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Declassified: Paisley’s Secret Trip Late Saturday (5/24) as part of a top secret operation, Brad Paisley boarded Air Force One with the President for a historic trip to Afghanistan. The mission was to thank our troops for their service ahead of Memorial Day. Here he shares the story in a Country Aircheck exclusive. (Ed. Note: The Q&A with Cumulus’ Brian Thomas originally scheduled for this space will run in next week’s issue.) Country Aircheck: To the degree that you can disclose it, how and when did this trip come about? Brad Paisley: I’ll have to figure out the best way to describe it without making this its own New York Times story. A couple of weeks ago I spoke to the Chief of Staff, who basically told me they were cooking something up for the military and that they may call me to come help. I said, “Anything for the troops.” About a week-and-a-half ago I got the confirmation. The problem was that I was the headliner for the Tree Town Music Festival in Iowa. So I called the booking agent and just said, “Look, I can’t really tell you why, but there’s something that’s very, very important to me that would really do a lot of good and I’d really love to do it.” I offered to go on earlier in the day so I could still play, and to take a huge pay cut. It’s a first-year festival, and those things don’t always know if they’re going to make money, so in that sense it [was helpful to them]. So I performed, got on a plane to D.C. and then got on a bigger plane and flew to Afghanistan. Did you know from the first phone call it was going to be a Memorial Day-themed event? I didn’t know when it was going to happen, but I knew where. And the only reason I knew that is because I saw someone in person and they told me. On phone lines it probably wouldn’t even have been discussed. It was all very cryptic. There were very few people who knew; my wife knew. Even my booking agent and (continued on page 7)
people who were working the logistics didn’t know where or why. It wasn’t until they turned on the news that they saw what they’d helped arrange. Very few people even in the White House knew [the President] had gone. How long was the flight and did you get to take anyone with you? I took my band leader and sort of my right hand man in many ways, Kendall Marcy. It’s a long way. There were seven meals served while we were on there. There’s a crew, special forces, security and press on board. I went back and hung out with the press a little bit. They were happy to talk about something other than politics. They actually had a lot of questions about the show Nashville, which was fun
Secret’s Out: Arista’s Brad Paisley with America’s finest in Afghanistan during a visit to thank them for their service over Memorial Day weekend. His ride was Air Force One.
Chart Chat Congrats to Luke Bryan, Royce Risser, Steve Hodges, Katie Dean, Shane Allen and the entire Capitol promotion staff on scoring this week’s No. 1 with Bryan’s “Play It Again.” Not only is the song the fourth consecutive chart-topper from Crash My Party, it’s joined by this week’s No. 2 song, which also features Bryan. The collaboration with Florida Georgia Line on “This Is How We Roll” makes Bryan the first artist in the Mediabase chart era to hold down the top two slots in the same week.
Gilbert Rides For Release For the release of his third studio album Just As I Am, Valory’s Brantley Gilbert took street week, literally, to the streets. He started last Monday (5/19) by having radio friends over for dinner at his home in Jefferson, GA, including a visit to Potts Farm. “It was a lot of fun,” says WNGC/Athens, GA’s Heather Taylor. “We were able to get a glimpse into his life and what it was like for him growing up.” Adds Townsquare Taste of Country Nights host Sam Alex, “Highlights include drinking a beer on the road that influenced ‘Dirt Road Anthem’ and Brantley teaching me how to shoot his 10-Gauge Mossburg.” “We met his mom, his grandmother, his brother and a lot of other family members,” says WLHK/Indianapolis’ Dave O’Brien. “We saw
a softer side of Brantley. He’s almost bashful when he introduces his mom.” Tuesday (5/20) was a broadcast event at Gilbert’s alma mater, Jefferson High School, where radio was introduced to
his teachers and coaches. “They all had good things to say,” says O’Brien. “I know he projects this bad-boy image, but they all said he was a good athlete and a good student and they really enjoyed
Long Time Gone: The Dixie Chicks’ (l-r) Emily Erwin (Robison), Natalie Tarabay (Maines) and Martie Seidel (Maguire) visit then- WWYZ/Hartford MD John “Cadillac” Saville on their first radio tour. Have your own memories to share? Send them to [email protected].
him.” Adds WMIL/Milwaukee’s Kerry Wolfe, “It was a great time being able to talk with Brantley how the record came out and what the songs meant to him.” A concert at the Georgia Theater in nearby Athens followed. The Just As I Am: Athens to Arlington motorcycle ride began Wednesday, in conjunction with Folds of Honor. In-store events were held in Atlanta and Augusta before the ride stopped for the night in Columbia, SC, where an in-store took place the next morning. Clear Channel RPM and WCOS PD LJ Smith says it was a packed house. “Everyone from his label to his management team were terrific to work with and Brantley was very gracious and accommodating with the fans.” Greenville was next and WSSL’s Kix Layton says people started lining up at 9am for a 6pm acoustic performance. “He guaranteed to sign 300 CDs, but Brantley decided to sign everyone’s,” he says. “That made my life easier.” Friday opened with a SiriusXM album premiere special in Gaffney, SC and an in-store in Charlotte. Gilbert stayed there overnight for Saturday morning (5/24) photos with NASCAR driver Kyle Larson and his car, which is one of five Chip Ganassi Racing Team cars featuring Gilbert.
MY TUNES: MUSIC THAT SHAPED MY LIFEHit Shop Special Ops rep Jennifer Wayne discusses her most influential artists, concerts, songs and albums:1. Garth Brooks, No Fences: This is the reason I started listening to country music!He is my idol. And he put my grandparents in his music video for “The Dance.”2. Dixie Chicks, Wide Open Spaces: This is the reason I wanted to become a country singer/songwriter. I was obsessed with listening to anything Dixie Chicks. I
remember getting my entire group of girlfriends into listening to country music because of the Dixie Chicks.3. Patty Griffin/Rain: One of my most favorite songs, and it introduced me to Patty’s music. She inspires me more than anyone, especially to be a better writer. And her voice kills me!4. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Greatest Hits: How can you get better than this? His music is classic. It will always be relevant. I will always need Tom Petty in my life.5. Toto/Africa: Just because. I love the ‘80s. Every time I hear that song it makes me happy. We all do a little dance.•An album you played or listened to incessantly: I played The Avett Brothers’ I and Love and You to death. It never got old. •One obscure or non-country song everyone should listen to right now: Brandi Carlile, “The Story.” Everyone should hear this song. •One item in your music collection you’d rather not admit to enjoying: I mean, I do love me some George Michael “Father Figure.” Reach Jen here.
By Saturday night, Gilbert had flown to Forest City, IA for a concert and then to Indianapolis, landing after midnight. “Doing the Double” was on schedule for Sunday (5/25), beginning with an appearance at the Indianapolis 500 and photos with the cars bearing his likeness. Then he hopped a helicopter to Charlotte to play the pre-race concert at the Coca-Cola 600 before jumping back on his bike for an in-store event in Greensboro and then to Washington, DC for the night. Monday’s final destination was Arlington National Cemetery. After the Changing of the Guard ceremony, Gilbert participated in a wreath-laying at the grave of Cpt. Dennis White, US Air Force. WMZQ’s Michael J rode to the site with Gilbert and says the event “makes me not only proud to be an American, but proud to be a member of the Country radio/music community and even prouder to be a Brantley Gilbert fan.” He adds, “There was nothing about Memorial Day, May 26, 2014 that I will ever forget.” –Jess Wright
Zac Brown Band Opens Tour Giant video screens depicting heavy rain were an engaging backdrop and highlight as the Zac Brown Band’s Great American Road Trip Tour opened Saturday in Lincoln (5/24). Opening with “Let It Rain” from The Grohl Sessions Vol. 1, the stormy video effect was “ screened by a sheer veil-like curtain that served as an additional screen for raindrops,” according to KXKT/Lincoln PD Erik Johnson. Adds KZKX/Lincoln OM/PD Rob Kelley, “The effect along with the light show made them appear that they were standing in the midst of the storm. It was a very cool look for the opening number.” The two-hour show was broken into two sets, with the first including “great covers by The Band, Bob Marley and Billy
Joel,” says Johnson. Following a 10-minute intermission, ZBB returned in skeleton costumes and aglow in special lighting for “Day For The Dead.” Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” was covered, and members of the military were
recognized during “Chicken Fried.” “We heard several comments of how amazing they sounded live, if not better than on record,” Kelley says. “It was one of the top shows I’ve seen.” –Russ Penuell
News & Notes Envision has launched ResearchWorks, a tool that uses testing and research to measure radio advertising effectiveness. More here. United Stations will sell network commercial time for content distribution provider Mr. Master for its new Automated Import Manager, which will be available on a barter basis. Songwriter/producer Forest Glen Whitehead has renewed his contract with Black River Publishing.
Singer-songwriter Sonya Isaacs Yeary has signed a publishing agreement with Warner Chappell. Song Factory songwriter Rob Crosby has been honored at Eurovision 2014 with the Marcel Benzecon Award for Best And Most Original Song for “Calm After The Storm.”
Artist News Chuck Wicks will host and perform at Country Weekly’s pre-CMA Music Festival Kickoff Party and benefit for Musicians On Call June 3 in Nashville. Kip Moore and Frankie Ballard will also perform. More here. The Grand Ole Opry will host its sixth annual Guitars of the Stars Benefit Auction June 5 as part of CMA Music Festival in downtown Nashville. Scotty McCreery will perform and guest host with WSM-AM’s Bill Cody. Auction proceeds benefit the Opry Trust Fund. More here. American Ballads: The Photographs of Marty Stuart will be released July 4. The photos are also featured in an exhibit at Nashville’s Frist Center for the Visual Arts through Nov. 2. More here. Cracker Barrel is holding an online auction to benefit the National Military Family Association. Auction items come from Country artists and new ones are added weekly through July 7. More here. Kenny Rogers will perform a benefit concert June 1 in Sikeston, MO for the Kenny Rogers Children’s Center. More here. The Doobie Brothers have signed with Richlyn Marketing ahead of their upcoming tribute album with country artists. Streamsound’s Kristian Bush is offering “Story Of A Soldier” through June 2 here in exchange for a donation that will go to the American Veterans Center. Aaron Lewis’ fourth annual It Takes A Community Foundation benefit concert will include Shinedown’s Brent Smith and Zach Myers and Staind. The show is June 27 in Florence, MA. More here.
(continued from page 1)Declassified: Paisley’s Secret Tripbecause that’s the only thing I’m actually qualified to give them any opinion on. And yeah. You spend time with various other folks on there. The President? I don’t want to get into too much detail on that. So who opened the show when you got there? Did the President open for Brad Paisley?
No. I opened for him. I played for 55 minutes before he came out. Then I took a little break, and then played one more song to bring him out. Then he spoke. How do you plan an acoustic performance like this? I thought about what they wanted to hear and what was appropriate. I’ve got some songs like “This Is Country Music,” which is just perfect. You know the last verse is like, “If there’s anyone who still has pride for those who died defending the old red, white and blue. This is country music and we do.” And I knew they’d wanna hear “I’m Gonna Miss Her” and “Alcohol.” They really wanna hear “Alcohol” because...they’re not allowed to have it. Did you get to spend much time with the soldiers themselves? I actually did. I worked the room after I played. It was very fun because they all want to tell you what you mean to them, and they all have a story that’s pretty remarkable. The saddest things are like one guy in his late 20s who hands me a photo of his family. It’s him, his wife, a nine-month-old baby and a two-year-old girl. And he gives it to me and says, “You can have that.” And I say thank you and put in my pocket. And I have it. There’s no name on the back or anything. He just wants you to see his family and wants you to have it. Another guy came up and said, “Hey I’m from Tennessee and I’m going home in a week! I’m going be at CMA Fest! Can I say ‘hi’ to you with my wife?” And he hands me his info. So I’m calling him in a couple of weeks and I’ll bring him backstage. That’s the kinds of things you dream about being able to do. How long were you on the ground? Three or four hours. Once we landed, the press was free to transmit that we were there. It was complete and total radio silence on the way over. They lifted that and then the doors [on the plane] opened. So then the clock is ticking to get out. You’ve got to think that that’s the biggest target in the world at that point and you have to be smart about it.
Momentum’s Jamie O’Neal puts an industry spin on the artist interview: I grew up on the road and my parents were performers. My dad was a songwriter so he really didn’t have the radio on. He would just play albums when he wanted to hear them, like Roy Clark, Patsy Cline and people like that. It was amazing the first time I heard myself on the radio. Like a Christmas
morning kind of thing. There was a little bit of screaming. I was with my husband at home and it was just really exciting. The scariest part of a radio tour is when you’re live on-air and hoping your voice doesn’t crack or you don’t say the wrong thing. Just like when you go on Leno, it’s live and you probably won’t get the chance to do it again unless you said a big cuss word and they insisted. You’re stuck with it. My favorite road companion would be my little dog Griffin. He’s been with me since he was three months old and is about to be 16. He’s been in the recording studio, on the bus, on planes and in the bag to sneak into restaurants. In hotels I used to be able to say to him, “You’re top secret,” cover him up with the bed covers as room service would come in and he would just sit there waiting for me to pull them back. Now that he’s getting up in age, I don’t like to take him on too many trips out of his comfort zone. But whenever he does go, he’s still just as good as ever. I love four-wheeling. And I love when you play at fairs, festivals or rodeos and they have four wheelers you can ride. That’s really fun. Candles are a must on the road. It’s very much a fire hazard, but I take them anyway. They got confiscated from my cruise ship cabin; I was very annoyed at that. The cabin boy turned me in. Next thing I know there was a letter on my bed saying, “We must confiscate your candles.” Eternal is a respectful tribute with the songs of years gone by from great artists like Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and the Gatlin Brothers. It’s a mixture of classic hits, obscure songs and my all-time favorites that I love singing and have been attached to since I was a kid.
Have you slept yet? I slept pretty good last night. And I actually slept on the plane pretty well. You know, it’s pretty comfortable. The adrenaline is really the thing that tires you out because it gets going so high. Especially on landing. When they briefed us and talked about what do if there was a problem or if missile sirens start going off, they were like “Here’s where you’re going to go. There are these bunkers you’re going to get in.” That gets scary. It’s a true threat and you realize, okay, I’ve agreed to go to a war zone. What comes to mind when you consider just the exceptional nature of this trip, and even its historical significance? I’m fascinated with this world. I consider myself a complete patriot. I love this country. I love what we stand for, I love our history. And you know, I’m a huge fan of spy stuff and government secrets and things like that. So to be a part of a secret operation like this ... my wife kept saying, “They have no idea the fantasy camp that they’ve given you!” Because I’m always pretending like I’m on a secret mission like an idiot. For once I really did do that. It’s bizarre. I have such respect for what this country stands for, and for the military and the way we pull off some of these operations. It’ll be hard to top this one, that’s for sure. And then I realize it’s hard to make history as a musician. But in some small way, this is probably the closest I’ve come. I just don’t know if that’s ever been done; that they’ve flown a performer into a war zone on Air Force One. How hard was it to keep secret? It wasn’t hard at all. Kendall and I both said, “It ain’t gonna leak because of us. There is no way I’m ruining this.” I mean, we’re talking about our lives; especially if it leaks in a way that alerts the bad guys that we’re coming. There was no way we weren’t going to be 100% compliant. It wasn’t like we were hopping on a plane and going to another state. We were going to one of the most volatile regions of the world in total secret, and to say thank-you to our troops. There’s no way I would’ve said no to that. These are heroes over there living this. It’s a way of life to wonder if they’re going to survive their mission. It’s worth the risk, to me, to say thanks. You’ve got to. –Russ Penuell
JuNe 2SHERYL CROW/Shotgun (Sea Gayle/Old Green Barn/Warner Bros./WMN)ERIC CHURCH/Cold One (EMI Nashville)
JuNe 9JANA KRAMER/Love (Elektra Nashville/WAR)
JuNe 16HUNTER HAYES/Tattoo (Atlantic/WMN)JT HODGES/Already High (Show Dog-Universal)SAM HUNT/Leave The Night On (MCA)SUNNY SWEENEY/Bad Girl Phase (Crescendo/Thirty Tigers)
A D D DAT E S
C H E C K O U T 5 / 2 7Jamie O’Neal Eternal (Shanachie) The album’s 11 tracks are covers of country classics including Patsy Cline’s “Leavin’ On Your Mind,” Juice Newton’s “The Sweetest Thing” and Kris Kristofferson’s “Help Me Make It Through The Night.” Andy Griggs joins for George Jones and Tammy Wynette’s “Golden Ring.” O’Neal includes
one original, “Wide Awake,” as a bonus track. She co-wrote it with her father James Murphy and calls it “an ode to everyone who sleeps next to a snoring moose every night.”
Jun. 3 Miranda Lambert Platinum (RCA) Lucy Hale Road Between (DMG/In2une) Joshua Scott Jones The Healing (JSJ) Big Smo Kuntry Livin’ (Warner Bros./Elektra)
Jun. 10 Gene Watson My Heroes Have Always Been Country (Fourteen Carat) Demun Jones Jones County (Average Joes) Danny Boone Fish Grease (Average Joes)
Jun. 17 Willie Nelson Band of Brothers (Sony/Legacy)
July 1 Colt Ford Thanks For Listening (Average Joes)
July 8 Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Mötley Crüe (Big Machine/Mötley/Eleven Seven)