CMT Blog: Ashton Shepherd

Nicole Kidman and I don’t have a lot in common. But that’s about to change. As soon as she has her baby, we will share the common bond of childbirth — one that allows complete strangers to share stories of dilating, labor pains and those blessedly sweet epidurals. Since I’ve been in that labor and delivery room three times, I feel qualified to help her choose the music that will help ease her pain naturally. She told Britain’s Daily Mail that she’ll be playing stuff from the flautist Sir James Galway (like his instrumental take of John Denver’s “Annie’s Song”). And of course, her husband Keith Urban’s music made the cut as well. Maybe she’ll play his “Used to the Pain” until she truly is. But I hope she hasn’t stopped there.

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The most recent CMT Music and Talent department’s New Video evaluation meeting was treated to the dilemma of seven new submitted videos, all wanting to fit into one of only three open video slots. A delicious problem. It obviously sparked lively discussion as the videos competed for their space in the sun — or on the tube, that is. Roll ‘em.The videos:

Artist: Taylor Swift
Video: “Should’ve Said No”
Director: Rac Clark

This is a live clip of Taylor Swift’s live performance of the song at the recent ACM Awards show, including the waterfall conclusion.

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I used to think cover songs were the ultimate way to pay homage to another artist. Like if Trace Adkins did, say, a Prince song, we’d all know that Purple Rain had been a major influence on him. But I’ve changed my tune. I now know that when an artist really wants to show some love, they put a shout-out right in the song. Like when Ashton Shepherd mentions Keith Whitley, or Dierks Bentley throws (Cross Canadian) Ragweed’s name into a tune. Some are kind of vague, like Luke Bryan’s nod to Lynyrd Skynrd in his “First Love Song.” Or Brooks & Dunn’s request to Hank it up in “Play Something Country.”

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Hey everyone. I just shot my video for my new single “Sounds So Good.” The video shoot was so much fun. Here is a picture of the director Roman and I sharing a laugh. We shot it right outside my hometown of Coffeyville. It was just like being out on a summer day hanging out, fishing, riding, and playing music with my family. It was a little hot but, hey, when it’s summer it always is. We shot so many wonderful scenes with my little boy and my family. I am so excited for people to get to see another piece of me. And I hope it looks as natural as it felt to shoot. Thanks for checking in! Hope you’ll check back to read my live blog posts from CMA Music Fest! I can’t wait!

In 1979, before I’d discovered the joys of country music, I was into new wave pseudo punk stuff. Like the Knack. And their debut single was the one song I knew by heart. Or thought I did. I spent months singing “My Blue Nova” at the top of my lungs every time it came on my little clock radio. Only problem was, the song was “My Sharona.” And my friends who were into Foreigner that same year were convinced they were singing “30-Watt Bulb” instead of “Dirty White Boy.”

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I thought I knew Ashton Shepherd. But now, I realize there’s another side to her. I know this, because I’ve just seen the second video for her debut single “Takin’ Off This Pain.” The first one was the epitome of a Shaun Silva video.

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“Blue Kentucky highway…” That’s all it took for me to know Clint Black’s “Nothing But the Taillights” was starting to play on the radio last night. My kids were amazed that I could guess a song that quick. I wasn’t, because I grew up religiously watching the ‘70s game show, Name That Tune with my best friend Katy. I learned to be quite good, and country music has helped me hone my skills even more. Mostly because I’ve listened to it for so long, it’s as if every song is embedded in my brain from its first few notes.

I’m especially good when a song starts immediately with a lyric. Like when I hear, “He drinks, he smokes,” I know Shania Twain’s about to break into “I Ain’t No Quitter.” Or on newer songs, when I hear “I’ve got a cold beer,” I know Ashton Shepherd’s about to tell me she’s gonna set herself free in “Takin’ Off This Pain.” But it’s cool to get to the point where you can do it instrumentally, too. I hear two seconds of a music box, and I know it’s Brad Paisley’s “I’m Still a Guy.” Or two seconds of a solitary violin, and I know it’s Trace Adkin’s “Arlington.”

But Garth Brooks is still the one to beat. By having a distinctive beginning on one of his early singles, he cemented his status as the guy who values a powerful intro. He can send 20,000 people into a frenzy by just plucking the first four notes of that A chord, and then stopping for the applause. Everyone knows that intro to “Friends in Low Places,” just like everybody knows that a really good country song hooks you from the start.

Could Taylor Swift’s change in representation be a good thing, or is she fixing something that clearly ain’t broke?

If you love New York City, and newcomer Ashton Shepherd, you could be one of five lucky winners to get a pair of VIP tickets for her performance on Good Morning America.

Shame on Sony BMG. After all their litigation to stop piracy of their music, the software program Ideal Migration was illegally installed on four of their servers.

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman took the baby bump to lunch in Sydney. See photos of the burgeoning belly here.

The list of country artists who don’t have their name on a fashion line is getting even shorter now that Reba McEntire has introduced footwear with her name on it.

Houston City, Ala., is the future site of the next Worleybird Café from Darryl Worley. This down-home eatery will open in 2009 with a military theme.

A humble Dolly Parton says the folks at Dancing with the Stars asked her to sing, but that she doesn’t think they’d want to see her dance.

Dear Country Artist,

Someday it’s bound to happen to you — if it hasn’t already. You’ll find yourself with a few minutes remaining in a recording session. Or perhaps you’ll be fresh out of rehab and still feeling repentant. Whatever the impetus, it will suddenly occur to you that now is the time to record your own killer version of “Amazing Grace.” Don’t, I beg of you. I can’t stand it anymore. If ever a song deserved to be shelved for eternity it is this pompous, bloated effusion.

I was reminded anew of my aversion to the song — as if I needed the grief — while listening to Big & Rich’s “Between Raising Hell And Amazing Grace.” Call me a conspiracy nut, but I’m beginning to think that every aspiring country singer works from a “To Do” list that reads: “(1) Get a record deal, (2) Have a No. 1 single, (3) Marry badly, (4) Record ‘Amazing Grace.’”

“But,” I hear you protesting, “‘Amazing Grace’ is such a majestic piece of music.” No, my deluded darling, it is not. This self-loathing whine is wrapped in a plodding melody that merely fancies itself majestic. What, pray tell, is majestic about proclaiming to the world that you’re a helpless “wretch”?

It’s too late to stop the last generation of country artists from succumbing to this vile temptation, but there’s still time to re-route you younger folk. So I’m asking Carrie Underwood, Ashton Shepherd, Taylor Swift, Luke Bryan and all the other new arrivals to take this pledge: “As a gesture of humanity, I vow never to record or sing to a paying audience ‘Amazing Grace,’ unless, of course, doing so would divert attention from some act of personal moral squalor. Even then, I promise not to use bagpipes.”

Years ago, home canning was a way of life — the only way for most people to enjoy fruits and vegetables during the cold winter months. But as markets became supermarkets and food became big business, finding fresh produce was no longer a problem, and people found it easier to buy their canned peaches … well, in a can. 
 
Now, home canning is making a comeback. More and more young people are buying books and checking out Web sites — or asking their grandmothers — to learn how to “put up” their own fruits and vegetables. Out of a desire for more natural food or just for more flavor in their food, 21st-century consumers are looking to the 19th century for help.
 
One of the new generation of home canners is country artist Ashton Shepherd, who says she loves the “freshness and flavor” of her own canned vegetables. “My mama used to [can] when I was little, but it wasn’t until I was around my husband’s family that I really became interested in it,” says Shepherd. “My husband’s mama taught me how to do it.
 
“We actually have six acres that we share with my husband’s family,” the Alabama native continues. “Not only do we share the produce with friends and family, we also sell it. We grow pink-eye purple hull peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and corn. [My favorites to can are] pink-eye purple hull peas and tomatoes.”

Shepherd, whose album Sounds So Good was released this month, says there’s nothing mysterious or complicated about canning. Still, beginners might want to start with something basic. “There aren’t any secrets to canning, since each vegetable is canned differently,” she says. “But tomatoes are probably the easiest [to can]. Creamed corn is the hardest.”