Rodney Atkins and a NIght of Family Friends and Fundraising.

Saturday night March 29th I was lucky enough to stumble upon a great night for a great cause.  If you follow Rodney on Twitter or Facebook you know that he is raising money for Holston Home.  This is where he was adopted from,  being adopted myself this is an effort that hits home.  The show was on stageit.com and called "Rod & Roseys First Livin' Room Live Show to Benefit Holston Home".  I had never been on the Stageit.com site before so I wasn't sure what to expect.  After perusing the site for a bit I added it to my favorites bar.  If you have never been on it before like myself it is a site for artists to have live shows and raise money at the same time. Each artist sets the price of the tickets. The site uses a "TIP" program where each "note" to tip costs 10 cents. The minimum tip is 50 notes or $5.00 all ticket money and tip money raised with this show went to Holston Home.

The hour long show featured The HIMms, Rose Falcon, and Rodney.  From the first shot of Rodney sitting on their couch in a gorgeous living room you knew you were in for a fun family filled night and that is exactly what you got.  There were some glitches at first with the picture and sound completely dropping for around 10 minutes. During the blackout there was some good conversation to be had using the chat feature on the site, Hope who was acting as the spokeswoman for the show kept us up to date the entire time.  When the feed came back The Himms played a short 2 song ditty.  Due to the black out they announced after the 2 songs there was to be and additional 30 minutes added to the show and then some.

Rodney played and this is when the tipping became fast and generous.  They had a contest that if they raised $5000 the highest tipper would have a private show with Rodney and Rose with Stageit.com at a later date.  Rodney played a full hit set list over the time of the show.  The best part for me was to see him involve his family.  He played a song with his father and a  few with Rose.  Rose added a song with her father as well However the show was stolen by a freestyle rap performance from the 2 pimped out boyz.  It was a great show over all and one that I soon will not forget.

The point of the show was to raise money and that is what happened.  There was a contest with gift pack for the highest Pre-Show bidder and that raised $1800.  During the show they were taking requests of tips and people were paying upwards of $100 to hear a song what a great idea.  Rose showed a painting she had just finished that will be going on Rodney's EBay auction(  Rodney Atkins EBay Site ).  There are some great items up for bids with some signed items from artists like Justin Moore, Zach Brown, and Jana Kramer.  Rose also added 2 of her shirts for tipping contests both of which will be signed by Rodney and Rose.  The shirts went to the first person to tip 500 notes or $50.  I lost out on the first one by mere seconds but i really didn't mind because I was tipping to help the kids out.  If I had one the shirt I would have told them to put it up for auction anyways.  They added another gift pack to the highest bidders of the show and also the Encore show that was set up due to the blackout.  The night was a success,  the $5000 mark was not hit during the show but the final number has not been put up as of yet.

I am full behind this cause and will help out anyway I can.  I just want to thank Everyone that tipped and everyone that is bidding on items.  It is because of people like you that I am able to be writing this now.  I have no idea what my life would have been like if I were not adopted by such amazing people.

Review Jerrod Niemann High Noon

This is Jerrod's latest album being released today March 25th. I have been looking forward to this release, he has been promoting this through various outlets including a website dedicated just to it with games and other fun items on it. I am sometimes weary when the promotion is that high. I have found in the past a big promotional push has lead to weak albums both musically and lyrically. After hearing the lead song "Space" I thought thats what I was in for. After 3 plays I was still not convinced but it was time to move on to the rest. "Buzz Back Girl" is going to be stuck in my head for a while now it is a very good song. It hits home with me and probably most guys. There is always that one girl that can makes us feel light headed just by seeing them. I was taken back to the few ladies who made me feel this way. This song will probably end up in my most played list very soon. The next song was the original single off the album "Drink To that All Night" and it is another good tune. I was really starting to dig this album by this point and we are only 3 songs in. Granted it started with a speed bump it was only up hill so far. After two faster paced songs comes a song about an ending relationship "I Can't Give In Anymore". It makes you think to all the relationships that have hit a rocky patch or have ended. It is more of what most people would consider country, it has the lyrics and sound that one would expect to hear on country radio. It is a nice change of pace at this point in the album if you were to listen to it straight through like I did. "We Know How to Rock" is up next. It has a conflicting message that most fans are either for or against lately. Should country really be rockish. I could care less either way good country music is good country music. This song proves my point by bringing up two very strong symbols of our country the man in Black and blue suede shoes. This is the way country is headed for the most part upbeat party songs that pay homage to the past and to the founders of todays country. I have found my sit back relax and tip it back song from this record. "Come On Come On" makes me want to sit on a porch or a tailgate with some good friends a fire and moonlight. This is a total summer song. In my case think about summer time song. The next song should probably be the next single "Lucky #7". Our past builds our future and we are lucky to find love in this carzy mixed up world and this is on the point. Not everyone can express their feelings openly but if you were to play this song for your other half they will instantly know how you feel. Another good song on this album. I am starting to think I have my new favorite album of the year but there are still 6 tracks left so let's continue our journey. This next one is my least favorite song on the album. It ties in the 69boyz "Let me Ride That Donkey" in with a modern Big and Rich style club mix country song. I know I will end up hearing this at every country bar I go to this summer and it will annoy me every time. There will no doubt be a line dance attached to it which could be interesting. The younger girls will love this track. Ahh back to a more traditional country tune. "Day Drinking" who among us hasn't been there before. I love waking up to Roger Miller that usually leads to a good day or one I don't remember either way a wins a win. Jerrod should have named this album after "The Real Thing" because that what this record is. This slowed down love song is filled with raw emotion. I can picture looking into my lovers eyes and just letting it all pour out. Telling her exactly how I feel and letting her know I am not going any damn place unless she is there. Another summer jam is up next with "Beach Baby". It sounds like a something straight off a Kenny Chesney with an added country element. I am not a fan of these island type tunes. So i could have easily done without this track on here. I get it that he is trying to reach a vast crowd and i don't blame him but this is an instant skip track for me. Can I get a "Refill" of this album because I know I am going to ruin at least 3 CD's from listening to it so much. Another winner on this song. They keep coming and every time I want to get down on it JErrod Brings me back in. The last track I am a bit biased on because I am a huge Colt Ford fan. I was really looking forward to hearing this latest collaboration. I was not disappointed, this is another song that will cross genres and attract new fans to Jerrod Niemann. After hearing 11 really really good songs and 2 skippers I am going to tell everyone to go out and buy this. I am giving this album 4 out of 5 stars. It almost got a 5 but with 2 skip songs on it I couldn't do it. I will be listening to this for a long time and is now my second favorite album of the year behind Eric Church and Outsiders. I am glad that I purchased this the day it came out because I know for sure I am going to be playing this for people at work tomorrow. I am now looking forward to seeing him perform these songs live however I will have to make a long drive to do so. Jerrod you need to come to Buffalo

Life is music and music is life

                                         

I know the name of my blog is country music is my life but is could be called my life is country music.  When I sit back and listen to song after song all I can think is how do these people know about my life and where are the cameras.  No matter where you are from and what you are going through one thing is for sure country music has a song about it.  There are songs all about this theme Chris Cagle  "My Life's Been a Country Song" and Trace Adkins "Songs About Me".  

Growing up I always tried to distance myself from country music.  It was the rebellious side of me trying to break away from my parents.  However it seemed the harder I tried the more I related to the songs.  I remember my first real girlfriend her name was Kelly I was young and dumb about 14 I thought it was going to last forever.  Of course it didn't and we did break up what was the first song I heard,  Alabama "Goodbye" also known as "Kelly's Song" talk about an emotional slap in the face.  The tears came down like Niagara Falls  I should know it is only 20 minutes from my door.  I think I must have replayed the song 100 times that week,  a hard task since it was on tape not a fancy CD or MP3.  I did get a nice crack with a wooden paddle  over that since I took the tape out of my dad's car without telling him.  I was always late in the game with new music this relationship was in 1995 and I was still listening to a 5 year old album Alabama had already put 3 more albums out after Pass It on Down by that time.  

I guess even back the. I had an old soul,  because looking back on that album (which still may be my favorite Alabama album of all time) it is filled with songs of breaks up and hard times.  The title track is about how we are destroying our own planet and how we need to start conserving the environment for our future generations.  I may have not had acres of land at my house but I spent most of my summers on my aunts horse farm and when I wasn't out there I was camping with my neighbors,  so nature was very important to me.   This album is why I now turn to music after break ups,  I still turn on "Until It Happens To You" and of course "Jukebox in my Mind".   I am actually getting.  It sentimental right now just thinking back on the relationships that I have had and the memories of getting over them with country music.

I went through a divorce 2 years ago and at first it was hard for me to listen to any music.  We both love country music it was one thing that we bonded over.  In the end it was our last fight as well. Our last fight was who got to take the 3rd row tickets for Blake Shelton. I had over 20,000 songs on my laptop and couldn't bring myself to listen to any of them.  I was stuck on sports talk radio all day and night.  I wanted nothing to do with my passion, my life.  Finally after 3 months of no music I plugged in my IPod and let it play.  For the next 4 hours all I did was cry, smile, and finally sing along.  It was country music that saved my life, more precisely it was King George, Chris Cagle and Gary Allan.  Between the 3 of them there was not one emotion I wasn't feeling.  This was the first time in almost 20 years I was single I mean really single and I didn't know how to handle it.  I was a wreck and spinning out of control I was losing friends and lashing out at everyone until that first song came through my truck speakers it was a song I have heard thousands of times and drunkenly sang at numerous bars,  "Smoke Rings in the Dark" but this time it hit me like a freight train to the chest.  It opened my eyes, dropped my jaw, and starting to heal my heart.  My mind blanked for the first time since she left me I was free of her image if only for a couple minutes I was free.  It was like that song after song note after note.  All I wanted to hear we're done me wrong falling out of love songs. I honestly believe if not for the 3 men above I wouldn't be here.  I had bad thoughts and mostly because I thought I was alone.  I may not have had anyone around me but I wasn't alone I had three new best friends that I fell like I had just met for this first time.  There are still songs I can't listen to fully because they take me back to a bad time and a bad place,  but I know that if I ever have the chance to meet any one these men I will thank them for saving me.  That is the power of our music it can grab us by the hand and lead us through any hell we are facing.

I have been told I have a great work ethic and when people ask me why I work so hard I tell them It's the only way I know.  From early on I was told I have to be up at the crack of dawn and go to bed after Johnny Carson.  Okay so maybe not that late but it seemed like it.  For those who don't known who Caron is I am sorry you missed out.  The winter had me up at 4:30 for hockey and the summer had me up at 5:00 to shovel horse crap.  To this day if I sleep past 8 I feel as if the day is wasted.  I get to work an hour early everyday so I can say hi to the 100 or so people I work with that day just because it's the right polite thing to do.  I work my 8 hours a day and then some.  You won't see me sitting at a desk or most of the time sitting at all.  I have spinal stenosis which is a shrinking of the spinal cord and it makes it tough for me to get around some days, but I still don't stop.  There are days when I have to use the cane that I keep in my truck which at 33 is embarrassing but I need it.  On those days I may not lift as much but I still end up doing more work than most people.  When they tell me to slow down all I can respond with is "How".  I don't do these things because I want to but because I was taught by Aaron Tippin what a working mans PHD is all about. I think Brooks And Dunn summed me up with the following line "Got everything I own / By the sweat of my brow / From my four-wheel drive to my cowboy boots / I owe it all to my blue collar roots."  Most of all I work hard so at the end of the week I can put some beer on the table. 

Who out there doesn't like to live it up with our friends.  It could be a simple drink on a deck or an all night tip it back night on the town.  When I am getting ready to go out and have fun I don't know if anyone gets me more pumped up then the LoCash Cowboys.  They are so up beat and bring it hard in almost every song.  That's what I look for when I am having fun fast paced songs that are loud and speak truth.  If your drink of choice is Jack, Jim, Jose or a longneck you can find your party song in a second. I know I always like when tequila makes her clothes fall off but it usually makes me wake up thinking Jack Daniels Kicked my Ass again.  We go out to have fun and no matter where we go we find it.  From empty parking lots to crowded bars, corn fields to tailgate parties there's a song for us.  

So remember next time you think your all alone in the world and nobody understands you, we have all been there and done that.  All you need to do is bring up your music player or CDs and play any artist and you will feel like they wrote a song just for you.  Life is hard but we all go through the same things at some point.  When your friends ask you how can you listen to that twangy mess simply look them in the eyes and say "This twangy mess is my life and your life and if you don't get that I feel sorry for you.".  We the country music fans of the world have it made, our favorite singers and bands get us because they have been I our boots they have driven our trucks and had their hearts ripped out and stomped on.  There is no other genre of music that relates more to everyday life with every song than ours.  Wether you live in the south north east or west on a farm or in a city there is a song for you.  It shouldn't be called country music is should be called life music because that's what it is. They are songs about my life and that will not change.  Country music is my life and my life is country music I love it live and learn from it.

                                           

Welcome to my world

     

(yes that is a justin bieber shirt I will explain in a later post)

   Welcome to my life.  This blog is where I going to input reviews on concerts, albums, and artists.  I will also be giving my take on breaking news stories about country music.  I am going to use this platform to note only promote myself but also up and coming artists.
 
        Here is a little about me and why I love country music.  I was born in the wrong state in the wrong part of the country to say the least.  I have southern values and treat everyone with southern hospitality.  When I was younger I spent as much time as possible at my Aunts horse farm.  That instilled a hard work ethic in me that I have never lost.  Not a day goes by that I am not wearing my boots jeans and  hat.  I have a 13 year old daughter that I am trying to raise in my footsteps.  I forgot how challenging Teen-Agers are.  I work at The Home Depot and this weeks marks my 5 year anniversary there. Now that this is out of the way I am going to tell you why country music.

       I guess my addiction no obsession with country music started when I was really young.  My parents listened to it all the time and I can remember singing Hank Williams Jr songs when all my friends were talking about pop garbage.  My home was always filled with Alabama, Hank,Waylon, Willie, and The Oak Ridge Boys.  One of my first memories as a child is meeting Alabama at the Erie County Fair.  I do not remember the concert it self but  I do remember going backstage and waiting in line to meet them. When we got to the table  I was wearing my small boots and blue straw hat.  Randy Owen took one look at me and came to out side of the table picked me up and wanted his picture taken with me.   I mean one of the biggest names in country music wanted his picture with ME it was amazing.  A few years later my dads car was stolen at work it was devastated because that is where i kept most of my cassettes.  Country music was one of the few things I have in common with my dad.  The police found his car later in the night/morning.  I woke up and waited for the tow truck to pull in to the driveway.  Before it was unhooked I was already tearing the mess apart looking for my tapes.  Gone they were all gone well all but one Hank WIlliams Jr The Pressure is On.  Between Country boy and collation through  Rowdy Friends and ballad of Hank.  I had that tape memorized I loved it.  I was a 6 year old boy in Buffalo NY I was not supposed to be blaring Hank and belting it out in school.  I wore my boots everywhere and always looked for new hats.  I was an odd kid up here in the north.  This summer will see a life long dream come true,  I get to spend the 4th of July with the man himself Hank.  How much better does it get I get to spend the most patriotic day of the year with Hank Freaking Williams Jr Bocephus.

        That is why I love country music, but why is it so popular now? The songs are about life and truth.  There is a song out there that everyone can relate to,  I can not tell you how many times I hear "Man he wrote that about me I know he did."  That is country music taking pain and torture, Love and life and putting them to song.  The themes tens to stay the same and people make fun of them, trucks, divorce, sadness that is what everyone that does not like country music knows are cares to learn.  They do not see the other side of our lives though,  Love and weddings, family, and parties.  In country music as in life we have to take the bad with the good the downs with the ups,  how boring would life be if everything went right everytime.  So to everyone that likes our music as much as I do stand up be proud and make the doubters understand why.  I think Trace said it best I love country music because they are all "SONGS ABOUT ME"