Canaan Smith is excited about going out with Dierks Bentley, Kip Moore and Maddie & Tae on the Sounds of Summer Tour, which kicks off Friday (June 5th) in Raleigh, North Carolina.

In addition to being a friend, Canaan is a big fan of Dierks and what he represents. “He’s always done a good job at being original and relevant and staying true and reaching the guys and the girls,” says Canaan. “He’s got that kind of that man’s man vibe to him that I’ve always liked. He’s not trying too hard, you know. He’s just making songs about good stories and good lyrics, and he kind of has had that same thing all along.”

He’s also going to be pretty protective of the only females on the road with them, as this is Maddie & Tae’s first major tour. “They’re gonna be like the little sisters that we’re watching over,” says Canaan. “They’re on fire right now musically, and I’m sure there’s gonna be a lot of guys in their meet and greet that are gonna need a little talking to. We got their back for that, so it’ll be fun.”

Canaan’s definitely making sure he’s going to be busy when he’s not on stage by bringing along a few items. “I like to set up the, we call ‘em bean bags. I grew up in Williamsburg [VA] and we called it bean bags there, but cornhole, the bean bag toss game. We’re gonna set that up in the parking lot,” he explains. “I’m gonna bring my skateboard so I can stay active out there, and that’s an easy way to get exercise without being in a gym.”

We also have it on good authority that they’ll be customized beer pong tables set up backstage, as well.

Canaan is soaring up through the Top 10 on the country charts with his single, “Love You Like That,” the first release from his debut album, Bronco, due June 23rd.

Dierks Bentley has been rehearsing long and hard for his Sounds of Summer Tour that kicks off Friday night in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Arizona native also carefully deliberated on which acts to take out with him – ones that would “rally” the crowds and pump the fans up all night long. He finally decided on Kip Moore, Maddie & Tae and Canaan Smith.

“The first person you pick when you’re out there putting on a tour is the guy that’s going on right before you,” Dierks explains. “You want someone who’s gonna go out there and rally the troops. You want them to just tee ‘em up. You want someone that can maybe even beat ya. It kind of puts you on edge, and it makes you go out there just swinging even harder. It makes you sing harder, it makes you run around harder. It makes you go for antics, you know, dive offstage sometimes, pull someone up and shotgun a beer. So, you want someone in front of you that’s gonna test you. And Kip, man, he’s got a great voice, great energy, and I know he’s gonna go out there and attack ‘em every night, and that just makes us better.”

“Maddie & Tae…It’s an honor for me to have ‘em out; this is their first big tour to be on, so I get a chance to show ‘em how I think people should be treated out on the road,” says Dierks. “They just bring a real youthful energy to ‘em, and they’ll probably bring some different people to the show.”

Dierks and Canaan have known each other for a long time, and the two “dudes” enjoy hanging out with each other. “Canaan I’ve known for a long time, Canaan Smith, and he’s really been working hard on his sound and made a great record, and he just has great energy,” he says. “He’s just a fun person to be around. Not only is that important backstage, but that just somehow, for some reason, I’m not sure why, but it translates out to the people at the very top in the grass.”

Dierks is proud to have put this whole tour together, and he had a hand in just about every aspect of his show.

“This whole thing was put together by me, and from the second you walk in and listening to the music that’s playing on the speakers to when you’re driving away, or walking away, and you’re hearing the outro music, it’s all been thought through and we just want to make it the best tour to roll through that particular amphitheater this summer. That’s our goal.”

Kacey Musgraves releases the lyric video for her single, “Biscuits,” the first release from Pageant Material, due out June 23rd.

Nashville, TN – June 3, 2015 – MULTI-PLATINUM artist Kip Moore announced plans for his “Comeback Kid Skatepark Project,” a charitable initiative that will oversee the construction of a series of skateparks to benefit communities and “comeback kids.”  At a press conference today, Moore along with Mayor Karl Dean and Salemtown Board Co, revealed the phase one cities of the project including Nashville, TN; Boston, MA; San Marcos, TX; and Annapolis, MD.  The inspiration for the name of the project comes from “Comeback Kid,” a personal anthem from Moore’s upcoming album WILD ONES.

“What started off as a pipe dream of mine years ago, has truly become a passion project,” said Moore. “It came from me wanting to give kids in inner cities a safe outlet, where they can form the bonds I know can be made from having somewhere awesome to go and be a part of something they enjoy. I wrote the song ‘Comeback Kid’ at a time when I felt like a comeback kid, but now when I sing it I think less about myself and more about the kids we are doing this for and how much I admire and respect them.  We’re starting with these four cities, but the plan is to keep growing this as far and wide as we can.”

Each park will have a unique design to provide the perfect first step for anyone of any age to learn how to skate. Making the most of the size and space available, most skate spots will range from 1,500 to 3,000 square feet and will include elements such as quarter pipe, bank-to-curb, hubba ledges, hand rail and step up.  Most of the phase one skateparks will be up and running by this Fall.

The “Comback Kid Skatepark Project” is the first initiative of “Kip’s Kids Fund,” a donor-advised fund through The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT) focused on youth and teens.  As an avid rock climber, surfer, skateboarder and outdoor enthusiast, Moore has been drawn to the outdoors and alternative sports for much of his life.  He also has a heart for small town and inner city kids growing up with too few options.  As a result, the “Kip’s Kid Fund” provides alternative outlets for youth to engage in healthy habits and physical activities like skateboarding, in addition to the traditional sports offerings where they live.

For video, photos and other press assets: click here.

Moore’s sophomore album, WILD ONES, is set to be released on Aug. 21.  A super-sized record inspired by the grit, grind and glamour of the live shows, each track on WILD ONES was written by Moore and follows his debut album, UP ALL NIGHT, which spawned three No. One multi-platinum selling smash hits.  His current single “I’m To Blame,” is steadily climbing the charts and was the second most added song during its debut week at country radio, marking Moore’s biggest first week for a new single.  Earning critical acclaim for his “high energy” (Rolling Stone) live show with Chicago Sun Times heralding him as “carving his own niche in country music,” Moore will head out on the road for Dierks Bentley’s 2015 Sounds Of Summer Tour, which kicks off this weekend in Raleigh, NC on 6/5.

For more information and the latest updates, visit www.kipmoore.net.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 2, 2015) – Darius Rucker has put together an exciting lineup of some of today’s best country music performers for his sixth annual “Darius and Friends” benefit concert June 8 at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville.

A Thousand Horses, Brett Eldredge, Brothers Osborne,Little Big Town and country music legend Steve Wariner will join Rucker at the Wildhorse Saloon to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

With a surprise guest yet to be announced and Nan Kellyof GAC hosting, the fundraiser will mark the kickoff to an exciting week in Nashville when the entire constellation of country stars are in town for the CMA Music Festival. The event has always sold out and has raised more than $400,000 for cancer research and treatment in past years. The next day Rucker will host his yearly Darius and Friends Celebrity Tee-Off, a golf tournament that also benefits St. Jude and is sponsored by State Water Heaters. Rucker raised a record $120,000 last year between the benefit concert, golf tournament and auction.

For more information on Darius and Friends, please visit www.DariusRucker.com.  

About State Water Heaters
For nearly 70 years, State Water Heaters has built dependable, long lasting water heaters for commercial and residential applications. State offers over 500 water heater products, and has consistently developed new technologies to ensure longer product life. Based in Ashland City, Tennessee, State has seven water heater manufacturing plants. Hundreds of distribution centers across the United States ensure efficient service to State’s national customer base of residential homeowners, wholesalers, contractors, and other members of the engineering community. All State products are backed by customer technical support and durable tank and parts warranty. For more information, please visit www.StateWaterHeaters.com.

About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Since opening 50 years ago, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has changed the way the world treats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. No family ever pays St. Jude for the care their child receives and, for every child treated here, thousands more have been saved worldwide through St. Jude discoveries. The hospital has played a pivotal role in pushing U.S. pediatric cancer survival rates from 20 to 80 percent overall, and is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted to children. It is also a leader in the research and treatment of blood disorders and infectious diseases in children. St. Jude was founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, who believed that no child should die in the dawn of life. Join that mission by visiting stjude.org or following us on facebook.com/stjude and twitter.com/stjude.      

Billy Currington performs his 10th No. 1 single, “Don’t It,” on NBC’s Today Show on Tuesday (June 2nd), the same day his Summer Forever album is released.

Billy Currington‘s new album, Summer Forever, is now available (Tuesday, June 2nd). Billy’s sixth studio album features his 10th No. 1 single, “Don’t It,” as well as his new single, “Drinkin’ Town With a Football Problem.”

Billy worked with producer Dann Huff (Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts) on the 12-song collection, continuing their working relationship which began with his last album, We Are Tonight. The album also includes the heartfelt “It Don’t Hurt Like It Used To,” which the Georgia native co-wrote with Cary Barlowe and Shy Carter.

He titled the album after one the songs featured on the record, “partly because it’s my life – summer and sunshine, beach, ocean and all that – and I think some of the songs on the album reflect that, and it just felt like a great title.”

Billy will be playing some of the songs from his new album when he hits the road on Tim McGraw‘s Shotgun Rider Tour, which kicks off Friday, June 4th in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Kip Moore‘s highly anticipated sophomore album on MCA Nashville, WILD ONES, is set for release August 21st. Fans can pre-order the album with an exclusive merch package here.

“WILD ONES really encompasses everything I’ve been through out on the road since the first album, it embodies us as a band every night out on stage, it alludes to the traveling circus it sometimes feels like we are a part of,” said Moore. “I’m so glad that I’m able to finally let the fans know when to expect what we’ve been working on so passionately for the past couple years, to let them know the wait is nearly over.”

Each song on the 13-track disc was born on the road during soundchecks, inside backstage dressing rooms and in Moore’s bunk at night, and recorded during “time off” from playing more than 200 shows a year.

Driven forward by electric guitars and gang vocals, “Lipstick” is the album’s most heartfelt tribute to the road, with each verse rattling off a list of the favorite cities Moore and his bandmates have played in the past. Other songs, like “That Was Us,” take a look backward, sketching a picture of the archetypal small-town Saturday nights that filled Moore’s teenage years in Georgia. “Magic,” anchored by one of the anthemic, open-armed choruses of Moore’s career, is loud and lovely, and “Comeback Kid” packs its punch the opposite way: by dialing back the volume and delivering quiet praise to the underdog in all of us.  The new album also features the playful lead single, “I’m To Blame,” which is climbing the country radio charts now.

“I’m truly hoping that people just simply love the project that I’ve worked so hard on,” says a heartfelt Kip. “I hope that people take the time to actually listen to this record as a whole, as a whole body of work and appreciate what we’ve done as a band, and I hope that it puts us to the next level.”

WILD ONES TRACK LIST:

1. Wild Ones (Kip Moore, Chris DeStefano, Brett James)
2. Come And Get It (Kip Moore, Brett James, Manny Medina)
3. Girl of Summer (Kip Moore, Troy Verges, Blair Daly)
4. Magic (Kip Moore, Westin Davis, Luke Dick)
5. That Was Us (Kip Moore, Westin Davis, Dan Couch)
6. Lipstick (Kip Moore, Justin Weaver, David Frasier, Westin Davis)
7. What Ya Got On Tonight (Kip Moore, Troy Verges, Blair Daly)
8. Heart’s Desire (Kip Moore, Dan Couch, Adam Browder, Erich Wigdahl)
9. Complicated (Kip Moore, Chris DeStefano, Rodney Clawson)
10. I’m To Blame (Kip Moore, Justin Weaver, Westin Davis)
11. That’s Alright With Me (Kip Moore, Dan Couch, Luke Dick)
12. Running For You (Kip Moore, Troy Verges, Blair Daly)
13. Comeback Kid (Kip Moore, Erik Dylan, Ross Copperman, Jeff Hyde)WILD ONES follows Moore’s debut album, UP ALL NIGHT, which scored three No. One hit singles and notched two PLATINUM certifications with “Hey Pretty Girl” selling over 1 million and “Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck” earning DOUBLE PLATINUM status.  This summer, Moore will bring his “high energy set” (Rolling Stone) out on the road with Dierks Bentley for his 2015 Sounds of Summer Tour.

For more information, visit www.kipmoore.net

Billy Currington is getting ready to release his new album, Summer Forever, featuring his current No. 1 single, “Don’t It.” So, we found out what he really thinks about summer.

“The thing I like most about summer is being warm,” he laughs. “I’m a big fan of not being cold. I grew up in the warmth. I grew up in the sunshine most of the year. We probably had one month of some cool weather down in South Georgia. So, every time summer comes, I think beach, I think lakes, whatever, just being outside.”

When summer came around when Billy was growing up, you could always find him with a surfboard in hand down near the beach. “That’s basically what I did. I lived and breathed the ocean, fortunately because I lived on it, or close to it, and it works for me,” says Billy. “Everything that it has to offer is everything that I am.”

Summer Forever will be available beginning Tuesday (June 2nd).