Jason Aldean, Lady A & Toby's rough week

Jason Aldean will be featured on CMT's show called "Invitation Only" this Friday night.  The show puts country stars in a smaller setting with a group of fans where they perform many of their hit songs and do a question & answer session with fans throughout the show.  Jason will be performing his hits:  Hicktown, Amarillo Sky, Dirt Road Anthem, Why, My Kinda Party and several others.  Click on the following link to get a sneak preview of Jason performing one of his hits:  http://www.cmt.com/videos/misc/673948/invitation-only-jason-aldean-my-kinda-party.jhtml
Jason's episode of Invitation Only will be on CMT this Friday at 8pm.

Lady Antebellum has released a little more info about their upcoming album "Own The Night".  In addition to the cover art, they have released the track listing:

1.  We Owned The Night
2.  Just A Kiss
3.  Dancin' Away With My Heart
4.  Friday Night
5.  When You Were Mine
6.  Cold As Stone
7.  Singing Me Home
8.  Wanted You More
9.  As You Turn Away
10.  The Love I've Found In You
11.  Somewhere Love Remains
12.  The Heart Of The World

Own The Night will be out Sept 13th.

Toby Keith had a rough couple weeks.  Two weeks ago, someone robbed his "BelMar" golf club in Norman, Oklahoma.  The thief made off with an undisclosed amount of money.  Then, last week, the pool house at BelMar caught fire.  Witnesses say they could see flames from as far as a mile away, and when firefighters arrived, the building was engulfed in flames.  Damage is estimated at $75,000 and the cause is suspected to be from the pool's filter pump.  I think I speak for everyone when I say, who knew Toby owned a golf course???

Carrie Underwood has confirmed her appearance on the CBS drama "Blue Bloods" this season.  She will appear as herself and will perform the song "It Had To Be You" with Tony Bennett.  Carrie will also be part of Tony's new "Duets II" CD, where they will perform that same song.  The CD will be out September 20th, and the new season of Blue Bloods will begin September 23rd on CBS.

Hometown Team Tryouts continue this week with Marty White in the morning!  Hope you are enjoying listening to that.  Have a great week and thanks for listening to Your Country 102.7 WXBM!!  Also, be sure to scroll down and check out the upcoming CD & concert list.

Upcoming CD's

July 26th

Eric Church - "Chief"

 

August 2nd

Trace Adkins - "Proud To Be Here"

August 9th

Luke Bryan - "Tailgates & Tanlines"

August 16th

Eli Young Band - "Life At Best"

August 30th

Jake Owen - "Barefoot Bluejean Night"

September 6th

George Strait - "Here For A Good Time"

September 13th

Lady Antebellum - "Own The Night"

Terri Clark - "Roots & Wings"

October 18th

Martina McBride - "Teenage Daughters"

November 1st

Miranda Lambert - "Four The Record"

Artists with release dates TBA

 

Dierks Bentley

Alan Jackson

Toby Keith

Upcoming Concerts

August 6th

Ronnie Dunn - Wind Creek Atmore

August 12th

Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson - IP Biloxi

September 2nd

Clint Black - IP Biloxi

September 5th

Kid Rock - Wharf in Orange Beach

September 9th

Tracy Lawrence - Hard Rock Biloxi

September 23rd

Gary Allan - IP Biloxi

December

Josh Turner - Bonfire Jam

Country music fan, it's going to be a great summer and fall.  Between new music, concerts and TV specials, we have a lot of great stuff on the radar.

Let's start with new music.  We'll be seeing new CD's from Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum, Trace Adkins and many more (I'll give a complete list of artists & dates below) but the CD that I'm really looking forward to is George Strait's new one "Here For A Good Time".  We have been playing the single on WXBM for a couple weeks, and it's........it's vintage George Strait.  I think the man is incapable of recording a bad song.  He could find a way to make the "Hokey Pokey" sound good.  Here For A Good Time is George's 89th career single on the radio and it comes off his 26th studio album.  I was six years old when George released his first single, "Unwound", to country radio in 1981 and here he is, still making great music 30 years later.  Over the last 10 years, there's been quite a few times that I put the four CD's from his box-set "Strait Out Of The Box" in my truck, and that's all I listened to for months.  Literally, months.  Here's why I like George so much.  Most artists today are looking to go "out of the box" to find a new style or sound for their music, and for the most part I don't have a problem with that, but George has always stayed "in the box" and has found a way to stay fresh.  Whether it's a tear-jerker, a good drinkin' song or something that will make you laugh, George has a way of finding great songs and making them sound like country music.  He's a one-of-a-kind, and I'm glad he's still around. 

Miranda Lambert's new CD will be called "Four The Record".  She said that with the success of her previous albums, she doesn't feel like she has to prove herself as an artist nearly as much this time around and that has made the recording process a little more fun.  She also said that she's open to doing a duet with her husband Blake Shelton, but don't look for one on "Four The Record".  Maybe next time.  Look for Miranda's new CD November 1st.

Be sure to set your DVR for the CMA Music Fest concert.  They have a great lineup again this year with performances from Jason Aldean, Zac Brown Band, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Sugarland, Rascal Flatts, Josh Turner, Taylor Swift, Alan Jackson and many more!  The three-hour special will air August 14th on ABC.

As far as concerts go, we had an interesting week.  WXBM announced that Josh Turner will headline Bonfire Jam (http://www.bonfirejam.com/) in Chumuckla after the annual Redneck Christmas Parade, and that Kid Rock will play the Wharf in Orange Beach on Labor Day, Sept 5th.  And, Jason Aldean got rained out.  He rescheduled his July 14th show for September 25th at the Wharf.  They will honor all tickets purchased for the original show date, and they are offering refunds for those who bought tickets but cannot make the rescheduled date.  For more information, call:  251.224.1020

That's the news!  Thanks for taking time to read the News & Notes blog this week.  Be sure to check WXBM out on facebook at www.facebook.com/1027wxbm at our main site http://www.wxbm.com/  Thanks for listening!  Have a great week.

Upcoming CD's

July 26th

Eric Church - "Chief"

August 2nd

Trace Adkins - "Proud To Be Here"

August 9th

Luke Bryan - "Tailgates & Tanlines"

August 16th

Eli Young Band - "Life At Best"

August 30th

Jake Owen - "Barefoot Bluejean Night"

September 6th

George Strait - "Here For A Good Time"

September 13th

Lady Antebellum - "Own The Night"

Terri Clark - "Roots & Wings"

October 18th

Martina McBride - "Teenage Daughters"

November 1st

Miranda Lambert - "Four The Record"

Artists with release dates TBA

Dierks Bentley

Alan Jackson

Toby Keith

Upcoming Concerts

July 23rd
Miranda Lambert & Gary Allan - Wharf in Orange Beach

August 6th

Ronnie Dunn - Wind Creek Atmore

August 12th

Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson - IP Biloxi

September 2nd

Clint Black - IP Biloxi

September 5th

Kid Rock - Wharf in Orange Beach

September 9th

Tracy Lawrence - Hard Rock Biloxi

September 23rd

Gary Allan - IP Biloxi

December

Josh Turner - Bonfire Jam

Hey Hey Hey!! Fat Albert Airlines!!

I'll admit it.  I was wrong.  After pulling 7.7g's in the back of a F/A-18 Hornet with Lt. Cdr Kevin "Kojak" Davis in 2006, I figured that riding in a big, lanky C-130 would be a piece of cake.  I was wrong. 

The Blue Angels do a TON of airshows each year, and before each show, they offer rides to members of the local media.  I have been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to go on a media ride in Blue Angel #7 back in the fall of 2006 (more about that later) and now on Fat Albert.  They provide rides so people in radio, TV and print media can tell about their experiences and get young minds out to the airshows and hopefully, one day, strive to serve our country in a similar way. 

  In the flight briefing, Capt Edward Jorge told us 14 media folks to stay on our toes because we would experience everything from brief zero-g (weightlessness), to 2-3g's in sharp banking turns throughout the demonstration. A "g" refers to gravitational force. 1g is your normal weight. If you weigh 150 lbs, 2g's would make it feel like you weight 300 lbs. 3g's...450lbs, and so on.  When you experience g's, it forces the blood out of your head and when you get to 5g's & up, it can cause you to black out.  Since I experienced 7.7g's with Kojak, I couldn't help but to crack a wise smile as if to say "bring it on".  I can handle 2g's, no problem.  I probably should have kept my smile to myself because it was more work that I thought it would be.

So, we all get strapped in and we taxi to the end of runway 7 aboard NAS Pensacola. When Capt Jorge lets off the brakes, we could immediately feel the power of the airplane, and it was very impressive. When he reaches full power, Capt Jorge pulls back and takes us all up into the sky at a steep 45-degree angle and we get a brief taste of 2g's. It lasts only a few seconds until he pitches Fat Albert's nose over and then we get our first zero-g experience which was awesome!! I have always been fascinated with space flight, so to experience zero-g just for a few brief seconds was really cool. So, after we're airborne, we make a short commute over to Pensacola Bay and wait for the boss to say "showtime".  During that time, the crew members open the back cargo door and we have a great view of Pensacola, the 3 Mile Bridge and Gulf Breeze. (For pictures and video, visit www.facebook.com/1027wxbm)  There aren't many windows on Fat Albert, so having that back cargo door wide open was pretty cool.  After about 10 minutes of circling over Pensacola Bay, the show started, and Capt Jorge showed us and the crowd at Pensacola Beach what Fat Albert is capable of doing.  I really enjoyed the low pass maneuvers because in order to get in position for those low passes, we had to make some really sharp, fast turns.  During several turns, the wings were almost at a 90 degree angle to the ground, and I would look out the little round window across the cargo bay and see water and land going by at a mind-bending pace.  I couldn't believe how fast we were flying and how LOW we were flying!!  Fat Albert only performs for about 10 minutes during the actual airshow, and I'll admit that at the end of that 10 minute demonstration, I was ready to fly flat for a while.  I had my barf bag handy, and on several occasions, thought I may have to use it.  Thankfully, none of us 14 had to use our sick bag, but a few of us were pretty green by the time the wheel hit the runway!  To some, it was the zero-g effect (which we experienced four times) that made their stomach turn, but for me it was the extended 2-3g's.  There was quite a few times during the flight that we would feel 2-3g's for 15-20 seconds, and for some reason, that just didn't agree with my stomach.  I held it down though, so I feel good about that.  I sure would have been embarrassed to be the ONLY one to get sick!!  What an experience though.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.

 Anyone who lived in the Pensacola area in 2007 probably remembers when the #6 jet crashed at an airshow in South Carolina, killing the pilot.  The pilot of #6 that year was Kevin "Kojak" Davis, the same pilot that took me up on my media ride in 2006.  Actually, I was Kevin's last media ride in the #7 jet, as he was scheduled to move to the #6 the following year.  I was very sad to get the news that Kojak had died in the crash.  I hadn't met him until shortly before we took off, and I really expected him to be a cocky, arrogant "Maverick" kind of guy from Top Gun, and he was the exact opposite of that.  I was floored by his humility and by how friendly he was with me and my family that had come along that day.  You could tell he absolutely loved what he was doing.  Today, while our media group was filling out paperwork in a first-floor office, I was thinking about Kevin and how great it was to be able to meet him and fly with him.  As we were standing in that office waiting to go out to Fat Albert, I noticed a Trek bicycle with a custom Blue Angels paint job, tucked away in the corner of the office.  When I looked closer, I noticed a Blue Angels #6 and a "Kojak" decal on it, so I asked Andrew, one of the Blue Angels media relations workers if that was Kevin's bike, and he nodded "yes".  It's pretty cool that even though none of the current members of the Blue Angels team were around when Kevin passed, they keep something of his in the office to remind them of him.  RIP Kojak.  Thank you for serving our country.

Married life....so far

At 6pm CT on Sunday, June 26th, I married the love of my life in Las Vegas!  We treated our guests to an Elvis wedding at the Viva Las Vegas wedding chapel, and it was a blast!!!  Our family & friends were expecting a quiet, small ceremony.  Instead, we gave them the "Pink Caddy" wedding where the room fills with fog and laser lights to the song from "2001:  A Space Odyssey" and as the song ended, Elvis (with Kim & I in the back seat) drove a 1964 pink Cadillac convertible INTO the chapel, and so it began.  As silly as it sounds, we had fun, and our guests had fun and that's exactly what we wanted.

Blake Shelton is also a newlywed and in a recent interview with US Weekly, he said he's tired of the bachelor life.  Blake said "I grew tired of going out drinking until 7am and waking up at noon & eating pizza".  He said he'd much rather have a quiet night at home with Miranda.  Maybe that's a sign that you have found "the one", because that's exactly how I feel about Kim.  I know there are probably a lot of married people rolling their eyes as they read the last sentence or two and thinking "give it time".  I'm not sure how long Blake and Miranda have officially been a couple, but Kim & I have been together for almost six years, and it still feels new to us.  Hopefully we will feel the same in 50 years. 

In other Blake news, he has a new CD out next Tuesday the 12th called "Red River Blue", featuring the hit song "Honey Bee".  The new project will also include a song that Blake has had on the back-burner for quite a while.  "I'm Sorry" is a song that he said is difficult to sing, but finally feels confident enough in himself and in the song to put it on a CD.  For a sneak preview of "I'm Sorry", click on the following link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6jj_PfqZgU

Tim McGraw is busier than ever.  He is currently out on his Emotional Traffic tour with Luke Bryan and The Band Perry.  Tim said he's also getting a TON of movie scripts.  The hard part is not only reading all of them, but finding projects that fit into his schedule.  He recently backed out of a movie called "Safe House" with Denzel Washington & Ryan Reynolds because of scheduling conflicts.  Tim does have a minor role in an upcoming film called "Dirty Girl" featuring William H. Macy, Mila Jokovich and Mary Steenburgen.  Dirty Girl will be in theaters in August. 

The "Teen Choice Award" nominees have been announced.  Here is a list of a couple of the country categories:

Favorite Female
Taylor Swift
Miranda Lambert
Carrie Underwood
Kellie Pickler
Jannette McCurdy

Favorite Male
Jason Aldean
Keith Urban
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
Luke Bryan

Favorite Group
Lady Antebellum
Rascal Flatts
Little Big Town
Steel Magnoila
The Band Perry

The award show will air August 7th on Fox and you can vote now at:  http://www.teenchoiceawards.com/index.html

That's the news this week.  As always, thank for listening to Your Country 102.7 WXBM!

Top earners for 2010

On a quick personal note, there will be no blog next week because....I'm getting married!!  The big day is Sunday the 26th and we both took the following week off.  We have been planning for quite a while, so it's kind of unreal that we will be married in less than a week.

How about another week of free money?!!?!!  The "Money Song of the Day" is back again this week.  Marty will announce the song of the day at 7:20 every weekday morning and then he'll post it on our facebook page (www.facebook.com/1027wxbm) at 9:20.  Lynn will play the song between 10-2 and I'll play it between 2-7 and when you hear it, be the 35th caller to win a $100 Visa gift card that's good anywhere Visa is accepted.  Good luck and thanks for listening.  For complete contest rules visit www.wxbm.com

Forbes magazine just released their list of the worlds highest paid musicians.  There were no country artists at the top of the list, but the still made some pretty big money.  Here's a list of the top earners in country music:

1.  Toby Keith - $50 million
2.  Taylor Swift - $45 million
3.  Brad Paisley - $40 million
4.  Tim McGraw - $35 million
5.  Rascal Flatts - $34 million

I expected to see Kenny Chesney up there, but I forgot he didn't tour last year.  He still made $30 million though.  Wow.  Those numbers look pretty big, but, Toby brought in about one-fourth of what U2 did last year.  Here's the overall top earners list from all artists.  Get your barf bag ready:

1.  U2 - $195 million
2.  Bon Jovi - 125 million
3.  Elton John - 120 million

During CMA Music Fest, Martina McBride fans purchased over $150,000 worth of memorabilia including a dress Martina wore during a performance at the Grand Ole Opry, a personal tour of Martina's recording studio and several outfits that were worn in her "Teenage Daughters" video.  Martina donated all of that money to the YWCA Domestic Violence Shelter.  Martina will be in our area on July 16th when she plays the Wind Creek Casino in Atmore and her new CD featuring Teenage Daughters will be released August 23rd.

Vince Gill is working on a new CD.  Vince says there will be some darker material on this project including a song called "Threaten Me With Heaven".  Check it out here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EnsEz7QIH0  No release date scheduled for that project yet.

That's it for this week.  Be sure to scroll down through the upcoming CD's and concerts list.  Got some new stuff on there.  Newer additions will have a ** by it.  Have a great week and thank you for listening to Your Country 102.7 WXBM!

Upcoming CD's

June 21st
Justin Moore - "Outlaws Like Me"
July 12th
Blake Shelton - "Red River Blue"
Chris Young - "Neon"
July 26th
Eric Church - "Chief"
Ashton Shepherd - "Where Country Grows"
August
Dierks Bentley - "Diamonds"
August 2nd
**Trace Adkins - "Proud To Be Here"

August 23rd

**Martina McBride - "Teenage Daughters"
August 30th
**Jake Owen - "Barefoot Bluejean Nignt"

TBD

Sunny Sweeney (From A Table Away)

Terri Clark (expected this summer or fall)

Tim McGraw (Emotional Traffic)
Rodney Atkins (Take A Back Road)
Josh Turner

Upcoming Concerts

July 14th

Jason Aldean, Chris Young and Thompson Square - Wharf in Orange Beach

July 16th

Martina McBride - Wind Creek in Atmore

July 23rd

Miranda Lambert and Gary Allan - Wharf in Orange Beach
August 12th
Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson - IP in Biloxi
September 2nd
Clint Black - IP in Biloxi
September 7th
Trace Adkins - IP in Biloxi

More FREE MONEY!!!

Congrats to all our winners last week with the "Money $ong of the Day"!!  Good news.....if you missed it last week, it's back this week!!  Marty will announce the money song of the day at 7:20am and then he'll post it on our facebook page (www.facebook.com/1027wxbm) at 9:20.  That song will play once between 10a-2pm and again between 2p-7p.  When you hear it be the 35th caller to win!  That's it.  If you're the right caller you'll win a $100 Visa gift card that is good anywhere that Visa is accepted, so it's just like winning a $100 bill.  Thanks for listening and good luck from Davis Music Group and Your Country 102.7 WXBM!

Got a couple cool things in the news this week.  Shania Twain has signed on to do a two-year stint at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.  She will perform 60 shows a year for two years starting December 1st, 2012.  For concert and ticket info visit:  http://www.shaniainvegas.com/

Lady Antebellum announced their new CD will be called "Own The Night" and will be out September 13th.  The project is nearly completed and Lady A will spend most of the remainder of 2011 on the road promoting the new project.  As of now, they do not have any dates scheduled in the Pensacola area, but if that changes, we'll let you know.

Sounds like Jason Aldean may be working on a follow-up to his "My Kinda Party" CD.  He was recently asked if he will be recording any more hip-hop songs, he said "Probably quicker than you might think, as a matter of fact. So we'll have to see".  He also said that he will likely be working with a "well known" hip-hop star and has a couple things in the works, but doesn't want to give away too much right now.  Let the speculation begin.  I'll say Ludacris since the two of them performed at the CMT Music Awards last week.  We shall see. 

Got some great concerts coming to our area including Jason Aldean at the Wharf on July 14th, Miranda Lambert & Gary Allan on the 23rd and Keith Urban will begin the North American leg of his "Get Closer" tour this Thursday the 16th in Biloxi.  Big & Rich are also out on tour for the first time in over three years!  They are out with Gretchen Wilson, Cowboy Troy and Two-Foot Fred for a bunch of shows this year including a show August 12th at the IP in Biloxi.

That's it for this week.  As always, thanks so much for listening to WXBM!  Hope you have a great week!

Upcoming CD's

June 21st
Justin Moore - "Outlaws Like Me"
July 12th
**Blake Shelton - "Red River Blue"
**Chris Young - "Neon"
July 26th
**Eric Church - "Chief"
Ashton Shepherd - "Where Country Grows"
August
Dierks Bentley - "Diamonds"
August 2nd
Trace Adkins - "Proud To Be Here"
August 30th
Jake Owen - "Barefoot Bluejean Nignt"

October

Martina McBride - "Teenage Daughters"

TBD

Sunny Sweeney (From A Table Away)

Terri Clark (expected this summer or fall)

Tim McGraw (Emotional Traffic)
Rodney Atkins (Take A Back Road)
Josh Turner

Upcoming Concerts

July 14th

Jason Aldean, Chris Young and Thompson Square - Wharf in Orange Beach

July 23rd

Miranda Lambert and Gary Allan - Wharf in Orange Beach
August 12th
Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson - IP in Biloxi
September 2nd
Clint Black - IP in Biloxi
September 7th
Trace Adkins - IP in Biloxi

Free money!!!!

I just wanted to start out by saying that I was heavily medicated when I wrote last week's blog.  On May 27th, I got to experience my first kidney stone, and it was horrible.  I have had several broken bones and some other internal stuff, but this pain is so far beyond any of that.  Anyone who has ever had one knows what I'm talking about.  So anyway, I was all hopped up on pain medication last week when I wrote the blog and I honestly couldn't tell you what I wrote about.  Hopefully, at the very least, I remembered to use spell-check! 

Got some WXBM news for you this week.  First off, we've got a fun new way for you to win some $$$$$!!  We will play the "Money Song of the Day" two times every weekday.  Marty will announce the song of the day at 7:20am and then he'll post it on our facebook page (www.facebook.com/1027wxbm) at 9:20am.  That song will play at once between 10am - 2pm and again between 2pm - 7pm.  When it plays, be the 35th caller to win a $100 Visa gift card from Curb Records and WXBM!!  You can use the gift card wherever Visa is accepted, so it's pretty much like winning a $100 bill!  Thanks for playing, and good luck with that.

Also, it's about time we find Marty a morning co-host.  If you think you've got what it takes, then make a video (no more than three minutes long) and tell us why you would like to work with Marty at WXBM.  Then email us a link to your video:  hometownteamtryouts@wxbm.com   We will post videos on our facebook page for listeners to see.  It won't be a voting situation though.  We just want to share some of the videos, and then we'll invite some applicants to join Marty one morning on the air!!  Should be fun.  If you have any other questions, just give us a holler.

Something else I wanted to bring up, that probably won't be a popular topic, is that is hurricane season.  They are predicting an active season again as they always do, so we have to be ready for anything, just in case they're actually right this year.  First thing you should do is have a plan and know your plan.  Know where you'll go if you have to evacuate to the east, west or north.  It's also very important to make plans & arrangements for your pets too.  If you have to evacuate, you don't want to have to scramble at the last second.  Have a plan & know it.  Also remember that "the first 72 are on you".  It could take three days (or longer) to get supply trucks into our area if we get another really bad storm, so you need to have enough food and supplies to last at least that long.  Too many people rely on big-brother to jump in and take care of the situation.  As we have learned, that is a bad plan.  Be self sufficient.  Make a disaster supply kit today so you don't have to wait in line at the last second with everyone else.  A good kit should include:  a can opener, canned fruit, vegetables, meat, pasta, soup, crackers and other non-perishable food items, trash bags, napkins, paper towels, baby wipes and a really good first aid kit.  After the storm, be sure to check on your neighbors to make sure that they are OK.  If you have a generator, chainsaw or anything that runs on gas, fire it up just to be sure it's running like it's supposed to, and have enough gas on hand to be able to run it.  Also, if you have a generator, never, EVER run it indoors.  The exhaust is toxic and will kill you.  Don't even run it in your garage.  Make sure it is outside and that the exhaust fumes are being vented away from your doors & windows.  It's a shame that people can live through the storm and then end up dead because of their generator.  Unfortunately it happens every time we get a storm.  For more info on how to be prepared for hurricane season, visit the A-1 Small Engines Hurricane Center:  http://www.wxbm.com/hurricane_center.php

That's it for this week.  Good luck on winning that free money and as always, thanks for listening to Your Country 102.7 WXBM!