Week 2 of Vol Spring Practice Underway

Week 2 of Vol Spring Practice Underway

UT CB Juston Martin & WR Jeff George / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The second week of spring workouts got underway on Tuesday afternoon as Tennessee practiced outdoors in full pads for two hours at Haslam Field.

Head coach Butch Jones addressed the media after practice, discussing the challenges awaiting the youngest Vols as spring practice rolls into a second week.

“I think there are a lot of battles,” Jones said. “The first battle is competing with yourself. We talk about the details, the accountability and the toughness, and that is where everyone has to take responsibility for their own self-determination in getting better. If we get better individually, we get better as a football team collectively. I like this football team. Everything is a learning process, especially the individuals who are going through spring for the first time.”

Tuesday’s practice was the fourth of 15 spring workouts for the Vols. The spring season concludes on April 22 with the annual DISH Orange & White Game (4 p.m. ET, SEC Network). Admission and parking to the Orange & White Game are free to the public and a fan appreciation event will precede kickoff.

Tennessee gets back to work with practices on Thursday and Saturday while the Vols’ annual Pro Day takes place on Friday morning in the Anderson Training Center.

Day Four Quotables

Senior RB John Kelly

(On being the veteran leader of the running backs group)
“I am just embracing the whole teacher role now and trying to show all the younger guys how things are supposed to be done. I know what Coach Gillespie, Coach Jones, and Coach Scott expect from us so I’m trying to hold all these guys to a higher standard as well. Also, to improve my game, too, because I know I’m going to be taking a lot more reps than I have in the past year. So that’s really what I’ve been focusing on.”

RS Sophomore DL Darrell Taylor

(On being mentioned by Coach Jones as a player who has stepped up)
“I think it gradually happened over time. I try to work hard on and off the field by taking care of school, taking care of film room and trying to be a leader in everything I do.”

DBs/special teams coordinator Charlton Warren

(On what he brings to the team)
“You are going to get a lot of energy out of me. I will be running all over practice and will never be quiet. You will be able to hear me from Field One to Field Three. The other thing is that there will be a tremendous amount of focus on fundamentals and technique. I didn’t give them the talents that they have; they wouldn’t be here without it. But we are going to refine their fundamentals and techniques. We are going to do the same thing every single day because when we get to Saturday, whether we are up 20 or down 20, you will get the same corner and safety play. We are going to perfect our craft. That is what they will get from me.”

-UT Athletics

 

LOCASH Talks Success of “The Fighters,” the Thrill of Receiving an ACM Nomination, Becoming Family Men and More

LOCASH Talks Success of “The Fighters,” the Thrill of Receiving an ACM Nomination, Becoming Family Men and More

Lisa talks with Chris Lucas and Preston Brust of LOCASH about their recent ACM Award nomination for New Vocal Duo/Group of the Year, the success of their 2016 album, The Fighters, their No. 1 single, “I Know Somebody,” latest single, “Ring on Every Finger,” the joys of being family men and more.

Plus, an acoustic performance of their single, “I Know Somebody.”

Show Participants

  • LOCASH
    • Chris Lucas
    • Preston Brust
  • Lisa Konicki, NCD editor in chief

Show Links & Notes

The Writers Room, Ep. 68, 18 minutes
photos by Jason Simanek

It’s Not an April Fools’ Day Joke: $1.50 Admittance to the Country Music Hall of Fame on April 1

It’s Not an April Fools’ Day Joke: $1.50 Admittance to the Country Music Hall of Fame on April 1

In honor of its 50th anniversary on April 1, the Country Music Hall of Fame is rolling back the cost of admittance to $1.50—for one day only—which is the same price it cost on opening day in 1967.

There’s also a full day of festivities planned at the Hall of Fame, including musical performances, refreshments and a complimentary Hatch Show Print for the first 5,000 guests.

The schedule of activities planned for April 1 include:

9:30 a.m. – Opening Program
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will kick off the day with a special performance in the Mike Curb Conservatory by Dailey & Vincent. This performance will be followed by a brief welcome message from Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

10:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. – Rory Hoffman
North Dakota native Rory Hoffman and his talented trio will perform two sets in the museum’s Curb Conservatory. Hoffman, blind since birth, plays more than a dozen instruments.

11:30 a.m. – Songwriter Session featuring Sonny Curtis
Crickets band member Sonny Curtis began his career in Texas as lead guitarist with Buddy Holly, for whom he wrote “Rock Around With Ollie Vee” in 1956. Curtis toured with the Everly Brothers and wrote the duo’s 1961 classic “Walk Right Back” (later a hit for Anne Murray). A member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Curtis also penned “I Fought the Law” (Bobby Fuller Four, the Clash, and others), “I’m No Stranger to the Rain” (Keith Whitley), “Love Is All Around” (theme from The Mary Tyler Moore Show), and “Someday”(Webb Pierce). This program celebrates the tenth anniversary of the museum’s songwriter interview series Poets and Prophets, which featured Curtis in 2012. This program is included with museum admission and will take place in the Ford Theater. Seating is limited, and a program pass is required.

2 p.m. – Poets and Prophets In-the-Round: Buzz Cason, Dallas Frazier, Dickey Lee, and Dan Penn
In celebration of the tenth anniversary of the museum’s songwriter series Poets and Prophets, Buzz Cason (“Everlasting Love,” “Love’s the Only House”), Dallas Frazier (“Elvira,” “There Goes My Everything”), Dickey Lee (“She Thinks I Still Care,” “Let’s Fall to Pieces Together”), and Dan Penn (“Dark End of the Street,” “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man”) will appear together, taking turns performing their classic songs. The program is held in collaboration with Nashville Songwriters Association International’s Tin Pan South festival. This program is included with museum admission and will take place in the CMA Theater.

1–5 p.m – Highlights from the First 50 Years of the County Music Hall of Fame and Museum (1967–2017)
In this film loop of museum highlights, guests will learn about the institution’s fifty-year history. Footage includes the 2001 grand opening of the new downtown museum and the 2014 unveiling of the expansion. Vintage clips show a private party at the museum on March 31, 1967, the eve of the museum’s official opening including Eddy Arnold, Owen Bradley, Minnie Pearl, Webb Pierce, and Hank Williams Jr. Museum director and CMA leader Jo Walker-Meador tours the museum with a news camera and discusses some of the collection’s key artifacts. This film will be shown in the Ford Theater and is included with museum admission. Limited seating.

Guests will also be offered guitar and songwriting workshops in the Taylor Swift Education Center.

Guests will receive 50 percent off Lyft rides to and from the museum on April 1, 2017, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. by using the code CMHOF50.

photo by Tim Hursley / CMHOF FRE

Hunter Hayes Gets Reflective in New Video for “Yesterday’s Song”

Hunter Hayes Gets Reflective in New Video for “Yesterday’s Song”

Kicking off a new chapter to his music career, Hunter Hayes is moving forward with the release of his new video for “Yesterday’s Song.”

The video, directed by Ryan Hamblin, shows hunter trapped in a house of mirrors that reflect his own image. As he searches for a way out, memories of his musical journey flash on screen. When Hunter finally breaks free, faced with a new mirror, he finds himself crashing through that mirror to shatter the past.

“You were the rooftop at the top of my lungs / Blowin’ the speakers in the back of my trunk / And you had your chance then, yeah, but I’m movin’ on / And now you’re just yesterday’s song, you’re yesterday’s song,” Hunter sings in the chorus.

“Yesterday’s Song,” written by Hunter, Barry Dean and Martin Johnson, is one of three new tracks Hunter has released from his upcoming third studio album, along with “Young Blood” and “Amen.” The uptempo rocking tune puts Hunter’s creativity on display while proving that the 25-year-old’s sound has evolved.

“Writing and recording for this new album has been a creative journey for me, both as an artist and just as a human,” Hunter said in a statement. “I’ve been learning how to let go and just let the process be, not over-thinking every little thing which is something I’m really good at. I’ve been experimenting with new sounds and stretching myself creatively more than ever before, and just embracing life, which I think you can really hear in these songs and I think that comes through visually with this video as well. ‘Yesterday’s Song’ really captures that free feeling, that joyous realization that you’re moving on and starting this fresh, new chapter.”

You can catch Hunter moving on across the country when he kicks off his 2017 Tour on March 30 at the House of Blues in Dallas.

Check out Hunter getting lost in his own reflection in “Yesterday’s Song.”

Patsy Cline Honored With Wax Figure At Madame Tussauds Nashville

Patsy Cline Honored With Wax Figure At Madame Tussauds Nashville

The new Patsy Cline Museum, set to open on April 7, has joined forces with Madame Tussauds Nashville to honor the late singer with her own wax figure.

The museum will house the largest collection of Patsy Cline artifacts in the world featuring personal letters, photographs, costumes, clothing and household furnishings from her Nashville dream house that have been locked away for more than fifty years.

Patsy’s wax likeness will reside at her museum until April 9, where it will then move to the new Madame Tussauds Nashville attraction in time for the grand opening on April 14.

“This will be the first time in more than 50 years that fans will get to grab a photo with Patsy,” says Patsy Cline Museum Founder, Bill Miller. “What is absolutely incredible about Madame Tussauds’ figure is that our patrons will be able to touch, snap photos and experience an exact likeness of the icon. We are honored to work with their team to create this unique offering.”

Additional figures hitting the stage at Madame Tussauds Nashville include Beyoncé, Billie Holiday, Blake Shelton, Bob Dylan, Bruno Mars, Carrie Underwood, Ella Fitzgerald, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Katy Perry, Keith Urban, Kenny Rogers, Little Jimmy Dickens, Louis Armstrong, Luke Bryan, Miley Cyrus, Minnie Pearl, Rayna Jaymes & Deacon Claybourne, Reba McEntire, Rihanna, Stevie Wonder and Taylor Swift.

Photo courtesy of PLA Media

Carrie Underwood Leaves Sony Music to Sign With Universal Music Group

Carrie Underwood Leaves Sony Music to Sign With Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group announced a new worldwide recording agreement with Carrie Underwood. The seven-time Grammy winner’s new label home will be Capitol Records Nashville, one of four labels that form Universal Music Group Nashville.

Carrie released her previous five studio albums under the Arista Nashville label, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment.

“It’s so inspiring to me as an artist to feel this excited about the future,” says Carrie. “The incredible team at UMG shares the heart and passion I have for music as well as the drive, and their innovative spirit has shown that together the possibilities are endless.”

Universal Music Group Nashville consists of Capitol Records Nashville, EMI Records Nashville, MCA Nashville and Mercury Nashville. The combined rosters include Alan Jackson, Billy Currington, Brandon Lay, Brothers Osborne, Canaan Smith, Chris Stapleton, Clare Dunn, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Easton Corbin, Eric Church, Eric Paslay, Gary Allan, George Strait, Haley Georgia, Jon Pardi, Jordan Davis, Josh Turner, Kacey Musgraves, Keith Urban, Kip Moore, Lady Antebellum, Lauren Alaina, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Mickey Guyton, Sam Hunt, Shania Twain, Sugarland, The Band Perry and Vince Gill.

Luke Combs Announces Debut Album, “This One’s For You,” Set to Drop in June

Luke Combs Announces Debut Album, “This One’s For You,” Set to Drop in June

With his debut single, “Hurricane,” reaching No. 13 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart this week, Luke Combs announced on Instagram that he will drop his debut album, This One’s For You, on June 2. Not only does the 12-song offering features a dozen songs that Luke co-wrote, but he also designed the album’s cover art.

“The album has 12 songs on it—I co-wrote every one,” says Luke to Nash Country Daily. “I think it’s a good synopsis of who I am. I don’t think there’s one track that sounds the same as another. It’s not in one lane. From track to track it’s different every time. That’s the way I approach my writing. I don’t go in and say I need to write a song like ‘Drink in My Hand’ by Eric Church. I just go in and the best song that I have in me comes out. I’m not afraid to put it out there. I have a couple different favorites on the album. ‘Hurricane’ led to me having the opportunity to make the album, so I love that song. ‘I Got Away With You’ is probably my favorite written song on the album. It’s a little slower love song. Very broken down. We play one song live called ‘Honky Tonk Highway,’ and it closes the album out. That’s my favorite song to play live because it gets the crowd going.”

This One’s For You Track Listing

  1. “Out There”
  2. “Memories Are Made Of”
  3. “Lonely One”
  4. “Beer Can”
  5. “Hurricane”
  6. “One Number Away”
  7. “Don’t Tempt Me”
  8. “When It Rains It Pours”
  9. “This One’s For You”
  10. “Be Careful What You Wish For”
  11. “I Got Away With You”
  12. “Honky Tonk Highway”

Weather

  • Forecast
  • Currents
  • Planner