The CMA Songwriters Series may have just had a high profile show in Boston, but it all started 9 years ago in NYC. The fantastic series continued for four shows on July 23rd and 24th at Joe’s Pub. Host Bob DiPiero
was back with guests Steve Wariner, Tia Sillers, Mark Selby ad Brett Eldredge.

If you used social media, you knew that Brett Eldredge was not going to make it even before the songwriters emerged onto the stage from behind the curtain. He tweeted:  Been
circling around Newark airport for a while...now have to go get fuel in
Albany...I feel like Im on a Frodo journey tryin to get to NYC. When Bob DIPiero made the announcement
there were a lot of rumblings from the crowd, in a fact a few people stepped
out. But they should have waited because they missed another great show full of funny stories and great music.

Bob DiPiero, who told the audience he received an “A” in a Modern Dance class in college, has written a pretty impressive catalog of songs. But he stuck with some of his big hits for the two shows Tuesday night. He told the story of how a few “dadadas” in his head turned into Easton Corbin’s “Loving You is Fun.”
He played “Southern Voice” after telling a story about a $20million farmhouse that was none other than Tim and Faiths. He also did “If You Ever Stop Loving Me” and “Gone” (performed by Montgomery Gentry). He thanked everyone, as always, and said even though he has taken the CMA Songwriters Series all over the world, being “musically promiscuous,” those other cities “didn’t mean anything” when
compared to NYC. The audience, of course, responded with much applause. He spoke
about the Boston show, when a shocked Miranda Lambert learned that Bob was the
writer of  a song she and Blake drive around singing: “Mirrior, Mirror.” Bob said he told her to “give me a
dollar” (for the royalties). In addition to those songs, he sang “Cowboys Like
Us” & “You Cant Take the Honky Tonk Out of the Girl.” Finally, he thanked
the Hillbilly Mafia: Sesac, BMI and CMA for having them in NYC and for paying
the royalties of the songs. Apparently the “A” in modern dance comes in handy
here because Tia said they all have a “mailbox dance” when a royalty check comes
in the mail. Steve said his wife has a dance, but the songs he records don’t get
as elaborate of a dance as the songs he has written for others.

Steve Wariner is an amazingly talented singer, songwriter& guitar player. He played a song he wrote with Chet Atkins when he was 18yo “I’m Already Taken.” That song went to “90 with an anchor” on the charts when it was first recorded, later it was re-recorded in 2000 and went to #3.  He talked about his new album coming out September 10th and treated the audience to songs off of that including one about a father and a son he co-wrote with Bill Anderson and Tom Shapiro. He played a medley of his hits including “Longneck
Bottle,” “Blue Kentucky Highway” and “Where the Blacktop Ends.” He threw in a little “Smoke On The Water” and “Stairway To Heaven” for good measure and the crowd wildly applauded every time it was his turn in the round.

Grammyand CMA winner Tia Sellers was the lone female in the group. She brought along her guitar player who happens to be not only her spouse, but an accomplished songwriter on his own, Mark Selby. She talked about being proof that as a writer you can slip into someone else’s skin and write songs that are for another’s voice. She then went on to perform a song she wrote that was sung by Alan
Jackson: “That’d Be Alright.” She also sang her award winning song performed by Lee Ann Womack “I Hope You Dance.” This was her first time in NYC and when the subway rumbled underneath the Joe’s stage she thought it was an airplane, which had everyone laughing. She won the audience over with her charm, wit and stories of hatberry trees, her parents & a restaurant called “alamode.” In fact, she was so well received Bob had her close out both shows.

Mark Selby would co-write every Tuesday with Tia prior to them becoming a couple. He said they
tried to write a power ballad, which had to have certain requirements: the words breath, air and death as well as a soaring guitar solo. They admitted they just couldn’t do it and instead wrote a song recorded by three blonds from Texas—the Dixie Chicks-- “There’s Your Trouble.” He and Tia said that fourteen people cut that song and the Dixie Chicks finally recorded it even after admitting that they didn’t like it. He also played a song David Nail performs “Half Mile Hill” that he wrote with Rich Brantley and Tia. Tia told the story of
how she loves to go to Love Circle near their home. It is that place that inspired not only “Half Mile Hill” but also “Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love” by Trisha Yearwood which she performed even though she “didn’t have a three octave range” Like Trisha. Mark Selby showed his skills on the guitar and sang a song by Pin Monkey “Barbed Wire and Roses.” He also performed a song he wrote with Kenny Wayne Shepherd in a hotel room in New Orleans and that was recorded by Wynonna “Don’t Throw That Mojo On
Me.”

Around 8pm, just about when things were starting to wrap up, Brett Eldredge, who did a spot on “Fly Me To The Moon” for the crowd, finally arrived. He sang “Don’t Ya” and told us that he can’t watch the
video with his mom because of the awkwardness of kissing scene at the end.  He also performed “One Mississippi” &“Raymond,” a song about his grandmother who had Alzheimers. He talked about
how thankful he was to be at Joe’s & to have the opportunity to play with the talented songwriters. He told a story of how he remembered once playing for two people in a room: the sound guy and his guitar player’s dad. He also relayed a story about how he went to a singing exercise where Bob wrote to him that “if
you really want to do this you need to move here.” It was evident that Bob was a fan even before he said “we need more singers in country like Brett Eldredge.”
Brett also sang “Tell Me Where To Park”, a fun uptempo number and “Mean to Me” a ballad. His album Bring You Back is available for pre order and comes out August 6th. 

For more information on the CMA Songwriters Series visit: http://www.cmaworld.com/events/songwritersseries

I have a deep appreciation for country music, for which I have Brad Paisley to thank. I have always liked country music but it wasn't my favorite genre, until I first heard his music back in 1999. His singing & guitar playing appealed to me, but I loved his sense of humor and how he incorporated it into his songs. It's definitely a yearly (or more) visit to see him when he brings his tour nearby; and that he did Saturday night May 18th when the Beat This Summer Tour came to Hartford, CT.

The family trio (father, daughter and son) The Henningsens opened the show. They started at 6:45pm sharp to a nearly empty amphitheatre. They played a 5 song set concluding with their Top 20 single "American Beautiful". Lead Clara definitely has the makings of a front woman a la Kimberly Perry. By the time their set ended, the pit was almost full and everyone was dancing along to their music.

Next up was Lee Brice, who won points with me by playing The Cadillac Three as his crew was setting up. He started off with his new single "Parking Lot Party" and continued with five more of his hits including "Woman Like You" and "I Drive Your Truck". He ended with a brand new song that he said would be on his new album due next year. It was an up tempo number which might have been called "Drinking Class"; the crowd really liked it. My only critique was he did not play to the sides of the stage often enough, staying mostly in the center. Yet, having seen him multiple times now on various tours, I can say I like him more every time I see him .

After what seemed like only a few minutes, Chris Young came out to throngs of women screaming "I love you". He moved around a lot on stage, which to me is commendable. So many times one's view of the stage can be blocked, but when the performer makes a point to come over to your side you not only can have a clear view, but there is the potential for one on one interaction. Chris Young definitely knows how to play to a crowd and does it really well. He thanked the crowd for his numerous number ones. He confessed he was shocked that a song which was track #9 on an album (The Man I Wanna Be) would be a single, much less a hit. He had hoped it would not be because it had a high part he was worried about reaching. He need not worry though because he did a great job. He did mess up the lyrics a bit on "I Can Take It From There" but, he took it in stride with humor (which was endearing) and had us all cheer & yell for Conway Twitty when he re-sang the part. His slower numbers had the couples in the crowd hugging, dancing and lip locking. On stage he had 4 towers which lit up for various songs with lights and words including "Beer". He ended with "Save Water Drink Beer" and left the crowd really pumped for Brad.

"I believe country music is best played outside" said Brad Paisley on Saturday night and the entire crowd could not agree more. Everyone was up on their feet the minute they saw him take the stage. He started out with "Southern Comfort Zone", a black mesh screen behind him providing really cool graphics to accompany the song. Then he chatted with the crowd saying "we'll play some songs you wanna hear...and others you don't". He gave away a signed guitar to a child in the audience, multiple picks and even took a fan's cell phone & took photos with it. He ran around that stage & all ends of the catwalk and made sure every part of that audience got his attention at some point during the show. He even went out in the middle of the amphitheatre to play for the "cheap seats". I have seen him on tour quite a bit, but there was something about his energy and attitude that night. It might have been the best show I have seen by him. 

He did a medley of "Then" and "She's Everything" and brought Chris Young and Lee Brice out for "Outstanding in Our Field". He had many of the audience tearing up during the video montage shown during "This is Country Music" especially with a photo of George Jones. It was one of the most special moments at a show in recent memory. Brad's show are always full of humor, whether it be him making jokes, what you see on the video screens or the lyrics themselves. Tonight was no different, the most LOL moment was during "Celebrity" when he added some "goating". I hope this is out there on You Tube at some point, because it was hilarious. He also spoke about how comfortable the weather was--although a bit nippy....and whether nippy actually meant, you know...."nippy". He told us to remember this night in August when it is 102 and we are sweating it out at a different show. Other songs he played included "Mona Lisa", "Karate", "Water" and "Mud On The Tires". The night ended with everyone singing along to "Alcohol".

If you get a chance I highly recommend going to see this tour. And as a bonus, you can purchase an autographed copy of his latest album "Wheelhouse" for $20. For more information and dates go to www.bradpaisley.com

A few years back, I was able to see Hayes Carll open for Dierks Bentley in NYC and remember thinking he was really good. I bought his music and followed his doings, but had not had the opportunity to see him live again until this past Friday night when he played City Winery NYC.

His opening act was Warren Hood & The Goods. I don't even know how to describe them: bluesy? jazzy? bluegrassy? alt-country? with a hint of 1940s nostalga? Definitely a mix of all of the above. However you label it, it not only works, but works well. The crowd, mostly on the other side of 50, loved him and the music. I had not a clue about the band, so of course I had to do a little researching.

Turns out, Warren Hood is a multi instrumentalist who graduated from the Berklee School of Music, where he won the String Achievement Award, the schools highest honor selected by the faculty. The award is for those who are going to "make a mark on the future of music". And if his live show and music are any indication, he certainly will. His fiddle playing left me speechless. His keyboardist Emily Gamble, who was battling a cold, has a powerhouse voice that reminded me of both Norah Jones and Aretha Franklin. Please check them out, your ears will be glad you did.

Warren Hood & The Goods doubled as Hayes' back up band that night. Warren mentioned he did not know Hayes' music until about a month ago and has grown to like it, especially since he had to learn it all for the tour. This little bit of humor set us up for what would be about 1.5hours of a great show with lots of  anecdotes thrown in. Hayes told of how he moved to a place called Crystal Beach on the Texas
Peninsula (where apparently a lot of people move to hide out from the law or IRS) to work on his music. He told stories of a lion there that liked his music, a Redneck Life of Pi, dancing with Norah Jones and how working for the Census Bureau helped him earn money to travel to...Croatia(!?) and an incident with a local handball team. He's a laid back performer, which perfectly suited the venue, who has a keen sense of humor and lyrics that you really need to listen to....."Another Like You" wasn't American Songwriter's Song of the Year in 2011 for nothin'. His voice is raspy yet serene. Everything he sings seems genuinely heartfelt from the upbeat, quirky numbers to the ballads, such as the terrific "Chances Are". During his set, Hayes also played tribute to the late George Jones with "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes".

The entire setlist was fantastic, but highlights for me included the encore, a song off of his latest cd KMAG YoYo (& other American Stories) "Stomp and Holler", "Another Like You" in which the incredible Emily Gamble dueted and "Wish I Hadn't Stayed So Long". If you are a fan of the Texas music scene, you probably already know who Hayes Carll is. If you don't (and you are tired of the "country" on the radio today) he is definitely an artist you want to check out. For more information visit www.hayescarll.com

Alabama brought their 40th Anniversary Tour: Back to the Bowery to the NYCB Theatre at Westbury on Long Island on May 1st. The venue is set up as a round, so there really is not a bad seat to be had. That said, the stage does rotate so one is basically looking at the performer's back for quite a bit of their set. I have been to the venue before, however, the sound was occasionally muffled tonight, making it a bit hard to hear when one of band spoke. And unfortunately, there were quite a few empty seats, but those who were there had a terrific time. Alabama came on a little after 9pm and played a good hour and a half. Everyone was on their feet for numbers such as "If You're Gonna Play in Texas" "Dixieland Delight" and "Forty Hour Week". Some in the crowd had special license plates, signs and shirts they had made for the concert. Although Randy, Teddy, and Jeff are in their 60s, they kept the energy high. Randy waved his arm enthusiastically, danced a bit (to many ladies delight, who screamed out "we love you Randy" and even did the occasional leg kick. Other songs they performed included "Tennessee River", "I'm in A Hurry" and "Born Country". In honor of the late George Jones, they sang "She Thinks I Still Care". Finally, for the finale they had the entire theater up off their feet singing and dancing to "Mountain Music". These Country Music Hall of Fame members still know how to have a good time. For more information visit www.thealabamaband.com

There certainly were a lot of rednecks in
the house as Miranda Lambert noted this past Saturday night. She and Dierks
Bentley brought their Locked & Reloaded Tour to a packed house at the Nassau
Coliseum. Miranda and Dierks are good friends who have toured before back in
2006 on the original Locked & Loaded Tour. This time around they brought
Randy Houser as their special guest.

When the lights went down at exactly 730pm, Randy Houser stepped on stage to a half full arena. No matter, he played like it was a full house. I have seen Randy before in a much smaller venue and he is
definitely a live performer you don’t want to miss. He sings like his life depends on it. His voice is definitely one of the most powerful male voices in country music today. His set was short, only 5 songs, but the crowd loved him. He had everyone singing “Boots On” and his current rising single “Runnin’ Outta
Moonlight”. But the biggest cheers and sing along came with the closing number,
his very first number one single “How Country Feels”. Randy and his band
definitely got the crowd pumped for Dierks and Miranda. His band sounds great,
and they all seem to have their own unique style. His steel guitar player rocks
shades, a top hat and a pipe on the right while his keyboard player has the 70s
suit and shades look down to a tee on the left. And his drummer? He, like Chris
Thompson of EYB, has the best facial expressions while he’s playing. Keep an eye
on these guys during the show!

Dierks Bentley has got to be one of the most underappreciated artists out there in country music today.
You want to see a true entertainer in concert…then go to one of his shows. He loves his fans,
performing and music and this is evident throughout his show. He can do fun
songs like “5-1-5-0” and then segue into the sexy, slow numbers like “Come A
Little Closer”. One of my favorite parts from the show is when he performs “Up
On The Ridge”. He and the boys are on a riser with smoke and a woodsy backdrop.
Dan on fiddle and Brian on mandolin are playing and magic is captured right
there! The crowd, as evidenced by their cheers, loved it too. Another standout
moment is when he brings the band to the edge of the catwalk, introduces them
with great photos from their youth and plays a blue-grassified version of
“Settle for A Slowdown”. Dierks has a fantastic energy and interacts with the
crowd like no one else. He runs from side to side, high fives, and sits at the
end of the catwalk to interact with his fans. During Lot of Leavin’ Left to Do,
Dierks pulls up “whoever is having the most fun” on stage to “play” guitar. He
concludes his portion of the show with “HOME”, American flag on the screen, cell
phones up in the air and chants of “USA” from the crowd. At the end of his set,
Dierks has also been giving an autographed guitar away. The guy is a class act.
My only complaint is that his set is too short, but looking forward to next year
when he will be once again headlining his own tour.

Miranda Lambert came out to cheers and screams and went right into “Fastest Girl in Town”. I have to say, I have grown to really enjoy her live shows. She is sexy, sassy and spunky. She does not have
as much crowd interaction as her tour mate, but she is definitely high energy,
jumping and twirling around. Like Dierks, she keeps the visuals to a minimum
except for the use of video screens, but her feisty attitude and performance are
the real draws here anyway. Her band sounded great. That night her drummer’s
wife was having a baby, so Dierks’ drummer, Steve, subbed for him the entire
weekend. That man deserves major kudos for playing 3 hours every night, he did
an amazing job! Miranda played all of her hits from “Only Prettier” to
“Gunpowder and Lead”. She received strong emotional reactions when she sang both
“Over You” and “The House That Built Me”; many women in the audience were
crying. Other songs included in her set were “New Strings”, a cover of
“Mississippi Queen” and “Get Back” as she too introduced her band via video
screen images. She concluded her set with “White Liar” pointing to one
unsuspecting “liar” in the audience who she gifted with a pick.

After, two stools were set center stage. Dierks and Miranda dueted on Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” and “King of the Road”. Behind them were their entire bands and even some crew. It seemed
like we were let in on something really special: just watching friends sit around and sing in a small club rather than an arena. It was the perfect ending to a fantastic show. Don’t miss this tour, catch it when it comes to your town or travel to another town….it’s that good.

The ACM weekend in Vegas was a lot of fun, lots of good country music
pretty much from 9am-230am daily. The last band to play the ACM Expo at the
Orleans Hotel was none other than Blackberry Smoke, who took the Cooper Tire
Stage at 1pm on Sunday. I have only seen BBS five times, but every time I have,
the venue has been packed. This time the venue was outside at a stage in the
parking lot with only about 75 people in attendance. I am going to chalk the low
attendance up to the fact that it was the last live show before the ACM Awards
that night. But no matter, because for the die hard fans that were there as well
as people who just stopped by to listen, it was a terrific set…kind of like we
had a private show. I saw almost all of the bands that played that stage
throughout the weekend and Blackberry Smoke was one of the few that actually got
people out of their seats to the front of the stage. They opened with one of my
favorites Lucky Seven and kept the momentum going with Pretty Little Lie, One
Horse Town, Six Ways to Sunday and Good One Comin’ On in addition to others.
They sounded terrific and even though the crowd was small, played like they
meant it. A pal who was with me (and seeing them for the first time) said “just
press record…they are really good.” The set was short, maybe 45minutes. There
were calls for “more” and “encore” but they really could not as they had to get
to the red carpet themselves. For sure though, this show helped #spreadthesmoke
and gain them new fans.

Have you ever gotten chills from listening to an album? Me neither, well, not until I listened to Eric Church's latest, his first live album Caught In The Act which was released last Tuesday April 9th. The album was recorded over two nights last October at the Tivoli Theatre in Chattanooga,TN.
Truthfully, there is nothing like a live show from Eric Church and his band (trust me I have been to many). They are electrifying....and even that adjective does not do the show justice. Its been said that a good concert is like a religious experience and ECB delivers---every time. So while I was excited about the live album, I was also nervous because a lot of times live albums do not truly reflect the genuine article.
Well, after the opening chants of "Eric, Eric" my unease was put to rest. The guitars opening "Before She Does" take you there. You can imagine being in that theater or the big arenas he plays now and feel it--the energy comes through your speakers. You know that Eric and the band are "emptying the tank" as he likes to say. It is infectious and the music takes you over. He tells you he will give everything he has and asks you to do the same and you know what....I want to give it back even though I'm listening to a record!
The sound on the record is crystal clear. The chants and the screaming and singing of the fans do not overpower the vocals or instrumentation. You can hear Driver and Jeff shredding as good as any member of Metallica could & Craig pounding on the drums. Other member of his awesome band include Lee on bass and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Hyde.
The album also give you a little look at how Eric interacts with the crowd, whether it be telling a little bit about "Hag" or encouraging everyone to sing along on Sinners. One thing a cd cannot do though is let you see how he truly interacts with the crowd, but after hearing this record, I'm sure you'll go to a show for that!
Eric Church wrote or co-wrote every song on the album. He can maneuver from country rock one minute on numbers like "Drink In My Hand" or "How 'Bout You"  to a softer side on "Hungover and Hard Up" and "Over When Its Over" (the beautifully sad song where he is accompanied by Joanna Cotten). "Sinners Like Me" done acoustically, showcases how strong Eric is when left to just himself and the guitar...both as a singer and a player. The album ends with 2012 's biggest single "Springsteen" with Eric asking the crowd to "indulge him for a moment" as he remembered his first amphitheater show when he was 16yo. The song is stretched to 9minutes, but ends too soon. You'll be hitting replay though. But for me, the real standout tracks which remind me of why I go back again and again are "Lotta Boot Left to Fill", "Keep On" "Pledge Allegiance to The Hag" and "Smoke A Little Smoke". If you don't hear this record and join this church....well then Ill pray for ya.

Oh Brad Paisley, how I have loved your music. Ever since "Who Needs Pictures" you have fed my soul with fantastic melodies, tremendous guitar playing and your wonderful way with witty, clever lyrics. I eagerly anticipated all of your album releases. I even loved "Play" and the Christmas album. But all of the talk leading up to Wheelhouse left me more anxious than eager. Quite frankly, as a long time fan, some of what I heard about the album actually scared me as to what it might be. Of course I bought "Wheelhouse" on release day (what good fan didn't) and I must say I was really surprised. At first it was not a good surprise. My initial reaction was "what the heck is this" and "where's Brad Paisley", but Brad Paisley is still in there with well written, heartfelt and often clever lyrics and that guitar playing that only he can do. The subject matter is a bit heavier at times (who hasn't heard the controversy over "Accidental Racist"??) And of course many songs are just sonically different than what you expect on a Paisley record: the Mat Kearney part on "Pressing on A Bruise"...LL Cool J....Charlie Daniels on "Karate"....the "Bon Voyage" intro (signaling the trip you'll take listening to this album).....but after a few more listens (maybe 3) it grew on me. I get it. You're older, maybe feel the need to experiment artistically, put yourself and your opinions out there. I mean you don't sing about stepping outside your "Southern Comfort Zone" for no reason. And as a fan I can respect that and will definitely go along for the ride.
The record is different, but I encourage you to listen to it more than once. It's not the album that will be blaring out my car speakers, but there are quite a few gems on there that deserve repeat plays. Standout tracks for me include: "Karate", "Harvey Bodine", "Outstanding in Our Field", "The Mona Lisa", "Pressing on A Bruise" and "Officially Alive" from the deluxe version.