7th through to the 10th in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. It’s the first LP Field night-time performance for Eric, and Faith will be returning for the first time since 2008.
Tickets for the festival have already been on-sale on Ticketmaster. Prices start at $115 for a four-day package to see country music’s biggest stars. A limited amount of four-day parking packages are also available through Ticketmaster while quantities last. Additional artists are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
