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  • ERIC CHURCH RELEASES NEW SINGLE, ‘ROUND HERE BUZZ.’

    Audio
    Eric Church

    Eric Church has released his new single, “Round Here Buzz,” which he co-wrote with Luke Dick and Jeff Hyde. The song, from his Mr. Misunderstood album, has a nostalgic, heartbreaking feel, according to the North Carolina native.

    “‘Round Here Buzz,’ I mean, I’ve done a few of these songs in my career; this nostalgic kind of song about the guy that kind of wishes things were different than they are,” says Eric. “I know a lot of people like that and like this from where I’m from. I’m from a small town, and I’ve just seen this. I think part of the reason, I feel like we’re pretty good at this kind of song, and I think part of it is because I’ve seen it, I’ve felt it. It’s a motive to me.

    The song goes for adds at radio on April 10th.

    Eric is currently out on his Holdin’ My Own Tour, which is set to run through May.

    Audio / Eric Church talks about his new single, “Round Here Buzz,” from his current album, Mr. Misunderstood.

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    Eric Church (Round Here Buzz) OC: …emotive qualities. :48
    “‘Round Here Buzz,’ I mean, I’ve done a few of these songs in my career; this nostalgic kind of song about the guy that kind of wishes things were different than they are. I know a lot of people like that and like this from where I’m from. I’m from a small town, and I’ve just seen this. I think part of the reason, I feel like we’re pretty good at this kind of song, and I think part of it is because I’ve seen it, I’ve felt it. It’s a motive to me. So, I think with this song, there’s just something about it that’s always spoke to me. It was one I was a pretty big champion for on the album and one that I think will be a hit for us, and the right kind of hit, not just one that’s a hit. One that has emotive qualities.”

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Round Here Buzz)

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  • ACM AWARDS 2017

    Audio
    Chris Stapleton / Dierks Bentley / Eric Church / Kacey Musgraves / Keith Urban / Lady Antebellum / Little Big Town / Luke Bryan

    Keith Urban leads list of ACM Awards nominations with seven in five categories, including his seventh nod for Entertainer of the Year and 10th nod for Male Vocalist of the Year. Keith is nominated twice, as both artist and producer, in the Album of the Year category for Ripcord.  He received an additional two nominations, for both artist and producer, in the Single Record of the Year category for “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” which is also nominated in the Song of the Year category.

    ACM Awards co-host Dierks Bentley received three nominations, including his fourth nomination in the Male Vocalist of the Year category.  Also, Dierks received his third nod in the Album of the Year category for Black, and his second nod in the Vocal Event of the Year category for “Different For Girls,” featuring Elle King, which the pair won at last year’s CMA Awards.

    Reigning ACM Male Vocalist of the Year Chris Stapleton is nominated in three categories. Once again, Stapleton is nominated in both the Male Vocalist of the Year category, and the Song of the Year category with “Tennessee Whiskey.”  Also, Stapleton received a nod in the Video of the Year category for “Fire Away,” which stars actors Ben Foster (Lone Survivor, Inferno) and Margarita Levieva (Revenge, The Blacklist). The video concept, which Chris envisioned, centered on mental health issues and helped raise awareness for the Campaign to Change Direction. The video has also picked up an award in the same category at last year CMA Awards.

    Luke Bryan and Keith Urban are among the Entertainer of the Year nominees, along with Carrie Underwood, Florida Georgia Line and Jason Aldean.

    The 52nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, hosted by Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley, will be broadcast live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas April 2nd at 8pm ET/delayed PT on CBS.

    Following is the list of final nominees and find audio with many of the nominees below.
    ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
    Jason Aldean
    Luke Bryan
    Florida Georgia Line
    Carrie Underwood
    Keith Urban
    MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
    Jason Aldean
    Dierks Bentley
    Thomas Rhett
    Chris Stapleton
    Keith Urban

    FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
    Kelsea Ballerini
    Miranda Lambert
    Kacey Musgraves
    Maren Morris
    Carrie Underwood

    VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
    Big & Rich
    Brothers Osborne
    Dan & Shay
    Florida Georgia Line
    Maddie & Tae

    VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
    Eli Young Band
    Lady Antebellum
    Little Big Town
    Old Dominion
    Rascal Flatts

    NEW MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY T-MOBILE — WON

    Jon Pardi
    NEW VOCAL DUO OR GROUP OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY T-MOBILE — WON

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

    Black – Dierks Bentley

    Dig Your Roots – Florida Georgia Line
    HERO – Maren Morris

    Ripcord – Keith Urban

    The Weight of These Wings – Miranda Lambert

    Single Record of the Year [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]

    Blue Ain’t Your Color – Keith Urban

    H.O.L.Y. – Florida Georgia Line

    Humble And Kind – Tim McGraw

    My Church – Maren Morris

    Vice – Miranda Lambert

    SONG OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]

    Blue Ain’t Your Color – Keith Urban
    Songwriters: Clint Lagerberg, Hillary Lindsey, Steven Lee Olsen

    Die A Happy Man – Thomas Rhett
    Songwriters: Thomas Rhett, Sean Douglas, Joe Spargur

    Humble And Kind – Tim McGraw
    Songwriter: Lori McKenna

    Kill A Word – Eric Church Featuring Rhiannon Giddens
    Songwriters: Eric Church, Luke Dick, Jeff Hyde

    Tennessee Whiskey – Chris Stapleton
    Songwriters: Dean Dillon, Linda Hargrove

    Vice – Miranda Lambert
    Songwriters: Miranda Lambert, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne

    Video of the Year PRESENTED BY XFINITY [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]

    Fire Away – Chris Stapleton 


    Forever Country – Artists of Then, Now & Forever

    Humble And Kind – Tim McGraw
    Peter Pan – Kelsea Ballerini

    Vice – Miranda Lambert

    Vocal Event of the Year [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]

    Different For Girls – Dierks Bentley Featuring Elle King

    Forever Country – Artists of Then, Now & Forever

    May We All – Florida Georgia Line Featuring Tim McGraw

    Setting The World On Fire – Kenny Chesney Featuring P!nk

    Think Of You – Chris Young Featuring Cassadee Pope

    Audio / Keith Urban, who is nominated for Entertainer of the Year, says he loves playing live.

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    Keith Urban (ACM Entertainer of the Year) OC: …extraordinary. :20
    “I’ve always loved putting on concerts and tours and shows and really trying to put on something that’s incredibly entertaining and engaging, so I probably obsess about that part of what I do equal to making records, for sure. So, to get that nomination, along with the Album at this point, is extraordinary.”

    Audio / Keith Urban’s Ripcord is nominated for Album of the Year at this year’s ACM Awards, and he says he loves making records.

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    Keith Urban (what made Ripcord) OC: …made Ripcord. :17
    “I love making music I love making records. I really do, and I’m curious and passionate and hungry about where my art can go. That’s really what drives me completely and it’s what made Ripcord.”

    Audio / Keith Urban explains the first time he heard his multi-week No. 1 song, “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” which is nominated for both ACM Single and Song of the Year.

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    Keith Urban (1st time he heard Blue) OC: …in the studio. :31
    “I just know when I heard ‘Blue Ain’t Your Color’ for the first time, it just struck me as one of those rare songs that encompass so many things in it. I couldn’t even label what it was, what style it was. It’s got a bit of soul, it’s got a bit of blues, it’s got a bit of country, it’s got just a big mix of all good things. Lyrically, it’s just an incredible song, incredible song. [It’s got] great melody, great lyric. I was so hopin’ I could do the song justice when we got in the studio.”

    Audio / Luke Bryan talks about being named Entertainer of the Year from both the ACM Awards and CMA Awards.

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    Luke Bryan (Entertainer wins) OC: …got it right. :49
    “The title is what it is, you know? I mean, my focus in life when I’m on stage is entertaining these fans. If it’s my smile and my demeanor, if it’s my song that does it, if it’s me picking up a child out of the audience and letting them sing, it’s not being so premeditated that you can see it from a mile away. I mean, my main thing is be a fan up there that just gets to sing. That’s kind of how I’ve always approached it, and being called the Entertainer of the Year makes me want to do that to the best of my ability every night for the rest of my life as long as I’m on stage. I want people to leave my shows and go, ‘You know what? Whoever’s voting him Entertainer of the Year, they got it right.’”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley says his ACM-nominated album, Black, shows a lot of growth and maturity.

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    Dierks Bentley (growth in album) OC: …understand it. :56
    “The record when people listen to it, they’re gonna hear right away that it’s about relationships and hopefully, project their own history and storyline and relationships into this particular album. For me, it has a thread of this guy who starts off in this one place with the song ‘Black,’ kind of in the moment with this one girl and then the cracks and the fissures start to show themselves. The next song, ‘Pick Up,’ you have this desperation and then ‘I’ll Be the Moon,’ there’s some deception going on, and then it just kind of goes from there. It’s a real story about just the highs and lows and really the maturity that I guess I go through, this singer goes through, throughout the album. You know the same guy that’s singing ‘Somewhere on a Beach,’ by the end of the record is singing a song called ‘Different for Girls,’ where he’s obviously matured enough to see that there is a different way that girls and guys handle breakups sometimes and there’s also a stereotype that goes along with that unfortunately, as well, too. A lot of growth throughout the record, but it’s all about relationships and this one person’s journey through love and trying to understand it.”

    Audio / Eric Church is nominated for Song of the Year for his recent Top 5 single, “Kill a Word,” Featuring Rhiannon Giddens. He cowrote the song with Luke Dick and Jeff Hyde, and it strikes a chord with how the world is today.

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    Eric Church (Kill a Word) OC: …positive way. :34

    “‘Kill a Word’ is as proud I’ve ever been as a songwriter, not only because of a turn of phrase and the way the lyrics are, but just the message. I think that the society that we live in today, if you don’t hear this song and look around and see how it relates to the world we live in, then I can’t help you, because it’s so true with everything that’s going on. It’s one of those songs that strikes a chord that I know in my career we’ve never struck, and I hope it strikes something for a lot of people in a positive way.”

    Audio / Chris Stapleton explains why he recorded his ACM-Nominated Song of the Year, “Tennessee Whiskey,” which appears on his double-platinum album, Traveller.

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    Chris Stapleton (Tennessee Whiskey) OC: …version of it. :41
    “‘Tennessee Whiskey’ is a song that I love, you know I love great country songs and songwriters, and this is certainly one that is a great country song written by great country songwriters and performed by a great country artists. Certainly, if you try to cover a George Jones or David Allan Coe, you can’t try to out-George Jones George Jones or anything like that. So, if you’re gonna cover something like that, you need to try to move away from that and hopefully make it your own. We kind of happened upon this way of playing this song and had fun with it live and felt like it was something to record that was a good tip of the hat to things we grew up on and loved. I think it’s a unique and interesting version of it.”

    Audio / Chris Stapleton talks about his ACM-nominated Music Video of the Year, “Fire Away.”

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    Chris Stapleton (Fire Away CMA video) OC: …the video. 1:03
    “The label kept asking me if I was going to do a video for the record, and they kept asking what I wanted to do. We were in this meeting hall at the label, and I said, ‘Here’s what I want to do. Here’s the idea,’ and I got dead silence out of it, and they thought I was a crazy man for a minute. Then they went back and thought about it and everybody got on board with it and we found Tim who was a remarkable director to direct, and I had this crazy idea to get Ben Foster in the video and I didn’t know him at all [laughs] at the time, and he was kind enough to do it. He brought in the actual reason for doing it, which was to raise the awareness. I had the idea for a storyline, and then everything happened very organically with that video and he brought Margarita in to play the female role in that video. It became something hopefully that has value beyond just being a video for the sake of doing a video. That’s what I liked about the video.”

    Audio / Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley said he and his bandmates will never take an awards nomination for granted.

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    Lady Antebellum (Charles happy to be nominated) OC: …means a lot. :31

    “Yeah, yeah, for sure. I mean you can’t take that for granted. There’s always going to be a new crop of groups and musicians that … and there should be. That’s what the music business is about. That’s what fans want. I mean, I always want something new. I’m always craving it, and so hopefully all this stuff kind of as groups and as artists helps motivate you to be creative and come up with something unique and different. So we never take it for granted because there will be a time when we won’t be in those categories and you know, so, you’re still in the game; you’re still playing on a pretty high level and so that means a lot.”

    Audio / Carrie Underwood talks about "Forever Country," which is nominated for ACM Video of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year.

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    Carrie Underwood (Forever Country song) OC: …without her. :35
    “Well, I think the all three song choices were perfect. When I kind of first heard the idea of them mashing up ‘I Will Always Love You,’ ‘Take Me Home Country Roads’ and ‘On The Road Again’ I was like, ‘How’s that gonna work?,’ because they’re three very different songs by three very different artists. I’m honored to be a part of it and to be singing parts on ‘I Will Always Love You,’ which I actually do in my tour set. So, it’s perfect. And it’s perfect…it’s perfect that Dolly ends it too. It wouldn’t have been right for us to do it without her.”

    Audio / Kacey Musgraves talks about the ACM-nominated "Forever Country."

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    Kacey Musgraves talks about being a part of “Forever Country.”

    Kacey Musgraves (Forever Country song) OC: …pretty special. :30
    “This project is crazy. I really respect the roots of the genre, the traditions of it. I just really love it.  So it’s been really fun for me to take that, which inspires me, and mix it with my own new ideas, and me as a 27-year-old girl in 2016 and make it my own thing. So, being a part of this song, a song with my peers but also with these amazing icons and legends is pretty special.”

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Josh, LBT, Jon, Eric

    Press
    Eric Church / Jon Pardi / Josh Turner / Little Big Town

    Josh Turner will co-host the 10 o’clock hour of NBC’s Today Show with Jenna Bush on Tuesday (March 14th) and will also perform his latest hit single, “Hometown Girl.”

    Little Big Town will perform on CBS’s The Talk on Tuesday (March 14th).

    Jon Pardi will perform his chart-topping smash, “Dirt on My Boots,” on NBC’s Late Night With Seth Meyers on Tuesday (March 14th), as well as Good Morning America on March 23rd.

    Eric Church gave fans in Calgary, Alberta, Canada a special performance on Saturday night (March 11th). Concertgoers were given a mostly solo and acoustic show because of the snow that piled on the roof of the Scotiabank Saddledome. The venue couldn’t handle the snow and the stage setup from Church’s Holdin’ My Own Tour, so the superstar decided to scale back his production and perform a scaled down version of a three-and-a-half hour set.

  • ERIC CHURCH ‘TOOK ONE TO THE HEAD’ DURING A RECENT STOP IN BOSTON.

    Audio
    Eric Church

    Eric Church is selling out shows on his Holdin’ My Own Tour, and with the 37 – 39 songs that he performs each night, he’s able to get in all of his hits and fan-favorites. One of those fan-favorites is “These Boots” from his Sinners Like Me album. If you’ve ever seen his show – if you haven’t, you should – during this particular song, the fans take off their boots and hold them up high. A few lucky ones toss their boots to the North Carolina native to sign, and then he tosses them back to the ecstatic fans. He’s never been hit in the head with a boot…that is, until he performed in Boston recently.

    “I will tell you for the first time in my career, I took one to the head in Boston. I lost it in the light, and this guy, I mean the guy felt so bad, ‘cause he was like a really big fan,” recalls Eric. “I could see him and everything was fine, but when he threw the boot, I lost it in one of the spotlights. I completely lost it and didn’t know which way to go, so I hunkered a little bit and tried to cover and I moved right into it. A lot of people saw it better than I did, and it clocked me. I mean, it was so good. It knocked my sunglasses off. They went flying, and the [laughing] thing, and you look up and this guy is so mortified. It’s like he’s killed his guy. [laughs] He told me to throw it, but he was mortified. He really was, but it was fine. I put the sunglasses back on and shook it off. My vision was blurred for three days, but it was…[laughs]”

    Church, who’s sitting inside the Top 10 on the country charts with “Kill a Word,” will continue his Holdin’ My Own Tour through May with stops in Toronto on Thursday (March 2nd), Ottawa on Friday (March 3rd) and Montreal on Saturday (March 4th).

    Audio / Eric Church recalls getting hit in the head with a boot during a recent show in Boston.

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    Eric  Church (Holdin’ My Own Tour-getting clocked during These Boots) OC: …days, but it was…[laughs] :59
    “I will tell you for the first time in my career, I took one to the head in Boston. I lost it in the light, and this guy, I mean the guy felt so bad, ‘cause he was like a really big fan.  He had a shirt and he was so into it. He was farther away than I normally try to get ‘em, and the way the lights were, I felt like a ball player. So many times, you wonder how they didn’t catch that ball when you watch it on TV, but I could see him and everything was fine, but when he threw the boot, I lost it in one of the spotlights. I completely lost it and didn’t know which way to go, so I hunkered a little bit and tried to cover and I moved right into it. A lot of people saw it better than I did, and it clocked me. I mean, it was so good. It knocked my sunglasses off. They went flying, and the [laughing] thing, and you look up and this guy is so mortified. It’s like he’s killed his guy. [laughs] He told me to throw it, but he was mortified. He really was, but it was fine. I put the sunglasses back on and shook it off. My vision was blurred for three days, but it was…[laughs]

    Audio / Eric Church talks about getting "clocked" in the head during a recent stop in Boston on his 'Holdin' My Own Tour.'

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    Eric Church (Holdin’ My Own Tour-getting clocked) OC: …anyway. :03
    “He got me. That’s the first time that’s happened in my career, taking one in the head anyway.”

  • NEWS & NOTES: LBT, Luke, Eric, Sam, Darius, Chris, Alan

    Press
    Alan Jackson / Chris Stapleton / Darius Rucker / Eric Church / Little Big Town / Luke Bryan / Sam Hunt

    Little Big Town will perform on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Wednesday (March 1st), followed by The Talk on March 14th.

    Luke Bryan will perform on The Tonight  Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday (March 2nd).

    Eric Church and Sam Hunt, along with Jason Aldean, will headline the 4th Annual Route 91 Harvest Festival September 29th – October 1st at Nevada’s Las Vegas Village. Tickets go on sale Friday (March 3rd).

    Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, Chris Stapleton and Alan Jackson are scheduled to perform during this year’s Tortuga Music Festival in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The three-day concert event will take place April 7th – 9th and will also feature such artists as Brett Eldredge, Kenny Chesney, Maren Morris, Dustin Lynch, Brett Young, Chris Lane and many more.

  • ERIC CHURCH DOESN’T BACK DOWN ON HIS ‘HOLDIN’ MY OWN TOUR.’

    Press
    Eric Church

    After witnessing the three-hour, two-set marathon show at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center merely weeks ago, Rolling Stone professed, “Eric Church sets the bar.” The exchange in energy with the audience and passion that fuels the man behind the CMA’s Album of the Year is an earned one after years of putting his fans first. Whether it is the dozens in attendance at his first performance in Bethel, New York or the 15,842 in attendance for last month’s breezy night in Brooklyn, it is that unrivaled dedication to surpassing their expectations that is driving another mission: ensuring fans’ hard-earned money is spent fairly on face-value tickets at each and every stop on his 60-plus city Holdin’ My Own Tour. 

    As originally reported on yesterday (February 20th) by The Associated Press, throughout the Holdin’ My Own Tour, Eric and his team have systematically cancelled and released tickets back to the public that they identified as scalper tickets. Already on the tour, Eric’s management team used a proprietary program to release thousands of tickets back to the public and fans in markets like Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Toronto, Vancouver and Boston. On February 21st at noon local time, cancelled tickets for remaining markets will be released to the public via the venues’ official ticketing websites. In addition, tickets for Canadian dates were released Thursday, February 9th, and tickets for the Tacoma, Portland and Cincinnati shows will be released Monday, February 27th at noon local time.

    “It’s not easy. It’s time consuming and labor intensive to comb through nearly 1 million tickets,” says Fielding Logan, one of Church’s managers at Q Prime South. “Yet, Eric is leading the charge, and our team is combatting these vultures, one cancellation at a time. Battling scalper efforts isn’t just identifying those individuals looming on street corners soliciting or hawking tickets anymore. It’s halting digital multi-million dollar enterprises that are sophisticated and aimed at taking advantage of the fan for profit.”

    The efforts are resulting in an impassioned crowd, enthralled by the experience of seeing Church live for an unprecedented 38-song show. Tulsa World’s Jerry Wofford noted after witnessing the Holdin’ My Own Tour rock an at-capacity crowd at BOK Center, “What was remarkable to see was how Church made an arena feel tiny for a night. He built a genuine connection to the audience song after song.”

    The Kansas City Star’s Timothy Finn raved, “[Church] knows how to stoke a crowd and keep it on the verge of frenzy… a man who has fashioned and earned his own reputation as a top-rate performer who can fill and rock an arena for more than three hours.”

    When Church surprise-released 2015’s Mr. Misunderstood, he did so by direct mailing more than 80,000 fans the music first. After taking 2016 off, outside of a few festival appearances, the demand for Church’s tour was palpable with scalpers recognizing the opportunity to take advantage of his fans. In return, Church cautions: “You come at us, we’re going to go after you in return. You come after our fans? Well, let’s just say we see you, we know how you are, and we’re coming for you with 10x the vengeance.”

    Remaining 2017 Holdin’ My Own Tour dates are as follows:

    Thursday, February 23: Indianapolis, Ind. Bankers Life Fieldhouse
    Friday, February 24: Cleveland, Ohio. Quicken Loans Arena
    Saturday, February 25: Auburn Hills, Mich. The Palace of Auburn Hills
    Tuesday, February 28: London, ONT Budweiser Gardens
    Thursday, March 2: Toronto, ONT Air Canada Centre
    Friday, March 3: Ottawa, ONT Canadian Tire Centre
    Saturday, March 4: Montreal, QUE Bell Centre
    Tuesday, March 7: Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre
    Thursday, March 9: Saskatoon, SK SaskTel Centre
    Friday, March 10: Edmonton, AB Northlands Coliseum
    Saturday, March 11: Calgary, AB Scotiabank Saddledome
    Tuesday, March 14: Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena
    Thursday, March 16: Portland, Ore. Moda Center
    Friday, March 17: Spokane, Wash. Spokane Arena
    Saturday, March 18: Tacoma, Wash. Tacoma Dome
    Wednesday, March 22: Bozeman, Mont. Brick Breeden Fieldhouse
    Friday, March 24:Boise, Idaho. Taco Bell Arena
    Saturday, March 25: Salt Lake City, Utah. Vivint Smart Home Arena
    Tuesday, March 28: Phoenix, Ariz. Talking Stick Resort Arena
    Thursday, March 30: Sacramento, Calif. Golden 1 Center
    Friday, March 31: Los Angeles, Calif. STAPLES Center
    Tuesday, April 4: Casper, Wyo. Casper Events Center
    Wednesday, April 5: Denver, Colo. Pepsi Center
    Friday, April 7: Wichita, Kan. INTRUST Bank Arena
    Saturday, April 8: Omaha, Neb. CenturyLink Center Omaha
    Wednesday, April 12: Moline, Ill. iWireless Center
    Thursday, April 13: Rosemont, Ill. Allstate Arena
    Friday, April 14: Milwaukee, Wis. BMO Harris Bradley Center
    Thursday, April 20: Buffalo, N.Y. KeyBank Center
    Friday, April 21: Pittsburgh, Pa. PPG Paints Arena
    Saturday, April 22: Cincinnati, Ohio. U.S. Bank Arena
    Thursday, April 27: Uncasville, Conn. Mohegan Sun Arena
    Friday, April 28: Uncasville, Conn. Mohegan Sun Arena
    Saturday, April 29: Manchester, N.H. SNHU Arena
    Thursday, May 4: Tampa, Fla. Amalie Arena
    Friday, May 5: Jacksonville, Fla. Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
    Saturday, May 6: Greenville, S.C. Bon Secours Wellness Arena
    Thursday, May 11: Grand Rapids, Mich. Van Andel Arena
    Friday, May 12: Peoria, Ill. Peoria Civic Center
    Saturday, May 13: St. Louis, Mo. Scottrade Center
    Thursday, May 18: Reading, Pa. Santander Arena
    Friday, May 19: Washington, D.C. Verizon Center
    Saturday, May 20: Greensboro, N.C. Greensboro Coliseum Complex
    Thursday, May 25: Louisville, Ky. KFC Yum! Arena
    Friday, May 26: Nashville, Tenn. Bridgestone Arena
    Saturday, May 27: Nashville, Tenn. Bridgestone Arena

    Visit www.ericchurch.com/events to purchase your tickets for the Holdin’ My Own Tour.

  • ACM AWARDS 2017: Some Reactions

    Audio
    Brothers Osborne / Chris Stapleton / Dierks Bentley / Eric Church / Jon Pardi / Kacey Musgraves / Keith Urban / Lady Antebellum / Lauren Alaina / Little Big Town / Luke Bryan

    The members of Lady Antebellum were in New York City this morning (February 16th) to announce several of this year’s ACM Awards nominations live on CBS This Morning.

    Keith Urban leads leads with seven nominations in five categories, including his seventh for Entertainer of the Year and 10th nod for Male Vocalist of the Year. Keith’s nominated twice, as both artist and producer, in the Album of the Year category for Ripcord.  He received an additional two nominations, for both artist and producer, in the Single Record of the Year category for “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” which is also nominated in the Song of the Year category.

    “I’ve been a musician since I was 6 years old,” says Keith.  “I just love writing songs, making records and touring.  So, for the ACMS’s to recognize RIPCORD in such a big way today is humbling.  I share these nominations with everyone in my life who made it possible – and a BIG shout out to all of our fans, who came out to see us on the ripCORD tour.  Can’t wait to play for you all again soon.”

  • VALENTINE’S DAY AUDIO 2017: AJ, Billy, Canaan, Dierks, Eric, Josh, Lauren, LBT, Luke

    Audio
    Alan Jackson / Billy Currington / Canaan Smith / Dierks Bentley / Eric Church / Josh Turner / Lauren Alaina / Little Big Town / Luke Bryan

    Each year on February 14th, many people exchange cards, candy, gifts or flowers with their special someone. The day of romance we call Valentine’s Day is named for a Christian martyr and dates back to the 5th century.

    Over 150 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine’s Day the second-most popular greeting-card-giving occasion. (This total excludes packaged kids valentines for classroom exchanges.) (Source: Hallmark research)

    2.2 million marriages take place in the United States annually, which breaks down to more than 6,000 a day.

    Tuesday is Valentine’s Day (February 14th), and we’ve got some thoughts and feelings more about love, romance and marriage from several of your favorite country artists. Some are new and some have become our favorites over the years. Which country stars are romantic? Which ones aren’t? Which ones have a good reason to celebrate the holiday that’s all about love?

    Audio / Alan Jackson talks about his love for wife, Denise, over the years.

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    AJ (Valentine’s Day) OC: …continue to. :24

    “We got a lot of history together now, and we’re happier than we’ve ever been. So, she’s still beautiful, and she’s always inspired songs. I mean, one of my early hits was a song called ‘I’d Love You All Over Again,’ I wrote for her for our 10th anniversary. I mean, there’s been a zillion songs that have pieces of our good days and bad days inspired, and they continue to.”

    Audio / Billy Currington recalls his first real Valentine’s Day.

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    Billy Currington (Valentine’s Day memory) OC: …took off running. :21
    “Yeah, I remember my first girlfriend. I was in first or second grade, but anyway, I remember it was Valentine’s Day and your mom going, ‘You’ve got to give your girlfriend something, and you’ve got to go give it to her.’ I’ll never forget — we got her a box of chocolates or whatever it was. I remember going down to her classroom and knocking on the door, getting her to come to the door. I remember handing it to her, and then I took off running.”

    Audio / Canaan Smith says he tries to show his wife how special she is every day.

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    Canaan Smith (Valentine’s Day) OC: …get lucky. :25
    “I bet I’m just like 99.9% of the rest of the men in the world who could really care less about that holiday. I want my wife to feel special, so I’m gonna take part in it. I’m gonna do my part to make her feel special and loved, but is it necessary? Shouldn’t we do that every day? I mean, it kinda is just another way to get a bunch of money out of us, but oh well. We’ll go see a movie or something. Maybe I’ll get lucky.”

     

    Audio / Dierks Bentley explains the realities of Valentine’s Day.

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    Dierks Bentley (Valentine’s Day realities) OC: …that’s awesome. :53
    “I’m gonna be the voice of truth and honesty for Valentine’s Day for a lot of the guys out there listening and for some of the girls listening, as well too. You may like this; you may not, but Valentine’s Day is a really difficult day for guys. When you’re single, it’s stressful for like a month leading up to it, and inevitably, you do something wrong. You don’t get the wrong thing or you say too much, and she’s wanting to get engaged faster than you want to get engaged. I don’t know. It’s just a very stressful holiday. I’m at a time in my life where I got a five-year-old, a three-year-old and a zero-year-old, and we’re just really trying to survive on a day-to-day basis. I mean, we get about four hours of sleep, and we’re literally in survival mode. So, I think there should be a hall pass for guys in that phase of their life. It doesn’t take much at this stage for us to get excited. A dinner alone is heaven. I mean, if we can just have a dinner and a glass of wine, that’s awesome.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley says so far his ultimate romantic gesture was when he proposed to his wife, Cassidy, and with three children in the house, it’s a little hard to get away together.

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    Dierks Bentley (Valentine’s peak) OC: …48-hour party, you know? [chuckles]
    “I kind of peaked when I dropped the engagement ring on her and surprised her with that and took her to Mexico and eloped. I spiked early. I peaked early. Now we’re in our eighth year. I need to find something special to do, but we keep having kids. It’s like, we can’t be away from them. We’re gonna find a week when they’re all in school and everything is set and we’ve got somebody. We have no family in town. We just have some folks that we really count on. When we get everyone locked in place, we’re gonna go somewhere for like two days and get away and have like a two-day, 48-hour party, you know?” [chuckles]

    Audio / Eric Church says his wife, Katherine, loves him in spite of everything.

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    Eric Church (Valentine’s) OC: …love song is. :18 “True love to me is when you love a person in spite of all their fallibilities, and for me, I have a lot of ‘em. I’m definitely at times hard to love, and that’s what’s great about Katherine and the way she loves me. She loves me in spite of those things and really for those things.”

    Audio / Josh Turner says his wife would call him a romantic, but now that they have four children, it takes a bit of work to make time for each other.

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    Josh Turner (Romantic) OC: …long time to come. :26
    “If you ask my wife Jennifer if I was a romantic, she would definitely say, ‘Yes,’ but she knows that sometimes my hectic schedule and our busy lifestyles can kind of interfere with the romantic side of things. But we do try to make efforts towards being together and having adult conversations and taking time away from the children and doing things that husbands and wives do, so we’ll definitely try to continue that for a long time to come.”

    Audio / Lauren Alaina recalls her first, and potentially disastrous, Valentine’s Day with her longtime boyfriend, Alex.

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    Lauren Alaina (Valentine’s Day) OC: …pretty embarrassing. 1:51
    “I think my first Valentine’s Day with Alex, I was trying to be super cute and cook him a Valentine’s Day dinner. I was 18 at the time, and I’d just moved into this brand new apartment in Chattanooga. I was trying to get used to not living with my parents before I moved to Nashville, so I did like six months in Chattanooga in an apartment. And [giggles] my mom makes these really great mashed potatoes, which I’ve modified the recipe, but they’re delicious and I wanted to make him these potatoes, because I knew I could make these potatoes. Well, I did not grow up with a very updated kitchen, so I didn’t have a [garbage] disposal, it was very new to me. So, I peeled the bag of potatoes and put the potato peels in to the sink and tried to use the disposal and it broke it before he got there. Annnd, I turned the water on, and I was baking chicken and I was cooking broccoli and mashed potatoes, and just turned the water on and then I forgot I had the water on, so I overflowed the kitchen sink with the potato peels, and it looked like something died in my sink and my sink was like spitting it up. It was horrible. I was panicking and trying to get it all cleaned up before he got there, and he knocked in the middle of it, like knocked on the door. He was early, of course. He’s always early, and he freaking knocked. I had like potato peels flying through the air, my potatoes were boiling over. I was still boiling the potatoes. I was running behind and he was running early, so it was just crazy. But, we’ve had some great Valentine’s. Last Valentine’s, he cooked for me and everything was smooth, so maybe he should be the cook. Uh, I’m a great cook, I just was trying to use a disposal for the first time, and that was pretty embarrassing.”

    Audio / Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild and Jimi Westbrook had a chemistry performing together, but it wasn’t until they each found themselves single…at the same time…that sparks flew romantically. The pair, who wed in 2006, have a son, Elijah.

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    Little Big Town (Jimi & Karen fell in love) OC: (Kimberly) …to be together. :48 JIMI: “We were in the band a long time before there was ever anything which is interesting. I think there was always something underlying there that we were kind of trying to ignore. And then when the opportunity came, when all of us, ended up single kind of at the same time, a very strange turn of events for the band in a lot of different ways. And those feelings, you were able to come out with them finally. It was like, we’re single. Let’s get together. And, you know, she has a beautiful heart and she’s absolutely gorgeous and I just love her dearly.”

    PHILLIP: “Get a room!” [laughs]

    KIMBERLY: “They’re a perfect match. They really are. They were meant to be together.”

    Audio / Luke Bryan says Valentine’s Day is for him and his wife, Caroline.

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    Luke Bryan (Valentine’s Day) OC: …full day. :11
    “Well, I mean Valentine’s Day is, it’s kinda me and Caroline’s day just to go and just being with one another for a full day.”

     

  • VALENTINE’S DAY LINERS 2017

    Audio
    Billy Currington / Brothers Osborne / Canaan Smith / Charles Kelley / Clare Dunn / Darius Rucker / Dierks Bentley / Eric Church / Eric Paslay / Gary Allan / George Strait / Jon Pardi / Josh Turner / Kacey Musgraves / Keith Urban / Kip Moore / Lady Antebellum / Little Big Town / Luke Bryan / Sam Hunt / Shania Twain

    Audio / LINER Billy Currington (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Billy Currington. Hope you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Brothers Osborne (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey, this is T.J., and I’m John, and we’re Brothers Osborne. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Canaan Smith (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey, what’s up guys? I’m Canaan Smith, wishing you a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Charles Kelley (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey everybody! I’m Charles Kelley from Lady Antebellum. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Clare Dunn (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Clare Dunn, hoping you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Darius Rucker (Valentine’s Day)

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    “What’s up y’all? This is Darius Rucker, hoping you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Dierks Bentley (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey, it’s Dierks Bentley, hoping you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Eric Church (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Eric Church, hoping you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Eric Paslay (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hi! This is Eric Paslay, hoping you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Gary Allan (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey, this is Gary Allan, wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER George Strait (Valentine’s Day)

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    “This is George Strait, wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Jon Pardi (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hi! It’s Jon Pardi, and I hope you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Josh Turner (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey! This is Josh Turner, and I want to wish you and your sweetheart a Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Kacey Musgraves (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hi, this is Kacey Musgraves, and I hope you have a Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Keith Urban (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone. This is Keith Urban. Make the day special for your ‘Once in a Lifetime’ love.”

    Audio / LINER Kip Moore (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey! What’s happening, everybody? This is Kip Moore. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Lady A (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey everybody! We are Lady Antebellum, wishing you a very Happy Valentine’s Day, you love birds.”

    Audio / LINER LBT (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey! We’re Little Big Town. Happy Valentine’s Day!”

    Audio / LINER Luke Bryan (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hey y’all, it’s Luke Bryan. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Sam Hunt (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hi! This is Sam Hunt, wishing you a very Happy Valentine’s Day.”

    Audio / LINER Shania Twain (Valentine’s Day)

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    “Hi, this is Shania Twain. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

  • ERIC CHURCH BREAKS GROUND WITH VERY FIRST TICKETED, FULL-LENGTH VIRTUAL REALITY CONCERT.

    Video
    Eric Church

    Eric Church is taking his show to a whole new level by offering fans a full-length concert experience via vantage.tv’s virtual reality experience. The concert, that features Church’s headlining performance from Stagecoach, offers 180 and 360-degree views from the audience and the stage itself using an eight-camera set up along with immersive audio allowing fans to feel as though they’re rocking with The Chief right there at the festival. This on-demand experience can be purchased by fans here and watched on their iPhone or Android phone via Google Cardboard, or Samsung Gear VR.

    Fans will be immersed in the music as Church plays his biggest hits like 3x Platinum-certified “Springsteen” and Platinum-certified favorite, “Creepin,” as well as songs off his latest album Mr. Misunderstood including his recent No. 1 hit “Record Year” and “Knives of New Orleans.” With the experience, fans will even be part of a moment, true to Church’s rowdy show, where the crowd threw their boots on stage for Church during his performance of the famous, “These Boots.”

    Virtual concert goers can choose how they experience the 13-song set by choosing either the multiple camera director’s cut, front row of the concert, or a full 360 view. All access to this virtual event will be $19.99 for a VR Ticket to view the concert and $34.99 for the VR Ticket +VR viewer bundle.

    Check out the trailer for Eric’s virtual concert here.

    About Eric Church
    The three-time Country Music Association and five-time Academy of Country Music Award winner cemented his reputation as a maverick by releasing his 2015 album Mr. Misunderstood as a surprise, delivering it to fans before announcing its existence and putting it on sale. He is rising toward the peak of the country charts with “Record Year,” the second single, which Rolling Stone dubbed “the most moving moment” on the widely lauded album.

    Church announced his 60+ city 2017 Holdin’ My Own Tour via Facebook Live at a two-night show at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colo. The tour, that kicks off in Lincoln, Neb. and ends with a two-night run in Nashville, Tenn., will feature two sets from Church sans openers.

    The man New York Times said produces songs that insist music is “fuel for love, for anguish and, naturally, for other music” earned the 2016 CMA Album of the Year Award for Mr. Misunderstood and the 2016 ACM Music Video of the Year Award for the album’s first title-track single.

    The North Carolina native’s previous album, The Outsiders, debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart and Top Country Albums Chart with the highest debut and sales of any release in the format that year, making Church 2014’s top-selling country music artist. The album garnered GRAMMY, CMA and ACM Album of the Year nominations and featured his No. 1 hits “Give Me Back My Hometown” and “Talladega,” as well as multiple nominee “Like A Wrecking Ball.” The Outsiders was the follow-up to Church’s 3x Platinum-certified CHIEF, named the 2012 Album of the Year by both CMA and ACM, and GRAMMY-nominated for Best Country Album. The LP featured five Top 20 singles: “Homeboy” (certified Platinum for sales in excess of one million); the Top 10 “Like Jesus Does” and the Top 5 “Creepin’” (both certified Platinum); and two No. 1 hits “Drink in My Hand” (certified Platinum) and “Springsteen” (certified Double Platinum for sales in excess of 2 million singles).  Church’s sophomore album, Carolina, (2009) is RIAA Platinum certified and his 2006 debut album, Sinners Like Me is RIAA Gold certified.

    Video / Eric Church virtual reality trailer

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