Musical chemistry was in the air when Brandy Clark and Dwight Yoakam teamed up at the 2015 Grammys to sing “Hold My Hand,” a song from Brandy’s 2013 album, 12 Stories. In fact, there was so much musical chemistry between Brandy and Dwight that the tandem decided to record a studio version of tune and release it today (Oct. 28).
“Dwight added something so special to ‘Hold My Hand’ both at the GRAMMY performance and then on the track itself,” said Brandy. “We had both forgotten about it until we had a show together. In catching up backstage one night we came up with the idea to put it out—for no other reason than we both loved it so much and thought it was a shame to just be ‘sitting on a shelf.’ Music is made to be heard and we definitely wanted this version to be shared.”
Check out the new version of “Hold My Hand” below.
It was a day like any other normal day at the NASH Country Daily offices—newcomer Kane Brown was coming by to play a few songs from his upcoming self-titled album, along with a few covers. Like I said, just another ordinary day.
Here’s the thing, it wasn’t just an ordinary day because what Kane didn’t know was that the America’s Morning Show team set up a surprise visit from a very special artist.
While Kane was in the middle of singing a cover of “Three Wooden Crosses,” the legendary Randy Travis snuck up behind him and surprised the singer with a visit. You can see the shock on Kane’s face.
“Duuude,” Kane exclaimed when seeing the star. “What’s up man? Can I get a hug? It’s nice to meet you. This is crazy” Kane said.
And we caught the whole exchange on camera. Check out the visit below:
Not only does Cole Swindell have something of a hot streak working, but he’s also striking while the iron is hot.
The hot streak? His first five singles—“Chillin’ It,” “Hope You Get Lonely Tonight,” “Ain’t Worth the Whiskey,” “Let Me See Ya Girl” and “You Should Be Here”—have reached No. 1 on the Billboard and/or Mediabase charts. And Cole ain’t ready for that streak to end just yet.
His sixth single, “Middle of a Memory,” is currently No. 3 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. On top of that, Cole has co-written each of the aforementioned six tunes, which is part of the reason he recently won the Songwriter/Artist of the Year award from the Nashville Songwriter Association International on Oct. 9.
Striking while the iron is hot? Less than six months since releasing his sophomore album, You Should Be Here, Cole is dropping a new EP, Down Home Sessions III, today (Oct. 28), which runs in tandem with his headlining Down Home Tour that launched on Oct. 26.
Cole stopped by the Nash Country Daily office to talk about hot streaks, his Georgia roots, familiar ball cap, new EP and tour and much more.
NCD: I see you’ve got your trademark Georgia Southern University ball cap on.
Cole: Yeah, man. It’s where I went to college. It’s where I started singing and I fell in love with being onstage. I’m a big Georgia Southern Eagles fan, so I’m always representing.
Do you have just one Georgia Southern hat, or do you have like 50 of ’em?
Note quite 50. For a while, when I started I really did just have one, you know? It got to be kind of too much. It was sweaty. The fact that I was wearing it around, on TV, all that stuff, so they sent me a lot. Now I’ve got one for every occasion, different colors, all that stuff.
Have you retired the original one?
It’s actually in the little exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame from when I won the ACM New Artist of the Year. That was the one that was in the “Chillin’ It” video. I retired that one and we’ve moved on to newer lids.
You grew up in Glennville, Georiga, right?
Up until about fifth grade, then I moved over to southwest Georgia. Bronwood, Georgia, is where I call home, but I was born in Savannah. That side of the state, man. I’ve always been a Georgia boy.
NCD editor Jim Casey and Cole Swindell
Georgia is such a diverse geographic place. It’s got the mountains to the north, you’ve got the coast to east, the big city of Atlanta and you’ve got farmland. Why is so much country music coming out of Georgia right now with guys like Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Zac Brown, Kip Moore, Sam Hunt, Billy Currington?
I wish I knew. I remember right when I was hoping things were about to take off for me, I was just praying there was room for one more Georgia boy because I feel like there’s a lot of folks [in Nashville] from Georgia. I think all the things you just brought up. I’ve never thought of it like that, but it is. There’s so many different things in Georgia. Even when you’re talking about music, everybody likes a little bit of everything. One of the things I would say, honestly, is just having people from your home state make it and influence you. I grew up an Allan Jackson fan. When I was in college, Luke Bryan was just making it big in Nashville and Jason Aldean was from Georgia. Just seeing people from your home state that grew up not far from where you grew up, I think that helps you a lot. I think it gives you some confidence. If me being up here helps influence anybody that wants to chase a dream then that’s awesome. I’m glad to be from Georgia and just glad they had room for me in here.
You released your second studio album, You Should Be Here, in May. It’s been doing very, very well. The title track has already gone No. 1, which is your fifth consecutive No. 1. Your second single, “Middle of a Memory,” is Top 5 right now. If it doesn’t go No. 1, you’re not going to know what to do with yourself, are you?
Hey, the streak has got to end at some point but, man, I’m just so thankful. I think having your first five songs go to number one is something that you only dream of. That doesn’t happen in everyday life. I’m just glad to be here and have “Middle of a Memory” my sixth Top 5. We’ll see what happens. It’s cool getting to see the reaction every night. It’s growing every night. We’ll see where it ends up. I’m happy with everything right now.
But you’re not ready to see the streak end yet, right?
No, I’m not saying that, now. Nobody wants to do that. I’m just realistic. Having five in a row isn’t realistic, so I’m already ahead of the game.
You just mentioned you’re out there playing songs from You Should Be Here live every night. Is the album living up to the expectations you had for it?
I think so. Debut single did pretty well. “Middle of a Memory” is doing well. I think having the first two singles do what they’re doing, I think it’s living up to what we wanted it to do. I tried to put nothing but singles on the album—songs that I would be proud to release to country radio if I had the chance. The hard part is you’re not going to get to release that many of them. Right now, we just want to keep saying something different, if I can.
For the third year in a row you’re releasing your Down Home Sessions EP. It’s been less than six months since the studio album was released. How are these Down Home Session EP’s different for you?
That’s a great question. That’s something that was unique about this one, because on the first two the timing was a lot different. It was something that I had to talk to my team about. But to not put a Down Home Sessions out, to not do the Down Home Tour, it was something that…I don’t know. That’s why we started it. I wanted to build it. It took somebody telling me, you know, this is for the fans, because I know it is, but when you have music already out there and you’re putting more music out it’s kind of tough. I know that when I was college if Eric Church or Dierks Bentley would’ve put out an EP of anything I would’ve been the first on to get it. It really just opened my eyes. I’m like, “Hey, I don’t care what I just put out. I’m putting out the Down Home Sessions because this is for the fans.” Those are the people that buy it and support what we love to do. I’m always going to give them as much music as I can.
The new EP also coincides with your Down Home Tour which runs through December. A bunch of cool venues. I don’t know if you’ve played all those places but I was just looking at some of them: Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa; The Lyric in Oxford, Mississippi; Billy Bob’s in Texas.
The Lyric, I sold merchandise for Luke Bryan in that club years ago and now I’m play it. It’s unbelievable. That weekend my Georgia Southern Eagles are playing Ole Miss. I don’t know how Saturday’s going to work out for us, but Friday night we’re going to have a good time. Billy Bob’s, Joe’s in Chicago, Cain’s—these club’s, at this point, I’m kind of handpicking. It’s just a cool thing for the fans to get to come see me in some of my favorite clubs.
I caught your show in Nashville on Florida Georgia Line’s Dig Your Roots Tour. Sold-out crowd at Bridgestone Arena with Kane Brown and The Cadillac Three. That place was just pandemonium. Was the whole tour like that? Is it just that insane every night?
The show is, yeah. The energy of that show is crazy. I’ve been on some big tours and it really is amazing. I think being in Nashville, having the hometown show, everybody bringing it. That’s the show you wait on all year. That’s the industry you move to work in. It’s just cool having a lot of people you don’t normally get to see unless you’re in town doing something else. It’s been a great year and it really is an energy-packed show, but a great environment and one of the best I’ve been in on tour.
What can we expect from your new tour? You’re playing some smaller venues, like you just mentioned, but is it going to be a little more stripped down, right?
Yeah, man. Being in a club the energy’s going to be . . . I mean, the fans are right there up against you. Our headline has been the same for about a year. We’ve been in rehearsal’s all week getting that changed up. We got a new set we get to play. The Down Home Session songs, you really don’t hear those unless you come to a Down Home show so that makes it unique in itself. A lot of these fans are hardcore fans so they’ve seen us all year. We’ve got to give them something new. It just gives us another opportunity. The Down Home show, we want it to be a very special experience and that’s our job as a band and crew, to set all that up and give them something new.
One more for you. You moved to Nashville to be a songwriter. Earlier this month you won Songwriter/Artist of the Year at Nashville’s Songwriter’s Association International. That’s a nice feather in your cap.
I said it before and I’ll say it again: it’s the biggest honor I’ve ever received since I’ve been to Nashville. I’ve been fortunate enough to experience some great things but when you move to town knowing that your songs are not near good enough to make it and you just want to move to town to be a better songwriter, to be recognized by the industry, something like that, man. There’s so many artists that are writers that could’ve been sitting there and for them to recognize me, it’s just motivating, man. It’s humbling. I want to keep writing songs and helping others the way they’ve helped me.
CMT has released the list of its 2016 Next Women of Country franchise—a campaign to bring awareness to inspiring female vocalists in country music.
The acts selected by CMT for the Class of 2016 include Caitlyn Smith, Jamie Lynn Spears, Jillian Jacqueline, Kree Harrison, Logan Brill, Lucie Silvas, Maggie Rose, Margo Price and—for the first time—two all female trios, Runaway June and Post Monroe.
“We’re so thrilled to introduce this incredibly talented and diverse mix of female artists to the Next Women franchise,” said Leslie Fram, SVP of music strategy and talent at CMT. “With the full support of the industry behind us, we continue to see this initiative make a real difference in propelling female artists into the spotlight.”
CMT started the campaign in 2013, which has included such artists as Maren Morris, Kelsea Ballerini and Kacey Musgraves, and launched two female tours in 2015 and 2016 that included Jana Kramer, Kelsea Ballerini, Jennifer Nettles, Brandy Clark, Lindsay Ell and Tara Thompson.
In addition to monitoring radio airplay, online streaming and music consumer behavior, Nielsen is the authority in tracking what music people are buying both in-store and digitally. That’s why outlets like Nash Country Daily and Billboard, among others, often cite Nielsen’s statistics in its articles and charts.
An interesting stat that NCD came across this week: Nielsen has also developed its own N-Score, a metric that helps determine the marketability and endorsement potential of athletes, actors and musicians by taking into account factors such as awareness, likeability, influence, role model status, style and success. To get an N-Score, Nielsen fields surveys to more than 1,500 people every week with about 50 different celebrities.
According to Nielsen’s current results, the 15 most marketable country artists (and their N-Scores) are:
Carrie Underwood: 90
Reba McEntire: 89
Dolly Parton: 89
Garth Brooks: 85
Shania Twain: 84
Willie Nelson: 84
Kenny Rogers: 82
Faith Hill: 80
Marie Osmond: 78
Keith Urban: 78
Blake Shelton: 78
Miranda Lambert: 77
Tim McGraw: 77
Brad Paisley: 76
George Strait: 76
Carrie, who tops the list, has her own fitness line, Calia, as well as endorsement deals from Olay and Almay. Reba has her own beauty line, Reba Beauty, and a home goods line available at Cracker Barrel, while Dolly’s Dollywood theme park has remained one of the biggest tourist attraction in the state of Tennessee for decades, drawing more than three million visitors each year.
A few notable names omitted from the list include Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney and Toby Keith, who all have lucrative portfolios and endorsement contracts.
Interesting stuff, nonetheless.
photos: Reba McEntire courtesy BMLG; Carrie Underwood by Timothy Kuratek/CBS; Dolly Parton by Quantrell Colbert/NBC
In the lead-up to the CMA Awards on Nov. 2, Nash Country Daily will be conducting its own election to let you—the readers—decide who should win each of the 12 categories at this year’s show. We’re taking politics out of the equation and letting the popular vote speak for itself.
The good news is there is no voter registration. The bad news is we aren’t giving out any trophies. It’s just for bragging rights.
Every two or three days, we will provide a new ballot for one of the 12 categories and allow fans to vote until the next category is announced. Along the way, we’ll post our winners.
“Think of You” – Chris Young with Cassadee Pope: 40%
“The Fighter” – Keith Urban feat. Carrie Underwood: 27%
“Different for Girls” – Dierks Bentley feat. Elle King: 14%
“Home Alone Tonight” – Luke Bryan feat. Karen Fairchild: 13%
“You Are My Sunshine” – Morgane Stapleton with Chris Stapleton: 6%
Come back soon to participate in our next poll!
Entertainer of the Year: Oct. 10 – WINNER Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood: 34%
Keith Urban: 32%
Luke Bryan: 19%
Garth Brooks: 9%
Chris Stapleton: 6%
Female Vocalist of the Year: Oct. 12 – WINNER Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood: 58%
Miranda Lambert: 24%
Kelsea Ballerini: 8%
Maren Morris: 5%
Kacey Musgraves: 5%
Male Vocalist of the Year: Oct. 14 – WINNER Keith Urban
Keith Urban: 40%
Eric Church: 20%
Tim McGraw: 17%
Dierks Bentley: 14%
Chris Stapleton: 9%
Album of the Year: Oct. 17 – WINNER Storyteller – Carrie Underwood
Storyteller – Carrie Underwood 41%
Ripcord – Keith Urban 27%
Mr. Misunderstood – Eric Church 18%
Black – Dierks Bentley 10%
Hero – Maren Morris 4%
Vocal Group of the Year: Oct. 19 – WINNER Little Big Town
Little Big Town 47%
Old Dominion 15%
Zac Brown Band 15%
Lady Antebellum 14%
Rascal Flatts 9%
Vocal Duo of the Year: Oct. 21 – WINNER Joey + Rory
Joey + Rory: 60%
Florida Georgia Line: 17%
Brothers Osborne: 9%
Dan + Shay: 8%
Maddie & Tae: 6%
New Artist of the Year: Oct. 24 – WINNER Cole Swindell
Cole Swindell: 37%
Kelsea Ballerini: 32%
Maren Morris: 14%
Old Dominion: 9%
Brothers Osborne: 8%
Song of the Year (Awarded to Songwriters): Oct. 26
– WINNER “Record Year” – Eric Church, Jeff Hyde
“Record Year” – Eric Church, Jeff Hyde: 33%
“Humble and Kind” – Lori McKenna: 27%
“Die a Happy Man” – Sean Douglas, Thomas Rhett, Joe Spargur: 21%
“Burning House” – Cam, Tyler Johnson, Jeff Bhasker: 9%
“My Church” – busbee, Maren Morris: 9%
Video of the Year: Oct. 31
“Burning House” – Cam, directed by Trey Fanjoy
“Fire Away” – Chris Stapleton, directed by Tim Mattia
“Humble and Kind” – Tim McGraw, directed by Wes Edwards
“Record Year” – Eric Church, directed by Jon Peets and Reid Long
“Somewhere on a Beach” – Dierks Bentley, directed by Wes Edwards
Musician of the Year: Oct. 31
Jerry Douglas – Dobro/Lap Steel Guitar
Paul Franklin – Steel Guitar
Dan Huff – Guitar
Brent Mason – Guitar
Derek Wells – Guitar
Hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, The 50th annual CMA Awards will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. CT on ABC.
Playing more than 150 shows a year, San Antonio native Mike Ryan has developed a passionate fan base in the Lone Star State and beyond by headlining revered venues like Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth and Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa. His 2014 album, Bad Reputation, yielded three No. 1 singles on the Texas Music chart and helped him cop the 2015 New Male Vocalist of the Year at the Texas Regional Radio Awards. Last week, Mike released the first single, “New Hometown,” from his upcoming third studio album, which he hopes to drop in the early 2017.
Family Band-ing
“Music was always a big part of my family. My parents were in church choir every Sunday, so I got plenty of experience singing. I was in choirs in middle school and high school. My grandfather was a band director and he put the first instruments in my hands and taught me a few things. He really lit the fire in me and showed me the way music can affect people—it can put a smile on your face. You can speak to people through music. My father was in a lot of off-Broadway musicals, so I remember watching my dad onstage when I was little and it was inspiring. Music has always been in my blood.”
Crocodile Rockin’
“I was a child of the 1990s so that era of country music really resonated with me. Every night before going to sleep, I was listening to county radio. I liked rock, too, but I was able to identify more with country music. When I started writing and playing, country music was the natural fit. I feel most comfortable in that genre. But I still love classic rock. In fact, I saw Elton John perform in Vegas a couple of weeks ago. It was amazing. The best concert I’ve ever been to. He’s almost 70 and has more energy than any show you’ve seen. It was inspiring.”
Open Mic “I went to college at the University of North Texas [Benton, Texas] and had just started playing guitar and went around town playing open mics. Within 30 miles of where I lived, there were literally hundreds of open mics. I just went out and started playing. After a couple years of acoustics shows I put a band together and hit the road. I decided in college that I wasn’t better at anything than music—and nothing was more fun that music. I finished up school in 2009 and hit the road and have been doing music full-time since. It’s been a good ride so far—we’ve already had three No. 1s on the Texas Music chart and I’m working on my third studio album now.”
Big Gigs
“We’ve played several headlining shows at Billy Bob’s, so that’s always a bucket-list item and Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa was another one—it was so cool to play on Bob Wills’ home turf. We’ve definitely seen the crowds at my shows growing over the last few years, but I try to put on the best show possible, whether it’s for 10 people or 10,000. I think I heard it from Jack Ingram first, ‘10 or 10,000, give them hell.’ That’s what we try to do. Find someone to connect with, that’s what it’s all about.”
Album Outlook
“We’ve got five or six songs recorded already for the new album, and we’ll probably have about five or six more that we’ll cut and record for the rest of the album. We’re looking at releasing the full-length album in early 2017. I’m hoping the new album is the next step in an upward trajectory.”
New Hometown
“We just put the new single, ‘New Hometown,’ out last week and it’s had a great response online. We’ve been playing the song live for several months now, and it’s the same story there. It’s really cool to put it in people’s hands and get their reactions. I wrote it with Chris DuBois and Brent Anderson, and it just kind of tells the story of a guy who’s trying to figure out how to get by after a breakup and how those small towns feel even smaller after a breakup. I think it’s a song that most folks can probably relate to in some way.”
Jim Casey talks with new artist Tucker Beathard about discovering a desire to express himself through music, learning about putting on a good tour by observing Dierks Bentley and his other tourmates, the massive success of his single “Rock On” and more.
Speaker 1: “It’s the Nash Country Daily’s Writer’s room where we talk about all things country. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @nashcountrydaily. Now, here’s today’s host, Jim Casey.”
Jim Casey: “Welcome to another episode of the Writer’s Room podcast. I’m your host Jim Casey. Our guest today is Tucker Beathard, who’s debut single Rock On is currently top five and climbing on country radio.”
Tucker Beathard: “(singing)”
Jim Casey: “I was at one of your shows about a month ago here in town. You mentioned that you’re kind of an introvert. Is it hard for you to talk about yourself and do these kind of media rounds?”
Tucker Beathard: “Not really. If the questions are asked, I can explain. If someone’s like, “Tell me about yourself,” it’s like, Tucker, I don’t really know what you want. I don’t know. I just, I don’t know.”
Jim Casey: “Tucker, tell me about yourself. No, I’m just kidding. I’ve got some questions for you. You’re twenty-one, right?”
Tucker Beathard: “Yep.”
Jim Casey: “Your brother’s twenty-two. He plays quarterback for Iowa, CJ. Growing up, did you guys get into any playground fights about your last name?”
Tucker Beathard: “No, not really. It’s more now.”
Jim Casey: “Oh, it’s happening now. You have to explain yourself.”
Tucker Beathard: “Yeah, nowadays more people are like mispronouncing or give you crap for it. Every sports team we played on, if they called our name on the loudspeaker, majority of them would get it wrong every time.”
Jim Casey: “Every time?”
Tucker Beathard: “Yeah.”
Jim Casey: “You played a lot of sports growing up right?”
Tucker Beathard: “I did.”
Jim Casey: “What were you? Baseball player, basketball, football?”
Tucker Beathard: “Yeah, football and baseball mainly. Yeah, good up until high school.”
Jim Casey: “Now, I know the guys listening can’t hear us, but behind us we got a picture of you up there just rocking out on stage. It looks like you got the biceps working there. You still hitting the gym or is that all from guitar work?”
Tucker Beathard: “Nah, that’s PhotoShop right there.”
Jim Casey: “That’s it?”
Tucker Beathard: “Nah, I try to. My schedule’s pretty crazy. We’re closing on like close like two hundred shows like this year or whatever. Every little down time you have, working out is really not what comes to mind or how you want to spend it. I do every now and then.”
Jim Casey: “How do you like to spend your off days? I know that you’re one of the few people who was actually born and raised in Nashville. You’ve seen the inner workings of the city. Most people who are trying to attain this dream are transfers from other places. You were born and raised here.”
Tucker Beathard: “Yeah, born and raised. I don’t know, now since doing so much touring and what not, really I just got my own place with like four other buddies. We just kind of decompress or I do. Most of them, still on the road with, but I know me personally, I just kind of like to lock myself away in my room and just decompress.”
Jim Casey: “You got a little hangout around town where you like to go grab a bite or maybe a beer or something like that?”
Tucker Beathard: “Yeah, I like the Red Door down there and Losers and Winners or Winners. Whatever one’s right across from them.”
Jim Casey: “Pretty crazy. Still gets wild down there on Fridays and Saturdays.”
Tucker Beathard: “Yeah, it is. It’s a cool place.”
Jim Casey: “Your dad, Casey Beathard, who’s penned number one songs for everybody from Kenny Chesney to Darius Rucker, Tracy Lawrence. At what point did you decide that you wanted to make music your livelihood?”
Tucker Beathard: “I always did music my whole life, played in bands and played the drums, mainly. I think when I started playing guitar and writing songs, just to let out personal feelings just on my own, just never really thought of it as like, “This is what I want to do.” It just kind of felt so good and so right to the point where I couldn’t do anything else. I didn’t want to do anything else, you know what I mean? You get bitten by a music bug, they say. Good luck trying to get out of that.”
Jim Casey: “You having more fun doing this then let’s say going to college right now?”
Tucker Beathard: “That’s for sure. I’d rather sit here and talk to you than sit in math class, for sure.”
Jim Casey: “I understand that. Now, growing up, with your dad, you were exposed to all sorts of great music I imagine. Who were some of your influences?”
Tucker Beathard: “I listened to different stuff than my dad. My dad, I always like classic rock, like seventies rock. I remember riding around in the car and a song would be playing. He’d be like, “That’s Pink Floyd.” Or, “That’s Joe Walsh.” Or whatever. I was like, “Wow, that’s really cool. I want to be able to know every person on this station.” That’s all I listen to. Actually a lot of different things. I just listen, I just like, I’m a fan of music and songs.”
Jim Casey: “It translates when you see your live show on stage. You can hear that rock aspect of your influences.”
Tucker Beathard: “Yeah, no doubt. It definitely is probably the strongest influence genre on me.”
Jim Casey: “Get up there and rock your guitar.”
Tucker Beathard: “Yeah, it’s fun. It’s fun.”
Jim Casey: “You ever hop back there on the drums?”
Tucker Beathard: “Every now and then I used to. I still am trying to incorporate it again. Yeah, I like to rock out on drums sometimes.”
Jim Casey: “Your debut single, Rock On is top five and still climbing. You might get to that number one spot. You going to be able to tell your dad, “Hey, this song writing thing’s not so hard. Debut single. Top five already.” I know he co-wrote the song with you, but is it ever a little in your face or are you all congratulating each other?”
Tucker Beathard: “Nah, we like to mess around sometimes and rip each other. When it comes down to it, it’s a pretty, we both recognize a special thing to have my first debut single and be able to share this experience with one that you wrote with your dad, which is pretty cool.”
Jim Casey: “When did you guys start writing together? Do you remember? I know you’re only twenty-one, but as a younger kid, just sitting in a room with your dad and trying to pen songs?”
Tucker Beathard: “Yeah, it was kind of always, there was fifteen, when I was fifteen, when I was really started digging in to songwriting. It was kind of just really informal way of writing. I’d just be up in my room working on something and he’d be like, “What is that?” That’s something I was working on. Then he would gradually chip away at it just from being around, living together. Nowadays, you’ve got to actually book a certain time to, “Hey, Dad, when can I fit you in my schedule?” Like that, which is a little different. That’s how it works now. Either way, it’s fun to write.”
Jim Casey: “Yeah. Your new EP, Fight Like Hell, drops October 7. You wrote all six songs on it. Everyone’s probably heard Rock On. I’ve got a chance to listen to the EP. Another song that jumped out at me was Momma and Jesus.”
Tucker Beathard: “Oh, yeah.”
Jim Casey: “Yeah. It just sounds like a great collection of work from you.”
Tucker Beathard: “Thank you.”
Jim Casey: “Just really early on, what do you want your fans to take away from the EP?”
Tucker Beathard: “Maybe, overall kind of to just have a better understanding of who I am as an artist. It’s kind of tough to be represented by one song no matter who you are. Being able to hear different, getting more of a better picture of who I am as an artist, should show through pretty clear after they hear these songs.”
Jim Casey: “The new EP comes out October 7. I imagine that you’re either thinking about going into the studio and working on your debut album. You’ve probably been in a little bit. You’ve got some more coming up. You working on that?”
Tucker Beathard: “Yeah, trying to find the time. Yeah. We’re going to, instead I’ve been writing for so long, we’ve got a lot of songs narrowed down and figure out which ones we want to weed through and which ones make it and which ones don’t. It’s just a work in progress. Hopefully be done as soon as possible.”
Jim Casey: “You co-wrote every song on the EP. How important was it for you to write those songs and have every one of them be a cut of yours?”
Tucker Beathard: “Really, it kind of just, the whole reason I got into songwriting was just because it was my therapy and it felt good to me. Singing a song that you didn’t write. I don’t know what emotion this person felt when he wrote it. How am I supposed to do that too? It doesn’t feel write to me. Songwriting is not just a job for me. It’s my identity and my only way to speak. It’d just feel like acting any other way.”
Jim Casey: “When you’re up on stage, I’ve heard people tell me that when they sing one of their songs, some people see it play out like a short movie in their head. When you’re singing one of your songs, what does your mind do?”
Tucker Beathard: “It kind of just let that emotion that you had when you wrote it. You know when you’re playing a certain song where it came from within. It kind of just triggers that emotion again. Can’t help it but express that when you play it.”
Jim Casey: “You wrapped the Somewhere on a Beach tour with Dierks Bentley recently. You’re kicking off your own headlining tour, Rock On College Tour on October 13, hitting a lot of venues in the heartland, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana. What’d you learn from Dierks on his tour that you’re going to bring with you on yours?”
Tucker Beathard: “Just kind of being around that professionalism and how he treats his crew and everything and just when you surround yourself with great people you naturally, that rubs off on you. Not only him but Randy Houser was out there and Cam was out there. We just got to soak up and just see how everything at that level was.”
Jim Casey: “That’s an eclectic group of country stars because you’ve got Dierks who’s from Arizona, Cam from California, Randy from Mississippi. You’re a Tennessee boy. You’ve got all those different sounds coming together on one tour.”
Tucker Beathard: “Yeah, it was a fun, lot of fun. They’re great, great guys. Cam’s the nicest and coolest girl you’ll meet. Randy and Dierks are the nicest guys you’ll meet. I’m not just saying that. That’s the truth. It’s awesome.”
Jim Casey: “Dierks is a bit of a prankster. Did he welcome you to the tour in any hilarious way?”
Tucker Beathard: “He didn’t. I actually talked to him after we did our last show that tour. I was waiting for him to pull something on me when I was playing. I was scared. He didn’t. He was saying, “Dude, shush, I don’t want to mess with what you’re doing.” Randy Houser’s drummer pulled one on our drummer for sure. He cut up his drums and put a bunch of flowers, pots and big huge plants surrounded by him in the middle of our last song. He’s like playing in the rainforest. It was pretty funny.”
Jim Casey: “Yeah, that’s good stuff. I know you’re going out with Aubrie Sellers on your tour. She was in here a couple of weeks ago. She’s really excited about it. She also mentioned that she was a bit of an introvert. We’ve got these two up and coming stars, both have famous parents, both introverted. You’re both out there on stage trying to make a name for yourself. It should be a really entertaining tour for us.”
Tucker Beathard: “It’ll be awesome. Couldn’t think of or couldn’t want anybody else to be out on tour with. We’ll have a good time. I’m a huge fan of Aubrie’s. I think we’re a lot alike in a lot of ways. It’ll be fun to spend time with their people and everything.”
Jim Casey: “Then in December you’re headed over to Europe to do a string of dates over there. You’ve been over once before, right?”
Tucker Beathard: “Mm-hmm (affirmative).”
Jim Casey: “I’ve been told that those crowds are really receptive, especially to singer songwriters. What was your first take on your tour over there?”
Tucker Beathard: “It was like the coolest experience. It was just really wild. Right when I got back, I was like, “Wait, I got to go back over there soon, as soon as possible.” Luckily I get to. We worked out to where I get to go back so much early, or this soon since last time. I’m just looking forward to that. It’s always a cool experience.”
Jim Casey: “You’ve got a busy fall and winter coming up. Get some rest. We know your EP drops on October 7th. Make sure you pick up a copy of that. Check out tuckerbeathard.com for his tour dates. Tucker, thakns for stopping by.”
Tucker Beathard: “Yeah, thank you. Thanks for having me.”
It was a dream come true for Eric Paslay when he was personally invited by Garth Brooks to open up his World Tour with Trisha Yearwood in Charleston, W. Va., this past weekend (Oct. 23), followed by a performance of his new single, “Angels in This Town,” on the Today Show’s Citi concert series Wednesday morning (Oct. 26).
“This past weekend was one for the books,” said Eric in a statement. “I got to hang with and open for a musical hero of mine. I can’t thank Garth Brooks enough for the incredible experience. No one does it better than him and it was a real honor.”
Following his epic Garth moment, Eric—who is currently headlining his own Angels in This Town Tour with special guests Adam Sanders and Courtney Cole—headed over to New York for his Today Show appearance.
“I believe—with my faith and stories I’ve heard—I believe in miracles happening but it’s also great to go out and thank everyday angels for doing miracles in each others lives,” Eric told hosts Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee about the song.
Watch the clip of Eric performing “Angels in This Town” on the Today Show.
A photo posted by Carrie Underwood (@carrieunderwood) on Oct 25, 2016 at 8:35pm PDT
In an Instagram video—posted shortly after the end of the show—Carrie said, “You guys were beyond anything I could’ve imagined tonight would be. So amazing. Thank you.”
Following the CMA Awards show, Carrie will be finishing up her Storyteller Tour in November and is then headed down under to tour with Keith Urban in Australia and New Zealand. Check out the show dates listed below.
Remaining Storyteller Tour Shows
Oct. 28
Uncasville, CT
Mohegan Sun Arena
Nov. 6
Hamilton, ON
FirstOntario Centre
Nov. 9
Rockford, IL
BMO Harris Bank Center
Nov. 11
Evansville, IN
Ford Center
Nov. 13
Memphis, TN
FedExForum
Nov. 14
Birmingham, AL
Legacy Arena at The BJCC
Nov. 16
Tampa, FL
Amalie Arena
Nov. 17
Sunrise, FL
BB&T Center
Nov. 22
Wichita, KS
INTRUST Bank Arena
Nov. 23
Oklahoma City, OK
Chesapeake Energy Arena
Nov. 26
Las Vegas, NV
T-Mobile Arena
Nov. 28
West Valley City, UT
Maverik Center
Keith Urban’s Ripcord World Tour dates in New Zealand and Australia featuring Carrie Underwood
“This past weekend was one for the books,” said 
