Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

Little Big Town launch theirTornado Tour in Murray, Kentucky on Thursday night (January 31st). The band is taking special guests Kacey Musgraves and David Nail along for the ride on select dates, and they’re excited about performing songs from their Tornado album. “It’s gonna be so much fun to go out and play more of the songs from the Tornado record and dig deeper in our catalog and play some stuff for our fans,” says LBT’s Phillip Sweet.

Kacey is on the tour through March 3rd, and David Nail is expected to pick up the rest of the dates through May 9th.

Little Big Town, whose current single “Tornado” is sitting inside the Top 10, are up for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Pontoon.”

AUDIO: Little Big Town’s Phillip Sweet talks about the band’s Tornado Tour.

LBT (tour) OC: …for our fans. :15
“Tornado Tour—we’re bringing out Kacey Musgraves with us on tour, and also David Nail’s gonna play some of the dates, as well. So, it’s gonna be so much fun to go out and play more of the songs from the Tornado record and dig deeper in our catalog and play some stuff for our fans.”

Kip Moore is getting ready to hit the road with Brantley Gilbert on his Hell on Wheels Tour, which kicks off Thursday (January 31st) in Kansas City, Missouri. The Georgia native doesn’t exactly know how to describe his show to folks, except to say, “I feel like you’re definitely gonna sense the fact that all my heart and soul is in my performance, and beyond that I don’t really know what to tell you [what] to expect, but I’m gonna give everything I’ve got every single time.”

We definitely know at Kip’s show you will hear a couple of number-one songs (“Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck,” “Beer Money”) and his latest single hitting the charts, “Hey Pretty Girl.”

Kip will also be making an appearance with his tourmate (Brantley Gilbert) during the annual Country Radio Seminar’s New Faces Show next month.

AUDIO: Kip Moore explains what fans can expect from his live show.

Kip Moore (what to expect from his live show) OC: …single time. :25
“People ask me a lot of times, you know, what can we expect from a Kip Moore show, and a lot of times I just, in the self-deprecating way I’ll say, ‘Mediocrity at best.’ I don’t quite know how to answer that. I don’t have things that I’ve planned out that I’m gonna do. There’s not too much stage stuff. I feel like you’re definitely gonna sense the fact that all my heart and soul is in my performance, and beyond that I don’t really know what to tell you to expect, but I’m gonna give everything I’ve got every single time.”

Kelleigh Bannen revisits the radio tour for her debut single, “Sorry on the Rocks.”

Gary Allan’s ninth studio album, Set You Free, is tops at both the country and pop album charts. Selling more than 106,000 albums in its debut week, Set You Free currently sits at number-one overall. This marks Gary’s first No.1 Billboard Top 200 debut and third No. 1 debut on the Billboard Country Albums Chart.

Furthermore, Allan’s first single off Set You Free, the RIAA Gold certified “Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain),” reached the top position on the Billboard Country Airplay Chart, Mediabase/Country Aircheck and Music Row charts this week. The California native is no stranger to having a hit at radio. With “Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain)” reaching the top position, this marks the fifth time Allan has had a No. 1 song, additionally he has had a cool dozen Top 10 hits.

It has been a long while, but it feels really good,” says Allan. “I would especially like to thank all of my fans and everyone at radio.  I would also like to thank everyone on my team who has helped to get me to this point.  This is a great feeling!”

On the Billboard Hot 100 chart (which combines airplay, sales and streaming data), “Every Storm” jumped to No. 29 last week — marking Allan’s second-biggest Hot 100 hit ever. Only “Man to Man” went higher — No. 25 — in 2003. It’s expected that “Every Storm” will move up on the Hot 100 when it compiled later today (Jan. 30). 

UMG Nashville’s Chairman and CEO, Mike Dungan humbly adds “What a gratifying moment for Gary and everyone on his team, including his family here at MCA and the Universal Music Group! This album is a spectacular piece of work, from one of music’s most unique and talented artists.  We are so proud to represent Gary and his music.”

The excitement for Allan’s Set You Free continues. USA Today gave it FOUR OUT OF FOUR STARS and said “Allan is the outlaw whom country’s new wave dreams of being.” NPR admitted “A great mainstream country vocalist knows how to balance ardor with grit. Gary Allan is a master at that Blend” and the Nashville Scene boldly stated “when it comes to album-making as a serious art form, Neil Young has nothing on Gary Allan.”

AUDIO: Gary Allan says the title of his latest album, Set You Free, is indicative of where he is at in his life.

Gary Allan (Set You Free title-feel) OC: …no-brainer. :25
“To me that’s like encompassing of kind of where I’m at right now. The feel of the album, if you look at the titles, it’s actually a break up from beginning to end. It kicks off with ‘Tough Goodbye’ and it ends with ‘Good as New,’ kind of all the phases that you go through to heal…So [with] Set You Free, I just felt like that was the essence of everything that I was doing. Even when we did the pictures, it kind of seemed to have that feel and it seemed like a no-brainer.”

Kacey Musgraves is getting ready to head out on the road with Little Big Town on the band’s Tornado Tour, which kicks off Thursday (January 31st) in Murray, Kentucky. The Texas native, whose debut single “Merry Go Round” is sitting inside the Top 15, is ready for her first major tour. “I’m really lucky to have really great people working [with] me who have awesome ideas and [are] very helpful and just very instrumental in getting this whole thing rolling, because this is pretty new to me,” says Kacey. “Touring on a national scale is something that is new to me, especially with a set band that’s yours. I mean, I come from the school of playing acoustic.”

So, with this full band and a stage, what can the crowd expect to see, besides hearing amazing songs? “We’re going to have some cool aesthetic aspects to the shows too, playing off the Same Trailer, Different Park album title. I just love kitchy-ness,” admits Kacey. “I’m gonna say there might be some Astroturf involved, some pink flamingos.”

“Merry Go Round” is the first single from Kacey’s debut album, Same Trailer, Different Park, which arrives in stores March 19th.

AUDIO: Kacey Musgraves has been in rehearsals with her new band for Little Big Town’s Tornado tour, which kicks off Thursday (January 31st) in Murray, Kentucky.

Kacey Musgraves (LBT tour kickoff) OC: …that we play. :59
“It’s been really fun, and it’s all come together so fast, unbelievably fast, but I’m really lucky to have really great people working [with] me who have awesome ideas and very helpful and just very instrumental in getting this whole thing rolling, because this is pretty new to me. I mean, I’ve definitely been an artist for a long time and playing out and stuff, but touring on a national scale is something that is new to me, especially with a set band that’s yours. I mean, I come from the school of playing acoustic, which I really love. So, this is a different kind of format, and it’s really cool. We’re going to have some cool aesthetic aspects to the shows too, playing off the Same Trailer, Different Park album title. I just love kitchy-ness. I’m gonna say there might be some Astroturf involved, some pink flamingos. So, there’s gonna be some fun parts of that too, and getting comfortable and getting all the pieces together. It’s been fun, but it’s happening fast, but it’s only going to get better as the more shows that we play.”

AUDIO: LINER Kacey Musgraves (Tornado Tour)
“Hey! This is Kacey Musgraves. Looking forward to seeing you on the Tornado Tour.”

AUDIO: LINER Kacey Musgraves (Looking forward to seeing you again)
“Hey! This is Kacey Musgraves. Thanks for coming to my show last night.  See you again real soon.”

Lady Antebellum and Stevie Nicks are hitting the stage this week to tape an episode of CMT Crossroads together in Los Angeles. While we don’t know the full story behind their collaboration yet, Lady A’s Hillary Scott says it was the legendary singer’s idea. “The way that this all came about is going to be in the show, because it’s a really cool story that we’re gonna sit down and let her tell how it all came about, because it wasn’t her management calling our management or CMT trying to call each of us, because they had the idea,” says Hillary. “This was her idea, and the way it came about was very organic and beautiful and I’m gonna let her tell that story, so you’ll have to watch it to hear the story.”

The show is expected to air on CMT later this year.

In the meantime, the members of Lady A are enjoying their highest debut of a single with “Downtown” this week.

AUDIO: Lady Antebellum and Stevie Nicks pair up to tape a new episode of CMT Crossroads this week, and Hillary Scott says the idea wasn’t manufactured.

Lady A (Stevie Nicks & Crossroads) OC: …her idea. :38
“We had a conference call with her, and I was floating afterwards. I mean, this woman is amazing. She was so kind, so excited, and the way that this all came about is going to be in the show, because it’s a really cool story that we’re gonna sit down and let her tell how it all came about. Because it wasn’t her management calling our management or CMT trying to call each of us, because they had the idea. This was her idea, and the way it came about was very organic and beautiful and I’m gonna let her tell that story, so you’ll have to watch it to hear the story, but it was her idea.”

Check out Lady Antebellum’s performance of their hot new single, “Downtown,” on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on Monday night (January 28th).

Lady Antebellum’s Lead Single “Downtown” Marks Highest Career Chart Debut

Grammy Winning Trio to Debut “Downtown” On The Tonight Show With Jay Leno