LoCash Cowboys‘ Chris Lucas and Preston Brust helped the Idaho Falls, Idaho community welcome home the 116th National Guard unit Tuesday night at Melaleuca Field. Returning soldiers were treated to a meal, welcome home bags and then entertained with a high-energy performance by the charismatic country music duo.

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Ryan “Troop” Jones who performed for several years with the LoCash Cowboys out of Nashville TN passed away leaving all who loved him in shock and dismay. Ryan was a child prodigy of classical violin at the tender age of three and transitioned to country fiddle at the age of 16. His first gigs were with Wade Hayes, Brian Comas and Jeff Carson but his talent and career blossomed when he began playing with the LoCash Cowboys in the world-renowned Tootsies Orchid Lounge before he joined the band in 2006 as their full-time fiddle player. Ryan has been with them for most of the duration of their career not only as one of the most talented musicians Nashville has ever seen but also one with excellent stage presence and flair. He dressed with flair, tossed his bow around in the air and jumped and moved across stage with the rest of the band, always with his engaging smile and never missing a note.

Ryan was just recovering from the flooding in Nashville where he literally lost almost everything including his house and was just getting it back together again when he was hospitalized shortly after the Fourth of July for a life-threatening ulcer followed by pneumonia. Further complications took Ryan last night from his friends and family on earth to play with a Band of Angels. The LoCash Cowboys tweeted earlier today:

“Today is a sad day in the LoCash World. We lost Ryan “Troop” Jones…our Brother & our Best Friend. Our thoughts & prayers go out to his family. TROOP WILL LIVE FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS. – Locash”

Indeed the music world has lost a remarkable talent.

LoCash Cowboys, recently performed at the Peter Jacobsen Umpqua Bank Dinner and Fundraiser, as part of Peter’s Party, a three-day golf tournament in Portland, OR, benefitting the Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel and the “I Have a Dream” Foundation-Oregon. The duo, comprised of, Chris Lucas and Preston Brust, entertained Jacobsen, featured guest Arnold Palmer, and former Masters champions Ben Crenshaw, Bernhard Langer and Fuzzy Zoeller, as well as Jay Haas and John Cook.

For additional information on LoCash Cowboys, please visit their official website, www.locashcowboys.com.

Got some country music gossip and don’t wanna be a tattle tale? Email me, Tawny Tucker, Tawny@countrymusictattletale.com

It is not uncommon for problems to occur when bands are zig-zagging across the country to entertain their fans. The LoCash Cowboys are no exception, as they discovered this weekend as they attempted to travel from the Berlin Raceway in Marne, MI to Country Jam USA in Eau Claire, WI, hurdling mechanical and logistical problems, as well as battling Mother Nature. But, thanks to a determined management team, Country Jam promoters, and Country Jam headliner, Zac Brown Band, fans were not disappointed in the end.

After their show on Friday evening in Michigan, Preston Brust, Chris Lucas, and their band exited the stage at 2:00am only to discover their bus would not start. There were neither mechanics nor rental cars to be found and it wasn’t until 9:00am on Saturday morning that they finally got their bus rolling. Despite the odds, including the fact they had 500 miles to drive, Lucas stated, “Country Jam has always been great to us, and we were determined not to miss the show. We didn’t want to let our fans down.

The team attempted to find a charter plane to shorten their trip, calling all over Illinois and Michigan, until they finally found one in Madison, WI. – a two hour drive to Eau Claire. They arrived at the plane around 4:00pm, loaded it up, and the band took off for the 45-minute flight. A police escort was waiting with a van from the festival to take them to the grounds upon landing and they pulled up to the steps of the stage at exactly 4:59pm to perform. Thankfully, their tour manager had called ahead and arranged to borrow some equipment for the set, but as they walked up the steps to go on stage the stage manager shut down the main stage until approaching rain and thunderstorms passed.

In order to stay on schedule for the evening’s headliner, the Zac Brown Band, the announcer told the crowd that due to the rain delay, LoCash Cowboys would not be able to appear on the main stage. The crowd was clearly upset as their audible “boos” echoed throughout the grounds.

Upon hearing the boos, Zac Brown and his band started asking what the ruckus was about and once told, Brown asked the duo and their band if they wanted to stay and perform after his set. The decision was easy, especially considering all they had endured just to arrive at the show. They went on stage, but during their performance of “Keep in Mind,” Brust’s piano was not working, apparently having gotten wet during the storm. Again, refusing to be deterred, the duo sang their last single acoustically. Once they finished the song they turned around and Brown was on stage with them. The crowd went crazy and Chris and Preston thanked him profusely for allowing them to follow his set. Brown told the crowd he was happy to open for LoCash Cowboys.

“I made sure I personally thanked Zac when he came off stage that night. He was so genuine, cool, and sincere about giving us the opportunity to close the night on the main stage,” says Brust. “It was a historical night for LoCash, to perform in front of 30,000 fans under such conditions, and we can’t thank the Zac Brown Band and Country Jam enough for giving us such a great memory. It’s definitely going in our book some day!”

The duo has been serious road warriors these past six years, honing their craft and earning a reputation as being one of the most entertaining live shows in country music. They have been winning fans in droves along the way with their charisma and unrestrained performances and proved this past weekend that they will do whatever it takes never to miss a show.

Currently, LoCash Cowboys are busy promoting their current single, “You Got Me.” It will appear on LoCash Cowboys’ forthcoming R&J Records debut album, This is How We Do It.

Country Girl wants you to be a Tattle Tale! Have you been to a country concert lately? Run into a country artist while out on the town? We want to hear all about your country music news and entertainment. Email me at countrygirl@countrymusictattletale.com

It’s summer – it’s 2011 – and it’s a new single release from the LoCash Cowboys who are taking Nashville and America to new heights in country music this year. “You Got Me” is their third release in a year, beginning with “Here Comes Summer” which cracked the top 40 on Billboard and earned the boys a place inside the top five in the video voting on CMT Pure Country and GAC countdowns.

The first released single was followed by “Keep In Mind” which climbed to 35 on the charts just a few months ago. They are keeping up the momentum with this new single of theirs and, for you who already have the original on the CD’s purchased from their shows, this is a new and exciting 2011 mix and it is available on iTunes at http://bit.ly/YGMiTunes and Amazon at http://amzn.to/YGMAmazon. There is also an upcoming debut album to be released at a later date from R&J Records and produced by Jeffrey Steele.

The song is an uplifting and upbeat tune about being in love – driving down the road, feet kicked up on the dashboard, skin kissed by the sun – feeling good, living right, wanting your touch, well..you get the picture – “You Got Me”!! Chris Lucas and Preston Brust are their best in this new single with their perfect range of harmony and tone accentuated with the instrumentals of the band that are uniquely LoCash.

The duo has been actively writing as well this year, cowriting one of Keith Urban’s newest songs “You Gonna Fly” which was released on his latest CD “Get Closer”. They also hit a high point in their career on May 7th when they debuted on the Grand Old Opry!

CMA Fest kept them busy with the Kickoff Parade, appearing in the Country Weekly Fashion Show, playing in the City of Hope Celebrity Softball Challenge and performing again this year on the Chevy Riverfront Stage and receiving a well-earned and glowing review in the Tennessean and the Hard Rock Cafe was the venue for their first ever Fan Club Party during CMA Fest. LoCash has worked very hard to attain this level of success and they have deservedly arrived!

On June 8th, we were all treated to “dinner” with Chris and Preston via the Travel Channel’s new series, Man v. Food Nation hosted by Adam Richman as he and Vince gill and everyone at Rooster’s Texas Style BBQ in Nashville cheered them through a 72-ounce steak challenge. Great job guys – you made me feel full just watching!

Chris and Preston are also extremely active in charitable causes and are spokespersons for D.A.R.E. as well as having raised money for St. Jude Children’s Hospital the W.O. Smith School, T.J. Martell Foundations and the Alex Le’Vasseur Memorial Fund which was established by Jeffrey Steele in memory of his son.

So “heads up” if you’ve not listened yet to the LoCash Cowboys because you are soon to hear them on all stations as they climb the charts once again with “You Got Me”. They have me, along with over 15K followers on their Facebook Page – LoCash Cowboys Fans – and you can also join the LoCash Army Street Team. Additionally, you can find your state or region’s page as a LoCash Army Street Team (i.e., Tennessee, Ohio, Florida, etc.) and Chris and Preston have been very excited about rolling out these LoCash Cowboys’ Fan Pages. Join the fun – “Like” it all today! And be sure to follow them on Twitter as well and visit their website at http://www.locashcowboys.com.

So in closing this review, remember that “Here Comes Summer” so “Keep In Mind” that “You Got Me”!

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Calamity Annie – CMTT Music Contributor
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@ChrisYoungMusic “Happy Fathers Day guys! And especially to my old man.”

@TraceAdkins “#HappyFathersDay from one Father to another! – Trace Adkins http://bit.ly/llWC8V”

@JewelJK “And happy father day to all the fathers out there!”

@JohnRich “That storm was a doooozie! Wow! Total chaos getting out after the show, but thankfully no tornadoes! GREAT crowd!
HappyFathersDay Daddy’s!”

@LeAnnRimes “A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty. ~Author Unknown Happy Daddy’s Day! May It be full of luv”

@MichaelSarver1 “Happy Fathers Day to all you fathers out there in twitter world! Anyone can donate sperm but it takes a real & special man to be a Father!”

@PhilVassar “Happy Father’s Day! Enjoy your day with your loved ones.”

@MartinaMcBride “Happy Fathers Day to my wonderful, amazing dad. I love you!”

@CoreySmithMusic “Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there.”

@ColtFord “Happy Fathers Day Dad and to all the Fathers out there. Let’s be Role Models for our Kids and teach them to be Proud Country Kids. God Bless”

@BlaineLarsen “Happy Fathers Day to all you dads!”

@BurnsAndPoe “Thanks for all the fathers day wishes.Happy fathers day to all you Dads out there.-BKB”

@AshleyRayMusic “Sending a “happy fathers day” up to my daddy…”

@LAlainaAI10 “Make sure you tell ur daddy happy fathers day!(: good morning!”

@BrantleyGilbert “Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there….”

@DariusRucker “Happy Fathers day. I love my kids”

@DaniellePeck “Cooking out this afternoon with Dad on this fine Father’s Day!!! Today he gets to kick back, relax, and let us do the grilling!!! ”

@Miranda_Lambert “Happy Fathers day to Rick Lambert, my dad. And to my dad in law dick shelton! And to all the pet dads too!”

@_SarahDarling “Happy Fathers Day!”

@EmersonDrive “Happy father’s day to all the fathers out there !!”

@LoCashCowboys “Happy Fathers Day to all the Dad’s out there!!!! C”

@DaisyMallory “Happy Father’s Day to all the daddys out there! Love you Dad! <33”

@AshtonShepherd “Heeey all. Bout to rock in grand rapids Michigan! Happy fathers day to all daddys out there. Its a special fathers day for us! Woo hoo!”

@AshleyMonroe “Happy fathers day to my sweet daddy.. Till I get to him again .. I’ll have sweet memories!!”

@BlakeShelton “Happy fathers day dad!!!! And Rick!! And Mike!!!! Yeah… My family kinda screwed up…”

@FrankieBallard “Happy Father’s day to Big Frank, all the proud Dads out there, and to the guys who dont know they are gunna b Dads real soon!!”

@FrankieBallard “Happy Fathers day to all the dads out there. Most importantly, the best, MY dad!”

@JakeOwen “Happy Fathers Day Dad. I hope I can be the amazing father to my children one day that you were to me. Love ya man.”

@KimWilliamsPais “Catching bullfrog tadpoles and eating bacon on Father’s day. Hope you dads out there are having an equally good time!”

@JulianneHough “Happy Fathers day to everyone and especially to the only man who has been and always will be my constant in life! I love you daddy! ”

@ChuckWicksMusic “Just got off the phone with my Dad!! He’s the shit! And my Huntin’ Bud…Love that guy! #HappyFathersDay”

Country Girl wants you to be a Tattle Tale! Have you been to a country concert lately? Run into a country artist while out on the town? We want to hear all about your country music news and entertainment. Email me at countrygirl@countrymusictattletale.com

One of the highlights of CMA Fest is the Fan Fair Hall. Fans and their favorite artists get up close and personal for pictures and autographs. We stopped in on Sunday and saw several artists mingling with lines of fans including Chuck Wicks, Tiffany, LoCash Cowboys, Laura Bell Bundy, Hunter Hayes, and more.

Got some country music gossip and don’t wanna be a tattle tale? Email me, Tawny Tucker, Tawny@countrymusictattletale.com