Year: 2016

Miranda’s Portland Stop

countryheartbeat Country Chatter

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Most of you know that Miranda Lambert’s Keeper of The Flame Tour stopped in Bangor at Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion last Sunday night. What you may not know is that her road crew stuck around Maine and spent all day Tuesday in Portland. Her road crew has their own band which likes to switch up their name between “Immnent Jamage” and “Permnent Damage“. They love Gritty’s and every time they come to Maine, they stop in and put on an impromptu show there.imminet jamage for blog

They showed up Tuesday night and started the jams around 9pm, allowing crowd participation, doing some karaoke, and basically winging it. They announced several times that they had no plan or set list, and encouraged suggestions from the crowd. Gwen Sebastian even came up and sang a powerful version of Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man”. Sebastian sings backup for Lambert on tour as well as has a blossoming musical career of her own.

For those of you driving in Portland, you may have noticed the FIVE tour busses lined up on Pearl Street. Miranda’s crew spent a couple nights at the Regency Hotel and parked their busses nearby. Bus call was at 4pm on Wednesday, with a 7pm departure time.

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Miranda’s adorable airstream (complete with it’s own twitter account!) affectionately named “Wanda The Wanderer” was also spotted in a private parking lot in Portland adjacent to where the tour busses were lined up. Supposedly Miranda had already gone back to Nashville, but no one really knows for sure!

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That (Old Camp) Whiskey Whispers Temptation In My Ear…

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Florida Georgia Line are not only sitting on a mountain of talent in terms of both songwriting and performing, but entrepreneurship also runs deep in their blood. BK and THubb have already created a name for themselves in the music and fashion industry (BK and his wife BCole have their own clothing line, Tribe Kelley!)… but now the boys have expanded to another one of their true loves… whiskey!

That’s right, you heard it hear first. FGL have been perfecting their own brand of whiskey for the past 5 years and will soon be doing a national release to stores everywhere! They’ve dubbed their brand “Old Camp Whiskey” and one of the first flavors to be released has a true Georgia feel, Peach Pecan. For those that don’t already know, Tyler Hubbard hails from Georgia, while Brian Kelley is the Florida half of the duo.

Of course, Tyler and BK love to share, so they brought out a special “radio cup” backstage for us to taste test… and this is coming from a non-whiskey drinker… it was AMAZING! Little bit of sweetness, no burn, and absolute deliciousness with both peach and pecan notes. Smooth and easy to drink! (Note: Must be of legal drinking age to consume.)

Old Camp Whiskey is gearing up for an August 2016 release nationwide! Check out their official facebook page to stay up to date on the release date!

You Should Be Here

countryheartbeat Country Chatter, Songwriting Secrets

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Last Thursday at Darlings Waterfront Pavilion, I had the opportunity to hang and chat backstage with Cole Swindell (yes, complete dream come true!). Swindell is a part of the Dig Your Roots Tour with Florida Georgia Line this summer and couldn’t be happier!

We got a bit of insiders info about his number one song, “You Should Be Here”, which Swindell says that is the song that he “came to Nashville to write” about his father who unexpectedly passed away in 2013, just as his music career was taking off. “You Should Be Here” was written with Ashley Gorley in the parking lot of Gillette Stadium in August of 2014 while Swindell was on the That’s My Kind of Night Tour with Luke Bryan. Gorley sent his daughter a text about being at such an infamous football stadium and told her simply, “you should be here.” The rest is history, and Swindell and Gorley drafted up the song right there at our very own Patriot’s stadium!

If you don’t have Swindell’s new album featuring the title track “You Should Be Here”, do yourself a favor and go pick up a copy! One of my favorite songs on the album is the first one, “Flatliner” featuring Dierks Bentley. It’s such a fun upbeat song, and I was lucky enough to hear it live for the first time on Thursday night during Cole’s set. I had to ask Cole if they had plans of releasing it as a radio single, and his response was that it’s difficult when they both come from different labels, however he loves Dierks and loves that song! Cole said he would love it if it were released as a single, but he’s not sure if it will happen. Hopefully I will be lucky enough to see them perform the duet together live one day! Have a listen for yourself!

 

Old Port Fest Was A Success!

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WPOR Staff with Brooke Eden & Drew Baldridge

I had the honor of taking photos for my station, WPOR, at this year’s Old Port Festival in Portland, Maine. The weather held out and despite it being extremely windy, it was a warm afternoon! Opening our show were local favorites, American Ride. They’re a country cover band and every song was something that you could sing along to!

Next up was Nashville newcomer, Matt Gary. He tested out some songs on us that he will be putting on his EP; we were some of the first people to hear this new music! Check out his official lyric video for “It’s On You”.

With Matt Gary!

Soon-to-be-superstar Drew Baldridge was our headliner for the show, and he put on one hell of a performance! His debut album Dirt On Us was just released a couple days before and his first single, “Dance With Ya” is currently sitting at number 45 on the media base country charts. Baldridge is an enthusiastic and energetic performer and has some dance moves that rival those of Luke Bryan.

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This is My Heartbeat Song

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By now, it’s well known that my heart beats for country music. It runs through my blood and nourishes my soul. I’ve been fearless in the pursuit of what sets my soul on fire, and following my heart has been the smartest move that I’ve made thus far. The amount of happiness that working in the country music industry brings me is immeasurable.

I am so thankful that a little over a year ago I was given the chance to work for my local country radio station, WPOR 101.9 on their street team! (You can read about my dreams coming true here!) Since then, being hired for the street team, I have also become the station photographer for shows and events, filling in at the front desk as a receptionist on a regular basis… and now…

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Brief Update…

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Hello again, Country Heartbeat readers! For those of you following along on my adventures, you’ve probably noticed the lack of posts this past month. I just wanted to update everyone that I am still (more than ever actually) actively pursuing my music industry career and gearing up for a VERY busy summer of concerts! I am currently juggling 9 (yes, NINE) part-time jobs at the moment and the blog has taken a bit of a backseat. I have lots of awesome things to update y’all on, if I ever get some free time to do so! Right now my focus has been on working extra hours to save for a wedding that I’m in this summer and the big move to Nashville by the end of the year.

If you want to follow along as exciting things happen, feel free to “like” my facebook page and be sure to “subscribe” to the updates, because they more than likely will not show up in your news feed! I always update on there if an artist comes into the studio or if there is a song I’ve been loving on the radio.

Until next time!

Dreams Chased Become Dreams Caught!

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I don’t know how else to say this, but my journey is living proof that when you dedicate your heart and soul to something, dreams really can (and do) come true.

I was inspired to write this post after today’s daily prompt was simply the word, Dream.

April 15th, 2013 – Purchased my domain name, countryheartbeat.com

April 2014 – Boutique was launched in February two months prior, official launch for this blog was June 2014, two months after. Nothing specific that I can remember happened on the 15th though…

April 15th, 2015 –  Recently hired as the very first Street Team member at WPOR 101.9 (read how here). I worked my very first radio event where I was able to be the official photographer on this significant date! (See the throwback post from my facebook page below.)

As you can see… yes, I stuck with it this time! 😉

April 15th, 2016 – Officially asked to be a part of the 7-Hills Nashville team! One of the first labels of it’s kind, 7-Hills is dedicated to putting the artist and their music first. So often in this industry, artists are told what to record and how to record it, and their label is in control of everything they do and even what they are allowed to say! Not with 7-Hills! I’m so excited to start this new adventure and to grow with this company!

Apparently there is some deep significance surrounding the date of April 15th on a yearly basis (and no, it’s not “tax day” that I’m talking about!). April 15th seems to be a pivotal point in this country music dream of mine. I cannot wait to see what April 15th, 2017 will bring! I should be living happily in Nashville at that point! 🙂

Keep chasing your dreams, guys. It’s worth it, I promise! Dig deep to discover what you’re passionate about and visualize your goals and where they will take you! I promise you’ll find happiness when you figure out what you were placed on this Earth to do! The Universe and myself are rooting for you! ❤

New Music Monday – Runaway June “Lipstick”

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Impacting TODAY 5/23/16!

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These girls stole my heart in Vegas at the BBR Music Group brunch (during ACM week), when they were introduced and performed 3 of their songs. Watch the video below of “Lipstick” and let me know what you think about these ladies! I’m trying so hard to get them here this summer! This song is catchy and sure to fly up the country music charts, and with female artists on the rise, these ladies are going in the right direction. Country is taking a slight turn from “bro-country” and starting to focus on the ladies!

If you’re gonna love somebody / Yeah you better love somebody/ Who ruins your lipstick, not your mascara / So if you’re gonna love somebody / Yeah you better love somebody / That keeps those pretty blue eyes as dry as the Sahara / If you’re gonna love somebody / Yeah you better love somebody / Who ruins your lipstick, not your mascara ❤

If you want to check out more about Runaway June and their music, check out their website and follow them on twitter!

Official 51st ACM Awards Show Recap & Winners

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On Sunday, April 3, 2016, superstars Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley took the stage at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena to co-host the 51st ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS®. The show, produced by dick clark productions, marked Luke Bryan’s fourth consecutive turn hosting the Awards and Bentley’s first time hosting a LIVE televised event.

The star-studded ceremony, which broadcast LIVE on the CBS Television Network, was full of once-in-a-lifetime musical collaborations, performances and more as some of country’s greatest talents were recognized for their achievements.

The industry named Jason Aldean as Entertainer of the Year, the evening’s biggest honor. While Aldean had been previously nominated four times in this category, this year marked his first time taking home the trophy.

Dolly Parton was presented the Tex Ritter Award to recognize the success of Coat of Many Colors. The Tex Ritter Award is presented to recognize a motion picture that featured country music and received major exposure. Parton and pop superstar Katy Perry joined forces for an unprecedented duet performance live on the telecast.

Chris Stapleton won Male Vocalist of the Year for the first time. He came into the night already a winner of the New Male Vocalist of the Year award and was the leading winner of the night with a total of six wins, including Album of the Year as both Artist and Producer, and Song of the Year as both Artist and Producer. With his six wins he tied the record for most ACM Awards won in a single year. Only Garth Brooks and Faith Hill have reached this pinnacle before.

Miranda Lambert won Female Vocalist of the Year for the seventh consecutive year, setting a new record for the most consecutive wins in that category. Lambert also won Vocal Event of the Year for Smokin’ And Drinkin’ with Little Big Town, which presented prior to the show on the red carpet.

Little Big Town won the Vocal Group of the Year award for the second year in a row, and third time overall. They also won Vocal Event of the Year for Smokin’ And Drinkin’ with Miranda Lambert.

Thomas Rhett won Single Record of the Year for Die A Happy Man. This was Rhett’s first-ever ACM award win.

Kelsea Ballerini was previously awarded New Female Vocalist of the Year, and performed an energetic medley of her new single Peter Pan and her breakout number-one hit Love Me Like You Mean It with Nick Jonas.

Eric Church won Video of the Year for Mr. Misunderstood. Florida Georgia Line won Vocal Duo of the Year for the third year in a row.  Both Church and Florida Georgia Line were presented with the awards prior to the telecast.

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Cole Swindell Prepares For Album Release Day

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Cole Swindell performed for some VERY lucky Southwest Airlines passengers today before gearing up for his sophomore album release party! “You Should Be Here” is being called the song defining his career, and Cole himself said that this is the song he “came to Nashville to write”. “You Should Be Here” was the first single of his new album and it’s already held at No. 1 on the charts for multiple weeks, sold nearly half a million tracks, and surpassed 25 million streams.

Cole announced via Twitter today that he would be participating in Southwest Airline’s #LiveAt35 series.

If you follow Cole on snapchat, you got a preview of his “mile-high” performance earlier today! (I’ve always wondered what people who are non-country fans think of these Southwest Performances. Cole isn’t the first artist to do one!)

You Should Be Here is available everywhere tonight at midnight (May 6th, 2016), but those who pre-ordered (like myself of course!) have already gotten a download of 5 of the 12 amazing songs! See the track listing below! I’m obviously loving “Flatliner” with Dierks Bentley, “Stars”, and I’ve always loved “Middle of a Memory” from hearing it live at his shows. Actually, “Middle of a Memory” will be the second single released off this album! Can’t wait to convince my radio station to add it! 😉

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