Mindy Smith Announces Tour for Upcoming Album

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Mindy Smith

Mindy Smith will hit the road supporting her self-titled fifth album, set for release June 26. The 20-city outing kicks off July 1 in Nashville.

Co-produced with Jason Lehning and recorded at Nashville’s Sound Emporium, the collection features 11 original compositions. Two tracks are available for free download from her website here. 

In August 2011, Smith recorded “Taking You With Me,” a duet with Daniel Tashian, which was featured in the film and soundtrack for the Paul Rudd vehicle Our Idiot Brother. Her music has additionally been featured in Grey’s Anatomy, HBO’s Six Feet Under and the WB’s Smallville and Summerland.

Her 2004 Vanguard Records debut, One Moment More, sold over 300,000 copies.

Track List:
1.     Closer
2.     Take Me Back
3.     Pretending The Stars
4.     Don’t Mind Me
5.     Tin Can
6.     Everything Here Will Be Fine
7.     Sober
8.     Devil’s Inside
9.     Cure For Love
10.  When You’re Walking On My Grave
11.   If I

Tour Dates:
July 1 / 3rd & Lindsley / Nashville, TN
July 12 / WorkPlay / Birmingham, AL
July 13 / Eddie’s Attic / Atlanta, GA
July 14 / Evening Muse / Charlotte, NC
July 15 / Jewish Mother / Virginia Beach, VA
July 18 / Jammin Java /Vienna, VA
July 19 / World Café Live / Philadelphia, PA
July 20 / Riverside Gardens Park / Red Bank, NJ
July 21 / City Winery / New York, NY
July 24 / Ram’s Head / Annapolis, MD
July 26 / Iron Horse / Northampton, MA
July 27 / One Longfellow/ Portland, ME
July 28 / Tupelo Music Hall / Londonderry, NH
July 29 / Club Passim / Cambridge, MA
August 1 / The Ark / Ann Arbor, MI
August 2 / Old Town School of Folk / Chicago, IL
August 3 / Dakota Jazz Club / Minneapolis, MN
August 4 / High Noon / Madison, WI
August 10 / The Grey Eagle / Asheville, NC
August 11 / Square Room / Knoxville, TN
August 12 / Natasha’s Bistro / Lexington, KY

Underwood to Headline International Summer Tour Dates

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Carrie Underwood will head overseas this summer to perform her first headlining concert dates in Australia and the United Kingdom. Her latest album Blown Away was released May 4 in Australia, and a special UK edition will be released on June 18.

Underwood’s UK show, which sold out in 90 minutes, will be held at London’s Royal Albert Hall on June 21.

Her Australia tour stops include Melbourne, Tamworth and Brisbane before wrapping at the Sydney Opera House. Underwood made her first promotional visit to Australia last summer in support of the release of Play On: Deluxe Edition, which went on to reach Gold certification status in Australia.

International dates on The Blown Away Tour include:

6-21 London, England: Royal Albert Hall
6-26 Melbourne, VIC Australia: Palais Theatre www.ticketmaster.com.au
6-29 Tamworth, NSW Australia: Tamworth Regional Entertainment & Conference Centre www.visittamworth.com  
6-30 Brisbane, QLD Australia: Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC)  www.ticketek.com.au
7-2 Sydney, NSW Australia: Sydney Opera House www.sydneyoperahouse.com

Underwood previously announced 54 arena shows in the U.S. and Canada for the fall leg of The Blown Away Tour. Special guest Hunter Hayes will open on the North American dates. Tickets will be available beginning Friday, May 11. Please go to www.carrieunderwood.fm or www.carrieunderwoodofficial.com for additional on sale information.

Full schedule of 2012 shows listed below including The Blown Away Tour dates and additional festival* shows.

5-26     Baton Rouge, LA                     Bayou Country Superfest*
6-21     London, England                      Royal Albert Hall
6-26     Melbourne, VIC Australia        Palais Theatre
6-29     Tamworth, NSW Australia      Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre
6-30     Brisbane, QLD Australia          Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Center
7-2       Sydney, NSW Australia           Sydney Opera House
8-12     Toronto, ON Canada               Boots & Hearts Music Festival*
9-14     Manchester, NH                       Verizon Wireless Arena
9-15     Bridgeport, CT                         Webster Bank Arena
9-17     Providence, RI                         Dunkin’ Donuts Center
9-19     Worcester, MA                        DCU Center
9-20     Reading, PA                             Sovereign Center
9-22     Louisville, KY                         KFC Yum! Center
9-23     Nashville, TN                          Bridgestone Arena
9-26     Green Bay, WI                         Resch Center
9-27     Minneapolis, MN                     Target Center
9-29     Fargo, ND                                FARGODOME
10-1     Saskatoon, SK Canada             Credit Union Centre
10-2     Calgary, AB Canada                Scotiabank Saddledome
10-4     Vancouver, BC Canada            Rogers Arena
10-6     Seattle, WA                              Key Arena at Seattle Center
10-7     Portland, OR                            Rose Garden
10-10   West Valley City, UT               Maverik Center
10-12   Reno, NV                                Reno Events Center
10-13   Sacramento, CA                       Power Balance Pavilion
10-14   San Jose, CA                           HP Pavilion at San Jose
10-16   Los Angeles, CA                      STAPLES Center
10-18   Bakersfield, CA                        Rabobank Arena
10-20   San Diego, CA                         Valley View Casino Center
10-21   Glendale, AZ                           jobing.com Arena
10-24   Dallas, TX                               American Airlines Arena
10-25   Oklahoma City, OK                 Chesapeake Energy Arena
10-27   Wichita, KS                             INTRUST Bank Arena
10-28   Springfield, MO                       JQH Arena
11-3     Charlotte, NC                           Time Warner Cable Arena
11-4     Greensboro, NC                       Greensboro Coliseum
11-7     Baltimore, MD                         1st Mariner Arena
11-9     Atlantic City, NJ                      Boardwalk Hall
11-10   Hartford, CT                            XL Center
11-13   University Park, PA                 Bryce Jordan Center
11-15   Grand Rapids, MI                    Van Andel Arena
11-16   Moline, IL                                i wireless Center
11-20   St. Louis, MO                          Scottrade Center
11-21   Tulsa, OK                                BOK Center
11-24   Indianapolis, IN                       Bankers Life Fieldhouse
11-25   Auburn Hills, MI                     The Palace of Auburn Hills
11-27   Pittsburgh, PA                          Consol Energy Center
11-28   Philadelphia, PA                      Wells Fargo Center
11-30   Long Island, NY                      Nassau Coliseum
12-1     Newark, NJ                              Prudential Center
12-4     Albany, NY                             Times Union Center
12-6     London, ON Canada                John Labatt Centre
12-8     Kanata, ON Canada                 Scotiabank Place
12-11   Columbus, OH                         Schottenstein Center
12-12   Chicago, IL                              United Center
12-14   Des Moines, IA                       Iowa Events Center
12-15   Kansas City, MO                     Sprint Center
12-18   Memphis, TN                           FedExForum
12-19   Duluth, GA                              Arena at Gwinnett Center
12-21   Orlando, FL                             Amway Center
12-22   Sunrise, FL                              BankAtlantic Center

Vince Gill Gathers All-Star Band For Bluegrass Tour

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Vince Gill and an all-star band will take to the road for a dozen bluegrass shows in June. Joining him will be fiddler Stuart Duncan, guitarist Jeff White, banjoist Jim Mills and bassist Dennis Crouch. Gill will round out the band on guitar, mandolin and vocals.

Bluegrass prodigy Sarah Jarosz will open dates June 13-23.

“After the passing of Earl Scruggs [on March 28],” Gill says, “it means the world to me to do these dates with this world-class band playing the music that Earl defined. I absolutely adore this music.”

The tour opens June 13 and runs through June 30. It includes a June 21 stop at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

Duncan, a four-time Grammy winner and member of the Nashville Bluegrass Band, has recorded with Alison Krauss, Yo Yo Ma, Elvis Costello, Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. Jeff White, a regular member of Gill’s band, has also made records with Del McCoury, Lyle Lovett, The Chieftains and Keith Whitley. Mills, who earned five Grammys as a member of Ricky Skaggs’ Kentucky Thunder, appears too on albums by Doyle Lawson, Bruce Hornsby and Garrison Keillor. Crouch, like Gill, is a member of the Nashville cult band, The Time Jumpers, and has recorded with such luminaries as Ralph Stanley, John Fogerty, Steve Earle, Johnny Cash and Elton John.

Event Safety Alliance Working To Set Industry Guidelines

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A group of live entertainment professionals have organized the Event Safety Alliance (ESA) to create a guide of best practices for the industry to keep fans, entertainers and workers safe. The formation of the ESA was spurred by numerous deaths at outdoor concerts in 2011, many due to severe weather.

The ESA will team with the music industry and government agencies including Homeland Security, OSHA and NFPA to create The Event Safety Guide US. Among the focuses of the book and organization are communication among event staff, staging inspection strategies, and training/certification programs for workers.

Following the tragedies of 2011, many professionals have sought ways to prevent future disasters. These efforts have included training by the National Weather Service, creating chains of command for events, and inserting language into contracts that alleviates financial risk for canceling or delaying a concert based on safety concerns.

Jim Digby, production manager for Linkin Park, is acting as Executive Director of the ESA.

The ESA is using the UK’s The Event Safety Guide, aka The Purple Guide, until a US version can be created. Click to download a PDF of The Purple Guide.

A website with resources and news is at eventsafetyalliance.org.

ESA members
Steven A. Adelman, Adelman Law Group, PLLC
Ken Barber, Clair Brothers Audio
Matt Bettenhausen, AEG Live
Keith Bohn, TOMCAT USA
John Brown, Brown United Staging
Lyle Centola, Production Manager
James Chippendale, Doodson Insurance Brokerage
Benny Collins, Production Manager
Jim Digby, Production Manager
Mary Lou Figley, Stageco
Tim Franklin, Structural Engineer
Charlie Hernandez, Production Director
Hadden Hippsley, Production Manager
Ken Keberle
Steve MacFadyen, Pollstar
Tim Roberts, Event Safety Shop, Ltd.
Karl Ruling, PLASA
Stuart Ross, Red Light Management
Roger Sandau, Doodson Insurance Brokerage
Ron Stern, Production Manager

Underwood Maps Blown Away Tour

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Carrie Underwood appeared on Good Morning America this morning (5/1) to promote today’s release of album, Blown Away, and share news of her fall headlining tour. The Blown Away Tour will trek across arenas in North America, and encompass an international summer run sponsored by Olay. Her first-ever UK concert will be June 21 at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall; it sold out in 90 minutes. Additional international concert dates will be announced soon.

The North American tour dates will be presented and hydrated by vitaminwater®, sponsored by Olay, and promoted by AEG Live. Special guest Hunter Hayes will open. The itinerary includes a stop at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Sept. 23.

Underwood is donating $1 from each ticket sold on the North American leg of The Blown Away Tour to Red Cross disaster relief.

Her two previous headlining tours, 2008’s Carnival Ride Tour and 2010’s Play On Tour, performed for a combined total of nearly 250 shows with 2.2 million fans in attendance, and she wrapped both years as the top-ranked female country touring artist.

Tickets will be available for The Blown Away Tour beginning Friday, May 11. Please go to www.carrieunderwood.fm for on-sale information.

Southern Ground Music & Food Festival Returns For A Second Year

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Zac Brown Band’s Southern Ground Music & Food Festival, presented by LandShark Lager and Jack Daniel’s, will take over Blackbaud Stadium on Daniel Island in Charleston, SC October 20-21 for a second year. Zac Brown Band will perform both nights of the festival and curate every facet of the concert experience from the food to the lineup.

Ticket pre-sale will go live to fan club members on today (5/1) at 12 pm ET, and the general sale opens with early bird discount two-day festival tickets available for a limited time on Saturday (5/5) at 10 am ET (www.southerngroundfestival.com and www.ticketfly.com).

VIP ticketing options and travel packages are available including Zac Brown Band’s customized Front Porch Stage Boxes. The boxes provide concert-goers with onstage seating and a gourmet meal prepared by a team of renowned chefs under the helm of Southern Ground Executive Chef Rusty Hamlin. Guests in the boxes will also be served with complimentary beverages: premium beer, wine, and non-alcoholic drinks.

Additional concessions will be available from “Cookie,” Zac Brown Band’s tractor trailer-sized mobile kitchen, which will offer a la carte items including Zac Brown’s own recipes as well as selections from local Charleston restaurants, providing the best gourmet Southern fare.

Two-day festival passes start at $89 (limited time only) and gates will open both days at 12 pm ET with the first musical act taking the stage at 1 pm ET.

Stay tuned for more details on the full music and food line-up: www.southerngroundfestival.com.

Live Nation Announces Inaugural Watershed Music Festival

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Live Nation Entertainment and ACM Promoter of the Year Brian O’Connell have established a new country music festival set for August 3-5 at the Gorge Amphitheater in Oregon.

The Watershed Music Festival will feature camping, late night sets, impromptu jam sessions, and collaborations. So far the lineup includes Dierks Bentley, Kix Brooks, Sara Evans, Brantley Gilbert, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Thompson Square, Uncle Kracker, Dwight Yoakam, Tracy Lawrence, Reckless Kelly, The Lost Trailers, Steve Holy, Johnny Reid, Jon Pardi, Thomas Rhett, Morgan Frazier, DeeJay Silver and a local stage will feature regional acts each night. More artists will be announced in the coming weeks.

“For years, we’ve wanted to host a multiple day country festival that builds on the tremendous success for our annual Sasquatch Music Festival and Dave Matthews Band residency,” said Jeff Trisler, President of Live Nation Seattle. “We believe this event will bring that same sort of excitement and energy to The Gorge for an entirely new group of music fans.”

The Watershed Music Festival has a capacity of 25,000 with lawn terrace seating and camping options.

Three-day passes go on sale Sat., May 5 at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com.

American Idol Tour Includes Nashville Stop

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The American Idol Live! tour, presented by Chips Ahoy! and Ritz, will return to US cities this summer to showcase the Top 10 finalists from Season 11.

The tour launches in Detroit, Michigan at the Joe Louis Arena on Friday, July 6 and wraps September 11 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The tour also includes a stop at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on August 12, where the crowd will undoubtedly celebrate Murfreesboro resident Colton Dixon’s seventh place finish. In addition to Dixon, performers include DeAndre Brackensick, Elise Testone, Erika Van Pelt, Heejun Han, Hollie Cavanagh, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, and Skylar Laine.

“Every year we are amazed at the extraordinary wealth of untapped talent that is discovered on American Idol and we couldn’t be happier with this season’s top 10 contestants,” says 19 Entertainment President Iain Pirie. “We are truly excited to bring our contestants on tour across America directly to our fans’ hometowns.”

Tickets go on sale Friday, May 11 at 10 am. Full dates are included below. The American Idol season finale will air on Fox May 23.

DATE — MARKET — VENUE
July 06 — Detroit, MI — Joe Louis Arena
July 07 — Rosemont, IL — Allstate Arena
July 09 — Minneapolis, MN — Target Center
July 11 — St. Louis, MO — Scottrade Center
July 12 — Kansas City, MO — Sprint Center
July 14 — Broomfield, CO — 1STBANK Center
July 16 — West Valley City, UT — Maverik Center
July 18 — Seattle, WA — Key Arena at Seattle Center
July 19 — Portland, OR — Rose Garden
July 21 — Sacramento, CA — Power Balance Pavilion
July 22 — San Jose, CA — HP Pavilion at San Jose
July 23 — Los Angeles, CA — Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE
July 25 — Ontario, CA — Citizens Business Bank Arena
July 26 — San Diego, CA — Valley View Casino Center
July 27 — Glendale, AZ — Jobing.com Arena
July 29 — Dallas, TX — American Airlines Center
July 30 — Lafayette, LA — Cajundome
July 31 — Jackson, MS — Mississippi Coliseum
August 02 — Orlando, FL — Amway Center
August 03 — Sunrise, FL — BankAtlantic Center
August 05 — Duluth, GA — Arena at Gwinnett Center
August 06 — N. Charleston, SC — North Charleston Coliseum
August 08 — Washington, DC — Verizon Center
August 09 — Baltimore, MD — 1st Mariner Arena
August 11 — Columbus, OH — Schottenstein Center
August 12 — Nashville, TN — Bridgestone Arena
August 14 — Pittsburgh, PA — Consol Energy Center
August 15 — Rochester, NY — Blue Cross Arena
August 16 — Toronto, ON — Air Canada Centre
August 18 — Manchester, NH — Verizon Wireless Arena
August 19 — Worcester, MA — DCU Center
August 21 — Philadelphia, PA — Wells Fargo Center
August 22 — Long Island, NY — Nassau Coliseum
August 25 — Portland, ME — Cumberland County Civic Center
August 26 — Providence, RI — Dunkin Donuts Center
August 28 — Newark, NJ — Prudential Center
August 30 — Albany, NY — Times Union Center
September 01 — Bridgeport, CT — Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard
September 02 — Uncasville, CT — Mohegan Sun Arena
September 04 — Syracuse, NY — War Memorial at OnCenter
September 06 — Wilkes Barre, PA — Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
September 07 — Atlantic City, NJ — Boardwalk Hall
September 08 — Reading, PA — Sovereign Center
September 10 — Cincinnati, OH — US Bank Arena
September 11 — Milwaukee, WI — Bradley Center

Lambert Brings Pistol Annies On Tour

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Pistol Annies are scheduled to perform on Miranda Lambert’s On Fire tour beginning April 26 in Fresno, CA. The trio featuring Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley had its live debut last April on the CBS special, Girls’ Night Out.

The title track to the group’s acclaimed album Hell on Heels quickly reached Gold Certification and has garnered many accolades including Nashville Scene’s Top Album, Top New Artist and Top Duo or Group categories as selected by over 70 critics nationwide.

“We have chemistry as friends, we have chemistry on stage, and we have chemistry in our writing,” says Lambert. “It’s one of my favorite times during my show because I get to step into a different role.” What began on a whim during a writing session a few years ago has become a musical journey for the ladies.

The Pistol Annies will perform with Lambert on the following dates:

4/26 Fresno, CA – Save Mart Center
4/27 Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
5/10 Omaha, NE – CenturyLink Center
5/11 Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center
5/12 Dallas, TX – Gexa Energy Pavilion
5/17 Tallahassee, FL – Tallahassee Leon Civic Center
5/18 Southaven, MS – Landers Center
5/19 Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
6/1 Virginia Beach, VA – Patriotic Festival
6/2 Camden, NJ – Susquehanna Bank Center
6/3 Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
6/8 Indianapolis, IN – Klipsch Music Center
6/9 Chicago, IL – Wrigley Field
6/10 Detroit, MI – Comerica Park
6/14 Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena
6/15 Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
6/16 Maryland Heights, MO – Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
6/21 Corpus Christi, TX – American Bank Arena
6/22 Beaumont, TX – Ford Park Arena
6/23 New Orleans, LA – UNO Lakefront Arena

Special guests Chris Young and Jerrod Niemann will continue to support Miranda on these upcoming dates.

George Jones Cancels Concert Dates

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Country Music Hall of Fame member George Jones has postponed his concert performances through May 20, while he continues to recuperate at home in Franklin.

Jones was originally hospitalized in late March to treat an upper respiratory infection. According to a statement from his publicist, Jones’ condition has improved greatly but his doctors are ordering an extended mandatory recovery time. Canceled dates are below.

In other Jones news, he recently posted a video about his recovery and also publicly addressed some family turmoil with his daughter Georgette. The Tennessean has an article with Georgette’s side of the story, and Nashville’s Fox 17 had the story last night (4/25).

Canceled dates:
April 28 Caruthersville, Mo, Lady Luck Casino
May 11  Pembroke, Ont., Pembroke Memorial Centre
May 12  Rama, Ont., Casino Rama
May 13  Kahnawake, QC, Kahnawake Sports Complex
May 15  Halifax, NS  Halifax Forum
May 16  Woodstock, NB, Carlton Civic Centre
May 18  Bouctouche, NB, Civic Centre
May 19  New Glasgow, NS, New Glasgow Stadium
May 20  Yarmouth, NS, Mariner Centre