If you’re planning to be in Nashville during CMA Fest (June 7–10), and you’ve got an extra $45, Dierks Bentley would like to request your presence at the Ryman Auditorium on June 7.
On the eve of the release of his upcoming ninth studio album, The Mountain, Dierks will perform the album’s 13 tracks during a late-night concert at the Ryman. Before Dierks hits the stage at 11 p.m. CT, Lanco will warm up the crowd at 10 p.m.
Tickets range in price from $45 to $80, with proceeds supporting the Opry Trust Fund’s mission to help those in the country music industry by offering financial assistance during their time of need.
“This album started as the smallest seed of an idea,” said Dierks. “It was inspired by where I am in my life right now, but also by the people I meet out on the road who triumph over hardship every day. We all share this underlying sense of gratitude and hope, which really became the base of The Mountain, so I wanted to introduce it as a whole story for the first time with all the fans in town for CMA Music Fest. Doing it at the Ryman and to help out the Opry Trust Fund makes the night even more special.”
Ty, Kelly & Chuck’s Kelly Ford dropped her radio voice and picked up a pen—well, it’s more like she hammered a keyboard—for a guest editorial about Steven Tyler’s new documentary, Steven Tyler: Out on a Limb.
The new movie premiered on opening night of the 49th annual Nashville Film Festival on May 10. According to the movie’s press kit, Steven Tyler: Out on a Limb “is an intimate portrait of rock icon Steven Tyler as he embraces the challenges of shifting gears, both as a solo performer and in a new genre of music. Uncovering a side of Tyler many fans have never seen before, this inspiring story looks at the passion, drive and search for creative fulfillment that keeps artists pushing boundaries throughout their careers.”
“Nashville is a key part of my musical journey and has had an influential place in my career,” says Steven Tyler. “I’m also so touched that the Nashville Film Festival selected Steven Tyler: Out on a Limb to kick off opening night of this year’s event with our world premiere.”
Momentum Pictures will release the film on video on demand (VOD) and digital HD on May 15.
Check out Kelly Ford’s guest editorial below.
Kelly Ford (right) with Steven Tyler (front left) and the Loving Mary Band
I’ve seen a lot of Steven Tyler in the past couple of days. That’s a sentence I never would have dreamed I’d say 10 years ago. To be honest, I wasn’t a huge Aerosmith fan growing up. They just weren’t on my radar. My brother Sean was a fan, so I knew Aerosmith’s music and THAT voice. However, I’ve become a fan of Steven Tyler as a human being since I moved to Nashville a few years ago.
I was introduced to Steven at CMA Fest in 2016, where he performed after dropping his debut country album, We’re All Somebody From Somewhere. We’ve crossed paths a few times since then. On May 9, Steven came to the Ty, Kelly & Chuck studio to talk about his new documentary, Out on a Limb, which kicked off the Nashville Film Festival on May 10. When Steven invited me to the screening, of course, I went!
Directed by Adam Green, Out on a Limb is a terrific documentary that chronicles Steven’s decision to take a break from Aerosmith and create his solo country album in Nashville. I found myself smiling like a loon throughout the movie—kind of like I do when I’m around him. Steven’s love of life and energy are contagious, which were overriding themes in the film. He is bigger than life, vulnerable and generous, and that’s how the documentary played. It felt very genuine.
No doubt, the documentary focuses on Steven, but it’s that generous spirit of his that shines the spotlight bright on the Nashville-based Loving Mary Band (Steven’s backing band on his solo tour) and his co-writers and producers. He also focuses on Nashville and its collective artistic vibe, community and history. In the end, Out on a Limb feels more like a love letter to Nashville than a documentary about a rock legend.
It made me feel grateful to live in this town. Sometimes I think that fact gets lost on me because I’m too busy focusing on the grind. If you want to fall in love with life, Nashville, country and/or Steven Tyler, Out on a Limb is worth seeing.
Kacey Musgraves was in the Big Apple on May 12 to perform as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. Actress and comedienne Amy Schumer tackled the hosting duties, while Kacey sang two tunes—“High Horse” and “Slow Burn”—from her new album, Golden Hour.
Golden Hour debut at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart after it was released on March 30. Kacey had a hand in penning every track on the 13-song offering.
In the past three years, a handful of country stars have performed on SNL, including Blake Shelton (January 2015), Zac Brown Band (March 2015), Chris Stapleton (January 2016, January 2018), Maren Morris (December 2016), Margo Price (April 2016) and Sturgill Simpson (January 2017, January 2018).
Watch Kacey perform “High Horse” and “Slow Burn” below.
As a child growing up in Oklahoma, Carrie Underwood watched the Grand Ole Opry on television at her grandparents’ house. Just three years into her country music career, childhood hero Randy Travis surprised Carrie with a Grand Ole Opry invitation at a performance in March 2008. Less than two months later on May 10, 2008, fellow Okie Garth Brooks inducted her into the esteemed organization.
“I think being a member of the Grand Ole Opry is just one of the most special things for anybody who has ever wanted to be a country music singer,” said Carrie to NCD. “It’s just such a cool thing. There’s no other genre of music that has something like it—you can be a member of this club. It’s just such a special, elite family. It’s definitely one of my proudest moments and highest honors.”
On May 11, 2018, Carrie celebrated her 10th anniversary as a Grand Ole Opry member by once again performing on the Opry stage—and she got another surprise from Randy Travis. After Carrie sang “I Told You So,” Randy stepped onstage to congratulate her on 10 years of Opry membership.
“Ten years have flown by,” said Carrie. “I knew from the moment God blessed me and let me sing country music that I wanted to be a part of this place. Thank you for being here.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee will host an NCAA Regional for the 14th straight year as the Volunteers were revealed as the No. 10 national seed when the bracket was announced late Sunday night on ESPN2.
The Lady Vols will welcome James Madison, Monmouth and Ohio University to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium for the NCAA Knoxville Regional this weekend from Friday, May 18 to Sunday, May 20. The Knoxville Regional will be a double-elimination tournament with the winner moving on to the NCAA Super Regional (Round of 16). The Big Orange will play MAAC Champion Monmouth on Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN3 (WatchESPN) while James Madison will take on Mid-American Conference Champion Ohio University on Friday at 3 p.m. on ESPN3 (WatchESPN).
This will be the 16th NCAA Tournament appearance overall and the 15th consecutive appearance for the Lady Vols, who have advanced to the postseason every year since 2004.
For the second time in league history, all 13 teams from the Southeastern Conference were selected for the 64-team tournament field. The SEC made up more than half of the national seeds, with nine teams earning a spot among the top-16 seeds in this year’s tournament.
Tennessee enters the NCAA Tournament with a 45-12 overall record and finished in fourth place in the SEC regular season standings, posting a 14-10 mark in conference play. The Lady Vols had five players earn SEC postseason honors last week led by senior shortstop Meghan Gregg who along with junior second baseman Aubrey Leach and senior outfielder Scarlet McSwain who all earned All-SEC first team honors. Freshman Ashley Morgan and Amanda Ayala were both named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.
Friday’s two winners will play in Game 3 on Saturday at 12 p.m. The losers from Friday’s games will play in Game 4 at 2:30 p.m. and the loser from Game 3 will face the winner from Game 4 at 5 p.m. to conclude play on Saturday.
Game 6 will be on Sunday at 1 p.m. and will feature the winner from Game 3 against the winner from Game 5. The two teams will play again in Game 7 at 3:30 p.m., if necessary.
The 16 winning teams from their respective regional sites will advance to the Super Regionals, which will take place from May 25-27, depending on the host site. All Super Regional sites will feature broadcasts on the ESPN family of networks.
Weekend Schedule
Friday
Game 1: Ohio vs. James Madison | 4 p.m. | ESPN3/WatchESPN
Game 2: Monmouth vs. Tennessee | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN3/WatchESPN
Saturday
Game 3: G1 Winner vs. G2 Winner | 12 p.m.
Game 4: G1 Loser vs. G2 Loser | 2:30 p.m.
Game 5: G3 Loser vs. G4 Winner | 5 p.m.
Sunday
Game 6: G3 Winner vs. G5 Winner | 1 p.m.
Game 7: G6 Winner vs. G6 Loser (If necessary) | 3:30 p.m.
Ticket Information
All-Session tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased at the ticket office at Thompson-Boiling Arena or by going to AllVols.com.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 7/8 Tennessee softball team will gather on Sunday night to watch the NCAA Women’s Softball Selection Show inside of Sherri Parker Lee Stadium starting at 9:30 p.m.
Tennessee (45-12) is projected to be a top-seed in the 2018 NCAA Tournament and the Lady Vols are looking to host their 14th straight NCAA Regional. This will be will be UT’s 16th appearance in the NCAA Regional.
Members of the media are asked to arrive at the stadium no earlier than 9:30 p.m. and enter the stadium through the media entrance of the stadium.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Tennessee softball’s run for a third SEC Tournament championship came to a halt on Friday afternoon in a 10-2 loss to top seed and No. 4-ranked Florida Gators at Mizzou Softball Stadium in semifinal action.
Florida (49-8) scored three runs in the first inning when Nicole DeWitt hit her first of two home runs on the day – the first being a two-run home run to right field to score Amanda Lorenz. The Gators scored their third run on an RBI single by Janell Wheaton that scored Kayli Kvistad.
The Gators added four runs in the bottom of the second. DeWitt hit a three-run home run to center field that scored Lorenz and Jaimie Hoover. Three batters later, Wheaton doubled to center field to give Florida a 7-0 lead.
Tennessee (45-12) scored two runs in the top half of the third, when SEC All-Freshman selectee Ashley Morgan hit a double off the right field wall to score Treasury Poindexter, who pinch ran for All-SEC shortstop Meghan Gregg, and All-SEC honoree Aubrey Leach.
Leach scored for the 74th team this season and in doing so, tied the single-season record for runs scored along with former Lady Vol Bridget Jackson.
Florida went on to add a run in the bottom of the fourth, and two more in the bottom of the fifth, on their way to the 10-2 victory.
Matty Moss (17-6) got the loss, going three innings and allowing six runs, five of which were earned. Caylan Arnold pitched one and a half innings in relief, allowing four runs.
Up Next:
Tennessee will await its placement in the NCAA Women’s College Softball Tournament. The selection show will be on Sunday, May 13 at 10 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
The Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) announced Friday that Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes has been named its 2018 Coach of the Year.
The TSWA is comprised of sports writers, editors and college sports information directors from throughout the state of Tennessee. Barnes will be honored during the annual TSWA Hall of Fame dinner and banquet at Cumberland University on Thursday, July 12.
This adds to the already long list of Coach of the Year honors Barnes has received after leading the Volunteers to a 26-9 record (third-most wins in program history), the 2018 SEC Championship, a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a year-end ranking of No. 13 in the AP Top 25 poll.
A complete list of his 2017-18 honors follows:
SEC Coach of the Year (AP and Coaches)
Athletes in Action Coach Wooden “Keys to Life” Award
Carrie Underwood, Shania Twain and Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild shared some sweet mommy moments in honor of Mother’s Day on May 13.
Karen Fairchild, mother of Elijah Dylan Westbrook, 8
photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com
“There isn’t anything that means more to me than sitting on the bench and eating a grilled cheese sandwich with this little guy who calls me Mama. There isn’t anything better than that. He’s just a little miracle. I went from dreaming about him to eating grilled cheese sandwiches and ketchup with him, and I could never have dreamed this up—how good it could be, and it just gets better every day.”
Shania Twain, mother of Eja Lange, 16
photo by Scooter/AFF-USA.com
“It’s such a joy to be a parent. So, I relate to all the mums out there who are getting all their love and appreciation from their kids, and I hope, when you’re a kid, a child of somebody, show your mum you love her, because it means everything.”
Carrie Underwood, mother of Isaiah Michael Fisher, 3
photo by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com
“We don’t really have like any Mother’s Day traditions. I feel like I remember me and Dad making breakfast for Mom like once as a kid. I’m pretty sure we just made a giant mess in the kitchen and we never did that again, so. Being on the other side of things, I obviously don’t expect anything from my 3-year-old, but my husband’s really good at getting presents from, quote unquote, Isaiah. It’s really sweet, because he likes to bring me things. He’s such a sweet little guy, and anytime he’s outside, he’ll pick me flowers and things. So, I’m like, ‘You’re learning. You’ve already got me wrapped around your finger, and then you do stuff like that, and it’s even more so.’”
main photos: Carrie Underwood by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com; Shania Twain by Scooter, AFF-USA.com; Karen Fairchild by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com
After releasing their lead single, “Tequila,” in January, Dan + Shay gave fans the second taste of their upcoming third studio album by releasing “All to Myself” on May 3.
One week later on May 9, the duo dropped a new video for the song, which depicts them hiding in the shadows as they belt out the ballad.
Dan + Shay released their sophomore album, Obsessed, almost two years ago in June 2016. The duo recently netted two CMT Music Awards nominations and will hit the road with Rascal Flatts in June.
