What’s New? JB & The Moonshine Band Catch Up With HaleighT

An Update On What JB & The Moonshine Band Have Been Up To. This past Saturday I met up with JB & The Moonshine Band before their show at The Longhorn Saloon in Fort Smith, Ark.. It had been about a year since I had seen the guys, so it was nice to catch up. Other than fishing and gardening in their down time, they’ve been pretty busy continuing to tour and promote their album Beer for Breakfast. In case you didn’t know, that album is part of an exclusive group, being named one of the Best Country Albums of 2012 by Rolling Stone magazine. These East Texas country rockers are like a thousand other bar bands, with a crucial difference: Frontman JB Patterson can really write songs – balancing sentiment with low-key Music Row wit and driven home with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers-like chime and crunch. –Rolling Stone Being praised by such an acclaimed magazine could and would make some band’s head swell, but not JBMB. “It’s awesome and I still can’t get over it,” Patterson said. “It means people are really listening.” After making their first appearance at the CMT Awards this Wednesday (June 5), the guys will be making a stop in Oklahoma on June 9 for Red Dirt Rising. The benefit, being held at The Arbuckle Ballroom in Davis, Okla., is a gathering of Oklahoma and Texas musicians. The artists and bands will be lending their talents to raise money for the victims of the Oklahoma tornadoes that hit this past May. I know after reading all of the awesomeness that is JBMB, you’ll want to catch one of their shows pretty soon. Well… if you have any special talents you might not only see them soon, you might be on stage with them too! These guys love a good contest and their latest is “Get In Where You Fit In.” It gives people the opportunity to show off their talents and perform with the band on stage at any one of the listed shows. Hayden McMullen, lead guitar, said, “I think it’s cool that people have the opportunity to be able to get on stage and show what they’ve got.” For those of you who are fans from France, get excited! The band will be making a journey your way to headline Craponne! All I can say is JBMB are playing and headlining one night for over 15,000 people. I’d tell you more but that’s all they told me and the website is in French…but I’m sure it’ll be one for the books! Bottom line, this band is constantly growing and gaining new fans and that says something! Good work boys! Y’all watch the latest video for their current single, “The Only Drug,” now!

Thunder On The Mountain Presents Matt Enik

Thunder On The Mountain and CMNB Host Special Interview Series Featuring Matt Enik! We can hardly believe its almost here, but Thunder On The Mountain is next week (June 6-8 in Ozark, AR)! With the festival just around the corner, we are wrapping up our interview series featuring artists from the star studded line-up! This week, we’re sitting down via Google + to talk with Matt Enik. We’ll be chatting with Enik on Thursday, May 30th at 3:00pm CST! You can watch below and follow us on G+, Facebook and Twitter to keep up with the latest news and updates! Thunder On The Mountain Presents Matt Enik. Be sure to check out our previous hangouts with Rose Falcon, J.T. Hodges, Easton Corbin, Colt Ford, Clayton Anderson and JJ Lawhorn!

Thunder On The Mountain Presents Kristen Kelly

Live Google + Interview with Thunder On The Mountain and Kristen Kelly. Thunder On The Mountain is next week, June 6-8 on Mulberry Mountain in Ozark, AR, and as we prep for the exciting brand new festival, we’ve been taking time to talk with some of the talented folks in the line up! In our final live Google+ hangout interview, we’ll be chatting with the talented, Texas native, Kristen Kelly! You’ll be able to watch below on Friday, May 31st at 3:00pm CST, and stay connected via G+, Facebook and Twitter for updates! Thunder On The Mountain Presents Kristen Kelly! Be sure to check in with out previous hangouts including J.T. Hodges, Rose Falcon, Easton Corbin, Clayton Anderson, Colt Ford, and JJ Lawhorn.

Thunder On The Mountain Presents JJ Lawhorn

Exclusive Pre-Festival Google + Interview with JJ Lawhorn Hosted by CMNB and Thunder On The Mountain! Thunder On The Mountain is just around the corner, and amidst all our excitement we’re hosting a series of interviews with some of the very talented artists featured in the festival line-up! This week, we’ll be “hanging” out with JJ Lawhorn, and he can fill us in on what’s new in his neck of the woods! Tune in on Wednesday, May 22nd at 11am CST! We’ll feature the video below, and you can find more details on Google +, Facebook or Twitter! Thunder On The Mountain takes place June 6-8 on Mulberry Mountain in Ozark, AR! For more info on the line-up, tickets, accommodations and more, head over to their official website. Thunder On The Mountain Presents…JJ Lawhorn! Be sure to check out our previous hangouts with folks like Rose Falcon, J.T. Hodges, Colt Ford, Easton Corbin and Clayton Anderson!

Interview: Jessta James Talks New Album and Fresh Sound

Interview: Jessta James Shares About His Brand New Album and The Fresh Hybrid Sound It Features. Jessta James hails from Montana originally, and his brand of country features clear influences that reach far beyond the bounds of Nashville, TN. The music you’ll hear on his debut album, Time To Get Right, skillfully blends country with rock and hip hop. Now, there really are a lot of folks out there putting these seemingly unrelated genres together, but James stands apart in that there is a naturalness to his songs that I haven’t heard from others representing this sound. He currently records and produces his music out of a studio in Atlanta, and this new album will be featured on his own label. It is currently available, having released Tuesday, May 21st, and I highly suggest you give it a listen! Before you do though, hear from Jessta himself on why his music is the way it is, and where it comes from. So, you’re working on this new album, what is your creative process like? My creative process is really anything and everything. Usually, typically speaking, I will sit down with my producer and my guitar player and I’ll have an idea, a concept, different musical elements I want to incorporate. And we’ll sit there and mess around with a riff, and I’ll come up with a chorus and once we have a solid start we’ll go from there. I’ve learned that its best that I finish an idea once I start. I read that you didn’t start writing till your early 20’s, what inspired you to get into it? I was raised on country and rock music all my life. I had never written any songs or sang but my friends and I would freestyle when we were just hanging out. Another artist heard me, and told me I really needed to write it down. When you’re writing, where do you pull the most inspiration from? The title track is about my brother Matt. I wrote that song to him, all the things I never got to say to him. That was a very deep, personal song. The song “Better Man” is to my whole family, about my Dad, the relationship with my son, my wife…It strikes a chord with people everywhere, when we perform it live. “Rock N Roll Angel” is for my wife. There’s no way I could be doing this without the support of my wife. You have actual experience in the hip-hop genre, what lead you to that scene? I got into hip hop because it was new to me. I would just find myself listening to whatever was different, whatever caught my ear. There weren’t really any artists that I could relate to because I couldn’t relate to the content in the material. But I like the sounds, it was appealing to my ear and I wanted to take it and hone it into something that fit me. When I started to make music, I Continue reading Interview: Jessta James Talks New Album and Fresh Sound

Thunder On The Mountain Presents Easton Corbin

Thunder On The Mountain and CMNB Bring You an Exclusive Interview with Easton Corbin! In this week’s installment of our on going Google + Hangout interview series with Thunder On The Mountain, we are talking to the talented and on the rise Easton Corbin! We will be getting his insight into the upcoming and brand new country music festival, as well as checking in with him and what’s new for him! So, don’t miss it at 2pm CST on Tuesday, May 21st! Thunder On The Mountain Presents…Easton Corbin!

Thunder On The Mountain Presents…Live Interview with Clayton Anderson

CMNB and Thunder On The Mountain Bring You a Live Google + Interview with Clayton Anderson! The highly anticipated Thunder On The Mountain country music festival is quickly approaching (just a couple more weeks!), and this week we’re taking a few minutes to chat with another one of the amazing artists from the 3 day line-up! Coming up, we’ll be doing a Google + Hangout with Clayton Anderson on Thursday, May 16th at 3:00pm central to get his inside opinion on this brand new country fest, what’s coming up for him this year and more! You can watch the interview live below, or come back and catch it later. Also be sure to check in on our Google + page and Facebook for updates and details. Then make sure you’re following us (@CMNBlog) and the great folks at Thunder On The Mountain (@THUNDERontheMTN) on Twitter to make sure you hear all the latest news! Watch our previous hangouts with Colt Ford, J.T. Hodges and Rose Falcon on our YouTube playlist! Thunder On The Mountain Presents…Clayton Anderson: Thunder On The Mountain will take place June 6-8 on Mulberry Mountain in Ozark, AR. For ticket info, artist line-up, lodging and event details visit their official page!

Thunder On The Mountain Presents: Live Google+ Hangout with Colt Ford

CMNB and Thunder on the Mountain LIVE Interview with Colt Ford! Continuing our interview series with upcoming country music festival Thunder On The Mountain, CMNB will be interviewing Colt Ford via Google + hangout on Wednesday, May 8th at 4:00pm CST! This brand new festival boasts an amazing line up, and we’re taking you behind the scenes with these fun chats getting the low down on the fest, how artists prep for their live shows, what they have in the works for 2013 and more! You can watch the interview below as soon as its live at 4pm on Wednesday, and you can get involved by submitting questions in the comment section below, by tweeting us at @CMNBlog, finding us on Google+ or commenting on the event page on Facebook! Basically, no matter what social channel you prefer, you can reach us. Thunder On The Mountain Presents…Colt Ford! Thunder On The Mountain takes place June 6th-8th on Mulberry Mountain in Ozark, AR! For ticket info and details head on over to their official site! Be sure to keep up with them on Twitter (@THUNDERontheMTN) using the #Thunder2013 hashtag.

Interview: Krystal Keith Talks Music, College and the Country Scene

Krystal Keith Shares About Her New Music, Getting A College Degree, and Breaking Into Country Music. A lot of folks probably assume that when you have a famous parent, life is going to be a cake walk. Well, for Krystal Keith, having Toby Keith for a father no doubt helped open a few doors or window, but this is one new artist that is hard at work on her own terms. She recently debuted with her four song EP which features current single “Daddy Dance with Me.” The song was originally written for her father, but it has clearly hit home for a lot of fans having already garnered over half a million views for its official video on YouTube! While four songs is less than half of the typical full album, Krystal puts them to good use demonstrating a range vocally and musically that proves she has a lot to offer country music from touching sentiment in “Daddy” to sassy pearls of wisdom in “Can’t Buy You Money.” Amidst the delightful lyrics, Keith’s strong voice and natural twang make each track worth more than just one listen. Be sure to check it out, available on iTunes now. While she’s hard at work prepping for her full length release, Whiskey and Lace, and getting the word out on her EP, Krystal was kind enough to take a little time to fill me on her music, the benefits of postponing a music career for college and her take on the state of country today. Q: How did you get inspired to write the song “Daddy Dance with Me”? I wanted a song that I could give to him, looking through all the father daughter songs, and it dawned on me, what the hell am I doing? I’m a songwriter. I never expected it to go on an album, it was originally just for him. It was just me and a piano, and it was pretty powerful. Q: Obviously you’ve grown up in the thick of the music industry, when did you decide that you want to make music on your own? There was never a time that I didn’t want to be musician or thought that I was a musician. Anyone that was in my living was subject to performances. I think my parents always knew it was coming, and my parents never really encouraged or discouraged it when I was younger. I started writing when I was 9 or so and my Dad saw that potential in me, I guess, and fostered that in me some. Q: So, you’ve got this EP, what else can fans expect from you for the rest of 2013? We’re crazy busy with the EP. I’ll spend most of the summer finalizing decisions, and launch the album and hopefully have a radio tour at the end of the summer. Then I’ll start getting back on the road, hopefully. I Toured last summer and that probably was most fun I’ve ever had with a group of Continue reading Interview: Krystal Keith Talks Music, College and the Country Scene

Interview: Scott DeCarlo Radio Ready and Ready to Rock

Interview: Scott DeCarlo Brings Fresh, Rockin’, Radio Ready Sound to Country Music! There sure are a lot of new talents making their voices heard on the country scene this year, and one of the most promising has got to be New Jersey native Scott DeCarlo. He has one fresh, summer perfect, radio ready single, “Havin’ A Good Time,” circulating right now (listen below!), and it is sure to make you want to ditch the the 9 to 5 and head out for a cold drink and some sunshine (As I write this, it is a beyond beautiful day outside, and I really want to do just that!). We took a few minutes to chat via phone recently, and DeCarlo shared with me that he wrote the song in between his move from NJ to Nashville, where he’s lived for about a year now. He said that basically, “I’m an all around have a good time kind of guy,” and from the amount of joking around he did during the interview, I’d say that’s probably true. Scott struck me as not only a down to earth kind of guy, but also someone who’s willing and able to roll with the punches, an attribute that folks need if they’re gonna make it in a tough industry like the music biz. On top of his easy going personality though, he’s really got the talent to make in the long run, and I think that’s pretty clear in his current single alone (so be sure to listen!). In addition to pushing “Havin’ A Good Time,” DeCarlo is working on a self-financed EP, and he already has about twelve or so songs in the works. When asked to classify his “sound” he said it has a “real edgy rock” vibe, and he claims a wide variety of influences from his mother’s favorite, Elvis to Queen to Skynyrd. So, hopefully, we can expect to hear more from him soon! Be sure to give him a listen below, and find him rabble rousing on Twitter and Facebook! One thing Scott wants you to know about him…the music is real! “I would want them to know the music is genuine, its not contrived. I’m not trying to be anything I’m not, keeping it real. Doing what I hear in my head, not adhering to any standard.” Listen: Scott DeCarlo “Havin’ A Good Time.” Love Instagram? Have a little fun with Scott and send him your “Havin A Good Time” pics using #HavinAGoodTime!