NS2

Country & Cold Cans 2012 Tour
With Very Special Guests Eli Young Band
and The Cadillac Black

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Friday, May 11 | Corbin, KY
Friday, May 18 | Greensboro, NC
Friday, May 25 | Tupelo, MS

Multi-Platinum singer/songwriter Dierks Bentley recently announced the first US tour dates for the spring leg of his 2012 Country & Cold Cans Tour.

Republic Nashville’s Eli Young Band will rejoin Bentley for the run, along with Will Hoge and The Cadillac Black on select dates.

“We’re taking Country & Cold Cans to Canada and Australia and then back home and across the country – as far north as Alaska – this spring. It’s been a blast in rehearsals working up new songs off HOME, and I’m going stir crazy to get back out on the road,” said Bentley. “I’m excited that EYB is coming back out with us…they’re great guys and they put on a killer show. I’ve always been a big fan of both Will Hoge and The Cadillac Black…such awesome songwriters. I think it will be a cool opportunity for them to introduce some of their tunes to our country fans.”

Bentley recently released his sixth studio album HOME on February 7. The new album’s anthemic second single and title track reached #1 on the radio charts this week, making it Dierk’s 9th #1 single. The lead single “Am I The Only One” already peaked in the No. one spot and has been certified GOLD. Bentley’s earlier albums have earned him over five million total album sales and 10 GRAMMY nominations.

It’s a crazy-good story. The Eli Young Band—four musicians who met during their college days in Texas—is now 11 years into a career built on touring without a single lineup change. That dedication is paying off big-time as the band enjoys a crazy new level of success. They sell a crazy amount of tickets. Get a crazy amount of airplay. And are selling a crazy amount of downloads—EYB received their first platinum record for “Crazy Girl” and have sold over 1.5 million downloads of the track.

The Cadillac Black like to refer to their sound as “Country Fuzz.” It’s a little bit country, a little bit rock & roll and a whole lot of whiskey soaked fun. On stage TCB bring a high energy show that will make your feet stomp, your beers pop and your heart skip a beat. Nashville natives Jaren Johnston, Neil Mason and Kelby Ray met as teenagers and have played in several bands together (American Bang, LLama, The Kicks). Their debut album will be out in the spring of 2012, but has already had six songs featured in TV shows prior to its release including FOX’s “House,” CW’s “Hart of Dixie” and “Vampire Diaries.”

The “Rebuilding Henryville” Concert

May 16th, 2012
KFC Yum! Center
Louisville, KY

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All net proceeds of the Rebuilding Henryville concert will go to the New Hope Services/Indiana  Bankers Association for the benefit of the Disaster Relief Fund.

Lady Antebellum’s truth is in the music. But the alchemy which forged this six time Grammy award winning trio extends beyond its signature vocal blend and heartfelt song-writing gifts. With a self-titled double platinum debut album and triple platinum second effort—Need You Now—it’s easy to applaud their amazing achievements, but equally significant is the underlying importance of the group’s shared heartbeat.

“That’s the core of our group, how we started,” says Dave Haywood, harmony singer and multi-instrumentalist. “What spawned our friendship was that special writing chemistry. That’s when we are the happiest, just sitting in a room together making music.”

“Maybe it’s a self preservation kind of thing,” agrees co-lead singer Hillary Scott. “Especially on the road we have to work to nurture our relationship. I write so much from about what is happening in my life and the people closest to me, so knowing my friends care about what is going on in my life outside of Lady A, makes me more likely pour it all out into a song.”

“Writing lets us chill and slow down a bit,” says Charles Kelley whose edgy lead vocals merge and weave with Hillary’s velvet tone.

Lady Antebellum formed in 2006. Hillary and Charles decided to try writing together after a chance meeting at a Nashville music spot. Charles and his high school musician friend and co-writer Dave Haywood were living with Charles’ brother Josh Kelley at the time. Late night songwriting sessions with the new trio soon became the genesis through which they discovered the remarkable emotional effect that was created when Charles and Hillary’s vocals blended. With Dave’s harmony sounds and instrumental prowess added to that mix the three young musicians realized they might not just be writing songs for other people, but perhaps would get to perform them, too. A Music Row “buzz” began to spread as the newly-formed trio started making appearances on local stages.

With Special Guest Black Box Revelation

Tuesday, May 22 | 8pm
Marathon Music Works
Nashville, TN

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England’s the Darkness centered around irrepressible frontman Justin Hawkins (vocals/guitars/keyboards), who, along with his guitar-playing baby brother Dan, bassist Frankie Poullain, and drummer Ed Graham, single-handedly resurrected the rather unfashionable sounds and attitudes of late-’70s hard rock for an unsuspecting generation. Following the demise of an earlier, conspicuously synth pop-based outfit named Empire, the Hawkins brothers sowed the seeds of what would become the Darkness at an impromptu karaoke session on New Year’s Eve 1999. Justin’s rapturous rendition of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” showed them the way, and the suitably dramatic name of the Darkness was chosen shortly after the arrival of Poullain and Graham. 


With outrageous stage antics that included gaudy leotards stolen from Steven Tyler’s wardrobe, leaps and splits borrowed from David Lee Roth, and an ear-piercing falsetto copped from Freddie Mercury himself, the multi-talented elder Hawkins led the quartet as the group spent the next two years slogging it out in London’s pub circuit. Though they were immediately singled out as a joke by the notoriously vicious British press, the Darkness’ high-energy sets, remarkably catchy material, and unapologetic worship of old-school rock & roll bombast gradually earned them a fanatical following based on simple word of mouth.



The tide finally began to shift in their favor in August 2002, when the Darkness released their debut EP I Believe in a Thing Called Love (through the independent label Must Destroy Music), won a major talent contest, and scored all-important opening slots with Deep Purple and Def Leppard. Their momentum carried through into the new year, starting with a knockout performance at Austin’s SXSW music convention in January, continuing with the release of their “Keep Your Hands Off My Woman” single in February (peaking at number 36 in the U.K. chart), and climaxing in their subsequent signing of a major-label contract with Atlantic Records in March.



Nothing could stop the Darkness’ snowball effect now, and a series of acclaimed festival appearances set the stage for their debut album, Permission to Land, to debut atop the British charts — the first time a new act had achieved such a feat since Coldplay three years earlier. Aside from the 2003 Christmas single Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End), the Darkness concentrated on touring until 2005, when they returned to the studio with Cars and Foreigner producer Roy Thomas Baker.

Wednesday, June 30th | 7pm
Bridgestone Arena
Nashville, TN

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This sturdy American blues-rock trio from Texas consists of Billy Gibbons (guitar), Dusty Hill (bass), and Frank Beard (drums). They were formed in 1970 in and around Houston from rival bands the Moving Sidewalks (Gibbons) and American Blues (Hill and Beard). Their first two albums reflected the strong blues roots and Texas humor of the band. Their third album (Tres Hombres) gained them national attention with the hit “La Grange,” a signature riff tune to this day, based on John Lee Hooker’s “Boogie Chillen.”

Their success continued unabated throughout the ’70s, culminating with the year-and-a-half-long Worldwide Texas Tour. 

Exhausted from the overwhelming workload, they took a three-year break, then switched labels and returned to form with Deguello and El Loco, both harbingers of what was to come. By their next album, Eliminator, and its worldwide smash follow-up, Afterburner, they had successfully harnessed the potential of synthesizers to their patented grungy blues groove, giving their material a more contemporary edge while retaining their patented Texas style.

Now sporting long beards, golf hats, and boiler suits, they met the emerging video age head-on, reducing their “message” to simple iconography. Becoming even more popular in the long run, they moved with the times while simultaneously bucking every trend that crossed their path. As genuine roots musicians, they have few peers; Gibbons is one of America’s finest blues guitarists working in the arena rock idiom — both influenced by the originators of the form and British blues-rock guitarists like Peter Green — while Hill and Beard provide the ultimate rhythm section support.

The only rock & roll group that’s out there with its original members still aboard after three decades (an anniversary celebrated on 1999′s XXX), ZZ Top play music that is always instantly recognizable, eminently powerful, profoundly soulful, and 100-percent American in derivation. They have continued to support the blues through various means, perhaps most visibly when they were given a piece of wood from Muddy Waters’ shack in Clarksdale, MS. The group members had it made into a guitar, dubbed the “Muddywood,” then sent it out on tour to raise money for the Delta Blues Museum. ZZ Top’s support and link to the blues remains as rock solid as the music they play. A concert CD and DVD, Live from Texas, recorded in Dallas in 2007 and featuring a still vital band, were both released in 2008.

3 Doors Down

Time of My Life is an exhilarating, pivotal album from a band bred to exceed expectations every time they step in to the studio. Aptly titled, 3 Doors Down’s fifth career studio effort soars on the collective ethos of a dedicated band doing what they were destined to do. And then some…

“We’re a solid, no frills rock band with deep friendships and a good understanding of what it takes to keep the fire going,” declares bassist Todd Harrell. Translation: They answer only to their fans…and each other.

On Sale Dates, Presale Specials, Ticketing Info, Facebook Groups, and Opening Acts vary;
check your city below for details.

May 22 | Roanoke, VA
June 19 | Mesa, AZ
June 21 | Boise, ID
June 24 | Albuquerque, NM
June 26 | Bend, OR
June 27 | Eugene, OR
Friday, June 29 | Spokane, WA
Saturday, June 30 | Seattle, WA

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Two-time Grammy nominee Tommy Emmanuel is one of Australia’s most respected musicians. The legendary guitarist has a professional career that spans almost five decades and continues to intersect with some of the finest musicians throughout the world. A household name in his native Australia, Tommy has garnered hundreds of thousands of loyal fans worldwide. Tommy’s unique style – he calls it simply “finger style” – is akin to playing guitar the way a pianist plays piano, using all ten fingers. Rather than using a whole band for melody, rhythm, bass, and drum parts, Tommy plays all that – and more – on one guitar. Guitar legend Chet Atkins was one of the first to inspire Emmanuel to try this “fingerpicker” style as a child. Decades later, Atkins himself became one of Emmanuel’s biggest fans.

Emmanuel’s unusual talent and life are common lore in Australia. Born into a musical family, Tommy and his older brother Phil were considered child prodigies. Tommy got his first guitar at age 4 and was taught by his mother. He learned by ear, with no formal instruction, and has never read music. By the age of 6, he was already working as a professional musician in the family band, variously named The Emmanuel Quartet, The Midget Surfaries and The Trailblazers. Tommy played rhythm guitar and his older brother Phil played lead, along with their brother Chris on drums and sister Virginia on slide guitar. The Emmanuel siblings earned the family’s sole income for several years. Tommy doesn’t remember such responsibility as a hardship: “I’ve spent all my life from the age of four playing music and entertaining people. I never wanted to do anything else.” By age 10, Emmanuel had played his way across Australia.

In 1962, Tommy heard Nashville guitarist Chet Atkins’ music for the first time and was riveted by the complexity of Atkins’ solo sound. He spent hours trying to figure out the “fingerpicking” style and gobbled up each of the American star’s albums as they came out. Shortly after his father’s death of a heart attack in 1966, Tommy even wrote Chet a letter and, to his surprise, the famous artist and producer wrote him back. Chet would grow to become Tommy’s mentor and primary influence, but it would be another 15 years before the two would finally meet in person.

After his father died, the Emmanuel family was approached by Australian country music star Buddy Williams, who took them on the road until they were forced by the Australian child welfare department to stop traveling. The children were then sent to a regular school. During these years, Tommy was playing in The Trailblazers on weekends. He also taught guitar and made numerous television appearances in musical competitions. Emmanuel’s first brush with fame came when The Trailblazers won two televised talent contests and were able to produce an album.

Thursday, July 5th | 8pm
Marathon Music Works
Nashville, TN

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Collective Soul gained a special place in the hearts of music lovers when they burst onto the scene in 1993 with the rock anthem “Shine.” It’s hard to imagine that the band has been making music for nearly 2 decades since then. Hard, that is, until you turn on the radio and find yourself singing along to “Staring Down,” the new radio smash from the band’s upcoming self-titled album.

What inspires a multi-platinum band with a catalog of #1 hit singles to keep going? It’s quite simple: the love of the music. While it would have been easy for the members of Collective Soul – Ed Roland, Dean Roland, Will Turpin and Joel Kosche – to rest on their laurels, the excitement they feel for their forthcoming (and 2nd self-titled) release is palpable. “Everybody just really took a big step, dug in, and worked together as a band. It was really nice,” says Ed Roland “It made everything smoother and that’s why I think it’s the best work we’ve done in years.” After years of touring together, with hit after successive hit, Collective Soul is as focused as ever.

2009 finds the band releasing their 8th studio album on a new label, Loud & Proud/Roadrunner Records. The album opens with “Welcome All Again,” a rousing number about life in the studio (Roland’s lake house), and is a sure bet to be the concert opener on the new tour. “The lake house was extremely important to us,” says Ed, “It enclosed us so we had to get up in the morning and work all day. It’s a home, so it gave us freedom with time and schedules.  Everyone can wake up, have their coffee, do their morning routine …then when the vibe starts you let it go until the vibe ends.  I truly believe the lake house helped bring Collective Soul together, better than ever. ”

With first single “Staring Down,” Collective Soul is convincing us that the world doesn’t have to be a dark place after a bad relationship, “You get out of a relationship and you realize you can let go of that energy; if you leave yourself open to positive energy, you find it’s right there in front of you. Just let it find you.” Says Roland. Other hot tracks include the driving “Dig,” the sobering, yet funky riffed “My Days,” “You,” the first song Collective Soul has ever written as a unit, and “Fuzzy,” with the whole band harmonizing together as good as any Beach Boys single.

The record ends with a quiet, spiritual reflection in “Hymn For My Father:” “It’s fitting,” says Ed, “I grew up singing hymns and with my father’s passing 4 years ago it’s truly a tribute to him. He taught me the music I grew up listening too which he loved and I really wanted to write a fitting tribute.”

Hailing from the city of Atlanta, Georgia, Collective Soul shot to international fame with their 1993 release Hints, Allegations and Things Left Unsaid, and their mega #1 hit “Shine.” The album was a collection of Ed Roland’s demos that spread quickly through the college underground circuit and caught fire, going on to achieve Double-Platinum status. After having been invited to the 25th Anniversary Woodstock concert, Collective Soul went into the studio to record their sophomore follow up. The self-titled Collective Soul, released in March of 1995, would be the album that would help define their sound of catchy melodies and guitar driven songs. Containing four outstanding singles (three of which reached #1), “December,” “The World I Know,” “Where The River Flows,” and “Gel,” it became Collective Soul’s highest selling album to date. The album went Triple-Platinum and spent 76 weeks on the Billboard Top 200 charts.

Saturday, July 7th | 8pm
Marathon Music Works
Nashville, TN

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The new BUSH album, The Sea of Memories, is steeped in the notion that one has to know where they came from to know where they’re going. “We are the sum of everything we’ve done — right, wrong and in-between,” says singer and guitarist Gavin Rossdale. “We’re all victims, and benefactors, of our past.” And Bush should know. The British-born band has had more success over the course of their first half-dozen years than most artists do in a lifetime. From Sixteen Stone to The Science of Things, they made some of the most successful rock albums in recent memory. The seminal outfit also forged a sound that would come to characterize an entire decade.

Today, Rossdale is mining the past for clues to the future, and has come up with an album that reflects both sides of that time quotient. On The Sea of Memories, he’s resurrected the band with drummer Robin Goodridge, guitarist Chris Traynor and bassist Corey Britz. “When making music, you have a choice to repeat what you’ve done or move on,” says Rossdale. “It would’ve been safe to just rework [1994’s debut album] Sixteen Stone over and over, but what kind of life would that be? When you’re driving down the road, you’re focused on what’s in front of you; you don’t really think to keep checking in your rear view mirror. I like the idea of art changing, developing and morphing.” The Sea of Memories is drenched in Bush’s trademark intensity and driven by Rossdale’s emotive, bittersweet vocals, but it’s also infused with an immediacy that pushes the album into new, compelling directions. From their lead single, the atmospheric powerhouse “The Sound of Winter,” to the rapid-fire exuberance of “All My Life,” Bush reveals itself as a re-energized band. It’s a fresh mindset that’s at least partially influenced by events surrounding the making of this record.

Rossdale thought they had finished the CD late last year after recording with producer Bob Rock (Metallica, Aerosmith). But creative differences with its label led to an amicable parting of ways and the band left with album in hand and a choice of places to call home. While their team fielded offers from a plethora of labels, the band went back into Rossdale’s home Kingston Sound studios in LA and emerged with five new songs. “I didn’t want to get caught up in the process of signing a new deal,” says Rossdale. “I wanted to keep moving and creating. We had good ideas and wanted to flesh them out.”

Sunday, July 8th | 8pm
Marathon Music Works
Nashville, TN

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The members of 10 Years might not have used the word crossroads when they began the making of their newest Universal Republic album, but all would concur the wolf was at the door. Figuratively and literally – agree frontman Jesse Hasek and bassist Lewis Cosby; Fighting off the most unforgiving of predatory assaults that comes with the territory of a respected, veteran band like 10 Years who bears the scars of every battle won or lost along the way.

The close-knit members’ core creed has always demanded they set their own standards – answering only to their collective challenges as a band, wolves and industry naysayers…be damned.

The difference this time is they called on all their might. And more than a little wisdom.

The aptly titled result – Feeding The Wolves – thunders out from their storm-charred legacy as the heaviest album they’ve made in nearly a decade, a gift to loyal fans long promised darker hues from the Tennessee band, and maybe a much needed ‘opening’ for a rock world starving for some kick-ass direction, of late. Ominous songs such as “Shoot It Out,” “The Wicked Ones,” and “Now Is The Time” sound and feel as if they can stop bullets, spreading the kind of musical shards and shrapnel that only a band in peak, 10 Years’ condition can deliver.

“I’ve enjoyed every album we’ve made for different reasons,” says Jesse. “We never want to make the same record twice, but this one started with a kind of aggressive edge and ended with that same energy that really felt special. We worked hard not to take that ‘edge’ off. We kept the integrity of the songs by keeping them aggressive.” Lewis seconds the notion: “We’ve been saying for years we wanted to get back to a heavier, darker sound and then by the time we’d go into the studio, things would change. This time nothing changed. There was always that kick-ass feeling in the room, coupled with some things we haven’t done before.”

Producer Howard Benson (Seether, Flyleaf) was chosen to helm the proceedings, another integral component to locking down the 10 Years magic that had made them one of the world’s most enigmatic live and studio bands. “He understood where we were at and where we wanted to go,” says Lewis. “He was perfect for this ‘big’ sounding kind of record,” states Jesse.

Ironically, both Jesse and Lewis also cite the ‘drift’ after 2008’s prophetically titled Division – an album that was made after nearly two years on the road – as another factor in the path back to 10 Years’ reclamation: A trial by fire and those not-as-obvious corrosive elements that can whittle away at a band’s interior compass. The entire period became emblematic of the push-and-pull going on within 10 Years, truly a band that was stretched to its limits. “I think every band who has some success goes through it,” says Lewis. “But there were days after a show where I’d actually wonder ‘was this our last?’ We went through all kinds of changes during the Division cycle. Personnel changes, management changes – a lot of negativity rippling through our camp. We even made that record outside Seattle where we ended up only feeling more disconnected. We eventually decided to take some time away and get some perspective.”

Thursday, July 19 | 8pm
The Belcourt Theatre
Nashville, TN

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David Wilcox is a true American treasure. He has sold over 750,000 discs and has been writing songs for 30 years. “A charismatic performance by a star still waiting to be discovered by a much larger audience.” The New York Times

David Wilcox is not himself lately. I should know – that guy is me. I’ve been David Wilcox all my life, so it’s strange to hear what Reverie, the new David Wilcox CD, sounds like. The David Wilcox I knew didn’t want to risk being misunderstood, so his songs were more like memoirs than novels. But these songs have some real characters in them. What happened? All Ican say is that I love following where the music leads. My intention is not to be tricky. I just like how a short song can start a long conversation. I enjoy seeing new landscapes and perspectives, and these songs are like pictures I take on my travels. Some are from wild points of view and that’s why I like them. And yes, there are also some songs on this new CD that speak straight from the heart just like the old David Wilcox always used to do, but this time he’s surrounded by an interesting cast of characters. I’ve made a bunch of records before getting to this one. 16 have been released prior to ‘Reverie’, starting in 1987 with a disc called ‘Nightshift Watchman’. That was followed up by a trio of discs on A&M Records, 2 each on Koch Records and Vanguard, (A&M and Vanguard both later released compilations as well), and my last 6 discs have all been released through What Are Records?

Some musicians travel in order to play music, but I guess I’m the opposite. I play music in order to travel. I was a traveler first. For the first decade of my travels, I loved seeing different communities as I was riding my bicycle all over the world. I’ve got pictures and memories of great adventures from back when I was traveling light. All I wanted back then was something to give back. I wanted a way to meet my tribe, find friends along the way. Music has been a way to offer a better trade for all the inspiration I get from the people and places I visit.

For more than twenty years now, I have been following the navigation I get from music. I love to follow where music leads, not geographically, but emotionally. One of my first songs, GONE TO SANTA FE, I wrote long before I traveled there. It sounds like a love song for a woman who dares me to come with her on an adventure, but that’s just a way to sing what music has been for me. And now, twenty four years later, there is a new song on the latest recording about going to Ireland. No, I haven’t been yet, but through writing the song, I set my heart on what I really want to find there. Not a tourist vacation, but rather an experience that wakes up my spirit. Music has always given me a hint of a point of view that is beyond my horizon.

Metal Hammer’s Trespass America Festival with Five Finger Death Punch | Killswitch Engage | Pop Evil | Trivium | Emmure | Battlecross | God Forbid

Monday, July 30th | 5pm
Bridgestone Arena
Nashville, TN

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It’s that simple, and that maxim holds true for every species. Either you can change with the tides or get swept away in their wake. Either you can grow or you can stagnate. Either you can stand out or simply be another face in the crowd. With their third album, American Capitalist [Prospect Park], Five Finger Death Punch—Ivan Moody [Vocals], Zoltan Bathory [Guitar], Jason Hook [Guitar], Jeremy Spencer [Drums], and Chris Kael [Bass]—morph into the melodic heavy metal machine that they’ve been moving towards since their 2007 debut, The Way of the Fist. Not only is their sound bigger; it’s better. Not only has the music become more intricate; it’s become more infectious. Not only are they more direct; they’re more dangerous.

Evolution gave birth to American Capitalist. Since their formation in 2006, Five Finger Death Punch continue to progress in the face of all odds and opposition. Darwin himself would be impressed at their list of accolades. The Way of The Fist and 2009′s War is the Answer have both surpassed Gold status. Those two albums have spawned seven consecutive top ten singles at Active Rock Radio with “Bad Company” peaking at #1 and “Far From Home” hitting #2. Other tracks have appeared on the hit game Splatterhouse and NBC’s Criminal Minds, with a brand new track set to appear on Madden 2012. The group has graced the cover of Revolver, Metal Hammer, and numerous other tastemaker publications as well as performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live.They’ve massacred stages all over the world- everywhere from Download Festival, Rock am Ringand Rock im Park to Mayhem Festival. This was all via independent label and management company Prospect Park. Along the way, they’ve amassed a diehard, devout fan base fondly referred to as “Knuckleheads.”

Right now, they’re gearing up for the next phase of their evolution—the reign of American Capitalist.

“This record crystallizes the sound of Death Punch,” says Bathory. “The band has really come into its own. Everyone contributed to the music, and this is what we are capable of as a unit.”

Whether it’s the anthemic riff beat down of “Back for More”—featured on the Madden NFL 2012soundtrack—or the ominous bass, gnashing guitars, and hypnotic vocals of “Generation Dead”, each element enthralls. Five Finger Death Punch are about to seize their spot at the top of the musical food chain.