Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

Encino, CA (January 3, 2013) – Singer-songwriter Gary Allan headlined Joe’s Bar on Saturday, December 15th with a portion of the proceeds benefitting ACM Lifting Lives, the charitable arm of the Academy of Country Music.  The show raised more than $11,000 for ACM Lifting Lives, which will go to help fund organizations that are improving lives through the power of music. Gary Allan has previously been involved as a volunteer artist in ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp, held annually for campers with developmental disabilities in Nashville, TN.

Ed Warm, co-owner of the two-time ACM Nightclub of the Year and board member of both the Academy of Country Music and ACM Lifting Lives, spearheaded the show.  This is the second Joe’s Bar performance that has benefitted ACM Lifting Lives.  The first, in 2011, featured performances by ACM Award winner LeAnn Rimes and Crystal Bowersox. 

“Joe’s and Gary Allan are both long time Lifting Lives supporters  and we were all thrilled to come together with the help of WUSN for a night of great live music to benefit a great cause,” said Warm. “We hope to do more of these concerts in 2013.” 

About ACM Lifting Lives

ACM Lifting Lives® is the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music dedicated to improving lives through the power of music.  Each year, ACM Lifting Lives provides grants to music therapy and music education programs.  Other giving includes serving members of the country music community who face unexpected medical or financial hardship through the Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund and partnering with artists to improve lives through music. For more information, please visit www.ACMLiftingLives.org.

Easton Corbin is set to release his brand-new single, “All Over The Road,” to radio on January 14th. The song “All Over The Road” (written by Carson Chamberlain, Ashley Gorley and Wade Kirby) serves as the title track to Corbin’s sophomore album that released in September and is the follow-up to his No. 5 hit “Lovin’ You Is Fun.”

About “All Over The Road” Corbin says “It’s a feel-good song. It’s one of those songs that on a great day you want to roll down the windows, crank it up and have a good time.”

In September of 2012 Mercury Records released the sophomore effort by Easton Corbin titled All Over The Road. The 11-song set was produced by celebrated producer Carson Chamberlain. 

The Associated Press said “Country singer Easton Corbin radiates exuberance throughout his second album” while Country Weekly exclaimed “For anyone who thinks there’s not enough ‘country’ in country music, Easton Corbin has taken both hands off the wheel for his newest release.”

Lady Antebellum have guaranteed a few surprises for their 2014 Take Me Downtown Tour, which also features Kip Moore and Kacey Musgraves. The group has been in rehearsals in Nashville for the trek, kicking off January 10th in Peoria, Illinois.

Go behind-the-scenes with Charles, Dave and Hillary as they rehearse for their Take Me Downtown Tour in the clip below.

Dierks Bentley made his New Year’s Day leap, or in this case, “wade” for his annual Polar Plunge. Usually, he’s in Nashville and goes to Middle Tennessee’s Percy Priest Lake for the jump, but for the past couple of years he has had a show in Orlando, Florida on New Year’s Eve. On Wednesday, Dierks tweeted, “no lake today; had to improvise.” Apparently, the pond he went to last year was already occupied – it had an “Alligator Warning” sign posted. So, he did what he could and improvised…with a kiddie pool. (Check out photos below.) Check dierks.com for the DBTV episode on this year’s plunge, which should be posted in the coming days.

Dierks is still hanging around in Florida, since he has a gig performing during the Discover Orange Bowl Half-Time show in at the Sun Life Stadium in Miami on Friday (January 3rd).

Dierks is currently making his way up the country charts with his latest single, “I Hold On,” from his forthcoming album, Riser. 

Dierks Bentley (New Year’s resolution 2014) OC: …to happen. [laughs] :20
[NOTE: Audio courtesy of AJ & Ashley at WWKA/Orlando.]
“A New Year’s resolution for me is just to be really present wherever I am. From [hanging out with] my girls [and boy], really spending time with them and having fun with family, and certainly being on the road with the guys in the band and the show, just being totally present in that moment and making it as good as can be – kind of a weird New Year’s resolution, but I could say, ‘Drink less,’ but it’s not going to happen.” [laughs]

Easton Corbin is getting ready to head out on the road with The Band Perry, and while he waits to hit the stage, you can usually catch him watching a couple of his favorite television shows, including Gator Boys on Animal Planet. He says while he’ll watch the show, he certainly wouldn’t be caught dead trying to emulate the show’s stars.

“Gator wresting, I watch ‘Gator Boys,” says Easton. “I grew up in the state of Florida, [and] there are a lot of alligators down there, and where I’m at, they’re pretty wild. They won’t bother you, but I am not going up to one and try to wrestle it. I’m gonna leave it alone, believe me. I’ll let them do that, [while] I’ll keep singing.”

Gator Boys features Paul Bedard and Jimmy Riffle, two alligator trappers, who risk injury and death to hand-capture nuisance alligators that have invaded the back yards, swimming pools, garages and bedrooms of Florida Everglades residents.

The show returns with new episodes Sunday (January 5^th) on the Animal Planet at 9pm ET/PT.

Easton will return with new music in the coming weeks!

Easton Corbin (Gator Boys) OC: …to play.
“Gator wresting, yeah, yeah. I watch ‘Gator Boys,” Easton explains. “I grew up in the state of Florida there are a lot of alligators down there and where I’m at, they’re pretty wild. They won’t bother you, but I am not going up to one and try to wrestle it. I’m gonna leave it alone, believe me. I’ll let them do that, I’ll keep singing. I need my fingers and hands to play.”

Scotty McCreery has enjoyed Christmas break from work and school (he’s a communications major at North Carolina State University), and before he headed back to class, he thought it would be a good time to get his pesky wisdom teeth removed. So, on Wednesday (January 2nd), he underwent minor oral surgery to remove his wisdom teeth. Prior to going under, he tweeted, “On the way to the doctor…Hopefully, there aren’t any strange tweets from me, ‘cause I will be out of it.”

When he came out of the anesthesia around 10am ET, the doctor and nurse had a big laugh. They said Scotty told them in a groggy voice, “I needed that little rest…got a big show tomorrow.” However, Scotty doesn’t have a show until next month.

Post-surgery, he typed, “Wheeeeeeew wee…feelin’ good. It’s gonna be a Sports Center and couch day for me. Bring on the yogurt/jello/and most importantly, ice cream.”

Scotty has already received some care packages from fans with soup, Lucky Charms and Advil, which will help him get through the next few days.

The singer will be fully recovered when he returns to classes on Monday (January 7th), and he’ll be back on the road performing in February.

We wish Scotty a speedy recovery.

Kip Moore, who recently topped the country charts with his latest single, “Beer Money,” will not be making any New Year’s resolutions for 2013. It’s not really because the Georgia native doesn’t believe in making and achieving goals, but because he consistently works toward them on a daily basis. “I have never made a New Year’s Resolution. I feel like I am always trying to work on things, and I always set goals for myself,” says Kip. “I have never said on New Year’s that I am going to do this and that. It’s more about if I wake up one day, it might be on the second, where I’m like ‘I wanna fix this, or do this better,’ then I’ll do it.”

Kip took time off for the holidays to spend time with family in Georgia, and has been in Hawaii backpacking and surfing before heading back on the road. His first date back is January 17th in Norfolk, Virginia, and he’ll kick off the Hell On Wheels Tour with Brantley Gilbert January 31st in Independence, Missouri.

AUDIO: Kip Moore says he doesn’t make any New Year’s resolutions.

Kip Moore (No New Year’s resolutions) OC: …plan on starting. :22
“I have never made a New Year’s Resolution. I feel like I am always trying to work on things, and I always set goals for myself. I have never said on New Year’s that I am going to do this and that. It’s more about if I wake up one day, it might be on the second, where I’m like ‘I wanna fix this, or do this better,’ then I’ll do it. But I have never had a New Year’s Resolution, and I don’t plan on starting.”

Dierks Bentley’s video for his latest single, “Tip It On Back,” was shot in Athens, Georgia at the famed Georgia Theatre, a year after re-opening from a devastating fire in 2009. The Arizona native says the venue is one of his favorites. “I played there three times before I sold it out, and my brother went to school down there,” says Dierks. “I’ve always loved that theater, and there’s certain clubs along the way when you’re playing those club dates that when you sell them out, it’s a big deal. Selling out the Georgia Theater is a milestone for any country singer. When it burned down, I’m not from Georgia, but I really love that place and it really affected me.”

Dierks, who is closing in on the Top 10 with “Tip It On Back,” will begin rehearsals soon for his Locked and Reloaded Tour with Miranda Lambert January 17th in Columbia, South Carolina.

AUDIO: Dierks Bentley talks about shooting his “Tip It On Back” video at the famed Georgia Theatre in Athens, Ga.

Dierks Bentley (Tip It On Back video) 3 OC: …shoot it there. :31
“The Georgia Theater’s like one of my favorite venues. I played there three times before I sold it out, and my brother went to school down there. I’ve always loved that theater, and there’s certain clubs along the way when you’re playing those club dates that when you sell them out, it’s a big deal. Selling out the Georgia Theatre is a milestone for any country singer. When it burned down, I’m not from Georgia, but I really love that place and it really affected me. I went down there and visited and just the walls were standing. When it came time to make this video, we knew we wanted to shoot it somewhere kind of college-y, and really just Athens [Georgia] and knowing that place was back open again, I wanted to shoot it there.”

Kelleigh Bannen sure knows how to mix up a delicious cocktail. For New Year’s Day, she has whipped up the perfect hangover cure — a bloody mary.  She gives you step-by-step instructions on how to make your own, especially if you imbibed a little too much on New Year’s Eve!