Florida Georgia Line photo courtesy of Big Machine Label Group.

Florida Georgia Line just celebrated their second single, “Get Your Shine On,” becoming their second No. 1 hit. With back-to-back chart toppers, the duo make success look easy — but looks can be deceiving.

“You never really know,” Brian Kelley said. “It felt good. We’re blessed enough to get number ones back-to-back. I mean, it’s just a dream come true. To do it once and then to do it again, especially right out the gate. This whole thing is very special to be a part of and we’re not going to take anything for granted.”

Florida Georgia Line photo from CMA Music Festival >>

They are hoping their new single, “’Round Here,” which was just released to country radio, will follow the same path as “Get Your Shine On” and “Cruise.” Watch the video HERE.

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Kip Moore photo by Stephen Shepherd, courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Toby Keith’s Hammer Down Tour kicked off last weekend in Cincinnati, featuring Kip Moore and Drake White as special guests. Kip is looking forward to spending the summer out on the road with Toby, not only because he loves being onstage but because he wants an education.

“I’m excited to go out with Toby, because I’ve heard so many different stories about what the tours are like,” he said. “I know he has a big rowdy crowd, and I know he has a different kind of fan base than I probably do, which is why it’s going to be so much fun for me to get out in front of that fan base.”

With Toby’s experience as a headliner, Kip will have plenty of opportunity to learn. “The guy’s been at the top of his game for no telling how many years,” he said. “I mean, 10, 15, 20 years, so I definitely know it’s gonna be something that I can learn a lot from, and I think it’ll definitely better my career going out with him.”

Kip’s latest single, “Hey Pretty Girl,” is nearing the Top 10 at country radio.

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Thompson Square photo by Joseph Anthony Baker, courtesy of Dashboard Media.

By Sarah Skates

© 2013 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.

Keifer and Shawna Thompson explore new avenues and share stories of their personal and professional voyage on Just Feels Good, the second album they’ve released as Thompson Square.

“We wanted to really open up our lives to everybody on this album,” Keifer explained. “It’s literally a soundtrack to our lives over the last 13 or 15 years.”

“I’m so proud of this album because they did what is so tough to do: They stayed true to their brand but really pushed themselves creatively,” added Jon Loba, Executive VP, The BBR Music Group, which includes the group’s label, Stoney Creek Records. “It’s a journey of where they’ve been content-wise, but production-wise it is a roller coaster. They had to come with a next-level project and they did. One listen to this album and Thompson Square elevates.”

The married twosome experienced the rush of success with their breakout No. 1, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not.” Written by Jim Collins and David Lee Murphy, the single achieved double Platinum for digital downloads and became the most played song at Country radio in 2011, according to Mediabase. In 2012, Thompson Square earned numerous distinctions, including CMA’s Vocal Duo of the Year Award, and a Grammy nomination for Best Country Song and Best Country Duo/Group Performance of the Year.

The duo averages 250 dates a year on the road. As guests on tours with Jason Aldean and Lady Antebellum, they played to more than a million fans. This demanding itinerary taught them some important lessons. For example, Keifer notes that performing onstage night after night helped them understand the importance of building a varied set list, from ballads to feel-good uptempos, in preparation for their future as headliners. Also, opportunities arose for them to explore new outlets, including co-writing a novel, Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not, based on the hit song and released on June 4.

The commercial success, enriched by years of working together before their breakthrough single, informed Thompson Square’s confidence as songwriters and artists. Armed with plenty of creative ammunition, they were ready to start on the follow-up to their self-titled debut, but they could barely find time to begin work on the project.

“They are such hard-working artists that the challenge was to find available days for everyone to sit down and go over songs,” said Loba. “The success of the first album created endless promotion and media opportunities, and they didn’t want to pass on any of them. Consequently, it took nearly a year to record the album, but the end result was a much stronger project. They had a wider array of songs to choose from and were able to dial in even more precisely what they wanted their music to represent.”

In fact, songs that seemed like obvious choices for singles in the early process didn’t even make the final cut, as the quality of the material steadily increased. Keifer and Shawna invited co-writers to join them on the road and took songwriting retreats, including a productive junket to Breckenridge, Colo., with hit tunesmiths Brett James and David Lee Murphy. The Thompsons composed six tracks on Just Feels Good, including the lead single, “If I Didn’t Have You,” with Paul Jenkins and Jason Sellers.

“The project runs the whole gamut that we’ve gone through over the years,” Keifer said, “beginning from the time we met with ‘That’s So Me and You’ (Keifer Thompson, Vicky McGehee and Kyle Jacobs) to the song on the Walmart exclusive album, called ‘What Am I Gonna Do’ (Keifer Thompson, Shawna Thompson, Jacobs and McGehee), about Shawna’s dad passing last year.”

Thompson Square co-produced Just Feels Good with New Voice, the production team made up of Kurt Allison, David Fanning, Tully Kennedy and Rich Redmond. “The major advantage of working with those guys is that they are musicians and they play on the project,” Keifer explained. “They all come to the studio at the same time, and they aren’t just acting as producers. They are physically producing something as well as mentally producing something. They are friends of ours and we get along really well, so working on an album together is really enjoyable.”

Maintaining Thompson Square’s track record at country radio was key to their process in making Just Feels Good. “You’re crazy if you don’t think about radio,” Keifer stated. “Radio is the lifeblood of what we do. It’s changed our lives forever. I can’t tell you how much gratitude we have toward our friends at radio. You have to keep them in mind because they’ve got to play it and get it to the fans. They know what works and what doesn’t work. It’s not the only thing that goes into the equation, but it’s a big component. What we normally do is pretty radio-friendly. You want to push the envelope a little bit, but not so far down the road that no one can see where you’re going. You’ve always got to think about what radio might like, but not to the point where you sacrifice your creativity. You still have to be an artist.”

For the most part, Thompson Square avoids maudlin love songs. “In the past, we’ve been pitched very lovey-dovey stuff, and that’s not what we want,” Keifer said. “That’s not what we write. We tell everybody we don’t want to record duets. Instead, we prefer songs that could be sung by an individual, and then we make them our own. We don’t want to get pigeonholed into duets, because they can be so predictable.”

That same focus drives their approach onstage, including their current run on Luke Bryan’s “Dirt Road Diaries Tour.” “I think people come to our shows expecting a love story the whole show, and then they’re pleasantly surprised by the rockin’ out aspect of what we do,” Keifer said. “We’re not really a stereotypical, boring old married couple. We were both raised out in the country, hunting, fishing and riding 4x4s. We take our motorcycle on the road. We’re a married couple that likes to rock out, and hopefully that’s what we exude onstage.”

On the Web: www.ThompsonSquare.com

On Twitter: @ThompsonSquare

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Photo courtesy of Twitter.com/taylorswift13.

Taylor Swift has performed with musical artists across a variety of genres, often bringing special guests onstage during her live shows. She recently got to play the role of “special guest” when she joined The Rolling Stones at their Chicago show to perform “As Tears Go By” earlier this month. She’s always regarded them as musical heroes, but now she’s an even bigger fan.

“It just was everything that you would think it would be but better,” she said. “They’re now at an even higher level of hero status for me. Mostly because of their attitude. Because of their hospitality. Because they hand-write notes, thanking you for being there. Because you get to get pictures with them and hang out with them.”

One of her favorite moments from the night was getting to twirl around with Mick Jagger. The move came about backstage before the show. “Mick and I were rehearsing the song in a dressing room, with a piano and – we were just kinda goofing around and we started dancing, like over-exaggerated ballet moves,” she said. “And then we started twirling around the room.”

Watch Taylor’s video, “Everything Has Changed,” HERE.

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Justin Moore photo courtesy of The Valory Music Co.

Justin Moore struck out on his first headlining tour earlier this year and brought Dustin Lynch and Jon Pardi along as special guests. Having opened for everyone from Blake Shelton to Miranda Lambert to Eric Church, Justin has learned how he wants to treat his opening acts.

“They were all great,” he said. “Everybody did things a little different. Everybody was great to me in their own right, whether or not we should have been out there. Everybody treated us with the utmost respect, as if we deserved to be where we were.”

Justin hopes those who tour with him leave feeling the same way and has picked up tips along the way. “I’ve subconsciously taken different things from different people that I’ve been out with,” he said. “I don’t know if I could pinpoint one thing here and there specifically that I learned. Just being out with everybody, you might see something you go, ‘Oh man. That was pretty cool,’ or ‘Hey, I’d like to do that.’”

Justin just announced that his new album, Off the Beaten Path, featuring his latest single, “Point At You,” will be released September 17.

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Patty Loveless celebrates 25 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Photo by Chris Hollo, courtesy of Schmidt Relations.

Patty Loveless celebrated her 25^th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry this past weekend with a performance as well as performances from Vince Gill, Loretta Lynn and more. Following an hour of her hit songs performed by good friends, Opry Vice President and General Manager Pete Fisher honored her with a commemorative print.

“This has been an absolutely magical night at the Grand Ole Opry,” he said. “I think we have heard everything that makes country music great. If I was to describe what makes country music great, I would use the name Patty Loveless.”

“It’s hard to believe it’s been 25 years,” Patty said as she accepted her print. “I know my family is listening in tonight, and I’m sure they are very, very proud of this moment for me. My dreams were their dreams as well.”

The night wrapped with Patty and Vince performing their hit “Go Rest High On That Mountain.” They were joined by a number of other artists who had performed earlier in the show. Patty was inducted into the Opry on June 11, 1988.

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The Band Perry photo by David McClister, courtesy of Splash Public Relations.

The Band Perry held their second annual fan club party during CMA Music Festival earlier this month and things went a little off the beaten path. Before the trio knew what was happening, they were revealing some of their hidden secrets to the crowd of fans.

See photos of The Band Perry at CMA Music Festival >>

“It somehow turned into ‘True Confessions with The Band Perry,’” Kimberly Perry said. “We told some of our most embarrassing stories on each other, which got a little dangerous.”

Neil Perry showed off his Luke Bryan impression while Kimberly shared a story that got the biggest laugh of the party. “I’ll just make it real simple for you,” Reid Perry said. “We grew up in Mississippi and there is a Pearl River, Mississippi. KP thought Pearl Harbor happened in Mississippi.”

“This was many years ago and it just – I figured that the Pearl River would have a harbor somewhere,” Kimberly tried to explain. “I had a really lousy history teacher growing up.”

The Band Perry is currently a special guest on Rascal Flatts’ Live & Loud Tour.

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Kenny Chesney photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Not even torrential rains could keep Kenny Chesney from performing for more than 50,000 fans at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium Saturday night. Kenny and his team kept a close eye on the storms that rolled through the area at show time, delaying the start of the night by 30 minutes.

“Obviously, we never want anyone to be in danger,” Kenny said. “But we know lots of people plan trips to come together for one of these shows – and you hate for them to lose their travel, their hotels. And selfishly, the fans at Arrowhead Stadium are some of the loudest we play to every year! So, Kacey (Musgraves) went on thirty minutes late and in the rain, like a real trooper – and we got on with the show.”

His dedication and performance was hailed by the Kansas City Star that said of his two-hour set, “…he sang and bounced and prowled across the stage, working up a heavy sweat even in the cool evening air.” It tuned into an evening Kenny won’t soon forget.

“It was one of those nights,” he said. “Maybe because the crowd has to work a little harder to be there, they are really ready to have a good time. But when we hit that stage, they were ready. And by the time we walked off, they’d taken that some place else. That’s how powerful the music you love is: even in a downpour, there’s nowhere else you’d rather be.”

Kenny’s No Shoes Nation Tour has already sold more than a million tickets this year. The tour will roll into Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field this coming Saturday, the same stadium where Kenny kicked off his headlining stadium shows in 2005.

“That’s the power of the No Shoes Nation: rain, sometimes ice, burning heat: they come and they come to rock!” he said. “It’s a long way from playing Knoxville’s Neyland Stadium to the Arrowhead Stadium or Heinz Field – and they’re the reason we can come out, play stadiums and bring this music to life every summer. And there’s nothing like the feeling of hitting that stage every night, and hearing the crowd sing along.”

GAC will give fans an in-depth look at Kenny Chesney and his life both on and offstage in a new documentary, Kenny Chesney: No Shoes Nation premiering Wednesday, June 19 at 10/9c. Produced by Shaun Silva, the special was filmed in Ft. Lauderdale, Key West, Tampa, Jacksonville, St. John and Barbados during tour rehearsals, in the islands, at club gigs, stadiums shows and all sorts of places in between, giving fans a 360 degree picture of what it’s like to be Kenny.

Want to see Kenny live in concert? We want to send you to his August 3 show in Atlanta! Enter our Kenny Chesney Life On A Rock Sweepstakes daily for your chance to win. The winner will also receive a Kenny Chesney autographed guitar and copy of his Life On A Rock album. You can enter once a day through July 21. You must be 21 years or older to enter this sweepstakes. Enter Now >>

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MANCHESTER, TN – JUNE 16: Kacey Musgraves performs during day 4 of the 2013 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival on June 16, 2013 in Manchester, Tennessee. (Photo by Gary Miller/WireImage)

Kacey Musgraves had a whirlwind weekend. After performing in front of 50,000 fans at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium in the rain as part of Kenny Chesney’s No Shoes Nation Tour Saturday, she headed back to Tennessee to fulfill a lifelong dream of performing at Bonnaroo on Sunday.

Kacey was one of the only country acts on this year’s Bonnaroo bill. She played a 60-minute set on the Which Stage, including her debut hit “Merry Go ‘Round” and her current single, “Blowin’ Smoke.” She also pulled out a few covers, including Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” and Weezer’s “Island In The Sun.”

Billboard described the crowd gathered for Kacey as “enthralled,” the set as “stellar,” and said “…Musgraves won’t be playing the noon slot at a festival like Bonnaroo much longer.”

The Tennessean said, “Aside from genre vet Dwight Yoakam, Musgraves was the lone mainstream country star on this year’s bill, and one that could uniquely speak the Bonnaroo audience’s language. What really sets Musgraves apart – and likely made no shortage of new fans – is her own outspoken material, as heard on her hailed major-label debut Same Trailer Different Park.”

“Blowin’ Smoke” is climbing the charts at radio and the video has been viewed more than 600,00 0times to date. She will remain on tour with Kenny Chesney through August. She can also be heard singing background vocals on Dierks Bentley’s new single, “Bourbon In Kentucky.”

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Dierks Bentley photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

Dierks Bentley will live chat with fans tonight from the set of the “Bourbon in Kentucky” music video shoot in Nashville, TN.  Fans can join the chat beginning at 6 p.m. Central by visiting dierks.com/stream to stream, ask questions and go behind the scenes on the set as Dierks preps for the overnight shoot.

“Bourbon In Kentucky” is the lead single off Dierks’ upcoming seventh studio album RISER, due this fall. It explores the dark internal emotions of loss and disconnection told through Dierks’ intense vocal performance. People has already claimed the song one of its “Hot Picks” and awarded it handsomely with 3 out of 4 stars.

Dierks will pick back up in July on the Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley: Locked & Reloaded Tour through October. For more information on the live stream and for a full list of tour dates, visit www.dierks.com.

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