In this edition of the Weekly Sound Check I’ll have a wrap up on last night’s ACM Awards, an update on this summer’s festivals, as well as a review of The Band Perry’s sophomore album Pioneer.
ACM Awards
Last night I took in the 48th annual Academy of Country Music Awards. I have to say out of all the award shows out there I prefer the ACM Awards because it’s 10% awards and 90% concert with the biggest names in country music. The performances were all spectacular but for me none was more special than the return of Garth Brooks to join, for the first time ever, George Straight in a tribute to Dick Clark. The tribute was a bit short in length but I truly hope that it all points to the return of Garth Brooks. The best part of last night was how humble all the winners were. It was truly nice to see deserving nominees win and not put on a fake acceptance act. Case in point was Luke Bryan who emotionally accepted the Entertainer of the Year (chosen by the fans) which was also his first ACM Nomination ever. Don’t get me wrong I’m not a Taylor Swift hater or anything but her fake act whenever she would win an award. Other notables worth mentioning were Blake and Miranda, Nashville’s cutest couple. During their acceptance speech for Song of the Year “Over You” (They co-wrote it about Blake’s brother) it was no secret that Blake was madly in love with Miranda as the endless praise he had for her shone through. This is just something you don’t see anywhere else in any other award shows, although the recent Grammy Awards managed to come close.
Festival Update
Festival season is getting closer by each tick of the clock and line-ups for festivals are starting to take shape. A few new festivals have come across my radar this year, a couple of which I will try to check out.
First an update on the Boots & Hearts Festival which added a few new acts & an extra night since my last update. New this year is a Thursday night kick-off party with Emerson Drive and Tim Hicks, admission is included in the weekend passport. Added to the weekend line-up are 2012 X-Factor Winner Tate Stevens, an act that I predicted would be on the bill shortly after he won the title, David Nail and Tebey. All signs are pointing to an amazing event that will most definitely be the highlight of the summer. As I’ve mentioned before I’ve been invited to attend the festival and camp on site for the full weekend which is exciting, just have to work out logistics so that I have access to a power & internet source so that I can publish my blog but that will all be worked out in the coming months. www.bootsandhearts.com
Ottawa Bluesfest, which I haven’t been confirmed for yet but hope to look after that in the coming weeks, has added Jimmy Eats World, The Specials, Dog Blood, The Waterboys, Watsky and The Record Company have been added to their already stellar line-up. www.ottawabluesfest.com
Calabogie which is already known in the Ottawa area for Calabogie Blues & Ribfest is adding Calabogie Country Music Festival this summer. The line-up for their inaugural year is made up of headliners Kira Isabella, Jordan McIntosh and Dallas Smith and includes performances from some very talented rising stars including: Ambush, Autumn Hill, Leah Daniels, Silver Creek, The Working Class, Whitney Rose & Kerosene Creek. If you are looking for a great way to spend Canada Day Weekend and enjoy some great country music, in an amazing setting close to Ottawa, without breaking the bank then I recommend checking this event out. For tickets and more information you can visit http://calabogiecountry.com/
Ottawa Jazz Fest, although not a new festival this festival just introduced itself to me with an invitation to come and check it out this June. With a line-up that already includes powerhouse names like Willie Nelson and Aretha Franklin it’s hard to imagine where it could improve but either way they are set to announce the remaining 80% of its line-up this Thursday at a special event to be held over the noon hour at the NAC. For more information visit www.ottawajazzfestival.com
The Havelock Jamboree also announced the remainder of their line-up for the 24th Annual event adding Kix Brooks, Charlie Daniels Band, The Good Brothers, Western Avenue, Slocan Ramblers & Trinity. Already announced acts included Reba, Trace Adkins, Travis Tritt, Wynonna Judd, Gord Bamford, Small Town Pistols and Tara Oram. With a line-up like that Havelock could very well be the country music event of the summer, also a good example of why they’ve managed to stick around for 24 years!! www.havelockjamboree.com
Other festivals that have recently come across my radar include Country in the Woods out of Parry Sound with headliners Jason McCoy and Doc Walker this event may be worth checking out as well: http://www.countryinthewoods.com/
If you can’t make it to Boots and Hearts or live south of the border and want to see the acts a bit closer to home, check out the first annual Faster Horses Music Festival in Brooklyn Michigan (Michigan International Speedway). It’s boasting headliners Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan (ACM Entertainer of the Year), Jason Aldean (ACM Male Vocalist of the Year) and supporting acts like Thompson Square (ACM Winners for best Duo) and Florida Georgia Line (ACM Winners Best New Artist) to name a few this star studded event will be hard to miss. It’s scheduled to run from July 19 through the 21st. More details at www.fasterhorsesfestival.com
It’s shaping up to be an awesome festival season this year, invites are starting to come in from festivals and my schedule is starting to fill up.
The Band Perry – Pioneer
For the last week or so I’ve been listening, almost none stop, to the new album from the Band Perry “Pioneer”. It’s been a very long time since I’ve anticipated an album as much as I have this one. The Band Perry is a group that is loaded with so much talent that their first album seemingly included more hits than most artists have in a lifetime. “Pioneer”, I expect, will be no different. Its first single release “Better Dig Two” shot to the top of the country charts after its release late last year their follow-up single “Done” isn’t as catchy as “Better Dig Two” but expect high rankings on the chart regardless. There are so many great tunes on this album but a few that stand out for me include “Back to Me Without You”, “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely”, “Mother Like Mine” and a song that for some reason makes me think of the Spice Girls but I love it anyway “Forever Mine Nevermind”.
“Pioneer” is in stores now and most definitely worth picking up if you are a country fan.
Be sure to follow Sound Check on Social Media
www.facebook.com/soundcheckblog
and coming this summer to Instagram www.instagram.com/soundcheckblog
