Dierks Bentley writes in his online journal that his “Throttle Wide Open Tour,” which kicked off in Rome, Georgia late last week, is the most prepared he’s ever been to hit the stage.
He says, “This is by far the most preparation that the band, the crew and I have ever put into a tour. [We’ve had] months of planning…from drawings on napkins of what we envisioned the stage to look like, to long days of rehearsals throughout September. We’ve added some songs, some looks, some extra guys in our crew….even another semi-truck.”
[via ArtistoMedia]
Nashville, TN (October 03, 2007) - After the monumental successes of their platinum selling album, The Road to Here, it seems every great name in the business noticed Little Big Town’s talent and extraordinary drive. The band has shared songs and stages with heroes Lindsay Buckingham, John Mellencamp, Martina McBride, Keith Urban and soon superstar George Strait, as they hit the road with the King of Country in January.
Music critics, industry VIPs, country radio and peers also weighed in and cast their votes earning the vocalists two Grammy Award nominations and a list of CMA, ACM and CMT Award nods and won the 2007 Academy of Country Music Award for “Top New Duo or Vocal Group.”
But music fans across the country spoke the loudest - they came out, called in, showed up and begged for more. Now the high-flying group dares to dream even bigger and is more determined than ever to give them more - more of themselves and more great country music.
“This record is the heart and soul of what we’re about,” says Karen Fairchild, who shares lead and harmony vocals with the other members of this wholly democratic group. “We did a lot of soul searching while making this record. It was a very intense, and very gratifying, experience.”
The new album, A Place To Land, will be released November 6th by Equity Music Group. The disc consists of 12 new tracks, 10 of which are penned by Little Big Town themselves with their producer, Wayne Kirkpatrick. Each song sends a potent message ranging from commentary on emotional abuse, “Evangeline”, to the yearning love song “To Know Love”, which the band wrote on Valentine’s Day.
The group purposely set out to deliver what they describe as a “complete body of work.” An album that not only represents a variety of emotions and experiences but still works closely together as a whole. “We’re fans of albums that you listen to from start to finish, like Rumours and Red-Headed Stranger,” Jimi Westbrook says. “We wanted every song to be a piece of a bigger puzzle.”
The critically acclaimed band is up for 2007 Country Music Association Awards for “Vocal Group of the Year” and the “Horizon Award.” You can catch them on the road currently with Sugarland and Jake Owen on the CMT Tour.
Dolly Parton says that prior to her performance on last night’s episode of ABC’s Dancing With The Stars, she had turned down many offers to appear on the hit show. So what made this time different? She didn’t have to dance. Dolly tells the Knoxville News-Sentinel that she admittedly has two left feet and always keeps the choreography to a minimum during her concerts. She does, however, enjoy watching Dancing With The Stars. Dolly shares, “I love the show. I love the clothes. I love watching everybody else dance. I love the highlights and waiting to see who’s going to go.” She adds that her friend Billy Ray Cyrus is her all-time favorite contestant from the show because he also has two left feet.
LeAnn Rimes’ voice is the first fans will hear when they pop in the new Reba Duets album. LeAnn and Reba’s duet, “When You Love Someone Like That,” is track one on the project, and according to some critics the best one.
LeAnn shares her thoughts on the country music icon, who she refers to as a “big sister”: “I’m just always inspired by her. She’s just a great woman and a woman that knows what she wants and has gone into so many facets of the business as far as, you know, film and Broadway and done extremely well and always broadened her horizons. And to me, I just kind of look at a woman who’s never taken no for an answer. She pushes through and gets what she wants and I respect that about her.” Much in the same vain as Reba, LeAnn apparently doesn’t take no for an answer either. In the beginning of her career, she went to Reba and her husband Narvel to ask for a management deal. Reba recently told Larry King that at the time, the couple advised LeAnn to mature a bit before launching her career. LeAnn of course did no such thing and the rest is history.
LeAnn’s new album, Family, will drop on October 9.
Patty Loveless will be chugging along on the 2007 Santa Train to help distribute 15 tons of toys and gifts to thousands in Appalachia, according to The Tennessean. Patty, who received gifts from the Santa Train as a child, will now be along for the ride on its 110-mile journey through Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia on November 17.
Sara Evans is officially divorced! Access Hollywood reports that a judge granted Sara the divorce Friday on the grounds of “irreconcilable differences.” Court documents state that Evans has agreed to pay her ex-husband, Craig Schelske, 600 thousand dollars in alimony – which can be broken up into 10 annual payments of 60 thousand dollars. In addition, she will keep the family’s Tennessee home, and Craig will take the couple’s two homes in Oregon.
They filed a formal statement to the court Friday. It reads: “The parties have agreed that it is in their best interests and those of their children to amicably resolve all issues in their pending divorce. Each wishes the other well in all future endeavors. Both parties are fully committed to raising their children in a cooperative and positive way. Both parties are loving and caring parents. They request that everyone respect the family’s privacy. The parties will have no further comment regarding any allegations of fault or misconduct alleged by either party in these divorce proceedings.” Apparently ready to move on, Sara recently told a Chicago radio station that she’s been keeping busy with her upcoming Greatest Hits CD, which is due out October 9. She adds that her situation makes her laugh about the video for her latest single, “As If,” noting that she wishes it were as easy to find the right guy as it seems to be in the clip. As for dating, Evans says all of her time lately has been spent either on the road or at home with her three children and that’s “perfectly fine” with her.
Uncle Kracker pleaded guilty Friday to a misdemeanor charge of assaulting a woman in a downtown nightclub in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina following a performance last month. Newobserver.com reports the judge put Uncle Kracker, whose real name is Matthew Shafer, on probation for 12 months, fined him 15 hundred dollars and ordered him to undergo an alcohol assessment. Shafer pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in a plea bargain with prosecutors, who dismissed the original felony charge of second-degree forcible sex offense, which carries a prison sentence of up to 15 years and requires registration as a sex offender. The prosecutors said in court that Shafer had been drinking heavily when he stumbled down a staircase into the woman and put his hand up her skirt. The woman slapped Shafer, and he slapped her back. The judge told Shafer, “Just imagine the circumstances where this could have happened to one of your daughters in terms of how you would feel.”
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