Luke Bryan has teamed with Constellation Brands to develop and produce his own beer: Two Lane Americana Golden Lager.
The new brew, which features American barley and water sourced from the Blue Ridge Mountains, will hitting the shelves in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia on March 2. Two Lane takes its name from the kinds of places you might find at the end of a two-lane road, including fishing holes, camping spots, dive bars and more.
“Between my songs, Instagram posts and onstage toasts to my audience, it’s no secret that I like beer,” says Luke. “For a long time, I’ve dreamed of creating a beer to enjoy no matter if you are hanging out at one of my shows or at home with friends and family, and I was so grateful to find a partner in Constellation to make that dream a reality.”
Robert Earl Keen had such a good time hosting the likes of Lucero, Bruce Robison, Reckless Kelly, Cody Canada and more during the 2019 debut season of his Americana Podcast: The 51st State that he has signed on for Season 2.
Over the course of his 30-year career and countless number of performances, REK has grown accustomed to standing onstage behind the mic. Americana Podcast: The 51st State gives Robert the opportunity to sit down with an artist in the Americana genre for a deep-dive interview that seeks to expand the roots, reach and definition of the genre. Each monthly episode is told from the point of view of the artists who have dedicated their lives to Americana music.
REK’s upcoming episodes in 2020 include interviews with Lori McKenna, Mandolin Orange, Jamestown Revival and more. To kick off Season 2, Robert sat down with Drew Holcomb of Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, which you can listen to here.
Maren Morris is a self-described “workhorse,” and it’s hard to argue with her assessment.
Maren is slated to be onstage at the Houston Rodeo on March 7, just a couple of weeks before her due date. When Maren and husband Ryan Hurd’s little boy arrives, Maren plans to take two months before she gets back on the road for her first performance, which is scheduled for the BottleRock Napa Valley festival on May 24 in Napa Valley, Calif.
She will follow up that performance two weeks later at the Governors Ball Music Festival in New York on June 7.
As Maren told Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown, “it’s kind of nice to have a goal” of getting back onstage.
“I don’t want to take a year off,” says Maren. “I don’t want to, like, be away from my fans for that long. I’m still, at my core, a workhorse, and I love performing. I love being onstage, and I love to sing, so my turnaround after I deliver is pretty short. It’s only two months and I have another gig, but mentally and emotionally—and I could change after I have my baby—but I think that it’ll be good for me to have an endpoint because if it’s just open-ended, I’m gonna be, like, [having] cabin fever, going stir-crazy in the house, like, taking care of this kid . . . It’s kind of nice to have a goal to be like, ‘Okay, I have two months,’ to not put pressure on myself but to get it back together, bring him on the road with me ’cause that’s gonna be the reality. He’s gonna be a tour bus baby, so it makes me feel like I can do motherhood and my career and not have to compartmentalize them.”
Maren’s current single, “The Bones,” is No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart and Mediabase chart for the second consecutive week. A solo female artist had not accomplished back-to-back weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart since Carrie Underwood’s “Blown Away” in October/November 2012.
Garth Brooks and Blake Shelton dropped a new video for “Dive Bar,” which features concert footage of the pair performing the song live for the first time during the G-man’s stadium show in Boise, Idaho, on July 19, 2019.
Penned by Garth, Mitch Rossell and Bryan Kennedy, “Dive Bar” was shipped to country radio in June and is currently No. 8 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart after 35 weeks. The tune will be featured on Garth’s upcoming studio album, FUN.
“Blake . . . he looks fantastic,” says Garth. “But the crowd! The crowd just killed it for me.”
You can watch the new video below via Facebook, which is the only place it’s authorized to be viewed.
FRISCO, Texas – Tennessee junior offensive lineman Trey Smith was named the 2020 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year by a subset of the award’s Board of Directors on Tuesday night at the Star in Frisco, the practice facility of the Dallas Cowboys.
The Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award is presented annually to the Division I college football player who has demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.
Smith was selected from a group of three finalists that included Air Force senior quarterback Isaiah Sanders and Southern California senior wide receiver Michael Pittman.
“It’s truly an honor to be recognized as the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year, especially knowing what other great football leaders the other finalists are,” said Smith, who was accompanied by his sister Ashley Smith, UT athletics director Phillip Fulmer, Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt and other members of the football staff. “It’s humbling and I’m so thankful for the continued support of my family, coaches and the University of Tennessee, who are always in my corner.”
The award, presented by Albertsons and Tom Thumb, is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player’s leadership, both on and off the field. Leadership is a term synonymous with Tennessee alum Jason Witten, who, in addition to becoming one of the best tight ends in the history of the sport and the Cowboys’ all-time leading receiver, has served as one of football’s most prominent role models during his 16-year pro career.
In addition to the award, Smith will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school’s athletic scholarship fund. The contribution will be made by Jason Witten’s SCORE Foundation, the official charity of Jason and his wife Michelle.
“It’s really cool that earning this award will also benefit the athletics department and the other student-athletes that are a part of the amazing Volunteers family,” Smith said. “It makes it even more special that Jason Witten is a VFL and set the standard for so many in terms of on-the-field and off-the-field leadership and community service.”
Smith started 12 games at left guard in 2019 en route to All-SEC First Team honors from the coaches and media. He was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week twice this fall. After missing the final five games of the 2018 season and a comeback to football questionable due to complications stemming from blood clots, Smith returned to his dominant ways and spearheaded Tennessee’s six-game win streak to end the season. SEC Network analyst and offensive line expert Cole Cubelic named Smith to his All-America First Team.
“I’m glad to be continuing my journey in Knoxville,” the 6-6 lineman said. “We have unfinished business on the field, but I’m also excited to still be involved with our community and help out and hopefully make an impact where I can.”
The Jackson, Tenn., native continued his commitment to the community even during a busy football season. Smith is an active speaker to youth groups, elementary schools and organizations across the state and led coat drives for Knoxville Area Rescue Ministry (KARM) during the 2018 and 2019 seasons where over 1,000 coats were donated each year because of his efforts.
During Superbowl LIV week, Smith was also awarded with the Fritz Pollard Trophy at the 15th annual Johnnie L. Cochran Foundation Jr. Salute to Excellence Awards, hosted by the Fritz Pollard Alliance in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Fritz Pollard Trophy honors a college player who has exemplified extraordinary courage, community values, and exceptional performance on the field.
Fulkerson, who recorded 16 of those points in the second half, also accounted for seven rebounds and three blocks, marking the third time this season that he has recorded three rejections, his season-high.
Jordan Wright came off the bench to lead Vanderbilt in scoring, posting 23 points.
Tennessee shot 42 percent from the field on the night.
While both teams struggled early from the field, the Vols held a 9-2 advantage after six minutes of action. Along with strong defensive play, Josiah-Jordan James corralled four rebounds during that early stretch.
A 3-point make by the Commodores at the 5:44 mark of the first half tied the contest at 17.
Then, Bowden’s second triple of the night narrowed Tennessee’s deficit to just two and stifled a 10-0 Vanderbilt run.
The game was tied, 28-28, after 20 minutes, with Bowden leading the Vols with 12 points at the break. SEC Defensive Player of the Year candidate Yves Pons was 3-5 from the field at the half.
In a back-and-forth start to the second stanza, a Commodore basket six minutes into the half tied the game for the fifth time.
Just prior to the under-12 media timeout, a Santiago Vescovi jumper snapped a 9-0 run by Vanderbilt.
Midway through the second half, Bowden and Fulkerson converted three-point plays on consecutive possessions. Then, quick, scoring cuts to the basket by Jalen Johnson and Fulkerson allowed the Vols to maintain momentum.
Thompson-Boling Arena came alive after Tennessee blocks on two straight possessions and a nifty layup by Fulkerson off a feed from Vescovi. That series was followed by a 3-point make by Vescovi, giving Tennessee an eight-point lead.
Vescovi darted to the rim and finished with a finger roll with just over four minutes remaining. He finished the game with 14 points on 5-11 shooting in the victory.
A dunk by Pons topped a commanding 26-8 Tennessee run down the stretch, giving the Vols a 61-48 advantage.
Tennessee clinched the victory on a pair of made free throws from Bowden in the closing seconds, despite a significant last-minute push by the visiting Dores.
Droppin’ Dimes:Santiago Vescovi has dished out at least five assists in six of the past seven games. The freshman sensation logged seven assists in Tuesday’s win, his second-highest assist total of the season.
Bowden Finding His Groove: Jordan Bowden registered 17 points on a perfect 7-7 shooting from the free-throw stripe on Tuesday. He has scored 16+ points in four of UT’s past five games.
Le Streak Continues:Yves Pons’ eight points and six rebounds were accentuated by his block, as he extended his impressive streak to 26 consecutive games with at least one block.
Up Next: The Vols travel south to battle the Auburn Tigers Saturday on the Plains. Tipoff is set for noon ET on CBS.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Early offensive firepower and solid pitching across the board led Tennessee past Charlotte Tuesday evening at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, 8-2.
Tennessee (4-0) got a home run from Jake Rucker in the first inning and a bases-clearing double from Zach Daniels in the second, scoring a combined four runs in its opening two frames.
Overall, the Vols recorded 10 hits, led by Daniels and Rucker with three and two, respectively.
Rucker’s homer, his second of the season, drove home Max Ferguson after he led off the game with a double to right field. Ferguson – joined by Liam Spence – scored again on Daniels’ double in the second inning after reaching on a fielder’s choice.
Charlotte (1-3) briefly threatened in the third inning with a pair of runs – one on an RBI single from Carson Johnson and the other driven in on a sacrifice fly by David McCabe – but were shut down the rest of the way by the Vols’ pitching staff.
Making his second career start, sophomore right hander Elijah Pleasants got the win after five innings of work. Pleasants struck out three batters and walked none, while giving up two runs (one earned). After Pleasants exited, Sean Hunley, Will Mabrey, Christian Delashmit and Redmond Walsh threw one inning apiece for Tennessee, combining to surrender just one hit and strike out six batters.
Charlotte’s Trae Starnes was credited with the loss after giving up six earned runs on six hits in 3.2 innings of work.
The Vols added one run in both the third and fourth innings to extend their lead to 6-2, the latter on a solo home run from Daniels that cleared the center field batter’s eye.
Tennessee hits the road for its next three games, heading to Round Rock, Texas for the Round Rock Classic. The Vols will play three games, beginning with a matchup against No.1 Texas Tech on Friday at 8 p.m. ET.
Notable Daniels On Fire to Start 2020
Through four games this season, junior outfielder Zach Daniels is 6-for-13 (.462) with two home runs, eight RBIs and six runs scored. Daniels had just 10 RBIs and four home runs during all of last season.
Pleasants Picks Up First Career Win
Pleasants set career highs in innings pitched (5.2) and strikeouts (three) on Tuesday night en route to earning his first career collegiate victory. The Clarksville, Tennessee native made just 11 apearances last season, pitching 11 total innings.
Double-Digit Hits
For the third straight game, Tennessee recorded double-digit hits, finishing with 10 against Charlotte. The Vols only tallied 10 or more hits in three consecutive games one time during all of last season.
