Eric Chruch vs. reality

Eric Church is my man.  I love his attitude, his music and most of all I like his songwriting.  However, I can't back my man on his recent comments in a Rolling Stone interview where he blasts Blake Shelton and some other very talented artists.  Here's what he said, and I'll let you fill in the blanks because he used some colorful language.  First he said that if you try out for a reality show like American Idol or The Voice, you are not a "real" artist.  About country music, Eric said, "It’s become American Idol gone mad. Honestly, if Blake Shelton and Cee Lo Green _______ turn around in a red chair, you get a [record] deal? That’s crazy. I don’t know what would make an artist do that. You’re not an artist”.  And then came his dig at Blake:  “If I was concerned about my legacy, there’s no _______ way I would ever sit there [and be a reality-show judge]. Once your career becomes something other than the music, then that’s what it is. I’ll never make that mistake. I don’t care if I _______ starve”.

First of all, Eric is NOT the first singer to speak out against reality show singers who end up with record deals, and here's the beef they have.  Use your imagination for a second.  Pretend that you're on summer vacation between your Jr & Sr year in high school and you see this awesome truck that you want, and you decide to go out and earn it.  All you can think about is how cool you'll look pulling in the parking lot on the first day of school in your new jacked up truck, so you work every possible second of your summer vacation and sacrifice & save every penny so you can earn enough money to buy your dream truck and impress everyone.  Then, you roll in on the first day of school and see that the kid with the rich daddy went out and bought him a brand new truck that is even better than yours and he didn't earn it.....daddy just went out and bought it for him and now he's getting the attention that you though you were gonna get.  There's a certain amount of pride in earning something in life.  Most country stars, like Eric, move to Nashville with a dream and they grind it out in clubs & bars and they compete for (literally) years & years with other very talented people just for the opportunity to get a record deal.  Then there are these reality contestants who just show up to an audition, impress some judges to get on a TV show and they're an instant star with a record deal within a matter of weeks.  They didn't grind it out in Nashville or work two jobs AND play the clubs & bars 7 nights a week for five years.  They had it handed to them.  I believe that's the issue.  The problem with that logic is that there's no wrong way to accomplish your dreams.   The other problem I have with what Eric said is that I just don't think anyone cares.  Maybe it's an unspoken grudge that certain artists hold against reality show singers, but at the end of they day, personally, I don't care how someone got a record deal.  I care about good music, and I find it hard to believe that there's an abundance of singers in Nashville who are losing out on record deals because of reality show singers.

It's no secret that Eric is verrry opinionated.  Just a few weeks ago I wrote that I believe he is a modern day "outlaw" in country music, and his Rolling Stone interview is proof of that.  He doesn't care what people think about him or what he has to say.  Eric is concerned about one thing:  music.  That's all.  Even though I think he could have picked better words for that interview, I believe that Eric really is a true artist.  By that I mean if he had never received a record deal, or moved to Nashville, he would still be writing and playing music somewhere because that's what he loves to do.  Whether it's in front of 20,000 people or in front of 20 people.  Eric comes off looking petty and a little insecure with his comments.  If I were a Public Relations rep for Eric or any other celebrity, I'd steal a line from my old man and tell them "Just because you have an opinion, doesn't mean that anyone wants to hear it".  Nobody cares about your little grudges or your politics.  Sing your songs, earn your paycheck and keep your mouth shut.

FREE Alan Jackson Tix and the Workday Getaway!!

NBC's Today Show has announced the lineup for their Summer Concert Series, and there are a few big name country stars on it.  Look for The Band Perry to perform June 1st, Kenny Chesney will be on there June 22nd and Zac Brown Band on July 13th.  For a look at the full lineup, click here:  http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/47105545/ns/today-toyota_concert_series/t/usher-maroon-perform-today-summer-concerts/

Speaking of Kenny, he & Tim McGraw just released the official video for their duet "Feel Like A Rock Star".  Here it is:

Carrie Underwood is all set to release her new CD "Blown Away" on May 1st and she'll be making the rounds to promote it in the next few weeks.  The latest additions to her calendar, The Late Show with David Letterman next Monday, April 30th and she'll be performing at the Billboard Music Awards May 20th.  Carrie also has 5 nominations for the CMT Music Awards which will be June 6th, and I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up performing at that show too! 

Got a couple fun contests going on this week.  We'll continue to give away the Workday Getaway trips from Butler U-Pull-It this week.  Listen to Marty & Lindsey Marie weekday mornings at 9:20 and they'll tell you what the Workday Getaway Song of the Day is AND they'll tell you when it will play.  When that song plays, be the 25th caller to win a getaway to the destination of your choice:  Atlanta, Gatlinburg, St. Augustine, Nashville or Savannah.  We'll take care of your hotel stay, give you tickets to local attractions and some spending cash if you win.  We also have a second chance drawing for you if you happen to be the 26th caller on this contest.  Caller 26 will be registered to go to the Coke Zero 400 in Daytona on July 7th from Curb Records! 

The other big contest this week is FREE ALAN JACKSON TICKETS!  Just listen throughout the day and we'll let you know when to call in, or just listen to Marty & Lindsey Marie at 6:30 each day this week and they'll tell you the hour that we'll be giving the tix away!  Pretty easy stuff! 

Good luck on those contests and thanks for listening to Your Country 102.7 WXBM!

Brad new CD and the Workday Getaway!!!

The other day, Brad Paisley took to Twitter to let his fellow "tweeters" know he's working on a new CD and fans in to studio with him!  I was glad to hear that he's working on a new project, but kinda bummed at the same time because there are some really good songs on his current CD "This Is Country Music" that will not be released as singles.  Songs like A Man Don't Have To Die, Don't Drink The Water and I Do Now.  Can't say for sure that he won't release one of those songs before the new one comes out, but whenever an artist is in the studio, that means a new single will soon follow.  Can't wait to hear what Brad has lined up for us on his new CD.  No release date is set yet, but I'll keep you posted.  Here's that video of Brad in studio:

Brad's not the only one with a new project in the works.  There are quite a few superstars with new music on the way.  Here's the list:

May 1st
Carrie Underwood - "Blown Away"

June 5th
Alan Jackson - "Thirty Miles West"

June 12th
Josh Turner - "Punching Bag"

June 19th
Kenny Chesney - "Welcome to the Fishbowl"

In addition, Jason Aldean has confirmed that his new project is DONE, but no release date set.  Taylor Swift and Keith Urban have also confirmed that they are working on new material.  As always, I'll get you the info when I get it.

Congrats to Lady Antebellum's Dave Hayward and his new wife Kelli!  They got hitched over the weekend.

Need to get away?  WXBM and Butler U Pull It have a chance for you to win a Workday Getaway!  Listen to Marty & Lindsey Marie each weekday at 9:20am and they'll give you the Song of the Day AND the time that it will play (how easy is that???) and when the song plays be the 25th caller at 850-310-9102 or 800-626-WXBM to win a Workday Getaway!  If you're the 25th caller, you can choose a trip to Atlanta, Savannah, St. Augustine, Nashville or Gatlinburg.  We'll take care of the hotel, give you some spending cash and tickets to local attractions!  There's also a second chance drawing with this contest.  Call 25 wins the trip, and caller 26 will qualify to win a trip to the Coke Zero 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Daytona from Curb Records and Your Country 102.7 WXBM!  Good luck with those contests and thanks for listening to Your Country 102.7 WXBM!! 

Duets

Looks like ABC is hopping on the reality show singing competition bandwagon with a show called "Duets".  The show will be a little different than American Idol and The Voice because the four celebrity singers will be out seeking an ideal duet partner instead of having the contestants audition.  The four celebrities on this years show will be Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, Kelly Clarkson, Lionel Richie and Robin Thicke.  Sounds like a pretty cool concept.  Jennifer said she will be out in search of "BIG voices, males and females, who can sing diverse, dynamic music".  The network is already running promos for the new show which will make its debut May 24th on ABC.

Congrats to Jake Owen who got engaged over the weekend!  Jake was performing at a charity event in his hometown down in Vero Beach.  He said it was totally spontaneous and not planned at all.  I believe it because he didn't even have a ring!!!  Jake said he wanted propose in front of his friends and family and during the song "Don't Think I Can't Love You", he popped the question!  I see ring shopping and lots of planning in their future.

Kenny Chesney spilled a few details about the meaning of the title of his upcoming CD "Welcome To The Fishbowl".  He said he & some of his football buddies walked into Red Bar in Grayton Beach, Fl (very cool place....I've been there) and was instantly mobbed by fans and spent the next 45 minutes taking pictures and signing autographs.  Kenny said his friends were blown away with how many people wanted something from him and how everyone was staring at him all night, and he replied "hey, welcome to the fishbowl".  That phrase stuck with him and he knew he had to turn it into a song.  Kenny said the title track isn't necessarily about that experience, but about life as a celebrity.  Look for his new CD June 19th.

Don't forget, more FREE Luke Bryan tickets this week.  Same contest on facebook as we did the last couple weeks.  Also, Santa Rosa County fair is going on thru Saturday out in East Milton and we'll be there every day!  Be sure to stop by and see WXBM and sign up for a free pair of tickets to Bonfire Jam on Pensacola Beach.  We will give out a pair of tickets each day at the Santa Rosa County Fair from Your Country 102.7 WXBM!

Thanks for listening!  Have a great week!!

Rascal Flatts on the big screen & more info on Kenny's new CD

The guys in Rascal Flatts are set for the release of their new CD "Changed", which comes out tomorrow (4/3).  Along with the release of the CD, RF is also releasing a concert/documentary about the making of their new project.  Keep listening to WXBM for a chance to win a pair of tickets to see Rascal Flatts on the big screen at the Rave Bayou 15 this Thursday!  We'll let you know when to call in and win tix and a copy of "Changed".  RF will be out on tour this spring & summer, but as of right now the closest they'll get to Pensacola is Atlanta & Tampa.  We'll let you know if they add any dates that are a little closer to home.  You can also catch Rascal Flatts on TV....they'll be on Dancing With The Stars tomorrow night, Ellen on Thursday and the CBS Special "Lionel Richie & Friends" on April 13th.

We're slowly getting some new info on Kenny Chesney's new CD.  He just revealed the cover art (at left) and the title, "Welcome to the Fishbowl".  In addition to that, he announced that Tim McGraw would be featured on the project and as we found out on the ACM's last night, Tim joins Kenny on the song "Feel Like A Rock Star".  I didn't get a good listen to the song from where I was sitting at Sam's Fun City last night, but everyone at the party seemed to like it.  Kenny & Tim hit the road on the "Brothers of the Sun" tour June 2nd in Tampa and Kenny's new CD comes out June 19th.  I'll let you know when I get more info.



Sugarland will be out on tour this summer too and they're letting YOU make the setlist!!  Go to http://sugarlandmusic.com/ to make your request.  You may also want to request that they add a show a little closer to Pensacola.  The closest they'll come to us is Valdosta, Georgia on July 27th.  It would definitely be a fun road trip, so if you're going be sure to let them know what songs you want to hear. 

A couple quick things to wrap up with this week....Santa Rosa County Fair gets underway this Friday the 6th!  Rides, games, food, rodeo, car show & much more!  Be sure to join us the 13th & 14th for WXBM night at the SR County Fair.  If you have any questions, give us a call or click on the link at www.wxbm.com  Hope to see you there.  Also keep listening this week for your chance to win free tickets to see Luke Bryan, James Otto and Frankie Ballard!  We'll play the contest just like we did last week....we'll post a trivia question on our facebook page (www.facebook.com/1027wxbm) at 9:35am and 1:35pm and then some time between 2-7pm I'll let you know which caller to be and if you can answer both questions you'll win a pair of tickets to the concert from Your Country 102.7 WXBM.  Give us a call if you have any questions.

Hope you have a great week!  Thanks for listening to Your Country 102.7 WXBM!