Lions, Tigers & Radio Interviews Oh My!

Truth in advertising - you will find no lions nor tigers in today's post. You will however find some fantastic links to interviews with Jason Michael Carroll from yesterdays Country Music Awards.

Leading off is a great video clip with Blair Garner. Jason discusses this past Halloween, studio time and the upcoming album, and of course the light(s) of his life, his children. Check out After Midnite - Media Manager and look for the CMA link. Jason's clip on page 3 and is well worth checking out.

Thanks to Jessica over on the JMC Official website (linky over ---->) for the following links, visit WBUL's Mooo Crew Media Player and be sure and check out WQDR's video at
YouTube - Jason Michael Carroll

And here are a couple more from my local stations, check picture #2 from last years CMA interviews from WMAD Madison Gallery - In The Shower With...
and take a peek at WWQM's video clip with Jason WWQM Jason Michael Carroll

Aside from that - not much going on. One of the interviews states March or April for the sophomore CD release. It sounds like he has one more song to either cut or recut, but otherwise it is coming together well. I can quite honestly say that I have never looked forward to a CD as much as I am looking forward to this one. With hot songs like Barnburner and the newly released "Where I'm From" and the sentimental "Tears", it is going to be awesome and I look forward to buying a few copies to share as well as my personal "stash".

Thanks Cayce for sharing this great video too - one can only hope ;)

"Where I'm From" Release!

Today is the big day, the day "Where I'm From", Jason Michael Carroll's newest single hits the airwaves. The CD should be in the hands of DJ's from sea to shining sea, and added to playlists in the upcoming days. Be sure and hit up your local DJ's with a request or 3 so we can get a little airplay, but remember some stations will play new stuff and let it hit the floor running, others are more traditional and wait until "but everyone else is doing it". So if you hear it on your local station - fantastic! If you don't, be patient - call them and request it a couple times a day on different shifts and let them know the fans are waiting. Oh - and if you hear your DJ spin it - call them and tell them THANKS! This song has all the makings of a #1 hit, we just need to help it get there.

Lots of internet buzz about the new single - check out Jason Michael Carroll 'Where I'm From' music video - MusicRemedy and here is a board that could use a little love if you can get registered... Pulse Music Board - Jason Michael Carroll - "Where I'm From"

Lastly - today I am sharing "Only Lyrics" version of the WIF lyrics...no promises on accuracy, but here they are ;)


On a 3 hour flight from Memphis to LA
I was silently celebrating my first class upgrade
Laughing at my jeans and my boots beside those high dollar shoes and armani suits
When the gentleman next to me said the drinks up here are free
So if you'd like the first one can be on me
He said im heading back from Memphis, in New York and Iran
Tell me son where do you call home

I said im from the front pew of a wooden white church
A courthouse clock that still dont work
Where a mans word means everything
Where moms and dads were high school flames and
Gave there children Grandmothers maiden name
Yes, it may not sound like much
But its where im from

so we Drink that around and then another
There wasnt a topic in this world we did not cover
He said I headed out west when i was barley 19
Just a kid chasing my dreams
and i said im flying out here to pick up my big brother
He's been fighting the cancer they discovered
But he called last night and said i think this is the end
So come take me home to my family and my friends

Where the quarterback dates the homecoming queen
the trucks a ford and the tractors green
and amazing grace is what we sing
theres a county fair every fall
and your friends are there no matter when you call
it may not sound like much but its where im from

and it was through the claim the bags we checked
he said ill pray for your brother and did i mention that
italian suits havent always been my style
See i was the quarter back of my high school team
We took state back in 63 and my wife yeah she is still my homecoming queen

Cuz im from the front pew of the wooden white church
A courthouse clock that still dont work
Where a mans word means everything
Where moms and dads were high school flames
Gave there children Grandmothers maiden name
Yes, it may not sound like much
I said it may not sound like much
But its where im from

Its where im from

its where im from

November 10th, bring it on!

We have a date, a real date! Jason Michael Carroll's new single, "Where I'm From" is set to hit the airwaves on November 11th, so get your requesting fingers ready. You know what to do, we did it with Livin' Our Lovesong, Alyssa Lies and I Can Sleep When I'm Dead. Call, call again - tell the DJ you love hearing the new song. Request it if you haven't heard it, and keep requesting until you do. If you hear it on the air, give your local DJ a shout and tell them THANKS! and let them know you love that song. Top 10 here we come - and Number 1, you better watch out too. We are bringing JMC's new song, and we are headed for the top.

Found a couple of neat links while wandering about the other night. One lists Jason's "I Can Sleep When I'm Dead" as part of a sugar-free Halloween. Visit Wifezilla's Way: Sugar-free Halloween and take a look, it is a very neat blog post. You can also take a peek over at Fortmann Family: Our kind of love! and read how "Livin' Our Love Song" touches them personally.

Not alot on the tour front yet - hopefully that means the boys are getting in some valuable studio time. We are anxiously awaiting the sophomore CD as the rumors float around about what will and won't be on the CD. What song would you like to see on it?

Well???

So I have my most recent Jason Michael Carroll concert almost an entire 3 weeks into the history of JMC concerts, and am waiting ever so patiently for the tour schedule to give me something to look forward to. Last year at this time I was 2 days away from my first Raisin the Bar show (my first Jason experience) and then 6 days later had another RTB show to look forward to. On the heels of that was a February show with freezing rain for the trip home, and then the festival season was right around the corner.

I know I have the festival season to look forward to again but with the doom and gloom of winter knocking spring seems so far away. If I lived in the "less seasonal" south I could enjoy the festival season year round. In Wisconsin we have 4 months or so where the weather is bound to be tolerable, if not dry and sunny. Not nearly enough for me, but family keeps me here for now.

So now I am sitting waiting and wondering when I will get my next JMC fix. Each time I listen to the CD or watch a JMC video (I love you Youtube!) I find myself wanting that fix even more and even sooner. What is it about a great country artist that is so darn addictive? I saw 8 shows in 2008, which is 6 or 7 more than alot of people and even 8 more than many.

Maybe I am a bit greedy? Hard not to be when those bass lines come rumbling out over the speakers and you can feel the ground rumble beneath your feet. Watching the band jumping up and down and getting into the show, feeding off the very energy that they are putting into the crowd - and taking that energy right back to keep the flow going.

I probably shouldn't be complaining; courtesy of JMC's management and some web angels somewhere we once again have a place to call home. We have our family back, fellow friends who share the love and appreciation for Jason, the band and the rest of the crew. We can talk about shows coming, discuss shows past - and share photos and favorite memories. I have the holiday card exchange coming up so December should deliver my Jason fix securely into my mailbox and we have a fan club order of "Livestrong" type bracelets on the horizon which I am very excited about. Perhaps when I am looking for my next concert fix, I should take a visit to Official JMC
and be glad to have a place to call home.

Givin' a little back

Jason Michael Carroll's flashy new official site is making the rounds and getting some extra press. I want to point out a couple, be sure and stop over and show some love.

CMILCountry Music Is Love » Jason Michael Carroll is a great fan site for all things country and they have Jason a shout out for the revamped website. CMIL should be on your daily list of webstops to see who is where, what is going on, and who is coming in concert.

Thanks also to NashvilleGab for pointing out that the sheer volume of content on the new site is enough to keep JMC fans busy (yes it is!). Also if you have never been - Nashville Gab has THE coolest logo ever on hooves. Click the link and check it out. Well worth the visit!

And of course - if those aren't your style, you can check REVIEW: Trio of Country Boys entertain at Emens | thestarpress.com | The Star Press
The journalist gives a very kind recap of Jason, Trace and Craig's show AND points out her observations - the other women nearby noted that Jason was "easy on the eyes". He is? Maybe just a little....

Smooth Sailin'

Where were we - got kicked out, got back in - tearing down equipment. Ok, we are on to Craig Morgan. Craig has a LOT of great songs. I had one of his CD's (that International Harvester song is like an anthem to me) but had no idea that there were so many others. I believe his 5th was just released yesterday, so look for it in the local stores and pick up a copy. His set included the majority of his older songs and just a few samples from the new CD. He has a fantastic band backing him, along with a fiddle player. More bands need fiddle players, it brings to mind old school country music and really adds a nice touch to the songs.

Mid set Craig braved the crowd and zoomed off the stage and up the left side of the venue, and up a few steps to sing. Very cool, love that interaction and the crowd loved it. Then he zoomed back down and headed our way. He got captured by a blond who was having perhaps a little bit too much fun (insert too much beer) who pasted herself around him, but thanks to security his new appendage was removed and he was safely able to return to stage. I didn't count songs, but he definitely sang more songs than Jason Michael Carroll (sigh). I am guessing he played 45 minutes to an hour and it rocked the house. I need to see him a couple more times to really become a Craig fan, but I did enjoy the show.

Next up - the big guy! I have been following Trace Adkins for 10 years or so, and always try and catch him if he is in the area. If you have not had the pleasure, give his live show a try. Trace Adkins has been entertaining us on the country stations since 1996 and his presence on stage shows it.He also has a CD releasing in the upcoming weeks and played a slew of songs off it. *I* prefer hearing songs that I know, though of course the more I hear them, the more I will know them. Go figure! He has alot of ballads coming out of the barn on this one, and I love his ballads - but they don't do much in the way of pumping me up during a show. Sooo - while Trace is always amazing to see, the show wasn't "all that" for me. It was good, just not stellar. Sorry Trace fans - maybe it was my seating, maybe it was that I still felt shorted on JMC's set.

Absolutely nothing unusual leaving - the buses were in a privacy fenced area, safely under lock and key. So we headed home, listening to Craig and Jason's CD's on the way.

Oh No You Didn't....

Caution - Concert Recap Ahead!

Y106.1's 2008 Country Fest has come and gone, and I have to say it was a great show! We got there early to attend the "pre-show" party at a local bar, Buckheads Saloon in Milwaukee which was just a short walk from the venue. They had a taco bar pre-show and then were giving away front row seats and some meet and greet passes so we figured we would check it out. We also got treated to a pre-concert show by up and coming artist Adam Gregory CMT.com : Adam Gregory : Artist Main . He put on a fantastic set, and had a deep voice that the crowd really enjoyed. After his first few songs, the radio station did the drawing thing - nada, zip, zilch. That is alright though, we already had fab tickets.

We got to the Bradley Center and a Y106.1 staffer stopped us and asked us if there were only two of us in our group. Yes, 2 - myself and my husband...strange. She asked if we would like meet & greet passes for Craig Morgan - hmmm...let me think, umm...YES! Awesome, so we headed over and got in line. I did ask her about Jason Michael Carroll passes, but by the time we got to the venue, they were wrapping his up and all the passes were gone.

Small group, maybe 20 people for the meet and greet with Craig. Craig's photographer took the pic of Craig and hubby, then went to take a pic of Craig and I and he said "the internal memory is full". Ummno, it can't be. It has a 4 gig memory and I wiped the card before the show. Yes, it says it is full. Oops! I forgot to put the memory card in! Meanwhile I am standing next to Craig scrounging for a memory card and chatting - feeling like a total dork. Craig was awesome about it, as were the other fans. Asked him how it was going, how he liked Milwaukee, at one point he started whistling like he was bored - hilarious. He has a great sense of humor and is a very patient man. Got the memory card in and then the pic and done, thanks Craig!

Headed back to our seats since Jason was opening. I had brought along a photo album for him as the result of a previous conversation and was all but convinced that it was coming back home with me (gosh, a photo album filled with JMC pics? Oh no!) Jason came on and while he had a very short set (maybe 5 songs) it was awesome. Got to see the new guitar player Richie and the rest of the awesome band.

He played "Where I'm From" and told us it releases next month as the first single off his upcoming CD. So looking forward to that, I can't wait to hear the studio cut! Once they finished up they started taking down the equipment, and I thought - hmm, if we go over there we will be maybe 10 feet from the stage - I bet we could holler and toss my photo album to one of the band members (it is a small 4x6 dealy). So I talked to hubby and he said sure, he would do it.

Now I need to say this venue is like your average concert/ sports/all-purpose center (we were at the Bradley Center where the Milwaukee Bucks play). So lots of floor seating, and then seating up all sides of the venue. Unlike other venues - you cannot get to the floor from the other seats. We were in the 2nd row of raised seats, literally 2 feet from the floor, and 25 or so from the stage. There is a wall that separates the floor seating from the rest and it stands around 4 feet tall. We have never been there before, so we are not familiar with their (I will say it nicely) guidelines for behaviour. So my hubby asks me quick about the band members names again - and I rattle them off thinking nothing of it. So he gets up, goes over to the nearest aisle and down to the front and JUMPS over the wall. EEK! That can't be good - what the heck is he doing???

He walked up to Eller and chatted a minute or so and gave him the photo album. We had talked to Eller at length about the pics at a previous show, they were requested and were now delivered. Eller was great about it - thanks man, hand shake. Security??? Not so great about it. Apparently jumping that wall is a big "oh no you didn't" on their list of extreme offenses. So I see my husband walk by me on the floor following the security guard...and hubby doesn't even so much as glance at me. What the heck? He made it back to his seat about 15 minutes later, after lots of talking and explaining. The security guy was paranoid to say the least and had kicked my husband OUT. "What are you doing?" "How do you know him?" "Haven't you been here before???". Well you see, it is like this - we have this very small bomb, and we know him because we are stalking him. When he turns the 16th page of the book, a small poof will happen, a little sparkler will fizzle...and he will be horribly scared. Oh wait - that isn't it. It is a photo album - we know him because we have been to 10 shows. No, we have never been here before, if we had would we risk being ejected? Probably not.

Sooo - Jason's short set was awesome, we delivered the "loot", and we scored meet & greet with Craig Morgan.

Will finish up the recap in the next post - coming: Craig Morgan and Trace Adkins recap and pics.