Where Words Fail, Music Speaks

Hey y'all! It's @GC_Danielle, South Carolina Contributor for GotCountyOnline.com, bringing you all my country concert reviews. Follow us at @GotCountry!

[gcdanielle]

My Thoughts on the 2019 ACM Nominees...

The nominees for the 54th Annual Academy of County Music Awards were announced earlier this week. All nominations are in regards to the artists’ radio play, single and album releases, tours, vocal appearances, songwriting, etc in 2019. **This is something I always have to refresh my brain on because every award show has different criteria and cutoff dates, which is why so many artists seem to get snubbed every few years - or some year after year after year. Please take the following with a grain of salt because we all have a difference of opinions on new artists and what country music is...

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR NOMINEES Jason Aldean - Luke Bryan - Kenny Chesney - Chris Stapleton - Keith Urban

I fully agree with Jason. I’ve seen him numerous times and his shows are extremely lively. I love Luke, but I forgot that he even toured last year since he’s been on American Idol. Kenny always has my vote, his stadium tours are out of this world. I love Chris, I really do, but I don’t see him as an entertainer. I honestly haven’t seen him in concert because I’d rather see him in a smoky dive bar than an arena. I’ve always been a fan of Keith. I saw him open up for Kenny in 2003, but I feel like he’s been on a decline the past few years. 

You know who isn’t on a decline though? Eric Church. He may not have gone on his own tour last year but he still played a lot of festivals. I often wonder if anyone on the nominating committee has even seen him live? His 2017 and 2019 tours have both been only him, no opening acts. 3+ hours of straight Eric Church. And this year he’s playing two shows per city every weekend. He better be an ETOY nominee in 2020. 

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR Miranda Lambert - Ashley McBryde - Maren Morris - Kacey Musgraves - Carrie Underwood

I know we’re supposed to look at artistry here, but I’ve lost all respect for Miranda. But since we are looking at artistry, I can’t get on board with Kacey. I know Ashley has been in the background for awhile, but she’s still so new to the forefront. I have loved every single Maren has released since she came on the scene. But Carrie is always my #1, mainly because we’re dopplegangers. 

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR Dierks Bentley - Luke Combs - Thomas Rhett - Chris Stapleton - Keith Urban

You already know my thoughts on Keith and Chris. I am a fan of Thomas and I’d be okay with him winning but I love this new sound that Dierks has going on. It look me a minute to get used to Burning Man, but now I’m obsessed with the song. However, Luke Combs is the real winner here. He is on fire, so successful with everything he puts out, but is still so down to earth at the same time. Luke Combs is most deserving of this award. 

DUO OF THE YEAR Brothers Osborne - Dan + Shay - FGL - LOCASH - Maddie & Tae

Maddie & Tae fell off the face of the earth after their one hit wonder and I don’t think they’re quite back enough to win this award. Same with LOCASH, even though I’m seeing them in two months, they’ve been kinda laying low too. I’m an original fan of FGL (back when it was Baby You’re Like a Song) so obviously I want them to win most, but I’d be good with BO or D+S too, in that order. 

GROUP OF THE YEAR Lady Antebellum - LANCO - Little Big Town - Midland - Old Dominion

Has Lady A done anything this year? I thought they were trying out solo paths? I wasn’t a fan of LBT until they released Pontoon, and I’ve found myself drifting away from them again once that song slid back down the charts. I think a lot of Midland like I do Kacey Musgraves, I just can’t get into their vibes. LANCO is still fresh, I can only recall one song of theirs. So I have to go with Old Dominion. Everything they touch turns to gold and their music videos are hilarious. 

NEW FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR Danielle Bradbery - Lindsay Ell - Ashley McBryde - Carly Pearce

Danielle won The Voice in 2013, therefore she is not new. Lindsay started getting radio play in 2014 so she is also not new. Ashley and Carly both started releasing singles to radio in 2017 so they are the only two who really qualify for this category. My vote goes with Carly, who has seen more radio spins and touring. 

NEW MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR Jimmie Allen - Luke Combs - Jordan Davis - Michael Ray - Mitchell Tenpenny

I kinda want to say Michael because it would be cute for the couple to win new artists, but he’s been around since 2015. And even though I’m a huge fan of Luke, his journey, and his simplicity, Hurricane came out in 2016. Even though Jordan is still pretty fresh, Jimmie & Mitchell are the only artists to have put out their first radio single in 2018. I met both of them at Party in the Park, and while I love that Mitchell has written for one of my favorites, I’ve gotta go with Jimmie.

NEW DUO OR GROUP OF THE YEAR High Valley - LANCO - Runaway June

This is a hard one. High Valley has been around in Canada for a very long time and started seeing airplay in the US in 2012. LANCO has been around for a few years but didn’t release their first full album till 2018. I have to go with Runaway June though. They’re the newest of the old and they have John Wayne’s granddaughter. 

ALBUM OF THE YEAR Dan + Shay – Dan + Shay Desperate Man – Eric Church From A Room: Volume 2 – Chris Stapleton Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves The Mountain – Dierks Bentley

To be honest, the only albums I’ve listened to (aka have had the desire to listen to) are Desperate Man and The Mountain so I’d be okay with either of them winning. 

SINGLE OF THE YEAR - Goes to the Artist "Down to the Honky Tonk" – Jake Owen "Heaven" – Kane Brown "Meant To Be" – Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line "Most People Are Good" – Luke Bryan "Tequila" – Dan + Shay

Since Single of the Year is presented to the artist, I like to pick the most fun, most entertaining song. So this one goes to Jake Owen. 

SONG OF THE YEAR - Goes to the Songwriter "Break Up In The End" – Cole Swindell Writers: Jessie Jo Dillon / Chase McGill / Jon Nite "Broken Halos" – Chris Stapleton Writers: Mike Henderson, Chris Stapleton "Meant To Be" – Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line Writers: David Garcia, Tyler Hubbard, Joshua Miller, Bebe Rexha "Space Cowboy" – Kacey Musgraves Writers: Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves "Tequila" – Dan + Shay "Yours" – Russell Dickerson Writers: Casey Brown / Russell Dickerson / Parker Welling

Single Song of the Year is presented to the songwriters, I like to pick the most meaningful lyrical ballad. I was going to pick Yours because it became so popular as a wedding song, but then I realized it was released in 2015... so we’re going to go with Break Up in the End. 

VIDEO OF THE YEAR "Babe" – Sugarland featuring Taylor Swift "Burn Out" – Midland "Burning Man" – Dierks Bentley featuring Brothers Osborne "Drunk Girl" – Chris Janson "Shoot Me Straight" – Brothers Osborne "Tequila" – Dan + Shay

Hands down will always be Brothers Osborne. They always come out with the best videos. I wish Old Dominion was in this category as well. 

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR Ross Copperman - Ashley Gorley - Shane McAnally - Chase McGill - Josh Osborne

Shane McAnally. Always Shane. Forever Shane. 

MUSIC EVENT OF THE YEAR "Burning Man"– Dierks Bentley featuring Brothers Osborne "Drowns the Whiskey" – Jason Aldean featuring Miranda Lambert "Everything’s Gonna Be Alright" – David Lee Murphy featuring Kenny Chesney "Keeping Score" – Dan + Shay featuring Kelly Clarkson "Meant To Be" – Bebe Rexha Featuring Florida Georgia Line

Honestly, I hadn’t even heard of Keeping Score. I’ll have to go look that one up. But for now, that means it will be tossed out of this category. Plus anything tied to Miranda because I’m so over her right now. I’m going with Burning Man because I crank my radio as high as it can go every single time that song comes on! 

Don’t miss The 54th Academy of Country Music Awards airing on CBS on Sunday, April 7, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

[gcdanielle]

Catch Ya on the Flipside

I live and breathe country music because it tells a story. It has the words I can’t express. It makes me feel very deep emotions. There is always a country song that can relate to every aspect of my life. And the best thing about country music is its patriotic roots. For example: “Only in America” by Brooks & Dunn, “Arlington” by Trace Adkins, “Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly” by Aaron Tippin, “American Soldier” by Toby Keith, “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood. plus the many country songs written out of tragedy, just for example. Now enter “Flipside”, sung by Andy Velo.

“Flipside” was written by Doug Johnson (”Three Wooden Crosses”) and Bart Butler. The song struck a cord with Andy when he heard it from the first time. It reminded him of his friend David who left for basic training in the Navy right after graduation. Andy too, had considered joining the military. It took him back to the two of them and another friend hanging out at the station waiting on the bus to come and pick David up. 

The opening of Flipside reminds me of 90s country, which I’m obsessed with so the song immediately grabbed my attention. Emotion shines out in Andy’s voice and there’s such a calming tone within the chords. 

In this day and age, everyone knows someone who has left for the military, whether it be a parent, a sibling, extended family, or a friend. This song is for them, and for the loved one they are sending off, to let them know everyone will be waiting for them when they get back. 

This song brought up an old memory of mine. Before sending a friend off, we spent his last free night at a Corey Smith concert in Charleston. It also reminded me of when a friend and former coworker sent her son off to basic. Oh how proud she was, but also how she missed her son so much, especially during the holidays when there was an empty seat at the table and she would worry about he would be spending the holidays. 

Take a listen...

From Andy...

This song and this video is for anyone who has served or is serving in our great nation’s armed forces. In one way or another, every single one of us has all been here, exactly where this song portrays. In a place where we have a brother, sister, mother, father, extended family member, or friend choose to give up what we consider to be a normal life to protect our freedoms and sovereignty both home and abroad. We are all allowed to experience these things because of them; because of their selfless sacrifice. God bless you all and God bless the United States Of America.

[gcdanielle]

Get Ready for WEZL’s Party in the Park 2017!

My most favorite thing about the beginning of May, besides all the Justin Timberlake memes, is that May 1st means the announcement of WEZL’s Party in the Park lineup. For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, every Tuesday in June WEZL hosts a free concert at the Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park. What I love about this concert series is that it showcases all the up & coming artists. Sure, I love top entertainers like Eric Church, Luke Bryan, and Jason Aldean and will see them every time they come to town. But… I really enjoy finding new artists and watching them pursue their dream.

Past years have included artists such as Chris Lane, Jordan Rager, The Swon Brothers, Eric Paslay, Drake White, Canaan Smith, Kelsea Ballerini and many more. Plus! You never know who is going to show up. I ran into Chris Carmack from Nashville three years ago who was traveling with his girlfriend in Katie Armiger’s band. The first year I went to Party in the Park, I became friends with Jesse Rice, co-writer of Cruise, who was hanging out with Love & Theft. One of the coolest PIP experiences I’ve had was seeing Craig Campbell. His label had literally just folded days before and he personally footed the bill to get his crew to Charleston to fulfill his obligations.

The free summer concert also showcases local artists such as Southbound 17, McKenna Andrews, Haley Mae Campbell, and Brady Smith. This year I hope to see my two favorites Mitchell Lee and Henri Gates of Saluda Shoals, who once made up Southwood. Plus, I’m always excited to be introduced to other new acts around the Lowcountry.

June 6th

Tyler Farr - Tyler broke into the music scene in 2013 with “Redneck Crazy,” pairing up with Lee Brice, Colt Ford and Willie Robertson for a hilarious music video. You may have seen him earlier this year, donning a giant fur coat during an unplugged concert at The Groves. Check out his latest song “Better In Boots.”

High Valley - I got so tickled when I saw High Valley on the lineup. Last fall my husband was asking me about a new song that mentioned Hallelujah in the course and had a banjo. I had no clue what he was talking about so I enlisted the help of my music friends on Twitter. The answer was “Make You Mine.” When we played it, I realized I knew every word to the song. Oops!

Carly Pearce - I will admit the only song I know is “Every Little Thing,” but it is so perfectly written and delivered, that I can’t wait to hear her whole set.

June 13th

Parmalee - Parmalee was last in Charleston in 2014 when they opened up for Jake Owen, the concert where he split his pants! With songs like “Carolina” and “Musta Had a Good Time,” they’re a hit in the Lowcountry.

Brett Young - I wish I could have a do-over on my wedding so I could use “In Case You Didn’t Know” as my first dance song. He released a full album earlier this year so check it out before heading to the show.

Jackie Lee - You may not know it (I didn’t) but you’ve heard Jackie Lee on WEZL. He released “Getting Over You” to radio in January.

June 20th

Granger Smith - I’ve been a fan of Granger for quite a few years. He followed me on Instagram and I’ve been hooked ever since. I finally got to see him and his alter ego, Earl Dibbles, Jr, at the Coastal Carolina Fair last fall. I hope Earl will be making an appearance. Granger has been around for a long time but you probably know him best from “Backroad Song” and “If The Boot Fits.”

Kristian Bush - A veteran to the PIP festivities, Kristian Bush is back! And I’m excited, because I believe I was sick when he came last time. Kristian is a good friend of GotCountry. My favorite song of his solo career has got to be Trailer Hitch.

Seth Ennis - Now another good friend of GotCountry, I learned of Seth through my friend Cale Dodds. Seth released “Woke Up In Nashville” to radio earlier this year and has been on fire ever since, opening up for Billy Currington on his Stay Up ‘til The Sun Tour.

July 27th

Easton Corbin - Another returner to the PIP stage, if you’ve been following Easton since the beginning, you may remember “A Little More Country Than That” from seven years ago. His latest single is "A Girl Like You,” released back in January.

Mo Pitney - Also returning to the stage is Mo Pitney, a traditional country voice in the new age of pop and rock country. His debut single “Country” proves that, along with “Boy & A Girl Thing.” You’ll think you’ve stepped back into the beloved 90’s country music when he opens his house.

Dylan Scott - As one of my top three favorites, I’m so excited that Dylan is coming back to Charleston so soon. I’ve been following him for 4 years and finally met him last summer. I wake up to “My Girl” every morning, as I’m sure my husband rolls his eyes, but he knows every word. I probably play every single one of his songs every other day. And his covers are amazing! I had the DJ play “Thinking Out Loud” at my wedding. I honestly wish he was headlining so we can hear a longer set

The gates open at 5pm and music starts at 6pm. There’s plenty of parking under the bridge at Waterfront Park, however, it is always helpful to carpool. Details haven’t been provided yet, but there are always shuttle buses running as well. You are welcome to bring blankets and chairs, but leave Fido and the beer cooler at home. There will be plenty of food and beverage vendors on site. For more details, visit http://wezl.iheart.com/features/party-in-the-park-683/

[gcdanielle]

The Band Stringfield Looking to Catapult into the 2016 Country Scene with Signing of Two Huge Deals

1689 Entertainment Group Nashville, Tenn.

For Immediate Release

Feb. 8, 2016

NASHVILLE -- Nashville-based 1689 Entertainment Group is proud to announce the acquisition of THE BAND STRINGFIELD (TBS) following the signing of a complete management deal this week. The band has also been picked up by legendary talent agency Buddy Lee Attractions, where they will be one of many very talented artists featured on the BLA roster.

With their unique 90s alternative rock, modern country sound, TBS is considered as a must-see band for 2016, mixing decades of musical influences spanning multiple genres, allowing them to stand out among the crowded field of cookie-cutter bands.  

This power trio is guaranteed to pack a punch. You can find more about TBS online at TheBandStringfield.com, Facebook.com/BandStringfield and Twitter.com/BandStringfield

[gcdanielle]

My Picks for the 51st ACMs

The nominations for the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards were announced today. If you missed it, you can see the full list of nominees at GotCountry?. Every time the noms are announced, I like to make my picks. 

The 51st ACMs, hosted by Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley, will be broadcasted LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 3, 2016 at 8:00 PM. You can following along with GotCountry by using #GotCountry and #ACMs.

Please note, the nominees for Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Studio Recording Awards and Industry Awards will be announced at a later date. 

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

Jason Aldean

Garth Brooks

Luke Bryan

Eric Church

Miranda Lambert

Will this finally be the year Eric Church receives the award he deserves.

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Jason Aldean

Dierks Bentley

Eric Church

Brett Eldredge

Chris Stapleton

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Kelsea Ballerini

Jana Kramer

Miranda Lambert

Kacey Musgraves

Carrie Underwood

VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR

Brothers Osborne

Dan + Shay

Florida Georgia Line

Joey + Rory

Maddie & Tae

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

Eli Young Band

Little Big Town

Old Dominion

Rascal Flatts

Zac Brown Band

NEW MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Brett Eldredge

Chris Janson (super thrilled about this one)

Thomas Rhett

Chase Rice

Chris Stapleton

NEW FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Kelsea Ballerini

Cam

Mickey Guyton

RaeLynn

NEW VOCAL DUO OR GROUP OF THE YEAR

A Thousand Horses

Brothers Osborne

Maddie & Tae

Old Dominion

Parmalee

ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)] 

I’m Comin’ Over – Chris Young Producers: Corey Crowder, Chris Young Record Label: RCA Records

Montevallo – Sam Hunt Producers: Zach Crowell, Shane McAnally Record Label: MCA Nashville

Mr. Misunderstood – Eric Church (a secret album deserves the award) Producer: Jay Joyce Record Label: EMI Records Nashville

Tangled Up – Thomas Rhett Producers: Dann Huff, Jesse Frasure, Chris DeStefano, Joe London Record Label: The Valory Music Co.

Traveller – Chris Stapleton Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton Record Label: Mercury Records

SINGLE RECORD OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)] 

Burning House – Cam Producers: Jeff Bhasker, Tyler Johnson, Camaron Ochs Record Labels: Arista Nashville, RCA Records, Kravenworks

Buy Me A Boat – Chris Janson Producers: Brent Anderson, Chris DuBois, Chris Janson Record Label: Warner Music Nashville

Die A Happy Man – Thomas Rhett Producers: Dann Huff, Jesse Frasure Record Label: The Valory Music Co.

Girl Crush – Little Big Town Producer: Jay Joyce Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville

I’m Comin’ Over – Chris Young Producers: Corey Crowder, Chris Young Record Label: RCA Nashville

Take Your Time – Sam Hunt Producers: Zach Crowell, Shane McAnally Record Label: MCA Nashville

VIDEO OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)] *(Off Camera Award)

Biscuits – Kacey Musgraves Director: Mark Klasfeld Producer: Nicole Acacio

Burning House – Cam Director: Trey Fanjoy Producer: Trent Hardville

Girl Crush – Little Big Town Directors: Karla Welch, Matthew Welch Producer: Amanda Prunesti

Mr. Misunderstood – Eric Church Directors: Reid Long, John Peets Producer: Megan Smith

Riser – Dierks Bentley Director: Wes Edwards Producer: Jennifer Rothlein

VOCAL EVENT OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]*(Off Camera Award)

Hangover Tonight – Gary Allan Featuring Chris Stapleton Producers: Gary Allan, Greg Droman Record Label: MCA Nashville

Home Alone Tonight – Luke Bryan Featuring Karen Fairchild Producers: Jeff Stevens, Jody Stevens Record Label: Capitol Nashville

Raise ‘Em Up – Keith Urban Featuring Eric Church Producers: Nathan Chapman, Keith Urban Record Labels: Hit Red Records, Capitol Nashville

Smokin’ And Drinkin’ – Miranda Lambert Featuring Little Big Town Producers: Frank Liddell, Chuck Ainlay, Glenn Worf Record Label: RCA Nashville

Wild Child – Kenny Chesney With Grace Potter Producers: Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney Record Labels: Blue Chair Records, Columbia Nashville

[gcdanielle]

Single Review: Andy Velo “Wake Up Boat Drink Repeat”

Recently my year was made when I saw Andy Velo in concert, a moment that was three years in the making. If you’ve missed my three reviews of him, Andy is a singer-songwriter out of Suwanee, Georgia who is probably well recognized from his Jim Beam guitar and future Entertainer of the Year stage presence. With my parents only living an hour from his hometown, I had many opportunities to see him perform in the area, however I never seemed to plan my trips correctly. He always seemed to be in Georgia the weekend before or after me. After many missed opportunities I decided to start a campaign to bring him to Charleston. Finally on March 28th Andy opened for Corey Smith at the Music Farm. After one of the best show experiences I’ve ever had, and the second time I’ve seen an opener blow Corey Smith out of the water, I got to meet and chat with Andy Velo.

A few days before my big moment Andy posted a video to Instagram with the caption “Coming May 2015! #WakeUpBoatDrinkRepeat.” The clip featured friends in a recording booth chanting the opening lines of what is soon to be the big hit of the summer. When I caught up with Andy at the Music Farm he let me listen to the latest mix on his phone. It was hard to perfectly critique the song with all the background noise at the bar but I could tell it was going to be a fun song to blast out on the water. A few weeks later, sworn to secrecy, he emailed me the final mix. My excitement overwhelmed my phone as I repeatedly jabbed the screen trying to make the file download faster.

When a song starts off with the cracking of a beer and ice cubes clinking in a glass, you know it’s going to be fun. The beginning lyrics are familiar, from the studio video Andy posted.

Wake Up, Boat, Drink, Repeat (x2)

Ocean, Lake, River or Creek

Just Wake Up, Boat, Drink Repeat

Don’t let the mellow opening fool you, this song is about to kick it up a notch and you better be turning the dial all the way up out on the water. You can hear Cloyd River’s famous line of “sun’s out, guns out” along with a shout out to SXM The Highway. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that this will get The Highway to finally place his music (I’ve only been requesting it for three years). The song is filled with notions of our favorite things: spending the summer out on the water, or as close as we can get, with our favorite friends and coolers full of ice cold beer. It’s about time we got a break from trucks & girls with the perfect boating song just in time for summer. Side note: Andy also has the perfect song for floating down the river when and if you can’t get to a boat called Blue Collar Cruise, the title track from his second EP.

To me this song perfectly describes a summer day in Charleston, South Carolina. We sure do love our boating and our drinking. There was actually a blogger a few months back who wrote an angry post about the city including a complaint about all we ever did was spend our lives boating. Andy’s wish is that someone plays this on a boat, someone else hears and asks about it, and the song spreads like wildfire. Let’s make that happen!

You can purchase Wake Up Boat Drink Repeat on iTunes today. Make sure to follow Andy Velo on social media to keep up with his tour schedule and future projects! And don’t forget to tune in tonight at 8pm/7c as GotCountryOnline.com hosts a twitter party for Andy’s big release! You can use our hashtag #GotCountry to join the party!

Socials…

Website: www.andyvelo.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/andyvelomusic

Twitter: www.twitter.com/andyvelo

Instagram: www.instagram.com/andyvelo

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/andyveloofficial

[gcdanielle]

Got The Spotlight: Andy Velo

There’s been an influx of country musicians coming out of Georgia over the past few years and the talent just keeps getting better and better. If you’ve followed me and my music obsession over the past three years there are a few artists you are mostly likely well aware of. Andy Velo should definitely ring a bell. My twitter bestie who I found through music suggested I take a listen to Southern Thing back in June of 2012. The opening guitar strum had me hooked and I couldn’t stop talking about this good ol’ Georgia boy named Andy. I did my best to beat it into the head of my friends, family, and followers that they needed to check this guy out.

When I was pointed in Andy’s direction he had a four song EP on iTunes along with a promo video on ReverbNation. My favorite was obviously Southern Thing. I constantly listened to that song and watched the video on repeat. I would even pull up YouTube on my BluRay player so I could watch it on the big screen. One afternoon I even created a line dance to Southern Thing but I’m not sure if I can remember it now. My second favorite would have to be I Can’t Wait to Tap That, a raunchy love story about a beer keg. I bet you weren’t expecting that.

As much as I loved playing Andy’s self-titled EP on repeat, after awhile those four songs just couldn’t hold me over. I was in need of new music. Early on in 2014 Andy posted a photo on Instagram of a track listing for a Summer 2014 EP. Yes yes yes! I had to get my hands on that new music ASAP! I was ready to hit the pre-order button on iTunes but unfortunately I had to wait a few more months. On August 12 I woke up to the Blue Collar Cruise EP on my iPhone. You can read my review here . I had every lyric memorized by the time I reached work that morning. I bet my neighbors know all the words too since I would leave the radio turned up when I got home and would remote start my Jeep in the morning with the EP blaring.

When Andy announced that he’d be tweeting a big tour announcement in late November I set an alarm. As long as I’ve been following him you’d think I’d already seen him live. Nope. I always seemed to miss him. I’d go to Georgia one weekend to visit my family, and he’d be playing about an hour away from them the next. I even went to Nashville one weekend, but he was in Georgia. We probably passed each other on the interstate as he went back up to Nashville while I was coming back into Georgia. Just days before this big announcement I tweeted about starting a campaign to bring Andy to Charleston and he hinted to being in Charleston in 2015. Thank goodness that was right! It wasn’t included on his original announcement but in mid March I noticed he announced a show with Corey Smith at the original Music Farm in downtown Charleston. I. Had. To. Go. I already had plans but those were immediately changed. There was no way I was missing Andy again, especially when he was coming to my hometown. Then Andy did the coolest thing ever. He reached out to me through DM on Twitter, because I was such a huge fan from the early stages he was going to put me on the guest list as thanks for all my support. That’s never happened to me before so you bet I was totally fangirling. You can read my concert review here! I got to chat with Andy for a long time after his show. We discussed his upcoming release of Wake Up Boat Drink Repeat which I got to hear a clip of at the merch table, the hope that this single would spread like wildfire across the boats during the summer, and the plans he has for the rest of 2015, along with the new Jim Beam guitar he was anxiously awaiting the arrival of.

Since Andy has been super busy on the Corey Smith tour along with working in the studio, prepping for the release of Wake Up Boat Drink Repeat, and hanging out in Key West I took our Got Country Twitter Party as a chance do to a small follow up Q&A. 

Danielle: “What got you started in music?” Andy: “Literally a phone call. I left my job the next day.” It would be interesting to know more about this story. Imagine such an amazing, life changing phone call. What a risk, but a risk that paid off!

Danielle: “How do you want to be known in the country music world?” Andy: “Relatable, approachable, and nothing that I’m not. You get one shot to get it right. Why be anything else?” That’s some great advice. And I think Andy is already well known for what he desires to be known as. I find Andy to be one of the nicest guys in the music industry. He’s definitely approachable, he loves his fans. And he’s definitely relatable, the fame doesn’t get to him. He shows that he’s still one of us.

If they gave out an Entertainer of the Year award for a newcomer, Andy Velo would definitely take home the trophy. If you ever get the chance to see him live you better go! I’m already ready to see him again. I also can’t wait for his upcoming single release “Wake Up Boat Drink Repeat” on 5/19 (which I hope to hear blasting on every boat this summer) and future music that he’s been working on in the studio. Make sure you follow Andy to keep up with all of his announcements, music, projects, and super fun tweets. And don’t forget to join our GotCountryOnline.com twitter party with him on 5/19 at 8/7c. You can use our hashtag #GotCountry to join the fun!

Socials…

Website: www.andyvelo.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/andyvelomusic

Twitter: www.twitter.com/andyvelo

Instagram: www.instagram.com/andyvelo

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/andyveloofficial

[gcdanielle]

The Million Dollar Question: “Do Southern Guys Monogram”

Country music goes hand in hand with the south. There are also many other things that go along with the south: y’all, cowboy boots, and even crafting. Us southern girls love anything that has to do with burlap and monograms. I uploaded a picture of a monogram I painted and attached to the burlap wreath on my front door on Facebook with the caption “It’s not a true southern wreath unless it’s monogrammed.” We wanted to know if southern guys monogram so we went looking for answers.

(Photo Cred: Dan Van Media)

Newcomer Dylan Scott, who will perform this Saturday (April 18th) at the 3rd Annual ACM Party for a Cause Festival at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas prior to this weekend's ACM Awards Sunday night, is a guy that seems to have a stylish look. GotCountryOnline.com contributor Dan Van caught up with Dylan to see if he was on board with the southern craze.

“(laughter) Dude, I do not monogram. So you got (lots of laughter) your southern preps out there is what it is. Which I got a little, here’s the thing, I’m a little preppy sometimes," Dylan explains to Dan Van. "Someday I might wear my shorty shorts and the next day I might have on a cutoff shirt and some cowboy boots, and the next day I might have on some hipster outfit. But uh, yeah monogram is huge in the south. You know what, I actually saw, I guess y’all tweeted about that today, or somebody tweeted about it and I thought to myself “well that’s a good merch idea.” I even thought about it so I’m gonna have to probably do some monogram merch to be honest with ya.”

GotCountryOnline.com may have spurred a great merchandise deal that you will see in the future at his shows! We might have to add the monogram mayhem to our list of quirky questions too.

Make sure to check out Dylan Scott and follow Dan Van - @DanVanMedia. While y’all do that, I’ll be over here waiting on my monogrammed garden flag to arrive. P.S. If Dylan really does come out with some monogram merchandise, we better be first on the mailing list for helping with that idea.

Dylan’s Socials:

Website: www.dylanscottcountry.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dylanscottcountry

Twitter: www.twitter.com/dylanscottcntry

Instagram: www.instagram.com/dylanscottcountry  

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/DylanScottCountry

[gcdanielle]

Concert Review: Andy Velo

Y’all know the feeling. One of your favorite artists announces a new tour. You stab at your phone screen or frantically click your computer mouse to pull up the tour link. You scroll up and down and up and down looking for your city. There! There it is. Your city! Perhaps the city that is usually missed on a tour. You sign up for notifications or track the show on bandsintown. You sign up with the local radio stations or the artist’s fan club to make sure you can get a chance at a presale code. It’s 10am on a Tuesday or Wednesday. You’re sitting in a lobby waiting for your turn to search and buy tickets. Your stomach is doing flips. You might get kicked out. The site may crash. Anything could happen. But wait! You got the tickets. You freaking got the tickets! You’re jumping up and down, dancing at your desk. And then… you realize how long the wait is between buying the tickets and the show (I once had to wait seven months). You’re back on your phone, downloading a countdown app to stare at every day. Wait… everyone does do this right?

Excluding the first time I saw Luke Bryan and both times I have seen Eric Church, I have never been so excited about a show as I was for Andy Velo. I’d been following Andy for about three years but I always missed seeing him live. I never could seem to get my Georgia trips to be aligned when he was playing near my family or sometimes I would be in Georgia when he was up the road from me in Myrtle Beach. I remember the day Andy tweeted that he would be announcing tour dates soon. I set an alarm so I wouldn’t miss the announcement but Charleston wasn’t on the first round of stops. At some point Bandsintown missed notifying me that indeed Andy would be coming to Charleston on Corey Smith’s tour. Luckily I stumbled upon a tweet announcing his show at the Music Farm. Finally! A Charleston show! And if that wasn’t enough, Andy personally messaged me to let me know he would put me on the guest list as thanks for being a long-time fan. That is pretty much one of the coolest things that has ever happened to me.

The day had finally come. I was ready to be downtown at the Music Farm. We got to the venue a little before 8 and waited for the doors to open. Word began to spread that the show was sold out. That was the icing on the cake. I told Andy he would love Charleston and I was glad his first trip here turned out to be a sold out show. We got in and I quickly ran over to the merch table. I wanted to pick up koozies for myself and my music bestie Megan, whom was still waiting for Andy to visit Minnesota. Sadly he ran out of almost everything the night before. Although I was bummed, that means he’s picking up speed! We got our drinks and made our way down to the floor to pick out a spot. At this point I was more excited to see Andy than I was Luke Bryan for the first time. Yes, I just said that. And y’all know my love for LB. He just got passed by AV. I think I ran down my phone battery checking for the time every 5 seconds.

I guess right about 9pm, I heard “baby it’s a southern thing” leading into intro music and I screamed my head off. My friends looked at me like I had lost my mind and I started pointing to the stage and yelling “that means Andy’s coming out!” AV stormed the stage to Meet Me in the Barn, a great choice for the show opener and a song that I once tweeted him about being the female lead if he ever did a music video for it. Next he played Crazy, Reckless, Young & Wild which perfectly describes the usual crowd of the Music Farm. Next he dedicated How You Wanna Roll to all the country girls. I’ve never heard anyone cover Somethin’ Like That which I’ve always referred to as the BBQ stain song and I belted out every single lyric. After the first “Hell Yeah” Jim Beam toast he introduced Blue Collar Cruise. As I said in my review of the Blue Collar Cruise, the river float is big in Charleston. Every summer the Edisto River is packed with drunk floaters. I don’t go as often as I used to but I still have a box of truck tire inner tubes in my garage. 

His cover of Dixieland Delight had the crowd going wild which led perfectly into a brand new song Once You Go Country. I regret not recording it. Obviously you can guess that once you go country you never go back. Ain’t that the truth. The presentation of the song reminded me of Chase Rice’s U Turn which I adore. I hope Andy releases this song on iTunes soon so I can play it on repeat. I believe Andy said Roll of a Dirt Road was his next radio single which was a huge hit with the crowd, but next was the moment I had been waiting for. I tweeted earlier this week that my excitement to hear Southern Thing live was the same as my excitement to hear The Outsiders live last December. When I first heard Southern Thing almost three years ago my first thought was “how awesome would this song be live?!” Andy went above and beyond. I was already happy to be rocking out to the gritty fast paced tune that perfectly describes the southern life when he spun the song into Country Girl (Shake It For Me) and Rodeo. Wow… did the set really have to be over?

As soon as Andy stepped off the stage I raced to the merch table to beat the crowd. I waited for him to get back there and get settled before making an approach. He immediately recognized me and we went in for a big hug. This moment was three years in the making. I still can’t believe it finally happened. It was well worth the wait though. Like our mutual friend Cale Dodds, Andy Velo is just as nice and just as down to earth, so very humble and thankful. On top of being put on the guest list, I was extremely appreciative of the time he spent talking with me. We told stories, listened to a clip of Wake Up Boat Drink Repeat (which is going to be a huge hit out on the water this summer), scheduled a twitter party with GotCountryOnline.com (keep up with @GotCountry for the date), and discussed plans for future projects. I am so excited for 2015 for Andy Velo. I believe this is his year and I’m ready to help push him to the top. I’ve already harassed SXM The Highway for years to play his music and while I continue to do that I’ll also turn to local radio. If you haven’t already, after reading this I hope everyone heads over to social media and checks Andy out. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, iTunes, and ReverbNation. Do. It. All!

Andy, thank you for an amazing night. I’m sorry it took so long to finally meet you and see you live. I had the time of my life. My friends (who can be a little standoffish to the newcomers) finally became fans last night. They enjoyed you much more than Corey Smith and would have liked to hear you as the headliner. I can’t wait for that day to come. I believe you’re on the way to Entertainer of the Year.

[gcdanielle]

My Country Picks for The 57th Annual Grammy Awards

Somehow I missed blogging about my country picks for the Grammy's. I think I got tired of waiting for the entire list to be announced and forgot about it. Better (almost) late than never. For those of you who haven't read one of my award pick blogs before, I love my country music artists way too much to just make one choice in each category. Instead I rank the choices, and very rarely do I throw a choice out.

BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE

1. Automatic - Miranda Lambert - I believe I've picked Automatic in this category for every award show. I really love the concept of this song. It makes me wish I had grown up more like that. It makes you really appreciate the technology of the world these days.

2. Give Me Back My Hometown - Eric Church - I've never been a big fan of this song but I just love Eric Church so much.

3. Cop Car - Keith Urban - While I would much rather listen to the songwriter (Sam Hunt) version, I do like Keith's rendition of Cop Car.

4. Something In The Water - Carrie Underwood - I just can not get into this single, but Carrie Underwood is just so, so talented!

5. Invisible - Hunter Hayes - I'm dropping Hunter off this list. Just like Taylor, he's pop now. He needs to come out and say it.

BEST COUNTRY DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE

1. Somethin' Bad - Miranda Lambert with Carrie Underwood - This duet is killer! The video. The live performances. Everything! I've been impatiently waiting for it to become available to pick in karaoke books. 2. Raise 'Em Up - Keith Urban featuring Eric Church - A duet between two great guitar players and performers is destined to win. Unless of course you're paired up again two hot blondes!

3. Gentle On My Mind - The Band Perry - TBP did such a fabulous job on their rendition of Glen Campbell's Gentle On My Mind. Yes loyal TBP fans, it's not their song!

4. Meanwhile Back At Mama's - Tim McGraw featuring Faith Hill - This song is the ideal story of country life.

5. Day Drinking - Little Big Town - While Day Drinking is such a fun song that I really love, including all award show performances of this song, some of the others in this category have much more meaning.

BEST COUNTRY SONG

1. Automatic - Nicolle Galyon, Natalie Hemby, & Miranda Lambert (Miranda Lambert) - Major props to these songwriters for such a well written song. 

2. American Kids - Rodney Clawson, Luke Laird & Shane McAnally (Kenny Chesney) - I believe this song helped bring Kenny back to his roots. I think we've all missed the old Kenny!

3. Meanwhile Back At Mama's - Tom Douglas, Jaren Johnston, & Jeffrey Steele (Tim McGraw feat. Faith Hill) - Jaren is one of my favorite songwriters, hard to imagine him on this track though. They did well at capturing the vision and thoughts of country living.

4. Give Me Back My Hometown - Eric Church & Luke Laird (Eric Church) - Once again, not a fan of this song but love the talents of both songwriters.

5. I'm Not Gonna Miss You - Glen Campbell & Julian Raymond (Glen Campbell) - Not going to lie, never heard of this song before. Totally throwing it out.

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM

1. The Outsiders - Eric Church - This album is so kickass, something would have to be incredibly wrong for Eric Church not to win. I constantly have this album cranked up on repeat. Not to mention hearing it live is top notch. I'm addicted to The Outsiders.

2. Riser - Dierks Bentley - This has got to be Dierks best album. I love every song on it. I guess I have to say, I honestly would not be mad if Dierks beat out Eric.

3. Platinum - Miranda Lambert - I just haven't been thrilled with this album. I haven't been drawn to it at all. I still haven't felt the need to sit down and listen to all of it. 

4. Stories - Brandy Clark - I also haven't listened to Stories. I love Brandy's songwriting talent but I couldn't stand her first single Stripes.

5. The Way I'm Livin' - Lee Ann Womack - I didn't even know this album existed so I'm throwing it out. There are so many other albums that could be put in it's place.

Best of luck to Brandy Clark who represents the country scene in the Best New Artist category!

Don't miss The 57th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday February 8th at 8/7c on CBS. Eric Church and Miranda Lambert are both set to perform. You can also follow along with GotCountryOnline.com on twitter using #GotCountry. 

[gcdanielle]

My Picks for the 50th Annual ACM Awards

On Friday the Academy of Country Music announced the nominees for their 50th annual awards show in photos with stars like the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, Jason Aldean, Dustin Lynch, Brandy Clark, Jamie Lynn Spears, Melissa Peterman, Nancy O’Dell, Joel Hale, Tara Lipinski, and Lee Brice and Kristian Bush who had the best facial expressions. If you haven’t seen it, check out the ACM facebook page or instagram feed. For once I had to do actual work at my day job and wasn’t able to live tweet the announcements nor comment on any nominations. So finally here are my picks for the 50th Annual ACM Awards. For those who have not read a “my picks” blog, since I am such a big fan of country music as a whole it is so hard for me to pick a winner of each category. Instead I rank the artists/songs in the way I’d like them to win. Plus I may throw out some nominations and add in who I believe deserves to be in that category.

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR:

Luke Bryan - LB officially became my favorite entertainer when I saw him for the first time on the Farm Tour in 2012. I was in awe. He was having so much fun. I’ve only seen him one time since. Maybe one day he’ll stop skipping over Charleston, SC.

Florida Georgia Line - I’ve seen FGL three times: February of 2012 before they become superstars when they opened up for Corey Smith, July of 2013 when they opened up for Luke Bryan on the Dirt Road Diaries tour, and June of 2014 when they headlined their Summer Series tour (maybe they should talk to their buddy LB about how fun Charleston is). I’ll continue seeing them when they come to Charleston. There is so much excitement that goes on when I hear their intro start to play. FGL is the life of the party and you know they’ll never disappoint. 

Jason Aldean - I’ve seen Aldean three times I believe, including two stops of the Night Train Tour. His show definitely makes up for the non-good looks department but he’s not one of my all time favorites.

Miranda Lambert - I’ve seen Miranda twice, I believe she was an opener for Kenny & Jason. I may not have a good perception of her as an entertainer because I have not seen her on a headlining tour yet. Let’s blame that on Ticketmaster.

Garth Brooks - We all know Garth will win in this category because he’s on his farewell tour.

Eric Church was definitely snubbed as EOTY. Luke Bryan was my favorite entertainer until I went to Church. My life was changed forever. Eric Church puts on the best show, hands down! Just read my concert reviews for him. He’s the reason I have a blown out speaker in my Jeep. 

One day I would like to see Jake Owen in this category. That barefooted man never stops moving as soon as he hits the stage. He’s racing back and forth, jumping off the stage, running through the crowd, climbing up the sections at arenas. I was at the famous Charleston show when he split his pants!

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR:

Eric Church - The Chief is a badass. That’s all I need to say.

Luke Bryan - LB had a little flop with Rollercoaster this year but he had enough success with other singles and awards to overcome it.

Dierks Bentley - Dierks is golden with the Riser album. Not a single bad song on it. You can hear the emotion in every track. I’m so happy to see him get a nom!

Jason Aldean - Maybe Aldean’s bumpy road was just what he needed. The name of the album says it all. Old Boots, New Dirt. A new start. I enjoy listening to all songs on this new album.

Blake Shelton - I’ve put BS on the backburner since he’s always been so busy with The Voice. I don’t even own his new album. As fun as Neon Light was, I think his duet with Ashley Monroe was a flop. I doubt he’ll be winning this year.

Brad Paisley - I own Moonshine in the Trunk but only because it was free, and I’ve only listened to the two radio singles. I haven’t been a fan of Brad in a long time, I think Wheelhouse killed it for me.

I can’t wait for the day when we’ll see Sam Hunt, Chase Rice, Jake Owen, Kip Moore, Cole Swindell, Brett Eldredge, Eric Paslay, etc on this list. Let’s give the new class a try!

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR:

Carrie Underwood - Carrie is a powerhouse. No one can belt it out quite like her.

Miranda Lambert - Miranda has that twang but sometimes I feel it can be obnoxious.

Kacey Musgraves - I love Kacey for her songwriting abilities and pushing the limit, but her songs give much needed advice.

Brandy Clark - Sorry but I still haven’t jumped on the Brandy Clark band wagon. Not sure if I will after Stripes.

Martina McBride - I’ve always questioned why Martina McBride is still hanging around in this category. It’s time to move on. We finally opened up Taylor’s spot, let’s open up another to the upcoming most-deserving ladies.

Again I just want to say how great it is to no longer have Taylor Swift taking up space in country categories!

VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR: love all the newbies in this category!

Florida Georgia Line - FGL has this in the bag! Nobody is kicking ass the way they are.

Maddie & Tae - The girls rocked the country scene with Girl in a Country Song and that hilarious video. But they’ve also proved they’re not one-hit-wonders with their new single Fly.

The Swon Brothers - Have you seen the brothers perform? They’re so hilarious, Colton always picking on Zach. I think maybe one day later on we may see them on the ETOY category.

Dan + Shay - I was easily turned onto Dan + Shay because they mentioned Myrtle Beach in their first radio single, which is only two hours from me. However I’ve only streamed their album once and if I remember correctly, it was too ballad-y for me.

Brothers Osborne - I feel like The Brothers Osborne are way too new to win but I believe having them on The Outsiders tour has given them a lot of promo.

I guess Thompson Square fell off the face of the earth? I miss Brooks & Dunn. What about Big & Rich? Hopefully soon Love & Theft will get the recognition they deserve.

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

Little Big Town - I’ve come to like LBT more over the years, there was just something about their first radio single that I didn’t like but Pontoon and Day Drinking really changed it around for me. Side note: has anyone figured out which old song Girl Crush sounds exactly like?

Lady Antebellum - I’ve always loved Lady A but they’ve really been getting a lot of play on the pop stations lately. Are they following in the footsteps of Taylor Swift?

The Band Perry - I’ve been so so for awhile on TBP. Their music has always been so dark: If I Die Young, Better Dig Two, Done, Chainsaw. I miss the days of Hip To My Heart. However, I am digging their cover of Glen Campbell’s “Gentle On My Mind.” Yes, people, it’s a cover! It is not TBP’s new song! Hopefully they can stay on the light side with their music now.

Rascal Flatts - Another group going pop. Maybe we should make an official country-pop subgenre? I think it’s time for the Flatts to get out of the group category and make room for the newbies.

Zac Brown Band - I feel like we rarely hear about ZBB after Uncaged. Then they started doing collabs with Dave Grohl. They’ve got that music festival that is an awful, waste of money in Charleston. I bet the Nashville stop is kickass though. I wonder if they’re trying to drift away from country?

I feel like The Cadillac Three should be in this category within a year or two. Maybe Old Dominion too!

ALBUM OF THE YEAR:

The Outsiders, Eric Church - This album is a rocking good time from beginning to end. And I really want to hear the rest of the songs he wrote when he was working on this album.

Riser, Dierks Bentley - Riser is Dierks best album yet. If Church wasn’t in this genre I would want Dierks to win.

Old Boots, New Dirt, Jason Aldean - OBND was a great new start for Aldean. I wish I was catching it live this year.

Platinum, Miranda Lambert - Even as many times as this album has been put up for awards, I still have not listened to it. I honestly can’t stand her latest single Little Red Wagon.

Pain Killer, Little Big Town - I also haven’t streamed Pain Killer. I just haven’t been compelled to. I guess I’m too busy checking out all the new & upcoming artists instead.

I would have liked to see Anything Goes by Florida Georgia Line on this list. And Kenny’s Big Revival, especially since it makes it sound like the old Kenny is back.

SINGLE OF THE YEAR

“American Kids,” Kenny Chesney - This fun American anthem that I feel put Kenny back on the map in country music.

“Dirt,” Florida Georgia Line - Dirt is just so emotional for me, I want the life of that music video. It’s my dream to have a farmhouse with a white picket fence on 50 acres of land. That’s what I think about when I hear it.

“Automatic,” Miranda Lambert - Automatic reminds us of how simple life used to be. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Now don’t get me wrong, I do love some automatic things, like transmissions. I have attempted to learn how to drive stick multiple times and it just ain’t happenin’. I do miss snail mail and recording songs on cassette (or shows on VHS).

“I Don’t Dance,” Lee Brice - If I play my cards right I’m hoping I can replace our current wedding song choice (First Dance by Corey Smith) with I Don’t Dance. It was a beautifully written song for his bride on their wedding day, which was broadcast as the official music video.

“Drunk On A Plane,” Dierks Bentley - Drunk on a Plane is just a catchy, funny tune with a matching music video but I believe there are much better singles in this category.

Grabbed up by NASCAR fans as a new anthem, Talladega should have definitely been in for single of the year.

SONG OF THE YEAR: (goes to the songwriters)

“Follow Your Arrow,” Kacey Musgraves (Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves) - Follow Your Arrow pushes the lines of country music and goes out on a limb, but the message it carries is definitely an important one. Big kudos to the songwriters for taking the risk, which turned out to be a successful one.

“Automatic,” Miranda Lambert (Nicolle Galyon, Natalie Hemby, Miranda Lambert) - Let’s just say ditto to what I said for the Single of the Year nom. P.S. It means so much more when the artist is the songwriter too. 

“I Hold On,” Dierks Bentley (Dierks Bentley & Brett James) - We saw a change in Dierks when I Hold On hit the radio waves. As much as I love my partying songs, I’d much rather have songs with meaning. This is one of them. It’s a storyline that lays out his new album, which will hopefully bring him more noms and awards in the future.

“Drink A Beer,” Luke Bryan (Jim Beavers and Chris Stapleton) - I wish, wish, wish LB would have written this song since he dedicated it to his siblings. I love Luke’s raw emotion when he delivers the song, but I truly enjoyed it when Chris Stapleton sang along at the CMA Awards.

“American Kids,” Kenny Chesney (Rodney Clawson, Luke Laird, Shane McAnally) - I love the works of all three very talented songwriters. American Kids is such a fun hit. Like Automatic, I wish life was a little more like that when I was growing up.

“Give Me Back My Hometown,” Eric Church (Eric Church and Luke Laird) - I know there’s supposed to be a storyline with the videos from The Outsider’s singles but I think the video for Give Me Back My Hometown just ruined the song for me. I tried just looking at the lyrics but I can’t stop thinking about the video that makes no sense, therefore making the song make no sense to me.

I think Meanwhile Back At Mama’s was a well written enough song to be in the song of the year category.

VIDEO OF THE YEAR:

“Somethin’ Bad,” - Miranda Lambert with Carrie Underwood - Two hot blondes in leather, stealing money, blowing up a bank. What’s not to love. Why did it take so long for Miranda and Carrie to team up?

“Drunk On A Plane,” Dierks Bentley - The video for Drunk On A Plane was perfectly directed to match the story, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. Making Dierks the pilot was awesome. It also set off a storm on social media and every show he performed at. Dierks the Pilot was a big hit!

“American Kids,” - Kenny Chesney - Hippies on a tie dye school bus singing along to American Kids was a fun video, but probably not the best.

“Cop Car,” Keith Urban - As good as the video for Cop Car was, following the lines of the song, the steamy “Somewhere In My Car” would have been a better pick.

“I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” Glen Campbell - I hadn't heard of this video until the nominations were announced. I'm giving this nom the boot.

The video for Jason Aldean’s “Burnin’ It Down” featuring our smoking hot correspondent and Miss Coors Light Amanda Mertz should have definitely gotten a nom for video of the year. That video made that song a hit!

VOCAL EVENT OF THE YEAR:

“The South,” The Cadillac Three featuring Florida Georgia Line, Dierks Bentley & Mike Eli - This song is an anthem in my southern home. We crank it up loud and sing along, although I always end up screwing up the words.

“Somethin’ Bad,” Miranda Lambert with Carrie Underwood - As well as this song hit it off, I hope this won’t be the last time we see Miranda and Carrie team up.

“This Is How We Roll,” Florida Georgia Line featuring Luke Bryan - I love this mashup between friends & tourmates but it would have been super awesome had songwrither Cole Swindell been able to team up too.

“Meanwhile Back At Mamas,” Tim McGraw featuring Faith Hill - As well written as this duet is, I feel like the vocal event category goes to the fun performances.

“Lonely Tonight,” Blake Shelton featuring Ashley Monroe - This duet does nothing for me. I was not a fan the first time I heard it, which was a performance on an awards show. It bored me.

So, do you agree with me? Do you think anyone got snubbed? Do you think anyone should not be nominated? Let me know!

The 50th Annual ACM Awards, hosted again by our favorites Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan, will be broadcast live on Sunday, April 19 from the AT&T Stadium on CBS at 8pm. The official hashtag for the ACM Awards is #ACMawards50. You can follow along with GotCountryOnline.com using #GotCountry.

[gcdanielle]

EP Review: Preston Summerville "One More Time"

Around August 2012, I was surfing the web and discovered a contest by Dodge looking for a band to perform a jingle on their next commercial. Dodge had every genre available and if you liked the single that the band had entered, you could download it to count as your vote. Of course I immediately went to the country genre. I found lots of bands I liked but one stuck out in particular. The Preston Summerville Band. I was born and raised in Summerville, South Carolina so I had to see if this band was from the area too. Nope. Cedartown, Georgia. Which you may recognize as Sam Hunt’s hometown. I took a listen to “How We Party” and was drawn to the grit feel of the song with a rock edge which reminded me of Brantley Gilbert and Eric Church. I feel it was a good introduction for the band: “here we are and this is what we’re about.” After downloading the single of course I had to like the band on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. We had chatted back and forth on twitter a few times when their manager JR Roberson, Founder/CEO of BIGFOOT Music and Outdoors, asked about bars in my area they could play at. I gave the names of Market Street Saloon (our version of Coyote Ugly), a country bar called Bighorn’s, and my favorite bar Montreux. I wasn’t sure Montreux was the right fit for a country band but it was five minutes up the road from my house and I was always in there so I was hoping Montreux could give them a shot. And guess what?! Montreux booked them for a Saturday night in October. When I walked into Montreux that night I introduced myself to JR and got hooked up with PVILLE and Fireball Whisky merch.

Preston and his band rocked the local crowd for two straight nights, packing the place out even though Zac Brown’s Southern Ground Festival was in town the same weekend. The guys have come back twice so far, in April of 2013 and November of 2014. I was most excited for this last visit. I got to listen to a clip of "Home Town Pride" and couldn’t wait to hear more of Preston’s new sound.

(Top: October 2012. Bottom Left: April 2013. Bottom Right: November 2014.)

Today Preston Summerville releases his official debut EP called “One More Time” to all major digital distribution outlets. Fortunately for me, I had the chance to stream it two weeks early. I’d been dying for this moment ever since JR told me at the November show that the album would drop in January.

The One More Time EP kicks off on the right track with Talk About Livin’, an upbeat catchy tune with a rock flair that describes simple backwoods country living from putting in those blue collar hours to celebrating once you punch out that time clock. The title track One More Time (co-written with Erica Sunshine Lee) keeps you hooked in to the EP with an upbeat story of a bad relationship you just can’t seem to escape from. I fell in love Home Town Pride (co-written with Jared Mitchell) when a video clip was posted on Facebook. It was the first recording I got to hear of Preston’s not new, but refined sound. I love everything about the song from the beat to the lyrics to the way it makes me feel. Georgia and South Carolina are very similar in the way they feel about state pride, and that goes all the way down to the towns. Even though my hometown of Summerville isn’t so small anymore, it’s still similar to what I’ve read about Cedartown. Therefore, Home Town Pride hits home for me. Halfway through my first listen of Bow My Head I had to restart the song. It sure did sound a lot like Preston’s journey in music. As described in Jason Aldean’s Crazy Town and Eric Church’s Princess of Darkness, Nashville can chew you up and spit you out, but if you work your ass off and fight for your talents she’s one of the greatest cities to be in. And that’s what Preston did. Like having the angel and the devil on your shoulders, he chose to go with his faith while pouring his heart and soul into his music. Now here he is today, with his official debut EP and soon to have songs on the radio. I feel this song can be relatable to everyone if you just insert your dream into the lyrics and I hope you make the same choice Preston did. Finishing out the EP is Between This Bottle and Me, a strong ballad about a front porch and a bottle of your favorite liquor playing the role of a therapist during a heartbreak. With subtle strumming and chords, I believe this song best shows off Preston’s vocal talents. It leaves you wishing the EP was a full length album.

After my first stream of the One More Time EP I had to pull out Preston’s old stuff, the first EP his manager gave me in 2012 and a few songs he emailed me in 2013. The difference is impeccable. As previously mentioned, Preston doesn’t have a new sound per se, but a more focused and refined sound, without losing that rock and grit feel that made me an original fan. If you get a chance check out some of his older music which is still available on his reverbnation page. Preston tends to walk the fine line of the country music genre yet at the same time he’s still grounded in true country music.

Make sure to grab a copy of One More Time today and go see Preston Summerville on the Pepsi: On The Rise Tour with Kirstie Lovelady and Them Dirty Roses. You can keep up with Preston Summerville on Facebook, Twitter, and prestonsummerville.com. 

I am so grateful for the random introduction to Preston Summerville that has landed a great relationship between him, JR Roberson, BIGFOOT Music and Outdoors, GotCountryOnline.com, and myself. I’ve enjoyed watching and listening to Preston transform over the past two and a half years. It seems like he has a lot in store for him in 2015 and I’m excited to be along for the ride. Congrats on all you have accomplished Preston!

[gcdanielle]

CONCERT REVIEW: The Outsiders World Tour comes to Georgia with Dwight Yoakam and Halestorm

247 days ago Eric Church announced The Outsiders World Tour. My computer couldn't work fast enough to bring up the list of stops. Scroll down, scroll up, scroll down, scroll up. Where is Charleston? Is he really not coming back? I thought we had so much fun? But wait.... there's a Duluth stop! My parents live an hour away from the venue. Tickets were set to go on sale two weeks later. I signed up with every Georgia radio station I could think of to gain access to pre-sale codes and scored one the day before it started. I logged on that morning and the seats sucked, just like the pre-sale in Charleston two years prior. So like I did in Charleston, I waited until Friday for the regular public sale and scored what I hoped were awesome seats. I had only been to the Gwinnett Center once, maybe four years ago, so I was flying blind.

230 days later (Yes! 230 days!) the moment was finally here. I believe this was the longest wait I have ever had between the on-sale date and event. I have been dying to see Eric Church again. I was on the fence when The Outsiders single was released. Eric's performance at the 2013 CMA Awards changed that. Instantly I needed to see that song performed live. Then he surprised us by bringing out Lzzy Hale to perform That's Damn Rock and Roll on the 2014 CMT Music Awards. Since she was on the tour section I was going to I knew I'd be seeing this performance live and I couldn't wait!

We arrived at Gwinnett Center just in time and I was able to grab a few koozies at the merch table before we headed down to our seats. I feel like I did a pretty fabulous job picking out seats for an arena I've visited once. 

I was a little worried about the Halestorm set because I brought my 60+ year old parents with me. I kept looking over at them to make sure they were doing okay. My mom finally  said "We grew up in the 1970s with heavy metal!" Well excuse me... according to my dad Lzzy is badass. Her drummer struggled a little with catching his drumsticks. I think he dropped more than he caught. Don't worry buddy, I refused to twirl and throw sticks during my drumline days because I know I'll smack myself in the face. Then Lzzy announced he was her little brother Arejay and gave him about a 5 minute drum solo. He redeemed himself. He was all over the place, jumping up and down, jumping on the drum set, and then... he pulled out a pair of jumbo drumsticks that were at least 3ft long. He twirled those and caught em. So I'd like to see a show where Arejay uses just the jumbo sticks. Halestorm's set list include Freak Like Me, I Get Off, Love Bites, Miss The Misery and they ended with Here's To Us. Lzzy Hale is a badass. A freaking badass. I hated that her set had to be so short. I usually spend so much time in a country music bubble but I could listen to that hard rock & metal all night. Luckily I knew she'd make another appearance! 

I'm going to be completely honest with you. I was not looking forward to Dwight Yoakam's set. I actually thought he would be the first opener so I didn't mind if we'd be running late or stuck in the merch/beer lines. Boy was I surprised. I actually did miss the first few songs being in the beer line (they ran out!) but what I did hear I really enjoyed. His band was decked out in rhinestone jackets. One guitarist even resembled Elvis! Dwight was rockin' the Denim Dan look with bedazzled music notes on the back of his jacket. And his dance moves? While singing his left leg would start goin' ham. Then he'd do a little sliding jig in a circle during instrumental breaks. I was surprised at his age, his voice still held out remarkably. He even added a little rock flare to fit in with the times and the tour feel. The crowd was completely into it. About 75% of those who made it into their seats by his set were on their feet. Fans of all ages were singing and dancing. By the end of his set I decided I could definitely see him again. 

I made it back to my seat from the beer line (when they ran out) just in time for Eric Church. I was brainstorming ideas of how he would make his entrance. I thought something funky was going on with the bottom of the big video screen. So I imagined he would descend down onto the stage in smoke. However, he came from backstage. But then, the freaking drummer & drum set came out of the video board. How I missed the fact that there was no drum set on the stage is a mystery to me. That was pretty badass. 

Eric started off the show with The Outsiders. This is a song I listen to every morning as I wake up, ever since I watched the live performance on the awards show, although the recorded track just doesn't do it justice. The only way to really hear this song is live. Next up was Creepin' which if you have not seen the video of the adorable 3 year old singing along to Creepin' you need to google that now. I think of him every time I hear it. Guys Like Me was next, along with What I Almost Was, I'm Gettin' Stoned, Talladega, and Pledge Allegiance to the Hag. 

At some point in the early stages of the show, a fan got Eric's attention with mini bottles of Jack Daniels. Of course Eric had to stop for a toast. 

I think this guy is my favorite band member. I noticed him during the Austin City Limits special last month. He has a ridiculous power stance. And I believe he was wearing that American Flag tank too. #Merica. He was so much fun. You could really tell he enjoys his job. He loved keeping the fans pumped up all night long. 

Eric explained to us that this was the part of the show that decided how the rest of the night would go. If we were awful he'd pack up and leave. If we were awesome, he'd play until got kicked out. He started with our side of the arena. "I'm ready to roll if you wanna rock again....." and the crowd finished out with "all you gotta do is put a drink in my hand." I'm not sure which section of the arena was loudest, but together? Lawd Jesus! Obviously we'd be staying there all night. Next up was the fan pick of the night. A man named Tony chose Hungover and Hard Up. All Eric could do was laugh because he knew that's how he'd feel Friday morning. Next was Jack Daniels and Cold One. I really love Cold One, it's just got this awesome sound to it. 

The moment of the night! I saw the crew put the second mic out. Eric came back from behind the stage. I could hear the familiar beat of That's Damn Rock and Roll. I completely ignored him though (sorry!). I just kept waiting and waiting and finally Lzzy came back out! Those two together are insanely badass! I really hope they collaborate soon. Next Eric slowed it down with Give Me Back My Hometown and Homeboy. Then he explained how this latest album (The Outsiders) was the first one he sat down and wrote being a father. So out came Dark Side.

I knew the large creepy devil was coming. I thought it would pop up from behind the stage so I kept standing on my toes scanning the length of the stage, back and forth and back and forth. Finally I get tapped on the shoulder because the devil pops out of the back of the arena. A HUGE DEVIL. That rotates! This thing would give a child nightmares, but it was awesome. Yes, the song came complete with the prelude, recorded as a haunted video and played over the video board.  

After Devil, Devil they performed Country Music Jesus, Smoke A Little Smoke, How 'Bout You, Longer Gone, and Lotta Boot Left to Fill. Some fans got a little confused with this one. They heard boot and started pulling off a boot to pump in the air. Luckily they were only a song early. 

\

I have never ripped my boot off my foot so fast. That's hard to do without a boot pull. But I succeeded (without help) and proudly pumped my boot in the air, switching hands a few times. 

Eric became the boot master. A drunk girl on the upper level (who we watched all night because we were so sure she'd tumble over the railing) above the stage threw her boot down to him. He grabbed an awesome confederate flag boot from someone in the front of the pit. Then all of a sudden boots started flying. He was dodging them left and right before making it over to our side of the arena with his new collection. 

I noticed halfway through the show that Joanna Cotten made it on stage. She has such a powerhouse voice! So I was hoping they'd perform Over When It's Over, which they did! They really had a lot of fun with it, and competed all night with who could hold that high note the longest. The last song of the night was Springsteen's My Hometown leading into Springsteen. I think he ended with a perfect song, making sure we left that night connecting a melody with a memory. And yes, ending right there. No encore. Nope. None. We were shocked. The band left the stage, slowly the crew started breaking down, and the lights turned back on. Everyone stood there for a minute or two looking dumbfounded. I texted a friend who was at a show last weekend and she confirmed there was no encore (due to another event at the venue the next day). Well, this only means one thing... until next time!

[gcdanielle]

SINGLE REVIEW: Granger Smith "Bury Me In Blue Jeans"

Regardless of which parts of social media you belong to, you should be familiar with the Cloyd Rivers-type character Earl Dibbles, Jr. The famous catch phrase “Yee, Yee” along with country quotes such as this...

… can be seen throughout Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Many of you may also know his stage-sharing counterpart Granger Smith. But how many of you knew that Earl & Granger are actually the same person? It’s okay if you didn’t. That has been a recent discussion at GCO, whom he always remembers because the ‘?’ in our logo.

A ballad with soft, humble voice and tantalizing guitar strums, the new single “Bury Me In Blue Jeans” comes from his 9th home-recorded album “Dirt Road Driveway” which debuted at #1 on the iTunes Country Chart and became the #1 selling independent country music album in 2013. Granger takes great pride in his simple, down home lifestyle and you can see it in his music. “Bury Me In Blue Jeans” seems to be a perfect description of his life, something he never wants to stray away from, even in the traditional way of death. Don’t put him in a fancy suit and show him off to the world. Bury him in what he’s known for, old blue jeans and pearl snaps. GCO fans, what would you like to be buried in?

I know, I know that's so far to go

Got the roots of an oak and a tumbleweed soul

When my time's up all this good ol' boy needs

Is to bury me in blue jeans.

  Something faded and worn in the knees

Fits like a glove and frayed at the seams

And throw this old guitar in there, please

When you bury me in blue jeans.

Because the success of his latest album launched him into a national touring act, you should be able to catch Granger & Earl at a show near you! Check www.grangersmith.com for tour dates and follow along on twitter using @GrangerSmith and @EarlDibblesJr. YEE YEE!

[gcdanielle]

The Inaugural Nash Bash!

Back in early August I ran into Bill West from 96.9 NASH FM when he was DJing a friend's wedding (Side note: Check out Bride's First Dance). We caught up on what he was doing at NASH as well as what we had going on at GotCountryOnline.com. Bill mentioned having something up his sleeve and hoping GCO could help out. I said "Whatever you need! I work for concert tickets and M&G passes." About a month later we stopped at the NASH booth before the Jake Owen concert and Bill let us know they were putting together a Nash Bash with hopes of it becoming an annual event. Then we had to keep more of the secret until it was announced a month later: The inaugural NASH BASH featuring Chris Young, Frankie Ballard, and Raelynn, co-hosted by Blair Garner and Chuck Wicks! 

(*Photo Cred: Nash FM 96.9*)

And once again, we had to wait another month till the Bash! But we kept ourselves busy at Got Country, promoting the event every chance we got and even hosted our own concert. I believe one of those winners will be sharing her birthday with us! As the event came near, I started to worry about braving a cold November night out by the water. Thank goodness for hunting gear, although everyone else in Charleston (including my date) had the same idea so it was hard to spot me! 

We arrived at The Joe just after the gates opened so it was a breeze to get into the venue, unlike the FGL concert. Plus I liked the idea to bring the VIP crowd in a half hour early. They were already ready to go at the stage. The field wasn't packed yet and a few couples had the smart idea to bring blankets and lounge near the ends of the field. We made a trip to the merchandise stand (I collect concert koozies since they're so cheap) and the concessions, then kicked back in a section of the lower bowl. We had a good view of one of the beer trucks and the ATM. Later in the night it's hilarious watching the drunks stumble to the ATM and dance in line waiting to get cash for more beer. A country concert is probably the best event for people watching. We saw a few Kenny Chesneys, Jason Aldeans, and Tim McGraws. 

The night kicked off with our special guests from Nashville, Blair Garner and Chuck Wicks of America's Morning Show. (Then the lights went down and I couldn't get a single good picture the rest of the night)

The adorable pint-sized RaeLynn started off the Bash with her cute southern twang and sweet dance moves. She does a killer cover of Hell on Heels. She squealed with delight as the crowd sang along to her single God Made Girls. Following in the footsteps of her idol Miranda Lambert, she did a country rendition of All About That Bass. I enjoyed RaeLynn's poppy "If You Say it, You Better Do It," calling out boys for their broken promises. Dear RaeLynn, don't worry about those frogs! Follow your dreams! You've got big, fun journey ahead of you. They'll come along in due time. I can't wait for your debut album to come out so I can hear all those songs again!

Frankie Ballard came out rockin' with some songs I hope we'll hear on the radio one day. I love Helluva Life and Sunshine and Whiskey but now we need something more upbeat. I heard Frankie was wearing some Luke Bryan style jeans. We were wondering if he'd pull a Jake Owen and let it all hang out in Charleston. We walked out onto the field and made ourselves a little dance floor, except the whiskey got a booted country girl swayin', The Nash Bash setting was a perfect example of a Helluva Life. 

Between the next set something exciting happened on stage! Jessica with NASH FM 96.9 brought two friends up on stage who are extreme Chris Young fans. I knew exactly what was about to happen. They weren't going to get to meet Chris... no... the guy was going to propose! I believe he said they met at a CY concert. He rambled off dates of when they met, first date, first kiss, when he fell in love, and tonight's date: the date he would ask her to be his wife. What a way to celebrate the first ever Nash Bash! With a proposal! Yes, y'all! She said yes! 

After Chuck Wick's impromptu performance of Friends In Low Places, Chris Young spun out from behind his video screens, kicking off his set with the title track of his latest album, A.M. I may have seen a few couples sneak off during "Gettin' You Home" but I hope the newly engaged couple was around to dance along to "Who I Am With You". It was cold so we hit the road early, unfortunately Chris started playing Aw Naw when we reached the parking lot. I wish he would have started out with that song!

(*Photo Cred: Stephanie Bear*)

Did everyone enjoy the first ever Nash Bash? Big props to Bill West and his crew at NASH FM 96.9 for pulling off a very well organized event. I don't have the ticket sale numbers but I hope it was big enough to do this again next year. Maybe a little earlier in the year though. Outdoor concerts next to the water aren't really a blast in November. And maybe one day we can make it an all day festival, because we could really use one of those in South Carolina. Like a smaller version of the Southern Ground Festival, with a decent line up of course. So, what do ya say Charleston? Do you want to see another Nash Bash next year? We at Got Country sure would! We'd love to work along Bill & NASH, learning the ins and outs of putting together and hosting a show.

[gcdanielle]

My Picks for the 2014 AMAs

The nominees for the 2014 American Music Awards were announced this morning. You can view them all and vote here. My focus is on the country artists. Instead of making a single pick for each country category I rank the nominees, cause honestly, most of the time I wish they could all win!

Artist of the Year - Of course I'm going to pick Luke Bryan! However he's outnumbered by non-country artists. If he can't win, I'd love to see it go to Iggy Azalea. I'm just addicted to Fancy. 

Favorite Male Artist - Country

1. Luke Bryan - Yes, we all know LB is my favorite but he's also #1 because he truly is the top entertainer.  2. Jason Aldean - I feel like this nom came at a good time, just announced after rolling out a new album and being snubbed from the CMA nominations. I hope the advice-titled album "Old Boots, New Dirt" really gives Aldean what he wants and needs: a fresh start. If LB wasn't my fave, I'd pick Jason to win. 3. Blake Shelton - I'll admit I haven't listened to Blake's new album yet, but I did love every song on his last one. However, he's just an all around hilarious guy. How could he not be the favorite?

*I would have liked to see Eric Church in this group.

Favorite Female Artist - Country

1. Miranda Lambert - Randa is just a badass. Still riding high from that highly anticipated duet with Carrie, the new album Platinum, and soon to kick off another leg of her tour. One awesome thing about this tour is all the girl power on it. Not enough radio play for female artists has been a big issue this year. I expect Randa to put up a good fight. 2. Carrie Underwood - I'll admit, I'm not a fan of Carrie's latest single. But there's no denying her amazing voice. Plus she's my twin!  3. Kacey Musgraves - Still fresh but highly talented. While she's not ready for the big stages just yet, I bet a show somewhere down on Lower Broadway would be awesome.

Favorite Band, Duo, or Group - Country

1. Florida Georgia Line - I've been watching FGL since before they made it big, back when they outplayed Corey Smith at the Music Farm in Charleston, back when Cruise was sang a little differently. With a very highly anticipated album coming out tomorrow, I'm sure they'll win. I must say, I'm glad they came back to their roots with Dirt. 2. Lady Antebellum - I haven't given a listen to Lady A's new album but I'm addicted to Bartender. I also loved their big promotion for the album, the 7 day giveaway. With the great albums they've rolled out in the past, I'm sure this one will be just as good. 3. Eli Young Band - I like EYB's music but I'm not a fan of their performances. Fortunately, I'm not the only one who has mentioned that.

*I would have liked to see Thompson Square get a nom. Love them!

Favorite Album - Country

1. Eric Church "The Outsiders" - Hands down this album has to win! In the beginning when The Outsiders single was released, I had mixed views. It was different, it was strange, I didn't know what to think. But then EC performed it at one of the country music awards last year and I was hooked. I can't stop listening to this album and can't wait to see him perform it live. 2. Brantley Gilbert "Just As I Am" - I'll be honest, I feel like there are a lot of other albums that top BG's for Favorite Country Album.  3. Garth Brooks "Blame It All On My Roots: Five Decades of Influences" - I hadn't even heard of this "album" until now. I'm not really sure it really belongs in this category considering it's a special album. But seeing that he's finally letting his music be sold on the internet and has launched a huge tour, I bet they'll pull a George Strait and let Garth win it. 

The AMAs will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theater L.A. on November 23rd and includes performances by Florida Georgia Line and Luke Bryan. Tune in with GotCountryOnline.com on twitter as we will give a heads up for the country performers and announce the country winners.

[gcdanielle]

You Can't Get "Wild and Reckless" with Cale Dodds Just Once!

A few months ago I was introduced to the music of Columbus GA raised and Nashville based Cale Dodds. He was playing in town that night but it was too short of notice to grab some friends and go. I still wish I hadn't missed it! I constantly kick myself for it. Fortunately he was coming back to town a few weeks later and I made sure to see him. You can read that review here. I also let Cale talk me into doing a review on his recently released EP Wild and Reckless which you can read here. It was my first album review ever and I was so nervous! I was on pins and needles until I heard that Cale loved both pieces. Hallelujah! But not only did Cale love it, his longtime hometown fans and friends did also. Actually, two helped me out with the album review. Marie & Kevin Cooper. It was because of them that I was able to see Cale in Savannah. When Cale told me he'd be in Savannah I was dying to go because #1 I loved the show at Wild Wing Cafe but wanted to see him in a better venue, and #2 I love Saddle Bags. But I had two problems: #1 I didn't have anyone to go with, and #2 I would need a hotel because I doubted I could make it back to Charleston. Marie & Kevin would be at the show and helped me get a hotel room. I couldn't wait to meet them! And of course see Cale again!

(Photo Credit: Marie & Kevin Cooper) 

I arrived in the heart of Savannah around 4pm, right in the smack middle of their Bacon Festival. I will admit I did not partake. Instead I took in the sights (it had been 2 years since I was last in the city) and let every single person and visitor's center kiosk know that Cale Dodds would be playing at Saddle Bags starting around 10ish, until the band arrived at the bar. I must say, Saddle Bags should definitely invest in a set of cornhole boards. I was hoping for a rematch against Cale. I had a good time catching up with the guys while they got set up though. I had been to Nashville since the last time I saw them so I told Chase all about my experiences. I tried to talk Cale into riding the mechanical bull (since he never did the ice bucket challenge) and Ryan into taking line dance lessons from the couple that was dominating the dance floor, but neither woudl. While sound-checking, I made friends with that line-dancing couple Sandy & Dan who enjoyed what they heard during the Preach run-through. They decided to stay for some of the show and taught me a few more line dances while we waited around for 10pm. Then Marie & Kevin arrived! It was so exciting to finally meet them. We got to know each other better over dinner and drinks and they shared Cale stories, pictures and videos with me. I was so jealous of all the shows they've been able to go to. Especially that they're going to see Cale at The Bluebird this week!

(Photo Credit: Marie & Kevin Cooper) - Yes I'm a dancing diva

Finally the show was getting ready to start. We grabbed a table next to the stage, had tabs set up at the VIP bar, and took claim to a section of the dance floor. A lady beside us told me Cale looked like a mini Luke Bryan. The band started off with a few of their originals, which obviously I love hearing more than cover songs. We sang and danced to every original and cover during the first set. Cale even dedicated "Must Be Dreamin'" to me and the rest of the GotCountryOnline.com staff. If you read my first concert review you understand why this song means so much to me. I'm not talented enough to write my feelings into lyrics so I was grateful to find a song that matched my emotions. Thank goodness I didn't cry this time though!

(Photo Credit: Marie & Kevin Cooper) 

By the time the second set rolled around, the bar was packed, we made tons of new friends, and Cale was rockin'. He called out a few bachelorettes, birthday girls, and one lone bachelor. Girls were constantly being pulled off stage by security. One lucky blonde even got a kiss. No y'all, put the bail money back, it wasn't me. I don't know why y'all think I'm such a troublemaker! It was definitely a rowdy bunch at Saddle Bags though. One of my highlights of the night was Cale's lyric change in Pour Some Sugar On Me... "I'm hot, sticky sweet from my head to my meat." Yes, I'm calling out your dirty mind Cale! The girls in my group all looked at each other making sure we all heard him right. Speaking of cover songs, now every time I hear one of the popular ones I think of Cale's shows. My favorite cover, however, is Semi-Charmed Life which is performed by Ryan & Gabe. No matter how many times I listen to that song I can't keep up and get the lyrics straight but they kick ass at it. And for all those who beg to hear Wagon Wheel at every single show they go to, Ryan can help you out with that! In the words of Kevin, the show was EPIC. I was so glad that I was able to go and see Cale in a different style of venue. Maybe one day I could see an acoustic set... (*hint hint wink wink*)

(Photo Credit: Marie & Kevin Cooper) 

Besides Jake Owen (who doesn't stop moving until the encore is over), I've never seen anyone as into the performance and into the crowd as Cale. I have no clue how he didn't trip himself up on his guitar cord the way he was spinning all over the stage. Then he'd jump up on the speakers in front of the stage, making all the girls go crazy. He really puts his heart and soul into his music and performances. You can definitely see it at a show and I believe it can be seen in some of the pictures Kevin captured. I'm pretty sure Cale is pretty close to doing a complete backbend while playing that guitar. He is pouring sweat by the time he walks off stage but as long as you don't mind it, he'll hang around and take pictures with everyone. You may lose your sober-up water though. True story. Be sure to meet him though. He'll make you feel like ol' friends. I really adore the way he interacts with his fans. Cale Dodds has every aspect you need to be a true superstar and I cannot wait to see him succeed. 

(Photo Credits: Marie & Kevin Cooper) 

If you have yet to see Cale Dodds live (what is wrong with you) please promise me to look up his schedule. You can track him through Bandsintown and they will alert you when he's playing in your area. Or you join the rest of us and travel anywhere and everywhere to see him. Trust me, the miles, gas and hotel stays are worth every single penny. 

Thank you Cale, Chase, Ryan, and Gabe for an awesome time this past weekend! Thank you Marie & Kevin for all your hospitality. You helped give me a night out that I desperately needed. I'm so glad we found each other through Cale! Making friends through artists is probably one of the coolest things ever. I can't wait to see you all again in Athens!

(Photo Credit: Marie & Kevin Cooper)