My apologies for a somewhat delayed posting.  On Friday Night PatriotPartner, PatriotMom and I trekked to the Charlotte Bobcats Arena (Ooops!  Now the TimeWarner Cable Arena!) to hear two of the titans of today’s country music:  Keith Urban & Carrie Underwood.

The concert was great although Carrie’s portion was a bit weaker due to what seemed to us to be a sound-mixer not doing his/her job; Carrie’s voice was drowned out by the very LOUD band supporting her.  It wasn’t her voice because when the slower songs came on (lower background music), that velvety voice of hers filled the Bobcats Arena.  She also came out later to duet with Keith Urban and they both sounded great.  I’m kinda ticked because while Partner & Mom are more Keith fans than I, I was REALLLLY looking forward to hearing Carrie.   I guess there will be a next time.

Here are some pics from the show.   I’ll upload a couple videos later.

By the way, there’s nothing much to say about Keith Urban’s performance.  He was flawless, a great performer, awesome voice, and nice T-shirt!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

This is somewhat of a delayed posting from our bankrupting vacation to Las Vegas in May.  As many of you know, two of my favorite country music artists are Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley.  Both were honored at the Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas (with Patriot Family firmly embedded in their seats) as Female and Male Vocalists of the Year, respectively.

PatriotPartner and I had the pleasure of seeing Brad Paisley (plus Kellie Pickler, Taylor Swift and Jack Ingram) play in Charlotte in late July.   Paisley throws an incredible concert which rivals anything I’ve seen recently from Bon Jovi to U2 to the big names in Vegas.  If Brad is coming your way, go to the show! 

So, if George Strait is the current reigning “King of Country Music”, then surely Brad is Country’s Prince.

As a bit of a departure from serious subjects, I draw your attention to this profile of Brad Paisley that was featured in today’s Charlotte Observer.

There’s plenty of humor on “5th Gear” — so much that Blender magazine wrote: “If Brad Paisley weren’t a country superstar, he could be a comedian …Nashville has always welcomed punchline-packed novelty tunes, and Paisley’s well-nigh-perfect new album will deepen his reputation as a master of the art.”

Besides the humor, what sets Paisley apart from most country stars is his guitar playing. Like Keith Urban and Vince Gill, Paisley could be a lead guitarist in any country or rock band.  His influences include Nashville pickers but also big names from the rock world.

When writing tunes for “5th Gear,” he found himself in a reflective mood about his teen years because he was about to become a father.

“It’s the closest I get to a second chance — this little boy,” the proud papa said.

William Huckleberry Paisley was born in February. Dad came up with the middle name, which is what the parents are calling him.

“I threw out the possibility of that name and Kim loved it instantly; I was instantly prepared for five more options,” he said. “We like the uniqueness of it. I love Mark Twain. I love what Huckleberry Finn as a character stood for — this free thinker, sort of outdoor adventurer.”

Long Live Prince Paisley!  (And his cute wife Kim and Baby Huck Paisley, too!)

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Hey everybody….. vacation is over (well, until Memorial Day weekend!) and I’m back on the road for work.  This week:  West Virginia & Atlanta.

As the week goes along, I’ll be doing some postings (with photos) about our trip to Vegas last week and more specifically about the Academy of Country Music Awards.  Cliffnotes Version:  Great Trip.  Expensive.  ACM Awards Show was incredible!  Lots of country music star sightings.

So just letting everyone know I’m alive and well… and I didn’t lose my house at the Poker Tournament!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Okay, so we’ve made the executive decision to leave the laptop at home and enjoy the trip, sans blogging.  I promise I’ll take photos of any County Music Stars we come in contact with this week at the MGM Grand.  And a full report on the Vegas trip and the Academy of Country Music Awards show when I return next weekend.

Don’t forget to tune into the ACM Awards Tuesday night on CBS-TV at 8pm Eastern/Pacific.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Just a couple more work days and I’ll be Vegas-bound for the Academy of Country Music Awards vacation.

Today, I continue the ACM Countdown with Top Female Vocalist.  Well, I’m in love with Carrie Underwood.  She has rocketed from American Idol winner to Grammy winner in just two years.  She is probably the most successful Idol contestant so far (including Kelly Clarkson). 

But I’m torn here because I also love Martina McBride and have seen her in concert and really love her music. 

And, I’ve also seen Sara Evans… think she has an amazing voice… and frankly, she is smoking hot. 

Next Tuesday, the Academy of Country Music will decide who the Top Female Vocalist is.  When it comes down to it, I think this is one of the strongest categories.  All of these women are outstanding. 

Today, you can pick your favorite.

This year we decided to combine two Patriot favorite past times into one vacation.  One week from tomorrow night, PatriotPartner, PatriotMom and I will be in the audience for the 42nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards — live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas!

We leave this coming Saturday for a week’s vacation in Vegas including the ACM Awards on Tuesday May 15, and the “Music & Passion” Barry Manilow show at the Hilton a week from this Thursday.  Hopefully there will be some time where I can post photos of the festivities during our trip.

To start the countdown this week, I thought it would be fun to post a poll of the nominees to get your thoughts.  Of course, we start off with Top Male Vocalist.

My pick is Brad!

More countdown to the ACM Awards all week and this weekend…

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

If you are looking for a very good alternative to American Idol or Grease: You’re The One That I Want and if you think that E.R. jumped the shark a few years ago… tune into the USA Network on Thursday nights at 10PM Eastern for NASHVILLE STAR! 

The 5th season of Nashville Star began tonight with ten uber-talented country music singers.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of Idol… but there is more natural singing and performing talent in the ten Nashville Star singers than most of the American Idol wannabees combined.

Two of my early favorites based on the first show…

Angela Hacker - a Mom chasing her life-long dream after working hard to support her young boy.  She has a great voice and reminds me of Bonnie Raitt but with a softer and more intense emotion.

David St. Romain - a fellow Louisanian!  I thought David was the best male performer tonight and had the most mature singing voice, despite his baby face.  Outstanding. 

An honorable mention for first impressions goes to Dustin Wilkes - former US Marine.  Think the looks of Keith Anderson combined with Billy Currington and the heart and soul of Darrell Worley.

A great first show this season.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

For the second time this year, PatriotPartner and I will be attending the awesome Brad Paisley concert.   Back in April we drove to Knoxville, but tonight Brad comes to us!

Sara Evans is opening….which has me almost excited as hearing Brad again.  Sara and Billy Currington opened for Brad in Knoxville.

It is nice to enjoy our new hometown of Charlotte in the ways that we have.  Maybe Washington, DC has more things to do…. but in Charlotte you can actually get there without sitting in traffic for an hour to go 5 miles.

Welcome Brad & Sara!  We will see you tonight!!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

The Brad Paisley concert on Thursday night in Knoxville was incredible. PatriotPartner and I recently bought a bunch of western wear duds, including my first pair of cowboy boots and a Stetson hat. So we got all dressed up for the part and headed to the Thompson-Boling Arena on the campus of the University of Tennessee (home of the Instapundit!)

We found ourselves only about 5 rows from center stage on the floor. I have never been that close to the stage in any of my limited concert-going experiences. Brad was great and we and thousands of others wound up being part of a Country Music Association promo to air on CBS in the coming weeks. The CMA awards are on May 23rd from Las Vegas.

Plus, after the “official concert”, Brad shot a video for an upcoming new single: “The World“. There were giant beach balls that looked like Planet Earth being bounced around the audience during the song. Awesome. So look for us close to center stage in any of those video clips!

Also, Sara Evans did an incredible opening set for Brad. She sings so many songs that I know that it wasn’t hard to sing along to every one. She is a high energy performer, and quite a hot-looking woman I might add. She is a mom of three kids and has been married for 12 years! And the girl looks 24. Tammy Bruce would enjoy. Heh heh.

Sara’s newest song is a great country riff and she told the crowd it is one of her favorites now. “Cheatin’“

The night in Knoxville started off with smoking hottie country singer Billy Currington. Let me tell you folks, Ace from American Idol could learn a helluva lot about the “smoldering” look from Billy Currington. Whoa! He also sang some great songs like “Party for Two” (a duet with Shania Twain) that he sang with the ladies in the audience, and his very smoldering new hit “Must Be Doin’ Something Right.” If Billy comes to your town…. I suggest all the guys and girls check him out. Great performance, high energy, easy on the eyes.

These aren’t photos from our concert, because stupid GayPatriot forgot to bring his camera…. and we would have gotten awesome photos considering how close we were! But you get the idea.

********

Tonight, we are headed to the new Charlotte Bobcats Arena to see another one of our favorites. Martina McBride! I *will* be taking my camera… and hope to post some photos tomorrow. We are going to be going early as both of our local country stations are having tailgating parties before the show.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

PatriotPartner and I are going to be knee-deep in country music by the time Sunday rolls around. Before I fully explain, let me direct your attention to a more interesting reality TV show involving wanna-be singers than the usual “Idol” banter on FOX.

Nashville Star on the USA Network

American Idol was so painful last night (now I know why singers have producers to pick their songs!) that I needed something to cleanse my senses. Thank God for Nashville Star! And the website is fantastic. You can see the performers do their songs via video clips from the previous episodes.

Our favorite? Chris Young. Tall, dark and country! Official Chris Young website here.

But all of the Nashville Star guys are very good, great singers …. and good-looking! Check it out. Tuesday nights at 10pm on USA Network.

Back to our “Country Music Week”…. on Thursday we are making the four-hour drive from Charlotte, NC to Knoxville, TN to see three of our favorite country performers in one concert.

Brad Paisley is headlining with special guests Sara Evans and Billy Currington. (Billy is one of the top search engine keywords that bring folks to GayPatriot, by the way)

Then on Saturday night, back in Charlotte, we are on the floor at the new Bobcats Arena to hear one of our absolute favorites — Martina McBride!

I actually got turned onto Martina’s music thanks to Sean Hannity using her great song “Independence Day” as his bumper/intro music. When I first heard the song, I had to find it! I’ve loved Martina’s music ever since.

So that’s our week. I’m not sure how much blogging I will be doing in Knoxville on Thursday and Friday due to the drive time, but I’ll try!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Ewww. Even that semi-innuendo laden headline gave me the “willies”. Ugh! Another pun!!! I’m guessing this new song of Willie’s won’t be ‘number 17′.

Anyway, PajamasMedia network partner, SayAnything, has the downlow on a new download from Willie Nelson.

Willie Nelson just released a song about gay cowboys exclusively on iTunes. It is called “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly (Fond Of Each Other).”

I’m kinda not sure what to make of it. It certainly isn’t the sort of thing I expected from Willie Nelson. I mean, he’s always been something of an outlaw with the pot smoking and what not, but a gay cowboy song?

Weird.

SayAnything has downloaded a clip of the song for your listening pleasure… (or creeped-out feeling where I landed). (LINK HERE FOR SONG) You have to be an iTunes subscriber to have the enjoyment of downloading the whole thing.

I’m afraid it is more than weird. As Simon Cowell would say…. it was “affected.” And, I think I may have to go puke.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Lead Dixie Chicks singer and chronic Foot-In-Mouth Disease victim Natalie Maines has raised the ire of country music fans yet again. You may recall in 2003, while being paid for singing on foreign soil (London), Ms. Maines gleefully told her British customers: ”We’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.”

Now the annoying child is spouting off and insulting her own customer base: those of us that enjoy country music.

Dixie Chicks’ Natalie Maines rips country music, fans - National Ledger

Maines says she’s finished with the genre and is none too pleased with the fans, basically labeling them as redneck hicks. She tells Entertainment Weekly, “the stereotype is true.”

“So I’m pretty much done. They’ve shown their true colors. I like lots of country music, but as far as the industry and everything that happened… I couldn’t want to be farther away from that,” Maines told EW.

Ah, but she’s not done. Not only does she hate country music (the genre whose fans lined her pockets with money), she turns on the free market and democracy that made her rich as well.

“The entire country is controlled by money. And I think that’s what people feel, they don’t — their voice isn’t heard. They don’t have a say. It’s corporate America. My friend made up the word corpocracy. I love that word.”

I’m guessing the Chicks’ will be headlining the 2008 Democrat National Convention on opening night at Berkeley Auditorium.

Anyway, I need your help. When I woke up this morning, one of my local country stations, WSOC-FM, was all abuzz about Maines trashing those of us who made her famous and enjoy country music. They are now soliciting emails to consider whether to dump the Dixie Chicks from the playlist altogether. According to the Entertainment Weekly article after all, the Chicks are turning away from country and going rock. So I don’t see a reason for a country music station to play them anymore at all.

Please email the Programming Director at WSOC and ask him to remove Dixie Chicks from the playlist for good. They can have the liberal Hollywood crowd swoon over them — and leave Real America to the rest of us.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Why post Keith’s photo this morning? Why not! And, because country singers photos seem to bring traffic! Heh heh.

Keith didn’t do much for me at first, but as he is getting a bit older is becoming quite the hottie. Good for Nicole!

Plus I really like his latest album. Great songs!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

My rump has found itself in Nashville for the next few days for a conference.

But it is a horrible weather day here — rainy & chilly… pretty much like the DC area yesterday. There is supposed to be an opening reception at the Grand Ole Opry tonight, but I sure hope it isn’t outside.

Perhaps the most jarring experience I’ve had in the first few hours of my Nashville trip was listening to “The Wolf , 95.5” — Nashville’s contemporary country station. First of all, those of you not familiar with the history of radio probably won’t care, but WSM was one of our nation’s first AM broadcast radio stations. WSM was also the anchor for the old radio programs broadcast from the Grand Ole Opry. So it seems kind of cheap to have “re-labeled” this historic station — “The Wolf.” Ugh. (Okay, it is the FM station….but still.)

But I was most disturbed by the voice of the Sunday afternoon DJ on The Wolf today — Karen Keeley. Imagine being in the heart of Country Music and hearing a thick British-accented DJ introducing songs from Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney. It was like BBC America had invaded Country Music Television. Just darn creepy, I tell ya.

Anyway, howdeeeeeeeee to y’all from Nashville.

If there are any GP readers in the area, drop me an email hello!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

According to a recent online poll from Country Weekly magazine….

1. Keith Urban: The singer-songwriter-guitarist from Down Under will appear in a Gap ad campaign this fall, wearing jeans and performing a cover of Billy Thorpe’s “Most People I Know Think I’m Crazy.”

2. Joe Nichols: The 28-year-old Nichols was also voted one of CMT’s 20 sexiest stars.

3. Keith Anderson: The only newcomer in the group has a smash debut with “Pickin’ Wildflowers.”

4. Dierks Bentley: 29-year-old Bentley is currently on tour with superstar George Strait.

5. Jeff Bates: Rugged bad boy Bates has a checkered past of brushes with the law. “I think I’m probably the least sexy guy on the face of earth,” the magazine quotes him as saying.

6. Ira Dean: Wild and crazy, completely uninhibited Dean plays bass for the hit trio Trick Pony, which got its start playing regularly in clubs like Coyote Joe’s.

7. Billy Currington: His video for “I Got a Feelin’ ” was named one of the sexiest videos of all time by CMT.

8. John Rich: One-half of the duo Big & Rich, his unconventional style, both personal and musical, are shaking things up.

9. Trent Willmon: He told Country Weekly he’s looking for a woman who is “easygoing like I am and low-maintenance.”

10. Keith Burns: The other guy in Trick Pony, on the charts with a remake of “It’s a Heartache.”

11. Blaine Larsen: Clean-cut Larsen is the youngest guy on the list. He’s 18, according to his Web site.

12. Jon Randall: Described by friends as a true Texas gentleman, Randall owns over 30 pairs of cowboy boots.

My picks……

Keith Anderson

Billy Currington

Who cares if they can sing….

-Bruce (GayPatriot) - gaypatriot2004@aol.com

This is Keith Anderson. (His homepage is here.)

Any more questions??

-Bruce (GayPatriot) - gaypatriot2004@aol.com