Year: 2016

TBT #5 – Canaan Smith (WAY Back When!)

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THROWBACK THURSDAY!

WHEN: June 16th, 2012
WHERE: Meadowbrook Pavilion, Gilford NH
HOW: Stood in line for over an hour after Sugarland’s set to get an autograph and photo!

So this is before ANYONE had ANY idea of who Canaan Smith even was… but HE was the main reason that I wanted to go see the Sugarland show in June of 2016. I had been a fan for a little while since We Got Us was released earlier that year and I had been following him on twitter for a while. (He was just too adorable to resist!)

A couple days before the show, he actually replied to my tweet, and that got me EVEN MORE PSYCHED for the upcoming show!!

canaan smith june 14th 2012

During his set, he mentioned that he would be willing to meet EVERYONE after Sugarland’s set over by the merch booth. I had bought his CD with two original tracks, We Got Us and All In My Head. I convinced my friend to wait in line with me while he took the time to meet each and every fan, sign an autograph, AND take a photo. To put it into perspective, the venue has about 8,000 seats and there was a long line, but the wait was so worth it! I remember that security was extremely strict about taking photos with your own camera, but I snuck some anyway. (Typical.) Canaan was a sweetheart and introduced himself (like I didn’t already know who he was!) and I told him that he put on an awesome show and he thanked me. I don’t remember much besides that, it WAS nearly 4 years ago!

CANAAAAAAN

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Canaan has always been awesome about interacting with his fans. I’m so happy that I grabbed these screenshots [of tweets] all those years ago! I’ve been a fan of Canaan since the very beginning of his career and am proud of how far that he has come! Since then, I’ve seen him in concert several times and met him a couple more times over the years. I will always be a supporter of his music!

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Follow Canaan on Twitter and check out his website for tour dates and more information!

2016 ACM Nominees Announced

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If you’re new to this blog, and unaware, I am extremely partial to the Academy of Country Music, the ACM Awards Show, and The Week Vegas Goes Country. Check out this post of where this passion for the ACM’s began, when I won my “Dream Trip of a Lifetime”! I NEED TO FIND A WAY BACK THIS YEAR! I’m so torn between saving the money that I had originally saved for my annual ACM trip and putting it toward my Nashville move. That would put me one step closer to my long term goal, but devastate me when April comes around. It’s been a struggle trying to make this decision. I want more than anything to be in my favorite place on earth (Vegas) during my favorite week of the year (ACM week)… with all of the new connections I’ve made over the past two years, I can only imagine how epic this trip would be. I could network like CRAZY and tell everyone I meet that I’m moving to Nashville and tell them I’m looking for a job… Vegas turns me into the person that I wish I could be every day; I become this wonderful confident version of myself and to put that version of me in an environment SURROUNDED by country music everywhere would benefit my career and future immeasurably.

However, without that money that I’ve saved up for ACM week, saving enough to get to Nashville by the end of the year might not be feasible. I know that sacrificing the trip would most likely be beneficial to my long term goal, but I know how painful it would be not to go this year, especially with how far that I’ve come where this dream is concerned. I tend to base decisions on feelings instead of logic… logic says save that money and make the move to Nashville, but my heart knows how much it would break not being there… especially with seeing everyone’s snap chats and tweets all week. I need to make a decision fairly quickly, seeing as how I need to purchase flights and outfits and start a hard core work out routine and all of the prep that goes into that week. I just wish so badly someone could come with me and split the room with me! I can’t afford to do it alone! I’m hoping that the Universe sends me a clear message soon to help me with my decision! But anyway…

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It’s Your Thing!

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Raise your hand if you made a 2016 resolution/goal to lose weight.

Raise your hand if you have wanted to try the SlimFast diet fad, but have been unsure about how those things taste!

You’re in the right place then.

Starting in early January, I myself decided that I needed to shed a few extra pounds that I had put on this past year. I guess they are right about your metabolism slowing down as you age, because I haven’t done much else differently but I’ve somehow managed to put on almost 10 unwelcomed pounds. So when Influenster sent me a bunch of SlimFast samples in the mail to try, I was very excited!

I started off the new year reflecting on 2015 and setting some goals for myself and my blog in 2016. The first thing that I tested out were the Sour Cream & Onion 100 Calorie Pack Baked Crisps while sitting on my bed reviewing and celebrating 2015 with the Big Dreams, Small Wonders workbook. These were actually pretty good! They satisfied my need for something both salty and crispy and I would compare them to other baked potato chips. For a “diet” type of food/snack, it was pretty agreeable. I even devoured the crumbs at the bottom of the bag! I would definitely buy these on my own, either as part of a weight-loss program or just to snack on when I get a craving.

Next up: SlimFast 100 Calorie Snack Drizzled Cinnamon Crisps

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What’s Up From Nashville

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I would like to start by introducing myself, I am a female living in Nashville enjoying the city and engulfing myself within the music industry that this city has to offer. I have lived in Nashville for almost 3 years now. I go to live shows, writers rounds and other fun events that go on here. I also attend other shows and events that are destination venues from Nashville based company’s.

A little about what I’ve been doing… I have been working with artists of all genres for about 6 years. I use to work in the North East booking, and promoting small bands that people never heard of, trying to get their name out. I have had a passion for music since I was a kid, but since I am no good at playing and I can’t sing for crap, I go by the rule if you can’t do it, promote and manage it. 🙂

So what I am going to be doing on here? Well I’m going to be showing, giving, introducing the Nashville life to the readers of Country Heartbeat, I’m going to get interviews with artists, let you know what’s happening in this amazing city and let you know what artists you might want to start checking out and events that have happened and are going to happen.

Well that’s a little about me. If y’all have any questions or want me to look into something or if you have any requests please comment and I will do my best to get you answers.

~CK

Photo Credit: Sarah Bell
Photo Credit: Sarah Bell

 

 

 

Brothers Osborne CD Release Party!

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Did you hear that Brothers Osborne had a CD Release party at Bull Moose in Salem, New Hampshire the day before their debut album, Pawn Shop, was released?! If you weren’t one of the few lucky enough to attend, I captured the question and answer part of their acoustic performance for you guys to watch!

So technically, I was scheduled to work that Thursday, but when I found out on Tuesday morning that they would be about an hour and a half away from my house, AND there was an opportunity to meet them and get their CD before anyone else… I knew I had to go. I had to find SOME way to be there. They recently played in Portland, and sadly I had to miss the show and was very upset about it. THIS WAS MY CHANCE. Sooo… should I play hooky? Call out sick? I decided that honesty was the best policy (it usually is!) and I decided to just present the facts to my boss and see what she had to say about it. Luckily, she understands my passion/obsession for country music and networking within the industry and graciously allowed me to take the day off to go! When you truly want something guys, just have the courage to ASK!

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Empowering Women

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When it comes to empowering females in the country music world, Miranda Lambert is one name that comes to mind. As a part of this blog, my goal is to inspire not only women, but anyone who wants to rise higher in their personal lives and/or careers. This might be “old news” to some of you, but right now I’m on an “empowerment kick” and learning about what Miranda is doing for one lucky girl attending Belmont is definitely empowering and inspiring!

Established in 2015, the Miranda Lambert Women Creators Fund will provide over $40,000 to a female attending Belmont University in Nashville who is majoring in songwriting, entertainment industry studies or music business. The first scholarship will affect the 2016-17 school year. (Which, in that case, should I consider going back to school?!?) Several years ago I looked into Belmont, before realizing I didn’t want to have to go through all of those prerequisite and core classes again. Just take me straight to the music business courses, please! Nor do I have that kind of money to invest into a second college education. Thankfully, I’ve learned along this journey that you don’t need a Belmont degree to land a career in Nashville’s music industry. I would rather devote my hard work towards networking and gaining real-life experience instead of spending time in a classroom.

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Reflections & What I Want In 2016

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Lately I’ve been finding myself comparing my twitter/instagram/facebook page to others in this world of country fan sites/blogs. I’m noticing how many followers they have in comparison with me, and I know this is partially due to the fact that they are on top of the latest news stories that fans want to hear. I swore in the beginning that I would not be one of those sites/blogs, whose purpose is to relay the latest gossip in the country music industry or keep fans with the most up to date information. Nothing against them, because clearly they have hundreds of thousands more followers than I do… but I want my blog, my brand, Country Heartbeat to be a bit more personal. To tell a story. MY story. I want to introduce you to this life that I lead, that yeah, happens to be immersed in country music. It’s the thing I’m most passionate about, and much to my boyfriend’s dismay, comes first above everything. I want to inspire people to chase their dreams, to step out of their comfort zone, to grab hold of something that they love and take a leap of faith, to do things they never thought they could do.

I had a talk with a close friend recently that helped me realize that out of our group of friends, or even out of the people in this local area… heck, even in all of Maine… don’t love the industry in the same way that I do. One of my best friends since early childhood, God love her, once commented on my new profile picture with Lee Brice on his tour bus and asked, “Is that your new man?”. Oh, sweet Jesus. These people around here just don’t get it.

That’s why I’ve got to get to Nashville, and soon. That’s why I love every minute of “The Week Vegas Goes Country” aka ACM week, where I can surround myself with those friends who are as passionate about country music as I am. I’ve got friends from California, South Dakota, Minnesota, Florida, Ohio… all these people come together in Vegas and are as crazy about it as I am.

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