CMT Blog: Brad Paisley

I don't know if there's anything more humiliating than being drunk and disorderly in public -- except maybe being in the local paper for being drunk and disorderly in public. After Brad Paisley's show in Darien Lake, N.Y. on Friday night (June 18), the local police made 46 arrests. Two guys for fighting with security, one guy for third-degree assault, one for trespassing (he went back into the venue after being kicked out) and then a whole bunch for disorderly conduct. But the biggest group was the 38 people charged with under-age drinking. Now, I know Paisley sings a lot about how alcohol "has influenced kings and world leaders" and how you're gonna "catch all the fish and drink all the beer," but c'mon. The irony here is that Paisley himself doesn't even drink. I can't help wondering about those 38 kids who had the intent to consume alcohol. How did they get their hands on it? And if you are drinking that much, will you even remember the concert?

What do teenagers see in country music? There are so many country artists nominated for the Aug. 9 Teen Choice Awards show, I'm a little stumped. I mean, it's not like they can relate to all the songs the nominated artists sing. In case you haven't heard, Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Carrie Underwood and Gretchen Wilson are this year's nominees in the female country artist category. The male country nominees include Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker and Keith Urban. And the country group nominees are Gloriana, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland and the Zac Brown Band.

Read more...

The new issue of People Country hits newsstands on Friday (June 18) and this special edition is a must-read for any fan of country's real good men. They've named Tim McGraw as Country's Hottest Guy, but beyond that honor, they've also made a list of Men We Love and it includes Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Luke Bryan, Joe Nichols, Chris Young, David Nail, Jake Owen, Blake Shelton, George Strait and Chuck Wicks. But don't buy it just for the pictures of those guys. The stories are good, too. Like when McGraw, who is now down to 178 lbs., confesses that "I can't have anything on me when I sleep" and says his favorite sexy song is Santana's "Samba Pi Ti."

Read more...

Because Brad Paisley's doing two sold-out shows in London next week, he did this great interview with the Guardian. And by great, I mean long and interesting and full of things I didn't know about him. Like, that he loves The Office (and he wants the UK show's original creator and star Ricky Gervais to come to his London gig.) And that he thinks the people making country music today are pretty progressive, and it is NOT coming from "country hicks sitting behind a desk with a big cigar giving out record deals and driving round in Cadillacs with cattle horns on the front grille." And that he's quite pleased with the democracy in America. "Regardless of what I think about politics, I'm proud of our country for being that open-minded, and showing the world, which had sort of written us all off as all being closed-minded," he says of our country's willingness to elect a black man as President.

The YWCA does so much to help families who are struggling to get out of abusive situations. Their mission is to "educate, encourage and break down those barriers that perpetuate racism, violence and hopelessness." But you know what else they do? Auction off some really special belongings from some of the coolest country stars in the business. Martina McBride is once again hosting the 27th Annual YWCA Celebrity Auction this Sunday (June 13) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. So if you want to get your hands on things from McBride, a cowboy hat from Brad Paisley, lyrics to "When I Get Where I'm Going," meet-and-greet passes to a Keith Urban show or a framed autographed photo of Rascal Flatts, head over to the Hall of Fame Park behind the downtown Hilton. Admission is free, but you'll definitely want to bring cash, a check book or a credit card in case you're the highest bidder. Good luck!

Photo credit: Ed Rode

Lady Antebellum brought down the house at the end of the 2010 CMT Music Awards on Wednesday night (June 9) with "Stars Tonight," but they're not through yet. After claiming a buckle for "Need You Now" in the group video category, the trio will be taking the stage at the CMA Music Festival's nightly concert tonight (June 10) at LP Field. It's an all-star night, too -- look for two-time CMT Music Award winner Carrie Underwood as well as Tim McGraw, Alan Jackson, Jason Aldean and American Idol finalist-turned-country newcomer, Danny Gokey.

Read more...

This year's CMT Music Awards featured performances from all over the entertainment map -- among them a giant Kid Rock/Waylon Jennings medley, an uber-country debut for Jamey Johnson's "Back to Macon" and even a Reba McEntire showdown. OK, maybe the "I'm Reba" skit doesn't count as a musical performance, but it was funny/odd enough to be worth mentioning. In case anybody got lost, it was a play off of Kenan Thompson's not-so-flattering impersonation of the queen of country on Saturday Night Live. It certainly proves that Reba has an admirable sense of humor. But among all the comedy -- and there was plenty of that -- we were treated to some excellent music.

Read more...

After spending $17 million and months of blood, sweat and tears, the Grand Ole Opry is pretty confident they will be able to reopen on October 1. And that has me thinking about who will have the honor of being the very first country artist to take that famed Opry stage when they are back in business. I'd go with a lineup that includes Garth Brooks, Brad Paisley, Dolly Parton and George Jones, as well as Carrie Underwood, Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire and Trace Adkins. I'd also like to see Martina McBride, Randy Travis, Josh Turner and Dierks Bentley on the stage. Granted, we'd be there all night, but it would be quite the grand reopening concert, right? A spokesperson for Gaylord Entertainment said the Nashville flood in May caused so much damage that the stage, dressing rooms, retail store, curtains, mechanical and power systems all needed to be replaced in the building, which has been the home of the Grand Ole Opry since 1974. But that reopening night will be such a happy ending to such a tragic story.

Photo credit: Billy Kingsley

Prior to his performance at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville last night (June 7), Darius Rucker explained his new single, "Come Back Song," like this: "It's a little country tune that I wrote with Chris Stapleton, who's got that R&B groove to his writing, and Casey Beathard. It's one of those groovy little tunes about that guy who really messed up, you know? And he knows it."

So ... would that be an up-tempo single? Rucker burst out laughing at the thought. "Oh yeah! It would be something else if it didn't have tempo, you know that!" It will impact radio on June 28.

Read more...

I found this recent story on Gibson's website about how their acoustic guitars are the ones that create the most country sound. And I thought, "Well, of course they'd say that about their own guitars." But as I kept reading, I realized that the Gibson people are not the only ones who are crazy about Gibson guitars. Dave Haywood of Lady Antebellum, Kristian Bush of Sugarland, Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban and Darius Rucker all tend to gravitate towards their acoustics.

Read more...