Concert Review: Wheels Up Tour 2015 - Lady Antebellum & Kelsea Ballerini

Kelsea Ballerini: This was the first time I had the chance to see Kelsea Ballerini perform in person and I was pleasantly surprised. She seems like a down to earth and sweet person and she is great interacting with the audience. I think she has learned a lot being out on the road with Lady Antebellum. A few songs that stuck out to me where The First Time, Square Pegs, Peter Pan and of course her #1 single Love Me Like You Mean it. The highlight of her set for me was the medley of 90's songs as those were some of the songs I grew up listening to. Overall I can say I think she will have a lot of success in country music & be up for many awards in the future.

Lady Antebellum: This was my 6th time seeing Lady A but my first time seeing them headline and let me tell you they put on one of the best shows i've ever seen. To me it is worthy of them being nominated for Entertainer of the Year at the CMA Awards. They took the stage singing their current single Long Stretch of Love. They sang many of their hits over the years including Bartender, Downtown, Freestyle,  Compass, Our Kind Of Love, American Honey, Just A Kiss, I Run To You, Lookin For A Good Time, Love Don't Live Here, 747, Hello World, Perfect Day. The acoustic set in the middle of the arena was a highlight for me. During that portion they sang Dancing Away With My Heart, One Great Mystery (a new favorite of mine & song I hope is the next single). Kelsea Ballerini came out and sang one of my favorite Shania Twain songs Any Man Of Mine. To end the night the encore songs were Need You Now and We Owned The Night. A few songs that I would have loved to hear were Wanted You More & Goodbye Town but they have so many hits it's not possible to fit them all in which I understand. If you have the chance to see this tour I wouldn't pass it up. I plan on seeing Lady Antebellum many more times in the future.

Dave & I after the concert. Thanks for coming out to take pictures with the fans. :)

Charles & I after the concert. Thanks for coming out to take pictures with the fans. :) 

The Henningsens release Why I Farm music video

The first time I heard The Henningsens debut single American Beautiful I instantly became a fan of theirs. I had the oppurtunity to see them live later that year & meet them. They are infinitely talented & one of the things I love about them is how great they are to their fans. They are all around great people. I Miss You was the follow up single to American Beautiful and I think it should have done a lot better at radio but i'm a bit biased. I love all of their songs they release.

They released their newest song Why I Farm which is kind of a tribute to everyone that makes farming their career and livelihood. All of The Henningsen family grew up on a farm that has been in their family for over 100 years. 

You can purchase the song on iTunes and watch the music video on YouTube. You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. 

Concert Review: Kristen Kelly & Trent Tomlinson

Kristen Kelly and Trent Tomlinson played the final night of the annual Jackson County Junior Fair on Saturday, July 25, 2015 in Cottageville, WV. While I have been a fan of both Kristen and Trent for quite a few years this is the first oppurtunity I have had to see both of them in concert and they did not disappoint. 

I have heard a lot of country female voices and let me tell you I have not heard one with more soul & power than Kristen Kelly's and she makes it seem effortless. I personally think the industry is doing a disservice to country music fans by not playing her songs more on the radio & having her on an arena tour. She sang a mixture of her old songs as well as songs from her recently released EP titled Fire which is available at her shows as well as on  iTunes. A few of the songs she sang are Fire, Renegade, Getting Over Someone (personal favorite of mine), Bad Decisions, He Loves To Make Me Cry, Ex-Old Man and her current single Kiss By Kiss. She also sang a few covers of a couple soul songs & as well classic country songs. I encourage everyone to call your local country radio stations and request Kiss By Kiss. I was able to meet her after the concert and she is a very sweet & friendly person. I recommend meeting her if you have the chance.

I have been a fan of Trent Tomlinson since I was in high school but never had the oppurtunity to see him in concert until now but it was worth the wait. He puts on a high energy show but  also sings a few songs with just an acoustic guitar which I love. It was particularly moving to see him sing One Wing In The Fire as he said his father passed away two months ago from a heart attack and it was difficult for him to get through the song. He has written a lot of songs that other artists have recorded such as Already Calling You Mine by Parmalee and In Color by Jamey Johnson. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Trent's version of those songs. A few of his songs that he performed are Drunker Than Me, Come Back To Bed, Hey Batter Batter, Angels Like Her, Country Is My Rock, & The Bottle. Trent's meet & greet was on his tour bus so after he met everyone else he came out and met me and was extremely friendly and when he went to sign my picture he asked me what my name was and I told him and then he was like from Twitter? I said yes. We hugged, took the picture and he said it was great to meet you sweetheart. I'd always heard he was great to his fans and I can tell you firsthand that he is indeed. 

I had an amazing evening and would go see Kristen and Trent again given the oppurtunity.

You can follow Kristen on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

You can follow Trent on Facebook, Twitter

A Few Songs & Artists You Should Check Out

Over the years I have listened to my share of songs on country radio as well as discovered some amazing songs & artists through social media & iTunes. Here are just a few I recommend checking out. If y'all know of anyone not listened that I should check out let me know on my social media accounts.

All Country On You - Austin Webb - PURCHASE HERE
Kiss By Kiss - Kristen Kelly - PURCHASE HERE
Greyhound - Ashley Clark - PURCHASE HERE
Burning House - Cam - PURCHASE HERE
One Night Between Friends - Katie Armiger - PURCHASE HERE
Run With The Night - Wiley Chandler - PURCHASE HERE
Stella - Stella James Band 
Night's On Fire - David Nail - PURCHASE HERE
Fly - Maddie & Tae - PURCHASE HERE
I Got The Boy - Jana Kramer - PURCHASE HERE
Journey's End - The Cains - PURCHASE HERE
Caryn Womack - Follow her on Twitter @CarynWomack
Jillian Jacqueline - Follow her on Twitter @JillianJacqueline 
Maggie Rose - Music available on iTunes 

9 Artists/Bands You Need To Know About

Over the last 6 to 7 years I have been fortunate to discover some incredibly talented artists and bands through social media, mainly Twitter or through other artists I have became friends with a long the way. I know of many more than 9 but I wanted to highlight a few that I listen to the most right now. If you know of anyone that you are a fan of that I might not be let me know and I will check them out.

Note: These are in no particular order.

Austin Webb

Austin is signed to Streamsound Records and is produced by Byron Gallimore. He has has singles Slip On By, Raise 'Em Up and his current single All Country On You is currently in the Top 40 & climbing. You cCan request it at radio now. You can download his music on iTunes & follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.

Colby Dee

Colby Dee is an incredibly talented & determined singer/songwriter. Her debut EP Missed The Exit is available on iTunes and she is currently working on new music. She plays shows around Nashville and her home state of Georgia frequently. Keep up with everything Colby Dee on her Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

Lily Nelsen

Lily Nelsen is an independent artist originally from California but moved to Hendersonville, TN when she was 16 years old. She won the songwriting contest this year to be able to perform on the main stage alongside Florida Georgia Line and Blake Shelton in Manhattan, KS this year. She is currently working on her debut EP. You can follow Lily on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

  

Stella James Band

New country trio Stella James Band is made up of Sarah Davidson, Ty Graham and Rachel Bradshaw. Their debut sing is called Stella and the music video is on YouTube. You can download some of their music for free on their website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Devious Angels

, 

The Devious Angels is a country/rock/pop/folk duo made up of Jon Decious and Steevie Steeves. Their self titled EP is available on iTunes as well as their latest single Stupid Cupid released in February of this year. You can keep up with them on Facebook and Twitter. 

Dakota Bradley

Dakota Bradley is a native of St. Louis and is signed to Streamsound Records and is produced by Tim McGraw. His current single is Name On It and .50 of every download of the song on iTunes benefits the American Red Cross. You can keep up with Dakota on his Official Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

Two Story Road

Two Story Road is made up of married couple Brandon and Jamelle Fraley. They are getting ready to release their first EP. You may recognize Brandon as he was a part of Danny Gokey's band for several years and Jamie was Carrie Underwood's backup vocalist for 5 years. One of the things I love about them as people is they are great about staying in contact with their fans and also do online concerts on StageIt for their fans. You can stay up to date on everything TSR on their Official Website, Twitter and Facebook. 

Alayna

Alayna is a very talented singer/songwriter originally from Pennsylvania. She released her debut EP titled The Wrong Side in May of this year which her fans funded by making pledges on kickstarter.com. She also posts acoustic videos of her original songs & as well as covers on her YouTube  channel. You can follow Alayna on her Twitter, Facebook.

unBRAKEable

unBRAKEable is a country/rock duo made up of married couple Blake Gray & Brian Nutter. They released their debut album titled Helluva Love Story on September 28, 2014. Starting in January 2015 they sent out on their Home Invasion Tour where fans submitted where they wanted the duo to come and play their homes. The first leg of the H.I.T. started at the beginning of January and lasted until the end of May. They are currently on the second leg of the tour which will last through the fall. I had the oppurtunity to go watch them perform & meet them in March. They are incredibly talented & the nicest people. You can download their album on iTunes and keep up with everything UnBRAKEable on their Official Website, Twitter and Facebook. 

Jana Kramer releases new single I Got The Boy

The country girl from Detroit, Jana Kramer, has gone and done it again. Jana's new single "I Got The Boy" possess a country melody, twangy vocals, and a genre-appropriate topic.

"I Got The Boy" (penned by Jamie Lynn Spears, Connie Harrington and Tim Nichols) is a slow tempo tune that compares first love to last love, with Jana taking on the role of the girl who had a certain boy's heart before he grew up, moved on, and entered into an adult relationship.

The verses of the song focus on Jana peering through the rearview mirror, looking back on her times with the boy who found out, through the virtue of newspaper announcement, has vowed his love to another for eternity. Though she recognizes that their love was practically another lifetime ago, Jana can't help but reminisce on their times together and consider the things she shared with her former love that his forever love will never experience.

The track bleeds of acceptance and the ability to move on without shutting out memories of a wonderful time in your life. Though Jana sings a song of longing, their is a clear cut line between the boy of the past, and the man of the future; and the line is one with which she has comes to terms.

Jana Kramer undoubtedly has the capability to choose a song with which her fans can relate while, likewise, sounding as if it could be the next big country radio hit. "I Got The Boy" come as no exception to this rule and, whether Jana scored the boy in the end or not, she is about to score a hit by singing about him.

Download "I Got The Boy" on iTunes HERE it is also available to stream on Spotify. Keep up with everything Jana Kramer on her Offiicial Website, Twitter, Facebook. 

SINGLE REVIEW: Austin Webb "All Country On You"

"All Country On You", Austin Webb's latest single was co-written by Mark Irwin, Josh Kear and Chris Thompkins. You may have already heard two songs the trio co-wrote, Carrie Underwood's Before He Cheats and Tyler Farr's Redneck Crazy. With those tunes in mind, the first guitar lick and you know it's going to be about somebody who has done something to someone. This time it is from the perspective of the one who has messed up and what happened in response to those oh so not wise choices.

I can tell you first hand that Austin is one the most hard working, talented and friendliest people around. Not only does he love writing songs and singing but he also takes time to connect with his fans whether that be over social media or in person. He will stay and sign autographs and take pictures with fans until everyone has one. He honestly treats his fans more like friends than fans because he knows without them he wouldn't have a career. Personally that makes me respect and support him even more not just as a songwriter and singer but more importantly a person.

You can keep in contact with Austin on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Official Website. 'All Country On You' will impact country radio on January 5th, 2015 so be sure to call and request it.

Purchase 'All Country On You' on iTunes HERE