There is a new firecracker on the Country Music scene and her name is Tara Thompson.  The new kid on the block as she joins the CMT Next Women of Country Tour in the opening slot which hits CasinoRama Friday January 15th for the only Canadian Date.   

Chase Rice’s  JD & Jesus Tour rolled into the always amazing Danforth Music Hall in Toronto on Saturday night and lets just say, the South was rockin’ the Great White North.  If you have been reading the site the last couple month’s you may have noticed that the Cadillac Three have caught my eye as of late. So to have the boys playing the direct support spot on the tour was a win for me.  

Brantley Gilbert just released a video for his current single Stone Cold Sober.   Have a quick peek below and don’t miss Brantley Gilbert on tour this winter as they plough through Ontario with stops in Kingston, Oshawa and London in February.   Grab your tickets for the Blackout Tour here… Oh ya and he is bringing Canaan Smith & Michael Ray along for the ride… So #BuckleUp cause that’s one hell of a line up!

Pics from Brantley’s last show in Toronto at the Opera House.

Brantley Gilbert performs in Toronto @ the Sold Out Opera House – Photo: Corey Kelly

Brantley Gilbert performs in Toronto @ the Sold Out Opera House – Photo: Corey Kelly

Brantley Gilbert performs in Toronto @ the Sold Out Opera House – Photo: Corey Kelly

Brantley Gilbert performs in Toronto @ the Sold Out Opera House – Photo: Corey Kelly

Brantley Gilbert performs in Toronto @ the Sold Out Opera House – Photo: Corey Kelly

Brantley Gilbert performs in Toronto @ the Sold Out Opera House – Photo: Corey Kelly

Brantley Gilbert performs in Toronto @ the Sold Out Opera House – Photo: Corey Kelly

So… The fine folks over at Boots and Hearts announced a couple of the Headliners for the big Five Year Anniversary.  Hard to believe it has already been 5 years… Here are a couple of your 2016 Headliners we can’t wait to see who else gets added.

1st off one of my all time FAVOURITE Country artists is back…

DIERKS BENTLEY

And then the next at bat…is Big Machine recording artists and one hell of a performer.

TIM MCGRAW

What a great start to a line up… make sure to grab your tickets @  http://bootsandhearts.com

UPDATE –  CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT…..

Comment below who you would love to see added to the 2016 Line up and you could win 1 Pair of tickets to see the Three’s A Party Tour Featuring Jason Blaine, Tebey & James Otto at any one of the upcoming dates… Contest closes Tuesday November 3rd @ Noon… Good Luck!

Three’s A Party Tour Poster

We had a chance to sit down with Maddie & Tae a couple weeks back when they made their Canadian debut at Gone Country in London, Ontario.  For those of you that made it to the show will know the girls know how to bring it.   Here is our interview with the fabulous Maddie & Tae.

We had a chance to sit down with A Thousand Horses this past weekend while they were in Toronto in support of Darius Rucker’s Southern Style Tour.   The fellas release Southernality TODAY!   Here is all the good stuff….

Toronto, ON (June 8, 2015) – Get ready for more music from Republic Nashville’s A Thousand Horses. After one of the fastest starts in Country music history, the band will release their highly anticipated debut album Southernality on Tuesday, June 9.

The album’s title – a mix of the words Southern and personality – is meant to evoke a state of mind and a way of life, and fans have enthusiastically embraced the vibe. They’ve helped A Thousand Horses pull off one of the most memorable debuts in recent history with the first single “Smoke” setting records on the way to the top of the charts.

“Smoke” is about a woman whose presence lingers even when she’s not around. The song immediately stuck with fans in much the same way. A Thousand Horses set a record for highest charting debut single at No. 28 on the Mediabase country songs chart. They also became the first group (of three members or more) to send their debut single to No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart since December 2008.

“It’s been mind-blowing,” lead singer Michael Hobby said. “It’s overwhelming and crazy to see the reaction from country radio, from fans loving it and all the people we’re meeting being out on the road. We’re very grateful, it’s very humbling and unbelievable.”

Southernality, produced by Dave Cobb (Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton) can be purchased at iTunes and all other major retailers. A Thousand Horses will celebrate the release with a number of appearances this week. The band, which includes Bill Satcher, Zach Brown and Graham DeLoach, will perform at the CMT Music Awards on June 10, where they are nominated for Group Video of the Year, and will perform at CMA Music Festival on June 11 and the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival on June 14. The band also is out on the road with Darius Rucker’s SOUTHERN STYLE TOUR this summer.

The group mixes the Southern rock sounds they fell in love with growing up in eastern Georgia and South Carolina with the storytelling tradition of country music to make songs that stick in the mind. The mix has proven appealing to fans of both, as well as critics. All Access said of the band and their album, “I defy you to put this in your car, start listening and not like it. The first single, ‘Smoke,’ is a runaway hit, sounds terrific on the radio and is selling big. Not convinced? Go see them live.” Rolling Stone Country said “the Horses are bringing musicianship back to a stale format” and USA Today named them a 2015 “Artist to Watch.” They also recently made their television debut on TODAY immediately followed by two performances on FOX and Friends.

The band’s next single, “(This Ain’t No) Drunk Dial,” is available for purchase at iTunesand will impact country radio on June 29.

SOUTHERNALITY Track Listing:
1.     “First Time” (Michael Hobby, Bill Satcher and Patrick Davis)
2.     “Sunday Morning” (Michael Hobby, Bill Satcher, Graham DeLoach, Zach Brown and Rich Robinson)
3.     “Smoke” (Michael Hobby, Ross Copperman and John Knight)
4.     “(This Ain’t No) Drunk Dial” (Michael Hobby, Corey Crowder, Neil Mason and Cale Dodds)
5.     “Heaven is Close” (Michael Hobby, Bill Satcher and Graham DeLoach)
6.     “Travelin’ Man” (Michael Hobby, Bill Satcher and Jaren Johnston)
7.     “Back to Me” (Michael Hobby, Bill Satcher, Graham DeLoach and Westin Davis)
8.     “Southernality” (Michael Hobby, Corey Crowder and Neil Mason)
9.     “Tennessee Whiskey” (Michael Hobby and Bill Satcher)
10.    “Hell on My Heart” (Michael Hobby, Bill Satcher, Graham DeLoach and Zach Brown)
11.    “Trailer Trashed” (Graham DeLoach)
12.    “Landslide” (Michael Hobby, Bill Satcher and Zach Brown)
13.    “Where I’m Going” (Michael Hobby, Brad Warren, Brett Warren)

For more information about the band or to purchase tickets, visithttp://bigmachinelabelgroup.us7.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=ada70aba29278f3df16e674a4&id=9fdb669ecc&e=d0b05407d3 and follow @athousandhorses on Twitter and Instagram.

RaeLynn’s follow up to God Made Girls is a fantastic song For A Boy… Let us know what you think…. Don’t miss our interview with RaeLynn here.

So, maybe you have heard of this show called “The Voice” and maybe you have heard of this amazing talent that Blake Shelton so intellegently … I know Blake, don’t get excited those words may never be used together like that again.  But Wow, does RaeLynn ever know how to get a convo going. 

So Last night we were invited to an exclusive event held by Big Machine Label Group Canada for an intimate performance with Baytown Texas native Raelynn.  For those of you who watch The Voice Raelynn competed on season two on Blake Sheltons team.  Blake took Raelynn under his wing after the voice and to be honest this spunky little blonde with a heart of gold is just gettin’ started.  Last night the room was filled with about 50 or 60 lucky contest winners from KX94.7 & KX96 who were eager to see RaeLynn for her 1st EVER Canadian performance.    I was speaking with one lucky winner and she and a friend drove 3 hrs to get a chance to take a selfie with RaeLynn (thats the kind dedicated fans this girl has)

This was an acoustic set with a stripped down set.  Matt Nelson on Guitar and Mike Smith on drums & suitcase (WTF?) but hey it sounded great!  Paired with the unique but angelic voice of RaeLynn it truly was something special.   Now, I had been listening to RaeLynn for a while now so I had an idea what songs she was going to perform from the EP.  But was more curious on what covers she might do.  Well it was the amazing cover of her dear friend Meghan Trainors All about The Base that had the crowd boppin’ in their seats you could see from the smile on Raelynns face that she loved covering the song and how highly she spoke of Meghan was sweet to see.

RaeLynn @ Rockin’ Horse Photo: Corey Kelly

She also covered one of her idols Dolly Parton, with her own little spin on the classic Jolene and I can tell you she hit it out of the park.  My personal favorite was one she sang early in the set. Before singing Kissin’ Frogs, she tells a great story about how the song came about and why she wrote it but won’t spoil it. I know she loves telling that story before she performs it so gives you more reason to make it out to her August 27th performance happening at Molson amphitheatre as she opens for Rascal Flatts alongside Scotty McCreary tickets can be purchased here for that show.

Her new single For A Boy shows a more mature side oh her music writing abilities and truly believe that she has an old soul that just brings new light to today’s country music.

I had the chance to sit down with RaeLynn before the performance so watch for that Interview early next week.  But I can one thing I can tell you is RaeLynn is nominated for 2 CMT Awards head over here to vote.

Couple other great videos of RaeLynn below…

Thomas Rhett just took one of the hottest songs on the Radio today and put a bit of a Country flare to it.   What do you think of his rendition of Bruno Mars’s Uptown Funk?  My wife is still dancing around the Kitchen!  CK