Eric Church’s critically-acclaimed album CHIEF has been certified Platinum by the RIAA. CHIEF, released last July, debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard Top 200 and Country album charts. The album’s third single “Springsteen,” co-written by Church, continues to hold the No. 1 spot on the country radio charts for the second consecutive week. Ironically 28 years ago on the same week that Church’s “Springsteen” went No. 1, Bruce Springsteen charted his first and only No. 1 on the pop charts with “Dancing in the Dark.”

Previous Church albums, Sinners Like Me and Carolina are both certified Gold by the RIAA.

CHIEF was hailed as one of the best album of 2011 by the Los Angeles Times, NPR, Rolling Stone and Spin Magazine, among others.  

“On his third album, Church hits his stride, chronicling wild nights and epic hangovers with just the right amount of critical distance.” NPR’S Favorite Albums of 2011 

“Church is a country singer a rock fan could love…” Rolling Stone’s 50 Best Albums of 2011 (No. 19) 

“…one of the year’s best country albums. Captivating.” Los Angeles Times 

“Chief supplies a vibrant sonic alternative.”  SPIN Magazine (Named No. 1 Country/Americana Album of 2011) 

AUDIO: Eric Church talks about his own process of making a record. 

Eric Church (process of making album) OC: …let us have it. :57

“I’m so reverent about the process of making records. I look at the records Waylon [Jennings] made and [Johnny] Cash made, and you could go back and AC/DC or [Led] Zeppelin, you can go through any format. I feel like I’m given a small window of opportunity to make a certain number of records and it’s my responsibility to them, and to the format, and to the reverence I have for it to make records that stand up and that you can put up on a shelf with them. I think it’s every artist’s responsibility. I think if you’re not making records that way you shouldn’t be making records.  So, I get real, real, real crazy about…is the mix right, does this need to be more…just the tweaking part. And then the sequencing, I want you to start at the first song and take a journey to the end and never have any misses, and never go, ‘I wish this song was here,’ or ‘I felt that the record got to slow here.’ So I re-sequence it 15, 16, 17, 20 thousand times to where I’m finally going, ‘Ok, this is the record.’ And finally people have to intervene. They have to come in and go, ‘It’s done. It’s great, let us have it.’”

In DBTV Episode 68, Dierks Bentley celebrates Father’s Day by sharing a special performance of “My Last Name” from the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN. Here’s to all the Fathers out there!

Nashville, TN – June 18, 2012 – Friday afternoon, GRAMMY winning trio Lady Antebellum officially sold out their Australian OWN THE NIGHT 2012 WORLD TOUR dates in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney where they added and sold out a second night at the Opry House due to demand.  The group has now sold over 900,000 tickets to the global tour with upcoming dates scheduled in the US, Europe and Australia.
 
This weekend, Lady A continued to delight Canadians with the connection they are making back to the last row of fans in the massive venues.  Stops on the Eastern Canadian run included Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto.
 
“The group is now on its first headlining arena tour and you have to play to the back seats…those who were there certainly ate it up. The fans cheered, sang and swayed with their cell phones on.”   – The Montreal Gazette

“The Grammy-winning, Nashville-based Lady Antebellum took it even higher with a surprisingly terrific performance…they demonstrated an ability to connect with every fan in the crowd.”  – Ottawa Citizen

“And on their Own The Night world tour they didn’t seem to own the world. Instead they had to be satisfied with owning part of the 16,000 fans belting out each and every country crossover hit for 80 minutes.”  – Toronto Sun

Before heading overseas, the tour continues this week in the US with stops scheduled in Birmingham, AL (6/21), Atlanta, GA (6/22), Greenville, SC (6/23) and Indianapolis, IN (6/24). For a full list of tour dates, visit www.ladyantebellum.com.

On another note: Lady A will host a live online chat Thursday (June 21st) from onstage in Birmingham, Alabama at 2:30pm CT. You can submit your questions now on their facebook page, and then watch live beginning at 2:30pm CT on Thursday. The chat is serving as the kickoff of their Own The Night Tour in Europe, which launches July 10th in Dublin, Ireland.

Luke Bryan is taking part in the third annual ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp this week June 18th-22nd in Nashville. The event is a residential program open to musically-talented individuals with developmental disabilities. The camp includes a visit in the studio by Luke Bryan and producer Paul Worley, and Luke says it will be a special moment for him. “I’m gonna stop by the studio and just pat ‘em on the back, get some hugs, get some pictures, and I’m looking forward to hearing the song,” says Luke. “I’m sure it’ll be great, and cheer ‘em on, and I can’t wait to see their performance and see them get out there and do what they do so well. And that really feels special, and they have such a great way of brightening our day.” 

The campers will also write a song with Brett Eldredge and David Lee Murphy, as well as dinner and karaoke with Lauren Alaina, a cookout with newcomer Jana Kramer and a performance at the Grand Ole Opry with Big & Rich. 

Luke is currently sitting near the top of the country charts with his latest smash hit, “Drunk on You.” 

AUDIO: Luke Bryan talks about taking part in this year’s ACM Lifting Lives event. 

Luke Bryan (ACM Lifting Lives) OC: …our day. :44

“The Lifting Lives campaign and charity is such a special moment of the ACM show, and seeing Chris Young and Darius do it the past few years, it’s such a heartwarming event when you see the kids on stage singing and you see the joy that it truly brings to them and their heart, and it brings that type of joy to us also. So, I’m gonna stop by the studio and just pat ‘em on the back, get some hugs, get some pictures, and I’m looking forward to hearing the song. I’m sure it’ll be great, and cheer ‘em on, and I can’t wait to see their performance and see them get out there and do what they do so well. And that really feels special, and they have such a great way of brightening our day.”

Little Big Town hit the road with Rascal Flatts on their Changed Tour. The trek, which also features the Eli Young Band and Eden’s Edge, kicks off Friday (June 15th) in Hartford, Connecticut. They’re expected to visit 60 cities on the tour, which is currently scheduled to wrap in mid-October. 

LBT’s Karen Fairchild is thrilled to check out both the crowds and their tourmates when they hit the road. ““I can’t wait to see what their crowd is like! I mean we’ve never toured with them, so I don’t even know, but [their fans are] fiercely loyal to them,” she says. “We’ve been friends of theirs forever, and we’ve never toured together. We’ve really only done two shows in a decade, I think, together.” 

Rascal Flatts recently told Country Weekly that they have teamed up with Little Big Town to record the Grand Funk Railroad classic “We’re An American Band,” which Gary says they will perform with Little Big Town during the encore of their shows during the show. 

LBT is currently making waves on the country charts with their latest single, “Pontoon.” 

AUDIO: Little Big Town talk about going on the road with Rascal Flatts. 

LBT (RF Tour) OC: (Karen) …exciting too! [laughs] :22 

KAREN: “I can’t wait to see what their crowd is like! I mean we’ve never toured with them, so I don’t even know, but [their fans are] fiercely loyal to them!” PHILLIP: “I, for some reason, expect a lot of energy, (KAREN: “Me too!”) a high-energy crowd. I mean, that’s exciting to us, I think.” KAREN: “I expect a lot of pretty girls…” PHILLIP: “That’s exciting, too!” KAREN: “…swooning over…(laughs) listen to Phillip, that’s exciting too! [laughs]” 

AUDIO: Little Big Town can’t wait to check out the Rascal Flatts show. 

LBT (RF Tour) 2 OC: …and again and again. :20

KAREN: “I can’t wait to see the Flatts’ show. We’ve been friends of theirs forever, and we’ve never toured together. We’ve really only done two shows in a decade, I think, together. (KIMBERLY: “Probably.”) And then CMA Fest last year when we did the collaboration, I think maybe that’s what inspired the whole thing was like, ‘This is fun. We should it do it again and again and again.”

Nashville, TN) – “The Year Of The Pardi” has begun. Last night (Wednesday) onstage during an outdoor concert at a local dive bar called Losers, Capitol Records Nashville newcomer Jon Pardi announced that he will be throwing a huge bash on December 21^st in Chicago at Joe’s Bar on Weed Street.  The concert will mark the so-called “end of the world,” according to the Mayan calendar, based on the notion that in the year 900 A.D the ancient Mayan civilization predicted the end of humanity on December 21, 2012.  On this date, doomsayers claim that the Earth will be ravaged by cataclysmic astronomical events. This being “The Year Of The Pardi,” Jon has decided that instead of preparing for the end of the world, he would play a big show for fans to have a fun, rowdy last hurrah. 

“Joe’s Bar is one of my favorite clubs to play and if the world really is going to end, I can’t think of a better place to spend what might be our last night on earth,” says Pardi of the event.  “But if we survive, we’ll party like there’s no tomorrow, all night long!” 

Jon also has a new website which features his webisode series called “My Name Is Jon: The Year Of The Pardi” at www.jonpardi.com. The ongoing series will feature the adventures of Jon and his band members as they take on wacky challenges, behind-the-scenes performance footage, and provide an inside view of what really goes on during the set up of a brand-new album. Visitors to the site can now view videos and photos, follow Jon on Twitter and Facebook, and check on upcoming events. Fans also have the ability to stream and purchase his current single, “Missin’ You Crazy” as well as listen to snippets of unreleased songs. 

Pardi is currently on the road promoting his debut single, “Missin’ You Crazy,” which is available for purchase on all digital retailers.

About “The Year Of The Pardi”:

“The Year Of The Pardi” will focus on the adventures of Jon Pardi as a new country artist breaking into the format with his new single “Missin’ You Crazy” from his upcoming debut album.  In addition to playing shows across the country with artists like Eric Church, Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley, Jon and his band members will take fans behind-the-scenes, compete against each other in crazy challenges, and travel to country radio stations in the Pardi Bus.

Lady Antebellum take fans behind-the-scenes of last week’s CMT Music Awards, their performance with Hot Chelle Rae, on the red carpet and more in the new episode of Webisode Wednesdays!

Father’s Day is Sunday, and we have many of your favorite country stars talking about their own fathers or being fathers themselves. Thanks Dad!!!! (fyi–there are a couple of soundbites attached below that haven’t been transcribed — i.e. Luke Bryan, etc.)

AUDIO: Alan Jackson says he trusts his daughters when it comes to dating.

AJ (daughters & dating) OC: …all of ‘em. :15
“I’m not one of these daddies stands there with the shotgun or anything. I do like to know what’s going on, ’cause I know what I was like at that age, you know, but they’re good kids, and they’re smart, and they make good choices, and so you gotta trust them, and try to raise them well. I mean, my girls are very sweet…very proud of all of them.”

AUDIO: Alan Jackson, whose new album Thirty Miles West is now in stores, allows his three daughters to live and learn.

AJ (parenting style) OC: …what they did.  :19

“We try to be just not pushy hands on parents. We let them live and be their own way. I’m not stern with them. You know, I’m funny and light, and try to give them guidance and let them live and learn their own ways. And that’s something, I think, my parents did. It was accidental, but that’s what they did.”

AUDIO: Darius Rucker says his kids would said he was a fun dad, unless they did something wrong.

Darius Rucker (Father’s Day) OC: …loving dad. :41

“I think if you asked my kids what kind of Dad I was they would probably say…Danny would say that I was a fun Dad. My little daughter would say that I was a fun dad; she thinks I’m a lot of fun. I think if you caught them at the right moment they would say I was mean [laughs] because when I’m home I’m not afraid to discipline them. I’m all fun until it’s not fun anymore and then daddy’s not the fun guy. I think that they’d say that I was a fun Dad, I’m a loving Dad and I think they would say that. I’m gone so much that when I’m home, I just shower love upon my kids. I say ‘I love you’ probably fifty times a day. We hug, we kiss all the time. I’m always wanting them to know how much I love them. So I’d hope they’d say that I was a loving dad.”

AUDIO: Darius Rucker says he and his wife have tried to be laid-back when it comes to him leaving to go on the road.

Darius Rucker (balancing kids and career) OC: …daddy’s job. :25

“We balance it. The one thing we decided a long time ago when the kids were born was dad going away and coming back was not a big deal. Don’t bring a bunch of presents when you come home and don’t go, ‘Ah, I’m gonna miss you guys.’ Just go and then come back. And that has helped a lot with the kids because they’re cool with it. They sometimes may get upset when I’m only home for a day and leave the next day. They’re really cool with that, the way we’ve handled it is just, ‘It’s Daddy’s job.’”

AUDIO: Dierks Bentley talks about his daughter, Evie, and her love of music.

Dierks Bentley (Father’s Day-Evie) OC: …support her. :31

“My daughter Evie, she just loves being out and about and seeing stuff. She’s got a real gregarious personality and loves to be around music. It’s everywhere she goes … my daughter’s exposure to music in general is crazy. It’s always around. There’s just music everywhere. She loves it, and I’m not trying to turn her into my 401k package down the road, but if she wanted to get into the business, I’d support her.” 

AUDIO: Eric Church describes his father and the qualities he admires in him.

Eric Church (Father’s Day) OC: …always admired. :29

“My dad is a, I’m trying to find the right words to describe him. My dad is a great guy, honest guy, very call it like he sees it, which is where I get a lot of that. No BS. I’m gonna tell you how I feel whether you like it or not, I’m that guy, I’m me…My dad’s that way, so I get a lot of that from him. There’s also an honesty and an integrity that my dad carries himself with that I’ve always admired. I think the both of them combined, and they’ve been married for I think 40 years, to be together that long in this day and time is a feat in itself.”  

AUDIO: Keith Urban – father to daughters Sunday and Faith — says there are a number of things that are at the top of the list of being a dad. 

Keith Urban (Father’s Day) OC: …experience that. :36

“The first thing is probably just having someone call you dad. I’m like, ‘Omigosh! I’m her dad! That’s amazing.’ That’s probably the first thing to me. I don’t know, I mean, the different personalities that our two daughters have, that’s amazing. It’s such a long list I think. I always say…I think for the people that haven’t had kids – which I hadn’t for a long, long time. I didn’t have kids ‘til later on, and being around it is not the same as having them, you know? I realize that it’s not something that can be explained until you actually sort of have it, so I’m glad I got to experience that.” 

AUDIO: Little Big Town’s Jimi Westbrook says fatherhood is absolutely beautiful. He and wife Karen Fairchild became parents to Elijah Dylan on March 5, 2010.

Little Big Town (Jimi-Father’s Day) OC: …beautiful. :32

“It’s still such a new experience for us, and man, I’m telling you, people can tell you all day long how great it’s going to be, but it still never touches it. That little man looking back at me, it’s the most unbelievable feeling. And every day, for me who hates mornings [laughs], waking up to a slap in the face; he’s like pounding on me, then he’s like kissing on me and stuff. It’s unbelievable. It’s absolutely beautiful.” 

LINERS:

Hey! What’s up? This is Darius Rucker, wishing you a Happy Father’s Day.

Hey this is Eric Church wishing you a Happy Father’s Day.

Hi everyone, this is Keith Urban, wishing all you dads out there a Happy Father’s Day.

Hi, this is Little Big Town, wishing all you Fathers a Happy Father’s Day.