CONTEST ALERT! - Enter Today to Win $300 in Country Concert Ticket Credits from TiqIq and IfOnly!

CONTEST NEWS!!

Our friends over at TiqIq (www.tiqiq.com) and IfOnly (www.ifonly.com) have teamed up to create the ULTIMATE contest for Country Music fans!

Their current contest features a grand prize of $300 worth of Country concert ticket credits (so YOU get to choose the concerts/artists you want to see). All you have to do is enter the contest on the TiqIq website and an entrant will be randomly chosen as the BIG winner!

How awesome is that? You could have a Summer full of Country concert fun with all of your favorite Country Music artists (and we all know how fun/rowdy country concerts and festivals can be!)

Visit http://blog.tiqiq.com/2015/01/enter-win-300-ticket-credit-tiqiq-ifonly/ to enter today. The contest ends at the end of January, so time is limited to get in on this action, but, you've still got a little over 22 days left to enter. 

Good luck and have fun! (You can invite us if you win, we will be your BFF hahah)

Thanks,

Aaron of Nashville Noise

Randy Travis: Influence Vol. 1, The Man I Am ALBUM REVIEW

After a couple of years with drinking mishaps and a summer of bad health news, multiplatinum recording artist and Country Music legend Randy Travis is back with a brand new album, Influence Vol. 1, The Man I am! The album pays tribute to Travis’ biggest musical influences over his long and successful career. Artists include the late George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard and Ernest Tubb, among others.

 With names like that, it’s no wonder that you feel like you’ve entered a time machine that brings you back to the days of Country Music’s prime. Influence Vol 1, The Man I am features a fantastic collection of “solid Country gold” that will make you long for the days when country music was perhaps the most distinguishable genre on radio.

 Pedal steel guitars and Dobros cry and fiddles play throughout the entire album, which features a great line-up of covers. And, by the looks of it, it’s no secret that Travis’ biggest influence is Merle Haggard – The album features eight salutes to Haggard in all. Travis’s renditions of Haggard standards include “Someday We’ll Look Back,” the lovely, “What Have You Got Planned Tonight Diana,” the timeless ballad, “Ever Changing Woman,” “My Mary,” the tender classic, “Trouble In Mind,” and the uplifting “Always On the Mountain When I Fall.”

 However, the commercial highlight in this collection may be the last song, a new duet with Country Music fan favorite Joe Nochols, “Tonight, I’m Playing Possum”, a tribute tune to Travis’ good friend and Country Music legend, George Jones, who recently passed away leaving the Country Music world saddened. “Real country music” fans will have no problem adding this album to their collection. However, fans of more modern ‘poppy’ fare may have trouble adopting this album into their lineup.

 It’s a shame that gems like this only come around every now and then these days. And, when they do, they are rarely if ever commercial successes. However, It’s clear that Travis is sticking to his roots and base audience, and for that we thank him!

Blake Shelton Joining Nashville's 'Mainstream Elite'

According to the New York Times, "Apart from perhaps Taylor Swift, Blake Shelton’s becoming the most important and visible ambassador from Nashville to the American mainstream." they reported in a feature on the emerging superstar Thursday. His upcoming album 'Red River Blue', marriage to Miranda Lambert and breakout performance on The Voice are all expanding his fan base in what is quite a prestigious media placement, even for a 'wise-cracking' country singer from Oklahoma.

Central to the theme of the feature are Shelton's thoughts on balancing his growing career with his personal life. "I've got to spend some time with my wife," he tells his manager during the heavy workload of The Voice. Shelton broke down and 'cried' after hearing the reply: "It's probably only going to get worse from here." Ultimately, he says he is unwilling to sacrifice his relationship with Lambert in pursuit of stardom. “The one thing we can’t allow to happen is we get so busy that we lose each other." Read the full article here. What a great attitude to have!

It seems like Mr. Shelton is building quite the career and reputation for himself. 2010 proved to be a successful year for the CMA Male Vocalist of the Year. With his time on the NBC hit show 'The Voice', a new married life and a highly anticipated new album out soon, it seems that 2011 might even top his success from last year!

(some parts via Lon Helton's Country Aircheck Artist News, NY Times 7-7-11)

CMA Fest 2011 - Quotebook

Here's what some of your favorite country music stars had to say about their CMA Music Festival experience:

Quotebook: Heard behind-the-scenes during the 2011 CMA Music Festival:

"You're asking me to do math, which is dangerous. My first Fan Fair was in 1992." -Martina McBride

"It's such an amazing experience being surrounded by 50,000 people who are all singing the same thing. You look out and it's this never ending sea of people for as far as you can see." — Taylor Swift

"Can you sign this for me?" — Clay Walker to Dierks Bentley, who signed a notebook for Walker's daughter.

"My house burned down. I've felt like Rain Man for the last few weeks every time someone asks me a question, 'Trace, what do you want to eat?' 'My house burned down.'" — Trace Adkins

"I have a little video of my daughter's reaction when I sent Jay the picture of me with Justin Bieber. I made a complete fool of myself going up to meet him, but it was so worth it." — Sara Evans who showed press cell phone video of her daughter's reaction.

"The thing that really amazes me is not only the loyalty of the fan but the loyalty of country music back to the fan. You couldn't pull this together in rock n' roll, not so much because of the bands, but the egos of their managers. They'd go, 'Oh, my guy's too big to play that.' But you don't have that here." — Darius Rucker

"Happy birthday to you." — Media singing to Chris Young backstage for his 26th birthday, which was Sunday (6/12)

"These die-hard country fans come from all over the world. It's not just here in the US. It's the least we could do. We love going and signing and seeing familiar faces and being able to look them in the eyes and say thank you." — Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott

Courtesy of Country Aircheck

Zac Brown Band, Kingsford Charcoal Team up for Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity

Zac Brown Band and Kingsford Charcoal have partnered to host pre-concert Southern Ground 'Supper Clubs' at select dates during the 2011 tour! Supper Club passes will be available for purchase and through Kingsford contests online.

Beginning May 12, Kingsford will also offer a chance to win a Zac Brown Band concert trip package including a VIP 'eat-and-greet' experience with the band. Southern Ground Executive Chef Rusty Hamlin will prepare the recipes from the Southern Ground cookbook including the Boursin-Stuffed Filet, Your Mama's Collard Greens, Pocketknife Coleslaw and Revival Peach Cobbler. Find out more here: http://www.grilling.com/home/article/2621/

Mark Wills Announces 'Crazy Being Home' Campaign

Mark Wills has partnered with USA Cares (a non-profit military assistance charity that supports post 9/11 military families in emotional health and recovery) to launch the Warrior Treatment Today ‘Crazy Being Home’ awareness campaign. The campaign will bring awareness and support to the severity of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Mark will serve as spokesman and his song “Crazy Being Home” will serve as its anthem. He has worked with USA Cares since partnering with them in 2009 for the Warrior Treatment Today program.

To kick off the campaign, Mark will perform at the 6th Annual MiBlog Conference, presented by Military.com. “We’re honored that Mark would take time out of his busy schedule to perform,” said Andi Hurley, founder of The Annual MilBlog Conference. “Mark’s tireless support of the military community makes him a perfect fit for the MilBlog Conference.” Former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld will also appear at the conference as a special guest.

Mark has traveled to Iraq and Afghanistan seven times to entertain troops, getting a unique look into the lives of our service men and women. A young man on active duty was the inspiration behind his choice to record “Crazy Being Home.”

“I was moved to record this song and put it out there by a young man who is on active duty with the special forces,“ Mark said. “His story and reaction inspired me in such a way that we hope it serves as a message to speak to all of our veterans to say ‘you are not alone.’ Suffering with PTSD is an injury of war and the Warrior Treatment Today ‘Crazy Being Home’ efforts are to open the door to make emotional and physical therapy available to anyone and everyone who suffers.”

Article via Great American Country (www.gac.tv)

Chris Young, Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan Talk Number 1 Parties

There's only one No. 1 song each week, but Nashville's seen more than its share of parties this week honoring chart-topping songs. A houseful of Luke Bryan's relatives came to town for Monday's bash (3/21) honoring "Someone Else Calling You Baby." "They have been in town since Thursday (3/17)," Bryan explained at the invite-only event. "It's been fun. It's been a zoo. Beau [Bryan's son] and my little nephew have been beating the fool out of one another all week, but other than that, all's well."

A week into the "Goin' Coastal" tour, Kenny Chesney flew to Nashville to thank songwriters JT Harding and Shane McAnally during Wednesday's (3/23) celebration honoring "Somewhere With You." "I hope you guys get to see what it's like when 50,000 people hear the intro of this song," Chesney told the songwriters. "Just to see the groundswell is a pretty amazing thing ... you created it."

Chris Young celebrated the history-making chart-topper "Voices," which was the first re-released hit to go No. 1 since Randy Travis' "On The Other Hand" in 1986. "I bought [Travis'] whole anthology collection as a kid and was listening to all his records," Young told media Monday (3/21). "It's pretty cool to be in the record books next to someone who's really a huge musical influence."

(courtesy of country aircheck)