Happy Memorial Day

Does the Memorial Day holiday signifiy the start of Summer or remembering our US Military who died protecting us ordinary people? You decide.

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. Service Members who died while in the military service. First enacted by an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War. It was extended after World War I to honor Americans who have died in all wars.

Grandpa took it off to europe to fight the germans in the war
It came back on some dog tags nobody wears no more
It's written on a headstone in the field where he was slain
It's my last name

-Dierks Bentley

Memorial Day often marks the start of the summer vacation season, and Labor Day its end.

Begun as a ritual of remembrance and reconciliation after the Civil War, by the early 20th century, Memorial Day was an occasion for more general expressions of memory, as ordinary people visited the graves of their deceased relatives, whether they had served in the military or not. It also became a long weekend increasingly devoted to shopping, family get-togethers, fireworks, trips to the beach, and national media events such as the Indianapolis 500 auto race, held since 1911 on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.[3]

The preferred name for the holiday gradually changed from "Decoration Day" to "Memorial Day", which was first used in 1882. It did not become more common until after World War II, and was not declared the official name by Federal law until 1967. On June 28, 1968, the Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which moved four holidays, including Memorial Day, from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend. The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. The law took effect at the federal level in 1971. The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) advocate returning to the original date, although the significance of the date is tenuous. The VFW stated in a 2002 Memorial Day Address:


Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed a lot to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day.[7]

Many people observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. local time. Another tradition is to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff from dawn until noon local time. Volunteers often place American flags on each grave site at National Cemeteries.


Scource: Wikipedia

What do you think, congrass?

DBTV - Episode 20 - Miles & Music For Kids-Columbus

Dierks Bentley Raises $143,145 for Nationwide Children's Hospital

Anybody who's ever experienced a Dierks Bentley concert knows he loves to run around the stage and cut up with the crowd--he's quite the comedian.  But while yesterday's show in Columbus, Ohio was every bit of THAT Bentley, the Miles & Music for Kids Motorcycle ride, followed by an all-star concert was altogether serious business.  During his set, Dierks signed the check on stage, to Nationwide Children's Hospital for $143,145 adding to his impressive $1.5 million raised over the last five years for Childrens Miracle Network hospitals all over the country.

The day began at the A.D Farrow Co. Harley-Davidson dealership--America's Oldest Harley Dealer™.  Dierks arrived around noon and met with the media, including Adam Black from CMT One Country who partners with the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.

After the interviews, Dierks began taking photos with the surrounding crowd.  When he got around to me and Kathy I quickly took off my DB Congress bracelet and gave it to him to wear on his ride.  He said "Thank you so much for coming.  I will be carrying DB Congress with me on the ride today."

Dierks tweeted throughout the day:

"MILES AND MUSIC for KIDS today in Columbus. one of the best things I get to do each year. let's raise a bunch of money for @nationwidekids."

"heard there already 700 bikes presold at AD Farrow Harley Davidson dealership. that is killer! headed up there now...!"

Dierks' bike:

"@joenichols bus just pulled in to venue. @unclekracker @misswilliebrown and @joshthompson here too."

"and our host/mc today, helping us raise tons of cash for families and kids at nationwide childrens hospital #adamblack of #cmt is here..."

"1000+ bikes stretch over 8 miles!! thx Columbus Police for never letting our feet touch the ground (and sorry to the cars that waited...!) "

"rowdy crowd out there for @misswilliebrown and @joshthompson now. love it. thanks y'all for being so supportive of this cause."

"in the hometown of our MILES AND MUSIC 4 KIDS sponsor #nationwideinsurance columbus Ohio.... you guys are making this one really special."

"thx country music fans and all the motorcycle riders today at MILES AND MUSIC 4 KIDS in Columbus, OH. last estimate $143,000 for kids! #fb"

We arrived at the LC Pavillion ahead of the bikes and found the VIP seating and lounge.  We were a little disappointed the VIP section was behind the standing room only pit that held a couple hundred people. But we sat front row center and got lots of DB love as he pointed to us a few times throughout his set. That made up for the far away from the stage seats. (although we never sat down).

Urban Rose opened the line-up, followed by Miss Willie Brown, Josh Thompson, and Uncle Kracker.  Dierks came out and introduced Joe Nichols ("We have been friends a long time--used to play the honky tonks together") and actually played back up guitar for him, along with the team dude band. 


Miss Willie Brown- Kasey Buckley and Amanda Watkins 



Josh Thompson sang acoustic with former DB guitarist Rod Janzen





Uncle Kracker: "I thought I WAS Kenny Rogers when I was young," sang "The Gambler"  



Joe Nichols backed by Bentley

The local Nationwide Employees donated $5,000 toward the day's total.

The tear-jerker yet heart-warming moment of the day was the host family coming on stage and telling their story.  The mom told us their son was 2-years-old when they found out he had a heart 3 times the normal size and would die without a heart-transplant.  The Nationwide Children's Hospital was there for them, he got his transplant and is now a happy, healthy 5-year-old!  He was so cute constantly waving both hands to the crowd--we all waved back and cheered!  That brought reality to the reason we were all there--to help the kids!

Another memorable moment was the autographed guitar auction--all artists that day signed it.  The final winning bid was $7,000 from one of our very own DB Congress (fan club) members--Sarah Ansel, from Lancaster, Ohio.  Dierks called her up on stage and picked her up off the ground and swung her around in a huge hug! She also rode in the procession of bikes.

Later the other bidder who stopped at $6,500 agreed to $7,000 and they all signed another guitar for her. Dierks said, "I remember you, you were the one bidding with the big yellow hands!"

The rain held off until the last few songs, with just a sprinkle during Sideways and What Was I Thinkin'.  Perfect timing.  When I got back to the hotel, there was a rainbow. Perfect ending to a fantastic day!

"Give it up for Steve Misamore on the drums!"

It was great seeing DBC friends and meeting new ones--Jackie, Kathy and Dawn! Always worth flying from Florida to share my Dierks experience with fellow fan-clubbers!

~Ronna Clark
DB Congress Chair

Does Dierks Bentley Have A New Hobby?

As if hockey and Harley's weren't enough for Dierks Bentley, could NASCAR be his next hobby?  DB performed Sideways--the NASCAR version at the All Star race tonight in Charlotte and got a gift from his buddy Tony Stewart. 

Dierks tweeted: "a gift from my friend @tonystewart. fits just a tiny bit tighter than my hockey helmet. juuuuust a bit."



Dierks Bentley on WhoSay

DBTV - Episode 19: 2011 Jager Tour Highlights

Dierks Bentley and his tour mates have a lot of leavin', fishin', drummin', prankin' and golfin' left to do!  My favorite quote is from Miss Willie Brown: "Dierks' fans are amazing and they are so welcoming to us!"

Bentley Brings Fans A Little Closer in Charleston

Carrie W. (mittensgizmo101), DB Congress Member representing South Carolina says she won't soon forget her second Dierks Bentley show in Charleston!  Enjoy her story below!

Photo Credit: Carrie/Michael Srebro - Norfolk, VA May 13, 2011 (The Charleston show lighting made for not so great photos!)


"May 12th 2011 is a night I soon won't forget. The Jagermeister Country Tour with the incredible Dierks Bentley finally rolled into the South Carolina low country and I was ecstatic to be seeing Dierks for a second time! Last time I saw him was in 2009 when he did a show with Darius Rucker here in Charleston, SC. It was an outdoor show and was raining the whole night. That night though was the night I fell in love with Dierks, his music, his hair, and his show so when I heard Dierks was coming back I knew I had to go!

I attended this show with one of my mom’s friends and had fantastic seats, first row of riser seats in the section right next to the stage. The show started out with a new band from SC The Piedmont Boys, followed by the very high energy and fun Miss Willie Brown! Josh Thompson got the crowd on their feet along with MC Rick Monroe.

All the warm up acts were amazing and a lot of fun but finally it was time to see the man I had been dying to see all night, Mr. Dierks Bentley. Dierks started the show with Sideways which immediately had me and the crowd up and dancing and singing right along! Soon followed Every Mile A Memory which will always be one of my favorite songs from Mr. Bentley. I think everybody can connect to this song. Before he sang Settle for a Slowdown (another one of my all time favorites) he explained how the song was based off of a true story and later on how the story related to one of his new songs as well.

Throughout the night I was dancing and singing along to every song and often held up my DB Congress sticker to try to get his attention. He pointed at it once at one point in the show. I love how Dierks always gives the fans what they want and talks to us like we are his friends and not just fans. At one point he talked about how if we ever saw him riding around in Nashville that we were more than welcome to jump in the back of the truck with him.

During the middle of the show he had what many call his “Bus Back Lounge” section of the show where he played bits and pieces of songs he and his band often play on the bus after shows.

Towards the end of the show he played Come A Little Closer and brought up Kate Mosson to come up on stage with him. It was one of the highlights of the show. During the time on stage Dierks went and sat at the back of the stage and left her alone on stage. It was hilarious and I could tell he thought it was as well.

Watch the video below as Dierks starts across the front row - holds hands with Lissa (DBC rep) in the blue plaid shirt, then goes against the norm and points to "the girl in the little white tank top" up in the stands and says, "You gotta come up here."

"I would like to say Dierks really made my night and I was honestly never expecting to be called on stage," Kate said.  "He made my year.  I hope next time I will be as lucky!"

Overall the show was incredible!  I had a fantastic night with incredible country music and one incredible artist!  I love how country music is one big family, which is clear at concerts. Dierks is an absolutely fantastic artist, performer, musician, songwriter and person all around! I could not have imagined spending last Thursday night at the Jagermeister Country Tour with any other artist!"

Carrie W.
Mittensgizmo101
SC Rep



Dierks and Stanley - A Dream Come True

It is no secret the love Dierks Bentley has for hockey.  So when his Top 20 single, Am I The Only One, showed up as THE song for an NHL Stanley Cup Playoff TV spot, it was a dream come true for our proud president!

Dierks tweeted this caption and the link to the video earlier today:

"am I the only one" and the #NHLplayoffs combined!!?! too good to be true. http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=1083&id=114486

 
I was there the night Dierks played the Opry April 15, 2006 and was so proud to bring the Stanley cup on stage!
 

Dierks Plays Center; Guitar Boys Play Right Wing

Here's a great article from thefourthperiod.com where Dierks Bentley compares hockey to singing on stage.  Enjoy!

In the 13 years since the Predators arrived in Nashville, the team has slowly converted a pigskin town into a legion of loyal puckheads. One such fan is country superstar Dierks Bentley, a chart topping, award-winning artist who counts hockey amongst his great passions. Whenever he gets a chance, the Feel That Fire singer puts down his guitar, laces up, and hits the ice with his local men's hockey league, the Nashville IceHoles.

We caught up with the 35-year-old Arizona native, who compares his game to Nashville's Jordin Tootoo and explains how a concert for him is essentially like a hockey game.

How did your passion for hockey start?

Dierks Bentley: The Predators moved to town (in the late 90s) and I just remember going to a game and immediately falling in love with the sport. I played some rollerblade hockey before that, but being down in Tennessee it's hard to find some ice; all I could think about was playing hockey. A buddy of mine from Toronto gave me some gear and I went down and signed up for a men's league. I kind of had to see it live to get into it.

So the Preds coming to Nashville had a big effect on you becoming a hockey fan?

Yeah, it's had a huge effect on Nashville in general. When I first signed up for hockey, I signed up for a B league and I barely knew how to skate and hold a stick at the same time. Now, I'm still in that league and I'm a lot better than I was a few years back. The men's league has really developed because of the Predators.

How many Predators games do you get to attend or watch during the year?

It's tough because I'm on the road so much. I get off the road and I have a choice with my free time to either watch or play hockey, and I usually choose to play. I try to make six or seven Preds game a year. It's not as much as I'd like, but being married and having two kids makes it kind of tougher.

I hear you have your own term for The Fourth Period?

For us, it means going to a bar after the game and finishing the game at the bar – the fourth period. We've got some guys that are pretty good for the first three periods, but their strongest period is always the fourth period. They may not be able to pull their weight on the ice for three periods, but they do a fine job in the fourth! It's half the reason why they're on the team (laughs)!

Talk about the team and league you play in. I hear you have a clever team name?

Yeah, our team name is the Nashville IceHoles... great team! What I love about the IceHoles is we only have 10 guys; I can't stand being on a team with more than 10 players because every three shifts wouldn't be enough ice-time. I want to walk off the ice just completely drained.

In your 10 years of playing, what's the best game you've had?

I had a great game the other night. We were playing with seven guys against a much better team with 15. It came down to the third period and we were down 4-2, and I had the tying goal which was a deflection. In our league, to be able to plan that out and have it intentionally deflected and have it go in, that's more impressive than a slapshot or a wrist shot. I pulled that off and I angled my stick just right to get it over the goaltender's shoulder.

What position and style do you play?

I play center if I can because it's my favorite position, and also left wing because I'm right-handed and it's a lot easier for me to come down the left side and shoot. I play pretty aggressively – the more comfortable you are on skates, the more aggressive you can be. It's a non-check league, but there's a ton of checking going on. What I lack in talent, I make up for in hustle. When I come off the ice, I'm rocking back and forth like a heroin addict and everybody's like "Are you okay?" and I'm just like "Yeah, I can't breathe." It makes the beer in the fourth period taste that much sweeter!

So would you compare your game to anyone on the Preds? Maybe Jordin Tootoo?

(Laughs) I do love Toots. He's one of my good friends. What I love about Tootoo is that some around the league can't stand him, thinking he's out there just looking for hits and cheap shots. When I see Tootoo, I love the hustle that he plays with.

What does your family think about you playing?

They love it. I think they are more worried about me getting hurt, but I've gotten more injuries on stage than I've gotten on the ice. I've torn my ACL jumping off a stage riser, I've chipped my teeth on the microphone, got some stitches in my knee for sliding across the deck on a slippery night. Knock on wood I've never been hurt in hockey. I've taken some pucks to the shin and couple whacks with a stick, but nothing has ever broken.

Would you compare concerts for singers to hockey games for players?

For me, it is a hockey game. When I go out on stage, I tape my boots just like I'd lace my skates up – I tape 'em up with duct tape really tight. There are six of us in my band on stage just like there are six of us on the ice. I really approach it with the same energy. You get on stage and have that adrenaline rush. On stage, I'm the center and bring my bass players up on my left (wing), my guitar boys up on my right (wing)... and the drummer's the goalie, making sure nothing gets past us!

How did your music career get started?

I moved to Nashville when I was 19 and spent a long time playing in bars and clubs all over Nashville and downtown. Eventually I got a publishing deal and that led to a record deal. It took me about eight years to get things going.

Have you ever been approached by the Predators to do the goal song?

(Laughs) They have a great song right now, they've got Tim McGraw's I Like It, I Love It. It's a great tune, but it's time for a new tune. I've got to find the right song for them because I'd love to have that song up there.

If you weren't singing country music, what would you be doing?

It's too late to be a hockey player, but I don't know what else I'd be doing. I love hockey and grew up around go-carts so I love racing, too. I just feel blessed to be able to do this and not worry about a plan b. Until that time comes, I'll keep (singing).

Dierks Back in Top 20!

 photo courtesy Carrie Srebro

"Am I the Only One," Dierks Bentley's first single from his upcoming new album, cracked the Top 20 this week on BOTH charts: up 4 spots to #18 on Billboard, and up to #19 on Mediabase. The song is only in its 7th week, so it's performing very well. To give some perspective, Sara Evans spent her 2nd week atop both charts this week, and "Little Bit Stronger" is in its 34th week on the charts! Miranda Lambert's "Heart Like Mine" is poised to be #1 this week, and that song has been on the charts for 20 weeks. So, Top 20 after just 7 weeks?! I'll take it! (And I'm sure many more artists would, too!) 

Looking at the charts, there aren't a lot of songs that look to go recurrent this week, so I think it's likely to only pick up a spot or two on both charts, despite healthy gains in both spins and a very nice spike in audience. (Since its debut, the song has picked up roughly 400 new spins each week -- it's never dropped below 350 in each of its 7 weeks on the chart!) However, now that it is in the Top 20, it should start generating more airplay, and the last few stations that haven't been playing it should add it in the next few weeks. 

Now that it is firmly in the Top 20, it will be on ALL Rate the Music surveys going forward, and should also be on ALL of the Country Chart surveys at Nashville Country Club. Voting on the surveys is one of the easiest ways to let your voice be heard, so make sure you're continually letting them know you want to get your good time on! And, as always, call, tweet, text, and email your DJs and let them know you're not the only one who wants to hear the song! And don't forget to vote at CMT.com, too! Steve in a bathtub - who doesn't want to see that?! 

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

With Bentley, You Get An All-around Entertainer

I was impressed by Alexandra McMillin's digitaltourbus.com Dierks Bentley concert review of his April 30 Chicago show.  You will be, too!

"With Bentley you don’t just get live music and he isn’t just a singer. You get a musician, a comedian, a storyteller – an all-around entertainer. He knows exactly what buttons to push to make the audience go crazy, having has just as much fun at the show as the audience does. The interesting instrumentation included Banjo, mandolin, stand up bass-- not your average country concert. Bentley is that his voice always sounds just as good live, if not better, as it does on his recordings. He is such an honest performer who moves so naturally on stage. Dierks Bentley belongs in front of a crowd."

Read the whole story here.

DBTV Episode 18 - Dierks & Dan Bridging the Gap

Dierks and his buddy/band mate Dan "The Hawk" Hochhalter get a little competitive on and off the ice. Find out how Dierks keeps him in check in this week's DBTV, Episode 18.

Dierks Bentley Confirmed for City of Hope Celebrity Softball Challenge - June 11

Nearly five years after Dierks Bentley throws out the first pitch at an Arizona Diamondbacks game on June 14, 2006, he will trade in his hockey stick and guitar pic for a day to play softball to strike out cancer.

City of Hope just announced their 21st annual Celebrity Softball Challenge event happening June 11th at Greer Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Country music stars including Dierks, Vince Gill, David Nail  and others are taking the mound in an effort to defeat the deadly disease.

"We are just starting to get the word out about this fantastic event and one of the ways we are doing that is by our “Connected to Hope” initiative, Phil Kiczula with City of Hope tells DB Congress.  "In an effort to create an online community of support City of Hope has launched “Connected to Hope” as a place where anyone touched by a life threatening disease can come for sanctuary and find strength knowing they don’t have to take this fight alone. To kick off this initiative City of Hope has sweetened the deal offering someone submitting a story the chance to take the field at the event and play ball with the celebs."

Celebs will take the field for the highly anticipated game between longtime rivals Grand Ole Opry and After MidNite with Blair Garner.  Am I the only one who wonders which team Dierks will play for?  He's a member of the Opry AND he's good friends with Blair--in fact I just listened to BG's 2008 interview with DB on my ipod this morning!  Coincidence?

All the details about the game and participating stars are here.

And all the information about the Connected to Hope initiative can be found here.

To purchase tickets to the most fun-filled game in town, click here.  All ticket sales benefit City of Hope.

"Hope" to see you all there!  Look for us along the first base line seats!



Ronna Clark
DB Congress Chair

Dierks in Detroit - Motor City Rocks!

Please welcome guest blogger and "Wolf Pack" member, Stacy Baker, DBC rep in Michigan.  We told you about the Wolf Pak back in February when Dierks was streaming his recording process live from the studio in Asheville, NC.  The fans online watching and chatting were dubbed "The Wolf  Pack," and apparently they are showing up in Meet and Greets with special shirts, like Friday night, May 6, at the Fillmore in Detroit.

"This was our 3rd show this past year, and also my 3rd time with a meet and greet. My husband, Bill, won one but being the great guy he is, he gave it to me. This was the first time we both got one.

The night started out with us seeing Dierks driving his famous jeep down Woodward Ave. It was pretty cool. He waved to everyone and parked it between the buses. Anyway, I decided to make a "Wolf Pack" shirt to wear to the concert. It said "The Wolf Pack "hearts" Stubbs [Dierks' nickname]". Right away when it was my turn, Dierks said how much he loved my shirt. He remembered me from our last meet and greet, which is always nice and shows how thoughtful he is with his fans. He said that the Wolf  Pack was showing up everywhere on the tour. He mentioned something about putting the Wolf Pack in the new album's liner notes.

I had brought a picture for him to sign, so I could hang it with my collection, but I almost wish I had him sign my shirt. I was expecting the "Stacy, God Bless, Dierks Bentley" standard signature, which is what I have always seen him do. But instead he mimicked my shirt and said "Stacy, I love my Wolf Pack, Dierks Bentley". I didn't even realize he had signed it different until I got home. I was too nervous/excited at the time. He told me two more times before we left that he loved my shirt and thanked us all for the Wolf Pack support. He pointed out "camera guy" as well, so I got to say hello to him, too. It was such a great night.

The concert was amazing (of course). He stopped in the middle and said he was going to go off the setlist and do a special song. So it was just Dierks and his guitar singing "Line No. 7," which he wrote about Detroit for Esquire magazine [Available on itunes]. It is such a great song and felt like such an intimate moment between Dierks and our city. He kept saying how nervous he was to perform it, but he did great.

I twittered about it later: "Line No. 7-wow...that's all I can say. Awesome song and crazy, crazy night." A little while later my husband said, "Dierks just re-tweeted you!"  I didn't believe it at first, but sure enough he replied back with "MOTOR CITY ROCKS! Bouncing off walls."

Needless to say, that was a great ending to a great night. Looking forward to seeing him in Nashville next month!"

Stacy

Steve Wiseman posted some awesome pics he took of Dierks from the show on the WYCD website.  Here are a few below.  Click here to see all the photos.

Happy Mothers Day From DB Congress

To all our moms in the DB Congress who not only take care of their families, but also find time to support our president (Dierks Bentley) every day! We thank you and wish you a special day of making family memories!

To all the wives of all the guys in Team Dude, who take care of the kids while the dudes are out playing shows on the road--we thank you for sharing them with us.    Enjoy your special day with them!

Ringleaders of the Party: Team Dierks

Interesting @DierksBentley interview from soundspike.com:

Country star Dierks Bentley's Jagermeister Country Tour is the perfect place to preview songs from his as-yet unnamed forthcoming album.

"I play two to three songs off the new record," Bentley told SoundSpike. "[It's a] loud, rowdy tour. It's just fun. It's a great time. We're having a blast out here. We're doing a couple new songs, but for the most part it's the hits and up-tempo stuff. It's a big party and we want to do our job as the ringleaders of the party and do it right. We always feel like we do. We try to have more fun than anybody else in the room that seems to be the key to the success of the whole deal."

Included in that set list is the upbeat "Am I the Only One" from Bentley's new collection, which is due out before the end of the year. He said the song is going over very well live. Since his self-titled major-label debut in 2003, Bentley has scored plenty of raucous hits including "What Was I Thinkin'," "Settle for a Slowdown," "Feel That Fire" and "Sideways."

An Arizona native, Bentley spoke to SoundSpike about the tour, the upcoming record and the photo shoot he did with Esquire for its May music issue.

SoundSpike: How's the tour going so far?

Dierks Bentley: Tour's going great. It's just a fun tour. It's the Jagermeister Country Tour and it's a fun, amps cranked up, loud rowdy crowd kind of tour. We're having a good time.

How are the openers, Josh Thompson and Miss Willie Brown?

Josh Thompson is a great guy, a lot of energy and a lot of fun to be around. Puts on a good show. Miss Willie Brown is the other act, and they're also just a brand new band, a lot of great energy and they were rocking out every night. The girls are funny. They're exactly what you want to have as an opening act.

How is "Am I the Only One" going over live?

It's great. I've been off the radio for a little bit because I made more of a bluegrass-flavored album that didn't work as well for country radio. I had no expectations for it. I knew what I was doing. I really wanted to make that record. Now I'm on to this one. I wanted to get one out there that would be fun for our fans to have for the summer and something new that country music would love and something that would go over great in the live shows -- especially this Jagermeister tour. I play it early in the set list. It really gets the party rocking and people seem to be digging on it. It's been a lot of fun.

Do you have a name for the album?

I don't have a name for it yet. I'm still working on it. It probably won't come out until late summer, early fall. I'm still trying to figure it all out. I did most of the recording back [in], I guess it would have been February. Now that we're on the road, I'm going back and forth here and there trying to do the overdubs and fix it up a little bit.

I read that you recorded it in five days.

Yeah, I did the majority it of it in five days. There are still lots [of things] to do. We did the majority of the tracking. We just need to add a fiddle here and there, change some things up here and there. There are a lot of little tweaks that need to be done to make it just right. I did a lot of work going into that -- months of songwriting, months of listening to other people's material. Getting it all together. We kind of had the game plan. I hope for some magic and try to rock it out. It turned out pretty good.

Describe the songwriting process for your new album.

Just a lot of it. [Laughs] Just writing 50 to 60 songs and with some of the best songwriters in town. I tried to narrow those down and also listened to about 2,000 songs personally, and tried to whittle it all down to the top 20, 25 and take those in there and put out the top 11 or 12.

Wow, you wrote and listened to that many songs?

A lot. About a hundred days' worth of writing.

Do you write when you have to, or when you're inspired?

I get inspired when I have to. You come off tour and you come off the road and your brain changes into that mode. Then you're always thinking of a song title or an idea. I go into that mode.

You mentioned your last record, "Up on the Ridge." Did you always want to do a bluegrass record?

It's something I've always wanted to do. The time was right about two years ago to really think about doing it. I was able to make that record. Go out there and tour behind it last year. Have it be nominated for a CMA, ACM, Grammy Country Album of the Year. I'm really, really proud of that record.

Are nominations and awards important to you?

Yeah. They've very important. TV time. They're huge. All that stuff is important, a big deal as far as making people aware of your music. As far as personally how important they are to me, nothing's more important than just getting the chance to play music and walk out on stage every night and have that audience there waiting for you. That's why we do what we do. They're extremely important. I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel great to have that album nominated for those three award shows. It's a great feeling to have that respect from your peers, especially as a songwriter. Yeah, they're important to me. It feels good.

What's your favorite song to play live?

I kind of love all of them for different reasons. The up-tempo ones like "What Was I Thinking," the new one, "Am I the Only One," see some fists and beers in the air. There are also songs that slow it down and I get to sing on. I love those, too. I think I've always picked songs that I know if, forever down the road, I always enjoy singing.

You did a photo shoot in Detroit for Esquire and wrote a song about the city. Tell me a bit about that.

I did. I did it about two months ago. It's just coming out. [The deal] is, you get a song title about a week in advance. You go up there, record a song and they do a photo shoot with four other artists, all different genres of music. It's a great hang. I wrote a song called "Line No. 7," inspired by a story I'd heard about a steel stamping assembly line plant that was completely disassembled and reassembled in different parts of the world. One line went to Mexico and one in Brazil. They make these same parts and send them back to Detroit. It's crazy, I guess, how much cheaper it is to make parts elsewhere. It's a sad story about Detroit. I wrote this song as part of that Esquire

Source: SoundSpikeStory by Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

AITOO Eyes Top 20

Am I the Only One has continued its march up the charts in the past two weeks, and now sits just outside the Top 20 on both charts: #21 on Mediabase, and #22 on Billboard. 

The song is poised to jump into the Top 20 on both charts this week (I'm guessing #19 on Mediabase and #20 on Billboard), and is hot on the heels of a few songs in front of it. An interesting note about making it into the Top 20: On last week's Billboard chart, the difference in audience between 18th and 19th was 5 million! That indicates that songs 1-18 have been in the top 18 for a while, garnering more airplay at radio, whereas #19 and #20 are fairly new additions, so are just starting to reap the rewards of being in the Top 20. 

Additionally, the (hilarious) Am I the Only One video made its debut on CMT's Top 20 countdown at #13 this week, which helps add to the songs exposure! 

Now that the song is firmly within the Top 30, it will be on all surveys, so make sure you sign up at Rate The Music and Nashville Country Club and make sure radio knows you LOVE the song and you're NOT tired of hearing it. And, of course, text, tweet, call, and email your DJs and let them know you're not the only one who wants to get your good time on ... in the car! 

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

Dierks Fan Names His Truck, "Bentley"

Many die-hard Dierks fans name their pets after the country singer, but Dave, DB Congress Rep in Washington, named his truck, "Bentley."  Watch a day in the life of this Modern Day Drifter:

DBTV - Episode 17 - The Beerster Bunny Was Here!

Funniest Episode yet! Watch as Dierks evens the score with Miss Willie Brown. While MWB rehearses, Team DB plans their revenge for the "jeep wrap." The Beerster Bunny Was Here!

Jager TV Episode 2 and 3

Watch the videos of Dierks Bentley on the Jagermeister Country Tour, including pre show prayers and rituals.

Dierks to Perform at 2011 CMA Music Fest June 10

CMA Award-winner and multi-Platinum-selling artist Dierks Bentley will perform at 2011 CMA Music Festival as part of the Nightly Concerts at LP Field on Friday, June 10.

CMA Music Festival takes place Thursday through Sunday, June 9-12, in downtown Nashville. The event, which celebrates its 40th birthday since beginning as Fan Fair® in 1972, will once again be filmed for an ABC television special to air in late summer.

“Dierks has been highly requested by our fans, and we are excited to welcome him back to CMA Music Festival this year,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer.

Am I the only one who now has to change my flight and hotel to stay through Friday night?