Month: July 2023

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Go Country 105

Here's what it's like to be front row at a Dierks show

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Ever wondered what it’s like to watch Dierks Bentley‘s concerts from the front row? Well, you’re in luck.

While Dierks isn’t giving out free front-row tickets, he did post an Instagram Reel of the view you’ll get from those prized seats.

The video features clips of Dierks performing onstage both by himself and with his opening acts, which include Jordan Davis, Parker McCollum, Ashley McBryde, HARDY, Riley Green and more.

Dierks is currently on his Gravel & Gold Tour, with upcoming stops in Holmdel, New Jersey; Bethel, New York; and Bristow, Virginia on July 27, July 28 and July 29, respectively. 

Grab tickets now at dierks.com.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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Go Country 105

Katy, Luke and Lionel – and Ryan Seacrest – are all back for new 'American Idol' season

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The judges’ table remains unchanged for the upcoming 22nd season of American Idol, which will mark its seventh year on ABC.

Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan are all back for the new season, which will start in the spring of 2024. Returning as host is Ryan Seacrest, despite the fact that he’s also taking over as host of Wheel of Fortune that year.

Auditions will start August 2 with Idol Across America, where aspiring contestants can sing for an American Idol producer no matter where they live in the world. Contestants will also be given the chance to audition under their genre for the first time. The August 2 audition includes “First 700,” where the first 700 hopefuls can sign up to grab a VIP spot before anyone else.

You can get the full details on how to sign up and how to register to virtually audition in front of an American Idol producer at americanidol.com/auditions. You must be at least 15 years old.

Here’s the Idol Across America schedule: 

First 700 VIP Event (Aug 2)

Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina (Aug 4)

Florida, Michigan, Virginia, West Virginia (Aug 7)

Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas (Aug 9)

Open Call: Singer-Songwriters (Aug 11)

Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Washington (Aug 14)

Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi ( Aug 16)

Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Maine, New Hampshire (Aug 18)

Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming (Aug 21)

Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania (Aug 23)

Open Call: Country & Rock (Aug 25)

Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin (Aug 28)

The South: Open Call Pt. 1 (Aug 30)

Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, Washington D.C. , Rhode Island, Vermont, Massachusetts (Sep 6)

Open Call: Pop, R&B & Soul (Sep 8)

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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Go Country 105

Miranda Lambert wraps up fourth leg of Vegas residency: “We raised a little hell”

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Miranda Lambert has concluded the fourth round of shows of her Velvet Rodeo Las Vegas residency. 

“That's a wrap on Velvet Rodeo Round 4 and we raised a little hell,” Miranda captions her latest Instagram carousel, potentially alluding to the uproar that arose when she called fans out for taking selfies during her performance. 

The Instagram post features photos of Miranda donning different outfits at her residency, with most showcasing the Texas native in classic Western attire.

The next leg of Miranda’s Las Vegas residency kicks off November 30 and wraps up on December 16. Tickets are available now at ticketmaster.com.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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Go Country 105

Maren Morris teases snippet of new song

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Could new music be on the horizon for Maren Morris?

The singer recently posted an Instagram video of her listening to what sounds like a mix of a new, unreleased song. 

“Do you hear that? [tree + fire emojis],” Maren captions the clip. In the video, Maren is captured swaying along to the song as she listens to it playing in the background. “Oh, do you hear that?” goes a line in the soaring track. 

Maren’s latest studio album is 2022’s Humble Quest, which spawned the singles “Circles Around This Town” and “I Can’t Love You Anymore.”

Earlier in June, Maren was featured on pop singer Jessie Murph‘s new duet, “Texas.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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Go Country 105

There's no slowing down Luke Combs' “Fast Car”

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Luke Combs‘ cover of Tracy Chapman‘s “Fast Car” is continuing to break records.

The song is now a four-week #1 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart, making it “the longest Country Airplay domination among remakes of pop hits,” according to Billboard.

Prior to this, Brooks & Dunn and Alan Jackson tied with a three-week #1 for their covers of B.W. Stevenson‘s “My Maria” and Eddie Cochran‘s “Summertime Blues,” respectively.

Additionally, “Fast Car,” which appears on Luke’s latest album, Gettin’ Old, continues its reign on the Mediabase Country chart for a second consecutive week.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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News Daypop

Ohio K-9 officer put on leave after police dog attacks man surrendering

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An Ohio K-9 officer has been put on administrative leave following an incident this month in which the dog attacked a truck driver who was surrendering to state troopers with his hands up following a highway chase. Circleville Mayor Donald McIlroy said that K-9 Officer Ryan Speakman was placed on leave as the city’s five-member Use of Force Review Board investigates the circumstances of the incident that occurred on July 4 near Columbus.

McIlroy said he had viewed parts of the body-camera footage released by the Ohio State Highway Police that captured the police dog mauling 23-year-old Jadarrius Rose of Memphis, Tennessee.  He said: “We have a use of force review board that is looking at it. Once that is completed and I get it, then I will be making some decisions on when we release that report to the media.” McIlroy said the dog involved in the arrest has been put in a kennel while the investigation unfolds. The city’s Use of Force Review Board, comprised of community members, is expected to complete its report by the end of this week or next Monday. McIlroy said:  “This is the first time anything like this has happened. So, it’s new to us and this is why we have this review board. And once that review board is finished, we’ll make some determinations where we’ll go forward.”

According to the incident report, troopers from the state Highway Police Department’s Motor Carrier Enforcement Inspector unit attempted to pull Rose over for what they described as an alleged traffic defect violation. Rose allegedly refused to pull over and led troopers on a chase through three counties before police put stop sticks in the roadway ahead of the chase and blew out Rose’s tires, forcing him to stop and surrender to troopers. Body-camera video released by the state Highway Police shows the Circleville police dog arriving at the scene, and shows Rose complying with orders to get on his knees with both hands in the air. A police trooper can be heard in the video repeatedly yelling, “Do not release the dog with his hands up,” but the dog was apparently let loose and attacked Rose.

Rose was treated at a hospital following the K-9 attack and released into the custody of the state Highway Police. He was booked at the Ross County Jail on charges of failure to comply, a fourth-degree felony

Editorial credit: wellphoto / Shutterstock.com

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News Daypop

Alabama woman apologizes after admitting she was not kidnapped

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Police in Hoover, Alabama announced that days after a woman was found safe after she was allegedly kidnapped after stopping to help a toddler walking along the highway, the woman has now admitted she was not abducted. During a press conference Monday afternoon, Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis read a statement from Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell’s attorney, Emory Anthony, who said that the 25-year-old woman was not abducted the night of July 13 as she and her family had previously reported, and that she had not seen a child walking along I-459 the night she disappeared.

The statement read by Russell’s attorney read: “My client has given me permission to make the following statement on her behalf. There was no kidnapping on Thursday, July 13, 2023. My client did not see a baby on the side of the road. My client did not leave Hoover area when she was identified as a missing person. My client did not have help in this incident, that this was a single act done by herself. My client was not with anyone or any hotel with anyone from the time she was missing. My client apologizes for her actions to this community, the volunteers who were searching for her, to the Hoover Police Department and other agencies as well as to her friends and family. We ask for your prayers for Carlee as she addresses her issues and attempts to move forward, understanding that she made a mistake in this matter. Carlee, again, asks for your forgiveness and prayers.”

Russell ‘disappeared’ after calling 911 on the night of July 13 after telling a dispatcher that she stopped along I-459 on her way home from work after seeing the toddler walking by himself in a diaper along the highway. However when officials arrived on the scene, they found Russell’s car still running with her belongings inside, but she was nowhere to be found. After a statewide search that lasted over 48 hours, Russell was found on July 15 after reportedly walking home. Police said they were “unable to verify” her claims about a missing toddler and other key details from the 911 call.

Chief Derzis told reporters at Monday’s press conference that, “We knew it was a hoax. I’m glad we got this [referring to Russell’s statement]. We certainly laid the facts out to you guys. The sad thing is, there were so many people that were involved and took this thing very very seriously, we wanted the focus to be bringing her home, we’re excited about that.” Derzis said police would be meeting with Anthony and that charges against Russell would be announced when and if they were filed. No motive for Russell’s false abduction report were revealed.

Editorial credit: Tudoran Andreis / Shutterstock.com

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Go Country 105

Chris Janson talks “All I Need Is You,” '80s country songs + Florida's 30A

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If you’ve found yourself grooving along to Chris Janson‘s “All I Need Is You” midway through the song, you’re not alone.

The song starts off unassumingly like a typical romantic ballad before the tempo kicks up a notch to give it a good groove. This melodic buildup and rhythm, as Chris shares, is every bit intentional and reminiscent of some ’80s country hits.

“It’s a sweet spot, man. There’s a sweet spot in that. You got to find that tempo. It’s almost like a ‘Feels So Right’ kind of melody, you know? Or a ‘Smoky Mountain Rain’ kind of melody. It’s that vein,” Chris tells ABC Audio while referencing Alabama and Ronnie Milsap‘s respective songs.

The lyrics to Chris’ “All I Need Is You” even reflects his love for his beach house down in Florida’s 30A.

“I wanna take a trip in a Chevrolet/ To a beach house down on 30A/ Have the Gulf Of Mexico sittin’ right in my backyard/ But as long as you’re right here in my arms,” goes the autobiographical second verse.

“Even beyond the subject matter – which is, of course, Kelly and our love story – but there’s little inflections in there, too. You know, they’re just so unabashedly real,” Chris says of his personal track. “From the beach house down on 30A, which is where I was writing the song on the back porch. That’s where that came from. And looking at the Gulf of Mexico from your backyard. So it was a real true-to-life moment.”

“All I Need Is You” is the lead single off Chris’ latest album, The Outlaw Side of Me, out now

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Categories
Country Daypop

Brett Young shares his new song “Let Go Too Soon”

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Brett Young has shared the new track “Let Go Too Soon,” from his upcoming album, Across The Sheets.  Young posted a clip of the song’s accompanying lyric video on Instagram, calling it “one of my favorites on the new record.”

According to a press release, Let Go Too Soon — written by Young, Chris LaCorte, and Jon Nite — “explores potential regret, asking all of the lingering questions following a breakup.” Prior to sharing “Let Go Too Soon,” Young released two tracks: “Dance With You,” which is currently impacting country radio, and “Back to Jesus.”

Across the Sheets is expected to arrive on August 4. Meanwhile, Young has been out on the road with fellow country singer Sam Hunt, and he will embark on a headlining tour dubbed the Dance With You Tour later this year. Check out Young’s remaining tour date for 2023 – here.

The lyric video for his new single features clips of Young walking along a boardwalk while “Let Go Too Soon” plays in the background. Check out the lyric video for “Let Go Too Soon” – here.

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

Categories
Country Daypop

Toby Keith to receive Icon Award at People’s Choice Country Awards

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Blake Shelton will present country legend Toby Keith with the ‘Country Icon Award’ at the upcoming People’s Choice Country Awards. According to a press release, which calls Keith a “pioneer in country music and one of the most influential artists of all time,” the award will salute Keith’s “decades-long career as a groundbreaking musician, humanitarian and entrepreneur.”

Cassandra Tryon, Senior Vice President, Entertainment Live Events, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, said in a statement: “We’re overjoyed to honor legendary artist Toby Keith with the first-ever Country Icon Award. As a talented songwriter and powerhouse performer, Keith has touched the hearts of fans across the globe. His illustrious career and passion for philanthropy has cemented his place as an icon in country music history.”

The inaugural two-hour People’s Choice Country Awards, an expansion of the People’s Choice Awards, will be hosted by Little Big Town. The ceremony will air live from Nashville’s iconic Grand Ole Opry on September 28 at 8PM ET on NBC, and will also stream on-demand via Peacock.

Toby Keith to Receive First-Ever Country Icon Award at People’s Choice Country Awards

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