Month: June 2022

Lizzo and Live Nation pledge $1M to Planned Parenthood after Roe vs. Wade is overturned

Post author By Staff
Post date June 27, 2022
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Lizzo has announced she and her concert tour producer Live Nation are donating $1 million to Planned Parenthood after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade. The reversal of the landmark 1973 abortion decision Friday pushes the question of legality back to individual states.

Lizzo tweeted: “I’m pledging $500k from my upcoming tour to Planned Parenthood and Abortion Rights. Live Nation agreed to match- to make it 1 MILLION dollars.”

Live Nation confirmed the news in a separate tweet titled “We Stand With Women.” The post also said the company will cover travel expenses for employees who want/need to have abortions outside of their home states; will bail out employees arrested while protesting peacefully; and will promote voter registration to increase turnout for elections that could impact issues pertaining to abortion.

Editorial credit: Ben Houdijk / Shutterstock.com

Go Country 105

Nashville notes: Jelly Roll & Brantley Gilbert drop new video, and more

Post author By abookbinder
Post date June 24, 2022
No Comments on Nashville notes: Jelly Roll & Brantley Gilbert drop new video, and more

Jelly Roll and Brantley Gilbert have released the video for their collaboration “Son of the Dirty South.” It’s also the name of their joint tour, which launches June 30.

Randy Houser has shared a new song, “Workin’ Man,” off his upcoming album, Note to Self, which will be released November 11.

Kylie Morgan has unveiled the track list for her EP, P.S., coming out July 1. It features seven songs, including “Country Anyway,” a collaboration with Walker Hayes.

Former Gloriana member Mike Gossin has released his new single, “Marry You.” It will be featured on his upcoming solo project.

Go Country 105

Kip Moore lights up new single “Fire on Wheels,” accompanying tour

Post author By abookbinder
Post date June 24, 2022
No Comments on Kip Moore lights up new single “Fire on Wheels,” accompanying tour

Kip Moore‘s got “Fire on Wheels” with his new single.

The singer is crossing the country with the fiery, rock-leaning melody and lyrics to match. He name-checks “Detroit diesel,” the “Windy City pretty” women in Chicago, Midwest fields and venturing up to California, all with some “fire on wheels” along the way.

“‘Cause everybody knows when the sun goes down/There’s some bad mamajamas gonna lay it down on your town/With some rock ‘n’ roll and country western/The boys buy the drinks/When the girls get to dancin’ to the band/To the band,” he sings in the riotous lyrics, co-written with Jaren Johnston of The Cadillac Three.

“Thank you guys for giving us the freedom to never chase a sound/trend and let us create whatever the spirit moves us towards,” Kip said to his loyal fanbase on Instagram.

Fans will get to hear “Fire” live when Kip embarks on the Fire on Wheels Tour with 21 dates across the U.S. and Canada, beginning September 8 in Salt Lake City and concluding November 12 in Cleveland, Ohio. Tickets go on sale July 1 at 10 a.m. local time.

Go Country 105

Jimmie Allen on why he waited to release “Down Home”: “It's so personal”

Post author By abookbinder
Post date June 24, 2022
No Comments on Jimmie Allen on why he waited to release “Down Home”: “It's so personal”

Jimmie Allen‘s current single, “Down Home,” could’ve hit country radio a lot sooner, but there’s a specific reason Jimmie wanted to wait on its release.

“Down Home” serves as a message to his late father, James Allen, who passed away in 2019 at the age of 65. The song was originally supposed to be released before Jimmie’s 2021 hit, “Freedom Was a Highway,” but the singer insisted that they hold off until he had time to process his father’s death.

“Jimmie said, I can't right now…it's so personal. The wound is still open, and I need some time to heal,'” Jon Loba, president of Jimmie’s record label BBR Music Group, recalls to Billboard.

Jimmie touches on another personal story involving his father on his new album, Tulip Drive, with the track “Habits & Hearts,” which discusses his father’s struggles with addiction.

“Just hearing the song and remembering him wanting to get better and then falling short a few times, I felt like I was in a time and place to sing it now and be honest with it,” the singer describes. “Because even though my dad had his issues, he always reminded me that I shouldn't do it. He said, I'm telling you, this can cripple you.'”

“Down Home” is currently making its way into the top 40 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. It’s also featured on Tulip Drive, which is named after the street Jimmie’s grandmother grew up on in his native state of Delaware.

Go Country 105

Luke Bryan sings with a baby on his hip in Las Vegas

Post author By abookbinder
Post date June 24, 2022
No Comments on Luke Bryan sings with a baby on his hip in Las Vegas

Luke Bryan had a very special guest join him on stage in Las Vegas.

Luke was in the middle of his headlining performance at Resorts World when he somehow managed to pick up a baby from the audience and walk around the stage singing “All My Friends Say” with the baby boy perched on his hip, not missing a beat.

“It’s been a hell of a party. At some point, I got a baby,” he announced, inciting laughter from the crowd. “Where is the mother of this child?”

When the mother came on stage to retrieve her son, the country superstar said, “I’m sorry I stole your baby” and couldn’t help but talk baby talk to the tot before taking a picture with him in his mother’s arms.

“This is going to make a hell of a scrapbook one day,” he quipped to the baby.

“You know it’s a party when you end up holding someone’s baby,” the singer captions the sweet moment alongside #LukeInVegas. “Never a dull moment!” commented Resorts World.

Luke continues his Las Vegas residency with two shows this weekend and will then resume the show at the end of August.

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Go Country 105

Luke Combs feels a sense of responsibility to “expand the influence” of country music

Post author By abookbinder
Post date June 24, 2022
No Comments on Luke Combs feels a sense of responsibility to “expand the influence” of country music

Luke Combs is feeling the weight of responsibility he has in country music.

As one of the genre’s biggest artists, with 14 #1 singles to his name, Luke says he wants to help diversify country music.

In 2021, the singer publicly apologized for his appearance in Ryan Upchurch‘s 2015 video for “Can I Get an Outlaw” that featured Confederate flag imagery, including a sticker of the flag on Luke’s guitar.

After the video resurfaced online and Luke received criticism for his participation, he issued a statement in which he apologized; he said that, at the time, there was “no excuse for those images,” and he realized how “painful” the Confederate flag is to Black Americans.

“If I showed up somewhere and there was something there that made me feel like I wasn’t welcome there, that would be awful to me,” Luke tells CBS News in a new interview. “Unfortunately, I have been pulled into the undertow of this conversation at times because I am at the forefront of our genre, so I do feel some responsibility. I feel a responsibility to the genre and always a goal for me has been to expand the influence of the genre.”

Luke’s highly anticipated new album, Growin’ Up, is available now. His current single, “The Kind of Love We Make,” is in the top 20 on the country charts.

Go Country 105

Tyler Hubbard aims to be present in new song, “35's”

Post author By abookbinder
Post date June 24, 2022
No Comments on Tyler Hubbard aims to be present in new song, “35's”

Tyler Hubbard is letting go of life’s worries in his new song, “35’s.”

The lyrics find the hit singer admitting that he’s a guy who’s “always grinding” and “guilty of going too fast,” with an unwavering desire to win. But he wants to let go of his fast-paced way of life for a moment and slow down, taking to his truck and the open road to unwind.

“Sometimes I gotta slow down/Catch a roll down some red-rock road/Let it all sink in like these 35's/Make some time to kill/Kick it back and chill/Do a little more livin' than gettin' by,” he sings in the guitar-heavy chorus.

“It’s a song that makes me wanna put the pedal to the metal, but it's really about slowing down and living life at a slower pace, being present, and in the moment,” Tyler describes of the track he co-wrote a couple years ago with Jordan Schmidt and Michael Tyler. “It's become an anthem in my home that I never get tired of. This one's gonna be fun to play live. Turn this one up.”

“35’s” will be featured on Tyler’s upcoming solo studio album. His debut single, “5 Foot 9,” is climbing up the top 30 on country radio.

News Daypop

FDA orders Juul e-cigarettes and vaping products to be taken off the market

Post author By Staff
Post date June 24, 2022
No Comments on FDA orders Juul e-cigarettes and vaping products to be taken off the market

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday it is taking Juul Labs e-cigarettes and other vaping products off the market. The decision comes after the FDA completed a nearly two-year review of the manufacturer’s application to sell its vaping device and tobacco- and menthol-flavored pods, and ultimately decided to block Juul’s application.

FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf said in a statement: “Today’s action is further progress on the FDA’s commitment to ensuring that all e-cigarette and electronic nicotine delivery system products currently being marketed to consumers meet our public health standards. The agency has dedicated significant resources to review products from the companies that account for most of the U.S. market. We recognize these make up a significant part of the available products and many have played a disproportionate role in the rise in youth vaping.”

Juul became the most popular brand of e-cigarettes after hitting the market in the mid-2010s, due in large part to its wide variety of flavors, including creme, mango and mint. Politicians and anti-tobacco advocates have accused the company of using these flavors to market vaping to U.S. children and teenagers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nicotine exposure from e-cigarettes can hinder brain development in adolescents and young adults, which can continue into the mid-20s. The CDC also says e-cigarettes can contain heavy metals and cancer-causing chemicals that can damage the lungs.

Editorial credit: Steve Heap / Shutterstock.com

News Daypop

U.S. Supreme Court rules that Americans are legally allowed to carry guns in public

Post author By Staff
Post date June 24, 2022
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On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued ruled that Americans have the right to carry arms outside of the home and in public, a major victory for advocates of the Second Amendment. The high court voted 6-3 in striking down a New York law that said gun owners must demonstrate a need to carry firearms outside the home to obtain a legal permit. All six conservative justices voted against the New York law, and the three progressive justices voted to uphold the gun-safety statute.

Associate Justice Clarence Thomas said the New York law goes too far in restricting legal possession of firearms and said it violates the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution: “Because the state of New York issues public-carry licenses only when an applicant demonstrates a special need for self-defense, we conclude that the state’s licensing regime violates the Constitution.”

Justice Stephen Breyer, who is retiring at the end of the current term, wrote a dissenting opinion and was joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Breyer wrote: “In 2020, 45,222 Americans were killed by firearms. Since the start of this year, there have been 277 reported mass shootings — an average of more than one per day.” The high court’s three progressive justices also said: “Many states have tried to address some of the dangers of gun violence … by passing laws that limit, in various ways, who may purchase, carry, or use firearms of different kinds. The court today severely burdens states’ efforts to do so.”

President Joe Biden was “deeply disappointed” by the ruling, saying: “In the wake of the horrific attacks in Buffalo, [N.Y.], and Uvalde, [Texas], as well as the daily acts of gun violence that do not make national headlines, we must do more as a society — not less — to protect our fellow Americans. I urge states to continue to enact and enforce commonsense laws to make their citizens and communities safer from gun violence. As the late Justice [Antonin] Scalia recognized, the Second Amendment is not absolute. For centuries, states have regulated who may purchase or possess weapons, the types of weapons they may use, and the places they may carry those weapons. And the courts have upheld these regulations.”

Editorial credit: ungvar / Shutterstock.com

Go Country 105

A lighter-than-usual tour schedule led Old Dominion to “really fun” idea to play surprise pop-up shows

Post author By abookbinder
Post date June 24, 2022
No Comments on A lighter-than-usual tour schedule led Old Dominion to “really fun” idea to play surprise pop-up shows

If you've been following Old Dominion on social media, you might have noticed that the band is trying something different this year. While on the road as openers for Kenny Chesney's Here and Now Tour, they've been making some surprise stops at small venues.

Those pop-up shows were the result of a brainstorming session on how to make the summer even more fun, the group's Matthew Ramsey explains.

“It's actually kind of a lighter year for us, to be on the Kenny tour, because we just play on weekends,” Matthew says. “We're used to playing a lot more. And we were just trying to figure out how to get the most out of it. So we thought, you know, maybe we should try and do some surprise shows here and there.”

That idea has led them to small stages in Nashville, Tampa, Atlanta and more. “And so far, it's been really fun,” the singer adds.

It's been fun for the fans, too, although the bandmates can't resist making a crack at the running joke they have about being mistaken for duo Brothers Osborne on social media.

“They are a little let down when they get in there and realize that the Brothers Osborne aren't playing,” band member Brad Tursi says dryly, leading the whole band to break into laughter.

But in all seriousness, it's extra fun because the fans camp out before free pop-up shows, Matthew says. “They wait outside these clubs all day long. I mean, they show up at 10, 11 in the morning.”

Old Dominion aren't slowing the pop-up shows down anytime soon. They've got one planned for Chicago this Friday night, before Kenny's Here and Now tour stop in the city Saturday.