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April 18, 2014

» If You're Gonna Play In Texas:

In case you thought it might be fun to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the ACM Awards in Dallas next year, you'll want to put those travel plans on hold. Tickets for the ACM Party for a Cause: 50 Years of Music and Memories April 17-18, 2015 at Globe Life Park and the ACM Awards at AT&T Stadium April 19, 2015 sold out Tuesday (4/15) in 18 minutes. If you're counting, that's 70,000 tickets, making it the biggest and fastest-selling event in ACM history. "We want to thank the fans for their continued support," says CEO Bob Romeo. "We're working hard to plan more events to accommodate as many fans as we can. Country music is alive and well in North Texas!" Tickets may be made available as staging becomes finalized, and ACM A-list members will be notified first. Sign up here. And if you were one of the lucky ones to get seats, rest assured that hosts Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan will be joining you in the Lone Star state.

» Holiday Road:

Zac Brown Band will kick off The Great American Road Trip Tour May 24 in Lincoln, NE with a new member in bassist Matt Mangano. Mangano takes over for John Driskell Hopkins, who adds guitar, baritone guitar, ukulele, upright bass and banjo duties. Mercury's Kacey Musgraves will support on four shows during the summer. Get a complete list of dates here.

» Beachin' Dude:

Jake Owen will partner with awareness campaign Discover Boating for his Days Of Gold Tour 2014, which launched March 20 and continues through August. As part of the deal, Owen will record documentary-style videos sharing personal stories of how boating affects his life and music, which will be featured along with others' thoughts throughout the tour as "Stories of Discovery." "I can’t think of anything better than floating down the water, drinking a cold beverage and hanging with your friends," Owen says. "On this tour, I wanted everyone to feel that by-the-river vibe and having Discover Boating as part of the action every night is amazing!" More here.

» Put A Record On:

Eric Church is celebrating Saturday's National Record Store Day (4/19) by releasing The Outsiders on vinyl. The double gatefold version will include an exclusive album poster. It's the second vinyl release for Church, who also put out Caught In The Act: Live for last year's event, which spotlights independent record stores and many releases are only available at those businesses. Johnny Cash's debut album His Hot and Blue Guitar will be remastered and reissued as part of the celebration, as well as the never-released Waylon and Shooter Jennings collaboration Fenixon. Find participating outlets here.

» Don't Touch My Willie: Willie Nelson will be presented with his Fifth Degree Black Belt in the art of Gong Kwon Yu Sul, a modern Korean martial arts system, April 28 in Texas. "Really all my life Charles Atlas and Bruce Lee were on my mind," he told Men's Health last year. "It's a good form of exercise, especially as you get older. I went through school playing all kinds of sports ... then when I went to Nashville I got into some martial arts and kung fu. I liked it." The ceremony will take place at Master Martial Arts in Austin two days before his 81st birthday.

» In Case You Missed It:

Sara Evans appeared on Fox & Friends Tuesday (4/15) to let folks know she'll be kicking off the show's All-American Summer Concert Series May 23. Check it out here.

Keith Urban takes you behind the scenes at American Idol to show the differences between his trailer and his co-stars'. See what he has to work with here.

Taylor Swift documented her trip to Columbus, OH to surprise superfan Gena at her bridal shower. Watch here.

» Life Note:

Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Glen Campbell, who has been moved to a care facility to better accommodate his ongoing battle with Alzheimer's, according to People. Campbell has been suffering from the disease for more than three years and his family is also exploring options for the long term. More here.

Hit List

Brad Paisley will guest star opposite his wife Kimberly in the 11th season finale of CBS-TV's Two And A Half Men May 8 at 8pm CT. No details on his role just yet, though. Stay tuned.
Brett Eldredge, Jana Kramer and Lucy Hale will be the face of clothing brands available only at Macy's in the department store chain's second annual "American Icons" campaign. Launching in May, the initiative benefits Got Your 6 and its nonprofit partners, which support veterans and military families. Eldredge, Kramer and Hale will be represented in print, digital and in-store advertising wearing clothing from the respective brands.
Randy Houser is the newest spokesperson for Eckrich sausages and deli meats. As part of the deal Houser will participate in "Operation Inspiration," a campaign that partners with Operation Homefront to support military families, and will pay tribute throughout the summer on CMT's Hot 20 Countdown and Houser's shows. Eckrich will have its mobile sampling tour at Houser's concerts, hosting tailgate parties and offering samples of its products. Houser will also be featured in the brand's advertising and marketing.

Birthdays

Friday (4/18): Jim Scholten (Sawyer Brown), Marvin Evatt (Carolina Rain).

On TV

Friday (4/18): Rascal Flatts, Florida Georgia Line, Justin Moore, Cassadee Pope, Thomas Rhett, Danielle Bradbery, The Cadillac Three, Outnumber Hunger Live! (view participating TV stations and media outlets here).

Monday (4/21): Blake Shelton, The Voice (NBC).

Upcoming Album Releases

April 22 Rachele Lynae Rachele Lynae

April 29 James House Broken Glass Twisted Steel

May 6 Hunter Hayes Storyline

May 6 Leah Turner Leah Turner EP

May 13 Dolly Parton Blue Smoke

May 13 Radney Foster Everything I Should Have Said

May 19 Brantley Gilbert Just As I Am

» Pants On Fire: "In studio working on new album," Kenny Chesney writes with this photo, posted to Twitter. "Can't wait for everyone to hear the new music." Uh, yeah. Big fat liar. He didn't get that tan sitting in that dark studio. Whatever.