Boston Country Hub

   

Multiple GRAMMY nominee Martina McBride has sold over 18 million albums to date, charting 20 Top 10 singles and six #1 hits. RECKLESS, her thirteenth studio album, is due out this Friday, April 29th and marks her first on Nash Icon Records. The title track serves as Martina’s first single from the innovative imprint under the Big Machine Label Group umbrella. Music critics are already raving about her undeniable talents on the new project with PEOPLE Magazine highlighting RECKLESS as their “People Pick” of the week: “…the work of a singer whose connection to a song is so emotionally direct and uncluttered there’s no doubting her.” The outlet goes on to say that it is “a deeply satisfying new album.”  You can catch McBride performing on the American Country Countdown Awards on Sunday, May 1st at 8:00 PM on FOX.

Today marks the release of Keith Urban’s new video “Wasted Time,” for the song that is one of the fastest rising chart singles of his career. The video marks the second from Urban’s new album RIPCORD (“John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16), which will be released on Friday, May 6th, and the third directed by John Urbano (“Cop Car” and “Somewhere In My Car”). "Wasted Time" is a nostalgic throwback to simpler times. The upbeat song was co-written by Urban along with Greg Wells and J Hart.  You can catch Keith Urban's Ripcord tour in New England this summer featuring Brett Eldredge and Maren Morris. The Ripcord tour will be in Gilford, NH for two nights on July 2nd and 3rd. Tickets are already available. The tour will also stop at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA on Saturday, June 25th. Tickets for that show are currently only available through the Live Nation Mega Ticket but should go on sale individually soon.  Check out Keith Urban on Twitter , Instagr...

Charles Kelley at HOB Boston 4-11-16 When I heard Charles Kelley was embarking on a solo project, I was intrigued to see (and hear) how his solo album would compare to the projects from Lady Antebellum. As a longtime fan of Dierks Bentley and a new fan of Eric Paslay, I was pleased when the three collaborated for, “The Driver”.  The song ended up with a GRAMMY nomination and, while it lost to “Girl Crush”, it helped to create buzz for The Driver album and tour.   The Driver album ended up being one of my early favorites of the year.  The album quickly became one of my most played and I began to get really excited for The Driver Tour to come to Boston.  Josh Kelley at HOB Boston 4-11-16 Monday night’s show at the House of Blues Boston completely exceeded my expectations.  The show began with Charles’ older brother, Josh, playing an acoustic set with some of his own hits like “Amazed” and “Georgia Clay”.  Josh regaled us w...

@tortugamusicfestival survival kit day 2. Two sunscreens, water, water bottle, bathing suit, long sleeves for when the sun goes down, towel and Super Bowl championship hat. If you're not a Patriots fan a regular hat will do. #tortugamusicfestival #CountryMusic #countrymusichub #samhunt #chaserice #zacbrownband #maddieandtae #frankieballard tortugafest A photo posted by Country Music Hub (@countrymusichub) on Apr 12, 2015 at 7:40am PDT 1. Map and Set List.  The days at Tortuga aren't short.  You'll have 12 hours and only 100% battery to get you through.  Tortuga does have a nice app but one way to save up on your charge is by printing out the festival map and lineup ahead of time.  If you're someone that likes to be close to the action, you're going to have to make tough choices.  Identify two or three acts that you want to get up close and personal with.  For me, it was Will Hoge, Sam Hunt, and David Nail.  Will was easy enough as he was o...

Photo Credit: Jason Myers Red Bow recording artist Craig Campbell has sent a new song, "Outskirts of Heaven" to country radio.   Campbell is known for his great songwriting and strong, traditional country sound.  Campbell's songwriting even caught the attention of Garth Brooks who released "All-American Kid" on his latest album.  His song, "Family Man" was his first top 15 hit while the catchy, "Keep Them Kisses Comin'" made it to the top 10. In  "Outskirts of Heaven", Campbell shares lessons learned from a grandfather, including hunting, fishing, the Bible, and Heaven.  Campbell's strong, steady voice and the song's beautiful  imagery  paint a picture of what he's hoping for when he reaches the other side.  "Outskirts of Heaven" is available on iTunes and Google Play . For more information on Craig Campbell and upcoming tour dates, please visit www.craigcampbelltv.com.  You can also follow him on F...

"Front Row" by: Waterloo Revival When Cody Cooper and George Birge first penned, "Hit the Road' upon arriving in Nashville, the Austin natives never could have imagined the path that song would set them on. "Hit the Road" helped them to earn the attention of TK Kimbrell, Toby Keith's manager, which eventually helped them to land a meeting with Scott Borchetta from Big Machine Records which lead to their record deal and airtime on national radio. The band mates, friends since middle school, recently released their EP  "Front Row".   The six song EP showcases Birge and Cooper's strong harmonies and vocals as well as their strengths as songwriters.  Birge co-wrote all six tracks while Cooper wrote three.  The EP starts with the upbeat love song, "Summer Thing".  That gives way to the romantic, "I Could Get Used To This", complete with a great guitar solo.  The emotional lyrics and vocals of "That Damn...

Dierks Bentley has released the second track off his forthcoming album, Black .  With "Somewhere On a Beach" still climbing the charts, Dierks has released the sultry "I'll Be the Moon" featuring up and comer Maren Morris.  The stripped down song tells the story of being the third person in a relationship. The video is the first of a four part installment.  Look for the second part on Rolling Stone Country on April 15th.

Chris Stapleton recently completed a two day visit in his hometown of Paintsville, Kentucky filled with two free live performances, a surprise delivery of band instruments, and the unveiling of a Ram Nation volunteer constructed stage. The two day event started out with the delivery of $57,000 of band instruments from two trucks, including sousaphones, trumpets, clarinets, tubas and flutes, donated by Lifting Lives (the charitable wing of the Academy of Country Music) via its partnership with the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation arrived via Ram Trucks, which also helped to sponsor the event.  Once the instruments were unloaded and set-up, the schools music teacher was walked into the classroom, followed by sixteen students, who were caught by surprise.  Amid tears of joy, Stapleton entered the room and met with the students, who had already broken open the instruments and began to play.  Students and teachers then enjoyed a concert on the newly constructed Ram Nat...