Australia's Country Music Channel - CMC Top 30 Countdown - this week has Dierks Bentley's Feel That Fire at #9, but his Sideways video has entered the chart at #20! Thanks to Stacey, our DBC Director of Int'l Recruitment for the Aussie scoop!
"I've been a fan since 2003 when LWTT (What Was I Thinkin'?) came out on the radio. I love Dierks' down-to-earth personality, it really appeals to me. His love for his dogs really is sweet and I can definitely relate - I feel the same way about my Shebby (she likes Dierks too!) Also, my boyfriend surprised me with Dierks tickets in 2007 at Joe's on Weed St. - Dierks just cut his hair and he looked so adorable! That was my 3rd Dierks concert and I've gone to every single concert in the Chicagoland area ever since! I am also a die-hard NASCAR fan and I love that Dierks also follows the sport and is a fan of some of the favorites (Kasey Kahne and Dale Jr.) This year Dierks performed in Daytona and ever since then, the NASCAR broadcast plays music from Dierks new cd, Feel That Fire, when they are coming back from commercial or going to commercial. It's great because I also get my Dierks fix while watching my favorite sport!!! One more point, I met Dierks last year at Country Thunder USA in Twin Lakes, WI and I was so nervous. I was shaking and in tears that I didn't know what to say or do. I've never been the type to make a fool out of myself and stumble around artists/celebrities but boy o' boy did I sure make a moron out of myself. Dierks was so sweet and gracious, though. He made me feel so comfortable and that is another reason why I love Dierks and his music!"
"I truly enjoy being a part of the Dierks Bentley fan club and the DB Congress. I just love listening to Dierks' music and seeing him perform live. His voice, music, and personality really speak to my heart."
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~Ronna"In 2005, I was playing in this building, opening up for George Strait," Bentley said. "A girl called me that I had known since I was 13 years old. She said she wanted to come out to the show. We had tried dating a couple of times, but I kind of figured it wasn't going to work out because I was chasing this dream down in Nashville. She came out to the show, and you talk about 'out of the blue clear sky' -- 'One day you're giving up the dream/And the next you're picking out a ring.' We eloped down to Mexico that same year. So I owe George and Norma a lot for giving me my life, and I love my life. I really appreciate it, and you are my blueprint for what we aspire to be."None of that dialogue made the television version. But Dierks did manage to show everyone his great sense of humor by giving George, uh, I mean Norma Strait a CD he just happened to have in his back pocket! See Dierks' performance below.
Hazel Smith writes a weekly feature article: CMT Hot Dish. This week's was a tribute, thanking all the country stars who appreciate her kind words about them. Dierks Bentley made the list!A lot of my dear friends are also friends with my sons. Like Dierks Bentley. Before he got a songwriter's deal or a record deal, Dierks would hang out at the Station Inn, digging the musicians and the bluegrass music they made. He loved to hear Terry Eldredge (The Grascals) [Hazel's son is Terry Smith from The Grascals] sing, and he loved the great harmony singing and all the great players who have helped make the Station Inn so special. After getting his deal with Capitol Records, Dierks has included bluegrass on his records. I've thanked him, and he's thanked me. He's just a great guy. I'm betting on Dierks.Hazel's prose can also be found in Country Weekly. She's the author of the cookbook, Hazel's Hot Dish: Cookin' With Country Stars, and she also hosts CMT's Southern Fried Flicks With Hazel Smith.
Each week leading up to the 2009 CMT Music Awards, CMT.com is featuring a different poll and they plan to include the finalists in the week leading up to the show, to be held June 16. This week is the Fashion Poll. You can vote now for who you think had the hottest look at last year's CMT Music Awards (Here's a hint for the males: Since you're reading this on a Dierks Bentley blog, don't even thing of voting for Billy Ray or Toby!).
Robert K. Oermann, respected music critic, author and historian, contributes his thoughts on Clay Underwood to MusicRow (Nashville's Music Industry Publication): "On a beautiful day, he’s shut himself in, aching and miserable. Loneliness has seldom sounded better. The production churns and burns around a passionate vocal performance of powerful melody. Get a load of those songwriter credits. Wouldn’t you have loved to have been a fly on the wall when Mel Tillis Jr., Tammy Rogers of the SteelDrivers and Dierks Bentley sat down to write together? Especially when they came up with something as cool as “Behind These Walls.” It earns Kentucky native Clay Underwood a DisCovery Award."
CT reps and best friends Renee, Lauren, Mandy, and Becky arrived with just enough time to get their VIP wristbands. "We were led to a security area, and while walking through the building my friend Becky spots those infamous curls of our favorite man Dierks just hanging out talking to someone in the doorway of the plaza," said 'CTcowgirl' Renee. "He traded in his cowboy boots for black and white Adidas sneakers, Jeans, and a black shirt...and he looked absolutely amazing as always!"
Just last week, Renee saw the announcement on dierks.com to "BE IN THE AUDIENCE TO SEE DIERKS ON LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON!" and immediately entered for her chance to win seats in the "Band Bench" and an opportunity to surround the stage during Dierks' live performance on the show! After four agonizing days, she got a phone call the day before the show saying she'd won.
"During the taping of the show, we were allowed to, along with 40 other winners, be onstage with Dierks and the boys as they performed his latest chart-climbing hit, Sideways.
We giggle, he waves, we giggle some more. Gotta Love that DB smile! We couldn't talk to him or get pictures because security was whisking us off through the metal detectors. Dierks hugged a fan farther down the line and everyone got out their cameras for a quick snapshot of the country star before going into the studio..jpg)
The taping was very interesting to be a part of, lots of production people working on the set making the show run smoothly. Lots of laughs, too. Jimmy Fallon is extremely hilarious. When it finally came time for the winners to join Dierks onstage we couldn't have been more excited. There were three balconies onstage that held about 13 people each for the winners of the "Band Bench Sweepstakes." We were on Dierks' right-hand side.
The producers encouraged us all to dance and have a great time up there which isn't hard to do when Dierks is performing. Although in the playback you can hardly see us girls in any of the footage, you can definitely tell we are there. Dierks kept looking over at our side, partying it up just for him, and was smiling because he knew we were his congress, there supporting him.
He even laughed at us on our balcony during the performance when he sang "Gotta Make 'em wanna"...and we shouted "What"..."Gotta make 'em wanna"..."What"..."Gotta make 'em wanna come back for more!"
We all were doing the signature dance and you can see Dierks check our side one more time during the chorus to make sure we are all waving our hands to the left, then right, gettin' a little bit 'Sideways.'
At the end of the performance he raised his fist in victory to us girls and throws us up his guitar pick, which we caught. After closing the show with Jimmy Fallon, Dierks went around to all three of the balconies and shook everyone's hand. Our balcony was about eight feet high and I couldn't reach down to Dierks for my goodbye handshake, so he leaned back to make sure he made eye contact and gave me a wave and a smile.
What a wonderful ending to a perfect day in New York City!
We all waited in the lobby for a bit, but the band must have left through another entrance. Dierks knew we were there in support of him, and to represent the congress, though. It doesn't matter if he didn't come out for a final goodbye. I was hoping somewhere in the city he was enjoying the beautiful cool evening, and a nice cold beer after that great show!
So with that we packed up to get back on the train and head back to Connecticut. That one day in the city will forever be embedded in my Dierks memory bank. We will always take the opportunity to go out for Dierks and show our support. He is totally worth the miles and memories.
I wish we could do yesterday over. I would have gone right up to Dierks and told him Ronna sent me!"
Thanks Renee for the great play by play of the evening! I wish I could have been there with you!
To see the video, go to the link below and choose the Dierks Bentley Chapter 5, May 20. Dierks performs at the 38:00 minute mark:
Dierks on Jimmy Fallon
~Ronna
DB Congress Chair
Florida Rep
If you're going to be in Nashville for the 2009 CMA Music Fest, be sure to schedule the Guitars of the Stars Benefit into your plans for Friday, June 12 at 2 p.m. Fans will be able to to bid on Epiphone acoustic guitars decorated by some of country music’s hottest stars at the inaugural auction at the Ryman Auditorium.
The first time Ryane met Dierks, was at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland...in the rain. "I looked HORRIBLE," she exasperated, "but it was awesome. I was stunned at how well the Meet and Greet went and how he took the time to answer everyone's questions.""He's my all time favorite, mostly because, well, he's DIERKS! His demeanor, his attitude towards his fans...I love that he tries to involve everyone on some of the decisions he has to make. He's very humble and I love that about him. "
"It's funny that I'm a Virginia DB Congress rep, and while I have seen him in VA, I've met him in two other states! He's the best. I'm going to see him at the next concert here in town--Bristow, VA on July 25. It's the day before my birthday, so I'm hoping I can get another M&G. That would be the BEST birthday present ever!"
Ryane tells everyone about Dierks and how he's just different from the rest. "Unlike a lot of the other artists," she says, "he's accessible. He takes the time to talk to people and is actually interested in what we have to say. I love the excitement, sincerity and passion he puts into his music. He just makes it fun!"
Thanks for representing DB in VA, Ryane!
I can appreciate the hard work and see this is not just a job to him, it's a career, a passion, what he is meant to be doing with this life.
Dierks stepped up and made sure his fan club was taken care of after finding out that while we were all with him in the meet and greet the venue did not section off any seating for his fan club. There were no seats available to us for the concert and we all ended up way in the back standing room only. Dierks made an announcement to his fan club members not to leave after the event that he would be giving a private performance just for us.
You know he did not have to do that at all and we knew he still had time commitments for a back yard barbeque someone had won and then had to get back on the road to the next Last Call Ball event. While most of us stood in the very back of the event, most fans didn't complain because we support him regardless of what happened. Just being there seeing him in person was such a wonderful experience for me. I know most people never get the opportunity to see him up close and have a photo taken with him, and I feel very blessed for just getting that experience of a lifetime.
See more details on Country's Hottest Guys on People.com. While you're there, check out the Country Thunder video from August 2008. You'll see Lady A first, then Dierks shows off his bus, bunk, and uh...what happens when the camera "slips."
Rach said, "I drive a LOT with my job, and it's GREAT driving music."What led Rach to become a DB fan?
"His relateable songs make me laugh, cry, yell, love, but basically they make me smile," Rach answered.She has told as many work collegues as she can to log on to www.dierks.com to watch the video clip of Dierks driving in Sydney. She said it worked until they crashed the system yesterday! Try explaining that to the IT department! Rach said that she has written to Rob Potts Entertainment, Australian promoter, yesterday to ask him what she needed to do to help get Dierks back to Australia. She said she would gladly take guidance and instruction since she is new to promoting.
"My shout for a free beer next time you are here!", Rach says to Dierks!
"Modern Day Drifter followed very closely by Feel That Fire."
When the Feel That Fire CD was launched, I remember the promotion Capitol Records announced to send out CJ boxes to radio stations with various prizes inside, including a backyard party. But I never really heard if my local radio stations received one of the boxes or if anyone won any of the prizes.
A century later, Bentley drew from the same well when he joined Brett Beavers, Brad Warren and Brett Warren to co-write the No. 1 song "Feel That Fire," whose second line reads: "She wants the toy in the Cracker Jacks." By the time he dropped by his label to play it for members of the staff, he believed enough in the song to suggest they release it as the first single from his upcoming album. (They agreed and decided to make it the album's title cut as well.)
~7 Questions with Dierks Bentley - Read what just about made him gag and why he's glad he has a daughter--not a son! It's interesting they picked "7" questions, the same number on his IceHoles jersey!
One more page that didn't mention him, but made me think of Dierks is the David Scarlett story on Keith Whitley--20 Years Gone. It's been two decades since keith Whitley died, but his influence still lives on. Many of you may remember one of Dierk's fan club journals where he posted about his admiration and reverence for Whitley. And Bentley's sure to be next single (hopefully), I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes, Dierks attests, is the opposite spin on Keith's first No. 1 single, "Don't Close Your Eyes."
OK, you know the drill, I've posted the pics, but it's your congressional duty to go buy the magazine! That's how we DBC dedicated Dierks fans say Thank You, Country Weekly!
You may recall reading, the "But Where's Stacey" blog a few days ago. Stacey's been doing a great job of recruiting more "International" members into the DBC! So much so, that I have decided to promote her from First Australian Rep to Director of International Recruitment for the DB Congress! Here's what she's accomplished in her first seven days in office:haha...thanks stacey for the great post!!! i was so happy to finally meet you in person! the show in melbourne was "wicked"....i walked off stage feeling like we had really connected with the audience and that everyone was having a blast. must say it was also great to see vicky in perth...really great knowing i have hard core fans like you guys down under here....How many artists do you know who will reply to a fan's post? I don't know of any except Dierks Bentley!
alright..going back to read that post again...! (and yes, i had braces!!!!)
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~Ronna
