If you happened to miss Dierks Bentley on his recent Country & Cold Cans: Back to College Tour, you don’t have to worry. You can catch the exclusive video for “Grab a Beer” below.

By the way, Dierks’ current single, “Tip It On Back,” is high-tailing it up the country charts.

Little Big Town hit stores and online retailers today (Tuesday) with their new album, Tornado, Here’s a little teaser!

There’s a strange new wind blowing into stores today (Tuesday) as Little Big Town’s new album, Tornado, is released. For the group, recording their fifth studio album was a totally new experience. “This was the discipline and art of letting go, this album. It was like learning to be a little more free and not trying to control it so much and letting the music guide us,” says LBT’s Phillip Sweet. “And we really didn’t have a lot of time on our hands to sift through it. We had to kind of go in the moment and get it and act fast. Go on your gut instinct, and I think that’s what we needed, of course – a challenge for us, because we’d always have time to work out the parts and meticulously spend way more time with it.”

Tornado includes Little Big Town’s first No. 1 single, “Pontoon,” which remained atop of the country charts again this week.

AUDIO: Little Big Town’s Phillip Sweet says their album, Tornado, was a lesson in letting go.

LBT (album art of letting go) OC: …let go like that. :35
“This was the discipline and art of letting go, this album. It was like learning to be a little more free and not trying to control it so much and letting the music guide us. And we really didn’t have a lot of time on our hands to sift through it. We had to kind of go in the moment and get it and act fast. Go on your gut instinct, and I think that’s what we needed, of course – a challenge for us, because we’d always have time to work out the parts and meticulously spend way more time with it. It was a really fun process to do that, and to let go like that.

On September 11, 2001, the world changed forever with the devastating attacks on both the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  Alan Jackson’s “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” embodied the thoughts and feelings of millions in the wake of the events that took place 11 years ago.

There are soundbites from country superstar Alan Jackson sharing memories and thoughts on the events of September 11, 2001 and discussing his song, “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning),” as well as remembrances from Lady Antebellum, Eric Church and Eric Paslay.

The chorus and melody of “Where Were You…” came to Jackson in the middle of the night several weeks after the 9/11 tragedies. He awoke…sang the words into a recorder and wrote down key elements of the chorus…and completed the lyrics and verses later that same day. Initially reluctant to record the song, he was convinced by family and friends to share it with the world and debuted “Where Were You…” live on national television in early November at the 35^th annual CMA Awards.

“Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning),” embodied the thoughts and feelings of millions in the wake of the 2001 events. Written by Jackson, the song was called “…one of the most touching, powerful songs to come after the tragedies” by USA Today and dubbed “a reflective hymn that Americans will be listening to well into the second half of this century” by Salon.com. The New York Times singled out “Where Were You…” as “one of his finest songs,” and Billboard noted “a multitude of songs have been written and recorded in the wake of September 11th, but none captures the myriad emotions unleashed by the terrorist attacks on an unsuspecting nation more perfectly than Jackson’s eloquent ballad.” The song went on to be honored with a Grammy, CMA and ACM Awards.

Last year, as part of the national observance of the tenth anniversary of 9/11, Jackson performed “Where Were You…” at Washington National Cathedral.

AUDIO: Alan Jackson explains why he feels “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” still resonates with music fans in concert 11 years after the events of September 11, 2001.

AJ (Where Were You) 1 OC: …big changes. :50
“At the time, it was very meaningful to people and I felt really good about contributing something. And then I thought it would just fade away and then we’d ease it out of the show, but now I see people out there that I feel like are waiting for that song, you know? I think it’s more than just the 9-11 connection. I mean, the real hook in it is quotes right out of the Bible anyway. And still, at night, it’s one of my biggest songs in the show. It’s hard to follow it, but I see so many that are holding up them lighters and are glad to hear it, and I think are moved by it and glad I did it. And I heard so many stories back during that time when it was happening. People said, ‘Oh, they quit their jobs, and they changed their lifestyles and started going to church and found somebody to marry!’ It was just like all these things that affected…those were big changes!”

AUDIO: Alan Jackson describes how the events of September 11, 2001 impacted him…and talks about writing “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” a few weeks later.

AJ (Where Were You) 2 OC: …same feelings. 1:33
“Well, I don’t know – I think I was probably like most people that were impacted with that day and the months that followed. You know, everybody was glued to the news and television and I think it really affected a lot of people – their perspective on their lives and their jobs and their families and where they were and what they were wanting to do and how they looked at things. And I guess…I mean, that’s what I was thinking, too. And I just pretty much visualized a lot of those scenes and stories I’d heard and seen on television or heard people talk about. The song came out of nowhere in the middle of the night – the chorus did. Just a gift. And I got up and scribbled it down and put the melody down so I wouldn’t forget it, and then the next day I started piecing all those verses together that were the thoughts I’d had or visuals I’d had, and…that was about it. I think it was just really…I had so many people tell me that there’s always a line or something in there that they did, whether it was go to church or pick up their Bible or go see their mother or watch a sunset – I mean, just a lot of things in there people told me that they had actually done those things, so…I guess I was like everybody else, just feeling those same feelings.” 

AUDIO: Alan Jackson recalls sharing “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” with all of us for the first time live on national television during the 35^th Annual CMA Awards.

AJ (Where Were You) 3 OC: …meant something. :56
“It was a tough performance for me. You know, just the whole idea of releasing that song was a little bit tough. I wasn’t sure I wanted to put that out, but everybody convinced me that it was the thing to do…and in retrospect, I agree with that. But, you know, I hadn’t really sung the song much, first of all. It was just in the studio, basically, and when I wrote it…so it’s hard to go out there and sing something new anyway, and just the topic made it nerve-wracking, too. You know, I didn’t think about what was going to happen or anything  –  we just sang it. And I just remember, other than being relieved that I got through it, I just felt very proud that it seemed to cause a reaction in people…and I was proud that I got to do it, and that it seemed like it meant somethingA

Lady A (9-11 Charles) OC: …everybody. :30

CK: “It was my birthday believe it or not. Yeah. 9/11. So, I was in college, and yeah, it was wild. I mean, woke up, was getting ready to go to class. And I had a roommate come in and say, ‘Man, turn on the TV. Classes are canceled. You won’t believe…’ He had had an earlier class, and he comes in and says, ‘Turn on the TV.’ And we all got up and watched it. It was just wild. So, it’s hard to put into words. But it is funny, that it’s still and I can remember it and everybody can. It had such a huge Effect on everybody.”

AUDIO: Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott explains she was in high school when she and her fellow classmates heard about the tragic events of 9-11.

Lady A (9-11 Hillary) OC: …we’re protected. 1:19

HS: “I was in 10th grade, which is weird to think that I was in 10th grade and Charles and Dave were in college. But I was actually on my way to history class, interestingly enough, and so we got to that class and turned the TV on, and we’re just watching the footage and then our, we ended up having an assembly that day where the whole school went into the gym and our headmaster got up and explained kind of everything that was going on and what happened. And it is. It’s one of those things that’s forever ingrained in your memory. And I actually had a close friend of mine, it’s actually my God sister’s dad has been in the military and he’s retired now. But he was on his way to the Pentagon and didn’t get there. But so luckily before everything happened but it’s just, I think everyone has that personal connection to it no matter if you knew someone there or not. It’s just … and I think too not only is it a time to reflect on those lost in that tragedy, I think it’s a time to really celebrate our military. And just another way of bringing praise to them and thanking them for what they do, which is protect us and protect our freedom on a daily basis. And thankfully nothing like that has happened since. And I think that that’s a testament to how well we’re protected.”

AUDIO: Lady Antebellum’s Dave Haywood says he will never forget the lives that were lost during the tragic events of 9-11.

Lady A (9-11 Dave) OC: …were lost. :27

DH: “Gosh, I mean as a human, it just completely breaks your heart. And as an American, it was such a devastating tragedy. Gosh, I mean that it still affects us 10 years later, and it will for the rest of our lives. I mean, there’s no doubt that it will. But I think as people and as a country, we’re stronger for it and going to keep pushing forward. And our goal is to get rid of people that would do evil like that in the world. So it’s tough to have that happen to us but we’ll always remember those that were lost.”

AUDIO: Eric Church was on his way to work when he heard the news of the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2011.

Eric Church (9-11) OC: …that feeling. :23
“I was driving into work, the Shop-At-Home Network, I was listening to Gerry House, I remember that, and the news broke. [I] really couldn’t grasp what had happened until I got to work and saw it for myself on television. I remember I watched the second plane hit the tower in real time. I had just moved to Nashville earlier that year, and all I remember is wanting to go home and be with those I loved. I’ll never, I’ll never forget that feeling.”

AUDIO: Eric Paslay remembers being in class during the tragic events of 9/11.

Eric Paslay (9-11) OC: …I’ll never forget it. :30
“On 9/11, I remember I was a freshman in college, and I was in a class early that morning and a girl came in with the craziest look on her face, and she just started telling us she was listening to the radio and had heard that the planes had hit the buildings. Our teacher let us out of class, and I ended up going home and my dad was at the house already. We ended up going to eat an early lunch at kind of a burger joint in my hometown. And I remember just going in and everybody was just eating in silence. It was an awkward day. I’ll never forget it.”

DIERKS BENTLEY ADDS KIX BROOKS TO SEVENTH ANNUAL “MILES & MUSIC FOR KIDS” LINEUP ON OCT. 14th

Previously Announced Artists Include Sheryl Crow, Chris Young and Brantley Gilbert

Nashville, TN – Sept. 10, 2012 – Multi-platinum country music star Dierks Bentley has added award winning country music singer and radio personality Kix Brooks to the artist lineup for his seventh annual “Miles & Music for Kids” celebrity motorcycle ride and concert scheduled for Sun., Oct. 14 in Nashville, TN. Tickets for the family-friendly event are available to fans through Tickemaster.com.

This year’s lineup on the ACM Lifting Lives main stage also includes previously announced special guests Sheryl Crow, Chris Young, Brantley Gilbert, The Cadillac Black and Craig Campbell. The music-filled afternoon begins at the Harley-Davidson of Columbia (1616 Harley Davidson Blvd., Columbia, TN) for a scenic hour-long motorcycle ride ending at downtown Nashville’s Riverfront Park.

Fans can purchase tickets for the ride, concert and commemorative T-shirt for $50, or those looking to attend the concert only can purchase tickets for $20. Special VIP packages are also available. All proceeds from the event will benefit Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. For more ticket info, visit www.dierks.com.

About Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt:
Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, a freestanding hospital dedicated to serving only children, is nationally recognized as a leading provider of pediatric health care services. Expertstreat and work to prevent all health issues ranging from common childhood conditions to serious, advanced diseases. Featuring Centers of Excellence for the treatment of diabetes and congenital heart disorders, Children’s Hospital also operates the region’s only level 1 pediatric trauma unit and a neonatal intensive care unit with the highest designated level of care. In addition, Children’s Hospital is a top-level teaching and research facility. No child is denied care on basis of limited ability to pay.

CAPITOL RECORDS NASHVILLE TO HOST “CAPITOL STREET PARTY 5: LUKE BRYAN TAKES BROADWAY” ON OCTOBER 17th 

Capitol Street Party 5 moves to Lower Broadway with headliner Luke Bryan along with Kelleigh Bannen and Jon Pardi performing at the free and open to the public music event  

Nashville, TN – “Capitol Street Party 5: Luke Bryan Takes Broadway” will take place on Wednesday, October 17 at 7pm.  The free music event, which is open to the public, is moving from Demonbreun Street to Lower Broadway this year.  Live performances by superstar Luke Bryan and newcomers Kelleigh Bannen and Jon Pardi will literally take to the street, as a stage will be set up on Broadway between 1st and 2nd Avenues.  Bryan performed at the inaugural Street Party in 2007 and this year will mark the fourth time that he has participated in the event.

“This is definitely not a party to miss!” shares Bryan. “We promise to make this a great night of music in the heart of Nashville.”

Sponsors include Wrangler, Middle Tennessee State University, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, Carl Black Chevrolet, United States Marine Corps, Concrete / TEC Direct Media, The Tennessean, Coca-Cola, Miller Lite, and Live at LongHorn. Additional partnerships include: Whiskey Bent Saloon, Silver Dollar Saloon, and Bootleggers Inn.

About Luke Bryan:

Country superstar Luke Bryan has had quite a year, celebrating three back-to-back Platinum singles “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)”, “I Don’t Want This Night To End” and “Drunk On You,” all from his Platinum-certified album, tailgates & tanlines. The Leesburg, GA native has achieved 5 career #1 singles and is currently on the road with Jason Aldean’s  My Kinda Party tour, in addition to headlining his own dates and gearing up for his upcoming Farm Tour. Last week, Luke received two nominations for the 46th Annual CMA Awards, for “Male Vocalist of the Year,” as well as, “Album of the Year” for tailgates & tanlines.

About Kelleigh Bannen:

EMI Nashville recording artist Kelleigh Bannen is a Nashville native who always dreamed of becoming an artist.  After graduating from college in Virginia, Bannen made her way back to her hometown, where she began to write and craft her sound.  It was while on the “90in90” tour, in which Kelleigh played 90 gigs in 90 days to benefit the Butler Center for research that she connected with legendary country producer Paul Worley (Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride). In the past year, Kelleigh has been hard at work in the studio with Paul Worley and Jerry Smith recording her debut album. She is currently on her radio promo tour, supporting her debut single “Sorry On The Rocks.”

About Jon Pardi:

Hailing from a small town called Dixon in Northern California, Jon Pardi’s first taste of country music stardom started in his Grandmother’s house at the tender age of 3. The singer-songwriter spent his youth perfecting his craft – by 8 years old, he was playing the guitar and at 12, he was writing his own songs.  Determined to make his dream of country music fame a reality, Pardi moved to Nashville at 22 years old, where his unique musical style led to a record deal with Capitol Records Nashville. Pardi has shared the stage with Eric Church, Zac Brown Band, Dierks Bentley, Pat Green, Gary Allan and Luke Bryan.  Pardi’s first single “Missin’ You Crazy” is out at country radio now.

For information about “Capitol Street Party 5” check out www.facebook.com/capitolstreetparty.

GRAMMY AWARD WINNING TRIO LADY ANTEBELLUM TO SPREAD THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT WITH RELEASE OF CHRISTMAS ALBUM  ON THIS WINTER’S NIGHT OUT OCT. 22 

Trio Receives CMA Nominations for “Album of the Year” and “Vocal Group of the Year” 

Nashville, TN – Sept. 10, 2012 – Reigning CMA and ACM Vocal Group of the Year Lady Antebellum prepares for the changing seasons with the announcement of a Christmas album ON THIS WINTER’S NIGHT, available in stores on Oct. 22. 

“I love the excitement, the child-like spirit of innocence and just about everything that goes along with Christmas,” said Hillary Scott. “My little sister will be 12 this Christmas and it is always so sweet to see her wake up every Christmas morning and wonder what Santa brought her. It was that way for me growing up and it’s so amazing to be able to spend that time with her now.” 

“The perfect winter’s night for me would be with all the family together,” added Charles Kelley.  “As you get a little older and everybody has their jobs and then families and kids, it definitely becomes harder to get everybody together at once. It would be pretty special to have the whole family in the room and get back to where we were as kids…all waking up on Christmas morning, walking down and having that tradition.” 

“We recorded this album in two sections, but both times were in the summertime,” noted Dave Haywood. “It is always weird to be in the studio working on Christmas music in June and July, so we decorated the entire studio, we really did. We brought out lights, fake trees and decorated the place to get in the Christmas spirit. You’d leave the studio, and it’d be 100 degrees out in Nashville, but nonetheless, a great experience.“ 

Between legs of their OWN THE NIGHT 2012 WORLD TOUR earlier this year, Lady A hit the studio in Nashville to record the new collection where they also return as co-producers alongside veteran producer Paul Worley. For the festive release, the trio penned the album’s title track and created their own arrangements for two of the disc’s additional 11 holiday classics. 

ON THIS WINTER’S NIGHT Track List:

1. A Holly Jolly Christmas
2. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
3. All I Want For Christmas Is You
4. I’ll Be Home For Christmas
5. This Christmas
6. The First Noel*
7. On This Winter’s Night
8. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow
9. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
10. Silent Night (Lord Of My Life)*
11. Blue Christmas
12. Silver Bells 

*Arranged by Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott

 The Christmas album follows their Platinum third disc Own The Night, which debuted at the No. 1 position on Billboard’s Top 200 chart and has spawned two No. 1 hits “We Owned The Night” and “Just A Kiss,” tallying six career chart-topping hits. After selling 10 million albums across the globe, the six-time CMA Award winning group received two nominations last week for Album of the Year for OWN THE NIGHT and Vocal Group of the Year for the upcoming 46^th Annual CMA Awards scheduled to air Nov.1 on ABC. 

Lady A is currently in the studio in the beginning stages of recording new music while also preparing for the final leg of their OWN THE NIGHT 2012 WORLD TOUR. The tour will come to a close in Oct. in Australia and has already wrapped legs in the US, Canada and Europe. For a full list of upcoming tour dates and for more info on new music, visit www.ladyantebellum.com.

AUDIO: Lady Antebellum’s Dave Haywood talks about recording their Christmas album during the summer.

Lady A (in studio-Dave) OC: …great experience. :48
“We recorded this record kind of in two sections, but both times were in the summertime, which is always weird to be in the studio in July and June. So, we decorated the entire studio, we really did. We brought out lights, little, you know fake trees all around and decorated the place to kind of get in the Christmas spirit. We kind of took the holidays to pick the songs. We thought about what songs to pick over Christmas, so we kind of would remember which songs are our favorites and which ones we really wanted to record…I feel like it came out great regardless of being in the middle of summer. You’d leave the studio, and it’d be 100 degrees out in Nashville, but nonetheless, just a great experience.”

Little Big Town’s highly-anticipated fifth studio album, Tornado, hits stores Tuesday. The band is on cloud nine, which is a feeling they’ve had since they were in the studio earlier this year working on the record. “We were feeling it in the moment in the studio, every song. But when you hear it, I think it has an overall feeling to it,” says LBT’s Phillip Sweet. “We laugh about like ‘Pontoon’ has a little bit of a swagger to it, but this whole record has this sentiment…it just has its own unique voice, and it really describes the mood that the band’s been in and the place that we’ve been in our career.”

Bandmate Jimi Westbrook agrees. “There was just this excitement from all of us that was just there, and I think it did – it created this whatever that feeling is [laughs] in the record,” he explains. “It’s that. It’s the tangible energy maybe of how much fun we were having and some freedom that we were feeling.”

The group, who are enjoying their first No. 1 single with “Pontoon,” will appear on ABC’s Good Morning America on Monday, as well as perform during the premiere week of The Ellen DeGeneres Show (September 13th). In addition, the band will perform on the upcoming ABC Television Special CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL: COUNTRY’S NIGHT TO ROCK (September 17th) and will also be featured on CMT’s Unplugged Series which will premiere on CMT.com September 11th and on CMT September 18th.

AUDIO: Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild and Phillip Sweet say the band’s album, Tornado, has an overall feeling to it.

LBT (album has a feeling to it) OC: …same feeling. :34
KAREN: “This record has a feeling to it. [PHILLIP: “Yeah.”] I mean, we were feeling it in the moment in the studio, every song. But when you hear it, I think it has an overall feeling to it. We laugh about like ‘Pontoon’ has a little bit of a swagger to it, but this whole record has this sentiment – and I don’t even know how to define what the sentiment is, it just has its own unique voice, and it really describes the mood that the band’s been in and the place that we’ve been in our career. It’s that same feeling.”

AUDIO: Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild and Jimi Westbrook talk about the “voice” of their new record, Tornado.

LBT (album attitude) OC: …we were feeling. :45
KAREN: “It does have a distinct attitude and a distinct voice.” JIMI: “We were just having fun [in the studio] and loving what was happening, and it seemed really spontaneous. We would cut a track, and just look at each other like, ‘Wow! This feels great!’ And of course our band being the ones that were playing with us and we’re on the road with those guys, and we have such a great relationship with them. There was just this excitement from all of us that was just there, and I think it did – it created this whatever that feeling is [laughs] in the record. It’s that. It’s the tangible energy maybe of how much fun we were having and some freedom that we were feeling.”

Check out this “sneak peek” at the video for Eric Church‘s “Creepin’.” The clip should hit video outlets in the near future.

Luke Bryan talks about hosting CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock with ABC’s Good Morning America. The ABC TV special airs September 17th at 8pm ET.