Corey Kent White at Cain's Ballroom

Honoring Their Sacrifice, Educating Their Legacy. That is Folds of Honor's mission. It's one started by Major Dan Rooney and supported by many more. All the money raised on this tour is to benefit Folds of Honor. It was even revealed the entire band was performing for free.

A few weeks ago, I told you about singer/songwriter Corey Kent White and his upcoming benefit tour for Folds of Honor. Something I am not sure I mentioned was military runs in my family. All my uncles and my only brother have served in the armed forces. Patriotism is just a part of who I am. One might say it runs in my blood. So this concert was something I'm glad I did not miss. Our service men and women sacrifice so much for us and to see an artist wanting to honor that is beyond heartwarming. The opening stop on the Folds of Honor tour took place in Tulsa, OK at the historic Cain's Ballroom and it was about so much more than just music.

Corey Kent White performing

The show began with an incredible history lesson and all around good time with The Round Up Boys. They got the crowd up and dancing everything from a two step to the waltz. It was quite a sight seeing couples both old and young enjoying the music. Following the Round Up Boys, the host of the evening Major Ed Pulido, a purple heart recipient, who works with Folds of Honor introduced Madi and Alaska. They gave a beautiful rendition of "God Bless America." After which Corey Kent White took the stage.

Flag Presentation

 Since White has been performing for over ten years, it is no surprise he commanded said stage like a pro. The talented vocalist and song writer was backed up by an impressively talented band, Dave Gaylord (fiddle), Ryan Sheppard (Drums), Matt Maxwell (Bass), and John Conrad (guitar). The set performed by White had a few additional surprises besides stunning original songs and marvelous covers including two encores.

The winning couple w/White and FofH

When Major Pulido took the stage again, we had the pleasure of meeting a military widow. The Folds of Honor crew, along with White and his band, presented her with a flag. There was also an auction mid-concert of a signed concert poster and photos with Corey Kent White. The top bid was $1100! Then when the couple got up to the stage they informed everyone their business was going to double the bid!!! Stop one on this Folds of Honor tour was, as I've said before, about so much more than music and it was a complete success. 

Next stop Phoenix, AZ and I highly recommend catching it.

Who is Tara Thompson?

2016 kicked off in an incredible way. I had the privilege of seeing Tara Thompson on her radio tour when she stopped by 106.1 The Twister's studios. 

Photo by Shannon H

Thompson is a singer/songwriter who is currently out on the CMT Next Women of Country tour. She has a single out right now titled "Someone To Take You Home." Tara Thompson sang us five songs from her upcoming debut album. I love her song lyrics. As her bio states, "she puts a quirky tongue-in-cheek spin on her life experiences." I have always loved music that spontaneously makes you smile.

Tara Thompson said she wrote all, but two of the songs on her upcoming album. After hearing her single "Someone To Take Your Place", "Vows", "Pregnant At The Prom", her romantic song "Jail", and perhaps my new favorite song "Pink Flamingo", this is one album that is sure to fly off the shelves or in todays world up the downloading charts. Stay tuned, I predict a bright future for this spunky down to earth artist.

You can follow Tara Thompson on FB, Twitter (@TaraThompsonTN), and Instagram (@TaraThompsonMusic)

Cole Swindell ~ You Should Be Here

Academy of Country Music's New Artist of the Year Cole Swindell has had an incredible year. He made history as the only male solo artist to have his first four singles hit number one on the Mediabase/Country Aircheck charts. On December 14th, his fifth single and the first from his pending sophomore album was released. "You Should Be Here" debut at 35 on the charts last week. Swindell pinned the heart felt ballad about his father, after his sudden passing, with fellow song writer Ashley Gorley.

After a beautiful piano opening, the song begins telling stories of, "those never forget it, better stop and take it in kinda scenes." Swindell's voice is at the forefront and beautifully showcased though out. Every so often there will be a moment in country music were a song will come out that makes fans stop and listen. That song will have the right lyrics to make you feel it in your heart with every beat of the music and this is one of those moments. Swindell has said he hopes this song resonates with fans and that he believes it's just the song he moved to Nashville to write. As a fan, I can say it does just that. I lost my mom two years ago and holidays are the hardest. Having "You Should Be Here" released this holiday season was just the Christmas gift I needed to survive it. The official music video can be watched below:

The lyrics are not the only thing heartbreakingly real about his newest single. The video has actual moments from Swindell's career, his family, and his hometown. The emotional video crosses between a visit back home and various highlights of Swindell's career from the phone call to his dad about signing with Warner to his performance at the Opry. In one word it's just powerful. This single shows another side of this already extremely talented artist and has me very excited for his sophomore album.

The single is available on iTunes,  Amazon, and Google Play.

A Year of Music ~ 2015 in Review

When asked about my favorite memories of 2015 its nearly impossible to decide. From playing ping pong with my favorite band to my first concert road trip to starting this blog and setting up a fan account for an incredible up and coming country singer, 2015 will go in the books as one of the best of my life. Here's a monthly recap of a musical year for the books including every artist I got to mark off my See Live Before I Can't See list.

In January the year kicked off to a great start when the band that started it all came back to Oklahoma. Parmalee played at Cain's Ballroom with six man band, Backroad Anthem as the opening act. I had started my See Live Before I Can't See list with Parmalee after seeing them acoustically a few months before. I actually won invites to hang out backstage before the show with Parmalee. After the show I added Backroad Anthem to my list as well. Because I want to see them as a headliner. I didn't have a show in February and in March I saw the incredibly talented and hilarious Brett Eldredge. I had added Eldredge to my list after seeing him a few months prior in a radio acoustic show with other artists that included Dustin Lynch whom I added as well.

Backroad Anthem & Parmalee

In April I won invites to a ladies only acoustic show to see singer/songwriter Eric Paslay. Despite being outnumbered by ladies (some who might have taken full advantage of the bar) he put on a great show! He was so sweet afterwards too! May brought two concerts. First I saw Chase Bryant with opener Justin Adams at Cain's Ballroom. Adams put on such an incredible show I added him to my list that night in hopes of seeing him as a headliner. The other was a ladies only acoustic show with Canaan Smith I won invites too. Smith was another artist from my list and he is one of my favorite solo artists. In June I attended my first show at the BOK Center because two of the artist from my list were on the bill, Luke Bryan and Dustin Lynch. Randy Houser also performed that night. 

Artist meet & greets from April-June

July I was checking out a new concert venue The Hard Rock. Because someone from my list was having a coming home concert. I got to mark off The Swon Brothers that night. The bonus was fellow Okie and Voice contestant Corey Kent White was the opening artist. He was incredible!  In August I was back at the The Hard Rock to see Gary Allen. He sings one of my favorite songs "Every Storm Runs Outta Rain" and it was unbelievable live. September actually brought me back to the BOK Center to mark off two more artists, Florida Georgia Line and Frankie Ballard. Thomas Rhett performed that night too.

FGL/Frankie Ballard/Thomas Rhett

October brought many musical moments including my first outdoor concert when Parmalee came back for the Tulsa State Fair. Since my concert adventures began with Parmalee, I made that show my first concert review and An E.A.R. For Music was born. A few days later I was blown away by Dustin Lynch at the fair. I had already seen Lynch acoustically and as opener for Luke Bryan. A full show with Dustin Lynch as the headliner was definitely bucket list worthy (Review Here). After the fair shows, I won invites to a ladies lock in acoustic show to see Canaan Smith again (Review Here). I actually got remembered by both Smith and his guitarist Stephen Whitfield that night. Then I saw Maddie and Tae with opener Tucker Beathead at Cain's Ballroom (Review Here). My first road trip for a concert happened in November. I saw The Swon Brothers put on a benefit show at the Muskogee Civic Center for the Salvation Army (Review Here) and Canaan Smith (again) in Lawton. That was my first full band show with Smith and it was incredible (Review Here). His guitarist Stephen Whitfield is definitely my favorite guitarist!

Meet and Greet's from Oct - Nov 

The first time I heard Michael Ray's "Kiss You in the Morning" I added him to my list. When he came to Tulsa on a radio tour there was acoustic events with all three country stations. I attended two of them (Review Here) and it was right up there with hanging out backstage with my favorite band Parmalee. In December I had four concerts. The first two were radio station shows. The first being 106.1 The Twister's Bands Against Hunger event with Dylan Scott, Love and Theft, Cam, and Scotty McCreery (Review Here). The second 98.5 KVOO's Jingle Jam with James Otto, Waterloo Revival, Craig Campbell, Jana Kramer, Canaan Smith, and Jerrod Neimann (Review Here). My next show I was extremely excited about. Justin Adams was back in Tulsa and he was headlining the show with Lower 40 as the opening act. It was another list moment (Review Here) and it was the perfect show to be my last of the year. Then a week later a friend surprised me with tickets to Tyler Farr and Tennessee Jet, the one man band. It was a such a great show with tons of great people (Review Here).

Meet and greets from Nov & Dec

Concerts have been amazing this year and I've learned so much. Besides the billed artist there are plenty of other things to watch in live shows. Opening acts can pleasantly surprise you. I now run social media fan accounts for one such artist. Besides opening acts, there was one other thing I learned deserves attention and that's the band. From Canaan Smith's guitarist Stephen Whitfield to Justin Adams' drummer Clark James, I've witnessed some great musical talent this year. 2015 brought 21 concerts, 34 different artists, Fan clubs,  and the birth of An E.A.R. For Music. As 2016 kicks off with Corey Kent White's Folds of Honor tour, I'm very excited to see where it goes!

KVOO's Jingle Jam (Rewrite)

Country music station 98.5 KVOO had their annual Jingle Jam concert on December 2nd. It was a free concert with James Otto, Waterloo Revival, Craig Campaign, Jana Kramer, Canaan Smith, and Jerrod Neimann. My concert buddy and I were very excited to see Waterloo Revival and Canaan Smith. We viewed everyone else as a huge bonus. Every artist was on stage together and it felt like a big party complete with birthday cake for the incredibly talented Jana Kramer. The first to the stage was James Otto. 

James Otto KVOO Jingle Jam

James Otto is not only a singer, but a songwriter as well. Every song he sang for us he contributed to writing. Not only did we get his hits "Somewhere Tonight" and "Just Got Started Lovin' You", but "No Hurry" which was released by Zac Brown Band. The show stealer from Otto had to be his performance of the Jamey Johnson song "In Color." Even the members of Waterloo Revival said they weren't sure how to follow that performance, but follow they did and masterfully. They were next to hit the stage. 

Waterloo Revival KVOO Jingle Jam

My concert buddy loves Waterloo Revival and had myself equally excited to hear them perform. Let's just say I walked away a new fan or as I'm told a Reviver. They have incredible voices, great guitar skills, and engaged the audience the entire time. They performed their songs "That Damn I Didn't Give", "Bad For You", "Slow And Steady", and "Hit The Road." Craig Campbell was next to hit the stage.

Craig Campbell KVOO Jingle Jam

When he introduced himself Campbell said "tell your friends about me" and with good reason. Craig Campbell has an extremely beautiful voice. He told us stories about his music and engaged the audience between songs. Campbell sang his songs "Outta My Head", "Keep Them Kisses Coming", "Fish", and the incredibly beautiful new song "Outskirts of Heaven." I can't wait for the next opportunity to see Craig Campbell live. Next up was Jana Kramer.  

Jana Kramer KVOO Jingle Jam

The birthday girl Jana Kramer took the stage to the crowd breaking out in a spontaneous "Happy Birthday." She sang her songs "Why You Wanna", the upbeat "Said No One Ever", "Boomerang", and the current chart climbing single "I Got The Boy." The crowd wasn't the only one wishing her a happy birthday though. The KVOO crew brought her out a cake and we did it all over again. After the talented birthday girl was Canaan Smith.

Canaan Smith KVOO Jingle Jam

I've seen Smith in both acoustic shows and full band shows and he never disappoints. He sang both his number one hit "Love You Like That" and his newest single "Hole in a Bottle." As well as "Two Lane Road" and my favorite song from his debut album Bronco "Mad Love." Next up was the half Okie himself Jerrod Neimann. 

Jerrod Neimann KVOO Jingle Jam

Jerrod Neimann definitely brought the party when he opened up the show with "Drinkin' Song." He kept up the show with songs "Lover, Lover", "What Do You Want", and "Drink To That All Night." However that was not all, he also fulfilled the KVOO crews impromptu request for his song "Donkey." They even contributed the donkey noises. The show concluded with a group performance of "Family Tradition."

It was a fun show to watch from artists singing back up for each other and playing along with their acoustics to screaming contests inspired by Craig Campbell.