Toby on American Idol? Nope. Brad Paisley....maybe

If you are an American Idol fan, you probably know that two of the three judges bailed out this summer.  Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler both left the show, and just a few weeks ago AI announced that Mariah Carey will fill one of the seats and the other is still open.  We could, possibly see a country star fill the open slot.  Toby Keith says he was offered the job but turned it down.  There have been rumors about Brad Paisley getting the call too, but that's just rumor for now.  Also heard Carrie Underwood could be considered.  The problem that most artists like Brad, Carrie & Toby face is that they tour SO much that it would be tough to do both, and the AI schedule is so demanding.  Blake Shelton is in the same boat with The Voice.  He and the other coaches talk frequently about how tough it is to do the show and tour at the same time.  I would look for a decision from the AI folks soon because I believe audition start soon. 

Speaking of Toby, he announced that he's hard at work on his next CD.  He has about 15 demos and said about 10 or 11 will make the final cut.  He didn't talk about a release date.  Jason Aldean has been working on his new project for a while now and expects an October release date.  In the mean time, you can hear the first single from Aldeans upcoming CD "Take A Little Ride" on WXBM.  Brad Paisley is also recording new material, and he's recording his music old-school, meaning there will be no editing done on his new record.  Most music is recorded piece by piece into a computer.  A lot artists use professional studio musicians to record the drums, lead guitar, bass guitar etc on separate tracks and they do quite a few "takes" on each song.  Then they can go back with a computer program and edit the best parts of the song together to make a very polished, final version.  From what I took away from Brad's interview about his recording process, he and his band are recording all the instruments and vocals at the same time to one master track, and there will be no edits.  I'm guessing you probably won't be able to tell when you listen to the CD, but it's definitely something that musicians will appreciate.  As with Toby and Jason, Brad hasn't given us an exact release date for his new project.

I'm not usually one for drama shows on TV (especially during baseball season) but ABC's new show "Nashville" caught my attention.  Here's a quick look at what to expect:

I'll DVR it just to check it out.  Could be interesting.  Producers of the show want everyone to know that the young singers character is NOT based on Taylor Swift, or on any one person.  Apparently there's been a lot of talk about that.  Look for Nashville to premiere October 10th on ABC.

Have a great week!!  Thanks for reading the blog and listening to Your Country 102.7 WXBM!!

Garth on tour.....maybe

Recently, Garth Brooks was asked (again) if he plans on touring in the near future, and he said, "Our youngest is a junior in high school now. Our oldest, we just celebrated her 20th. If God lets us do it and everything goes well, I would love to tour again".  I would love to have the opportunity to see Garth in concert again because his shows really do live up to the hype.  Back in 1998 I was the mid-day DJ at 105.3 WYNG in Evansville, Indiana and we got word that Garth was going to make a stop in our city.  Back then, Garth didn't show up, do a show and leave.  The demand for tickets was unbelievable.  He couldn't just do one show and pack up & leave.  He would often perform several shows in consecutive nights.  When tickets went on sale for the Evansville show, the first show sold out in less than 10 minutes, so they added another, which sold out in the same amount of time so they added another, and another.  A couple days before the concert my Program Director, Jimmy gave me tickets to the third show and told me that Garth was doing a press conference before the concert and asked me if I wanted to go.  Of course I said "yes" but figured I'd just be there so I could say I was in the same room as Garth.  I had no plans on asking any questions until that morning.  I was on the air and around noon I got a call on the request line from a florist in Nashville.  He asked me what the big occasion was, and I had no idea what he was talking about.  He said "some record company just ordered 14 dozen roses to be delivered to a 'Roberts Stadium' tomorrow night.  What's the deal?".  I told him I really couldn't even guess, and we small talked a little before I had to let him go.  A little while later, the wheels started spinning....I remembered reading that Garth would track his ticket sales, and often have a prize or gift for his 1 millionth, 2 millionth 3 millionth etc ticket holders during the show.  Since he was doing quite a few shows, those events happened on a somewhat regular basis, but it hadn't happened in a while, so I thought maybe that's it.  Maybe he's going to surprise his "X-millionth" ticket holder.  (I knew the number at the time.  I believe he was coming up on his 4 millionth ticket holder)  So I went to my PD, Jimmy, and ran my theory and he said "ask him".  I left his office with absolutely no intention of asking Garth anything, because I thought either someone would beat me to my question, or I would be too intimidated to speak up, look Garth in the eye and ask him a question.  Later that night I was in a conference room with a bunch of other radio/TV folks and Garth comes out & starts his conference.  In my head, I thought everyone in there would have 20 questions for him and I wouldn't even find a pause to interject with my question, even if I mustered up the courage to speak up.  To my surprise, there were few questions (and even fewer GOOD questions) so I decided that I was going to "man-up" and ask a legit question.  It took me a few minutes, but I found a spot to jump in and I said "Mr Brooks, I'm Ryan and I work at one of the country stations in town.  When I was on the air today I got a call from a florist in Nashville wondering why a record label ordered 14 dozen roses.  Is your 4 millionth ticket holder in the audience tonight and if so can you tell us what other gifts you have for that person?".  I noticed that as I was speaking he had a somewhat blank expression on his face.  When I finished, he crossed his arms and leaned back in his folding chair and didn't say a word.  He sat there for a good 5 seconds and slowly started to smile and said "you guys are soooooo sneaky.  No comment."  Then he looked over at the guy he walked in the room with and laughed & said "No comment.  I can't believe......no comment".  Apparently I ruined his surprise.  The first thing that went through my mind was "I hope I didn't just get a florist fired".  That portion of the press conference ran on all the news channels that night (of course they didn't credit me or the radio station for cracking the story) and they made a pretty big deal about it, and in fact, Garth's 4 millionth ticket holder was in the audience the following night.  I believe they won a new truck, 7 day vacation and, of course, 14 dozen roses.  I had the opportunity to do a phone interview with Garth in 2006 and was tempted to ask if he remembered the incident, but elected not to press my luck.  I think he was a little ticked at me.  Sorry G.

Get ready for the BLUES!!!

Yall ready to see the Blue Angels fly over Pensacola Beach?  Just a few days until it happens!!  Hope you can join Your Country 102.7 WXBM at Casino Beach this weekend for the fun.  Since there is very little going on in the world of country music again this week, I'll give you a little info on the airshow in case you've never been.

Here's the schedule of events:
Wednesday, July 11th:  Blue Angels will perform circle/aerial maneuvers at 8am over Pensacola Beach

Thursday the 12th:  Blue Angels will practice at 2pm

Friday the 13th:  Full dress rehearsal with the Blue Angels flying at 2pm

Saturday the 14th:  Full air show starting at noon.  Blue Angels fly at 2pm

First of all, let me point out the obvious:  It's Florida, and it's July.  It will be a hot, so plan ahead.  Run to the store this week and get a bunch of sunscreen & water.  We usually throw a couple little dish towels in our cooler and when you get hot, take one of those out of the ice and put it on your head or the back of your neck.  Instant cool-down.  As far as traffic is concerned, Saturday will be the big traffic day.  We live in Cantonment and usually leave around 8am and by the time we get to the 3 Mile Bridge, it's backed up past the hump.  Kim's parents lost their home on Little Sabine in Ivan, but still own the lot, so we always watch the show from their empty lot.  Which is for sale, by the way.  So I would recommend leaving the house early and just plan on being at the beach all day.  The good thing is, unlike the fall show at NAS Pensacola, you can bring a cooler with you, so load it up with water and whatever else you feel like but keep in mind that they do no allow any glass bottles on the beach.  I have seen them enforce that rule too, so bring plastic bottles or cans if possible.  And no pets.  No critters on the beach.  As far as parking goes, the Casino Beach and Quietwater lots will fill up pretty fast.  There is parking available down Ft Pickens Rd and Via DeLuna & the trolleys will be running all day, so you can park & ride.  Also, be very careful where you park.  If you park illegally, you'll be ticketed or towed.  And every year, we see little compact cars park in loose sand on the side of the road and get stuck.  To me it would be worth it to walk a little further than risk it and have to get towed out.  After the show it'll take you a little while to get off the beach, so plan on traffic delays coming & going.  We'll have traffic updates for you all day on 102.7 WXBM.

We have more free Miranda Lambert concert tickets for you to win this week!  Not sure how, or when, but we'll have more for you and we'll let ya know how to win them when the time comes.  She'll be at the Amphitheater at the Wharf in Orange Beach this Thursday with Lee Brice and Thomas Rhett.  Still tix available at Ticketmaster.com if you're not lucky enough to win them.  If you're not going to that show, you can see the Sawmill Band in concert the same night at Evenings in Olde Seville Square!  It's a free show at the corner of Gov't & Alcaniz at 7pm. 

Have a great week!  I'm on vacation this Wednesday - next Tuesday, so have a great week.  Thanks for checking out the blog and for listening to Your Country 102.7 WXBM!

Community Events Calendar

Happy Independence Day!!  I hope that you're as proud to be an American as I am.  Not just this week, but every day of the year.  Thank you to all active duty and retired military men & women for what you do and for what you have done.  God bless America.  Hope you can join WXBM for an AWESOME fireworks show on Pensacola Beach or on the Riverwalk in Milton, Wednesday evening.  Also, be sure to tune in to 102.7 WXBM from 8:30pm - 10pm Wednesday evening for 90 minutes of patriotic country music!  Perfect music to listen to while you're watching fireworks.

Not much going on in the world of country music, so I'll give you a quick update the WXBM Community Events Calendar and let you know about some volunteer opportunities.

Wildlife Sancturay of Northwest Florida:  The Sanctuary got flooded out with that massive rainfall in June, and they're still trying to get back on their feet.  They are looking for volunteers to donate time, money or items on their wishlist.  More info:  850-433-9453 or www.pensacolawildlife.com

Panhandle Butterfly House:  The PBH is now open and giving free tours Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.  They are located in Navarre Park on Hwy 98 in Navarre.  Might be something fun (and free) to do with the kids this summer!  The tours are free but donations are greatly appreciated, and the Panhandle Butterfly House is looking for volunteers.  More info:  www.panhandlebutterflyhouse.org or 850-623-3868.

Pints For Patriots:  The Latin American student association will hold their Pints For Patriots blood drive July 19th at UWF.  Donors are asked to show up between 9:30am - 2:30pm at building 72.  Donors are eligible for door prizes and free food.  More info:  850-474-2453

Doggie Bathe-In:  The Humane Society of Pensacola will hold their Doggie Bathe-Ins on the 3rd Saturday of the month July, August, September and October.  A great way to keep you critters clean and pest-free.  Humane Society is also looking for sponsors for the annual BarktoberFest event in October.  More info:  850-432-4250

Green-Up Santa Rosa:  The Green Up nursery has reduced the prices on their Crepe Myrtles.  One gallon plants are now only $4.99 and seven gallon plants are $7.99.  They are open Tues-Sat from 9am-4pm.  More info:  850-623-1930 or www.srclean.org

Strike Out Homelessness:  The Escarosa Coalition on the homeless will hold their Strike Out Homelessness bowling tournament on September 8th at Deluna Lanes.  Cost is only $125 for a five-person team.  More info:  850-232-9548

The following as a re-post from a few weeks back, but some good info if you're looking for some great ways to serve our community:

Northwest Florida Blood Services: Donating blood is a tough sell because so many people are uncomfortable around needles. You always hear us telling you that blood donors are needed because there is no substitute for blood. It cannot be created and it cannot be stored for long periods of time. Shelf life is a couple weeks for blood, and only a couple days for blood platelets. Yes, it takes time and yes, it can be somewhat uncomfortable, but it really is worth it. If you would like to get more info or schedule a donation, call: 850-473-3853 or go to www.nfbcblood.org

Habitat For Humanity: Can you hammer a nail in a board? If so, you are qualified to help! The great thing about working with HFH is that you don't need prior experience to help out. They have site directors who will help you learn how get the job done. Is it hard work? Yes. Is it rewarding to help build someone else's house? Absolutely. If you would like to volunteer, call: 850-434-5456

Ronald McDonald House: RMH is looking for individual or groups of volunteers to do everything from cook meals for families to doing light house chores like taking out the trash, vacuuming, sweeping etc. RMH houses families whose children are facing extended hospital stays. If you would like to volunteer, call: 850-477-2273

Children's Home Society: CHS is looking for volunteers to mentor young people between the ages of 14-21. If you would like to help out, call: 850-494-5975

Trauma Intervention Programs: TIP is a group of specially trained volunteers to counsel people immediately after a traumatic event. They have an extensive training program, an anyone can volunteer. More info: http://www.tip-ser.org/


Thanks for listening to 102.7 WXBM!  Have a great week.