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!

KVOO Links
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram


Joe Nichols Links
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify | YouTube

Brett Young Links
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify | YouTube

    

Frankie Ballard Links
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify | YouTube

Seth Ennis Links
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | SnapChat | Spotify | YouTube

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

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. 

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

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Snapchat: dbaldridge00  | Spotify | YouTube

Dylan Scott Links

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | YouTube

Jerrod Niemann Links

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | YouTube

98.5 KVOO's 5 Man Jam

If there's one station that knows how to put together a phenomenal group of talented artists for an acoustic show, it would be one of the oldest country stations in Tulsa OK, 98.5 KVOO. The station's annual 5 Man Jam took place on May 24th and it was packed full of some incredible talent. Chris Janson, Drake White, Brandy Clark, Jordan Rager, and Drew Baldridge were all on the stage together at the River Spirit Casino with Janson acting as the host for the evening. Something each artist on the stage had in common that night is they are not only incredibly talented artists, but songwriters as well. Though the artists played in a round robin fashion, it was the host Chris Janson who kicked things off.

Janson started out the night with "Truck Yeah" a song he helped pen that Tim McGraw released. When he told us about the story behind "Holdin' Her," his current single, and sang it for us, it was clear he absolutely adores his wife and family. If you think genuinely kindhearted people no longer exist, I suggest you meet Chris Janson to be pleasantly proven wrong. Janson sang a few versus of a couple of songs before his hit "Buy Me A Boat" including a bit of LoCash's song "I Love This Life." A song that Janson, himself, helped pen. A truly awesome part of the night came when he discovered two young boys in the audience had made signs for him. Janson invited the little boys on stage. It was easy to tell this family man knows how special little creations like those are.

The country Johnny Depp was up next. Those were Janson's words not mine for the very talented Drake White. Their back and forth banter through out the show never failed. The first song White sang was "It Feels Good," the title track from his EP released last year. His current single "Livin' The Dream" certainly got the entire crowd singing along. Because honestly we all need to remember the first step in loving our life is loving what we already have. The next time White took his turn on the mic he pointed to this little boy who was enjoying the concert from his dad's shoulders and told us it was times like that we need to remember, the simpler ones. He than sang us "Back To Free." Another great song that can be found on his It Feels Good EP.

Four time GRAMMY Award nominee and the only female performer, Brandy Clark, was up next. Like some of the others on the stage, Clark is relatively new to the artist side of country music, but she is a well established songwriter. Her first song of the night was her, tell it how it is, single, "Girl Next Door." The sassy lyrics continued when she sang us a song from her pending album Big Day in a Small Town (out 6/10) titled "Daughter." After playing two songs she helped write, Clark played a song that she says always inspires her by Buck Owen called "Together Again." Knowing that Clark contributed to the writing of every song on her upcoming album has me very excited to hear Big Day in a Small Town on June 10th. "Southern Boy" singer Jordan Rager took his turn on the mic next.

The homemade Jordan Rager t-shirt was the first clue he had a few fans in the crowd and the volume increase when he started singing was definitely the second. All things considered both were and are completely deserved. Because I don't think we've even scratched the surface of what this talented newcomer will bring to country music, both as a singer and as a songwriter. Something that was totally evident when he mixed his first song "Whatever" with a bit of Eminem's "Lose Yourself." His current single, "Southern Boy," a song he recorded with Jason Aldean, totally inspired an impressive sing-a-long with the crowd. Before he sang his final song "All Outta Beer," he told us it was his first official cut as a songwriter. Let me just say I'm intrigued to hear Jason Aldean's version of "All Outta Beer" and more from Rager the songwriter. Because I loved the song.

The ever energetic Illinois native Drew Baldridge played "Train" for his first song. I'll attach the just released official video below. I waited till Baldridge wasn't singing to take his photo. Because when he is performing he is up and always moving. To love what you do and always put a 100% forward is never a bad thing though. Blurry concert photos are a sure sign you had a great time. Everyone else was definitely up and dancing themselves when Baldridge played his first single "Dance With Ya."  His final song was the title track of his debut album (out 6\10) "Dirt On Us." Given the caliber of the track, this is one album I am extremely excited for.

After singing Happy Birthday to one very happy 8 year old in the front row, Janson ended the evening in an impressive and out right hilarious ad-libbed montage of Oklahoma songs ranging from Merle Haggard's "Okie From Muskogee" to Garth Brooks' "Friends In Low Places." I say ad-libbed because Janson had actually started making up his own lyrics for the songs. Everyone helped finish it out with Hank Williams, Jr.'s "Family Tradition." Then with an 'I'm going to sign autographs' declaration these stunningly talented artists shocked, surprised, and simply delighted the crowd when every one of them came to the floor to sign autographs and take photos with fans. I actually heard Jordan Rager say to the crowd "Please don't push, I'm staying right here til I get to meet every single one of you." 

The KVOO crew was right when they said these were the best kinds of concerts because you get "up close and personal" with the artists. I walked away not only loving each of them artistically, but also feeling like I knew them.  It will definitely be interesting to see if next years 5 Man Jam can touch the success of this years.

New Face Showcase ~ Jake FM

A few of the most exciting new faces in country music just got together for an amazing showcase in Norman, Oklahoma. It was all thanks to local country station Jake FM and their annual New Face Showcase. On May 12th, the Riverwind Casino played host to the free event. This year the spotlight was on Ryan Kinder, High Valley, Lindsay Ell, William Michael Morgan, and Chris Lane. The set up for this multi artist acoustic show was a bit different then most. Because the artists were not all on the stage at the same time. Ryan Kinder was the first out to perform.

Ryan Kinder, Photo Creedit @Little_Bridgie

Kinder had his bassist and cajon player with him and it was fun to watch them interacting with each other and the crowd. I hadn't seen Kinder perform in over a year. So it was a serious treat to discover we would be getting longer sets from each artists than expected. Kinder played us several songs which included a beautiful ballad titled "Still Believe In Crazy Love," a song about hoping for a second chance titled "Kiss Me When I'm Down," and his single "Tonight." Kinder has an album available on iTunes and Spotify called Deconstructed Studio Sessions. The only duo of the night, High Valley, took the stage next. 

High Valley, Photo Credit @Little_Bridgie

High Valley was also accompanied by their bassist and cajon player, but they had a banjo\dobro player as well. Among the crowd pleasing songs the duo played was their single "Make You Mine," a sweet song called "She's With Me," and perhaps the most stunning cover of "I'll fly Away" I have ever heard. It was truly amazing to hear the entire crowd singing along with them word for word. In most duos there is a predominate singer and the other provides back up vocals. That is not the case with this Canadian duo and their vocals blended beautifully. You can download or stream the duo's music, including their newest single, on any music platform. The ever talented Lindsay Ell was out next.

Lindsay Ell

Ell was the first artist of the night to take the stage solo and she owned it. At times she would even record her own guitar playing and beat boxing to play along with her during a song. Ell started her set with her upbeat, catchy single "By The Way." She kept the great time going with more of her original songs including "Criminal" and "Eyes Off Of You," as well as a few covers. On top of fantastic vocals, Lindsay Ell is amazing on the guitar, both electric and acoustic. You can download or stream her single "BTW" on music platforms like iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify. William Michael Morgan took the stage next.

William Michael Morgan

Like Lindsay Ell, Morgan was alone on the stage. However, it did not make a difference to the crowd.  They absolutely loved his traditional sound. A sound that is currently earning him a lot of praise. He opened his set with a cover of one of my favorite Mark Chesnut songs, "It's A Little too Late." Morgan currently has an EP out right now and he played several songs from it including his current single "I Met A Girl," and a song about an old fashion kind of love called "Vinyl." You can download or stream Morgan's self-titled EP from all music platforms including iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify. The last artist of the night to perform was Chris Lane. 

Chris Lane

Lane was accompanied by two guitarist (one who played a cajon at the same time) and a banjo player when he took the stage. Lane played several songs from his EP Fix including the title track, "Her Own Kind Of Beautiful," and "Saturday Night." The covers Lane performed were a balanced combination of classic country hits and some crowd moving boy band hits. Lane was all over the stage performing and interacting with the crowd. Fix is available to stream or download from all music platforms including iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify.

While each of these artists may be "new faces," they definitely have what it takes to be around for a long time. William Michael Morgan didn't even let breaking a guitar string mid song slow him down! It was clear looking around the venue that night, there is definitely a growing fan base for each of these up and comers.

Who's in KVOO's 5 Man Jam this year?

Tulsa, Oklahoma's local country station 98.5 fm puts on their an annual multi artist show called 5 Man Jam on May 24th. The concert is free with a ticket. You can listen to win tickets or pick them up from any of the four Kubota locations in Tulsa. In the past such artist like Joe Nichols, Chase Rice, and The Swon Brothers have been showcased. This year the five artists are Chris Janson, Jordan Rager, Brandy Clark, Drew Baldridge, and Drake White. 

Chris Janson is known for his number one hit single "Buy Me A Boat" which is also the title track of his debut album. His current single is "Power Of Positive Drinkin'." 

Jordan Rager is known for his current single "Southern Boy." A song that also features Jason Aldean. The Broken Bow Records artist has already been on tour with Justin Moore. 

Brandy Clark's current single is "Girl Next Door."  She is a four time GRAMMY Award nominee and her newest album Big Day In A Small Town will be released June 10th.

Drew Baldridge's current single is "Dance With Ya."  He has opened up for such artist as Cole Swindell and Dustin Lynch. His current EP Dance With Ya is available on iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play.

Drake White's current single is "Livin The Dream." He also has an EP titled It Feels Good that is available on iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play.

Multi artist radio shows are always a fun time and this year's KVOO 5 Man Jam has all the ingredients of being a memorable one.

Concert 411 ~ K95.5 Unplugged

K95.5 fm will be putting on their second annual Unplugged concert at the historic Cain's Ballroom on April 20th. The show will be just like last year, free entry with a ticket.

There are exactly two ways to get a ticket. You can either win them by listening live to the K95.5 radio station or at certain ticket locations. The way ticket locations work is the first 49 people are giving tickets and the 50th pair is giving away in a drawing for the remaining people.

The Remaining Ticket Location

• 4/2 Turfland Equipment (1702 N. JM Davis Blvd Claremore) 2-4pm
• 4/9 U.S. Cellular Premier Locations (51st & Sheridan, Tulsa) 2-4pm
• 4\16 U.S. Cellular Premier Locations (2334 SE Washington Blvd, Bartlesville) 2-4 pm
• 4/20 Jim Glover Chevrolet on the River (I-44 & the Arkansas River, Tulsa) 11am-1pm

This acoustic show is going to feature the following new faces of country music William Michael Morgan ("I Met A Girl"), Jordan Rager (''Southern Boy"), Clare Dunn ("Tuxedo"), and Drew Baldridge ("Dance with Ya"). Each of these artists have some great music out right now and this show should be fun to attend. 

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. 

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.