Join in the first annual You’ve been Sentenced!—Country Music Edition during Country Music’s biggest week.

Celebrities will be seated to play the award-winning game on Thursday, June 7, from 2:00-4:30PM at the Hard Rock Café in the heart of the activities in downtown Nashville. The tournament brings together some of country music’s brightest stars who will play the word game to benefit the children’s charities Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and the literacy organization Success Won’t Wait.

The outing offers the unique opportunity for country music fans to sit down beside their favorite celebrities and play the You’ve been Sentenced! card game or simply enjoy the action. Artists confirmed to date include: Jeff Bates, Ty Brown, Burns & Poe, Jason Michael Carroll, Buddy Jewell, Matt Kennon, Danni Leigh, LoCash Cowboys, Justin McBride, Jaclyn North, Julie Roberts, Doug Stone, Rhonda Vincent, Mark Wills and more. The game play will be followed by acoustic performances.

“We’ve always known that the country music industry has tremendous heart,” said McNeill Designs CEO, Don McNeill. “The interest and support shared by the community as a whole for this charity event has been overwhelming and it’s even more moving in consideration of the number of appearances, concerts and events these artists are juggling as part of their hectic CMA Fest schedules.”

Created to go above and beyond family fun, You’ve been Sentenced! has become an educational tool that is garnering rave reviews in homes, classrooms and educational facilities around the world and is now staged to reach a brand new audience. McNeill Designs for Brighter Minds, the game manufacturer, will officially introduce the You’ve been Sentenced! Country Music Edition to entertain the country music fan at the June 7 gathering. The anticipated retail delivery date for the country music version is August 2012—just in time for Christmas retail delivery.

Ticket Information:
Tickets may be purchased in advance or at the door the day of the event.
VIP seating is limited; first come, first serve.
• $10 general admission
• $25 VIP admission
• $100 buy-in, which allows the fan to be seated at a table with various artists to play the game.

Advance Tickets may be purchased via credit card. Call 866.520.2555.

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CMA kick starts 2012 CMA Music Festival on Wednesday, June 6th with The Eighth Annual CMA Music Festival Kick-Off Parade at 11:00 AM/CT, followed by The Seventh Annual CMA Music Festival Block Party at 12:30 PM/CT.

Country icon Glen Campbell will be the Grand Marshal for the Parade. Campbell last performed at CMA Music Festival in 2004. He has received two CMA Awards, including CMA Entertainer of the Year (1968) and Male Vocalist of the Year (1968), and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005. Last year, Campbell announced he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Since then, he released his final album, the critically-acclaimed Ghost on the Canvas, and is in the midst of his successful Goodbye Tour.

“Last year more than 16,000 fans lined Broadway for the Parade and with our beloved Glen Campbell as Grand Marshal this year we are expecting even more people to come out and show their support and love for this iconic Country Music figure,” said Sheri Warnke, CMA Senior Vice President of Communications and Marketing.

The Eighth Annual CMA Music Festival Kick-Off Parade will launch from Tenth Avenue on Broadway and end at Riverfront Park, site of the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage (First Avenue). One of the most popular features of the parade is the 40 Country Music artists riding in a wide variety of Chevrolet vehicles including vintage Corvettes.

Little Big Town has a different mode of transportation planned for the Parade. In support of their new single “Pontoon” each member of the group, Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook, will be riding on four different Premier pontoon boats alongside lucky fans.

“What could we do for the fans that would be unique? Well, we can ride them around on a pontoon at the CMA Festival Kick-Off Parade!,” said Fairchild. “After the parade we’ll have the honor of kicking off the Block Party at the Riverfront Stage singing ‘Pontoon.’ It’s a good way to start CMA Fest, don’t you think?”

With Campbell as Grand Marshal, other artists are lining up to participate in the Parade including Bill Anderson, Lynn Anderson, Katie Armiger, Craig Wayne Boyd, Weston Burt, Craig Campbell, Bucky Covington, Cowboy Troy, Ira Dean, Jaida Dreyer, Due West, Tyler Farr, Florida Georgia Line, Flynnville Train, Colt Ford, The Grascals, Greg Hanna, Amber Hayes, Angie Johnson, Little Big Town, LoCash Cowboys, Rachele Lynae, Manuel, The McClymonts, Randy Montana, Lorrie Morgan, Craig Morrison, The Oak Ridge Boys, Chase Rice, Marlee Scott, Matt Stillwell, Payton Rae, David St. Romain, The Roys, Jason Sturgeon, Trent Tomlinson, Trailer Choir, Rhonda Vincent, and Corey Wagar.

Other participants include the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales, BIC® Soleil Sunshine Squad, Carl Black Chevrolet and the Luke Bryan/Eric Church 2012 Chevrolet Silverado, The 22nd Annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Challenge, Cooter’s Garage General Lee, GEICO Gecko, Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee, Gnash and the Nashville Predators Dancers and Ice Girls, the Jelly Bean on Tour Bus, military veterans riding the Music City Trolley, Music City Drum and Bugle Corps, a 40×60 foot American flag that will be carried by veterans and representatives of Nashville’s Fire Department, Metro Nashville Police Department Drill and Ceremony Team, Metro Police Mounted Unit, Metro Police Special Operations Boat and SWAT Rescue Truck, Nashville Rollergirls, Nashville Zoo and Twiga (the Zoo’s giraffe mascot), Operation Troop Aid, Travel Channel’s Destination Summer Tour Bus, and more.

Making its second appearance in the Kick-Off Parade is the Keep the Music Playing All Stars Marching Band, which is made up of 125 students representing eight Metro Nashville Public Schools including Antioch High School, East Literature Magnet School, Hillsboro High School, Hunters Lane Comprehensive High School, John Overton High School, Maplewood High School, McGavock High School, and Stratford STEM Magnet High School playing together for the first time under the direction of Antioch High School band director Scott Miller, associate director Caryn Miller, and Jarrett Jones, who will be assisting with the drum line.

Since 2006, CMA has donated half the net proceeds from the Festival to support music education through the Keep the Music Playing program on behalf of the artists who make appearances and perform for free.

To date, more than $6.1 million has been donated to purchase musical instruments and supplies, providing thousands of students in Metro Schools with the resources and opportunities they could not have afforded on their own, and giving many of them a strong reason to remain in school. The total also includes a $1 million endowment gift for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Words & Music program, which assists language arts and music teachers with classroom instruction in the basics of songwriting.

Following the parade, The Seventh Annual CMA Music Festival Block Party will take place at the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage. Free and open to the public, the concert starts at 12:30 PM with Little Big Town kicking it off followed by Brazilbilly, Eric Lee Beddingfield, and LoCash Cowboys.

The Block Party is just the beginning, with four more days of live entertainment throughout downtown Nashville.

Got some country music gossip and don’t wanna be a tattle tale? Email me, Tawny Tucker, Tawny@countrymusictattletale.com Don’t miss a country music beat! Sign up to receive free email updates or subscribe to CMTT via RSS today!

Country Weekly magazine is celebrating the kick-off to CMA Music Festival with a special benefit concert featuring country artists Colt Ford, LoCash Cowboys, and Matt Stillwell who will bring their southern fried country music to the stage of the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Nashville on Tuesday, June 5th. In addition to VIP packages and meet & greet opportunities, fans are now able to bid on unique auction items including a chance to sing “Dirt Road Anthem” on stage with Colt, who co-penned the No. 1 hit for Jason Aldean, plus a chance to hang with Colt backstage in the green room for the full VIP experience.

All proceeds from the event will go towards Musicians On Call (MOC) Nashville’s ongoing efforts to bring the healing power of music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities in Middle Tennessee. Tickets are available now on the MOC website and begin at $15 for General Admission and go up to $350 for a VIP table for four including meet & greet passes.

Doors open at 8:00PM with music beginning at 9:00PM. The night promises to bring great country music and rowdy good times. For more information on the event, ticket options, and auction items, please visit www.musiciansoncall.org/cwkickoff.

Got some country music gossip and don’t wanna be a tattle tale? Email me, Tawny Tucker, Tawny@countrymusictattletale.com Don’t miss a country music beat! Sign up to receive free email updates or subscribe to CMTT via RSS today!

Yesterday Keith Urban and his “You Gonna Fly” songwriters the LoCash Cowboys and Jaren Johnston celebrated the song hitting No. 1. According to The Country Vibe News, Preston and Chris from LoCash presented Keith with a golden whistle inscribed with ““Best Use of a Whistle in a Song Award.”

Got some country music gossip and don’t wanna be a tattle tale? Email me, Tawny Tucker, Tawny@countrymusictattletale.com Don’t miss a country music beat! Sign up to receive free email updates or subscribe to CMTT via RSS today!

Reflecting the wide range of artists who perform at CMA Music Festival, the lineup for the Chevrolet™ Riverfront Stage includes a collection of past, present, and future superstar artists. The 2012 CMA Music Festival will be held Thursday-Sunday, June 7-10, in downtown Nashville. The Chevrolet Riverfront Stage is free and open to the public.
The performances on the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage will kick-off on Thursday, June 7th at 10:00 AM/CDT with a high energy show from the CMA Award-winning duo Montgomery Gentry. The duo last performed at CMA Music Festival in 2009.

“Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry are the perfect act to launch the 2012 CMA Music Festival on the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage because of the excitement they generate with the fans while performing their great repertoire of hit music,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “This stage is packed with great hit-makers for four days, and it’s free! We invite everyone to come and enjoy the great music on the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage.”

Chevrolet, a valued partner of CMA Music Festival and the Official Ride of Country Music, will once again host a vehicle display at Riverfront throughout the four-day event.

Other artists performing on the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage include Wade Bowen, Lee Brice, Laura Bell Bundy, Craig Campbell, Edens Edge, Brett Eldredge, THE FARM, Colt Ford, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, Gloriana, JT Hodges, Steve Holy, Casey James, Jana Kramer, Tracy Lawrence, LoCash Cowboys, Lonestar, Love and Theft, Dustin Lynch, Neal McCoy, Jo Dee Messina, Kip Moore, Craig Morgan, Lorrie Morgan, David Nail, Heidi Newfield, Jerrod Niemann, Oak Ridge Boys, James Otto, Randy Rogers Band, Thomas Rhett, Sawyer Brown, Corey Smith, Sunny Sweeney, Josh Thompson, Mel Tillis, Uncle Kracker, Phil Vassar, James Wesley, and Darryl Worley.
The current daily artist lineups are revealed below in alphabetical order:

• Thursday, June 7: Lee Brice, Colt Ford, Tracy Lawrence, Dustin Lynch, Neal McCoy, Montgomery Gentry, Craig Morgan, Jerrod Niemann, Randy Rogers Band, Josh Thompson, and Uncle Kracker.

• Friday, June 8: Craig Campbell, THE FARM, Gloriana, Jo Dee Messina, David Nail, Oak Ridge Boys, Thomas Rhett, Sawyer Brown, Phil Vassar, and James Wesley.

• Saturday, June 9: Laura Bell Bundy, Edens Edge, Casey James, Lonestar, Love and Theft, Kip Moore, Heidi Newfield, James Otto, Corey Smith, and Mel Tillis.

• Sunday, June 10: Wade Bowen, Brett Eldredge, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, JT Hodges, Steve Holy, Jana Kramer, LoCash Cowboys, Lorrie Morgan, Sunny Sweeney, and Darryl Worley

Performance order will be listed on CMAfest.com, the official website of CMA Music Festival, closer to the event. Artists and dates subject to change.

Admittance to the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage is free, but four-day ticket holders have an exclusive 45-minute, early-entrance window before the gates open to the general public. The Riverfront concerts are a popular destination for families who want to enjoy great musical performances while relaxing on the sloping bank above the Cumberland River. The concerts are fun in the sun within easy walking distance of all the Festival event sites, with food vendors, activities, and more.

CMA Music Festival celebrates the unique relationship between Country Music artists and their fans in the heart of Music City USA. The artists participate for free, and on their behalf, CMA donates half the net proceeds of the Festival to support music education in Metro Nashville Public Schools through the Keep the Music Playing program. To date, more than $6.1 million has been donated to purchase musical instruments and supplies. The total also includes a $1 million endowment gift for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Words & Music program.

For up-to-the-minute information about tickets, travel information, schedules, artist appearances and more, visit CMAfest.com, the official Internet home of CMA Music Festival.

Got some country music gossip and don’t wanna be a tattle tale? Email me, Tawny Tucker, Tawny@countrymusictattletale.com Don’t miss a country music beat! Sign up to receive free email updates or subscribe to CMTT via RSS today!

Road trip!! Indianapolis IN and a venue called the “8 Seconds Saloon” was host to a rocking country concert Friday night headlining Nashville’s own LoCash Cowboys.  The 8 Seconds is a large venue complete with a huge dance floor in the center, stage and seating along the side and a mechanical bull.  This all presented the perfect venue for showcasing 2 amazing bands alongside one of Nashville’s hottest duos, Chris Lucas and Preston Brust of LoCash Cowboys.

The evening began with “Bad Country”, a Seymour, IN band who took the stage first like they owned it! And own it they should as they covered one great country song after another with confidence and great instrumentals backing the lead singer.  The band is primarily local to Indiana with a large following and did a great job with their rockin’ country repertoire. If you are close to Central Indiana check them out on Facebook and catch a show of theirs!

The second opening act was “Florida Georgia Line” also from Nashville, TN when they aren’t out on their impressive tour dates, busily playing dates all over the US.  They also rocked the socks off the audience with their rockin’ country band and, if I saw correctly, beat LoCash at cornhole earlier, 2-0! Sounds like a rematch is in order guys and a time for redemption! FGL can also be found at Facebook, Reverbnation and have their new song “Anything Like Me” currently available at iTunes and a new single release, “Cruise” will be available April 10.

As if these two rocking bands were not enough, the time finally came for the LoCash Cowboys to take the stage and capture the entire audience opening up with their next-to-be-released single C.O.U.N.T.R.Y!! (Stay tuned for my review of the next single!) The stage was set for Nashville talent at 8 Seconds and LoCash never let up for a minute and delivered all they know how to deliver – a wonderful night of old and new songs to the delight of their many, many fans from several states.  Their fan base covers the US and I personally saw and met fans from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Illinois – I know there were fans from other states but I just did not get around to meeting them all.

We were treated to one of the best LoCash shows as they performed “You Gonna Fly”, the number 1 single they penned that Keith Urban took to the top, “Lovedrunk”, “Here Comes Summer”, “Keep In Mind” – and so many more of our favorites it was hard to keep up! It was an especially good night for Preston (originally from Kokomo IN) as he had his family there for a short reunion, as LoCash has just returned recently from entertaining our troops overseas.

The show ended as it began with C.O.U.N.T.R.Y. – their next single which I understand should be added April 30^th to radio stations across the nation.  It should be available May 1^st so check their website faithfully for your place to purchase the song and get a preview of the song if you’ve never heard it yet.  iTunes will be the first place you can purchase this great song.  Better still, find yourself a show on the tour dates page at www.locashcowboys.com and go listen in person!  C.O.U.N.T.R.Y. is a rocking grass roots country song with trucks, country girls, loving in the country and a dog! Country noise, Sweet Home “Alabam” – it is all about living in a country world with yee-haws, fiddling and a rocking beat that will take you home to the country even if you’ve never been privileged enough to live there! This song is one of the best combinations of new and old country I’ve heard yet and you are sure to love it and will find yourself dancing all alone while listening to it so be sure to crank it up and enjoy it like we do! Chris and Preston are impeccable as they blend their unique voices in harmony while also singing opposite of each others verses in their flawless performance. It’s a fun and upbeat song that is sure to climb the charts quickly!

While on their website you can also find “Right Here In Front of You”, “Here Comes Summer”, “Keep In Mind” and “You Got Me” – take a listen if you are new to the LoCash Cowboys and get ready to live C.O.U.N.T.R.Y. this summer! LoCash Cowboys can also be found at Facebook, Twitter and MySpace –choose one or choose all to follow and love yourselves some LoCash Cowboys!

Calamity Annie, CMTT Music Reviewer
CalamityAnnie1 on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace

10. Love and Theft may have had trouble at the airport, but the @LoCashCowboys had trouble on the carpet “Damn we got caught. C”

9.  @ScottyMcCreery won his first major award last night.  Let’s see how many he has by the end of the year “And a HUGE thanks to the fans!!! Wow! Yall always have my back and i love you for it! See ya on the road!”

8. The ACMs are more than just an awards show.  It was host to yet another NRA Celebrity Shoot this year.  Here is what @CMorganMusic had to say “Yes I beat @blakeshelton at the NRA ACM celebrity shoot”

7. Nashville is home to many writers, but only a select few have won song of the year like @LeeBrice did last night “Huge thanks to @EliYoungBand for cutting “Crazy Girl” and thanks to @lizrose06 for helping me write it! @acmawards”

6. @DierksBentley didn’t take home any awards, but he did win with his introduction to his performance “w/ friends catching up on last night. humbled and honored by bono’s introduction to our performance of HOME. equally so by your tweets.”

The Band Perry on WhoSay
5. With musicians from every genre represented, there were a lot of firsts last night.  @TheBandPerry experienced their first KISS “We all remember our first KISS. say.ly/jjt1G0v

4. She didn’t pull of any pranks on camera, but @CarrieUnderwood’s performance was flawless last night “Happy #aprilfools! I’ve pranked my mom, @mikefisher1212 and various people here at #ACM‘s! Ah ha ha ha! Who’s next?”

3. There is nothing like the country music family.  @Reba showed her love for other artists “1st big win for Thompson Square last night! Sure would have been nice to see them win on stage during the show! I missed that!”

2. I don’t know why @Miranda_Lambert had anything to fear.  She should be getting used to award shows by now “Nervous. ACM day!”

1. Last night was our first time seeing @BradPaisley without a cowboy hat.  I hope that was a one time only experience “Probably not my new look. But I’ll try anything once. Thanks for the jam Zachary.”

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Scotty B. – cmttreviewer@yahoo.com
Twitter @stupidkid2150