An Ear For Music: 2017

Thursday, October 19, 2017

KVOO's All Access: Story Tellers featuring LANco

Tulsa's country radio station has a long history of not just giving back to the community but their listeners as well. October brought the birth of the All Access: Story Tellers concert series and it kicked off at The 5 o'Clock Somewhere bar inside The Riverspirit Casino with up and coming hit sensation LANco. You may recognize them from their Top 10 Hit "Greatest Love Story." A song that also broke onto the Billboard Hot 100 list. The show was free to any listener who wanted to come. KVOO also ran contests on their social media pages prior to the event for a chance to meet the band as well. A contest this music lover was fortunate enough to win.

Going into the show, I was only familiar with their singles "Long Live Tonight" and "Greatest Love Story." It was also my first time seeing them live. Most wouldn't think that combination makes good ingredients for a very fun night, but it's honestly one of my favorite 'night of live music' recipes. LANco proved exactly why too! The five-man band consists of frontman Brandon Lancaster, guitarist Eric Steedly, bassist Chandler Baldwin, Utility Player Jared Hampton, and drummer Tripp Howell and they kicked off the show with perhaps my favorite song from their self-titled EP, called "Trouble Maker." Their hour-long set continued on with other songs from their EP like "We Do," their singles, and some new tracks from their pending album including "Win Her Over." This highly energetic band seemed to entrance the hypnotized crowd, even more, when they broke into classic covers like "Dixieland Delight" by Alabama and "Better Man" by Brooks & Dunn. They had the audience singing along to every word all night and the dance floor completely occupied the entire time too.

It wasn't just the music that was memorable about KVOO's first All Access: Story Tellers concert though. It was the atmosphere that the band created. Frontman Brandon Lancaster was utterly charismatic and hilarious between songs. Never once standing still and at times even holding the mic stand out for the audience as he got swept up in the crowd singing back to him. His bandmates matched his energy level, talent, and excitement movement for movement. It will definitely go down as one the best all-around shows this music nerd and concert junkie has ever been too. I can't wait to hear more from this band. Because something tells me this is just a glimpse of what they are capable of.

I highly look forward to the next installment in the All Access: Story Tellers series from KVOO

Sunday, July 16, 2017

Ladies Invade The River Spirit

Image From KVOO website

Tulsa country music station KVOO has been pulling in some stellar acts for their acoustic ladies only shows at the 5 O'clock Somewhere bar inside the River Spirit Casino and Resort. All of them have produced happy enthusiastic fans, but nothing like on July 12th when Kane Brown took that stage. The crowd even spilled out into the casino with ladies stopping by the half-wall around the bar to enjoy the music.

Kane Brown built his fan base in a true grass roots fashion by posting covers on YouTube and Facebook before RCA/Sony added him to their roster. I was intrigued for this Ladies Lock-In because I was curious about what caused the obvious shine of this artist's rising star.

Brown played an hour set full of original hits and covers. From his self-titled debut album the crowd got treated to "Pull It Off," "Better Place," "Rockstars," "the emotionally charged "Granddaddy's Chair"Thunder in the Rain," and his current hit single "What Ifs." From his EP Chapter One, we also got "Used to Love You Sober" and "Wide Open." While he impressed with all his original songs, he also showed just why he caught everyone's attention when he seamlessly covered varying ends of the country genre singing songs like Sam Hunt's current summer hit "Body Like A Backroad" to Randy Travis' "Three Wooden Crosses."

The verdict from this music blogger is Kane Brown is extremely deserving of all the hype. Never judge a book by its' cover because you could be missing out on something wonderful. This young man has a voice beautifully suited for country music and I'm excited to see how he develops and grows as an artist.

Monday, June 12, 2017

2017 Can Jam

The Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma is the largest private hunger-relief organization in eastern Oklahoma who feeds the hungry of Eastern Oklahoma through a network of Partner Programs. They endeavor to provide food security, with dignity, for all eastern Oklahomans. On their website, this is what is listed under who we serve:

With locations in Tulsa and McAlester, we provide food and other donated goods to 450 Partner Programs in 24 counties of eastern Oklahoma. These programs include emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs and senior citizen centers. Together, we provide more than 339,000 meals each week to people struggling with hunger. During Fiscal Year 2016 we distributed more than 21.1 million pounds of food, 31 percent of which was fresh produce.

I am explaining all of this because I want you to grasp how important it is to give back to one's community and why what local Tulsa Country music station KVOO is doing is so impressive and basically pretty darn cool. They announced a concert called Can Jam 2017.

The way it works is stated clearly on the station's website

To get your tickets, stop by special KVOO van collection stops with a canned food donation to benefit the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. Minimum 1 can per ticket and limit 1 pair of tickets per person per stop. This is a 21+ show.

So do you want to know who you get to see when you come out and support a cause that helps so many Oklahomans? There is not just one artist, but four! That is right you get to see Joe Nichols, Brett Young, Frankie Ballard, and Seth Ennis! The show is at Paradise Cove in River Spirit Casino Resort, but not until August 20th at 7 PM. The second ticket location is this Friday the 6/16 at The Tate Boys at 71st and 145th in Broken Arrow from 11-1 and the first 45 people get tickets!

It is sure to be an incredible night so keep your radio stations on 98.5 KVOO and do not miss out on your tickets or helping out the incredible Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma!

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Acoustic Heaven

In my little corner of this vast universe, few do country right better than radio station KVOO. In addition to playing the music listeners actually, want to hear, they do countless wonderful things for their listeners including some pretty amazing acoustic shows. Tonight there was one such show at the 5 O'Clock Somewhere Bar in Tulsa's River Spirit Casino Resort. It was another in their acoustic Ladies Lock-In concerts and the featured artist this time was Canaan Smith. I was intrigued to see if Smith would be playing any new music given the recent release of his new single "Like You That Way."

It was an impressive set list full of new material like "Love & Learn" and "Chaos" as well as established hits like the number one song "Love You Like That" and my favorite "Mad Love." I have yet to walk away from a Canaan Smith show disappointed, and this performance was no exception. He engaged the crowd beautifully, never stopped smiling, and my head is still happily spinning from all the new songs. Having been to multiple shows, it was impressive to see how his sound has grown and evolved.

Photo Credit: Bridget Little

I'll just say one thing: Smith is still a fantastic songwriter, and whenever the date arrives I will happily be purchasing the follow-up to his terrific album Bronco. When the show was over Smith and even his guitarist Stephen Whitfield, took photos with every fan that asked. After tonight, I look forward to the next KVOO treat and when Canaan Smith returns to Tulsa.

MEET AND GREET

Canaan Smith 5/31/2017

Stephen Whitfield 5/31/2017

Saturday, February 18, 2017

KVOO Valentine’s Hangover

The Tulsa radio station, 98.5 KVOO has been delivering a variety of country music for over 20+ years. In addition to talented radio personalities and phenomenal music, KVOO frequently runs contests to give back to their listeners and their Ladies Lock-In shows are one such event. It is a relatively new platform for this radio station and has already netted such acts as Parmalee, Granger Smith, and Chase Bryant. It’s a ladies only show with the single way in being to win your invites. The invite includes a +1 so you can bring a girlfriend AND the opportunity to meet the featured act. February being the month of love, KVOO put together an extra large Ladies Lock-In for the day after Valentine’s Day. This was the biggest Ladies Lock-In to date with an opening act named Brent Giddens as well as the featured artists Drew Baldridge, Dylan Scott, and Jerrod Niemann.

Image may contain: 3 people, people on stage, people playing musical instruments, guitar and concert

If you asked the attending ladies whom they were there to see, the answers would have been widely varied. I had actually seen everyone live before. So I knew it would be a fun night. When the event opened at 7, every lady who wanted one was treated to a beautiful red rose. That we were later informed was not provided by the radio station KVOO, but rather Drew Baldridge himself. Local act Brent Giddens did a wonderful job warming up the crowd before Baldridge took the stage. I found out afterward that Giddens has an excellent EP out titled Tangled. Baldridge treated us to several songs from his debut album Dirt On Us including his current single “Rebound,” the adorable melody “Burnt Toast,” and up-tempo hit “Dance With Ya.” Drew Baldridge proved KVOO’s Valentine’s Hangover was not going to be just an “Everyday Night.”

Dylan Scott was out next and he demonstrated one of my favorite parts of acoustic shows: the stories artists share before some of their songs. We learned two things that night. Scott’s songwriting inspiration is his wife and he loves her very much. He played us several songs from his self-titled album including newest single “My Girl,” “Ball Cap,” and “Crazy Over Me.” We also got to hear “Sleeping Beauty.” A song Scott just released an acoustic video for on Valentines Day. I think “Sleeping Beauty” left the biggest impression on me. Because the only other time I’ve heard the artist’s love for the person behind a song shine through so strongly was when I heard Chris Janson perform “Holdin’ Her” live.

Described by the amazing hosts of the evening as the best hugger in country music, the self-proclaimed half Okie, Jerrod Niemann was the final artist of the night. He opened with one of his songwriting credits that Blake Shelton cut called “You’ll Always Be Beautiful.” Then he sang us several more songs including “Only God Could Love You More,” “Lover, Lover,” “God Made a Women,” and “Blue Bandana.” Not to mention his newest single, a duet with Lee Brice, titled "A Little More Love." The smooth, soulful style of Jerrod Niemann, the heartfelt ballads of Dylan Scott and the upbeat, movement inspiring style of Drew Baldridge blended perfectly for the perfect night of live music. All three gentlemen were extremely kind while taking pictures and signing autographs for everyone after the show.

With a pending hip surgery, this music lover doesn't think she could have asked for a better last concert before embarking on the pending road of rehabilitation. Check out all the links below to keep up with this amazing radio station and all the talented artists.

KVOO Links

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Brent Giddens Links

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify

Drew Baldridge Links

Dylan Scott Links

Jerrod Niemann Links

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Introducing Carter Winter

This journey began when I fell in love with live music. However, one of the increasingly popular ways to discover new artists and their music is social media. One of the first artists to catch my ear and inspire a late night jam session was Carter Winter. That is why the Ohio native with the stunning baritone vocals is my first Social Media Find to be showcased.

This up and coming artist has already shared a stage with stars such as Travis Tritt, Thomas Rhett, Chase Rice, and The Swon Brothers. In 2016 Winter’s released a solid album full of nine incredible songs titled The Whiskey In Me. A fantastic album that you can download from iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play. You can also stream Winter’s music on Spotify as well.

With such goals as making people dance and enjoy themselves as well as making a difference, It’s safe to say, Carter Winter is accomplishing just what he set out to.

For Carter Winter Updates

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

What's to Come in 2017

Here on An Ear for Music you are used to getting concert reviews and artist 411 articles. First, don't expect that to change. Second, I wanted everyone to know this year I'll be adding some new features and I am very excited about them! Read on for small descriptions of each and hopeful posting schedule. Don't want anyone to miss out!

Johnny and June Cash

I was inspired to start this first new feature by the newest Parmalee single "Roots." A fantastic song

that is acknowledging no matter where you end up, your roots are still a part of you. So twice a month I'll be sharing Iconic 411 articles in order to acknowledge the roots of country music.

Carter Winter

The possibilities of this next feature have me very excited! Sharing my prior posts on social media has brought many other artists to my attention. So every week I will be sharing Social Finds were I'll be introducing everyone to a new artist\band I discovered via a social media platform.

Lauren Alaina

I'll be continuing the artist 411 articles twice a month just like the new Iconic 411 articles. You will also be able to find the country airplay mediabase charts each week and a Spotify discovery piece featuring their New Boots playlist. At the end of each month there will be a poll to decide which artists featured via artist 411 articles or Social Finds articles will become a Permanent Rotation artist. Permanent Rotation means they'll have their own page here at An Ear for Music were you will be able to find all their links and music.

Next month is the holiday of love, so starting the first I look forward to showing some love to some well deserved artists and music! I'm very excited for 2017 and I truly hope you'll be along for the journey!

Monday, January 16, 2017

High Valley

Canadian sibling duo, Brad and Curtis Rempel, currently have a top 20 hit with their single "Make You Mine" and if you have ever listen to their music you know it is not going to be their only hit in the making. Twice now I have had the pleasure of seeing High Valley live and I walked away wanting more both times. Their music is like a serious breath of fresh air. Their sound is full of actual instruments and lyrics that are family friendly with meaning. I have yet to hear a song from them I did not enjoy. Don't just take my word for it though, listen to their new album Dear Life below via Spotify and tell me what you think!

Visit High Valley's website HERE to sign up for their newsletter, join their fan club, and even download their app.

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Who is Seth Costner?

You may recognize Seth Costner as the talented keyboardist touring with The Swon Brothers. The one who gets to perform a song as a part of their show. However, there's so much more to this artist. Seth Costner is a talented singer/songwriter who has an incredibly beautiful voice that just draws you in. In fact, Costner just released his second EP, The Easy Part. The five song EP is currently available on iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play. The Easy Part not only showcases the smooth vocals of this up and comer, but his astounding writing skills as well. There's more, he also plays the keyboard, guitar, banjo, and harmonica.

Seth Costner playing keys

Talent is not the only thing Seth Costner has going for him though. He is very down to earth and appreciative of his fans. He interacts with them after shows and on social media often. In fact, his fans are quite a buzz with the holiday spirit thanks to the recent release of the holiday tune "Celebrate Me Home" on iTunes. My advice for the new year is to keep a watch out for Seth Costner. As 2016 is sure to hold amazing things for this gifted artist.

The Easy Part's Cover Art

For updates (and singing clips) follow Seth Costner on Twitter and Instagram with @sethcostner

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