The special features performances by Jason Aldean, Billy Currington, Alan Jackson, Kid Rock, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, Justin Moore, Brad Paisley, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, Taylor Swift, Josh Turner, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, and Zac Brown Band. The show was filmed last June in front of a sold-out audience during the CMA Music Festival in Nashville, Tennessee.

This year, CMA Music Festival served as the Grand Re-Opening of Nashville, after the city and surrounding areas experienced a devastating flood in May. The flood, the recovery efforts, and the coming together of the Nashville community to help its fellow citizens will be spotlighted in the television special. CMA is donating 50 percent of this year’s net proceeds from the Festival to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee for flood relief. As always, the other 50 percent of net proceeds will be donated to the Nashville Alliance for Public Education through CMA’s Keep the Music Playing program to purchase instruments and supplies for music education in Metro Nashville Public Schools.

The annual CMA Music Festival is unlike any other, with four days filled with more than one hundred hours of live music, 30 hours of autograph signings by Country Music’s biggest names and up and comers, hundreds of artists and celebrities, and a party list of thousands of avid fans. This year an average of 65,000 fans from every state and 26 foreign countries attended each day of CMA Music Festival, its biggest turnout yet.
There is a lot of great music, of course, but there are also a few unexpected moments: Dierks Bentley takes viewers into his late night fan club party; Jason Aldean gives an exclusive look at his “huddle” with the band to get pumped up before performing at LP Field; Gloriana shows off their “bus mascot” given to them by Taylor Swift; and noted practical joker Blake Shelton makes a special “request” of Kellie Pickler to watch his dogs and his mother while he heads out to perform.

This special just happens to coincide with the announcement of the 2010 CMA nominations. The final five categories will be announced Wednesday by Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley on ABC’s Good Morning America. The awards ceremony is November 10 and will be hosted for the third year in a row by Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley.

The nominations in the seven categories announced Tuesday:

Single of the Year (Award goes to Artist and Producer(s))
A Little More Country Than That – Easton Corbin – Produced by Carson Chamberlain
Hillbilly Bone – Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins – Produced by Scott Hendricks
Need You Now – Lady Antebellum – Produced by Paul Worley and Lady Antebellum
The House That Built Me – Miranda Lambert – Produced by Frank Liddell and Mike Wrucke
White Liar – Miranda Lambert – Produced by Frank Liddell and Mike Wrucke

Song of the Year (Award goes to Songwriter(s))
A Little More Country Than That – Rory Lee Feek, Don Poythress, and Wynn Varble
Need You Now – Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, and Josh Kear
The House That Built Me – Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin
Toes – Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, John Driskell Hopkins, and Shawn Mullins
White Liar – Miranda Lambert and Natalie Hemby

Vocal Group of the Year
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Rascal Flatts
The Band Perry
Zac Brown Band

Vocal Duo of the Year
Brooks & Dunn
Joey + Rory
Montgomery Gentry
Steel Magnolia
Sugarland

New Artist of the Year
Luke Bryan
Easton Corbin
Jerrod Niemann
Chris Young
Zac Brown Band

Music Video of the Year (Award goes to Artist and Director)
Hillbilly Bone – Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins – Directed by Roman White
Need You Now – Lady Antebellum – Directed by David McClister
The House That Built Me – Miranda Lambert – Directed by Trey Fanjoy
Water – Brad Paisley – Directed by Jim Shea
White Liar – Miranda Lambert – Directed by Chris Hicky

Musician of the Year
Paul Franklin – Steel Guitar
Dann Huff – Guitar
Brent Mason – Guitar
Mac McAnally – Guitar
Randy Scruggs – Guitar

And in case you didn’t know who I am voting for in every category possible, here’s a little hint: He’s a “little more country than that.”

Fly Boy, Elliott Park’s first full-length album is a gathering of genres. It is an album that is full of surprises from one of the most talented makers of music out there in America today.

It must be hell to be Elliott Park on Valentine’s Day. I mean, who could take all that pressure? He is so clever, so articulate, and so in touch with the human psyche that I’m sure his wife expects the absolutely perfect card. Or worse – the perfect song. Elliott takes a feeling and wraps it in just the right notes and words until it does full justice to the gift inside. Well, Elliott can relax. If this album is any indication, the well of humanity within him that waters the songs he creates is deep and inspiring.

You may not know his name, but chances are you know his music, especially the number one country hit “I Loved Her First,” recorded by Heartland. That song, co-written by Walt Aldridge, captured the multiple emotions felt by a father at the marriage of his daughter. The honesty conveyed in that song is typical of this singer/songwriter. Elliott Park’s lyrics are straight-to-the-point, which gives him an endearing quality. Vocally he has an accessible, relaxed way of singing. At times he can sound a little like a young Randy Newman, and when he chooses to, he can pull off a slight Tom Waits effect. But in the end, he is an original.

As an album, Fly Boy is not easy to classify because it doesn’t try to fit into any particular music category. Instead, it is an album of contemporary folk songs with hints of country, rock, pop, classical, and even a bit of ragtime. It’s a meticulously constructed collage of the American musical experience as lived by a self-actualized post-modern everyman. Hmmm, that makes it sound so academic. Let me put it this way: it’s a stack of different-flavored ice cream scoops all piled on top of one another, waiting to be appreciated by anyone and everyone.

Some of my favorite songs on the album:

“Simple Song” – I’ve always been a big fan of Professor Harold Hill (AKA ‘The Music Man’), so I can’t help but like this song that makes me think that maybe someday Elliott Park will get off the train down Main Street in my hometown and try to sell everyone trombone lessons. It’s an infectious song that makes you feel like making music. Just like it should.

“Blue Dog” – Pixar should just go ahead and buy the rights to this song right now and start developing Toy Story 4 to feature it. If they do, I guarantee that film would win at least one Academy Award (for “Best Song”).

“Fight For You” – Picking up where a Bach “air” might have left off (and going to where some metal has yet to go), this bedtime story for children or adults is a daring and satisfying as anything I’ve heard all year. You’ll never hear this one on the radio; it’s that good.

“The Soldier and the Oak” – I wish I could nominate this one for entry into the Library of Congress Archive of American Folk Songs. It is a lesson in “cause and effect,” reminding us that perseverence might just bring unforseen happy consequences. That parable sounds familiar, but here it is – in a refreshingly new form, with all of the power intact. The Simon & Garfunkel-esque rhythm introduces us to the simple story of an oak tree’s uses as it weaves its way through the centuries, all the while showing “amazing grace.”

“Too Many” – In a way, this song (along with “Time For You”) are the heart of the album. Both songs address coming to terms with modern life and maintaining your sanity by keeping your priorities in line. The words flow cleverly, the melodies are ultra-inviting, and the familiar annoyances of daily life become something heard anew (and suddenly manageable) in these songs of deliverance.

Elliott Park has the gift that so many artists strive to attain – he makes it all sound so easy. His songs have a breezy sensitivity to them that seems like they just formed themselves as he pulled out his guitar or sat down at his piano. But, just like the author of a perfectly-worded Valentine card that gets tucked into a desk drawer and saved, we know better.

It’s getting hard not to like Blake Shelton. He has certainly taken his sweet time climbing the ranks of country stardom. But if he takes a look at where he is now (number one). Blake Shelton is on fire everywhere you look; the charts, concert halls, awards shows.

So why have I resisted the talent of Blake Shelton all these years? Is it because he seems to me to be the young Bill Clinton of country music? (Not a fan of Slick Willy here, in case you can’t figure that out.) I know that may make no sense to anyone, but I just can’t quite put my finger on why I have always found him irritating. Not that I’m comparing him to Elvis, mind you, but I feel like one of those guys in the 1950s musta felt when his girl went crazy for Elvis. Is it because he thinks he’s all that? Is it because he has a wife that seems more ambitious than he is? Is it the way he comes across as an uneasy mixture of healthy confidence and unhealthy self-worship?

It’s probably the way he serenaded Hoda Kotb on the Today Show this week. Blech!

Clearly, I should stop following him on Twitter. After all, I’ve never met the man, but that is where most of my opinions of him are formed. All you have to do is follow him yourself and you’ll see what I mean. Go on, do it. He’s actually a pretty entertaining guy. See? I’m starting to like him. But that’s mostly because he continues to put out good music and I respect the work he does.

Shelton has already influenced the country music industry with the releases of what he calls “Six Paks.” Instead of waiting a year to put out a full-length album, Shelton has been releasing 6 tracks at a time and putting the music out on a more timely basis. It is a model that will change how artists do business (and how they strategize how to attain more frequent chart hits per year).

With the release of All About Tonight, Shelton features such talented songwriters as Rhett Akins, Dallas Davidson, Ben Hayslip, Jeff Bates, Tony Mullins and Craig Wiseman. But the collaborations don’t stop there. Once again, Blake teams up with fiancé Miranda Lambert for “Draggin The River,” a rockin’ song about two lovers planning to elope.

There is only one bonafide smash-hit on the mini album. It is called “That Thing We Do,” a tribute to the pleasures of loving country style. In it, Shelton has just the right mix of bravado and nice guy appeal. The song just feels right, in spite of Blake Shelton having very little that is uniquely his in the vocal department. Seriously, when’s the last time you heard a song and knew right away that it was Blake Shelton singing?

Still, like a certain guy in the White House two presidents ago, it seems that the only thing that matters to Blake Shelton is having a good time. And isn’t that why people go to a country concert in the first place?

Warning to Lady Antebellum and Zac Brown Band – the four-part harmony hit machine known as Little Big Town hasn’t gone away. They’re back with a new album, and they just may be bigger than before.

This week Little Big Town released their first full album of new music since 2007 with The Reason Why, highlighted by the group’s fastest-rising single, “Little White Church.” Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook have sold over 1.5 million albums to date and produced a collection of hits that include “Boondocks,” “Bring It On Home,” “Good as Gone,” “A Little More You,” and “Fine Line.”

The four band members have a special connection that comes across in their music. They have a familiar, yet one-of-a-kind sound that is stronger than ever. All the usual excellence you expect from their harmonies and phrasing is still there. So are the sure-fire hit single choices. But what is refreshing is to see that they don’t compromise on any level after all this time.

I know everyone keeps bringing up the Stevie Nicks quality that lead vocalist Karen Fairchild brings to the music, but I have to add that there is also a fair amount of the best of a young Bonnie Raitt in there as well. Maybe it’s the effortlessness that drips through so many of the songs. For an album that doesn’t mind packing in quite a few potential radio singles hits, The Reason Why is a collection of tracks that logically and artistically belong together.

Look for Little Big Town on tour with Sugarland on The Incredible Machine Tour.

Download these:

“Little White Church” – This could be seen as Little Big Town’s country music answer to Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies.” In it, Karen Fairchild takes down a procrastinating lover, and insists that he take her down to the little white church to get a ring on her finger. Guided by an electric guitar, the song drives to an inspired hand-clapping, syncopated section. It all adds up to a message delivered by a lady who will see to it that she gets what she wants. The song has already become a country radio smash, but it doesn’t wear out its welcome.

“All Over Again” – In this track that yearns for the starting line of a love that’s still new and possibly going to work out just fine, Little Big Town does what they do best – blend new country energy with the best of 1970s pop music. A song like “All Over Again” makes you realize just how much you’ve missed hearing new music from the group.

“All The Way Down” – At first you hear a sound that (for some of us at least) is an old, familiar friend not heard from in awhile – it is the sound of a record needle’s static as a song on an LP is about to kick in. So far, so good. Then the ultra-sweet harmonies of Little Big Town take over and with this uplifting tune, all is right again with the world…. just like the record needle static promised it would be.

So I hung out with a bunch of buddies and heard some “you’ve-gotta-hear-this-band” live music tonight. I could hardly wait to get back to my computer and archive the experience. Of course, I never met these friends before tonight. And, actually, they were the band I am talking about. OK, I guess I was exaggerating a little. But you see – once you’ve been to a live show of the Randy Rogers Band, you leave feeling like you just hung out with 5 of the most talented, coolest friends ever.

And this wasn’t just any concert. It was the live show given in Austin, Texas (where Randy Rogers lives and rules the Texas country music scene) celebrating the release of their new album Burning the Day. It also happened to be Randy’s 32nd birthday, so everyone was in a party mood. Speaking of the new album – Burning the Day is full of uncluttered, solid melodies sung to the rafters of every dive around by Randy Rogers’ confident (but gruffly human) vocals. Randy Rogers is the kind of country star that the genre depends on. He stands there, between the audience and the song, and it clear that his job is to let the two get acquainted with each other. Now that they are finally getting national exposure, here’s hoping he and the band stay together and are around to deliver the goods for a very long time.

If you aren’t lucky enough to be from Texas and you haven’t heard of the Randy Rogers Band, you won’t be able to say that much longer. (Click here to meet the band). Burning the Day is a classic album, full of throwback traditional country sounds; songs that instantly evoke the breadth of feelings that come with living a life that can best be described only through country music. You know what I’m talking about – loving, leaving, and (hopefully) learning a little along the way.

Randy Rogers is one of the most successful singer-songwriters in country music, and his band is something of an institution in Texas. With this new album they are on their way to conquering the rest of the country. Here’s hoping that they stay true to the authentic “pure country” sound they are known for. In this era when pop and rock are driving country music into an American-Idol-corporate-format-radio-friendly ditch, we need the Randy Rogers Band and their dependable songs. The band consists of 5 musicians: Randy Rogers (lead vocals/guitar), Brady Black (fiddle), Geoffrey Hill (guitar), Jon Richardson (bass guitar), and Les Lawless (drums). Randy’s plaintive and sometimes growling vocals, Brady Black’s virtuoso one-man string section, and the overall tightness of the band are all prominently featured throughout the album. It is an album that anyone who wants to know what’s happening in country music today must have and listen to.

Download these:

“I Met Lonely Tonight” – Randy Rogers Band loves to tell a good story. Especially when the rhythm and sunny chorus is juxtaposed with the inherent pain of the lyric. This is a simple song, but it showcases the way the band can take a simple song and make a possible classic out of it.

“Interstate” – From the moment you hear Brady Black’s fiddle, you’ve found the musical equivalent of rolling down the windows and sticking your head out window on a warm, summer night on a Texas highway. You know that wherever you end up will be great, and you love the ride along the way. The push-and-pull of the band is brilliant on this track; the song comes at you, then pulls back and demands you listen more intently, and then it comes at you full-force. The harmonies throughout the album are strong, but they are just about perfect in this song.

“Just Don’t Tell Me The Truth” – I’ve found my “write-in” nomination for next year’s first-round CMA ballot in the “Song of the Year” category. This painful admission to a love going-going-gone by is in just the right key to capture the new and tangy aftertaste of a relationship fizzling out right before your eyes. It’s a song that might require a whiskey chaser… just warning you. I can’t stop playing this song. It’s a haunting piece of songwriting delivered with a softness that packs quite a punch.

“Too Late For Goodbye” – Another song that will have you singing along from the second time you hear it. The prominence of the keyboard comes as a treat when you least expect it and gives the song its own slightly melodramatic quality. This one is classic Randy Rogers Band. That it is the final track on the album proves what an overabundance of riches is to be found in Burning the Day.

So who could say “no” to that? The Kings of Leon, that’s who. The Nashville-based rock group turned down an offer to have their music used on the show. It’s not the first time they’ve turned the networks down, either. The Kings passed on an offer to make an appearance on the now-canceled sitcom Ugly Betty.

It’s a pretty safe bet to assume that the Glee team was interested in one Kings of Leon song (the unavoidable “Use Somebody”) and the band probably knows that most of America is already sick of it.

Or maybe they are still recovering from the concert they cancelled in St. Louis recently, when pigeons pooped all over them. They just announced a return visit concert (Sept. 25th) to make up for the cancelled gig. Here’s hoping that the fans return, and that the pigeons do not.

The new album Kings of Leon album, Come Around Sundown is due in stores on October 19. Maybe there’s a hit on the new album that will make it onto Glee someday. Don’t stop believin’ guys…

Another multi-nominated group are the Grascals, two-time IBMA Entertainers of the Year. They are nominated in the following categories: Entertainer of the Year; Album of the Year (The Famous Lefty Flynn’s); Recorded Event of the Year for “I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome” with Hank Williams, Jr.; Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year for “Blue Rock Slide”; and reigning two-time Banjo Player of the Year, Kristin Scott Benson, is nominated again for the award.

Award-winning artists Jerry Douglas and Cheryl & Sharon White of “The Whites” will co-host the 21st annual International Bluegrass Music Awards on Thursday, September 30, at 7:30 p.m. at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium. The Awards are the high point of a week-long celebration, when Bluegrass music comes home to the historical Ryman Auditorium (the “birthplace of Bluegrass”).

The nominees are:

Entertainer of the Year:
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
Dailey & Vincent
The Grascals
The Del McCoury Band
Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out

Vocal Group of the Year:
Blue Highway
Dailey & Vincent
The Gibson Brothers
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out

Instrumental Group of the Year:
Blue Highway
Sam Bush Band
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
The Infamous Stringdusters
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

Male Vocalist of the Year:
Jamie Dailey
Russell Moore
Tim O’Brien
Junior Sisk
Dan Tyminski

Female Vocalist of the Year:
Dale Ann Bradley
Sonya Isaacs
Alison Krauss
Patty Loveless
Claire Lynch

Album of the Year:
Circles Around Me, Sam Bush (artist & producer), Sugar Hill
Dailey & Vincent Sing the Statler Brothers, Dailey & Vincent (artists), Jamie Dailey & Darrin Vincent (producers), Cracker Barrel/Rounder
Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out (artists & producers), Rural Rhythm
Ring the Bell, The Gibson Brothers (artists and producers), Compass
The Famous Lefty Flynn’s, The Grascals (artists & producers), Rounder

Song of the Year:
“Elizabeth,” Dailey & Vincent (artists), Lester James Fortune (songwriter)
“Hard Rock Mountain Prison (‘Till I Die);” Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out (artists); Ray Edwards, Larry Cox & Terry Foust (songwriters)
“My Florida Sunshine,” Claire Lynch (artist), Bill Monroe (songwriter)
“Ring the Bell,” The Gibson Brothers (artists), Chet O’Keefe (songwriter)
“The Ballad of Stringbean and Estelle;” Sam Bush (artist); Guy Clark, Verlon Thompson & Sam Bush (songwriters)

Recorded Event of the Year:
“Bleeding for a Little Peace of Mind,” Blue Highway featuring Darrell Scott (artists), Blue Highway (producers), Rounder
“Give This Message to Your Heart,” Larry Stephenson featuring Dailey & Vincent (artists), Ben Surratt & Larry Stephenson (producers), Whysper Dream
“I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome;” The Grascals with Hank Williams, Jr.; The Grascals (producers); Rounder
“Talk to Me Lonesome Heart,” Larry Stephenson featuring Connie Smith & Marty Stuart (artists), Ben Surratt & Larry Stephenson (producers), Whysper Dream
“That’s What Makes You Strong,” Claire Lynch with Jesse Winchester (artists), Claire Lynch (producer), Rounder

Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year:
“Don’t You Wanna Go to Heaven,” Dailey & Vincent (artists), David Marshall (songwriter), Jamie Dailey & Darrin Vincent (producers), Rounder Records
“I Just Want to Thank You Lord,” Larry Sparks (artist, producer), Judy Marshall (songwriter), Rural Rhythm
“Light on My Feet, Ready to Fly;” Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (artists); Corey Hensley (songwriter); Doyle Lawson (producer); Horizon
“Ring the Bell,” The Gibson Brothers (artists), Chet O’Keefe (songwriter), The Gibson Brothers (producers), Compass
“The Eastern Gate;” Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out (artists, producers); Isaiah G. Martin (songwriter); Rural Rhythm

Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year:
“Blue Mountain,” Sam Bush (artist, songwriter, producer), Sugar Hill
“Blue Rock Slide;” The Grascals (artists, producers); Danny Roberts, Kristin Scott Benson & Jeremy Abshire (songwriters); Rounder
“Cherokee Shuffle,” Josh Williams (artist, producer), Tommy Jackson (songwriter), Pinecastle
“Durang’s Hornpipe,” Adam Steffey (artist), Public Domain (songwriter), Barry Bales & Gary Paczosa (producers), Sugar Hill
“Mourning Dove,” Steep Canyon Rangers (artists), Nicholas Sanders (songwriter), Ronnie Bowman (producer), Rebel

Emerging Artist of the Year:
Balsam Range
Sierra Hull & Highway 111
Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass
Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice
Josh Williams Band

Instrumental Performers of the Year:

BANJO:
Terry Baucom
Kristin Scott Benson
J.D. Crowe
Sammy Shelor
Ron Stewart

BASS:
Barry Bales
Mike Bub
Missy Raines
Darrin Vincent
Marshall Wilborn

FIDDLE:
Jason Carter
Michael Cleveland
Stuart Duncan
Andy Leftwich
Ron Stewart

DOBRO:
Mike Auldridge
Jerry Douglas
Andy Hall
Rob Ickes
Randy Kohrs

GUITAR:
Cody Kilby
Tony Rice
Kenny Smith
Bryan Sutton
Josh Williams

MANDOLIN:
Jesse Brock
Sam Bush
Sierra Hull
Ronnie McCoury
Adam Steffey

Bluegrass Event of the Year:
Pass It On: The 30th Anniversary Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Festival; St. Cloud, Minnesota
The 14th Annual Podunk Bluegrass Music Festival; East Hartford, Connecticut
The Red, White & Bluegrass Festival; Morganton, North Carolina

Bluegrass Broadcaster of the Year:
Kyle Cantrell; Sirius XM Satellite Radio; Nashville, Tenn.
Katy Daley; WAMU’s BluegrassCountry.org; Washington, D.C.
Chris Jones; Sirius XM Satellite Radio; Nashville, Tenn.

Print Media Person of the Year:
Eddie Dean & Dr. Ralph Stanley, authors of Man of Constant Sorrow: My Life and Times (Gotham)
Derek Halsey, freelance writer for The Herald Dispatch, Gritz magazine and Bluegrass Unlimited
Larry Nager, freelance writer for Bluegrass Unlimited

Liner Notes for Recorded Project:
Fred Bartenstein (writer), Singing from the Heart, Dailey & Vincent (artists), Rounder (label)
Benji Flaming (writer), solo banjo, Benji Flaming (artist), solobanjo.com (label)
Dr. Ted Olson (writer); Appalachia Music from Home; Ralph Stanley, Jean Ritchie, Dock Boggs, Darrell Scott, Robin & Linda Williams, Blue Highway & More (artists); Lonesome Records (label)

Best Graphic Design for Recorded Project:
Julie Craig, Cracker Barrel (designer); Dailey & Vincent; Dailey & Vincent Sing the Statler Brothers; Cracker Barrel/Rounder (label)
Benji Flaming (designer, artist), solo banjo, solobanjo.com (label)
Bill Womack, Hellos Inc. (designer); Appalachia Music from Home; Ralph Stanley, Jean Ritchie, Dock Boggs, Darrell Scott, Robin & Linda Williams, Blue Highway & More (artists); Lonesome Records (label)

Anyone who thinks Tila Tequila is making up the story about being hit with flying bottles and rocks oughta get their (or Method Man’s) heads examined: the rapper, who performed with the MTV babe at Cave-In-Rock, Illinois for the “Gathering of the Juggalos” event from August 12-15th, boasted some serious eye injury resulting from a full – and flying – beer can. With at least nine photos of his bloody face available from TMZ, the people of Illinois wouldn’t have blamed Meth for stopping the show right there – but what did he do?

He kept rollin’ on.

Dude couldn’t have been any more badass if he’d caught the PBR in between his teeth, bit the can open and sucked the beer out!

Tila Tequila, assaulted by the worst fans ever at last weekend’s “Gathering of the Juggalos,” is still planning to sue: in an 8/17 interview for E! Online that recounted the musical equivalent of “When Animals Attack,” the former elimination show hostess claims she wants to bankrupt the Insane Clown Posse.

EO: So, what are the legal charges that you’re pursuing?

TT: Right now my attorney Alan Gutman is on the case, so he’s taking care of that – I was just speaking to him earlier, and we have all of our witnesses together and I’m hoping that this will be the last juggalos gathering that they will ever have.

But, one of the Clown Posse’s thrice-failed members is having none of it – making clear that she not only received prior warning things had the potential to go down (or should we say, up) the Port-a-Potty, but a wad of cash upfront.

So since Tila’s non-juggalo VictimCard® is now (rightly so) revoked, here’s the compromise: Send all ICP lovers to bankruptcy hell! If no one’s buying their music, she’ll still get what she wants.

Even if all 308 million of us end up crammed in the same dark carnival.

Today John Mellencamp releases No Better Than This – his 25th studio album. This one is a no-frills, back-to-basics affair; to match the American folk songs on the album, Mellencamp and band recorded the CD in mono, live in the studio, with one microphone.

It’s clear that Mellencamp didn’t want to make a recording that sounded like any other he had done before. This is a stark album, and with it Mellencamp reminds his fans that he still cares about the essence of a good rock song. When I listen to these tracks, I can’t help but feel like I am sitting in on a Buddy Holly practice session in some garage in Lubbock, Texas in the mid-1950s. Yes, this album is that different. Of course it is produced by the savior of roots and Americana rock – T Bone Burnett.

The 13 tracks on No Better Than This range from rockabilly to folk-rock to traditional folk. My favorite tracks are “Right Behind Me,” and “Thinking About You.” Mellencamp can make use one strum of the guitar to invoke a ghost that haunts a melody, and then he can just as quickly strum that guitar to make the sun shine appear from behind a biblical cloud. His craggy, shaggy voice has an assured, experienced sound that earns your trust as soon as you hear it.

So if it is the radio-hit version of John Mellencamp you are looking for, stick to some of the 24 other albums he has put out over the years. This is a unique and gritty collection of songs that emphasizes that Bob Dylan has had on John Mellencamp. The two are currently appearing together on tour.

Catch John Mellencamp on tour:
8-18-10 Las Vegas, NV (Caesars Palace, w/ Bob Dylan)
8-19-10 Ontario, CA (Citizens Bank Arena, w/ Bob Dylan)
8-27-10 Bend, OR (Les Schwab Amphitheatre, w/ Bob Dylan)
8-28-10 Troutdale, OR (Edgefield, w/ Bob Dylan)
8-31-10 Missoula, MT (Allegiance Field, w/ Bob Dylan)
9-1-10 Post Falls, ID (Greyhound Park, w/ Bob Dylan)
9-3-10 Yakima, WA (County Stadium, w/ Bob Dylan)
10-2-10 Milwaukee, WI (Farm Aid 25 @ Miller Park)
10-29-10 Bloomington, IN (Indiana University Auditorium)
10-30-10 Bloomington, IN (Indiana University Auditorium)
11-1-10 Cincinnati, OH (Music Hall)
11-3-10 Nashville, TN (Ryman Auditorium)
11-5-10 Kansas City, MO (The Midland)
11-6-10 St. Louis, MO (Fabulous Fox Theatre)
11-8-10 Indianapolis, IN (Clowes Hall)
11-11-10 Indianapolis, IN (Hinkle Fieldhouse)
11-13-10 South Bend, IN (Morris Performing Arts Center)
11-16-10 Fort Wayne, IN (Embassy Theatre)
11-17-10 Cleveland, OH (Palace Theatre)
11-19-10 Detroit, MI (Fox Theatre)
11-20-10 Pittsburgh, PA (Heinz Hall)
11-22-10 Minneapolis, MN (Orpheum Theatre)
11-23-10 Minneapolis, MN (Orpheum Theatre)
11-26-10 Chicago, IL (Chicago Theatre)
11-27-10 Chicago, IL (Chicago Theatre)