Kip Moore is looking forward to the NFL playoff games this weekend. Even though his Atlanta Falcons are out of the running, he’s set his sights on another team – the Denver Broncos.

“I pulled for Brett Farve forever, so where ever he was I pulled,” he tells Albright & O’Malley & Brenner. “Now I don’t really have a team, I’ve been pulling for the Broncos because I dig Peyton [Manning], yeah my Falcons are out of it so I have to pull for Peyton.”

The Georgia native will be watching the games from his bus, as he hits the road with Lady Antebellum on the Take Me Downtown 2014 Tour, which kicks off Friday (January 10^th) in Peoria, Illinois.

“I love it come playoff time and I watched all the games during the season, and we watch a lot of football on the bus. It’s my favorite sport to watch.”

Kip has hit the airwaves with his latest single, “Young Love.”

Kip Moore (pulling for Peyton) OC: …for Peyton. :10

“I pulled for Brett Farve forever, so where ever he was I pulled,” he tells Albright & O’Malley & Brenner. “Now I don’t really have a team, I’ve been pulling for the Broncos because I dig Peyton [Manning], yeah my Falcons are out of it so I have to pull for Peyton.”

AUDIO: Kip Moore says he’s a big NFL fan and is planning on watching the playoff games this weekend. [NOTE: Audio Credit Albright & O’Malley & Brenner]

Kacey Musgraves’ “Merry Go Round” is featured on the 2014 Grammy Nominees album, due in stores January 21st. The songstress is nominated for Best New Artist and Best Country Album for Same Trailer, Different Park. Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean, Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars, Pink and Imagine Dragons are also included on the collection.
Kacey is getting ready to head out on Lady Antebellum’s Take Me Downtown Tour, which kicks off Friday (January 10th) in Peoria, Illinois.

The 56th Annual Grammy Awards will be broadcast live from the Staples Center in L.A. January 26th at 8pm ET/PT on CBS.

Kacey Musgraves (Merry Go Round) OC: …in life. :26 (Merry Go Round story)
“Really it’s just about life, and I feel like no matter what sized town you’re from – big or small – or if you’re wealthy or poor, we’re all kind of driven by the same emotions, distraction[s]. And two, I feel like when people are scared to branch out of their comfort zone, they tend to settle a little bit. That’s never good for anybody. It leads to regret, and it’s just something that happens in life.”

Luke Bryan, Eric Church and Lady Antebellum have been tapped to perform at the inaugural iHeartRadio Country Festival March 29th at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, Hunter Hayes, Florida Georgia Line, Jake Owen and Dan + Shay are also scheduled to perform.

Tickets for the event will go on sale January 18th.

ENCINO, CA (January 8, 2013) – Superstars Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton will co-host Country Music’s Party of the Year®, the 48^th ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, honoring country music’s best and introducing the industry’s hottest emerging talent, broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 7^th, 2013 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network. The show is produced by dick clark productions, inc. This year’s show will mark reigning ACM Male Vocalist of the Year Shelton’s third consecutive turn hosting the Awards and Bryan’s first time hosting a LIVE televised event.

Brad Paisley will host the 3^rd Annual ACM Fan Jam, taking place at The Orleans Arena Sunday, April 7^th, 2013. This live remote location gives country music lovers the ultimate fan-pass to be a part of the 48^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards! Throughout the three-hour Awards telecast from MGM Grand, there will be live ACM Fan Jam performances, via remote from The Orleans Arena, by Brad Paisley and other top-tier music acts. The ACM Fan Jam continues after the Awards telecast ends, with performances by Brad Paisley and friends. Details and other participating talent will be announced soon but fans can tweet to unlock a special message from Brad, delivered to them immediately after they tweet, by visiting the ACM Social Splash page at www.ACMsocialsplash.com.

The Academy and dick clark productions will once again tape an all-star concert TV special Monday, April 8, 2013 at 7:00 PM at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, featuring today’s top country acts and more. Talent announcements are forthcoming. The special will air later on CBS and ticket proceeds will benefit ACM Lifting Lives.

Country music fans “unlocked” this press release in the first-ever ACM “Tweet to Unlock” promotion, wherein fans were invited to send a minimum of 25,000 tweets before the date and host information would be released to the public. Fans were alerted to the opportunity on Friday, and reached the 25,000 threshold in just less than 4 days.

The Academy will announce its full schedule of The Week Vegas Goes Country™ events in the coming weeks, which will include The ACM Experience, to be held April 5-7, 2013 at The Orleans Hotel and Casino. In its sophomore year, this free, family-friendly open-to-the-public country music lifestyle event will once again feature LIVE country music performances, interactive games and dance competitions, the ACM Expo a shopper’s paradise and country marketplace, and much, much more to be announced.

For event updates, ticket on-sale dates and hotel information, please visit www.ACMcountry.com. Country fans may sign up for the ACM A-List for FREE at www.ACMcountry.com. ACM A-Listers will receive the ticket purchase pre-sale code and information on discounted room rates at MGM Grand and The Orleans Hotel and Casino, based on availability.

 GENERAL PUBLIC TICKET ON-SALE: Tickets will go on-sale to the general public at 10:00 AM (PT) Friday, January 25, 2013 at www.ACMawards.com

For more information on the ACM Awards and all ACM events, visit www.ACMcountry.com, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter at @ACMawards for more immediate updates!.

Eric Church‘s latest single, “Like Jesus Does,” is beginning to hit the airwaves — a couple of weeks before its official release. The North Carolina native recorded the song for his platinum-selling Chief before he found out he was going to be a first-time Dad — son Boone McCoy was born October 3rd, 2011 — but the meaning of the song changed for him after finding out the news. “I have always loved Catherine, I have always loved my wife. When you are having a kid, it’s a totally different thing,” says Eric. “That song’s a lot about that. I have a ton of imperfections. I have always been open about that; I mean Sinners Like Me was about that. She has always made me better than who I am, and I think that now, in recording that song before finding out we were pregnant, and listening to it now, it’s an even deeper meaning.”

Eric is nominated for two Grammy Awards for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song for his two-week No. 1, “Springsteen.” The 55th Annual Grammy Awards will air Sunday, February 10th on CBS.

AUDIO: Eric Church recorded his latest single, “Like Jesus Does”– the only song on the record he didn’t write — before he found out he was going to be a first-time dad. The song changed meaning for him after finding out the news.

Eric Church (Like Jesus Does) OC: …sweeter. :37
“Ironically, the one song to me that has taken on a different meaning is the song I didn’t write, which is Like Jesus Does, you know. I have always loved Catherine, I have always loved my wife. When you are having a kid, it’s a totally different thing. That song’s a lot about that. I have a ton of imperfections. I have always been open about that; I mean Sinners Like Me was about that. She has always made me better than who I am, and I think that now, in recording that song before finding out we were pregnant, and listening to it now, it’s an even deeper meaning. So I am very glad, very glad that song is on the record, and was something we already decided to do before that because it made it that much sweeter.”

Grand Ole Opry To Make Debut At CRS 2013 

Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Dustin Lynch, Scotty McCreery, Vince Gill and others to perform

Nashville, TN – MCA Nashville recording artist David Nail ended 2012 on a high note with his song and sophomore album title track (2011) “The Sound Of A Million Dreams” being on several country year end best-of lists.

Billboard.com’s Chuck Dauphin named “The Sound of A Million Dreams” his No. 1 song of the year in his Top 10 Country Songs wrap-up. Dauphin added “…this was (by far) Nashville’s best musical moment of 2012.” He went on to say “Nail is so ahead of the Music City curve that it’s scary.”

AOL’s The Boot listed “The Sound of A Million Dreams” as its No. 4 pick in their 12 Best Songs of 2012 stating “David can testify with the best of them vocally when the spirit moves him, and he definitely knows his way around a soulful lyric.”

No time for Nail to rest on his laurels. He’s back at work on his next album for MCA and he will be on the road opening up for Little Big Town on their Tornado Tour starting later this month.

For a list of tour dates visit www.davidnail.com. Stay tuned for new music from David Nail soon.

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.”