Tennessee defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley talked linebackers and defensive line with members of the local media Thursday ahead of the start of Tennessee’s fall camp.
Video: Ansley on players “The guys are eager to learn”
Video: Chaney on JG’s freedom “As much as he can handle”
First-year Vols offensive coordinator Jim Chaney broke down quarterbacks and o-line with reporters on Thursday prior to the start of 2019 Tennessee fall football camp.
The Woodstock 50 Festival Has Been Canceled After Ongoing Logistical Problems
Woodstock 50—a festival celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1969 peace-love-music event—has been cancelled, according to a statement on the concert’s website.
The three-day festival was originally scheduled to take place Aug. 16–18 in Watkins Glen, N.Y., about 115 miles from the original location in Bethel Woods, N.Y.
However, after a series of logistical problems and performer cancellations, the festival is officially kaput.
Country-centric artists slated to perform included Sturgill Simpson, Margo Price, Anderson East and Brandi Carlile. Additional performers originally included Jay-Z, the Killers, Santana, Robert Plant, Imagine Dragons, the Black Keys, Chance the Rapper and more.
“We are saddened that a series of unforeseen setbacks has made it impossible to put on the Festival we imagined with the great line-up we had booked and the social engagement we were anticipating,” said Michael Lang, the co-founder of the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival. “We thank the artists, fans and partners who stood by us even in the face of adversity. My thoughts turn to Bethel and its celebration of our 50th Anniversary to reinforce the values of compassion, human dignity, and the beauty of our differences embraced by Woodstock.”
Bethel is holding its own Woodstock festival on Aug. 16–18 on the same field as the original celebration. Performers include Arlo Guthrie, Ringo Starr, Carlos Santana, the Doobie Brothers, John Fogerty, Grace Potter, Tedeschi Trucks Band and more.
photo via Woodstock 50
Lady Vols in the WNBA Update: July 31
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Former Lady Vols swept the WNBA All-Star Friday Night competitions in Las Vegas, with Diamond DeShields winning the WNBA Skills Challenge and Shekinna Stricklen emerging victorious in the Mountain Dew Three-Point Contest.
DeShields also saw action in her first WNBA All-Star game over the weekend, coming off the bench for Team Wilson to tally 13 points and five rebounds. Team Wilson won the contest, edging out Team Delle Donne, 129-126.
Stricklen held off Kayla McBride of the Las Vegas Aces in the finals of the Mountain Dew Three-Point Content, winning 23-22. She has started all 20 games for the first-place Connecticut Sun, averaging 8.7 ppg. and 23.0 mpg. while hitting nearly 40 percent of her three-point attempts.
Mercedes Russell has stepped into a larger role for the Western Conference’s third-ranked Seattle Storm, starting in 17 games and averaging 25.5 mpg., 6.4 rpg., and 7.3 ppg. She currently ranks 19th in the league in rebounds per game.
Glory Johnson narrowly missed a double-double in the Dallas’ loss against Phoenix on July 20, notching 15 points and nine rebounds. Fellow teammate Isabelle Harrison also recently flirted with a double-double, scoring 14 points and pulling down nine boards against the Sparks on July 18. She currently ranks 13th in the league in blocked shots, averaging 1.06 bpg.
Candace Parker is still sidelined after suffering an ankle injury in the first quarter of the Sparks’ 74-62 loss at Dallas on July 9. A timeframe for her return has not been announced.
Diamond DeShields
Chicago Sky | G | 2nd Season
DeShields has started in all 20 of the Chicago Sky’s games this season. She is averaging 14.9 ppg., 5.7 rpg. and shooting a steady 82.2 percent from the free throw line. She leads the team in scoring and is currently ranked 11th in the league in ppg. Her next game is Saturday when the Sky travel to Atlanta at 7 p.m. ET (League Pass, WSB Now, The U Too).
Isabelle Harrison
Dallas Wings | F/C | 4th Season
After sitting out all of last season due to medical reasons, Harrison has been averaging a little over 24 minutes a game while tallying 7.4 ppg. and 4.8 rpg. She currently ranks 13th in the league in blocked shots at 1.06 bpg. She’ll hit the court again Thursday, hosting New York for an 8 p.m. ET tip (NBA TV, Fox Sports Southwest Plus, NBA TV Canada).
Glory Johnson
Dallas Wings | F | 7th Season
Johnson has appeared in 14 games for Dallas, starting in eight. She’s currently averaging 8.1 ppg. and 6.4 rbg. She’ll hit the court again Thursday, hosting New York for an 8 p.m. ET tip (NBA TV, Fox Sports Southwest Plus, NBA TV Canada).
Candace Parker
Los Angeles Sparks | F/C | 12th Season
Initially sidelined with a hamstring injury at the start of the season, Parker saw action in seven games before suffering an ankle injury on July 9 against Dallas. A timeframe for her return has not been announced. The Sparks will be back in action Thursday at 10 p.m. ET as they host the Aces (ESPN2, NBA TV Canada).
Mercedes Russell
Seattle Storm | C | 2nd Season
Russell has seen action in all 21 games for the Storm, starting in 17 and averaging 7.3 ppg. and 6.4 rpg. She currently ranks 19th in the league in rebounding. Seattle will host the Mystics on Friday, facing off at 10 p.m. ET (NBA TV, JoeTV, Monumental, NBA TV Canada).
Shekinna Stricklen
Connecticut Sun | G/F | 8th Season
Stricklen has started in all 20 games this season for the Connecticut Sun, as the team is in first place in the league standings. She is sitting at 8.7 ppg. and has chipped in 1.8 rpg. while playing 23.0 mpg. so far this season. Her next game is tomorrow against Phoenix at 7 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network).
UT Athletics
Maren Morris Speaks Up When She’s Passionate About Something: “I’m Proud of What I Stand For”
No one in country music in on a tear quite like Maren Morris. Well, maybe Luke Combs, but this article is about Maren.
In addition to scoring her third No. 1 single with “Girl” this week, Maren has been making the rounds as part of supergroup The Highwomen (Brandi Carlile, Amanda Shires, Natalie Hemby). The foursome recently released lead single, “Redesigning Women,” from their upcoming self-titled album (Sept. 6), made their national TV debut on The Tonight Show and headlined the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island. Maren also recently landed on the cover of Women’s Health and scored a feature in Playboy.
With the spotlight firmly on her, Maren has been the subject of plenty on scrutiny on social media, but as she told Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown, she’s always going to speak her mind when she’s “passionate” about something.
“I never poke the bear for fun,” says Maren. “I always speak up when it’s something I’m really furious [about] or passionate about or inspired by, so I would say I’m not that risqué in the grand scheme of things. I mean, even Playboy—you know, Dolly Parton had one of my favorite covers [on] Playboy in ’78, it’s such an iconic cover that she did, but I mean, imagine the backlash that she received back in the day for that. For me, I’m proud of what I stand for . . . You gain more than you lose with social media. You’ll lose followers, you’ll lose fans if you stand up for something, but I think that you gain a lot of people that respect your integrity for speaking up on something.”
Watch Maren’s interview with Kix Brooks below.
photo by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com
Lady Vols Hoops Report(7/31/19)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper and junior Rennia Davis met with members of the media prior to practice on Wednesday in Pratt Pavilion. The team is preparing for its three-game European Tour, visiting the Netherlands, Belgium and France from Aug. 5-15.
Both Harper and Davis discussed the team’s performance in recent practices as well as their excitement about the upcoming trip.
The team is set to arrive in Netherlands on Aug. 6, where their first game will be against Den Helder on Aug. 8 at 6 p.m. local time. Their second game will be in Belgium on Aug. 10 against Laarne at 8 p.m. local time, and their final contest will be on Aug. 13 at 5 p.m. in Brétigny-sur-Orge, France, against Parisian Select.
Tourist highlights of the trip are scheduled to include visits to the Anne Frank House, the Van Gogh Museum, the Zaanse Schans, Amsterdam canal boats and Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands; tours of the cities of Ghent and Bruges in Belgium; and visits to the beaches of Normandy, the Louvre, Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Eiffel Tower and River Seine in France.
New Johnny Cash Restaurant Celebrates Grand Opening in Nashville
Head to Nashville if you want an extra helping of Johnny Cash.
Icon Entertainment celebrated the grand opening of Johnny Cash’s Kitchen & Saloon in downtown Nashville on July 31. Members of both the Cash and Carter families, including John Carter Cash, Tommy Cash, Joanne Cash and Carlene Carter, were on hand for the celebration.
The two-story, 15,000-square-foot venue features traditional Southern meat-and-three fare, including fried chicken, meat loaf, pork chops, catfish, roast beef and more served with dozens of side dishes and homemade desserts. Stages and bars are located on both floors. The restaurant menu is curated by the Swett family, which has run Swett’s Restaurant in Nashville for more than 60 years.
“I am thrilled about the new restaurant,” says John Carter Cash. “Dad’s favorite foods in the world are exactly what you will find on the menu. I remember my father and mother bringing me to Swett’s when I was but a small boy. Southern cooking was my father’s very life blood and tradition, and I firmly believe it does not get any better than this.”
Johnny Cash’s Kitchen & Saloon is located at 121 Third Ave. South, next to the Johnny Cash Museum.
Johnny Cash’s Kitchen & Saloon
Location: 121 Third Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37201
Hours: 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Daily
Kitchen Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Age Restriction: 21+ after 8 p.m.
photo courtesy of Johnny Cash\’s Kitchen & Saloon
Chris Janson Announces New Album, “Real Friends”
Chris Janson announced he will release this third studio album, Real Friends, on Oct. 18.
Buoyed by lead single, “Good Vibes,” which is currently No. 24 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, Real Friends takes its name from Chris’ numerous cohorts that contributed to the album in the form of songwriters, producers, musicians and collaborators.
“Real Friends is my favorite album I’ve made yet, hands down,” says Chris. “I made Real Friends with actual real friends. I produced the album with real friends, wrote all the songs with real friends, took all the photos for the project with my best friend and wife, Kelly, and I also have a huge collaboration on this album with one of my favorite ‘Ole’ friends! I’m more excited about music now than I have been in all of my career. Thank you to my fans, who truly are my real friends and helped me get where I am today.”
The “Ole” friend is likely a reference to Blake Shelton.
In addition to “Good Vibes,” Chris has dropped two more songs from the upcoming album: “Waitin’ On 5” and, most recently, “Say About Me,” which you can listen to below. Currently, Chris is on the road with Chris Young as part of his Raised On Country Tour.
Chris released his sophomore album, Everybody, in September 2017. The 12-song offering featured hit singles “Fix a Drink” and “Drunk Girl.”
photo by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com
2020 CMA Fest Tickets Go On Sale Aug. 2
CMA Fest 2020 (June 4–7) may be 10 months away without any announced artists, but tickets to country music’s biggest festival will go on sale on Aug. 2 at 10 a.m. CT.
The four-day passes for the 2020 festival will included admission to each of Nissan Stadium’s four nightly shows, four-day admission to Xfinity Fan Fair X, early admission to the Chevy Riverfront Stage all four days, meet-and-greet opportunities inside Xfinity Fan Fair X and free access to daytime and nighttime shuttles.
This past year’s CMA Fest featured 11 official stages with more than 300 acts, including Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Luke Combs, Eric Church, Maren Morris, Luke Bryan, Kane Brown and many more. Each year, hundreds of artists performing at CMA Fest donate their time and talent so a portion of ticket proceeds can directly help enrich and sustain music education programs across the country through CMA’s nonprofit arm, the CMA Foundation.
photo by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com
Watch the Highwomen Perform “Redesigning Women” & “Crowded Table” on “The Tonight Show”
The Highwomen—Brandi Carlile, Amanda Shires, Maren Morris and Natalie Hemby—made their national TV debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on July 30.
The foursome performed their lead single, “Redesigning Women,” from their upcoming self-titled album, which is slated to drop on Sept. 6. The new track, which was penned by Natalie and Rodney Clawson, was produced by Dave Cobb.
“‘Redesigning Women’ is the life most women are living today,” says Natalie. “We juggle so much in 24 hours and I wanted to write a song that reflected the goodness, the madness and the hilarity of it all.”
The group also performed their new song, “Crowded Table,” as a bonus web exclusive. The new tune was penned by Natalie, Brandi and Lori McKenna.
Watch The Highwomen’s performance of “Redesigning Women” and “Crowded Table” below.
photo by Alysse Gafkjen
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