email : Webview : CA's Artist News (3/21)

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March 21, 2014

» Home Run: Garth Brooks and wife Trisha Yearwood will pack up and move back to Nashville following the graduation of Brooks' youngest daughter from college this fall. "There's an energy about Nashville that I love and I miss," Yearwood tells CMT. "And it's so awesome right now. It has a new energy that's so cool. And it makes sense because it's been a bit of a challenge to not live there and to have to fly in and out for work." More here. The sold-out five-show Garth Brooks Comeback Special Event in July at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland will mark Brooks' return to touring. What comes next is anyone's guess.

» Foreign Country:

Other countries love their country, too. That became apparent when Dierks Bentley joined Brad Paisley, Zac Brown Band, Rascal Flatts, Dixie Chicks, The Band Perry, Chris Young, Martina McBride and more for the 2014 Country To Country festival in London and Dublin over the weekend (3/15-16). More than 50,000 fans converged on The O2 arenas in each city for the festival, which also included up-and-coming acts on "pop-up stages" and a town square market of vendors. See Bentley cover Avicii's "Hey Brother" here and some of the other performances here. And check out the Nashville leprechaun at bottom.

» Fest Practices:

Using a series of clues over the last two weeks, the CMA has revealed performers for the 2014 CMA Music Festival. Luke Bryan, Rascal Flatts, The Band Perry, Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Hunter Hayes, Little Big Town, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Darius Rucker, Brad Paisley, Eric Church, Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Brantley Gilbert, Chris Young, Dierks Bentley, Thomas Rhett and The Zac Brown Band will take the LP Field stage during the June 5-8 festival in Nashville. See the daily lineup here and the video reveal here.

» You Might Be A Redneck:

Big & Rich's John Rich has launched "lifestyle brand" Redneck Riviera. Consisting of shirts, hats and accessories including koozies and license plates, the brand promotes what Rich calls a "laid-back carefree beach lifestyle" and represents "a state of mind that can be found coast-to-coast and [in] every land-locked town in between." He announced the line before a B&R spring break performance at a Panama City Beach club today (3/18), and is giving away a customized Polaris Scrambler in conjunction with the launch. A portion of proceeds from the items sold will benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Get your redneck on here.

» Workin' Man News: Merle Haggard will be honored with the Crystal Milestone Award at the 49th Annual Academy Of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas April 6 on CBS-TV, joining past recipients Jason Aldean, Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Jennifer Nettles, Gayle Holcomb and Taylor Swift. The appearance follows the April 1 release of Broken Bow's Working Man's Poet: A Tribute To Merle Haggard, which will feature new recordings of Haggard classics by Jason Aldean, Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Toby Keith, Jake Owen, Randy Houser, Joe Nichols, Dustin Lynch, Thompson Square, Parmalee, James Wesley, Kristy Lee Cook and Ben Haggard. More here.

» Black & White & Web All Over:

Jennifer Nettles "showed off her rangy, powerful and twangy voice" in local solo debut. – Minneapolis Star Tribune
Keith Urban shared "an infectious enthusiasm for life." – Houston Press
Dierks Bentley "blew the roof off" at London's Country2Country festival. – BBC
Florida Georgia Line "sold the hell out of" their Houston Rodeo show. – CultureMap Houston

» In Case You Missed It: Eric Paslay performed "Friday Night" on The Queen Latifah Show Thursday (3/20). Watch here.

Hit List

The Zac Brown Band will play Fenway Park June 28. Tickets go on sale March 29 at 10am. More here.

Darius Rucker will host the 2014 ACM Lifting Lives Celebrity Golf Classic at TPC Las Vegas April 5. Frankie Ballard, Lady A's Charles Kelley, Scotty McCreery, Jake Owen and Cole Swindell will participate in the event, which raises funds for the Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund. More here.

Along with the dedication of her single "Safe" to first responders, Katie Armiger has created "Project Feel Safe" to honor them. As part of the campaign, family and friends can enter the names of first responders to win a trip to Las Vegas to join Armiger on the red carpet before the 49th Annual ACM Awards (4/6). Enter here.

Birthdays

Saturday (3/22): James House.

On TV

Monday (3/24): Blake Shelton, The Voice (NBC).

Upcoming Album Releases:

Mar. 25 Jerrod Niemann High Noon

April 1 Merle Haggard Okie From Muskogee 45th Anniversary Edition

April 1 Josh ThompsonTurn It Up

April 1 Dan + Shay Where It All Began

April 1 Charlie Daniels Off The Grid - Doin' It Dylan

April 8 Martina McBride Everlasting

April 15 Jamie O'Neal Eternal

April 15 Oak Ridge Boys Boys Night Out

April 15 Ray Price Beauty Is...

» Pinch Hitter: Brad Paisley shows his Irish pride in Dublin, Ireland during the C2C Festivals last weekend. He hand-drew the Shamrock on his hat in honor of St. Paddy's Day, and later gave it away to a fan in the audience.