I found comfort in a song with a crowd and not on a sabbatical in the woods as I'd expected. Like I said, beauty is everywhere.

See the link for more info:

http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/genre/e3i6fbed77b64a1da5b65a0cf43b9e33107

Alison Krauss, Robert Plant and T-Burnett (above) perform their encore at a concert at Starlight Theater in Kansas City on Tuesday, September 23.  They played "Don't Knock," "When the Levee Breaks," "Killing the Blues" and "One Woman Man." There are two more videos at the bottom.

In 1984, when Alison Krauss was thirteen, she won the fiddle championship at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas, near where I grew up, and I've watched her from afar ever since.

Krauss is an extraordinary bluegrass violinist and singer.  She's exquisite as her bow flies over her violin.  Her voice is high, rich and pure,  like crystal ringing.  She's won 20 Grammy awards, more than any other female artist and is tied for seventh most won by any artist.

When she joined with Robert Plant on stage, it was incredible.  I'd already listened to my recording of their album "Raising Sand" scores of times.  They seem so in "tune" with each other in so many ways, maybe even smitten.  Plant kept giving her kisses.  The September 23rd concert was the first night of the second leg of their tour.  Plant said they'd been apart on stage for forty days.  He sounded like a lover being reunited with his beloved.

For those who might not be familiar with Krauss' work, she performed on the soundtracks of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and "Cold Mountain."  She isn't splashed across the pages of magazines or chased by paparazzi the way a lot of no-talent celebrities are.  She simply performs like an angel, and we are raised to heaven by her musical gifts. 

To learn more about her go to about Alison Krauss.  Her official website is Alison Krauss.  She's now touring with Robert Plant.  Go to his website at Robert Plant.  Krauss and Plant recently performed at a music festival in Austin, Texas.  You can read about it here: Hitting the Radar: A Festival Soars in Texas. For my post on Robert Plant and Led Zeppelin click here.  Robert Plant is my favorite musician.......

Below is a documentary about Krauss and Plant coming together to make "Raising Sand." Below that is a video of Krauss and Plant performing Led Zeppelin's "The Battle of Evermore" at Starlight Theater on September 23, 2008.

pictures and videos to come soon....

-Yeasayer

-Vampire Weekend

-Jamie Lidell

-Gogol Bordello

-Hot Chip

-N.E.R.D.

-The Swell Season

-The Mars Volta

-Old 97's

-The Fratellis

-Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings

-CSS

-Erykah Badu

-MGMT

-John Fogerty

-The Black Keys

-Iron and Wine

-Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

-Beck

-Xavier Rudd

-Silversun Pickups

-Blues Traveler

-Gnarls Barkley

-Foo Fighters

And VWAL-LA! Governor Brad Henry was at the concert. Since I could not find him to take a picture of us rocking out, Marie gladly stood in for the pic. As you can see "Marie" aka Brad Henry, is confused since he hasn't seen someone rock out this hard since the '70s. And I say the '70s because that was clearly the last time some of these people had seen Robert Plant and found it completely necessary to let Rob know this by yelling "Hey, WE'RE from the '70s!" Rob and I will never share that connection because I wasn't even a thought in the '70s. Too bad. We could have had a moment.

Game day is always fun, especially when my parents join. I love my parents and most of my friends do, also. If you think I am wild, you haven't heard the stories my parents have, I am just trying to keep up. After making it through game day alive, it was the day I have been waiting on for a year. The fair! How they manage to fry everything and put it on a stick is beyond me, but they do it and it is amazing.

This is a real cliche on a stick. It should be called a fried hot dog but that is the only food they got clever with and named it something odd. This, my friends, is a CORN dog. That is not consistent with other fried foods on sticks at all. Who thought of that? Or should we blame the people who named "fried cheese cake on a stick" for not being more creative? Well I feel like I will never know what came first, the chicken or the egg, but I enjoyed that fried hot dog and it had a little surprise of cheese at the bottom. The fair gods are geniuses. If this PR thing doesn't work out, I will move on to a business of just putting things on sticks and frying them; flowers, candles, speakers, phones, I really don't think there should be a limit.

This time it's straight from the horse's mouth.

On Robert Plants' website, robertplant.com, he posted an "Official Statement:"

"Contrary to a spate of recent reports, Robert Plant will not be touring or recording with Led Zeppelin. Anyone buying tickets online to any such event will be buying bogus tickets."

"It's both frustrating and ridiculous for this story to continue to rear its head when all the musicians that surround the story are keen to get on with their individual projects and move forward. I wish Jimmy Page, john Paul Jones and Jason Bonham nothing but success with any future projects."

Oh well, that's pretty official alright. Plant just put the last nail in the coffin. Plant also says that after this tour with Alison Krauss ends,he "has no intention whatsoever of touring with anyone for at least the next two years."

Led Zeppelin doesn't have two more years to wait. Congratulations, Alison Krauss. You get the latest Yoko Ono award.

So without Robert now, Led Zeppelin will be a project, not a reunion. You can only assume that the remaining band will carry on with a recording and tour with a new singer. Question is, who will be singing for the new Zeppelin project? I hope it's not Coverdale.

Ever hear the singer, Lenny Wolf, from 80s hard rockers Kingdom Come? If he joined that would infuriate Plant. But it would also infuriate the fans because it would be part tribute band. Page and Jones might as well get the singer of Dread Zeppelin at that point, Tortelvis, because without Robert Plant, it will be pretty much of a joke.

Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant has formally denied rumours that he is planning to tour with the legendary band next year. And he has warned fans not to purchase tickets online for any such event because they will be buying bogus tickets.

“It's both frustrating and ridiculous for this story to continue to rear its head when all the musicians that surround the story are keen to get on with their individual projects and move forward,” said Plant, who is currently touring the USA with bluegrass singer Alison Krauss on the last leg of their Raising Sand tour.

“I wish Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham nothing but success with any future projects,” he added.

Plant has been reluctant to consider other projects during his fruitful collaboration with Alison Krauss. In a statement today, he insisted he has no intention of going on the road with anyone for at least two years after finishing the Raising Sand tour on October 5, 2008.

Krauss and Plant have been on the road in North America and Europe since last April. Plant joined Krauss for a benefit concert in Oklahoma City on September 19 for victims of Hurricane Ike.

On September 9, Sh-Boom! Magazine reported Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page as saying that if there were to be a tour, it would have to wait until Plant had finished his Raising Sand tour with Krauss. “If you’re going to do a reunion,” said Page, “you need four members.”

Rumours of a Led Zeppelin reunion tour and album have been rife since December 2007, when the band reformed with Jason Bonham for a concert at London’s O2 Arena. The show was a one-off in honour of Atlantic Records’ late founder Ahmet Ertegun, who helped launch the group in 1968. As soon as the concert was announced, millions of fans around the world rushed to buy the 20,000 available tickets.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss (above) with T-Bone Burnett perform their version of Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" at Starlight Theater in Kansas City on Tuesday, September 23.  At the bottom is Led Zeppelin's version of "Black Dog" in 1973.

On August 20, 1970, in the last days before I headed off to college, some friends and I drove two hours to Oklahoma City to see Led Zeppelin at the State Fairgrounds Arena.  It was a long trip, but worth every mile.  (Although I didn't do the driving.)  "Whole Lotta Love" was a hit by this time, but like the Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin focused on the whole experience.  It wasn't about one song.  The band members resisted releasing their music as singles and avoided television appearances, preferring that their fans experience the music as a total performance, which we were thrilled to be doing. 

I fell in love with Led Zeppelin in January 1969 when the first album was released.  It affected me the way no other music did before nor has since.  I'm definitely a Led Head.

I didn't have enough money to buy the first album myself, so I split the cost with my sister.  I wisely decided to buy the second album (October 1969) on my own (with my meager earnings as a cashier at Mr. Steak) when I realized there might be a problem sharing the first album when I left for college.  I've bought every album since, then duplicated the same in compact discs and have purchased every other variation produced.  I've helped in my small way to make the Atlantic Recording Corporation very successful.

That Led Zeppelin's history coincided with my formative years may have had a wee bit to do with my adoration. That band was the soundtrack to my young life.

Despite my enthusiasm for Led Zeppelin, it was never about the band members themselves. I didn't pay attention to their antics or what they looked like.  When the band broke up in 1980 after the death of John Bonham, I followed Robert Plant's career.

At first, I was hoping Plant would continue the heavier sound of the band, but he was more whimsical, more lyrical, perhaps because he's a singer.  Anyway, I was hooked.  I recognized in Plant's work, despite the differences, the fusion of so many of the elements and musical styles that had made Led Zeppelin the biggest band in the world in the 1970s.  They played not just rock, but Celtic, Arabic, classical, reggae, blues, folk and country and a dozen other genres.

I've seen Robert Plant four times, including once with Jimmy Page and this latest concert with Alison Krauss.  Some critics were perplexed when Plant joined with Krauss, but I said: Hey, you don't know Robert the way I do!  It's totally Plant's style to combine his own multifaceted work with Krauss' country and bluegrass music.  At his concert with Krauss, he mused that he wasn't sure what their musical fusion was called, but he said it was definitely "smokin'," and he was right about that.  Plant is an amusing guy, too, and his witty comments are known as "plantations."

Led Zeppelin reunited for a concert last year in England with John Bonham's son Jason as the drummer and is planning a tour in 2009.  Robert Plant has made a statement that he won't be the singer, however.  That's crushing news.  If he changes his mind, I'M GONNA CRAWL for a WHOLE LOTTA LOVE even if I have to make a MISTY MOUNTAIN HOP on a STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN and even if it means GOING TO CALIFORNIA, because I'm just a LIVING LOVING MAID who would find it a HEARTBREAKER if I had a COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN and was a FOOL IN THE RAIN if I missed the show.  Remember fans, YOUR TIME IS GONNA COME because HOW MANY MORE TIMES can we be DAZED AND CONFUSED and find it TEN YEARS GONE, and we still haven't seen the concert.  THANK YOU for letting me RAMBLE ON.

You can read the history of Led Zeppelin by clicking here and on Led Zeppelin's official website.  Also for news of what Plant is up to, go to Robert Plant's official website.  Maybe he'll change his mind about not touring.

After 6 1/2 years of living in the St. Louis area, I finally made it to The Fox Theater. Talk about swanky, this place is amazing (click on the link for pictures). It seems like every time someone would talk about going to The Fox they'd look at me like I had a third eye or something because I'd never been. But I was just waiting for something great to come along, like Robert Plant, Zeppelin's front man! He's on a tour with Alison Krauss and they are actually really good together. It was a little funny that my husband asked if I wanted to sneak around back to try to meet Robert after the show. If I was a teenager I would have done it in a heartbeat, but I just looked at him and laughed a little. I did manage to take some really bad pictures, but a couple of them turned out decent enough to post so here ya go.

Now all I need is for Led Zeppelin to go on tour and actually get tickets to the show. I'll tell you now that you can't even begin to imagine the level of excitement I would have. It might just actually kill me!

Since the surviving members of Led Zeppelin reunited for a triumphant one-off show in support of the late Ahmet Ertegun's foundation at London's O2 Arena in December of last year, rumors have been rampant that the band would join together again for a world tour. Robert Plant has steadfastly denied the rumors while continuing his tour with Alison Krauss in support of their album, Raising Sand.

The UK newspaper The Sun reported yesterday that Plant has finally agreed to do the tour. According to The Sun, Plant changed his mind because Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones were auditioning other singers and were, apparently, ready to hit the road with or without Plant.

A source told The Sun:

"The rest of the band had all but given up on Robert joining them, but they were determined to go ahead so had started to seriously explore other avenues. When Robert realized the band were serious about doing it without him, it made him think long and hard.

"He realized he couldn’t face the thought of not being involved. The band were over the moon when he told them the news. They are now forging ahead with the tour plans and they can’t wait to get on the road."

The reunited Led Zeppelin, with the late John Bonham's son, Jason, on drums, will allegedly tour next summer. If the tour actually does come off, it is likely to be the hottest (and probably most expensive) ticket of the 2009 summer concert season.

Further information can be found in The Sun, NME.com, and XFM London.

May's rating scale:

Gillian Welch is a folk singer with more than just a tinge of country. Alison Krauss is known for her bluegrass roots. Their version of "I'll Fly Away" is on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. It sounds like Alison takes the lead and Gillian follows with tight harmony. I've listened to this song hundreds of times, and I never get tired of it. The tune is catchy; it has a great hook.

The instrumentation in this version is delightful and refreshing, especially during the interludes between verses and refrains. It's straight-up bluegrass: no drums, just strums. Nice steady tempo. I imagine the guitar, mandolin and banjo were having a blast accompanying these ladies.

What makes this song for me, as with all Americana, is its simplicity. It's almost impossible to separate the words from the music, and I love the words. There are probably many different versions of the song, and I put in brackets what isn't in the original (but most likely added for the movie), but even those words are powerful. (Thank you, Jenny for confirming the lyrics for me.)

 Listen to "I'll Fly Away"

Some glad morning when this life is o'er,
I'll fly away;
To a home on God's celestial shore,
I'll fly away.

Chorus
I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

When the shadows of this life have gone,
I'll fly away;
Like a bird from from these prison bars has flown,
I'll fly away.

Chorus
I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

[Oh, how glad and happy when we meet,
I'll fly away.
No more cold, iron shackles on my feet,
I'll fly away.]

Chorus
I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

Just a few more weary days and then,
I'll fly away;
To a land where joy shall never end,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away)

Chorus
I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

There's a lot of hope in this song. Though it doesn't outright say we can't find happiness amidst the tribulation in this life, how else would we know about that "home on God's celestial shore" if we didn't have glimpses of it right now?

Plus, no other song can get me to stomp my feet and bob my head while encouraging me to endure to the end.

My thirty-sixth recommendation is/are: Vince Gill's "Out of My Mind" and "What You Don't Say" from his 2006 These Days album, AND "Kindly Keep It Country" from his 1998 The Key album.  Yes, yes, it is Vince!  I really couldn't imagine not discussing him and his music, and it took me quite a while to get to him, but the time has finally come.  Vince Gill is truly one of my absolute favorites and he's one of the one most talented people in the music industry, ever.  He can sing, write, produce, and play at the highest quality there can be, and that makes him an all-around five-star musician.  I was a fan of his back in the '90s when I was a little boy, and I didn't realize how great he was until I bought the Souvenirs album (a greatest hits collection) some years ago and remembered all those songs I loved back then.  As of this moment, I own 71 of his songs (not including the songs I own that include his harmonies/background vocals) and I do plan to add more (he's probably worked with everybody that I've reviewed on this site already lol).  Choosing the three tracks for this recommendation was not an easy task , but I made up my mind.

From Vince's last studio album, These Days, out of all the great 43 songs included in the collection, the one track that stood out the most to me was "Out of My Mind".  Of course, that has to do with the fact that it is a traditional country slow shuffle and most of all, features the ever-amazing Patty Loveless on background vocals.  I can't describe how much I love Vince and Patty's collaborations - I think their voices are so perfect for one another, and this track is proof of that.  The two even performed it live on the Opry stage and it was just incredible and I was smiling the whole time.  It's just as good as good as the other gems they've sung together: "When I Call Your Name", "Pocket Full of Gold" (my #1 favorite of Vince's), "Go Rest High On That Mountain", "Given More Time", and from Patty's catalog: "Timber, I'm Falling In Love" and "Sleepless Nights" (the title track from her new album, which I seriously can't stop listening to).  They also have a new collaboration on The Imus Ranch Record with a cover of Porter Wagoner's "A Satisfied Mind" that came out last week.  And of course, their only true duet: "My Kind of Woman/My Kind of Man" is no exception.  Back to the recommendation: "Out of My Mind"- the traditional country production really draws you in... come to think of it, it's even something Patsy Cline might have sang.  Legendary Buddy Emmons plays the steel on the track as well.  The song is about the intense love that he feels for his "sweet neon angel", and man, just the harmonies... you'll feel that intense love for the song, after you hear it.  Definitely my number one favorite on that album.

On These Days, there are four different discs with different styles of music on it: Disc One is rocking country, Disc Two is pop/adult-contemporary country, Disc Three is traditional country, and Disc Four is bluegrass/acoustic music.  For selection #2, I chose "What You Don't Say" from the pop/adult contemporary country disc (I felt compelled to choose tracks from each disc but that would be four and would violate the three song rule lol, so I left that alone).  This track features LeAnn Rimes on background vocals, and was another standout song for me on first listen.  Like I mentioned, the production is pretty adult contemporary like the other songs on this particular disc and it really spotlights how diverse Vince's talents are.  The strings are a huge highlight and compliment Vince and Rimes's vocals really well.  But I gotta mention the immensely captivating instrumental solo of guitars starting at 2:26 beginning with the electric played by Vince and then the awesome awesome steel guitar solo following that, ending at 2:53.  That whole solo is the moment in the song I look forward to the most because it sounds so damn good and I just gotta turn it up and soak it in (can't you see how much I love it? haha).  The whole song is beautiful, and the lyrics add to it: they're about the love he feels from his lover, love that he feels he doesn't deserve because of some of the things he does wrong, but it's alright in her eyes, and she doesn't hold it against him.  I'm not always good at describing song lyrics, but that's the gist of it.  He loves her because of what she doesn't say.  He doesn't have to be perfect and she loves him anyway.  Like good poetry.  Just a stunning song, throughout, so check it out, especially for that electric and steel guitar solo with the strings behind them.

Moving on to a totally different album: Vince's The Key from 1998.  Beside for These Days, this is THE album you'd for sure want to get from him.  It's mostly stone-cold country music, and also has cool collaborations.  Sadly, I do not own the album yet, but I am certainly planning to.  I have "Kindly Keep It Country" from a compilation album of various country artists' music (I should also point out that the true Vince/Patty duet I briefly mentioned before is on The Key too).  I chose "Kindly Keep It Country" for different reasons.  It was actually a radio single but didn't chart well and I wanted to bring it back to the forefront (and as of this moment, it is #13 on my iTunes 36 Most Played list, which is a very exclusive spot).  The song is as country as you could ever get and includes excellent harmonies from one of my other favorites: Lee Ann Womack (yes, you know I'm gonna go deep on this one).  It's my favorite collaborative song with Gill and Womack, with the others being "If I Could Make Mississippi" (from These Days...another crazy outstanding ballad), "Two Hearts", and from Womack's catalog: "Some Things I Know" and "I Keep Forgetting".  Lee Ann's harmonies are obvious and singing along with Vince just sounds so right and with the pure country production of heavy steel in this slow song that I dare traditional country fans to turn off (because they couldn't).  The song has lyrics like Alan Jackson's "Don't Rock the Jukebox", in that the man is in a honky-tonk and enduring a nasty heartache and just wants to hear his sad, tear-in-your-beer kinda country... yet Vince is asking nicely, so how could you turn him down?  It just seems so real and true (I just realized it's also like my last recommendation, #35, except that one's with the radio, which is not reliable, whereas a jukebox is more manageable, so get out those quarters and stand guard).  My favorite part of the song is when Vince and Lee Ann plead in the chorus: "please play a sad song / about the heart that's just been stepped on "... and I don't even have to explain why.  Listen to it, love it, or you're not a country music fan.

Wow, such a long entry! (and lots of sound clips!)  Ummm... I would go on, but you probably need to get away haha.  I urge you to buy Vince's These Days and The Key albums.  There are so many great songs on These Days, and it makes sense to buy the whole thing than just buy individual songs because it's cheaper and you'll be glad you did.  They're all new tracks and not covers or past hits and it's chock-full of collaborations with different artists (Bonnie Raitt, Del McCoury, Diana Krall, Trisha Yearwood, Amy Grant, Emmylou Harris, Phil Everly, Guy Clark, Michael McDonald, Alison Krauss, Sheryl Crow, John Anderson, and Rodney Crowell, just to name some) and The Key has Sara Evans, Faith Hill, and three others I talked about.  Man, I need to learn how to condense my thoughts, but I just can't do it.  Not possible when describing such great music.  Just buy the music is all I'll advise.  You'll thank me when you do!  Thirty-six...

Thanks for reading!

Buy "Out of My Mind", "What You Don't Say", and "Kindly Keep It Country" from iTunes now!

Here are the full lyrics to "Out of My Mind", written by Vince Gill, Al Anderson, and Leslie Satcher:

You've got legs just like a longneck bottle
And lips just like strawberry wine
You might be a lifetime of trouble
Still I can't get you out of my mind

Out of my mind, I'm going out of my mind
And I see what I've been missing all this time
Oh sweet neon angel, don't leave me behind
No, I can't get you out of my mind

You're bringing on a honky-tonk heartache
And I know you'd never walk the line
To let you slip away, a chance I won't take
Still I can't get you out of my mind

Out of my mind, I'm going out of my mind
And I see what I've been missing all this time
Oh sweet neon angel, don't leave me behind
No, I can't get you out of my mind

No, I can't get you out of my mind...

————————-

Here are the full lyrics to "What You Don't Say", written by Vince Gill, Reid Nielson, and John Hobbs:

Sometimes this old world gets to me
I sure can be a jerk
But you always see the best in me
God knows you've seen the worst

You know when to let me be
Pull yourself real close to me
How to take my breath away
You don't care who's right or wrong
I know whose side you're on
It's more than the love that we make
It's what you don't say

Man, I should have been the death of me
I sure can run it in the ground
When you come lie here next to me
Girl, you bring me back around

You know when to let me be
Pull yourself real close to me
How to take my breath away
You don't care who's right or wrong
I know whose side you're on
It's more than the love that we make
It's what you don't say

You know when to let me be
Pull yourself real close to me
How to take my breath away
You don't care who's right or wrong
I know whose side you're on
It's more than the love that we make
It's what you don't say

It's what you don't say
It's what you don't say

————————-

Here are the full lyrics to "Kindly Keep It Country, written by Vince Gill:

If you're gonna play the jukebox
Would you kindly keep it country?
‘Cause I'm feeling so lonely tonight
Oh please play a sad song
About a heart that's just been stepped on
Would you kindly keep it country for me tonight?

I'd get up off this bar stool
If you'd play something we could dance to
Oh, a song about a love that's gone astray
Oh I love to hear ‘em sing
About the misery and pain
Would you kindly keep it country for me tonight?

Oh please play a sad song
About a heart that's just been stepped on
Would you kindly keep it country for me tonight?
Would you kindly keep it country for me tonight?

—————————————————-

http://www.vincegill.com/

6:30 a.m.: Working out this morning and watching the OKC morning news. Nothing too exciting. WAIT. BACK UP. You probably need to know the back story ...

Last spring:I found out that Alison Krauss and Robert Plant would be touring for their new album "Raising Sand." I am a huge Alison fan so naturally I was very excited. I had planned on going to the St. Louis Concert in July and I was very excited. It came down to the wire and I couldn't afford tickets. No big deal, she would be at ACL this year and that would be an ideal time to go see her. Well, Money apparently runs from me. And when I say run, I mean dead on bolt, I-have-to-get-away-from-her running. I sunk into depression. I lost sleep. I tried to devise a plan to find some way to go see her and it just wasn't going to work. When I planned my trip to Cali., I saw that Alison would be in California three of the five days I would be there. BINGO. There is a God and he knows my passions. Immediate Failure again. Clearly I am losing at the game of life. The Gods are looking down at me, getting a good knee-slapper in. Her tour dates in Cali were all AT LEAST six hours away. Once again I knew my life was on the path of destruction since I wouldn't be able to see her in concert this time. I had faced it. There was nothing I could do. I called my mom in pure displeasure knowing that this would be the concert I would miss that would forever haunt me.

OK, so back to the treadmill ...

6:40 a.m.:

 News lady: "Make sure you go get your tickets this morning for a special benefit concert for the hurricane victims, it looks like we have Alison Krauss and Robert Plant in concert at the Zoo Amplitheater in OKC and tickets go on sale at 10 a.m."

Lonna: THUMP "OH MY GOD" THUMP THUMP "OH MY GOD!!!!!"

6:42 a.m.:I recover from tripping twice on the treadmill. I slow down the speed and frantically look around to see if anyone was as excited as I was. Obviously there wasn't, probably because there were no middle-aged blue grass lovers working out, but that didn't kill my buzz. I HAD TO GO. This was my chance. This just proved there was a connection that drew Alison to me just as much as I was drawn to her. How was the happening? I didn't even care. I was just excited that the stars had aligned long enough for me to see the magic.

7:00 a.m.: We find out our class got canceled ( wow this day is amazing and it isn't even 8 a.m. yet)

7:30 a.m.:I call my dad in almost hysteria. My father knows my love and agrees to buy tickets. SCORE.

8:50 a.m.: Marie calls me, and she knows about the concert. And what is this???? SHE WANTS TO NOT ONLY GO, BUT BUY TICKETS FOR MY BIRTHDAY!!

9:00 a.m.: I go to work skipping with joy and wait patiently for the minutes to pass and it be 10 a.m.

10:00 a.m!!!!!!: I call confirming we are going. SHE GOT TICKETS. I have amazing friends and they love me.

So in the words of Alsion and to all the restless souls, this is how I always feel

And the people who love me still ask me
When are you coming back to town
And I answer quite frankly
When they stop building roads
And all God needs is gravity to hold me down

Best day of my life. I am going to take a bow and bask in the pure joy of fate. Hope to see you on FRIDAY!

1995:

Now That I've Found You (CD)

Art Direction: Nancy Given

Photography: Wiliam Campbell @ High Five Productions, Alan Messer & Louise Krauss

1997:

So Long, So Wrong (w. Union Station) (CD)

Design: Nancy Given

Photography Peter Nash

1999:

Forget About It (CD)

Design: Nancy Given

Photography Peter Nash

I want to remind everyone that I am in NO WAY affiliated with the Country Music Association.

I am just a part time radio guy, and full time country music fan.

Here is part three of my predictions.... The BIG Three

Male Vocalist of the Year

• Kenny Chesney
• Alan Jackson
• Brad Paisley
• George Strait
• Keith Urban

All five nominees have had a huge year this year, but I think it will be a second win in a row for Brad Paisley. The 5th Gear CD has produced many hits over the past year. While the same can be said for all of the nominees in regards to records sales and such, I don't think any of them have grown as artists quite as much as Brad Paisley. His devotion to being innovative with his music as well as his utmost respect for the many great artist before him has not gone unnoticed by the CMA. His performances on up tempo songs such as Online and sensitive ballads like Letter to Me show his versatility as an artist. He was a proud winner last year, and I have a feel it's gonna be a repeat for Mr. Paisley again this year.

Female Vocalist of the Year

• Alison Krauss
• Miranda Lambert
• Martina McBride
• Taylor Swift
• Carrie Underwood

I don't know if anyone has caused a stir in the business this year as much as Taylor Swift. While it would be easy to argue that is has been a huge year for Carrie Underwood, it has been Taylor Swift that has become the face for female artists this year. She is EVERYWHERE. Her self titled debut album is still in Top Five of the Country Charts, and her upcoming sophomore CD Fearless is one of the most anticipated projects of the year. Miss Swift is helping county's fan base grow by leaps and bounds with her many cross over hits, all the while remaining a country artist at heart. It's going to Taylor this year, now the only question is... will she bring Nick Jonas as a date to the show?

Entertainer of the Year

• Kenny Chesney
• Brad Paisley
• George Strait
• Sugarland
• Keith Urban

This one is a tough one for me as well. Every artist nominated is deserving of the most prestigious award. It would be great to see first time nominees Sugarland shock everyone and walk away winners, but I don't think it's gonna happen... not this year anyway. George Strait is consistently great, but I don't think it's his year either. Brad Paisley's tour has been a sell out throughout the country, and has caught much buzz throughout the industry. I think Brad has a good shot at winning Entertainer of the Year, just not this year.

That leaves us with Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney. Keith Urban gave the best concert I have seen all year this year at Nashville's Sommet center. His shows are amazing and the crowd interaction is sincere and believable.

However, Kenny Chesney is setting records everywhere he goes on every tour he does, not just in the country ranks, but across all genres of music. His concerts are not just concerts, they are events. He is selling out STADIUMS through out the country. He is considered one of the hardest working acts in the music business, and his attention to detail on every aspect of his live show is now famous.

I think it could be a toss up between Urban and Chesney, but in the end... I think Kenny Chesney will be the 2008 CMA Entertainer of the Year.

I had the opportunity to see the CMA Awards Show live last year at the Sommet Center here in Nashville, and it was one of the biggest thrills I have ever had. I have watched the show from my living room since I was a child. The chance to see it live was a dream come true. The performances were amazing, and the electricity throughout the crowd was indescribable. I wish you all could have been there with me.

I don't think I will make the show this year. I will more than likely be watching it from my living room like the majority of you, and the rest of the country. I am truly looking forward to it. It is by far one of my favorite shows of the year, and I cannot wait. I have artists I will be pulling for, some of which I have predicted to win, others I am hoping for an upset with, but I'm going to keep my personal favorites to myself.

In closing, I want to thank you for taking the time to read these blogs. I appreciate all of the comments and emails I have received throughout the week. It is nice to meet folks who are as passionate about Country Music as I am. I invite you to come back and check in on the Tarheelinnashville blog, your interaction and readership has been greatly appreciated.

You know, I didn't move to Nashville by chance. I moved here to be closer to the music I love. It is a wonderful city full of great artist and music lovers like me. Wherever you may be, thank you for your support of Country Music. I look forward to enjoying the performances and award winners with you on Country Music's Greatest Night, The 2008 CMA Awards Show.

Love Ya'll

d

Among those sitting in with Levon and his crack band were:

Steve Earle, Allison Moorer, John Hiatt, Sheryl Crow, Delbert McClinton, Buddy Miller, Sam Bush, Little Sammy Davis, Alison Krauss and Robert Plant.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss sang In The Pines, which sounds fantastic.

Tonight is the Americana's Music Association's Awards Ceremony hosted by Jim Lauderdale. I believe this will be broadcast on XM Radio.

After the show, The Waybacks, Buddy Miller, Ollabelle, Larry Campbell, Catherine Russell, Jim Lauderdale and special guests will be performing a Tribute to Jerry Garcia at The Cannery Ballroom. At the ceremony tonight, Jerry Garcia will be named the recipient of the 2008 AMA President’s Award, a posthumous lifetime achievement recognition for innovation in American roots music.  More info HERE

Andrew Peterson's sound is very unique. It would be hard for me to describe. (There's a link for a free download of one of the songs off his upcoming album below.) His writing is very powerful and conveys a message of hope and love.

In my list of all-time favorite albums, Andrew Peterson has two albums on the list. Love and Thunder is a musical journey of faith. It begins with "Canaan Bound," a beautiful tale of faith in the form of Abraham and Sarah (Andy P has help with background vocals by Alison Krauss). Throughout the album, there are songs about his family and his faith. "Family Man" was nominated for a Dove Award for Best Country Christian Song. The best tracks on the album are "The Silence of God" and "After the Last Tear Falls." They are about holding on to faith in times of trouble and unrest, and a promise that everything will be okay. I urge you to check this album out.

The other album is an album that I constantly listen to. Andy P had an idea for a Christmas musical that tells the "True Tall Tale of the Coming of Christ." He wanted to write a great musical--without the acting. In December of 2003, Jenni, Bethany, and I travelled to Nashville to see Andrew Peterson & Friends perform Behold the Lamb of God: The TRUE Tall Tale of the Coming of Christ. He was joined onstage at Rocketown by Derek Webb, Ron Block, Jill Philips, and others. Among the others was Alison Krauss. They sang "Canaan Bound" before the intermission. The performance was the musical without the acting. It starts with the Hebrew nation's crying to God to be delivered from Pharaoh. It transitions to the Israelites crying to God for a Messiah. The middle of the performance is a song called "Matthew's Begats," the genealogy of Jesus Christ as told in Matthew 1. (It's amazing!) The second act of the performance is about Jesus and his death and resurrection. The CD was recorded and released by the the following Christmas. At the end of the CD, Andy P included a recording of the chorus of "O Come Let Us Adore Him" from the same show that I attended! :) This CD sounds like a Christmas title, but it's not. It's an appropriate album all year. LOL. No "Jingle Bells" involved.

Andy P's new CD is coming out October 21, 2008. It's an album called Resurrection Letters: Volume II. I'm super excited about it! :)

Here is a link where you can download a free copy of "Hosanna" (from Andrew Peterson's blog--it's legal) as well as a link to listen to the entire new CD. Heck, I threw in a link to his blog, too. ;)

Click here for FREE Andrew Peterson Song

Click here to listen to Resurrection Letters: Volume II

Andrew Peterson's Blog

Thanks, friends! I hope you had a great Monday! :)

The awards are always a big night here in Music City, and I am excited about the upcoming show.

I have made a a tradition to post my predictions for the Awards every year, and I am continuing that tradition with this blog. Keep in mind, that I am in NO WAY associated with the Country Music Association.
I'm just a part time radio guy, and a full time Country music fan.

So here goes...

Album of the Year
(Award goes to Artist and Producer)

• Carnival Ride
  Carrie Underwood
  Produced by Mark Bright
  19 Records Limited/Arista Nashville
• Cowboy Town
  Brooks & Dunn
  Produced by Kix Brooks, Tony Brown, Ronnie Dunn and Bob DiPiero
  Arista Nashville
• Good Time
  Alan Jackson
  Produced by Keith Stegall
  Arista Nashville
• Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates
  Kenny Chesney
  Produced by Buddy Cannon and Kenny Chesney
  BNA Records

I expect Alan Jackson to walk away with this one. Every song he has released off of the album has been both a commercial and critical success. This is the record in which it sounds like Alan is going back to his roots. After recording an album with Alison Krauss that, to some, didn't sound like an Alan Jackson record, AJ teamed back up with long time producer Keith Stegall to make the Good Time album. I think it's some of the best work they have done in recent years. Traditional country with catchy hooks and sing along melodies are what he does best, and this album features him at his finest.

Single of the Year
(Award goes to Artist and Producer)

• "Don’t Blink"
  Kenny Chesney
  Produced by Buddy Cannon and Kenny Chesney
  BNA Records
• "Gunpowder & Lead"
  Miranda Lambert
  Produced by Frank Liddell and Mike Wrucke
  Columbia Records
• "I Saw God Today"
  George Strait
  Produced by Tony Brown and George Strait
  MCA Nashville
• "Stay"
  Sugarland
  Produced by Byron Gallimore, Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles
  Mercury Nashville
• "You’re Gonna Miss This"
  Trace Adkins
  Produced by Frank Rogers
  Capitol Records Nashville

This one is a tough one for me, my first instinct is to give this one to Sugarland. Jennifer Nettles sang her face of on this record, and is deserving of recognition. However, Trace Adkins has been long overdue for a CMA award. This will be his first win, and rightfully so. It's the best song of his career. The exposure that Trace had on The Apprentice didn't get overlooked by the CMA either. Mainstream publicity in a positive light is always good, and Trace did an exceptional job on the show.That being said, I do not think that is the reason he will walk away with single of the year. He will win because he is at the turning point as an artist. Trace Adkins is going to take his career to the next level with this much deserved win.

Song of the Year
(Award goes to Songwriter and Primary Publisher)

• “Good Time”
  Alan Jackson
  EMI-April Music/Tri-Angels Music
• “I Saw God Today”
  Rodney Clawson/Monty Criswell/Wade Kirby
  Big Red Toe/Extremely Loud Music/Steel Wheels Music/Blind Mule Music
• “Letter To Me”
  Brad Paisley
  EMI-April Music/New Sea Gayle Music
• “Stay”
  Jennifer Nettles
  Jennifer Nettles Publishing
• “You’re Gonna Miss This”
  Ashley Gorley/Lee Thomas Miller
  EMI Blackwood Music/New Songs of Sea Gayle/Noah’s Little Boat Music/Songs of Combustion Music

I think Brad Paisley will win with Letter To Me. Every song nominated this year is strong, and it is hard to pinpoint why I feel like Brad has the upper hand, but I just have a feeling he may walk away a winner in this category.

Musical Event of the Year
(Award to each Artist)

• Josh Turner featuring Trisha Yearwood
  “Another Try”
  MCA Nashville
• Reba McEntire and Kenny Chesney
  “Every Other Weekend”
  MCA Nashville
• Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
  “Gone, Gone, Gone”
  Rounder Records
• Sugarland featuring Little Big Town and Jake Owen
  “Life In A Northern Town”
  Mercury Nashville
• Kenny Chesney (duet with George Strait)
  “Shiftwork”
  BNA Records

It sounds crazy, but I think it's gonna be Plant and Krauss. I realize it got hardly any radio airplay at all. I also realize that CMA Award winner Robert Plant just doesn't roll off the tongue. But the CMA's are known to shock us from time to time... and here is the shocker of the night. The same man that brought us Black Dog and Stairway to Heaven will be a CMA award winner.

That's the part one of my CMA predictions. I'll post Part Two tomorrow.

I am curious to hear what you think.

Who do you think will win in the categories mentioned above?

Do you think I am on point or completely off track?

Send me a comment and let me know.

Part Two is coming tomorrow!

Love Ya'll

d

Additionally, Chris, the guitar playing beast on 'The Bear', was once my wing-man! :) Check 'em out!