Music Row Roundup ;-)

It was a long 13+ hour work day today. But before I tell you about the last 24 hours, I have to tell you about the 24 or so before that. Lots to catch up on today!

First off, I wanted to say how cool it was that the People's Choice Award winners for both favorite male and female performers (all genres) were country. I don't know why it's not getting more attention in the press, but country music is on an upswing like we haven't seen since the early 90's.

Carrie Underwood's debut album is now certified 5 times Platinum. FIVE TIMES! The best selling country album since the Dixie Chicks' Home. Aren't we long overdue for a female country superstar? It's been a while. This young lady is doing things right, every step of the way. Now if they'd just release "I Ain't In Checotah" as a single, I'd be content.

Carrie and Kenny both have their detractors, but clearly there is a huge audience for what they are doing. The fact that they are both selling records and having hit singles while proudly proclaiming to be country artists is good for our business. They're both bringing a lot of people to the format. Which is why country music sales were up last year while every other format was down.

Switching gears...Nearly a year ago I met a songwriter at a #1 party - his first - and commented at the time that he looked like someone who could be a star, and I wanted to hear him sing. Last night I finally got the chance. The artist is Jerrod Niemann, and he did a showcase last night in the back room of a little club downtown. It was a different sort of schmooze fest, not much of an industry crowd, just a bunch of friends and probably family. Jon and I were the only media types I saw.

Jerrod has obviously cut his teeth in little honky tonk clubs and was very comfortable on stage. He did a few covers and some material from his forthcoming CD. The standout song for me was a song that sounded like George Strait should have cut it. Last night I knew the name of it, today... it's gone. He also did a couple of songs he's written that other artists have cut, including Zona Jones' "Whiskey Kind of Way" (if you don't know Zona, do yourself a favor and go find him!) as well as that first #1 hit, "Good Ride Cowboy". Category 5 is XM's Music Row next door neighbor, and they haven't had much success with their first few releases. Jerrod may be the key to breaking that, he's definitely a well rounded package. His debut single arrived yesterday.

If you go to http://music.yahoo.com you can link to XM's GRAMMY coverage, and see the "big time blogging" opportunity I was excited about a few days ago. Make sure to read - and comment - on Jay Thomas's blog about the Dixie Chicks, because I know y'all have an opinion! I never did finish my DC blog because I knew I'd eventually be linking y'all to his. Oh well. The Chicks have been announced as performers at the Awards show.

I posted the press release earlier today, but I just want to say that I was right in predicting Kenny doing the big festival tour a la George Strait. :-D

My prediction is he's doing a festival tour - a la George Strait's back in 2000+ where he'd go into a stadium all day and bring a bunch of acts with him.

Not just any acts... not many people have Brooks & Dunn opening for them! Observe too how pointed they are about noting he's playing NFL stadiums. This is to avoid confusion with another artist who tried to claim stadium dates last year... playing soccer stadiums. I was trying to recall earlier in the day - has any country artist in recent memory done full fledged stadium shows other than King George? I don't know who it would be.

My friend Skye over at CountryNation.com got a good dosing of harassment from me earlier today about a line in his report on Johnny Cash's upcoming gospel release. Guess which word was added after my note?

The disc will contain gospel songs recorded by Cash before he died (Duh!).

LMAO. I love Skye.

Special alert for the NY Contingency... Saturday morning at 8am Eastern - Amy Paige makes her Highway 16 debut!

It apparently was a slow news day in Music City yesterday. Our NBC affiliate (my former employer!) reports that Dierks Bentley has chopped off his hair. Sources tell XM that he actually did this last month... simply because... he's always wanted to. My completely unvalidated speculation is that his wife is tired of his hogging all the shampoo. You can see his new 'do for yourself here: http://www.wsmv.com/entertainment/10716663/detail.html

ACM first round ballots came out today. Let the propaganda begin!

I made a new friend on the XM web team this morning. He was trying to put me on the Highway 16 page, LOL. He's about a year too late. To make it up to me, he backed off the extreme close up picture on the US Country page. But he told me that was as far as he could go, that showing any more of me "just looked wierd." Thanks buddy, where's YOUR picture? I personally thought it was a little weird that he zoomed in to the point where people could count my eyelashes.

Shout outs to my visitors today from West Liberty, KY; Huntsville, AL; and Overland Park, KS. Chicago is back, as is Rancho Cuchamonga and Glendale, California. Welcome! California outnumbered Massachusetts today! Traffic has really increased lately, I've had 237 visitors today so far. The power of Google!

Tonight's schmooze fest was a launch party for Season 5 of Nashville Star. It was held at the Wildhorse Saloon and open to the public. They had a pretty decent turnout for a weeknight, I thought. The contestants all performed on the Wildhorse Stage and then they showed the Premiere on the big screen. (So we got to hear them do the same song twice.)

They had the 3rd floor of the Wildhorse blocked off for invited guests, and you couldn't swing a pool cue without wacking a former Nashville Star contestant. I guess you can make a career out of that. The sad thing was... you'd see people, and know their face, and maybe even what season they were on (She was on the Brad Cotter season... he lost the year Chris Young won...) but we couldn't come up with names to save our lives. The guy who came in 2nd to Erika Jo was there (he apparently lives in my neck of the woods because I saw him and his wife at a Japanese steak house a couple of months back) and the teddy bear type guy from that same season who turned down a Christian recording deal because he wanted a country one.

The highlight for me though, was getting to spend some time with Jon Small. My longtime readers - or anyone who's read my current bio, LOL - know he's a big part of the reason I'm in Nashville to begin with. I didn't just want to work for him, I wanted to be him. Funny how far you can get distracted from the dream.

I also had a good conversation with the editor of Country Every Once and a While. I need to parlay that into following up on my New Year's Resolution Addendum. 'Course then I'd have to stop making fun of their name, wouldn't I?

My observations on the judges are short and sweet: Anastasia still sounds like she plots her one liners before she's seen the performance, Randy needs a hair cut, and was that a new tattoo on Blake? I don't remember seeing that before.

Contestant wise, my money is on the brunette Miranda clone... although I've also gotta root for my Illinois sister.

If you tune in to Highway 16 tomorrow, Jon will have an interview with Cowboy Troy. When you're listening to it, try to picture us all hidden away in a back stairwell away from the noise, with Troy propping the door with his boot because he's afraid we'll get locked in. :-D

After working a 6 day work week last week that included New Year's Day, I'm taking tomorrow off. I'm going to make the time to go grocery shopping, get my cell phone fixed, and do laundry. Then I'm running away for the weekend with some girlfriends. Because I haven't deserted my husband enough lately. (Kidding! This weekend was planned long before my current work schedule was.)

Have a great weekend!