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. 

Corey Kent White's Folds of Honor tour

Photo from CKWs FB

Corey Kent White is a country singer you may recognize from  season eight of the popular tv show The Voice. However, this talented young artist has been actively performing since he was 11 years old, long before his television debut. White has performed with such country acts as the legendary Willie Nelson, Lee Brice, Blake Shelton and The Swon Brothers. White also just wrapped up a tour with Toby Keith!  He's got an EP out now titled Making Noise and over thousands of hours of stage experience. This talented singer/songwriter has achieved all of this while being a full time college student! Last week Corey Kent White released some exciting news. He is about to embark on a headlining tour that is to benefit Folds of Honor.

Photo from FofH FB

Folds of Honor is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educational opportunities to the families of America's fallen or wounded heroes. Folds of Honor was started by Oklahoma Air National Guard fighter pilot Major Dan Rooney in 2007. This amazing organization has several ways in which you can help support their cause. At the beginning of 2016, Folds of Honor's newest partner Corey Kent White is bringing another way of helping to a city near you. 

Photo from CKWs website

According to a video released by White, a portion of the proceeds from the tickets and merchandise sales from this concert series will be donated to the incredible organization. This will happen when the series comes to an end at the Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 in Atlanta, GA. This is sure to be an incredible tour with a talented young artist. Tickets are on sale now. I've already got my tickets and I can't wait to write about the opening show at Cain's Ballroom on January 23rd.

Tyler Farr - Cain's Ballroom

The number one hit "A Guy Walks Into a Bar" singer, Tyler Farr played at the historic Cain's Ballroom December 11th with "one-man band" Tennessee Jet opening the show.

Unfortunately I missed a large portion of Tennessee Jet's set before Tyler Farr hit the stage because of the timing of Farr's meet and greet. However,  what I did catch was incredible. It was the first time I saw a one man band and I loved it. It was definitely a set up that proves the artist's talent. He certainly got the crowd warmed up for Tyler Farr with original hits that reminded me of smooth old school country.

Tyler Farr set the bar when he opened up the show with "C.O.U.N.T.R.Y." the first track from his sophomore album Suffer In Peace. This singer/songwriter certainly tells it how it is and gives all his heart while he's on stage. Several times during the show he would pause in awe of the crowd and then thank them for helping him get where he is currently. We were treated to songs off both albums including singles "Whiskey In My Water", number one hit "A Guy Walks Into a Bar ",  the ever popular "Redneck Crazy", and current single "Better In Boots." During the performance of his new single "Better In Boots", fans in the crowd actually began to throw their boots on stage with the singer. 

Despite having to be mindful of random projectiles the country singer didn't seem to mind and actually preceded to autograph every boot before they were eventually returned to their owners. Perhaps one of my favorite parts though was watching Farr wave a little girl, no older then 8, around the gate so he could sign her photo while he sang. The look on her face was absolutely priceless. In just one minute of time he turned a great night into a night that little girl will never forget. Tyler Farr and his whole band put on an incredible show.

 The singer was incredibly humble the entire night. A tweet from one of his biggest fans after the show probably said it best. He left it all on the stage that night and I couldn't agree more. 

You can follow Tyler Farr on FB, Instagram, and Twitter. Don't forget to check out his website to see if he'll be stopping in a city near you. 

Justin Adams - Tulsa, OK

Hidden Nashville gem Justin Adams came back to his home state Saturday night. His headlining show was at The Vanguard in Tulsa with fellow Oklahoma band Lower 40 opening for him.

After Lower 40's set, the Bixby, OK native took the stage to a packed house with equally talented bandmates Clark James (drums), Tommy Kratzert (electric guitar), and Mike Ball (Bass). Adams has been releasing new music as of late and opened the show with "Lips On Mine" one such new song. While watching Justin Adams perform, his excitement and love for what he's doing just emanates off him. He draws the audience into each show trying to make it special for everyone. Saturday night, that included a couple birthday girls and a Bachelorette.

 As the headliner we were treated to almost two hours of music from Adams. It was a crowd pleasing mix of older hits such as "Miss Me Whiskey" and some new original material like the sensational hit in the making "I Keep It Country." Not to mention some stunning covers  that included Garth Brooks' "Friends In Low Places", Darius Rucker's "Rock Me", and the classic hit "Fishin' In The Dark" by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. He even slowed the show down for a bit with an acoustic version of his heartwarming song "This Cowboy's Gonna Ride" and a truly beautiful performance on the keys for his new song "Don't Give Up On Me."

From the first note of "Lips On Mine" to the ending ones of another new song "Cowboys Drivin' Cadillacs" Adams' energy level was 110% and after the show I watched as he preceeded to sign merchandise and take photos with all his fans. Justin Adams is a triple threat for the country music industry. He's a singer/songwriter with an incredibly striking voice. He puts on a one of a kind, highly energetic, audience engaging show and he is very down to earth and genuinely kind hearted with all his fans. This extremely talented country artist is clearly on the road to a bright future.

You can follow Justin Adams on Facebook. As well as @JustinAdamsCtry on Twitter and Instagram.

106.1 The Twister Bands Against Hunger

106.1 The Twister put together a great event to help raise food for the hungry here in Tulsa. It was a free concert on December 1st by Dylan Scott, Love and Theft, Cam, and Scotty McCreery. All that was required was to donate food for a four pack of tickets. The Bands Against Hunger event proved to be an incredible success with 6000+ items of food donated. The show was at the Riverbend Arena in Inola. Each artist took the stage separately and first on stage was Dylan Scott. 

On a fairly cold night what better way is there to get warm then dancing to great music? Scott got the evening rolling with such songs as "Lay It On Me", "Ballcap", "Makin' This Boy Go Crazy", and current chart climbing single "Crazy Over Me". The show was in an acoustic setting, but that did not stop Scott from giving it his all. Effectively making me wonder what he's like when it's a full show. The next to hit the stage was Cam. 

After meeting Dylan Scott and Love and Theft I was able to catch Cam singing her current single "Burning House." She is actually going to be touring with Eric Paslay on the winter leg of Brad Paisley's Crushin' It world tour. If her energy level in an acoustic setting of her current chart climber is any indication,  I'd try to catch one of those shows. After Cam was the country duo Love and Theft. 

As always this duo sounded incredible. Their harmonies are best described as unbelievable. They played older hits like the well known song "Angel Eyes" as well as things from the new album including current single "Whiskey On My Breath." They kept the crowd sing with songs "Runaway" and "Runnin' Outta Air." After dancing to "Lets Get Drunk and Make Friends" the crowd was plenty warmed up and ready for final act Scotty McCreery.

This was my first time seeing Scotty McCreery live and wow! He didn't let the cold bother him and yes you can see his breath in the above photo. It was that cold, but McCreery wouldn't be stopped. He was all over the stage engaging the audience. He captured the audience singing a variety of things from his first single "I Love You This Big" to his newest single "Southern Belle". Not to mention an outstanding cover of George Strait’s Christmas song "Christmas Cookies." You could tell it was Christmas time cause Jack Frost was nipping at our toes, but it was a great cause with great music.