CMT Blog: Travel

I think if I were to describe my perfect summer music festival, it would include beautiful scenery, camping in an old-growth forest, an eclectic mix of roots music to discover and enough land to roam on should I feel the need to get away from the crowd. And beer gardens. And a Bigfoot band. Apparently such a heavenly happening already exists -- probably minus Bigfoot? -- at Pickathon, just outside of Portland, Ore. Featuring some of my favorites from country, bluegrass, indie rock, old-time and zydeco, 35 bands will take to the Northwestern woods on an 80-acre site that should make for some inspiring morning hikes/hangovers. Hayes Carll, Black Prairie, Woody Pines, Elliott Brood, Langhorne Slim, Red Stick Ramblers and the Punch Brothers are just a few artists that I've already come to love, and you can check them out while discovering new music on the festival's excellent website. Or get your imagination running with photo galleries from previous years. So if you're lucky enough to be in the area next weekend, consider exploring some awesome music at an environmentally minded festival (one of the stages runs on solar power), and mark me off a spot under some tall pines for next year. Here's an idea for a Bigfoot trap just in case.

You know how people sometimes ask you what you'd do differently if you got married all over again? Well, I'd pick the same man. But I think I'd want the wedding and honeymoon that Carrie Underwood's people put together for her. First of all, she had not one but two gorgeous dresses. Designer Monique Lhuillier told People that Underwood "wanted something grand and magical. She wears evening gowns all the time but this had to be really special." So the ceremony dress was a drop-waist ball gown with a Chantilly lace bodice and a pink sash. It took over 400 hours to create. Then the reception dress was a strapless, corseted, jeweled and frayed number. After all that, Underwood left for a honeymoon so extravagant it makes the wedding look like it was no big deal. The Le Taha'a Resort in Tahiti, where the newly appointed Mr. and Mrs. Mike Fisher have been reportedly staying, has Overwater Bungalows that run about $2,000 a night. I know money can't buy love, but it sure must make the honeymooning feel extra special.

Well, hell, gossip columnist Robin Leach is writing about it, so this alleged relationship between Julianne Hough and Ryan Seacrest must be a big deal. Mr. Champagne-Wishes-and-Caviar Dreams writes, "They are aboard a private luxury yacht on the Italian Riviera en route to Europe's golden playgrounds of Sardinia and Monte Carlo. They strolled along the harbor-front boutiques of the picturesque Italian town that's played host to love-locked VIPs and celebrities for decades." That Leach fellow sure knows how to turn a phrase, doesn't he? There's also a photo circulating on the internet of Hough and Seacrest in a big ol' lip-lock on the aforementioned private luxury yacht. Which raises the magical question: What do you think? Really.

Fontanel Mansion, the former home of Barbara Mandrell, could be the most inviting tourist attraction in Nashville. Designed in the late 1980s by Mandrell's husband, Ken Dudney, the enormous log cabin is an fascinating feat of architecture. Meanwhile, the interior is decorated with loads of unique photos and a generous amount of original furnishings. If you want to pull up a chair in the formal dining room as you listen to the tour guide, that's totally fine. Or maybe grab Buck Owens' signature red, white and blue guitar from the wall and play it? No problem. You get the feeling that they'd even let you eat crackers in her bed anytime.

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This is one of those weeks where it kind of sucks to be Jack Ingram. But it doesn't suck at all to be a Jack Ingram fan.

He was in Chicago Thursday night (July 8) for a show, so I had a chance to catch up with him right when his flight landed. The airline had misplaced both of the guitars he brought with him, but he was not freaked out at all. "I'm sure I can borrow one from [opener] Randy Montana. I'll figure it out," he said. Why so calm? I guess because a road-savvy guy like Ingram is used to travel mishaps and is not about to let any of them get in the way of playing for his fans. And because this was nothing compared to last weekend.

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People are disappointed. Frustrated. Even flat-out angry. Several tours have been cancelled or downsized this summer and that has left many music lovers with empty concert calendars. While a lot of the industry talk has been about the reasons why (weather troubles, sluggish ticket sales, voice rest, competition), I think fans can learn some valuable lessons from all this.

The first one being, don't buy tickets from brokers. That's because when a concert is canceled, you can get your money back easily from the venue but not so easily from the guy who charged you double the face value. Most legitimate ticket sellers will warn you that artists are subject to change without notice and that ticket sales can't be refunded on the condition of a no-show. So that's the second lesson here: Know that if you really, really want to see so-and-so at an all-day festival, and he ends up being out sick that day, that's a chance you should be willing to take before you buy tickets.

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I'm one of those lucky girls who doesn't often worry about my weight or my heart. At least not yet. So far this summer, my diet and exercise routine seems to consist of venue hot dogs and room-temperature tap beers, plus long walks to and from concert parking lots. But if I did have a good story to tell about staying healthy, I'd enter it in this Cheerios contest. You just write a 150-250 word essay on how you take care of yourself, and you could win a weekend in Nashville. You and a guest will spend Aug. 24-26 there, take a tour of John and Martina McBride's own Blackbird Studio, listen to new music with her, then she'll accompany you on a private tour of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. And when you get back home, you will get VIP tickets to one of her upcoming concerts near you. That's enough to get your heart rate going right there.

Any fan of the character-driven Western novels by authors like Louis L'Amour might do well to check out Linda Lael Miller's McKettricks of Texas series. Each of the three books follows one brother of the rough-and-tumble McKettrick clan, and since they're set in modern times it's really easy to visualize the action. You can read the first page-turning chapter for free to get acquainted with the middle brother, Garrett, and then watch a behind-the-scenes video from the photo shoot for the book's cover. Even better, CMT and HQN will to send you and a travel-buddy to the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo if you win the McKettricks of Texas Sweepstakes. One winner gets airfare to Cheyenne, Wyo., hotel accommodation, two tickets to the rodeo, two tickets to the Brooks & Dunn concert with meet-and-greet passes and a prize pack that includes all three books and "Take a Cowboy Home" T-shirts. It's about a $4,000 value all together, so enter today for your chance to see some modern-day cowboys in real life.

With the 2010 CMA Music Festival officially in the history books, Nashville is taking a much-needed sigh of relief. After the devastating flood in early May, Music City really needed a pick-me-up, and thankfully the wonderful country fans delivered just that. For the first time in the festival's history, the nightly concerts at LP Field were completely sold out -- just look at the massive crowd as Tim McGraw performed on Thursday night (June 10). But there was a lot more going on during the day, too, and most of it was free and open to the public like Gloriana's set at Riverfront Park and Joe Nichols' soaking-wet show at the Chevy Music Stage. Of course, the real reason for this festival is so fans can actually meet their favorite country stars, and many attended fan club parties or waited in line day and night at the convention center. Once inside, they got to hang out with stars like Taylor Swift, who signed autographs for 15 hours on Sunday (June 13). That's a memory that won't easily be forgotten. Take a moment to look back at the four-day country spectacular in photos.

As always, the CMA Music Festival boasts an incredible lineup of country stars at LP Field this year. But if you're in town this week, the day stages offer a multitude of country artists. I'll be near the Riverfront Stage on Thursday morning (June 10) to enjoy the Judds' harmonies on their classic hits. Right after that, Clay Walker is sure to introduce some fresh material from his brand new album, She Won't Be Lonely Long. After that, I may divide my time between the Riverfront Stage and the Chevy Music Stage to see how the fans react to some of country's newest artists, such as Josh Thompson ("Beer on the Table") and Jaron & the Long Road to Love ("Pray for You").

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