Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

Alan Jackson heads to Mineral, Virginia this weekend to put on a show in the Louisa County High School parking lot. Last year, Mineral won an online contest to be the site of a free Jackson concert — Mineral received more than 31,000 votes in the competition sponsored by eventful.com. Kansas City was in second place and Minot, N.D., was third. The town rallied to win the concert — taking place Sunday (May 20th) — following an August earthquake that did millions of dollars in damage to home and buildings in Louisa County.

Funds raised for the Louisa Education Foundation (LEF) will be used to assist the county public schools in their rebuilding efforts as a result of an August 2011 earthquake. The fund will help in the rebuilding of the Louisa County High School and be earmarked for replacement of the school’s extensively-used auditorium. The Louisa County High School is currently condemned after earthquake damage.

For more information on how you can help, go to musicformineral.com.

Alan is currently making his way up the country charts with his latest smash, “So You Don’t Have to Love Me Anymore,” which is from his forthcoming album, Thirty Miles West, due in stores (and online) June 5th. 

AJ (Mineral) OC: …little story. :45

“That thing just kind of grew into this crazy show that it’s become, because we had this contest going, I guess, at radio where every town could vote and whoever got the most votes, I’d come and do a free show for or something, I guess is how it started. And then when this town had the earthquake and damaged the school as well as other buildings in town and didn’t get much attention for it. Somebody in that town, I believe a fan, got on that internet and rallied all this together and got everybody around the country to vote for this little town to win this contest to do the show; that’s how it all started. And so, it’s kind of interesting that that much passion went into that and came together. I don’t think they said there’s about 400 people that live there, so it’ll be a small show…we’re gonna try to raise a little money to help ‘em, and I think it’s a pretty cool little story.” 

AJ (Mineral) 2 OC: …show like that. :16

“You know, I’ve played so many shows now from everything you could imagine, and when you walk out on stage at arenas and all, and it gets to be kind of routine. This’ll be a little different. It’ll be more, I don’t know, it’ll just be more charming, I think, is what I’m trying to say, and every now and then, it’s good to do a show like that.”

CAPITOL NASHVILLE act LITTLE BIG TOWN are hopping off their “Pontoon” for a couple of minutes to climb on their motorcycles for their annual RIDE FOR A CURE  benefit ride and concert on Sunday, June 10th in Nashville, with proceeds benefiting the T.J. MARTELL FOUNDATION. This will be the group’s 6th consecutive year hosting the ride.

The ride will start at MICKEY ROO’S in the KROGER INDEPENDENCE SQUARE parking lot on Hillsboro Pike in Franklin, Tennessee (located south of Nashville). Registration begins at 8a (CT). Post-ride festivities will begin at 12p (CT) and includes performances by LAUREN ALAINA, DEAN ALEXANDER, LOVE AND THEFT and LITTLE BIG TOWN as well as a live auction for all attendees.

Gowns and corsages have been purchased, tuxes been rented and now the excitement of the graduating class of 2012 at Henryville High School and the surrounding counties has built to a crescendo for Wednesday night’s (May 16th) concert “prom” event featuring Lady Antebellum.

 (from Indiana’s FOX-TV affiliate)

Support has also poured in from across the country, and right next door, in the form of money, supplies and a chance for the teens to escape, even for a night. “We love you Lady Antebellum, but we love Henryville high school even more,” said one teen in a video submitted to the band.

Lady Antebellum held an “Own the Prom” contest where students could submit videos for the chance to win a free concert. Several schools submitted videos asking that the free concert go to Henryville instead of their schools. On Wednesday, that generosity will pay off in Louisville. The award-winning group will give the teens a second prom. The event is also a benefit concert where all proceeds will go towards the tornado relief effort in the small Indiana town. Henryville High teens will be given several other free tickets for their families who will join them at the concert that is open to the public. Juniors and Seniors at Silver Creek High, who helped with the campaign to get Henryville the free concert, will also get free tickets to the concert. The school had the winning video. 

AUDIO: Lady A’s Charles Kelley says the band’s prom contest was actually Hillary Scott’s idea. 

Lady A (prom event) OC: …her ideas. :32 

“That was Hillary’s idea. I have to give her credit. She had this idea, you know, when we had ‘Dancin’ Away With My Heart,’ I think it definitely takes people back to that prom date or that first love. And she said, ‘It would be really cool if we went and crashed a prom or something.’ And so, it turned into this whole thing. When all that stuff happened at Henryville, it was really cool to see all these submissions coming in from other schools (HILLARY: “Telling us to choose them.”) on behalf of that school, and it really meant a lot to, I mean, it said a lot to us. So, we’re actually going to do a bigger event…but I, we, have to give Hillary all of the credit for that. That was one of her ideas.” 

AUDIO: Lady A’s Hillary Scott explains how she came up with the idea for the band’s prom event. 

Lady A (prom event) 2 OC: …their faces. :29

“It was one of those things where I was thinking about it, and thinking about the title of the album, Own the Night, and how that would be such a fun prom theme for this graduating class, because it wasn’t that long ago that I was there myself. And then to see it grow and grow and build into what it’s become. It all starts with a little bitty idea and to see what all has come of it and what it’s going to end up being. We just want to bring that community joy and hope and just do whatever we can to put smiles on their faces.”

Lady Antebellum and Little Big Town are among the first announced performers for this year’s CMT Music Awards. They’re joined by Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown Band.

The CMT 2012 Music Awards will be broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena June 6th.

Fans may vote for their favorite music videos at the CMT Awards website through June 4th.

Little Big Town recently shot the video for their new single, “Pontoon,” on Nashville’s Percy Priest Lake. The foursome enjoyed a full day on a pontoon boat on the water during a beautiful, sunny day in Middle Tennessee. It was familiar territory for the members of the group, since most of them grew up near area lakes and spent their summers on the water. “I grew up on pontoon boats in the summer on the lakes, and just having a blast,” says LBT’s Phillip Sweet. He explains that the song truly represents the warmer months. “It’s just fun! It really is. It feels like summer, and it feels exactly what it sounds like.” 

• “Pontoon” is the first single from Little Big Town’s forthcoming album, due out later this year.
• The video for “Pontoon” should hit video outlets in the coming weeks. 

AUDIO: Little Big Town’s Phillip Sweet says the band’s latest single, “Pontoon,” is a great summer song. 

LBT (Pontoon Summer fun) OC: (Phillip) …summertime fun. :13

“It’s just fun! [Jimi laughs] It really is. It feels like summer, and it feels exactly what it sounds like. I grew up on pontoon boats in the summer on the lakes, and just having a blast. So, it’s good ole clean summertime fun.”

Meet Capitol/Nashville’s newest addition, Jon Pardi, and his Pardi Posse (aka, the band) in his debut webisode: My Name is Jon, Episode 1: The Cinnamon Challenge. Also, check out Jon’s debut single, “Missin’ You Crazy,” available on iTunes.