Nashville, Tenn. – Capitol Records Nashville’s Darius Rucker released his new single, “Wagon Wheel,” to Country radio today. “Wagon Wheel” was written by Ketch Secur and is based on a sketch by Bob Dylan.  The new single is from Rucker’s upcoming third solo country album, True Believers, which will be released this Spring.

The single made Entertainment Weekly’s “Must Have List” and garnered an A rating review – “The Hootie frontman-turned-Nashville hitmaker has flipped Old Crow Medicine Show’s creaky bluegrass anthem on its head, turning it into a rich, twangy romper with a decidedly sunny vibe.” 

“I heard some kids perform “Wagon Wheel” a few years ago at my daughter’s talent show, and I texted Frank [Rogers, Rucker’s producer], saying, “Hey, remember that song?,” explains Rucker.  “It was actually the last song we did. It’s amazing watching every college student sing along with that song when it’s never really been on the radio.” 

Rucker recently had a childhood dream come true when he was inducted as the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry.  His first two country albums, Learn To Live and Charleston, SC 1966 both topped the Billboard Country album chart and produced five No. 1 singles including “Come Back Song,” “This,” “Alright,” “It Won’t Be Like This For Long” and “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It.”  In 2009 Rucker was named New Artist of the Year at the CMA Awards.  

For more information, please visit www.dariusrucker.com.

There is one country artist who’s extremely happy that the NHL has reached a settlement in the labor dispute, especially because he enjoys playing hockey, as well as being a spectator. When Dierks Bentley isn’t on the road or in the recording studio, you can often find him slicing and skating and making goals on ice! He gets his aggression out while playing hockey in an amateur league in Nashville when he’s in town.

For Dierks, it’s mainly about getting together with a bunch of guys who enjoy playing hockey as much as he does. He says he really excels in the fourth period (there are only three periods in an actual game of hockey, by the way). “If you’ve ever played it, like you get done and you lie in the house at night and your ribcage hurts from over-expanding it, ‘cause you breathe so hard, ‘cause you’re having so much fun. You think that you’re dying, but you keep going ‘cause you’re having so much fun,” says Dierks. “It’s just that camaraderie of the guys. One of the periods, I really excel in the fourth period. I do good work in periods one, two and three, but the fourth period over at the Brewhouse or Sam’s Club, I’m a good team player there. It’s one of my favorite parts of the game.”

Dierks is closing in on the Top 10 with his latest hit, “Tip It On Back,” which he’ll definitely perform when he hits the road with pal Miranda Lambert on the Locked and Reloaded Tour January 17th in Columbia, South Carolina.

AUDIO: Dierks Bentley talks about his love of playing hockey.

Dierks Bentley (hockey) OC: …the road. :31
“If you’ve ever played it, like you get done and you lie in the house at night and your ribcage hurts from over-expanding it, ‘cause you breathe so hard, ‘cause you’re having so much fun. You think that you’re dying, but you keep going ‘cause you’re having so much fun. So, literally the bones ache from being like stretched out because you breathe so deeply. It’s just fun, man. It’s just that camaraderie of the guys. One of the periods, I really excel in the fourth period. I do good work in periods one, two and three, but the fourth period over at the Brewhouse or Sam’s Club, I’m a good team player there. It’s one of my favorite parts of the game. I just love playing it. It’s just totally opposite from the road.”

Jennifer Nettles is excited about releasing her new solo album, That Girl, next week (January 14th). The collection was produced by the legendary Rick Rubin (Johnny Cash, Aerosmith, Eminem, AC/DC, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Adele), whom she found a bit intimidating. She was surprised, however, by the warmth he showed towards her in the studio.

“I think one of the things that surprised me most about Rick was how warm and gentle he was, not that I was necessarily expecting anything otherwise, but I didn’t know what to expect,” says Jennifer. “When one has the reputation and the pedigree and the success that he has had, there’s a bit of an intimidation factor, at least there was for me…the fact that he was so warm and collaborative and gentle and open [and] was really pleasant to work with [was a big surprise].”

Jennifer will hit the road with songs from her new album on the That Girl Tour, kicking off February 14th in Washington, D.C.

Jennifer Nettles (Rick Rubin surprises) OC: …work with. :48
“I think one of the things that surprised me most about Rick was how warm and gentle he was, not that I was necessarily expecting anything otherwise, but I didn’t know what to expect. And when one has the reputation and the pedigree and the success that he has had, there’s a bit of an intimidation factor, at least there was for me. An intimidation factor, for sure and somewhat of a feeling like, ‘Okay, I have this crazy musical crush on this person, because I love everything that he’s done, that I’ve listened to, and so, I was intimidated. And the fact that he was so warm and collaborative and gentle and open [and] was really pleasant to work with.”

Nashville, TN – Jan. 6, 2014 – Each of singer/songwriter Dierks Bentley‘s six previous albums has a unique sound reflecting his creative state of mind at that particular moment in time.  The story continues on Feb. 25th, 2014 when Bentley will release RISER, a country project grounded in lyrical substance with a new sonic power that spotlights Bentley’s distinctive gravelly voice, one of the most original and recognizable in the genre.

“I named the album RISER because the lyrics in that song perfectly articulate who I want to be, who I try to be,” Bentley explains. “There’s a lot of really intense material on this record, but there’s also a lighter side that is equally important in telling the story of the last two years of my life.  When I first started writing for this album, I was in a place of grief over the loss of my dad, but over the course of the next 18 months, my wife and I had our son Knox, and I ended in a place of real joy and gratefulness.  Both sides of that coin are what country music has always been about, and I hope that my fans can feel how much of myself I put into this project. It’s all out on the table, for sure.” 

To assemble the new album, Bentley enlisted producer Ross Copperman and executive producer Arturo Buenahora, Jr.  Together, the trio mixed the immediacy of old-school live recording techniques with the experimental nature of new technologies.  Buenahora matched Bentley with the right co-writers and songs. The result is RISER – an album with a heightened depth, an increased vulnerability and a greater sense of purpose in every word.

To watch a behind the scenes video of the making of RISER, click here: www.dierks.com/videos.html

RISER’s driving lead single “I Hold On,” a song that deftly pins spiritual questions to material symbols, is currently climbing the radio charts.  Written by Bentley and Brett James, the track is drawing attention from other artists, critics and fans for its authenticity and emotion with Music Row calling it a “song that shakes you,” and American Songwriter comparing the track to U2 with Bentley “rocking a little harder than most of contemporary country’s crooners.”

For more details about RISER as they are unveiled over the course of the coming weeks, visit www.dierks.com.

Dierks Bentley (Riser album) OC: …to fail. 1:18
“I think with all my records, I’m always searching for new, but I don’t want to lose all the work and time I’ve gone into developing a sound or a style or something like that. There are songs on the record that kind of correlate to certain themes I’ve had in the past. Certainly the lonesome stuff is on there. I’d say ‘Bourbon in Kentucky’ is an example of that, but just try to do that better or differently or find a new way of doing some of that lonesome sounding stuff. And then some stuff that’s made for consuming a cold beer. ‘Drunk on a Plane’ would be one of those; ‘Summer on Fire’ would definitely one of those songs, and ‘Pretty Girls Drinking Tall Boys’ is definitely one of those songs. I feel like that song is taking a new approach to getting to the same destination of we’re all having a  good time and partying and having fun, because the vibe of that song is so different than anything I’ve ever recorded, so there’s that element of it. And then there’s kind of a third layer to the album, which would be songs like ‘I Hold On,’ ‘Riser,’ ‘Here on Earth’ that really show where I’m at in my life as a dude, as a man, as a husband, father, you know, my dad passed away, so that’s all kind of tied into it. And [I’m] just kind of taking a look at the world around me and making observations on that, and that’s definitely a new theme. I feel like I kind of needed to have a new sound to go along with the new album, so working with a different producer, new engineer, new players, just going for stuff and not being afraid to fail.”

Keith Urban will team up with John Mayer again to perform on The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles. The TV special, which will also feature Maroon 5, Alicia Keys, John Legend and the Eurythmics, airs Sunday, February 9th at 8pm ET on CBS, exactly 50 years ago to the day, date and time of the Beatles first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. broadcasts on CBS Sunday, February 9th at 8 p.m. ET, exactly 50 years to the day, date and time of the Beatles first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Jon Pardi performed at the ESPN BCS Championship Ultimate Tailgate Party on Monday afternoon prior to the game pitting Auburn against Florida State.

Luke Bryan closed out 2013 with one of the year’s best-selling albums overall! Nielsen SoundScan released the 2013 year-end album tallies and the ACM Entertainer of the Year’s Crash My Party, hit the list at No. 3 with sales of more than 1.52 million copies, behind Justin Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience and Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP 2. 

Darius Rucker has been tapped to perform at the T.J. Martell Foundations 2014 Nashville Honors Gala on March 10th, along with Kenny Chesney. The two will pay musical tribute to the honorees, which include Universal Music Group Nashville President Mike Dungan and Kenny’s manager Dale Morris. Proceeds from the event will go to raise awareness and funds for cancer research.

Eric Paslay has been tapped to tour with Brantley Gilbert, who will launch his Let It Ride 2014 Tour March 27th in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. The trek, which is currently scheduled to wrap May 18th in Denver, will also feature Thomas Rhett.

Catch Dierks Bentley at his annual Polar Plunge in the new episode of DBTV (see below). This year, due to an alligator problem, Dierks had to improvise.

Nashville, TN – MCA Nashville recording artist David Nail is set to release his third album I’m A Fire on March 4th. On I’m A Fire, the Grammy nominated Missouri native teamed back up with Frank Liddell, Chuck Ainlay and Glenn Worf at the helm.

I’m A Fire has started off with a bang by the first single off the album, “Whatever She’s Got,” reaching GOLD Certification by the RIAA. The hit single, a song that Nail recorded for his wife Catherine, currently sits in the top-10 on the Billboard Country Airplay charts and continues to rise fast.

Nail, who co-wrote four of the 11 songs, says “There’s so many moments on this record that make me think about the last four years that I’ve been married, and I’m a Fire just sums it all up.” He adds “It [the title track] says, ‘I’ve walked through flames, come out on the other end, and the foremost reason is because of you.’”

Many of Nashville’s finest songwriters are featured on the album. Along with David, you can also find songs by Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally, Scooter Carusoe, Jay Knowles, Lee Thomas Miller, Neil Thrasher, Jaren Johnston, Tom Douglas and even Brett Eldredge.

I’m A Fire boasts 11 tracks including “When They’re Gone (Lyle County)” which features harmonies by past tour mates Little Big Town, “Kiss You Tonight” a song that expresses the strong emotion that we all feel at some point in our lives for another, the steamy “Burnin’ Bed” and one of the most special moments on the album, the cover of Glen Campbell’s “Galveston;” which Nail turns into a duet with in one of country music’s sweetest songbirds, Lee Ann Womack.

Full track listing for I’m A Fire:

1. Whatever She’s Got [Written by Jimmy Robbins and Jon Nite]

2. Broke My Heart [Written by David Nail, Scooter Carusoe and Jonathan Singleton]

3. Burnin’ Bed [Written by Bob DiPiero, Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally]

4. When They’re Gone (Lyle County) [Written by Brett Eldredge and Scooter Carusoe]

5. Brand New Day [Written by David Nail, Scooter Carusoe and Shane McAnally]

6. Kiss You Tonight [Written by David Cook, Jay Knowles and Trent Summar]

7. The Secret [Written by David Nail and Scooter Carusoe]

8. Countin’ Cars [Written by Lee Thomas Miller, Michael Dulaney and Neil Thrasher]

9. Easy Love [Written by David Nail and Lee Thomas Miller]

10. I’m A Fire [Written by Jaren Johnston and Tom Douglas]

11. Galveston [Written by Jimmy L. Webb]

For more information on David Nail and for a full list of tour dates visit www.davidnail.com

Follow @DavidNail on Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidnail

Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavidNail

David Nail (songwriting) OC: …weighing on me. :35
“I always remember kind of writing poems and stuff. I guess that’s how it starts for everybody. I’ll go back home sometimes and find some old notebooks where I first was attempting [songwriting], and it’s pretty comical, I guess, to go back and look at it. But I’ve never really looked at writing as a job and I’ve never been mentally able to turn that knob on and off like that. It’s more or less medicine for me. It’s just kind of subconsciously drawn to the computer or the guitar or pen and paper if something’s weighing on your mind. And sometimes I’m really surprised at what comes out, because I wasn’t aware that that was weighing on me.”

American Idol will return with a set of two-hour episodes; the first will air on Wednesday, January 15th, 2014 and the second will run on the following day.

Check out clips from the new season with judges Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick, Jr. below.