(l-r): Heather Morgan, Ashley Ray, Troy Olsen, Dave Pahanish, Cory Branan and Brad Tursi performed at Ft. Carson in Colorado Springs, CO for a special 2010 Country Throwdown USO show. Photo by Beth Brinker.

The Country Throwdown Tour made a special stop at Ft. Carson military base in Colorado Springs, CO on Friday, June 11. Rather than just passing through town on the way, Country Throwdown producers teamed up with the USO to put on a free show for military families on the base, and even opened it up free to the public to give fans a preview of what to expect when the tour rolled into Denver the following Sunday.

The lineup included Bluebird Café artists Cory Branan, Heather Morgan, Troy Olsen, Dave Pahanish, Ashley Ray and Brad Tursi in addition to The Tyler Reeve Band.

While it was the first USO experience for some of the artists, a couple had previous experiences with the organization. Dave Pahanish told us all about his previous USO tours in South Korea and Afghanistan and Heather Morgan’s grandparents met at a USO show. No word yet on whether Heather may have met her future husband there, but you never know. Continue Reading

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Eddie Montgomery (center) & Heidi Newfield (right) jam during some downtime on the Country Throwdown Tour. Photo by Beth Brinker.

As The Country Throwdown tour makes its way up the east coast, each stop continues to serve up memorable performances and behind the scenes action with country’s hottest stars.

North Carolina stops included Charlotte and Raleigh, where I got to hang with Little Big Town and hear all about how much fun they are having with their “Little White Church” Country Throwdown weddings. Getting to know these four and their adorable families, who are out on the road with them, has been a tour highlight!

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was a hot one! In between sets, artists could be found hitting golf balls into a lake behind the amphitheater. Nice swing, Little Big Towners!

My favorite stop of the week was Saratoga Springs, New York. Not only was the venue beautiful, the musical collaborations were epic. That’s a fancy word, but it was a fancy day at The Country Throwdown, people. Continue Reading

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Pictured at the Country Throwdown Tour's kickoff party at the Nashville restaurant Cabana on May 25, 2010 (back row): BMI’s Jody Williams, 4Fini’s Sarah Baer, Bluebird Café’s Erika Wollam Nichols, and BMI’s Beth Mason; (front row) Bluebird Café Stage performers Troy Olsen, Ashley Ray, Cory Branan, Sarah Buxton, Dave Pahanish and Brad Tursi.

BMI hosted a Country Throwdown Tour launch party on May 25 at Cabana, a trendy hotspot in Nashville. The multi-act tour kicked off May 14 in Florida and concludes June 20 in California. The first of its kind, The Country Throwdown Tour features headliners Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson and Little Big Town. The tour also features the BMI-sponsored Bluebird Café Singer/Songwriter stage that provides fans with a unique and intimate setting to hear stripped down versions of hits songs performed by the writers who penned them and undoubtedly songs that they will hear on country radio in the future. The lineup includes some of Nashville’s up-and-coming and established songwriters like Sarah Buxton, Dave Pahanish, Troy Olsen, Brad Tursi, Ashley Ray and more.

Check out what the artists had to say about their favorite moments of the tour so far in the clip from the party! Continue Reading

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(l-r): Little Big Town's Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Schlapman, Anne & Josh York, Statt with WUBE, and Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild & Jimi Westbrook.

We are now officially seven stops into The Country Throwdown Tour! As this traveling music circus makes its way across the country, everyone is finding their groove out here on the road and really get to know each other. This past week we hit Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and Indianapolis – rain or shine, The Country Throwdown was a party all day. What you may not know is that the party continues all night.

After the lights go down on the main stage, the grill is cranked up backstage thanks to Tyler Reeve. Affectionately called “The BBQ Band,” Tyler and his crew cook up a feast every night after the show, and the music starts up again. You never know who’s going to play together, what they will sing, or how many shakers Sarah Buxton will pass out (and whether or not the recipients have rhythm.) In Cleveland, Cory Branan sang an Irish song that had Emily West, Sarah Buxton and Country Throwdown creator Kevin Lyman doing a jig that earned him the nickname “Crazy Legs.”

In Cincinnati, I spent most of the day soaking wet and my Texas hair was getting curlier by the minute.  Some fans were covered in brown slime from head to toe after going down the mudslide. You could even catch members of The Eli Young Band out there throwing down with fans. This was the day that Mike Eli told me I had “Wal-Mart feet.” I hate to admit that my flip-flop feet were dirty from the weather, but c’mon Mike! What do you expect “when it rains”?

Fans didn’t let rain get in the way of their good time, or even their wedding! Little Big Town’s latest single, “Little White Church,” has inspired weddings at various stops along the tour. Anne Zimmerman and Josh York were the first couple married on The Country Throwdown Tour. The members of LBT even served as their wedding party. The second wedding, held Sunday in Indianapolis, IN, was a renewal ceremony for Maggie and Adam Clark. Continue Reading

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Jamey Johnson on stage jammin' with Heidi Newfield, Emily West and more!

Beth Brinker here, your GAC Road Reports correspondent and your source for all things Country Throwdown!  Stay tuned for my on the road adventures and behind the scenes exclusives with the talented artists and singer/songwriters on one of this summer’s hottest tours! I finally get to be a gypsy with a traveling music circus and all my friends and favorites.  First stop – Florida!

If the first day of The Country Throwdown tour is any indicator of what lies ahead, I can only expect the unexpected. I knew collaborations were inevitable, but I was surprised to see so many so soon! Continue Reading

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Montgomery Gentry photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

In light of the recent devastation in Nashville, the Country Throwdown Tour and its artists are lending a hand to the local residents in need.

Country Throwdown artists are coming forward to help in a collective way. As of today, main stage headliners Montgomery Gentry, Jack Ingram, Eric Church, Eli Young Band and Bluebird Café Tent singer-songwriters Sarah Buxton, Heather Morgan, Jedd Hughes, Ashley Ray, Troy Olsen, Brad Tursi, Cory Branan and Dave Pahanish will be donating the net proceeds from the sale of their merchandise at select shows throughout the U.S.

“We’re excited to be a part of the Throwdown Tour and through the course of the tour the artists get to participate in generating a lot of revenue for Nashville,” explains Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry. “Donating in one lump sum at the end of the tour gives us the opportunity to help any folks who may have fallen through the cracks, either through not having insurance or not being eligible for FEMA coverage. We’ll be able to place the money directly with the people who need it the most to rebuild.” Continue Reading

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