Local Country Music Events to benefit Nashville Relief Efforts

Two posts in one day? Looks like somebody (this girl right here) is back on the bloggin' wagon!



Just a quickie for country music fans who'd like to do something to help our country neighbors in Nashville, courtesy of local country radio station 94.7 WQDR:

Stop by tonight (Thursday) 8p-10p at the Longbranch for Throwdown Thursday. $5 gets you in to see JMC perform an intimate acoustic set and the LCI truck will be there to accept item donations. Also 100% of the door goes straight to Nashville! Also have a chance to win tickets to the Country Throwdown on May 28th and we will auction off a JMC autographed Cowboy hat from the Country Connection.

Friday night JMC will be helping Marty co-host Party Radio at City Limits! The guys with LCI will be on hand with the truck for item donations and City Limits is donating $1 for everybody through the door, so let's pack the place! Also, you have a chance to win a signed hat by JMC donated by Country Connection and qualify to win a trip to the CMT Awards!!

I will either be at Altar Ego at the NC Museum of Art or JMC's benefit concert tonight... so many worthy events going on, so little time!

{Image: examiner article "Historic flooding a true disaster"}

Lincoln Theatre is Adding Liquor to its Lineup!

Downtown Raleigh's Lincoln Theathre - Awesome.
Only serving beer - NOT Awesome.

Just received an email today that they will be adding liquor to their lineup, but now they must become a "members only" club (NC law), so be sure to sign up for their membership/email list online.

This is one of my favorite live music venues in the area because the main level is a bit slanted, so there's pretty much a good view for everyone (which, as you know, is important for those of girls who are 5' 2''). I've seen several shows there including Shooter Jennings (son of Waylon Jennings, better known as the "Fourth of July song" guy), Jason Michael Carroll's album launch party, the Zac Brown Band street concert, etc.


{Images: LincolnTheatre.com and CityVoter.com}

I Hate the Cold

Never fails, when the fair makes it to town... it'll get cold! (Usually, it's warm in the the day and cold at night - meaning you have to drag a coat around all day to avoid evening freezing, but it's downright cold in the day already. BOO!)

Just FYI, I heart the NC State Fair. Nick and I will be going at least twice. NEB, Grubey, Mom, Mandy, and I started off the 2009 State Fair last Thursday with Jason Michael Carroll. He had a great opening act - Patrick Davis (@pdmusic).


Friday NEB, Adrianne, and Adrianne's YM (reference: Yankee Manfriend), and I left for Charlotte. We stayed with Bri and Drew (can't wait for them to move to Raleigh!) and Cole and Lindsey met us on Saturday afternoon.






The race would've been great, if I wasn't FUH-REEEEZING. Seriously, I had LOTS o' layers on and was too cold to drink more than 1 Beergarita. Lame.

Here's hoping for warmer weather for Eric Church's show!

Thrilled!

This fall is going to be one heck of a concert season, all in one NC State Fair's span, too!

If you don't want to watch the whole video, here's the country-heavy (and very much Lisa approved) lineup:

Thursday 10/15 - Jason Michael Carroll($5)

Friday 10/16 - Third Day ($15)

Saturday 10/17 - Kellie Pickler ($10)

Sunday 10/18 - Nat and Alex ($10)

Monday 10/19 - Jamey Johnson ($5)

Tuesday 10/20 - The Temptations ($10)

Wednesday 10/21 - Julianne Hough ($5)

Friday 10/23 - Jeremy Camp w/ 10th Avenue North ($10)

Saturday 10/24 - Blake Shelton ($10)

Sunday 10/25 - Eric Church ($5)
Tickets go on sale Aug. 3rd at 10am. You will also need admission tickets to the fair to get into any show.

Seriously though, DO NOT MISS your chance to see JMC, Jamey, Blake, and Eric for $25. Might as well get Julianne, Kellie, and Temptation tickets, too since you'll be saving so much ;-)

PS - Thursday, Oct. 22 is intentionally blank because the artist has backed out of their contract. The State Fair is working on a replacement.

Did You Get JMC's New Album Yesterday?

I did! And I got five at Best Buy (for everyone in the family who hasn't hopped on the iPod bandwagon).

The girl at the store looked at me a little funny and then said "I've heard some of his stuff... I like him!"

That's what I thought. ;-)

I had the chance to hear the whole album last week on iLike before it officially was in stores - and I liked it then - but listening to it in the car with the windows down, sunroof open, on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon... 100 times better! I've been rockin' ever since.

And since I'm convinced you all will love it too, I'm giving two of you a chance to do it for free!

Just comment here or send me an email at NCSULilWolf (at) gmail (dot) com and you'll be entered to win. I will give you your choice of having it physically in your hands or via iTunes, whatever floats your boat. Contest ends on Tuesday, May 5th (Cinco de Mayo)!

Your comment will get you one entry and re-posting this (and letting me know where - your blog, MySpace, facebook, whatever) will get you a second entry.

Check out Jason's website for the latest updates and be sure to get your tickets online ($5 cheaper!) for Saturday's Boots, Bands, and Bulls benefit concert, featuring Kevin Lee, Brian Davis, and Jason Michael Carroll here in Raleigh!


{Image: iLike.com}

Growing Up is Getting Old

Want to know what's kept me so busy lately? Among other things, helping one of my favorite non-profits put together a FANTASTIC event happening here in Raleigh on May 2nd.

Here's the scoop:
Bring the family out to City Limits Saloon on May 2nd as Brittany's Battle presents "Boots, Bands & Bulls", a benefit concert with Kevin Lee, Brian Davis and Arista recording artist Jason Michael Carroll, whose new cd, Growing up is Getting Old, comes out on April 28th!

Gates will open at 1pm, and the show kicks off at 2pm with activities for the whole family and the best country music you'll find anywhere, so be sure and visit BootsBandsandBulls.com and get your tickets today!



PS - Holy crap. I almost forgot to thank Tyler for shooting, editing, and producing that video for us! You need video? You need my good friend Tyler who has started his own local company - Red Wire Video!

Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me About This Before??

During one of my previous posts directed at XM Radio (and my current lack of satisfaction with the constantly increasing rates handed down to loyal customers), Gracie left me a comment encouraging me to check out Pandora.

I'm. In. Love.

Why didn't any of y'all ever tell me about this before?????

It is the definition of amazing.
(Click to enlarge.)All I did was create a nice little account, start with my first "station" by typing in the country band "Lady Antebellum", and it keeps building songs from there. The navigation and tips it gives you along the way are SO polite with a little snarky worked in - just the way I like it.

So far, I've only "X"ed one song (Carrie Underwood's "Just a Dream" - I don't do songs about soldiers who don't make it home) and it promised it'd "never play it again". I've even discovered some great country songs I've never heard before - songs that haven't been released as singles!

I can't wait to create a station based on the following two artists: Jason Michael Carroll and Flo-Rida. I think it'll be very interesting to see where that one leads.

For those of you who are in my Gmail contacts, who I didn't think would mind the invite, you got an invite from me yesterday. (Sorry - I forgot to include the personal message.) Another sweet feature is that it shows your friends who are members and you can share you favorites, etc.

Long story short: Goodbye XM!

The only thing I need to figure out now is how exactly to hook it up so that I can do Pandora in the car and on the boat :-)

Feel free to add me if you're on Pandora - I'm ncsulilwolf by way of ncsulilwolf@gmail.com.

Making Tuesdays a Little Better

I am known for saving my weekend shopping for Tuesday... especially when it comes to Best Buy and iTunes. Here's why: New Music (or Movie) Tuesdays! New music and movies are released on Tuesdays (except in-theater movies, we know that's reserved for Fridays and holidays).

Here's a look at my personal picks this week:

Tuesday - February 3rd, 2009
{Country} Dierks Bentley - Feel That Fire (snag a deal)

{Rock} The Fray - The Fray
Don't even bother looking for lists elsewhere, Billboard has the most comprehensive cross-genre lists available (by week). If you're looking for country in particular, RoughStock has a much easier to navigate list of those releases.

I've had February 3rd on my list of dates to be excited about for a long time now and I can't wait to listen to both albums. And yes, my picks are wildly different... but that's how I roll.

March 24th (Jason's Where I'm From album) and March 31st (Keith Urban and Rodney Atkins) are going to be great dates as well!

NC Childrens Promise - Post #2

There are two things I neglected to include in the previous post, which I wanted to share separately to make sure they get some good attention!

1 - Here's the online schedule for the radio-thon performances (pdf). Jason is on at 5:30pm, sorry for previously noting 3:30pm. The other artists are amazing, too: Heidi Newfield, Darius Rucker, Jo Dee Messina, and more!

2 - I got into quite a few bidding wars (with mom and dad's financial backing - thanks guys!) last year over some of the great auction items. I would love to go head-to-head with any of you over any of these items.

Check it all out!

Turn Your Radio UP Today!

This is one of the few days of the year I'll have the radio on in my office. Wait, that's not 100% true. I listen to XM (ahem - XM Sirius, or is it Sirius XM now?) because there are no commercials.

Back to the point, many thanks to Bryan for reminding me last night that today is the start to 94.7 WQDR's Childrens Promise Radio-thon, one of the most life-changing things you can ever listen to, visit, and support.

I believe Jason is performing at 3:30pm in the lobby for any locals who want to tune in or go check out the event. Here's the email from WQDR about today's event:If 94.7 QDR sounds a little different today, there's a good reason. For more than 18 hours we'll be broadcasting live from North Carolina Children's Hospital in Chapel Hill. It's our 7th Annual "North Carolina Children's Promise" RadioTelethon; that one day a year when we ask you to pledge just $25 to help sick, injured and disabled North Carolina kids.

Anyway, we thought we'd remind you just in case you'd like to make a donation. The phones will be open from 5:00 AM until 11:30 PM today at 1-866-9NCKIDS. Or you can log on to our website www.947QDR.com or www.NCChildrensPromise.org to make your pledge or to bid on some amazing music and sports collectibles we're auctioning off for the cause. This year, we have almost 50 celebrity auction items, including autographed stuff from Toby Keith, Jewel, Chris Cornell, Kenny Chesney, Coach Roy Williams and many, many more.

Even if you can't give us your money, we'd still love for you to listen. It's great local radio for a wonderful cause, and once again this year you can watch us live on Time-Warner Cable and News 14 Carolina.I will no doubt be crying all over payroll today, especially if Mrs. Coppedge or Jason starts telling Brittany's story, and every time they feature a mom and dad talking about their brave children. (Where are the tissues?!?!)

Which reminds me, I do hope everyone will either check out Brittany's Annual Angel Gala this weekend (I'd love to see you there!) or at least check out the eBay auction and consider supporting Brittany's Battle!



If you are planning to attend our Gala this Sunday and have not yet purchased you tickets, you can do so right now by going to our web site.

You can buy a ticket at the door, but buy early and save the money for bidding!

Also don't forget about our raffle for a week's stay at Shell Island in Wrightsville Beach, NC. The drawing will be at the Gala and you do not need to be present to win! Tickets are $50 each and we are selling no more than 100 of them. Buy yours now!

Attire is business / church appropriate.
There will be a full service cash bar available.For those of you not in the area, here's how you can still help!Ok, so you don't live in Raleigh or even NC for that matter ~ You don't have to miss out on the Gala fun! Be sure to check out our auction on ebay! We have some great stuff from the country music community for you to bid on including items from Jason Michael Carroll, Sugarland, Carrie Underwood, Rodney Adkins and many more. There is also some items from the NASCAR community and even something from a Gold Medal Olympian!

The store is now open and there will be a few more items added, so keep checking back! Bidding will end at midnight this Sunday, November 23rd. So visit our ebay store and bid on some great stuff for a good cause!We miss you Brittany!!!

Great News on the Country Music Front

For those of you who are listening to XM Radio (specifically: Highway 16), you may already know this as I heard it just this morning. (And during Jason's weekend visit to the Opry, which aired on Nashville 11, he also mentioned that this was coming!)

Jason's releasing "Where I'm From" at the end of this month and his new cd is coming out in March!
-via text message from my sisterThat is SUCH good news. If you haven't heard his latest single, check it out. I promise you'll love it. (If you don't, you suck. Just kidding... sort of.)

AND WQDR is once again having the Halloween Harvest Ball to benefit the SPCA (confirmed with QDR lead-chick, Lisa McKay) and other local friends of our furry friends.7th Annual
QDR Halloween Harvest Ball


(via WQDR and Kevin F. of City Limits at the last TEIP event)

From the site, "10 bucks gets you in to party with NC boys The Lost Trailers, Crystal Shawanda and country rocker Mark Chesnut.

ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS total in the costume contest split between 3 winners. Doors open at 8pm... you must be in the house by 10pm to have a shot at the costume contest."It's about to get real country up in here!

Good News, Good Vibes, and Good Tunes Today

I feel awful today - I'm running on next to nothing but I am counting down the days (and minutes) 'til Wolfpack Football and after Labor Day... which is when the BF and I can finally get away on that vacay we're both long overdue on!

Luckily, my daily blog reads & XM Radio are helping me through the day:

--Why Carl Edwards is the man
--I can't wait to give TWC the boot
--I don't need a single thing... but some of my favorite causes definitely need your support. (Especially those that help our four-legged pals.)
--My partner in crime... for so many reasons.
--The light at the end of the (Murphy Center) tunnel.AND XM is playing a lot of Luke, Eric, and my hometown boy - JMC - today!

Oh, and I saw Kenny with a few of the favorites this weekend, too. Maybe THAT'S why I'm a little tired today!

News from Brittany's Battle

Just wanted to post some info from the Brittany's Battle, Inc. eNewsletter.

Please feel free to sign up for the list too and help spread the word about their important work in the fight against lung cancer which honors a very special girl who will forever hold a place in our hearts!

See you at the auction!

Brittany's Battle of the Bids
Save the Date!
November 23, 2008

We are actively working on our first annual auction. We are looking for corporate sponsors, retail sponsors, merchandise, services, volunteers, and much, much more! If you can help, please contact us!

Visit our silent auction page on our website for a creative list of donation suggestions, a sponsorship form, and sponsors who've already contributed. Thanks for your support and remember - save the date!For anyone who's ever had the opportunity to hear or see JMC perform LIVE, here's a little opportunity to read the background on "Livin' our Love Song"... hope everyone can go pick up an issue and say "Thanks!" to Country Weekly!"A Song for Brittany"
Thanks to Country Weekly and JMC for the article on BBI in the July 14th issue!

Jason dedicates his top 5 hit - Livin' Our Love Song - to Brittany at each performance.Please take their survey, too and help them shape the way that they are helping to change lives.

BBQ Festival? Yes Ma'am!

I'd reallllllly love to be at the CMA Festival this year in Nashville, TN (after watching JMC's performance from last year over-and-over again on GAC) during the weekend of June 5-8, 2008 but if I'm not...

Annual BBQ festival at fairgrounds
RALEIGH - The state’s top ‘cue makers will be crowned at The N.C. Pork Council’s Carolina Championship Barbecue Cook-off on June 6 and 7.
Twenty-five teams from across the state will gather at the State Fairgrounds and begin cooking the night of June 6 to prepare for judging at noon on June 7. The annual contest, sponsored by the N.C. Pork Council, will award the top teams in both culinary and showmanship divisions. Winning cooks will share more than $4,700 worth of cash prizes.

For more information, log on to www.ncagfest.com.How awesome is it that as noted in the same article from above: The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, a Raleigh-based organization that distributes food to the area's poor and undernourished, and the Wake Tech Culinary Technology program will receive all proceeds made from the sale of competing teams’ barbecue.So I checked out http://www.ncagfest.com/ and there are lots of cool things taking place (oh hush, I'm a country girl at heart!): Celebrate North Carolina's farm bounty at the first Got to be NC Festival blending the largest assembly of antique farm equipment in the state with a full carnival with games, rides and great food. Mix in the official N.C. Barbecue Cooking Championship sponsored by the N.C. Pork Council, the Got to be NC Agriculture Food Expo featuring tasty foods to sample and buy, antique tractor pulls, fireworks, great music, draft horse pulls, a petting zoo, pig races and fun for the whole family.

Admission is free except for the tractor pulls, grandstand concerts, rides and games. Gates open Thursday and Friday, 3 p.m to midnight; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to midnight.Schedule, maps, and more are available on the site, too!