BLUEGRASS IN THE BLIND HORSE

Hello, Congress! I am here to share my tale from the Blind Horse Saloon in Greenville, SC. :)

We got to the Blind Horse right at 6:30, which was when my Meet & Greet email told me to be there. I was fairly stressed, but it turned out that it was for nothing, so I got over it. I found Angie (choppergirl - Rep/SC) and Keesh (keesh_a_leash - Rep/NC) and we just sort of hung out and tried to figure out what was going on. There were 7 of us who'd purchased the "VIP Package" which allowed us to cut the line when the doors were opened. Funnily enough, 4 of us 7 also had Meet & Greet, which was nice. They separated the VIP ticket-holders, so we just hung out and talked. At one point, a random sing-along to Sideways broke out, complete with dancing. A few minutes after 7, they opened the doors, and we went in, got our IDs checked, our M&G passes (a pic of Jake!), and hurried to front-center stage. We'd determined outside that Keesh and Mr. Carrie would hold our spots while we went to our M&G at 8, so until then we just chilled and took lots of pics. I met Sandra (dierksdds), Laurie (hunterl5), Tammi (tammis - Rep/SC), and Kim (scmonkeyshinejovigirl), and by the time we went to line up for our M&G, we were chatting away like we'd known each other forever (and Tammi and Laurie really have, haha).

At 8 we went over to the designated place and Brittany separated us from the radio winners. We had a small group, and we were by a cooler that was filled with Bud Light. Sandra asked Brittany if we could bring Dierks a beer, but alas, it was not meant to be. Finally, it was time to head outside to see the Dude! Sandra went first and had Dierks sign the UOTR Tour shirt she'd gotten from the dierksfans.com store. Dierks commented that he'd been "seeing those shirts everywhere" and I piped up that it was "Nid from England's store." Dierks was like, "Nid's doing this?! Awesome!" and seemed genuinely impressed. Way to go, Nid!

As I was walking up to him, he told me he liked my shirt (it was from the 2006 tour), and gave me a hug. We did the picture thing, and then I told him I had something for him. I gave him one of Alicia's DBCongress decals for his guitar case, which he happily accepted and thanked me for and said he'd put on his guitar case in honor of us. Then I gave him the magnet that Renee from NY had made me last year, and he asked when the picture was taken. I told him it was from Raleigh last summer when he'd signed my yearbook, and he was like, "oh yeah! Have you lost weight? You look great." Um. I have, and thanks for noticing?! I got a little flustered after that, but quickly regrouped to see if I could get something else signed for our lovely DBC Chair, Ronna. (Surprise, Ronna!) (I'd promised to get her 2 of the limited-edition UOTR Tour posters, then had the brilliant idea to have one signed for her.) He quickly agreed, and as I was pulling the posters out, I told him that I do the chart updates for the website and he said that he "loved the site" and that we all "do such a great job with it." I thanked him for posting in our chat box and also for the tweet from the previous night -- I was so happy that I remembered everything! So he signed Ronna's poster, and then proceeded to sign mine as well. I thanked him for spoiling me and he said, "oh no, I'm the spoiled one, with fans like you guys." Aw.


After Tammi and Laurie had their M&Gs, we all gathered around for our group picture. In the back, Laurie was on one side of Dierks, and Angie was on the other. While we were getting the picture taken, Angie's phone started to vibrate, and Dierks mentioned that somebody was vibrating, and Laurie commented that she could feel it, too, through Dierks. It was the first of many funny moments. After that, he talked a little about the tour and the album, and one of us mentioned watching him on Leno. He didn't stay up to watch it, by the way, because he had a 4 am lobby call the next morning, but did watch it eventually. Sandra mentioned that she set her alarm for 11:25 pm so she could watch it, but had to sit through Jessica Simpson. Dierks then commented that Jessica's boobs are the size of her head, and when he was watching it he measured her head with his fingers and then her boobs, and yep, same size. ?! Then he commented how the dress she was wearing was obviously padded and "she doesn't need it!" He seemed to genuinely not understand why she'd use padding for anything, it was hysterical. Then we all sort of realized that we were talking with Dierks Bentley about Jessica Simpson's chest, and it got very silly for a minute. After that, he went through and gave everybody hugs -- it was over so fast! -- and when he gave me mine, he thanked me again for all the work on the website and said to keep it up. Our pleasure!

We headed back inside, linked up, and made our way back to the front of the stage, which was not that easy of a task! We only had about a 20 minute wait before Hayes Carll took the stage to get us ready for Dierks. I enjoyed his set. He was funny, and definitely set the tone for the show. His bass player, Bonnie Whitmore, has an UNREAL voice.

After a quick stage change-over, it was time for Dierks! Jason Carter (fiddle) and Rob McCoury (banjo) came out first, and started getting things going. Then Ronnie McCoury (mandolin), Dierks, and Alan Bartram (upright bass) came out. They kicked off the show with Free & Easy, which got the crowd completely pumped up and is completely awesome with a kick of bluegrass thrown in! After that, the track listing included oldies/goodies Feel That Fire, Settle for a Slowdown, Sideways, Come a Little Closer, How Am I Doin?, and What Was I Thinking. Up on the Ridge got HUGE response, and I'm proud to say that the Congress girls were right up front and yelling along to the song. The girl next to me was staring at me like, "you know this?" Haha! He also sang quite a few songs from the new album, including Rovin' Gambler, Bottle to the Bottom, and Fiddlin' Around -- which might be my new favorite song. I LOVED it. I was singing along by the end of it! But the two highlights of the show for me were his "Ode to Del McCoury" which was Good Man Like Me (!) and his 'therapy session' after How Am I Doin? which ended up being a rousing cover of All My Exes Live in Texas -- the song that introduced me to George Strait and country music. I was in heaven! It should also be noted that Dierks gave Bud Lights to Keesh, Lissa, and Sandra (who got 2) while giving a special shout-out to "the best fan club in the world which is lining the front of the stage tonight." Sandra had one of her bottles signed after the show, too, when Dierks stayed onstage for about 15 minutes or so, giving high-fives, and signing everything from boots to cell phones!

On the whole, it was a fantastic night. The show was incredible, and I left completely 100% excited for the CD. The crowd was really into it, and Dierks looked the happiest I think I've really ever seen him -- he was totally in his element, and the energy just spread throughout the place. I didn't hear anybody grumbling about how "bluegrass" the show was, or anything like that, which made me really happy. And Dierks prefaced the show by saying "if you're here to see a typical Dierks Bentley show which includes lots of drums, guitars, and me running around, you came to the wrong show." I loved it. I appreciate him so much for putting himself out there this way, and introducing us to this side of his love for music. I love getting to see what shaped him as an artist, and this tour is absolutely perfect for that.

So, Dierks, if you read this, thank you, so much for doing what you do. Thanks for being so awesome to your fans, and thanks for always making me walk away with a smile on my face. And if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be part of this awesome community of people ... and I think my life would be much emptier without them!

~ Carrie S. (Chart Reporter/DBC Rep ~ NC)

DIERKS TWEETS DB CONGRESS

After about 5 tweets from DB Congress, our prez responded:

1-Wondering what DB Congress is all about? We are @DierksBentley fan-clubbers who are dedicated to supporting DB on a daily basis!

2-We call, email, tweet, text, and facebook our local radio DJs and vote online for all things Dierks.

3-We promote our president (DB) at concerts or just around town.

4-We started our own website to showcase our Current Campaigns, list all our DBC Reps and blog every tidbit of Mr. Bentley we can find!

5-Ready to join us? Check out all the details here http://www.dbcongress.com/index.htm and here http://www.dbcongress.com/reps.htm

Then...

DierksBentley: "@dbcongress and I love you for doing it. in athens...love this town, miss my bro though. will have to rock (I mean, pick) in his honor #fb"

Our pleasure, dude! You're why we do what we do! Luv ya!

========================
After the show...

"for my brother fife, me and everyone in Athens GA loves you bro and misses you #fb"

WATCH DIERKS PERFORM UP ON THE RIDGE ON JAY LENO's TONIGHT SHOW

Last night, Dierks Bentley and his new nimble band of brothers/musicians performed the new title cut from his upcoming acoustic, bluegrass album, Up On The Ridge. I only recognized Timmie! (Tim Sergent on banjo). Jay Leno introduces Dierks on The Tonight Show at about 4:15 left in the show.



Dierks himself actually posted on his Twitter page a few tweets prior to his performance:

"backstage with the guys getting ready for @jayleno. 1st time performing "up on the ridge" on tv. yall watch & let me know what you think!" 7:00 PM Apr 27th via web

"doing leno today...think jay needs to work on his parking skills"



Were there any DB Congress reps in the live audience? Give us some off-air scoop!

'FESS MY LOVE FOR YOU AGAIN, D. BENTLEY

DB Congress rep, Leigh from Missouri, shares her Dierks Bentley Miles and Music For Kids Texas experience:

Confessions of Mrs. Concert Crazy: A Tale from Texas

Before I start our Miles and Music Texas story, I need to give you a little back story. Picture it: Missouri, 2008. A fellow Dierks fan (Takara) and I plan an innocent little road trip to Nashville to attend the Miles and Music concert held in October of that year. It sounded like an awesome excuse to raise funds for a good cause, and see good music at the same time. We went and had a blast! We hung out at the Harley dealership for a bit then headed down to the concert. On the nine hour drive home, I had plenty of time to think about the fact that for the next one, I really wanted to RIDE in it. Now…my husband has had a motorcycle for years but I had absolutely ZERO desire to ride it. A. they are scary and B. Hubby has a sports bike and well, lets just say I don’t have a skinny sports bike chick butt. BUT I really, really wanted to do this ride!

So, I got my rear in gear, learned how to be a good passenger, got a cute hot pink helmet, and come 2009 we threw it all in the pickup truck and headed to Nashville. The Nashville ride had about 90 million bikes (o.k. I exaggerate. That’s how I roll) and was a slow cruise through pretty Tennessee countryside, with a few twists and turns along the way. It all ended with a fun drive into downtown Nashville. Easy as pie.
After the Nashville Miles and Music event, I casually mentioned to my hubby that Dierks was also doing a ride in Texas at some point the next year, 2010. A little bit later my favorite closet Dierks fan casually mentioned that, well, you know, Dallas was just as far as Nashville is from us. Cha-ching-looks like we are headed to the Big D. And I DO mean Dallas!

Before I get much further in to the story, I have a confession to make. Not only are we Dierks fans, but recently we have become fans of some of the music filtering out of Texas and Oklahoma. That,I have to admit helped stack the deck in our deliberations on whether or not to go. Some of these acts get maddeningly close to us here in Kansas City, but not very often. Getting to see Dierks, some Texas music acts we haven’t seen, a motorcycle ride, AND raising money for charity…hello no-brainer.

So after a few months of waiting we finally get notification of when the date is (from a fan and not the website) and a notice of the presale date (24 hours before the presale started-tsk tsk). I figure we will need some time to think about this but oh no, Hubs is ready to buy tickets and get ready to go (but he will tell you he’s not really a Dierks fan.) Long story short, 12 hours later we have everything bought and our seats picked out. Whoo-hoo! Can’t wait!

Flash forward to April 24th, and once again everything is loaded in the truck and we are ready for a nine hour drive across Missouri, Oklahoma, and north Texas. Note to roadtrippers-if you are traveling through Oklahoma, bring a lot of dollar bills because I’m pretty sure the whole state is one long series of turnpikes and toll roads. It’s a pretty drive though. We arrive in one piece and settle in to wait for the ride and concert the next day.

The next day dawns bright, sunny, and mild and we get ready to get on our way to the Harley dealership. Now, I have to tell you-if you haven’t been, the Nashville Miles and Music seems to be becoming quite the big deal. Not only do you have the people riding in the ride, but a lot of extra people come and hang out as well. It’s a fun atmosphere and you are always kinda looking around seeing who you might see, star-wise, and every now and again you are rewarded. The Texas event was much more low-key and much more biker-ish which was fine. They had live music, the local H.O.G. chapter was cooking burgers and dogs, some girls were washing bikes for charities in bikinis, and everyone just kinda hung out.

After a hanging out for a little bit, my husband points past the bikini girls and says “There’s Dierks.” Keep in mind though-he’s not much of a fan.  Or so he says. So we wander on down that way to where Dierks was doing a couple interviews. Any of you that know me know that I am more of a hang-back-and-watch person, instead of a push-my-way-to-the-front person, so I just hung back and snapped a couple pictures. Mr. Bentley finished his interviews, signed some things, took some pictures, and then headed back inside. Very casual, no “people” not a big deal. Some of the riders were saying “who is that?” which I thought was pretty funny. It’s all about the ride and the charity sometimes, not whose name is attached to it.

After he went inside we wandered over to the stage to wait for him to come out and address the crowd. Which he did, and introduced people, talked about the ride, we all said a little prayer together, and it was time to hit the road.

As I mentioned before, I’m pretty new to this whole motorcycle riding business. I do ride when the weather is nice and it’s a weekend. And when it’s not on a highway. I WAS deathly afraid of riding on the interstate. Cars are unpredictable, the wind sucks, and it’s just scary. So imagine my surprise when we hop on, start the engines and BAM! head out on the interstate. Oh crap. I was expecting a gentle ride through the Texas countryside! I spent about 20 minutes scared to death before I realized the world wasn’t going to end and I was going to be okay. Good thing too, because we spent an hour and half on the highway. Going 70! But by the end, I was even snapping pictures and enjoying the beautiful scenery. Another fear I have gotten over, thanks to one curly-headed crooner. Soon enough we were in Fort Worth and at the famous Billy Bob’s!

I was in awe of Billy Bob’s. It was so huge! And to think of all the people that have played and recorded albums there-I was in heaven. They have tables instead of a “pit” area so we had a place to sit and didn’t have to fight for spots with people who didn’t ride and could have gotten there sooner. The flip side is because we are cheap our seats were a little bit farther back. And since it’s hard to carry a big camera on a little bike, I don’t have many good photos. Minor Bummer.

We settled down to hear music from people we had never seen and most of you may not have heard of--Brandon Rhyder, Roger Creager, Stoney LaRue-good stuff! Give some of them a listen if you haven’t already. If you haven’t heard of Kristen Kelly and the Modern Day Drifters, man that girl can sing her socks off. Paul Overstreet came out and performed with Roger Creager and they put on a good set. Roger can play a harmonica, that’s for sure. Paul Overstreet sang a blues version of “Digging up Bones” that was fun. Jack Ingram and the Eli Young Band were there as well. I love the format of the Miles and Music shows. Unless you are a ‘band’, the artist just comes out with a guitar and plays. Very stripped down. Except Dierks, of course!

Speaking of, it was time for the main attraction! I had just seen DB in Arkansas a couple of weeks ago and while the show was good, the experience was just kind of –eh-so I really didn’t know what to expect from this show. I was pleasantly surprised! The sound was awesome and I don’t know if it was the venue or the whole charity thing, but D was in a really good mood and what I call ‘on it’!

A couple of things-I will probably always, always miss Rod and Robbie, because that’s all I’ve ever known as a fan, but since the ‘new guys’ have come along they have put a couple new subtle takes on the oldies but goodies. And you know what?--they sound pretty good. There is no harm in keeping things fresh and fun. Speaking of which, after the bluegrass set-which was VERY well received, by the way-Jason Carter, the fiddle player from the Travelin’ McCoury Band stayed out with boys and played a few songs and all I have to say is WOW. Once again, adding something new and unexpected to the songs-let’s face it-we have all heard live before was completely amazing. That version of Come a Little Closer with the fiddle-uh totally worth the drive. Dierks: hire a fiddle player full time! He also played on Free and Easy, WWIT, and I think Settle if I remember correctly. Maybe Every Mile, although apparently I was in some sort of fiddle happy daze.

One of the funniest parts of the concerts was when, once again, Dierks accidentally rearranged the words to his own songs. He totally forgot which words went where during “Eyes”. This has happened so often I’ve started calling messing up the words to songs you wrote “dierksing” the lyrics. As in-dude did you hear that? He totally dierksed the second verse! I kid because I care, lol. This makes me giggle every time it happens at his shows. Oh my favorite blonde scatterbrain. I can relate since I can’t remember which of my children belongs to which name. It’s an endearing quirk that makes him a little human and a little less like some performer-bots.

They wound the show up with an encore of everyone except Jack Ingram (where was Jack, anyway? Perhaps I don’t want to know) coming out and singing ‘I Don’t Think Hank Done It This Way’ which, once again, was awesome. I’m using that word a lot in this blog! After it was over Dierks stayed out and signed stuff and slapped hands for a good 15 minutes or so. After a crazy Luke Bryan experience there was no way I was going to get involved in that melee so I just stood back and watched.

As a fan, I always, always, always wish Dierks the big time success he wants for himself, but honestly I have to say I haven’t heard him sound better or look happier than on the small stage of that big ol’ honky-tonk in Texas. Thanks for all that you do for charity Mr. Bentley and all that you do for us as well. We had an amazing time and me and my closet fan husband will see you down the road. To all my Congress friends…look twice for motorcycles. It could be me. Or Dierks Bentley. You never know!

DIERKS AT HARLEY-DAVIDSON NORTH TX

Dierks Bentley talks with Travis Blythe about his first bike, first Harley, and why he chose Texas for his Miles and Music For Kids ride on Sunday! Watch the video on the HD of North Texas Facebook page. The music in the background makes it hard to hear at times so listen closely--Dierks is at the 1:30 minute mark. Photo credit: HD of North Texas Facebook page.

Travis is also writing an article for Thunder Roads Magazine Texas about Dierks and the event so stay tuned! We'll let you know when that gets published! He tweeted us @dbcongress:

@dbcongress http://ow.ly/i/1hG4 It was great riding with @DierksBentley!

DIERKS SELLS OUT PIKE'S PEAK HOMETOWN

Colorado called Dierks Bentley's name last week, where he performed two shows back to back - Boulder and Colorado Springs. DB Congress rep, Janet, lives in Pike's Peak's backyard (The Springs), and attended both "Up On The Ridge" shows--and the Springs was sold out. Heeeeeeeere's Janet!

"No review I could write could describe the evening better than what appeared in our local paper! The last two nights were a real treat! I highly recommend everyone who has a chance to attend one of these [bluegrass] shows to do so without any reservations. You won't be disappointed! There is no glitz and glamour, and no lights (well maybe a few light bulbs) just good ole fun! Tim gave me a set list but everything is mentioned in the artice.

Despite my fall in Boulder, getting lost, getting a speeding ticket and police escort to the correct hwy, 4 hour drive back to Colo. Springs in a blizzard, and tornado warnings I'd do to all again in a heartbeat!

Dierks brought his sister, Vanessa, on stage in Boulder to introduce her to the crowd. His wife Cassidy was also in Boulder and her parents in Colorado Springs. Dierks introduced them and said that his father-in-law is an Air Force Academy alum from 1973. Dierks also called his cousin from Creed, CO on stage to perform a few songs with them and show off his banjo-playing talent.

Since no camers were allowed as the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, we used Dierks' camera for the Meet and Greet. I had him signed my 'Dierks Bentley' credit card. He was shocked, but thought it was cool--even showed it to everyone!"


My daughter, Monica, had a M&G in Boulder.


Here's an excerpt from the Gazette article:

Sloppy spring snow didn’t dampen the spirits of the 3000 largely youngish crowd attending the sold-out Dierks Bentley performance at Arnold Hall last night. Dressed mostly in cowboy/trucker or honky-tonk/cowgirl motif, the rowdy but respectful audience paid homage and got treated to a night of folk and bluegrass-laden classic country music from Dierks Bentley and friends...

After a quick stage change-over (after Hayes Carrl), Dierks Bentley and band came out on the plain understated set to a thunderous welcome most pop performers would have reveled in which had the audience literally standing for the first 14 songs, I kid you not! The overwhelmingly interesting thing about all this is that while Dierks is admittedly packing those sly country-boy good looks kind of like Matthew McConaughey evoking screams of “take off your shirt” more than once during the evening, this wasn’t some pop superstar. Tonight the music was more in support of his new album “Up On The Ridge” (Capitol Nashville, 6/2010) featuring mostly acoustic instruments performing bluegrass with some country thrown in. There weren’t flashing lights and confetti canons ala Taylor Swift, this was more reminiscent of a backyard barbecue & Appalachian style hoedown like you’d feel lucky to have stumbled across while crusin’ some little burg off route 40 out of Nashville.

And the crowd was all over it! Dancing in the aisles, screaming, everybody singing along to Bentley’s most popular tunes.... Read the rest here.

"What the reporter didn't mention was the underwear. Some girl threw a pair of thongs on stage and Dierks passed them off to one of the McCoury brothers. Just in case there was no time for laundry on this 30 day run he could go "Commanche"! Yes, there was a lot of younger audience members, but a fair share of mature concert-goers, too. I did overhear a few young girls talking after the show; apparently they didn't know it was going to be a bluegrass show and their dissapointment was evident. But they could not have been fan-clubbers or they would have known and loved it!

After the Boulder show we were all given a CD with 3 songs on it.

Dierks also said each show will be different and there were some changes. I was hoping for Train Travelin' and Prodigal Son's Prayer but it wasn't to be."

Thanks for sharing, Janet! What a unique 'peak' experience!

~Ronna

MOVING UP ... ON THE RIDGE

"Dierks shows once again that he is a leader and not a follower! His latest project is the most innovative I've heard from anyone in a long time!"
- Joel Burke, KYGO, Denver

I am really enjoying these front-page Billboard ads, I don't know about anybody else!

This week, "Up on the Ridge" - the lead single from the June 8th album of the same name - moves up to #51, up 8 spots from last week! Excellent! It was up half a million in audience. Assuming it grows at just that same rate this week, it should be enough to move Dierks up to roughly #43. However, considering that today is its "official" add date for radio, it's possible we'll see some higher/faster growth. If that is the case, we could be looking at a Top-40 song as early as next week!

Keep up the great work, Congress. We're off to a great start. I know Janet M. (CA Rep), David (KY Rep), Jane (NY Rep) and our very own Chair, Ronna, have been chatting it up while voting on Yes.com! And Shauna (in Michigan) is working so hard to get UOTR on her local WYCD. What have you been doing to create the buzz? Call, email, text, tweet, and/or find your DJs on Facebook! Exhaust all opportunities to get the song on the air! If you're in a city the Ridge Tour is hitting, you've got a great opportunity to get the song played -- they'll usually play new music in conjunction with a concert.

I will have my own Ridge Tour review hopefully on Friday ... so I hope you all have a wonderful week, and request, request, request!

~ Carrie S. (DBC Rep/Chart Reporter ~ NC)

DIERKS BENTLEY'S 7th RADIO SHOW SPOTLIGHTS KEITH WHITLEY

In a few weeks, Dierks Bentley and the rest of the country music community will be remembering a special day--MAY 9, 1989--as the day Keith Whitley passed away.

Although they never met, Dierks dedicated an hour of his radio show today to Keith and told us how much he appreciates his music, and wondered what kind of music he'd be playing today.

Dierks' told the story of his steel player, Tim Sergent, who had gotten a Keith Whitley gig back in 1989, to be Keith's steel guitar player and was driving down from Kentucky when he got the call that morning that Keith had passed away.

"Some great music was left behind," reflects Dierks. "

"I don't want this to be a sad show, I want it to be happy, to be celebrating the great music that Keith Whitley made, and the huge influence he's had on so many young country singers and continues to have on them. A lot of people try to sing like Keith but no one has done it since then. He had his own sound, his own way with words...he sure was somethin'."

Dierks used to work at TNN and one of his most treasured possessions is a VHS tape of Keith singing Miami, My Amy on the Opry.

Keith Whitley started in the bluegrass world with Ricky Scaggs, when they were discovered at the age of 15 by the Stanley Brothers. He went from bluegrass to JD Crow, and Keith's tenture with JD had a huge influence on Keith becoming a country star.

"His records are so a part of my weekly listening...a big part of 'the thread' of country music," admits Dierks. I remember a few years ago reading one of D's journals on dierks.com...it was late one night, he was on his tour bus and listening to Keith on his ipod and writing a journal to us--his fan club--to let us know how much Keith Whitley's music means to him. I sure wish we still had those dierks.com journal archives, and we really miss those personal journals that seem to be a thing of the past.

"Some songs you just don't cover...I'd get requests for this song but I consider it sacriligeous, so I leave it alone. Don't touch it. 'Don't Close Your Eyes.' "I love hearing the original."

Partial Play List:
~It Ain't Nothin'
~Miami, My Amy (1986)
~Pick Me Up On Your Way Down (written by Harland Howard)
~Sad Songs and Waltzes
~When You Say Nothing At All (*heart melting!)
~Somewhere Between Your Heart And Mine
~Don't Close Your Eyes
~Homecoming '63
~Til A Tear Becomes A Rose (Duet with Lori Morgan; CMA Award for Best Vocal Collaboration)
~I'm Over You

"I used to write over at Sony/Tree where Keith wrote and a there's a bunch of little demos that got passed around from time to time...some really cool things that he did, that hopefully one day may see the light of day."

The last song that was released while he was alive--great guitar part almost impossible to do live - No Stranger To The Rain---January 1989.

It was apparent Dierks didn't want the show to end today. He has so much reverence, respect and appreciation for Keith Whitley and his music, we can't help but feel the same!

Best THREAD yet! Thanks, D!

~Ronna
DB Congress Chair

PICS FROM TEXAS MILES AND MUSIC FOR KIDS

Here are a few Dierks Bentley pics to hold you over until we get some reviews from DBC reps who were there, live and in person! These are just a sample of the Rachel Parker's photos, but click on the link above to see all 24!

AMERICAN SONGWRITER HEARS DIERKS FANS

Dierks Bentley made the May-June issue of American Songwriter magazine--in 2009 he was the cover; now, in 2010, Dierks is the instrument that got Evan Schlansky to listen to country music.

"When I wrote in a previous column that I didn't listen to country, I got a few comments from concerned country music-listening citizens. 'For the love of God,' they said, 'at least listen to Dierks Bentley.'"

That was Evan's opening line in his Sounding Off article, "You Can Take The Boy Out Of The Country...A Genre By Any Ather Name."

I want to thank all the DB Congress reps who wrote to Evan, in response to his earlier plea to help him pick the Best Country Artist. It worked! Schlansky had no idea who to pick for the Best Country Artist: "Sadly, I don't listen to enough country music to say. So why don't y'all write me a letter and tell me who you think it is."

Other related blogs include: American Songwriter Prints Congress Letters, American Songwriter Hard Copy Collectible and Can You Feel Me?

Photo Credit: American Songwriter's May/June cover artist Dierks Bentley signing at our [2009 CMA Fest] booth (from AS Facebook page).

COUNTRY WEEKLY'S GOT A LOT OF LOVE FOR DIERKS

You may recall Dierks Bentley made the cover of Country Weekly twice in 2009--April 13 and September 21. So far in 2010, no such luck, but CW showed lots of love for DB nonetheless in the last three issues alone:

April 19
Page 11 - Twitter Talk: 'jake says howdy. he is apparently going on some sort of trip...didn't invite me.' -Dierks Bentley, referring to his dog, Jake.

Page 52 - Reviews: The Infamous Stringdusters, Things That Fly CD..."the band waxes humorous on '17 Cents,' on which guest Dierks Bentley throws in his own two cents' worth."

Page 56 - Stars Up Close: OK, it's not Dierks, but our very own Alacia Satterfield, DBC rep from Utah is pictured with Miranda Lambert in the smoking gun pose!

Page 58 - Flashback: El Paso/Marty Robbins; OK, again, doesn't mention Dierks, but hey, Bentley's radio show, The Thread was all about this Grammy winner on 4/19, so it's relevant!

April 26
Page 7: Editor's Letter-Lisa Konicki urges readers to go behind the scenes with Dierks to look at what it takes to make a radio show happen.

Page 12: The Hot List-Dierks was scheduled to perform at...Dow Live Earth Run for Water on April 18...(but had to cancel to perform on the ACM Awards show).

Page 38-40: Golden Threads-Dierks Bentley ties together his love of bluegrass, country and folk music with a radio show, a tour and a new album; major DB love here! Learned at least on thing I didn't know...that this radio gig is only for a year. Favorite quote:

"A lot of times I'll be on stage at a concert and I'll get off on some tangent and the guys in my band will be like, 'Dude, just sing the song. Stop talking and start singing.' They give me grief."

Be sure to pick up this issue and read the article to find out who Dierks is planning to have on his radio show for future episodes.

Page 56: Stars Up Close-Delighted by Dierks Laura Rayer, Dexter MI, is a member of the fan club and shares her Battle Creek, Michigan Meet and Greet picture with Dierks.

May 3
Page 9: Dierks Previews Ridge Album- Read what he saw out the window when he was recording his bluegrass version of U2's "Pride."

Page 52: What I'm Listening To-Check out the diverse lists of artists our DB Congress president likes!

Page 57: countryweekly.com ad-OK not a story, but DB's pic is at the top!

So there you have it, folks! Lots of DB love from Country Weekly! Now, it's our turn to show the love to CW. Email them with lots of thank you from DB Congress love! Oh, and don't forget, subscription service is back!

DIERKS TV ALERTS!

First up, Dierks Bentley will perform Up On The Ridge on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Tuesday night, April 27 at 11:30 pm eastern, on NBC. Tweet Jay and ask him to give Dierks some interview time!

In addition, DB's 'Feel That Fire' special from GACTV will re-air May 2, 2010 at 10 pm! So mark your calendars now!

DIERKS ATTENDS KENNY'S SUMMER IN 3D MOVIE PREMIER

Here are a few photos of Dierks Bentley from the red carpet premier of Kenny Chesney's Summer in 3D movie at Rave Motion Pictures in Town Square on April 17, 2010 in Las Vegas.

Dierks-Photo-1
Dierks-Photo-2
Dierks-Photo-3

THE THREAD TIES MARTY ROBBINS TO DIERKS

Marty Robbins was born in Maricopa County, Arizona, only a few miles from where Dierks Bentley is from. It was only natural for Dierks to dedicate an hour of music on April 19, 2010, to and about another home town boy that successfully made his county music journey to Nashville.

Marty had a TV show on KPHO in Phoenix where he and Little Jimmy Dickens became friends which led to Marty's record deal. Dierks shared that his mom played "Devil Woman" a lot in his house growing up.

"The fact that Marty was from Arizona always made me feel a close connection to him."

Marty was a member of the Grand Ole Opry and was well known for his performances at the Opry, especially his habit of walking over and manually moving the clock back to 11:45, when they were supposed to be off the stage by midnight. He was a real renegade.

According to Eddie Stubbs, Marty would go out in front of the Grand Ole Opry House and sign autographs. Marty was also a NASCAR driver. He always tried to get on early for the Opry so he could run out to the track and race the same night.

Marty had a wide range of music and styles, and especially the western sound (as in El Paso). "For me being from the west, once it's in your bones it's kinda hard to get that out of it," Dierks said.

Partial Play List:
-Devil Woman
-I'll Go On, (First hit in 1952; a little Hank Williams sounding)
-White Sport Coat (and a pink carnation)
-Big Iron
-Cowboy in a Continental Suit
-Ruby Ann
-El Paso (#1 in 1960)
-El Paso City
-Singing The Blues (Dierks' fav!)
-Knee Deep In The Blues (An Elvis-type delivery)
-Don't Worry (#1 in '61; session guitar player Grady Martin created the fuzz affect by accident from this song)
-The Girl With Gardenias In Her Hair
-My Woman, My Woman, My Life (he won a Grammy for this one, dedicated to his wife of 22 years!)



Two of Marty's greatest accomplishments include becoming a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1982 and being named Artist of the Decade by the Academey of Country Music.

Log on to dierksfans.com and go to the Audio section of the message board for instructions to get a link to the audio copy of The Thread radio show.

================

Coming up this Monday 4/26/10, on The Thread: Keith Whitley has been a huge influence on Dierks and his music. Listen in to hear Dierks pick select Keith Whitley songs and talk about Keith's life in song.

Dierks Bentley hosts The Thread on 650 AM WSM radio every Monday at 2pm CST. You can listen online at wsmonline.com.

FACEBOOK PICS FROM DIERKS IN COLORADO

Dierks Bentley wowed crowds in Colorado and continues his own DRT (Dierks Road Trip) with the Travelin' McCoury's in Austin tonight, and then his Miles and Music For Kids charity event at Billy Bob's tomorrow. These are few pics he posted from the road. According to Dierks, The pic above is "havin' fun - jason carter" and below, "what my gtr case wants to be when it grows up. pls bring stickers to austin show today."

DIERKS, JACK SINGING BARBIE DOLL VIDEO 2010 ACM AWARDS

Dierks Bentley helps out Jack Ingram, singing Barbie Doll at the 2010 ACM Awards. I'm thinking Dierks was way too happy about being squeezed out of the limelight for about a minute when all the girls jumped on the stage! He finally makes his way back to the front with Jack. See for yourself:



Special thanks to Nid and dierksfans.com for the video capture!

DIERKS SINGS THE SPRINGS TONIGHT, THE PARISH TOMORROW

Tonight, Dierks Bentley continues his Up On The Ridge pre-album release tour in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where the snow is falling in late April, as seen from his windshield (Facebook):

Tomorrow night, Bentley and the Travelin’ McCourys, will travel to Austin and perform at The Parish. Austin360.com asked DB a few questions about the new material, the tour and his tourmates.

American-Statesman: You anchor the new album’s title track on a traditional bluegrass theme: escaping to the countryside.

Bentley: On the road, a lot of the time all I’m thinking about during the day is, “Man, I wish I was out in the woods somewhere by a lake and not stuck on the asphalt.” It’s about the need to get away and have fun.

Was your creative process different from recording a straight country album?

Yeah. The process was really different for me. I didn’t work with any of the people that I’ve worked with in the past as far as writing or production goes. Making that break was important creatively. I cut more outside songs on this record. I’m a big Shawn Camp fan, and I knew I wanted to cut a couple of his (“Fallin’ For You,” “Fiddlin’ Around”).

What drew you to the (Kris) Kristofferson song (‘From the Bottle to the Bottom’)?

There are just no gaps at all in that song’s alliteration and pentameter and meter. It’s tight, so well-written. Cutting that song was a great moment and a great memory. When we were in the studio, (Kristofferson) said to me, “Next time I write a song like this, remind me not to put so many (expletive) words in it.” That chorus does take a big breath of air to get through (laughs).

How do you expect this new material to translate at The Parish?

It’ll be a dynamic show. I think my hardcore fans will love the new sound and the casual country fans hopefully will like it. If not, maybe they’ll respect that it’s something different and not the same old, same old.

Was it your decision to tour the album at such intimate venues?

I like playing smaller rooms. I love playing amphitheaters and fairs and all that stuff, but I love variety. We’re gonna do what I got into this business to do: Get on a bus and play some music. I want to get one bus and one band and one crew and play fun, cool places that I don’t get a chance to play anymore.

You and the McCourys are old friends, right?

I was at (banjoist) Rob (McCoury)’s wedding, and I was one of the (groomsmen) at (fiddler) Jason Carter’s wedding. I’ve known those guys since I moved to Nashville in 1994. I feel lucky and honored to play the host, to bring these guys and their music to my audience. They’re some of the greatest musicians in the world.

When did you meet (tour opener and Austin resident) Hayes (Carll)?

I discovered Hayes in Canada when we played some festival. I walked over to the side of the stage and saw this guy playing at 12:30 in the day, and figured he must be a local. It sure looked like an Austin band, though. He launched into (“She Left Me for Jesus”), and I was just dying over in the corner, going, “Oh my gosh, he’s gonna get killed!”

DIERKS GETS TO BE "DEL" FOR PRE-RELEASE TOUR

Dierks Bentley played in Boulder, Colorado last night, and hits the stage in Colorado Springs tonight. My good friend and fellow DB Congress rep, Janet lives there and called me from the concert last night! Free and Easy, bluegrass style, is still a real toe-tapper.

When talking about his pre-release tour for the upcoming, Up On The Ridge album in stores June 8, Dierks had this to say:

"As soon as I started thinking about doing [U2 song] 'Pride' with Del McCoury and the Punch Brothers, I was like OK, we're not making a traditional bluegrass record," says Bentley. "This isn't going to be side project. It's going to be a career record for me," Dierks told the Colorado Springs Independent.

"We're calling this a pre-release tour. It's just a chance for me to go out and have fun. I'm going to have so much fun on this tour I'll be grinning from ear to ear, because I just can't believe I get the chance to hang out with my best friends and play, and I get to be the Del of the Del McCoury Band, which are impossible shoes to fill."

Read the whole article here.

Watch as Dierks and Del rehearse for Delfest in 2008:

HEY DIERKS, IS BLUEGRASS-"ISH" A WORD?

According to oregonlive.com, "Dierks Bentley made a bluegrass record. Sort of. It arrived billed as a bluegrass record, and his publicist emailed the title track, Up On The Ridge, ahead of the interview, and, as bad as I felt to be the one to break it to Bentley, it didn't sound like that radical a departure from, say, his first big hit -- What Was I Thinkin'.

"I hate to put a label on it, because when people hear the record, it's definitely, there's a big lack of electric guitars," he said.

But an abundance of many of the instruments that form the foundation of his best songs. And, it turns out, there is some pretty serious bluegrass on the disc, too.

The kind of stuff that attracted him away from the classrooms of Vanderbilt when he first got to Nashville. It wasn't the Music Row stuff that grabbed him, it was the house band at Station Inn -- the Sidemen.

"They turned me on to a whole new world," Bentley said. "When I got there, the whole country scene, I was a little turned off by it. It wasn't me. They weren't writing their own songs. It was artificial to some degree. It was different than I thought it'd be. I walked into the Station Inn and discovered real people playing real instruments."

After coming off his last tour, he was playing with a couple of different projects, but this album, let's call it bluegrass-infused, took hold. He ended up pulling in top-end players like the Del McCoury Band and the Punch Brothers. He loaded it up with singers and players like Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, Jamey Johnson and Miranda Lambert.

He and his pals made interesting song choices. They do a Bob Dylan tune -- Senor (Tales of Yankee Power). They do a U2 tune -- Pride (In the Name of Love). They do a Kris Kristofferson tune -- Bottle to the Bottom.

They got Kristofferson to sing on that one.

"He lives in Hawaii and I thought, Maybe we can fly to Hawaii," Bentley said. "But that wasn't in the budget."

Fortunately, Kristofferson was going to be in Nashville and in a studio, so they barged in on that. Unfortunately, the film guy who'd been recording a lot of the recording of the album couldn't make it, so Bentley was trying to capture it all on his iPhone, because, how often are you in the studio with Kris Kristofferson playing one of the guy's perfect songs?

"Next time I'm not going to write a song with so many words in it," Bentley recalled Kristofferson saying as they worked."

Read the rest of the article here.

BONAGURO'S TAKE ON BENTLEY'S BLUEGRASS

Alison Bonaguro has never hidden her love for Dierks Bentley's music. Her recent blog on CMT, "Dierks Bentley Will Change the Way You Think About Bluegrass," is no exception...


Chances are, if you are into Dierks Bentley, then you will dig his upcoming bluegrass and roots music album no matter what. But do not let the word "bluegrass" make you think this project is at all old-timey. If anything, Bentley's take on acoustic music is thoroughly hip and refreshingly relevant. How? Well, check out his website and watch the sneak peek of him talking about the title track, "Up on the Ridge." He wrote the song with Kings of Leon producer Angelo Petraglia, and Bentley says it's his acoustic guitar playing that drives the track. "It's great. Mixing all these bluegrass guys -- and then getting Angelo, who comes from a totally different world -- to come in and play acoustic guitar was a cool mix," he says. So this Angelo guy definitely ups the cool factor. But the mandolin, fiddle, banjo, Dobro and upright bass give the song all the roots cred it needs.

DIERKS KICKS OFF FIRST NIGHT OF BLUEGRASS TOUR

The very first night of Dierks Bentley's bluegrass tour to promote his new record, Up On The Ridge, started out with DB himself posting a pic on his Facebook page yesterday.

"show kicks off tonight at wonder ballroom..."

You will also recall, Dierks asked the DB Congress to bring bumper stickers for his "way too shiny and new" guitar case. Here's a picture:

So I tweeted late last night to ask him:

DBC: @DierksBentley So? How did the first UOTR show go tonight in Portland? Did DBC come thru with bumper stickers for your new guitar case?

DB: @dbcongress Portland came thru with a awesome crowd and yes, great gtr case stickers. will post pics tomorrow. on to boulder... #fb
about 15 hours ago via SimplyTweet in reply to dbcongress

Make sure you check out dierks.com, as there are some really detailed reviews from a few DB Congress reps and some incredible photos! Check it out!

WQYK INTERVIEWS DIERKS IN VEGAS

WQYK Morning DJs, Randy and Dave (Tampa, FL) were reliving their Dierks Bentley and Trace Adkins video interviews on the air yesterday, from last week in Vegas before the ACM Awards. Dave was talking about Dierks walking up at the end of Trace's interview and how they both gave DB a hard time about his pants. So my husband called in to comment:

SC: Hey, love you guys but listen if you're gonna be dissin' Dierks, you gotta at least play his new song.

Dave/WQYK: I'm not dissin' Dierks! Did you see the video?

SC: Yeah. He's a good guy; he's a man, not a pretty boy--ever see him play hockey? He could whip Trace Adkins with one finger.

Dave/WQYK: Yeah, he's a bad ass; he'd probably slice Trace's knee with his skate blade.

SC: Yeah, we were gonna start a campaign called "a dollar for dierks" so we could buy him a new pair of pants.

While on the phone with Randy and Dave, my husband confessed to them that he was actually of fan of theirs--go figure. And so is the DB Congress. Thanks WQYK for all the Dierks love!

Go to WQYKTV.com to watch the Trace and Dierks interviews: Trace here (with Dierks at the end) and Dierks here.

So, Dave, now can you play "Up On The Ridge?"

Thanks!

~Ronna
DB Congress Chair

DIERKS TAKES THE PATH LESS TRAVELED

When searching for @dierksbentley entries on Twitter, I ran across one that caught my eye from @TayMCoughlin, a Junior Broadcast News/German student at CU in Boulder, Colorado: "Has a phone interview with @dierksbentley tomorrow morning!" 8:39 PM Apr 13th. So I tweeted her and asked if she would record and post the interview and today she sent me the link! Enjoy!

The path less traveled is “Up on the Ridge"
Dierks Bentley talks new tour, album

By Taylor Coughlin on April 21, 2010

Dierks Bentley is not your average country star. Yes, some of his songs are about losing women, drinking beer and driving trucks, but there’s more to this modern day drifter than a southern drawl and cowboy boots.

At the top of his career, Bentley is taking a turn on his highly-successful path to pursue a daring project. In the “Up on the Ridge” tour, and album of the same name out June 9, Bentley has gone back to the roots that got him started in Nashville: bluegrass. And he’s recruited friends, the Travelin’ McCourys of the prominent Del McCoury Band, among other bluegrass and country artists to help him chase a dream.

The “Up on the Ridge” tour stops in Boulder on April 22 at the Boulder Theatre. Hayes Carll opens before Dierks and The Travelin’ McCourys take the main stage.

The CU:Independent talked to Dierks about the upcoming tour, album, and what goes on backstage before a live show.

CU:Independent: You’ve been in bluegrass ever since you started out in Nashville, but what really pushed you to take on this project right now?

Dierks Bentley: I think it just comes at the right time. I spent a lot of last year playing big amphitheatres and stuff and I felt like it was time to get off the road and make this record at home….I just wanted to go back in and expand on that music so it just felt like the right time to do it. I don’t know if it’s the smartest thing in the world to stop the train and start something up doing something totally different, but for me, musically, I want to take a chance and try something different. I gotta keep things fresh for me sometimes.

CU:I: What’s it been like working with the Del McCoury Band?

DB: It’s insane. I walked into the station and the first guys I met were Jason Carter, the fiddle player, and Ronnie and Rob McCoury. They were all playing in this band call the Sidebenders and they played at this bar called the Station Inn [in Nashville]. I became great friends with those guys and played a couple of their weddings. I’ve known them for about 14, 15 years now. You know, just the chance to hang out on and off the stage for a whole month is going to be the coolest thing ever. I have so much respect for them as a band, they’ve won about nine International Association of Bluegrass awards, entertainers of the year. Most of all, they’re just great dudes. They’re so much fun to be around and hang out with, it’s just constant laughs. It’s been a career highlight for me.

CU:I: Are there any surprising artists you draw inspiration from that your audience wouldn’t really expect?

DB: With the record coming out I’ve got a Kris Kristofferson song, a U2 song, and so I think those influences are on there. Bands like Pearl Jam that really have that energy. I always try to take that energy from a rock band and fuse it into country and the country-bluegrass stuff we’re doing now. But yeah, there’s definitely interest beyond the country and we’ll show that in the live show.

CU:I: What role do you think traditional country plays now in today’s mainstream country?

DB: I don’t know. It’s not really my world, but guys like Josh Turner are holding that down a little bit. You know, country music is so broad. The range is so crazy-wide – pop, rock, traditional. It’s kind of all over the place. I think it’s something that’s really good – a broad format, there’s room for everything.

CU:I You have Sam Bush, Alison Krauss, Jamey Johnson, Miranda Lambert on this album- you had all these great artists help you out with this album. How did you get them all to help you out and what made you pick certain artists?

DB: I’m honestly just really lucky. I know Alison Krauss, I know Sam Bush, I just know all of them from being around bluegrass for a while. I know Tim O’Brien. I knew I could call up some collaborators and make this record. It would not be the record it is without [producer] John Randall [Stewart]. He’s played with all these people. He’s one of my best friends. I just finally asked him. He brought a lot of great songs to the table, we wrote stuff together. It’s not a traditional bluegrass circuit by any means; it’s a hybrid mix of this stuff that we love from both the country and bluegrass artistic worlds. Alison, I’ve known…I have a huge crush on Alison. She’s been the greatest singer, any genre, male or female of all time. She’s so cool. I called her up personally. Had the same conversation with Sam Bush, Tim O’Brien, and Miranda who I’ve toured with a bunch of times, same with Jamey Johnson. You know, I called them all on their cell phones and asked if they could come be a part of this. Same with Del, you know to have the Del McCoury’s number in your phone is the coolest thing ever.

CU:I: Do you have any pre-show rituals?

DB: They kind of change from tour to tour. Tequila is usually involved in some context. A quote from any movie Will Ferrell’s been in is usually involved. I think last year was from “Semi-Pro.” Just get together, say a prayer. As the tour goes on it gets longer and longer, the huddle. But yeah, a little shot of tequila and go out and have fun.

CU:I: What do you ultimately hope to inspire with the tour and with this album?

DB: I just say this in all humbleness, I think if I was living in Boulder and the Del McCourys were coming through town, I mean, that’s like, a really cool thing. To be the host of them, to bring in some of my fans and experience the music they make – because the only way to get this music is to see it live. You aren’t going to get it listening to a CD. I just want to turn people on to some new sounds and broaden their perspective on what country and country-bluegrass music can sound like and hopefully be a part of that. For my career, not just on the album, hopefully my hardcore fans with go with me on it but if they don’t, maybe it’ll just speak to the fact that I’m not playing it safe, I’m different. To make music for the sake of making great music and make the wheels go round on the tour bus for as long as I can.

Contact CU Independent Copy Editor Taylor Coughlin at Taylor.coughlin@colorado.edu.