Zac Brown Band wins Grammy for Best New Artist

Los Angeles – Country music’s The Zac Brown Band won the Best New Artist award at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday. Lead by artist Zac Brown, the band was the only country music group nominated in the overall category. Other nominees included Keri Hilson, MGMT, Silversun Pickups and the Ting Tings.

During televised award show, the band performed snippets of “America the Beautiful”, their debut single “Chicken Fried” and “Dixie Lullaby” a collaboration with artist Leon Russell. Zac Brown, donning his signature beanie cap, concluded their performance with an aggressive acoustic guitar picking.

The band’s major-label debut, “The Foundation”, reached to No. 17 on the U.S. pop chart.

Wisc. Summer Country Fests

While summer might feel like light years away – considering while I write this it’s snowing here in Chicago – the Wisconsin country music festival organizers are in high gear. With major lineup announcements fluttering my inbox and pre-season deals in full-swing, I thought it might be a good time to highlight some great deals for summer fun. Besides, with times like these, you might as well forgo that Caribbean getaway for a country music filled extended weekend in the Northwoods.

Looking forward: In June, Country USA will kick it off in Oshkosh on June 22 and Country Fest will fire up in Cadott on June 24.

Country Thunder in Twin Lakes and Country Jam in Eau Claire share the July 22 weekend. Country Thunder is considerably closer than Country Fest but they’re both well worth the trip. The new kid on the block this year is the Log Jam Fest in Phillips and it boasts a great lineup and fun additional activities. If you time it correctly, you could hit this festival with Country Thunder or Country Jam.

They ALL have excellent star-studded lineups, tons of great brew and for the outdoor enthusiast they all offer on-site camping. Be sure to book now. Early bird offers end soon and VIP/reserved seating move quickly. Camping generally requires multi-day passes and reserved sites go quick. Hotel rooms are typically very limited and usually way off site.

- North Central

NEW: Log Jam Fest – Phillips (July 30 – Aug. 1, 2010) logjamfest.com

Log Jam Fest is the newest addition to this list. While it’s the farthest North, the lineup and activities look well worth the drive and the Philips area is beautiful. You could really turn it into a great vacation. Bonus, it’s produced by AStar Promotions (Zoo Tunes/Pheasant Run/Joliet NASCAR /Southern Lights in Kentucky/ numerous events in Nashville & Country on the Beach in Cancun) they always put on a awesome show!

Major headliners include Montgomery Gentry, Cowboy Troy, Jake Owen, The Lost Trailers, Josh Gracin, Jeffrey Steele, Randy Houser and Gretchen Wilson. Plus one of our local artists, the PenneMaeDixon Band.

Ticket Options: 1 – 3 Day General Admission, Reserved Seating, Camping add-on

- South Central

Country Thunder – Twin Lakes (July 22 – 25, 2010) countrythunder.com

Country Thunder has been a Stateline favorite for many years and 2010 boasts a stellar lineup. Best of all, if you can’t manage the whole festival, you can hop up for a night or two but the best seats and camping are reserved for 4-day pass holders. Kenny Chesney is on a very limited engagement tour this summer. Could be one of his last shows for awhile!

2010 Headliners include, Kenny Chesney, Sugarland, Miranda Lambert, Sawyer Brown, Jason Aldean, Billy Currington, Kevin Costner and Modern West, John Michael Montgomery, Big Kenny, Craig Morgan, Jo Dee Messina, Luke Bryan, Collin Raye, Eric Church, Randy Houser, David Nail, Gloriana, Trailer Choir, Kate & Kacey and Jason Jones.

Ticket Options: 1 – 4 Day General Admission, Reserved Seating, Camping add-on

- Northwest

Country Jam – Eau Claire (July 22 – 24, 2010) – countryjam.com

It’s been a few years since I’ve been to Country Jam but as I recall, we had one heck of a time. If you have a bit more time for the extra drive, I highly recommend it. Eau Claire is a wonderful city and the festival is pretty impressive.

Featuring Jason Aldean, Sugarland, Miranda Lambert, Kellie Pickler, Billy Currington, Sawyer Brown, Big Kenny, LoCash Cowboys and Tim Sigler with additional acts to be announced.

Ticket Options: 1 – 3 Day General Admission, Reserved Seating, Skybox Seats, Camping add-on

Country Fest – Cadott (June 24 – 27, 2010) countryfest.com

I’ll be honest, I’ve never even heard of the town of Cadott prior to researching for this article but I wanted to share Country Fest because the lineup is pretty impressive.

Tim McGraw, Reba McEntire, Lady Antebellum, Blake Shelton, Toby Keith, Jamey Johnson, Darius Rucker, Rodney Atkins, Pat Green, Eric Church, Jo Dee Messina, Little Big Town, Neal McCoy, Heidi Newfield, Jason Michael Carroll, Darryl Worley, Eli Young Band, Trailer Choir and Walker Hayes.

Ticket Options: 1 – 4 Day General Admission, Reserved Seating, Camping add-on

- Northeast

Country USA – Oshkosh (June 22 – 26, 2010) countryusaoshkosh.com

Personally haven’t had the opportunity to attend this fest yet but it looks very promising. The lineup is impressive and it’s in June so it doesn’t overlap with the July fests.

Festival headliners include, Toby Keith, Blake Shelton, Darius Rucker, Zac Brown Band, Randy Houser, Jason Aldean, Darryl Worley, Rodney Atkins, Jason Michael Carroll, Confederate Railroad, Luke Bryan, Jack Ingram, Tracy Byrd, Lonestar and Sawyer Brown. Additional announcements to come.

Ticket Options: 1 – 4 Day General Admission, Reserved Seating, Camping add-on

FREE Festival Tips: Always make sure you bring the following: sunscreen, bug spray, a camera, rain gear, a 4×4 vehicle if possible and an open mind. Have fun but always play responsibly and respect fellow concertgoers. Remember, we’re all fans. See you this summer, Eh.

Who do you want to see?

Grammy Awards – Country Nomination Roundup

This year is country music’s night to shine at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards. Taylor Swift leads the country genre with eight nominations, including five nods outside of the country field, and is only second overall to pop-star Beyoncé. Swift General Field nods include Album of the Year for “Fearless” as well as Record and Song of the Year for “You Belong With Me”. She shares a collaborative nomination with Colbie Caillat for the song “Breathe”.

Country newcomers the Zac Brown Band received a nomination for overall Best New Artist as well as nods for Best Country Album for “The Foundation” and Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group for the song “Chicken Fried”.

The annual awards show will broadcast live, on Sunday, Jan. 31, from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The show will air locally at 7 p.m. on WBBM-TV.

Here’s a closer look at the Country Field nominations. Taylor Swift, Lee Ann Womack and George Strait lead the genre with three nominations each.

Best Female Country Vocal Performance for a solo vocal performance.

• Dead Flowers – Miranda Lambert
• I Just Call You Mine – Martina McBride
• White Horse – Taylor Swift
• Just A Dream – Carrie Underwood
• Solitary Thinkin’ – Lee Ann Womack

It’s probably a given for Swift to win in this category but I would like to see Lambert pick up a Grammy for Dead Flowers, the first single from her latest album titled “Revolution”. This could very well be a great year for Lee Ann Womack too. Her last win was in 2002 for a collaboration with Willie Nelson.

Best Male Country Vocal Performance for a solo vocal performance.

• All I Ask For Anymore – Trace Adkins
• People Are Crazy – Billy Currington
• High Cost Of Living – Jamey Johnson
• Living For The Night – George Strait
• Sweet Thing – Keith Urban

This is a really tough one as they are all awesome. It’s really hard for me to pick a clear winner but I think I’m going for George Strait. “Living for the Night” was an awesome song and Strait had a great year with it.

Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for established duos or groups with vocals.

• Cowgirls Don’t Cry – Brooks & Dunn
• Chicken Fried – Zac Brown Band
• I Run To You – Lady Antebellum
• Here Comes Goodbye – Rascal Flatts
• It Happens – Sugarland

Most of you know that Sugarland is my favorite but head-to-head I think I would have to go with Lady Antebellum on this one. Hey, it happens….

Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for a collaborative performance, with vocals, by artists who do not normally perform together.

• Beautiful World – Dierks Bentley & Patty Griffin
• Down The Road – Kenny Chesney & Mac McAnally
• Start A Band – Brad Paisley & Keith Urban
• I Told You So – Carrie Underwood & Randy Travis
• Everything But Quits – Lee Ann Womack & George Strait

The Bentley/Griffin duet was awesome but I don’t believe it was released as a radio single. Underwood rendition of Travis’ “I Told You So” really took the charts this summer but Paisley/Urban’s “Start A Band” is my number one pick in this category.

Best Country Song “A Songwriter(s) Award.” (Artist names appear in parentheses.)

• All I Ask For Anymore – Casey Beathard & Tim James, songwriters (Trace Adkins)
• High Cost Of Living – Jamey Johnson & James Slater, songwriters (Jamey Johnson)
• I Run To You – Tom Douglas, Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott, songwriters (Lady Antebellum)
• People Are Crazy – Bobby Braddock & Troy Jones, songwriters (Billy Currington)
• White Horse – Liz Rose & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)

I think Jamey Johnson is an excellent artist/performer but he is a really awesome writer. My nod goes to Johnson and Slater for the “High Cost Of Living”. If you haven’t given this a spin, do so. It’s raw and real.

Best Country Album – Vocal or Instrumental.

• The Foundation – Zac Brown Band
• Twang – George Strait
• Fearless – Taylor Swift
• Defying Gravity – Keith Urban
• Call Me Crazy – Lee Ann Womack

Again, wouldn’t be surprised if Swift took this award. She is highly talented and worthy of it but I think the Zac Brown Band should take it for their debut album “The Foundation”. The album has already produced several radio hits including “Chicken Fried”, “Whatever It Is”, “Toes” and “Highway 20 Ride” is climbing the charts as I write this.

For a complete list of nominations, visit grammy.com.

Find, preview and download the above tracks on iTunes.

Who do you think will win?

This ain’t no bull…

CONCERT ALERT:

There probably isn’t anything wilder than this eight second ride! The Professional Championship Bullriders Tour is rolling into town on Friday, February 5 and they’ve recruited country music star Jake Owen to celebrate the series World Tour Finale IV.

While Owen’s current radio hit, “Eight Second Ride” isn’t referring to this type of riding you can bet there’ll be plenty of buckin’ bulls and flying cowboys at the Northwest suburban Sears Centre arena. Owen is on hand to perform the Friday night tournament’s encore. It’s an unusually large complex for Owen to pay but we’re sure he’ll be able to full those boots.

Tickets range from $15 – $50 and can be wrangled up on ticketmaster.com. If bull riding is your thing, the championship will continue on Saturday night at the Arena.

For a more information on the PCB Tour, visit pcbtour.com.

UPDATE:  WIN JAKE OWEN/PCB TOUR TICKETS ON CMC!

EVENT DETAILS:

WHO: Jake Owen at the Professional Championship Bullriders Tour

WHEN: Friday, February 5, 2010: 7:30PM

WHERE: The Sears Centre: 5333 Prairie Stone Parkway, Hoffman Estates

TICKETS: $15 – $50 – ticketmaster.com

Tim McGraw premieres on Soundstage

The critically acclaimed PBS Series, Soundstage, will premiere the pre-recorded Tim McGraw performance on Thursday. Recorded in Chicago last October at the WTTW Studios, the Tim McGraw the season premiere features a handful of McGraw’s greatest hits and new cuts off his album “Southern Voice,” which was released the same month.

McGraw’s Soundstage premiere is just off the announcement that he is was one of the highest-grossing touring artists of the decade, according to a recent report published by an industry trade publication.

McGraw has sold over 40 million albums, and charted 30 Number One singles. Since the release of his debut album in 1993, he has won three Grammys, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards, 11 Country Music Association Awards, and 10 American Music Awards, while simultaneously maintaining a parallel career as a successful actor.

No tickets necessary for this concert. The season eight premiere of Soundstage will air locally on WTTW (PBS) and WTTW-HD on Thursday, January 21 at 9 p.m. For additional airdates, check your local listing.

McGraw follows country music stars Kenny Chesney, Sugarland (Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush), Trace Adkins and Trisha Yearwood in the series’ country artist picks. Willie Nelson and southern rock crossover Lynyrd Skynyrd are also on tap for this season. At the time of publication, airdates have not yet been released.

Word on the Street – Jan. 19

Phil Vassar helped Chicago kick the year off right.

Even without a full band, Phil Vassar made the first “live country” concert of the year a hit. Accompanied by a zebra striped piano and two members of his band, Vassar pleased the ecstatic crowed with a semi-acoustic mix of his countless hits.

Vassar never left the piano keys through his entire set, which was randomly crafted with help from the crowd. Of course, he shared a few recording from his newest album “Traveling Circus”, which was released in late December. Missed it? Don’t fret, Vassar will return to the North Side venue, for a two-night say in April. Tickets are available through the venue box office and ticketmaster.com.

Katie Quick

Local artist Katie Quick is packing it up and movin’ to Nashville. In a recent announcement through her website, the Chicago native cited that she’s ready for the next step in her country music career and is trading-in the Windy City for the Music City. “I’ve got the city of Chicago behind me so I know this decision to move is the right one,” Quick said. While reassuring me that she’ll do her best keep us all up-to-date with her progress, we’re a little sad to see her go but happy to see her career progress. Good luck Katie, we can’t wait to “hear” your success! Catch Katie at her last Chicago show this Friday at Goose Island in Wrigleyville, 3535 North Clark Street, Chicago.

- Listen to Katie Quick on CMC Radio

Speaking of Radio Talk, country music news has finally started to pick-up now that January is in full swing.

On Wednesday, country music star Trace Adkins made an unanticipated record label switch. Adkins will join Toby Keith’s Show-Dog Nashville Label which recently retooled with Universal South. Adkins, a 15 year resident at Capitol Nashville, cited the move as an irresistible offer.

Alan Jackson hit the airways with his latest single “It’s Just That Way” … The word is that A.J. will have a new album for us in late March.

On Tuesday, Lady Antebellum released their third single, “Ready To Love Again,” in the Countdown to I Run To You series on iTunes. The trio will release one final single, “Our Kind of Love” on Tuesday before the full-album release on Jan. 26.

Trent Tomlinson (“Drunker Than Me”/“Just Might Have Her Radio On”) is startin’ the year off with a new EP available on iTunes. “A Guy Like Me – EP” features his future hits “That’s How It Still Ought To Be” and “Angles Like Her” (with acoustic version and video).

Clay Walker: As a follow-up to his album “Fall”, Clay Walker released “She Won’t Be Lonely Long”, his first single release off his forthcoming album set to hit sometime this spring.

Concert Beat:

The Chicagoland Country Calendar is filling in quite nicely in the new year. Carrie Underwood’s Play On tour is booked for downstate Peoria (4/7) and Rockford (4/10). Craig Morgan and Sons of Silvia will accompany Underwood.

Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson just announced a special performance at the Rosemont Theatre on Feb. 21. A typically rare appearance, the artists will share the stage for this Sunday night performance. Willie Nelson just announced he’ll be bringing the family to the Genesee (Waukegan) on March 21 and the Rialto (Joliet) on March 24.

Tickets for the Haggard/Kristofferson and Nelson shows are available through ticketmaster.com.

Joe’s Bar recently announced the addition of Eric Church, Jack Ingram (acoustic show) and Luke Bryan to their Winter/Spring concert lineup. Tickets are available through the venue’s box office and ticketmaster.com.

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