Transcript

2.27.26 · Country Weekly

0:04
Speaker 1: Howdy. Once again, it's time to catch up with Country Weekly,
0:08
where we dive into news and gossip from the world
0:11
of country music. I'm your host, Ken Dawkins, and I
0:14
will be reading from various sources found online. As a reminder,
0:18
RADIOI is a reading service intended for people who are
0:21
blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult to
0:25
read printed material. We'll begin with the first article, dated
0:28
February twenty fifth, from Penn Livepatriotnews dot com. Country music
0:35
icon to play final show in twenty twenty six and
0:37
retire with one hundred and fifty million dollar fortune. The
0:42
list of iconic country music performers planning to call it
0:45
a career in twenty twenty six has been growing, but
0:47
thus far, none of the names on the list are
0:49
as big as Alan Jackson. Fans know that the legendary
0:53
singer has been planning his farewell for a couple of
0:55
years now, and the official and for live performances is
0:58
slated to take place on June twenty seventh, and that'll
1:01
be at Nashville's Nissan Stadium. He has had one heck
1:05
of a career, obviously, Back during his final touring show
1:08
in Milwaukee in May of twenty twenty five, Jackson shared
1:12
with the audience a little bit of the story of
1:14
his struggle to make it. It started forty years ago
1:17
this September, he said, my wife and I drove to
1:19
Nashville with an old U haul trailer, chasing the dream.
1:23
And it's been a crazy ride live the American dream
1:26
for sure, and I'm so blessed and thank you all
1:27
so much for your support coming to the shows. When
1:31
Jackson entered the show, he addressed the crowd once more.
1:34
I just want to say thanks to you all once again,
1:36
he said, you all have a wonderful crowd here tonight.
1:39
I can't think of a better wed end my touring career.
1:42
Wonderful crowd. God bless you all and appreciate you. Maybe
1:46
I'll see you again one day. While it's sad that
1:48
Jackson's stepping away, he is doing it for health reasons
1:51
and to be with family. And in the end, he
1:55
did pretty darn well for himself to put himself in
1:57
position to be able to make that move. It's been
2:00
a long run for Jackson, who began his career in
2:02
nineteen eighty seven, and it's been a lucrative run as well.
2:06
According to CelebrityNetWorth dot com, Jackson has an estimated fortune
2:10
of one hundred and fifty million dollars, so he figures
2:13
to be well suited to take care of himself and
2:15
family as he takes a well deserved rest. Alan Jackson
2:18
revealed in twenty twenty one that he has sharcot Marie tooth,
2:21
a chronic dropathy condition that affects a person's balance and
2:25
his ability to walk. Now we move over to Countrycentral
2:30
dot com with the first article dated February twenty fourth.
2:34
Darius Rucker announces his Songs of Summer Tour. Darius Rucker
2:39
will return to the road this summer with his twenty
2:41
city Songs of the Summer tour, scheduled from June through August.
2:45
The tour begins June fourth at the Toledo Zoo Amphitheater
2:48
in Toledo, Ohio, before concluding August first in Indianapolis. Tickets
2:53
for most states go on sale February twenty seventh, with
2:56
select cities going on sale in March. For me, it's
2:59
not not playing music outdoors. Rutgers Center in a statement.
3:03
When I think of the concerts I love attending, it's
3:05
the people, The hits and the hot summer air. That's
3:08
nothing that compares to it as far as I'm concerned.
3:10
So songs of Summer in a lot of ways is
3:12
my nod to being in that moment together. Special guests
3:16
joining select dates on the tour include Laura and Elena,
3:19
George Burge, Evan Hohner, Old Crow Medicine Show, Robert Randolph,
3:22
and Austin Williams. VIP packages will be available for select
3:27
dates and may include premium tickets. In addition to the tour,
3:31
Rucker recently announced a one night only orchestral performance at
3:34
Charleston's Gallered Center on April seventh, and that's where he
3:38
will perform with the Charleston Jazz Orchestra. Portion of the
3:42
proceeds will benefit local music education initiatives and healthcare scholarships.
3:47
His most recent album, Carolyn's Boy, was released in twenty
3:50
twenty three, followed by his twenty twenty four memoir Life's
3:53
Too Short, and He will be in Cincinnati at the
3:57
River Bend Music Center on June twenty six as well,
4:02
and the tour news continues. Brooks and Dun share new
4:05
Neon Moon tour dates this week. Brooks and Dunn announced
4:09
an extension of their Neon Moon Tour, adding more than
4:12
a dozen US dates beginning this fall. The run will
4:15
kick off September tenth at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana,
4:19
and continue through October with arena and amphitheater stops across
4:22
the Midwest and the South. The Country Music Hall of
4:25
Fame duo will be joined on select dates by direct
4:28
support from Tucker Wetmore or David Lee Murphy, with additional
4:31
opening appearances from Kayley Hammock, Willow Avalon, Caitlin Butts and
4:35
Angie kay Artist pre sales began on the twenty fifth
4:39
of February, with general ticket sales starting on the twenty seventh.
4:43
The newly announced dates follow a busy international and domestic
4:46
schedule for the duo. In March, Brooks and Dun will
4:49
embark on their first ever run of UK shows, including
4:52
a headline appearance at the C two se That's the
4:54
Country to Country Festival, alongside concerts in Belfast, Glasgow and London.
5:00
The pair will also appear at Stagecoach Festival before joining
5:03
Morgan Wallen for eight stadium dates on his twenty twenty
5:06
six Still the Problem Tour. The duo Kicks Brooks and
5:10
Ronnie Down, of course, continue to maintain an active touring
5:13
scheduled decades into their career, including recurring Las Vegas residency
5:17
dates and regular North American tours. They too, will be
5:21
at the River Bend Music Center in Cincinnati that will
5:23
be on September nineteenth. Elsewhere, jelly Roll announces the Little
5:28
Ass Shed Tour dates. Okay, Jelly Roll has announced a
5:32
limited run of headlining dates dubbed the Little Ass Shed Tour,
5:35
a series of Amphitheater shows scheduled across the US in
5:39
late spring and summer. Singer songwriter Casius Culpepper will serve
5:43
as support on most dates. The newly announced dates arrive
5:47
alongside Jelly Roll's previously revealed album run with Post Malone,
5:51
The Big Gass Stadium Tour Part Two, positioning the smaller
5:54
Amphitheater shows has more intimate counterpart to his supersized performances.
6:00
Tickets will be released through a series of pre sales
6:02
beginning this week. The Amphitheater run continued as a period
6:06
of high visibility for jelly Roll, whose recent success has
6:09
extended across country rock and Christian music audiences. Known for
6:13
blending inspirational writing with multi genre production. He has become
6:17
one of country music's most commercially prominent acts in recent years.
6:22
In other tour news, Dirk Spentley shares Off the Map
6:25
Tour dates. Dirk Spentley is hitting the road this summer
6:29
as well, announcing his Off the Map Tour, a limited
6:32
amphitheater run scheduled across June and July. The six weeks
6:36
outing follows Bentley's spring album dates with Luke Combe's spring
6:40
stadium dates that is, with Luke Colmbs and promises a
6:42
mix of high energy anthems and bluegrass leaning collaborations. Joining
6:47
Bentley on the track are bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs with
6:49
his band Kentucky Thunder, along with rising country artist Caitlin Butts.
6:54
Selectdates will also feature emerging acts Mountain Grass unit Cole
6:57
Goodwin and Owen Wrigling. Off the Map is a song
7:01
about going to that place where you take a break
7:03
from it for a little bit, whether it's a barstool
7:06
sipping something cold, or a back porch down a back road.
7:09
Bentley shared in a statement, I like to think that
7:12
our shows are a place where our fans can go
7:14
off the map for a few hours and recharge the batteries.
7:17
The band and I are so excited about sharing the
7:19
road with the one and only Ricky Skaggs, as well
7:22
as it was with the other guys and girls on
7:23
the shows with us this summer. They were all hand
7:26
picked as I'm big fans of theirs. Can't wait to
7:28
get out there and watch the shows before we get
7:31
out and do our thing. Going to be some great
7:33
on stage collaborations this summer. Next, Flatland Cavalry reveals new album,
7:39
Work of Heart. Flatland Cavalry have announced their fifth full
7:44
length studio album, Work of Heart, set for a lease
7:47
on March twenty seventh. The album is available now for
7:50
pre ad pre save and pre order. Recorded at Matchbox
7:53
Studios in Austin, the project reunites the Texas Bread six
7:56
piece with producer Dwight A. Baker, whose credits include Brandy
8:00
Carlyle and Josh Abbott Band. The twelve track collection continues
8:04
the band's blend of West Texas rooted country while expanding
8:08
its sonic palette. Frontman and principal songwriter Cleto Cordero described
8:12
the album as a reflection of a formative period. This
8:15
album is a collection of songs of life, love and loss,
8:18
collected over a season of living, learning and growing. Cordero said,
8:22
my approach has been the same the whole time, in
8:24
the sense of showing up to write a song with
8:26
all my heart, my mind and my soul. The album
8:30
includes previously released tracks Gone and Never Coming Back, the
8:33
latter marking the band's debut single at country radio. The
8:36
group is also released On and On, written by Cordero
8:39
with Ray Fulcher and Cole Taylor, as an additional preview
8:42
of the record. Flatland Cavalry is currently touring internationally supporting
8:47
Landy Wilson throughout February in Australia and New Zealand. Their
8:51
US headlining run begins March nineteenth in Mobile, Alabama and
8:55
includes additional support dates with Dwight Yoakam and Morgan Wallen,
8:58
as well as appearance as the Troubadour Festival and Tortuga
9:02
Music Festival. Work of Heart will be out everywhere on Friday,
9:05
March twenty seventh. Now we look up and see What's
9:09
new from Saving Country Music. With the first article dated
9:13
February twenty fourth, Unbroken Circle Festival Unveil's Big twenty twenty
9:18
six line up. Madison, Indiana, just over the Kentucky border,
9:22
of course, and right on the Ohio River, is just
9:24
about one of the best small towns in America to
9:27
visits as saving country music, and what better time to
9:30
take it in than during the Unbroken Circle Festival September
9:33
tenth through twelfth at the town's Bicentennial Park. It's the
9:37
perfect sized festival with a big talent line up featuring
9:40
the best and independent country Insurgent roots in Southern rock
9:44
sets a headline the festival's second year are Southern rock
9:47
demigods Whiskey Myers and four time Grammy winning Appalachian Marvel,
9:51
Sierra Ferrell, Green Sky, Bluegrass, Shane Smith and The Saints,
9:55
and another top name to be announced later will round
9:58
out the top of the poster. Just as exciting are
10:01
appearances by Silverada, Whitney Morgan and Seventy Eighths, Shadow Grass,
10:05
Taylor Honeycutt, Clay Street Unit, Josh molloy, American Aquarium, West
10:10
Bayalists formerly The Steel Woods, Emily Nenny, Alex Williams, and
10:14
others as saving country music observed after attending the inaugural
10:18
festival last year. Its official independent country and roots music
10:22
has a new killer festival on the calendar. It takes
10:25
some guts and moxie to christen your event the Unbroken
10:28
Circle Festival. It also takes guts to start a completely
10:31
independent music festival. In twenty twenty five. With the Way Live,
10:35
Nation is trying to corner every square inch of the
10:37
map and calendar. But that's exactly what they've done. The
10:41
promoters behind Unbroken Circle Fest previously helped organize the Rooster
10:45
Tail Festival during Madison, Indiana's annual Regatta. After Rooster Tail
10:50
decided to go in a different direction, Unbroken Circle was
10:53
dreamed up. Now it's become one of the best festivals
10:55
on the independent country calendar. Tickets are available now. Next
11:01
Zach Top, George Strait, and Randy Travis had to save
11:05
country music right now, the signal is a little noisy
11:09
on just where the country genre sits at the moment.
11:11
Morgan Wallen is still indisputably the most popular artist in
11:15
country music, even if some question just how country he
11:18
really is. Country spent in the crosshairs lately due to
11:21
political friction stemming from the alternative Super Bowl halftime show
11:24
in early February and Jellyroll just won the Grammy for
11:27
Best Contemporary Country Album. But don't let any of that
11:31
distract you from the fact that traditional country music remains
11:34
in a strong resurgence at the moment. Generally speaking, the
11:37
country genre is more country right now than at any
11:40
time in the last decade or two, and is more
11:42
supportive of performers outside the conventional Nashville music rowe bubble
11:47
than ever before. You can point to multiple things to
11:50
verify this, including Ella Langley's incredible number one showing with
11:54
her career defining traditional country mega hit Choose in Texas.
11:58
Everywhere you look, artists with more twangy sounds and traditional
12:01
songs are finding traction. And then there's the continued success
12:05
of neo traditionalist Zach Topp. Fresh Off is win for
12:09
Best Traditional Country Album at the twenty twenty six Grammy Awards.
12:12
Zachtop is preparing to headline the CEA to Sea That's
12:15
the Country to Country Festival on Friday, March thirteenth at
12:18
the O two Arena in London, England. Ahead of the performance,
12:22
he talked to Entertainment Focus and had some great insight
12:25
into this moment in country music from his perspective as
12:28
an artist. It's crazy. I haven't gotten out of the
12:31
mindset of being the outsider or the underdog, you know,
12:34
because I still sound so much different than the rest
12:36
of what's going on. Zach Top says, it feels kind
12:39
of wild that it's caught on as well, and that
12:41
I am one of I guess more prominent figures in
12:43
the genre feels kind of crazy to me. I'm very
12:47
humbled by it and very thankful and overjoy that this
12:49
many people have caught on and fallen in love with
12:51
the music as much as they have when it sticks
12:54
out like a sore thumb from the rest of what's
12:55
on the radio and everything. For anyone who's followed country
12:59
music for a while, they know the genre works in cycles,
13:02
with moments where the genre becomes more pop and commercial
13:04
as it chases trends outside it's conventional of borders. I
13:08
feel like fans of country always finds something new that
13:11
comes along that's a little different, a little wacky, and
13:13
they go chase that. The industry goes and chases that
13:16
for a while. Zach Top rightfully continues. I think this
13:19
latest cycle has been a long one, starting back I
13:22
think to twenty ten, when crews came out from Florida,
13:25
Georgia line that felt like the big shift toward this
13:28
hip hop influence into country. Obviously, Morgan Wallen is at
13:31
a peak of his powers at that same type of
13:33
vein as well. But now there's an entirely alternative universe
13:37
where traditional country is thriving too, working in parallel with
13:41
the folks like Morgan Wallen and Jelly Roll and Zach
13:44
Top and other neo traditionalists like Braxton Keith, Jake Worthington
13:49
and others aren't just here to take advantage of it.
13:51
When it comes to Zach Top, he's responsible for the
13:53
trend taking hold. In large part, it's a cool place
13:57
to be. Top says, I'm very thankful that I hit
13:59
the site at the right time when it's swinging back
14:01
towards the traditional thing like it's done so many times before,
14:05
just another iteration of a cycle. But I'm glad I
14:08
showed up at the right time and that people are
14:09
hungry for my sound. At the moment, feels like the
14:12
hunger from fans has turned somewhat toward a return to
14:14
roots and traditions of country music. But the quote that
14:18
got saving country music's attention. The most is when Zach
14:21
Top said, it's just so funny to watch it because
14:24
back when George Straight and Randy Travis came around, they
14:27
had to save country music after Kenny Rodgers ruined it.
14:30
I feel like these cycles have been going on as
14:32
long as country music has been around. There's always something
14:36
new and a little different in edgy that goes on
14:38
for a little bit, and then people return to something
14:40
traditional and familiar feeling. It feels a bit harsh to
14:44
say it it was Kenny Rogers who ruined country music.
14:47
Much of Rogers's music is excellent and some is quite traditional,
14:50
but Kenny definitely was one of the crossover stars that
14:53
made country music more pop for a period and less
14:56
country in the early eighties. Just like bro country opened
14:59
the door for someon like Zach Top, Kenny Rogers helped
15:02
open the door for George Straight and Randy Travis. These
15:05
observations from zach Top tell us two things. First, timing
15:09
is incredibly important. If Zach Top had come along a
15:11
year or two before or a year or two after,
15:14
who knows, maybe his career would have never taken off.
15:17
There are so many traditional country artists that you wonder
15:19
why they never found the same success as Zach. Timing
15:22
has much to do with it. Second, since all these
15:25
things work in a cycle in country music, you can't
15:27
take it for granted when the cycles working in your
15:29
favor like it is now. You can't rest on your
15:32
laurels just because a few traditional country artists are finding
15:35
success right now and expect it to be that way forever.
15:39
But perhaps the long awaited split in the country genre
15:41
that many people have been clamoring for is finally here.
15:44
Since it isn't just radio that rules the roost and
15:46
the Internet is allowed for multiple lanes to success to
15:49
open up, neo traditionalists like Zach Top can become stars
15:53
and win Grammy Awards, while the jelly rolls of the
15:55
world thrive in the mainstream and do the same. It's
15:58
no longer an either or proposition. Maybe living side by
16:02
side is still not appetizing for some traditional country fans,
16:06
but at least traditionalists and neo traditionalists now have a
16:08
seat at the table and equal opportunities to their pop
16:11
country counterparts. Country music has come a long way since
16:15
the height of bro country, even if there is still
16:17
much to do, and that success is thanks to the
16:20
talent and appeal of country music's young traditionalists whose talent
16:23
and success can't go unrecognized any longer. Next, and then
16:28
there was one, the band Perry's latest iteration. Call it
16:33
a guilty pleasure at this point to peep into the
16:35
doings of country music's most fascinating and utterly dysfunctional family band,
16:39
the Band Perry. The constant relaunches and various iterations, spanning
16:44
multiple genres, spectacularly failing and then being reconstituted in something
16:49
new will give you whiplash just reading about it, and
16:52
each season, now spanning some twenty years, is marked by
16:54
its own unique hairdoo, often with peroxide involved. It really
16:59
is an incredible stevessemen too marvel over, even if it
17:01
would take a small novel to enumerate all the various
17:03
versions of this band and how they failed. With apologies
17:07
for being away on more pressing business at the time,
17:09
the writer says, But apparently Read Perry, who is the
17:12
last of the two Read brothers that backed sister Kimberly
17:14
in the band Perry for many years, has officially left
17:18
the band. He exited in October to become an artist manager.
17:22
The other brother, Neil Perry, never returned to the band
17:25
after they announced the hiatus in March of twenty twenty three.
17:28
After spending the years between seventeen and twenty three trying
17:31
and spectacularly failing to make it in pop, abandoning their
17:35
country roots where they had been quite successful, The Band
17:38
Perry became the cautionary tale for country artists wanting to
17:41
find greener pastures in the world of pop. Then, after
17:45
announcing the hiatus, Kimberly Perry launched a solo career, which
17:48
was shortly abandoned when it was discovered she likely didn't
17:51
come with any booking, muscle or name recognition. The only
17:55
track from her solo album that did semi well was
17:58
If I Die Young, Part two, take on the Band
18:00
Perry's previous hit So Then the Band Perry was restarted
18:04
again in June of twenty five, with Neil Perry being
18:07
replaced by Kimberly Perry's current husband, Johnny Costello, a spitting
18:11
image of Uncle Joey from the nineties version of Full House,
18:14
who dutifully adopted a bleached hairdew of his own as
18:17
initiation into the band, but then reed. Perry left six
18:21
months later, necessitating yet another reboot. So now the band
18:24
Perry's officially Kimberly Perry and her husband Johnny Costello, confused
18:30
yet well. To kick off this latest restart of a
18:33
restart of a reconstituted career, the Band Perry's released a
18:37
perhaps aptly titled Psychological, officially the band's first new country
18:42
song in nine years. It's about a lover going psycho
18:45
over a bow, which is only logical because there's such
18:48
a catch or something. It's not written by a Perry,
18:51
but by Clara Park, Grace Taylor, and Colton Venner. It's
18:54
a smart use of wordplay, but it does give you
18:57
a bit of an unhitched feeling. Make me crazy, seem rational,
19:01
I'd say obsession feels natural. You're all I want, any hoop,
19:04
any obstacle, boy you make calling psychological. The track was
19:09
the most added at country radio this week, so apparently
19:12
the industry, or at least radio, does have an appetite
19:15
to at least try the latest Band Perry reboot on
19:17
for size. Let's not get too excited, though, these most
19:21
added accolades haven't really been panning out lately. Is guaranteed
19:24
number ones nine months down the road, but we'll see.
19:28
As part of the latest reboot, Kimberly Perry sat down
19:31
with Rolling Stone Country, who characteristically did not offer her
19:34
in scrutiny whatsoever on all the relaunches and gas lighting
19:38
over the years, but they did help her assert that
19:41
the reason for the band Perry's departure to Pop an
19:44
eventual breakup someone had to do with bro Country or
19:47
being kicked out of Nashville. When prompted about whether they
19:50
were kicked out or not, Kimberly Perry gave a brilliant,
19:53
elongated gobbledegook non answer. I think it's a cross of
19:57
the two, she says. I think it's six to one
19:59
way a half a day. And I think it's so
20:01
funny because I got to make that comment before I've
20:03
come all the way back home to my og A
20:05
label home, and so having the perspective of now a
20:08
couple additional years to that, I think the redemption story
20:11
and the transparent conversations that we've gotten to have with
20:14
each other now with our OG team has been really interesting. Anyway,
20:19
It's always been part of the story of the Band
20:21
Perry implosion that Scott Burschetta and Big Machine Records were
20:24
trying to coax the band in a certain direction during
20:27
the bro Country ear to keep them relevant after seeing
20:31
the success of fellow Big Machine artist Taylor Swift's forea
20:34
in to pop. Perhaps that was the path set out
20:36
for them. It doesn't feel like picking low hanging fruit
20:39
by picking on the band Perry, but the problem appears
20:42
to be that they never knew who they were, and
20:43
it's unclear if they still know who they are now.
20:46
When you don't know who you are, it allows others
20:48
to define you. And when you have a strong vision
20:50
for yourself, everything else bends around your will, not vice versa.
20:54
This is the difference between Taylor Swift going pop and
20:57
becoming the biggest artist in the world and Perry going
21:00
pop and falling off a proverbial cliff. And that's what
21:05
still doesn't feel right about what the band Perry, or
21:07
what's left of it is doing here. No doubt the
21:09
music row system is still able to push a song
21:12
or even an artist to the top of the gerrymandered,
21:14
rigged system, like they've done early on with Psychological But
21:18
what does that even mean in twenty twenty six? What
21:20
value does it offer right now? The number one song
21:23
music is the traditional country song again by Ella Langley's
21:26
choosing Texas. This is the direction of country music. If
21:30
the band Perry wanted to get back to its og start,
21:32
it would be picking up Banjo's and Mandolins right now,
21:35
not soliciting three songwriters for a radio hit. When read
21:39
Perry sees better prospects managing someone else's career instead of
21:42
fulfilling his own in his family band, it's not a
21:45
good sign anyway. Maybe the Kimberly Perry Johnny Costello iteration
21:50
of the brand Perry will finally finally be the one
21:52
to get the project back on track. Maybe Psychological will
21:56
become a big hit. But it still feels like we're
21:58
living through a moment where the Anne Perry is the
22:01
perfect cautionary tale of how not to navigate a musical
22:04
career in country music. Now we skip on down the
22:08
road to countrynow dot Com. With the first article dated
22:11
February twenty third. Eric Church opens up about losing his
22:15
brother in the call from Vince Skill that helped him heal.
22:18
Eric Church's life changed forever in twenty eighteen when his
22:21
brother Brandon suddenly died. In the weeks that followed, he
22:24
was in a very vulnerable state, struggling to make sense
22:27
of it all, But then he received a call from
22:29
country legend Vince Gill, who offered him a perspective on
22:32
the situation that he would never forget. The North Carolina
22:36
Natives brother died at age thirty six on June twenty ninth,
22:39
twenty eighteen. According to an autopsy report obtained from TMZ,
22:44
Brandon suffered two seizures, one of which led to cardiac arrest.
22:48
Many of his health issues were reportedly tied to years
22:50
of alcohol use, which had damaged his heart and liver
22:53
and left him with a history of seizures triggered by
22:55
alcohol withdrawal. During an appearance on the CNN podcast All
23:00
There Is with Anderson Cooper, Church opened up about this
23:03
tragedy and how it impacted his life. When my brother died,
23:07
I didn't comprehend it. It's never going to be the
23:09
same again with my parents, with their relationship with the
23:12
whole family, the family dynamic. When my brother died, I
23:15
wasn't prepared for that part, he admits. He went on
23:18
to recall a conversation he had with Gill shortly a
23:20
few days after the loss. The pair of artists had
23:23
met before, but they weren't close friends at the time.
23:26
Gill could relate to what Church was going through, as
23:28
he had unfortunately lost or lost to brother Bob Gil
23:31
to a heart attack in nineteen ninety three. While sharing
23:34
their stories of grief, the grand olap remember offered some
23:38
guidance to Church that has stuck with him to this day.
23:41
I didn't really know Vince very well. I'd met him,
23:44
and he actually was the first one that said to me.
23:45
He said, you don't understand this now, but you're never
23:48
going to be the same. Your mom and dad are
23:50
never going to be the same. Your sister's never going
23:52
to be the same. You all are never going to
23:55
be the same as an unit. Nothing's ever going to
23:57
be the same. And the quicker you understand that, the
24:00
better you'll deal with it the hands of time. Singer
24:03
explained that at the time he wasn't quite able to
24:05
grasp what Gil was telling him, but eventually he came
24:08
to understand just what those powerful words meant and realized
24:11
that he spoke nothing but the truth. In that moment,
24:14
I was sitting there thinking, well, if it was grief,
24:17
we've always been in the family. But looking back on it,
24:19
He's exactly right. It's never the same. When something like
24:22
that happens, it changes everything and it becomes a new normal.
24:26
The critically acclaimed country star and his brother always shared
24:28
a love of music. They started off in a band together,
24:31
and then once Church embarked on a solo career, his
24:34
brother became a huge supporter. Brandon is even credited on
24:37
at least two Church songs, how About You and Without
24:41
You Here. All these years later, Church says that he
24:44
might not ever have gotten to this point if it
24:46
weren't for Brandon's encouragement during difficult moments of his journey.
24:51
When I came to Nashville, like any experience for a
24:53
young artist and Nashville songwriter, it's tough. You think you're
24:56
really good. I would say this to any artist out there.
24:59
You think you're really good, good till you get to
25:00
Nashville and see what really good looks like. And I
25:04
went through a couple of years of trying to make
25:06
it and it wasn't working. He revealed that one night
25:10
he was feeling extra defeated and was ready to throw
25:12
in the towel and give up on Music City altogether. First,
25:15
he called his brother and ended up doing everything in
25:17
his power to make sure the Church didn't give up
25:19
on himself. He said, what's going on? I said, man,
25:22
it's not going to work. I feel like life's passing
25:24
me by. I feel like all my friends and everybody
25:27
back there is moving on with their life. They're getting married,
25:29
they're doing stuff. I'm out here treading water. Right the
25:33
next day he showed up in Nashville. We drove and
25:35
I had a one bedroom apartment. He slept on my
25:38
fold out couch for a year just to keep me there,
25:40
and he just moved in and we found our own rhythm,
25:42
our own life, and he wouldn't let me go. He said, no,
25:45
you're not. You don't come here. I'll come to you.
25:47
And he moved out and it kept me in town.
25:51
A year of living together changed everything. Slowly, Church began
25:53
to see movement in his dreams, and looking back, he
25:56
realizes just how pivotal that support was. Losing his brother
25:59
was obviously a major moment in Eric Church's life. Since then,
26:03
he has witnessed several other losses and tragedies. Church not
26:06
only up opened up to Anderson Cooper about his brother's death,
26:09
but also about the grief he dealt with after the
26:12
twenty seventeen Root ninety one Harvest Festival mass shooting and
26:16
the twenty twenty three Covenant School tragedy, which hit especially
26:19
close to home since his own children attended school nearby.
26:23
This conversation found Church opening up in a way he
26:26
hasn't done so publicly, while reflecting on how loss has
26:29
changed the way he views life, family, and the world
26:32
around him. Next, Luke Bryan sets the tone for twenty
26:37
twenty six tour with new song Word on the Street.
26:41
Luke Bryan is back with a brand new release, Word
26:43
on the Street, which is also the song that inspired
26:46
his twenty twenty six tour and leans into his small
26:48
town roots. It's finally out. I hope you guys are
26:51
BS free out in BFE somewhere listening. Can't wait to
26:55
hear what you think, Brian wrote in a new Facebook post.
26:58
The laid back vibe of the track it's right into
27:00
the Country Superstars catalog and perfectly sets the tone for
27:03
his summer of performances on the books. Penned by Peyton Smith,
27:07
Josh Thompson and Justin Ebach, Word on the Street finds
27:10
Brian tapping into a BS free mentality as he captures
27:13
the desire to stay clear of any gossip or drama
27:16
that might be circulating in the world. He trades that
27:19
for the kind of quiet only country life can deliver
27:23
fans Here, the Georgia Bourne singer begin by setting up
27:25
the conflict that pertains to him and how it started
27:28
his longing to stay out of the line of rumors. Explains,
27:31
the word on the street is that an ex has
27:33
moved on and that people are talking about him and
27:36
dragging my name through the mud. As the song continues,
27:39
he lets out his frustration over all the social chatter
27:41
and people's tendency to speculate and jump to conclusions without
27:45
knowing both sides of the story. Regardless, Brian makes it
27:49
clear he wants to stay out of the rumor mill
27:51
and instead retreat to the serenity of wide open back roads,
27:54
rivers and pine forests aka places where there's no gossip,
27:58
no judgment, and no one asking about personal business. Reflecting
28:03
on the new song, he admits that he instantly fell
28:05
in love with its clever lyrics and summer ready sound
28:07
that sets the tone for the upcoming tour. This one
28:10
felt right to get out asap after naming my summer
28:14
tour from the title, who shared in a statement, when
28:16
I first heard the demo, I knew I had to
28:18
go in and record it. I loved everything about how
28:20
the writers approach this song. It just felt fresh. Can't
28:23
wait to get out on the road and perform it
28:25
for you live. Word on the Street marks the first
28:27
of more new music to come from Brian this year,
28:30
and serves as a follow up to his thirty second
28:32
number one hit country song Came On, which hit the
28:35
top spot last summer. This concludes the reading of Country
28:39
Weekly for this week. Folks. If you have any comments
28:41
or suggestions about our program, kindly call us at eight
28:44
five nine four two two sixty three ninety. Thank you
28:48
for joining me and on behalf of everyone here at RADIOI.
28:51
This is Ken Dawkins, wishing you a great day.