Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Country. Rock. Stars. Lady Antebellum Thrills WaMu Audience

Country. Rock. Stars. Lady Antebellum thrills WaMu audience
Nashville trio Lady Antebellum squeezed every ounce of hand-clapping, chorus-singing energy out of a crowd at Seattle's WaMu Theater on Oct. 25.

By Joanna Horowitz
The Seattle Times

They're country, they're rock and they're definitely stars. This is Lady Antebellum's first time in a headliner slot, but Monday night's high-energy show at the WaMu Theater made clear it's only the first of many concerts at the top.

Since bursting onto the country charts just two years ago with a self-titled debut and single"Love Don't Live Here," the Nashville trio has been stockpiling accolades (including a Grammy this year), hits and fans.

"How many of you saw us before?" they asked the WaMu crowd, who might have caught them opening for Kenny Chesney last year or Tim McGraw in May. A big cheer rose in response. But not as big as one elicited from those who were seeing them for the first time.

And Lady A's three core members— double lead singers Hillary Scott and Charles Kelley and guitarist Dave Haywood— along with a dynamite five-piece band, squeezed every ounce of hand-clapping, chorus-singing energy out of the crowd.

After a nearly a cappella opening— showing off spot-on three-part harmonies— the band laid into one barnburner after another. Good-time romp"Stars Tonight" and the playful, dusty barroom stomp of"Love's Looking Good on You" got everyone on their feet.

Strutting, flirting and working the crowd, Kelley and Scott both play rock star well. Scott— in rhinestone-encrusted leggings and mile-high heels— has a smoldering stare that belies her girlish, albeit powerful, voice. Kelley, during an electrifying solo turn on Bruce Springsteen's"I'm on Fire" (which wandered into The Police's"Every Breath You Take") showcased his perfectly raspy belt— and proved he can steer the ship alone, no problem.

Both have clearly studied at the"American Idol" school of earnest, eye-locked power balladry. It feels just a tad overwrought at times, but any cheese can be easily forgiven when their harmonies lock in.

Case in point: the single"Need You Now," a sing-in-your-shower slow burner with painfully honest, late-night-lonely lyrics.

Serious credit is due to the five guys in the backing band, all of whom did double instrument duty when they switched for a moment to acoustic (including accordion, mandolin and stand up bass) for"Something'Bout a Woman." Jason"Slim" Gambill, in particular, laid down a handful of arena-worthy guitar solos, smiling beatifically as his Willie Nelson braids swung fiercely.

READ THE ARTICLE HERE>>


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Sunday, November 28, 2010

Lady Antebellum Talk Dating, Drunk Dialing and Dylan

Lady Antebellum Talk Dating, Drunk Dialing and Dylan

Courtesy Of TheBoot.com

To say 2010 is Lady Antebellum's year would be an understatement. The trio kicked things off in January with the release of their sophomore album,'Need You Now,' and a Grammy win for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group under their belt. The nominations continued, as the band has five nods at both the CMA Awards and American Music Awards next month -- tying them with the number of nods Eminem received for the latter awards show.

The Boot chatted with Lady A's Hillary Scott, Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley at their recent benefit performance in New York about success, songwriting (they've already begun penning a follow up to'Need You Now') and why you should put that phone down at"a quarter after one."

How is your first headlining tour going so far?

Hillary: It's great. It's a lot more responsibility than I think you realize until you start embarking on it and making all these decisions. It makes us appreciate the people we've opened for over the years a lot more. You just have to think about every little thing from what people are eating to the set list. Everything. It runs the gamut.

'Need You Now' has been named the most-played song on jukeboxes this year, with more than 440,000 spins in bars and pubs, beating out Journey's'Don't Stop Believing.'

Dave: What?! That's awesome.

Hillary: A lot of people drunk dial? That's amazing.

Charles: When we hear these things, it's pretty wild because we're so busy. You get caught up in doing what you do and you forget what that song's done. It's reached so many people. That's a pretty crazy little stat.

Do you have advice on how to get over that drunken after-midnight desire to call an ex?

Charles: 99 percent of the time, don't make it. {laughs}

Dave: You'll regret it in the morning. Don't do it.

Hillary: I'm kind of old-fashioned, so I think the guy should always be the one to call. The girl just answers ... Or doesn't answer.

Dave: Leave him wondering. Leave him drunk and wondering. {laughs}

British pop singer Adele told our sister site, Spinner, that her upcoming album was influenced by'Need You Now.' She said her tour bus driver played it for her.

Hillary: Oh my gosh! Well, first of all, she won Best New Artist at the Grammys, actually the year that we were nominated for that same award. I'm a huge fan of hers, she is spectacular. She covered Bob Dylan's song on her first album,'Make You Feel My Love,' that is one of my favorite versions of that song I ever heard. That is a huge compliment. Thank you to her bus driver!

How far into the process of making a new album are you at this point?

Dave: We're writing. Literally, from before we finished the second record, we were writing new stuff. We've got a group of songs that we're going to start recording next year sometime. We'll finish out this year writing a bunch and probably go in with 30, 40, maybe even 50 songs to look at and then pick from those early next year and then start recording.

Is there one song that you're really excited about?

Charles: There's a few, but we're not gonna give them away just yet.

What is your songwriting process like?

Dave: If anything, it's really musical. We start a lot with melodies and instrumentation and trying to figure out good melodies for verses and choruses. We get to lyrics sometimes second, so we'll start humming a melody, finding something, and see where the music takes you as far as lyrics are and what you want to say and go from there. We love great melodies and great songs that have great hooks and melodies, so we start a little bit more on that side as opposed to other people that start more lyric-based. Sometimes we'll do it the other way.

Hillary, do Dave and Charles have to approve of the guys you date?

Hillary: Life's much easier when they do.

Charles: We don't have to. We're pretty obvious though when we don't.

Dave: Ultimately it's her call.

Hillary: It's extremely important to me. If anybody knows me, Charles and Dave do and have my best interests at heart. They're like the big brothers I never had. It definitely means the world what they think, and hopefully it's good.

What have been the best and worst aspects of fame?

Charles: I think the worst is your time is not so much your time anymore. Right now, it's also the stage of the career that we're at. We're at that stage where you have to go, go, go, go, go! There are times where we naturally get a little burned out and just want to have a few days to sit at home, watch TV and just relax and just check out. Your mind never really gets to check out.

The pro is at the end of the day, getting to wake up and do what you love. It's a small price to pay. With anything you do in life, there are days where you're worn out and you don't want to do it for a second. Honestly, we've been given the golden ticket here and so we're going to try to run with it and appreciate it and realize that it doesn't happen often.

One positive aspect has to be all the awards and nominations. How does it feel to be tied with Eminem for five American Music Awards/

Hillary: We're shocked. When we woke up to that text message it was like,'Are you kidding me? We're just a trio from Nashville.' It's one of those things that you never really know what can happen. We're living proof that a little hard work and a lot of luck can get you somewhere. It's wild. We've been fans of him. I remember seeing the first video he ever put out on MTV on TRL.

Dave: This year, to sum it up, has been unbelievable and really unexpected for us. The AMA nominations are no exception. They blew us away. We feel very humbled from everything that has come our way this year.
 

CHECK OUT THE ARTICLE HERE>>


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Saturday, November 27, 2010

Nominees Announced For Inaugural"American Country Awards"

NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR INAUGURAL“AMERICAN COUNTRY AWARDS”
AIRING LIVE MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, ON FOX

 
Lady Antebellum and Easton Corbin Lead with Most Nominations
 
Vote for Your Favorite Country Music Nominees Online attheacas.com

 
NASHVILLE, TN - (October 18, 2010)- The first-ever AMERICAN COUNTRY AWARDS will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las VegasMonday, Dec. 6 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX. The two-hour primetime special will be the first and only country music awards show where fans determine all the winners by voting for their favorite nominees in music, touring and video categories.
 
Superstars Lady Antebellum and newcomer Easton Corbin lead the inaugural AMERICAN COUNTRY AWARDS nominees with seven nominations each; Carrie Underwood earned six nods; and Miranda Lambert and Josh Turner each garnered five.
 
Starting today, fans can vote once each day for their favorite AMERICAN COUNTRY AWARDS nominees atwww.theacas.com. Voting is open until November 8, 2010, for all categories, except for Artist of the Year, which closes on December 4. The nominees for each award category have been determined by one of the four respected media measurement companies Big Champagne, Great American Country, Mediabase and Pollstar.
 
“Unlike any other country music award show, the AMERICAN COUNTRY AWARDS will give fans the power to choose all of the winners, which means the awards will reflect what America is listening to and watching right now,” said executive producer Bob Bain.“The ACAs will recognize traditional categories like Artist of the Year and Album of the Year but will also introduce a new honor for tours, resulting in one amazing night for country music.”
 
The AMERICAN COUNTRY AWARDS will feature performances and appearances by the year’s chart-topping country artists. Performers and presenters will be announced soon.
 
Following is the list of categories and nominees for the AMERICAN COUNTRY AWARDS:
 
ARTISTS
Artist of the Year
Lady Antebellum       
Miranda Lambert      
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Zac Brown Band
 
Artist of the Year: Male
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
Keith Urban
 
Artist of the Year: Female
Jewel
Miranda Lambert
Reba McEntire
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
 
Artist of the Year: Duo or Group
Lady Antebellum
Rascal Flatts
Sugarland
The Band Perry
Zac Brown Band
 
Artist of the Year: Breakthrough Artist
Easton Corbin
Danny Gokey
Jaron and The Long Road To Love
Jerrod Niemann
The Band Perry
 
ALBUMS
Album of the Year
“Doin’ My Thing,” Luke Bryan
“Need You Now,” Lady Antebellum
“Revolution,” Miranda Lambert
“Haywire,” Josh Turner
“Play On,” Carrie Underwood
 
SINGLES
Single of the Year
“Do I,” Luke Bryan
“A Little More Country Than That,” Easton Corbin
“Need You Now,” Lady Antebellum
“Gimme That Girl,” Joe Nichols
“Why Don’t We Just Dance,” Josh Turner
 
Single of the Year: Male
“Do I,” Luke Bryan
“Little More Country Than That,” Easton Corbin
“That’s How Country Boys Roll,” Billy Currington
“Gimme That Girl,” Joe Nichols
“Why Don’t We Just Dance,” Josh Turner
 
Single of the Year: Female
“White Liar,” Miranda Lambert
“Wrong Baby Wrong,” Martina McBride
“Consider Me Gone,” Reba McEntire
“Didn’t Know How Much I Loved You,” Kellie Pickler
“Cowboy Casanova,” Carrie Underwood
 
Single of the Year: Duo or Group
“Need You Now,” Lady Antebellum
“Little White Church,” Little Big Town
“Unstoppable,” Rascal Flatts
“Keep On Lovin’ You,” Steel Magnolia
“Toes,” Zac Brown Band
 
Single of the Year: Breakthrough Artist
“Little More Country Than That,” Easton Corbin
“Pray for You,” Jaron and The Long Road To Love
“Lover, Lover,” Jerrod Niemann
“Keep on Lovin’ You,” Steel Magnolia
“Beer on the Table,” Josh Thompson
 
TOURING
Touring Headline Package of the Year
Brooks& Dunn
Toby Keith
Martina McBride& Trace Adkins
Tim McGraw
Brad Paisley
Rascal Flatts
George Strait& Reba McEntire
Sugarland
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
 
VIDEOS
Music Video of the Year
“A Little More Country Than That,” Easton Corbin
“Need You Now,” Lady Antebellum
“Hillbilly Bone,” Blake Shelton with Trace Adkins
“Why Don’t We Just Dance,” Josh Turner
“The Man I Want To Be,” Chris Young
 
Music Video: Male
“A Little More Country Than That,” Easton Corbin
“Southern Voice,” Tim McGraw
“Hillbilly Bone,” Blake Shelton with Trace Adkins
“Why Don’t We Just Dance,” Josh Turner
“The Man I Want To Be,” Chris Young
 
Music Video: Female
“White Liar,” Miranda Lambert
“Consider Me Gone,” Reba McEntire
“Didn’t Know How Much I Loved You,” Kellie Pickler
“Cowboy Casanova,” Carrie Underwood
“Work Hard, Play Harder,” Gretchen Wilson
 
Music Video: Duo or Group
“Need You Now,” Lady Antebellum
“Little White Church,” Little Big Town
“Unstoppable,” Rascal Flatts
“Keep on Lovin’ You,” Steel Magnolia
“Highway 20 Ride,” Zac Brown Band
 
Music Video: Breakthrough Artist 
“Giddy On Up,” Laura Bell Bundy
“A Little More Country Than That,” Easton Corbin
“Lover, Lover,” Jerrod Niemann
“Keep on Lovin’ You,” Steel Magnolia
“If I Die Young,” The Band Perry

VOTE FOR LADY A HERE>>


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Friday, November 26, 2010

Lady A Wins 2010 AMA Award

Congrats to Lady A for taking home the award for Country Band, Duo or Group at the 2010AMA Awards. Thanks to all the fans who voted for Lady A! If you missed Lady A receiving their award, check out the video below.


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Thursday, November 25, 2010

Watch Lady A Get Pranked By David Nail In The New Lady A Team Exclusive Video

Lady A gets some unannounced visitors on stage while they sing"American Honey," courtesy of their friend David Nail. Watch Lady A as they get pranked during their last performance in their headliningNeed You Now 2010 Tour. Only Lady A Team members can see this exclusive video. If you havne't signed up to be in the Lady A Team, sign upHERE.

WATCH THE LADY A TEAM EXCLUSIVE VIDEO>>

JOIN THE LADY A TEAM>>


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