Be Part of the Tennessee Takeover in Charlotte Sept. 1

Be Part of the Tennessee Takeover in Charlotte Sept. 1

Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Volunteer football fans are encouraged to be a part of the ‘Tennessee Takeover’ in Charlotte, N.C. on Sept. 1 when UT faces West Virginia at Bank of America Stadium in the Belk College Kickoff.

Tickets are available now at AllVols.comfor the 3:30 p.m. matchup between the Vols and the Mountaineers.

Fans can also call 1-800-332-VOLS for ticket information, including season ticket packages.

The trip from Knoxville to Charlotte is just over 200 miles long and is a less than four-hour drive. Bank of American Stadium is the perfect destination for a ‘Tennessee Takeover’ to open the 2018 season.

The Vols’ clash against the Mountaineers will be the first meeting all-time between the two storied programs. West Virginia is expected to be a preseason Top 25 team behind its explosive offense, while a hungry Tennessee squad will kick off a new era under head coach Jeremy Pruitt, who brings five national championships with him to Rocky Top.

Following the season-opener, Tennessee welcomes a pair of non-conference opponents to Neyland Stadium in ETSU at 4 p.m. on Sept. 8 and UTEP at 12 p.m. on Sept. 15 before hosting Florida on Sept. 22 (kickoff is TBD) to start SEC play.

UT Athletics
Watch Luke Bryan Pay Tribute to Randy Travis by Covering “On the Other Hand” at CMA Fest’s Nissan Stadium

Watch Luke Bryan Pay Tribute to Randy Travis by Covering “On the Other Hand” at CMA Fest’s Nissan Stadium

During his CMA Fest headlining set at Nissan Stadium on June 10, Luke Bryan delivered an impromptu tribute to Randy Travis after spotting the Country Music Hall of Fame singer in the front row.

After opening the show with three songs from his own catalog—“Country Girl (Shake It For Me),” “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset” and “Most People Are Good”—Luke covered “On the Other Hand,” a tune Randy took to No. 1 in 1986.

“I’ve been wanting to sing to you for a long time, buddy,” said Luke after the song. “That was unrehearsed. I didn’t know you were going to be here, but I hope you enjoyed it. I love you. Thank you.”

On June 9, Randy was presented with the inaugural Cracker Barrel Country Legend Award, an honor given to country musicians with more than 30 years in the business who have past partnerships with Cracker Barrel’s music program. Cracker Barrel made a $5,000 donation in Randy’s name to the CMA Foundation.

Watch Luke sing “On the Other Hand” below.

photo by Jason Simanek; video by Mackenzie Cooper

Debauchery Ensues as Darius Rucker Teams With Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan & Charles Kelley in New “Straight to Hell” Video [Watch]

Debauchery Ensues as Darius Rucker Teams With Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan & Charles Kelley in New “Straight to Hell” Video [Watch]

Darius Rucker is hoping his hot streak continues with the release of his new single, “Straight to Hell.” The tune follows back-to-back No. 1 singles, “If I Told You” and “For the First Time,” from his 2017 album, When Was the Last Time.

Darius enlisted the help of a few of his A-list friends—Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean and Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley—to provide vocals on “Straight to Hell,” a Drivin’ N Cryin’ cover from the late ’80s.

“‘Straight to Hell’ was huge in my day—when it was played in the bar, every single person in the bar was singing and hugging their best friend,” says Darius to Nash Country Daily. “I’ve wanted to cut that song since I came to Nashville, and I kept saying I was going to cut it someday. For this record, I was thinking about cutting it. Then Charles Kelley called me out of the blue and says, ‘Man, I was just listening to Drivin’ N Cryin’s “Straight to Hell” and I think you should cut it, and you should let me sing on it.’ I took that as the universe telling me it was time to cut the song, and I cut it. Jason [Aldean] and Luke [Bryan] and Charles and I are good buddies, so getting them to come sing on it made it something special.”

For the new video, Darius, Jason, Luke and Charles engage in a little speakeasy debauchery, including drinking, cheating at cards and robbing the till.

Watch the new video below.

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Jason Isbell to Release New Live Album From Ryman Auditorium Shows + Announces 6 New Ryman Dates

Jason Isbell to Release New Live Album From Ryman Auditorium Shows + Announces 6 New Ryman Dates

If you didn’t get the chance to see Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit perform one of six shows at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in October 2017, you can can live vicariously through Jason’s upcoming album, Live From the Ryman.

The upcoming album features 13 songs—including “Cover Me Up” and “If We Were Vampires”—that were recorded live at the Ryman.

The new album will drop on Oct. 19, just in time to put you in the mood for Jason’s new six-night run at the Ryman on Oct. 22, 23, 24, 26, 27 and 28. Tickets for the new dates go on sale on June 15.

Jason’s 400 Unit band features Derry deBorja (keyboards), Chad Gamble (drums), Jimbo Hart (bass), Amanda Shires (fiddle) and Sadler Vaden (guitar).

Live From the Ryman Track List

  1. “Hope The High Road”
  2. “24 Frames”
  3. “White Man’s World”
  4. “Flagship”
  5. “Cumberland Gap”
  6. “Something More Than Free”
  7. “The Life You Chose”
  8. “Elephant”
  9. “Flying Over Water”
  10. “Last Of My Kind”
  11. “Cover Me Up”
  12. “Super 8”
  13. “If We Were Vampires

photo by Jason Simanek

Watch Kelsea Ballerini Avoid All of the Lovey-Dovey Clichés in New Video for “I Hate Love Songs”

Watch Kelsea Ballerini Avoid All of the Lovey-Dovey Clichés in New Video for “I Hate Love Songs”

Kelsea Ballerini dropped a new video for her current single, “I Hate Love Songs.”

The tongue-and-cheek ode to modern-day romance, which was directed by Traci Goudie, features Kelsea avoiding clichéd lovey-dovey scenarios, including catching a wedding bouquet, kissing in the rain and more.

Co-penned by Kelsea, Shane McAnally and Trevor Rosen, “I Hate Love Songs” is the second single from Kelsea’s 2017 sophomore album, Unapologetically.

“I will never forget introducing ‘I Hate Love Songs’ at the Grand Ole Opry before my record was even out, and just the overwhelming feeling of magic,” said Kelsea. “I’d never experienced anything like that before with a song. It’s sweet and sassy and I hope you love it as much as I do.”

“I Hate Love Songs” is No. 37 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart after 14 weeks.

Watch the video for “I Hate Love Songs” below.

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Photo Gallery: CMA Fest’s Nissan Stadium Night 4 With Luke Bryan, FGL, Thomas Rhett, Dwight Yoakam & More

Photo Gallery: CMA Fest’s Nissan Stadium Night 4 With Luke Bryan, FGL, Thomas Rhett, Dwight Yoakam & More

CMA Fest came to a close on June 10 as fans packed Nissan Stadium to see performances from Ricky Skaggs, Brett Eldredge, Cole Swindell, Dierks Bentley, Florida Georgia Line, Bebe Rexha, Dwight Yoakam and Luke Bryan, as well as guest appearances by Brothers Osborne, Backstreet Boys and Morgan Wallen.

Take a look at our photo gallery, courtesy of Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com.

We’ve got more photos, courtesy of Jason Simanek.

main photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Photo Gallery: CMA Fest’s Nissan Stadium Night 3 With Chris Stapleton, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, Sam Hunt, Dustin Lynch & More

Photo Gallery: CMA Fest’s Nissan Stadium Night 3 With Chris Stapleton, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, Sam Hunt, Dustin Lynch & More

Night 3 at CMA Fest’s Nissan Stadium on June 9 saw a packed house enjoying the sounds of Jillian Jacqueline (national anthem), Lee Ann Womack, Sam Hunt, Jon Pardi, Dustin Lynch, Kelsea Ballerini, Chris Stapleton and Keith Urban.

Check out our photo gallery, courtesy of photographer Jason Simanek.

all photos by Jason Simanek

Little Big Town Talks New Single “Summer Fever,” Touring With Miranda Lambert, the Possibility of a Future Christmas Album & More

Little Big Town Talks New Single “Summer Fever,” Touring With Miranda Lambert, the Possibility of a Future Christmas Album & More

 Jim Casey talks with Little Big Town about:

  • hosting the CMT Music Awards
  • the standout performance from the CMT Awards, including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Kelsea Ballerini and Dan + Shay
  • winning Group Video of the Year at the CMT Awards for “When Someone Stops Loving You”
  • the chart success of past singles
  • releasing new single, “Summer Fever,” which Karen Fairchild co-penned
  • working with producers Shane McAnally and Jesse Frasure for the first time
  • Shane’s only fault, according to Phillip
  • shooting the video for “Summer Fever” along Florida’s 30-A Highway
  • working on a new album
  • the possibility of a future Christmas album
  • hitting the road with Miranda Lambert on the Bandwagon Tour in July
  • headlining a show at Red Rocks Amphitheater on Sept. 20

Show Participants:

  • Karen Fairchild of LBT
  • Kimberly Schlapman of LBT
  • Jimi Westbrook of LBT
  • Phillip Sweet of LBT
  • Jim Casey, NCD Editor in Chief

Photo Gallery: CMA Fest’s Nissan Stadium Night 1 With Jason Aldean, Brothers Osborne, Dan + Shay, Darius Rucker & More

Photo Gallery: CMA Fest’s Nissan Stadium Night 1 With Jason Aldean, Brothers Osborne, Dan + Shay, Darius Rucker & More

More than 50,000 fans packed Nissan Stadium for Night 1 of CMA Fest on June 7 to see performances by the Oak Ridge Boys, Charles Esten and friends, Kane Brown with Lauren Alaina, Carly Pearce, Dan + Shay, Darius Rucker, Brothers Osborne and headliner Jason Aldean.

Check out the photos below, courtesy of photographer Jason Simanek.

Check out the photos below, courtesy of Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com.

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main photos by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

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