Title Track and "The Mountain" Tracklist Revealed

On April 12, those who follow Dierks Bentley's social media channels were given some very important news we've all been waiting for: The Mountain album will be released June 8!

That same day, those who pre-ordered The Mountain were notified of an extra special surprise: a downloadable title track!

Oh, it's an amazing week for Dierks fans, isn't it?

After we set up yet another Dierks countdown timer on our phones (54 days, 15 hours, 23 minutes as of the writing of this blog), we can now see what's been hinted at over the last few weeks. All song titles are available (and we have clips of many of them!).

As stated by Dierks' PR team, "Reaching a new creative high, Bentley co-wrote 10 of the 13 new tracks that are unified by themes of presence and positivity, and range in style from textured rock to acoustic folk, feeling both rooted and expansive at the same time."

Can I get a "Woman, Amen!"?

Here's what we know (click on the links for info about the songs):

1. Burning Man (written by Luke Dick and Bobby Pinson)

2. The Mountain (written by Dierks Bentley, Jon Randall, Luke Dick and Natalie Hemby)

3. Living (written by Dierks Bentley, Ross Copperman, Jon Nite, Ashley Gorley)

4. Woman, Amen (written by Dierk Bentley, Ross Copperman, Josh Kear)

5. You Can't Bring Me Down (written by Dierks Bentley, Luke Laird, Hillary Lindsay)

6. Nothing On But The Stars (written by Dierks Bentley Ross Copperman, Jon Nite, Jon Randall)

7. Goodbye In Telluride (written by Dierks Bentley, Ross Copperman, Ashley Gorley, Scooter Carusoe)

8. My Religion (written by Jamie Kenney, Ben Burgess, Michael Pollack, Rick Markowitz)

9. One Way (written by Dierks Bentley, Jeff Hyde, Laura Veltz)

10. Son Of The Sun (written by Dierks Bentley, Ross Copperman, Jon Nite, Jon Randall)

11. Stranger To Myself (written by Dierks Bentley, Ross Copperman, Heather Morgan)

12. Travelin' Light (feat. Brandi Carlile) (written by Dierks Bentley, Ashley Gorley, Jon Nite)

13. How I'm Going Out (written by Jessi Alexander, Jon Randall--a fun bit of trivia: Jessi and Jon are married!)

Collaborations on this album include songs with Brothers Osborne, Brandi Carlile, and world-renowned bluegrass musicians Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and Tim O’Brien.

When reflecting on the tracks of this album, Dierks said, “For me it’s the best of both worlds, and it feels like something new. It’s powerful but also happy, with acoustic sensibility mixed in with the big sounds I like to have for the road. They are the songs I’d play for somebody to say, ‘This is who I am right now.’"

We'll take all the sneak peeks we can get until this album is released.

With "Woman, Amen" climbing the charts and flooding the airwaves, and now "The Mountain" available through major music services (and on repeat on our devices!), our Dierks playlists have gotten that much better, with the promise of mountain-sized talent to come.

Carrie Srebro
DB Congress Chart Reporter
@corbers

Jessica Borrelli
DB Congress Rep, WA
@AllTheWayToMe

Emotional New Dierks Bentley Song Featured on "Only The Brave" Soundtrack

What Dierks Bentley teased earlier this summer has finally come to light.

so honored to have a song in this film. it sheds light on the lifestyle of wilderness fire fighters and honors these men and their families.

— Dierks Bentley (@DierksBentley) July 20, 2017

Today, he released a new song that will be featured on the “Only the Brave” soundtrack.

A new Dierks song always brings about excitement. But this one comes with an emotional pull you might not have been prepared for.

“This is at the top, if not the most meaningful experience I’ve ever been a part of,” said Dierks. “It hits me harder than any other song I’ve had a chance to be a part of.”

That statement is no exaggeration.

The song, “Hold the Light,” written by Dierks, Bon Iver’s Sean Carey, Joe Trapanese, and Jon Randall, graces the soundtrack of a movie that tells the story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. 

On June 28, 2013, 19 of the 20 Hotshot firefighters were killed in the Yarnell, Ariz., wildfire. What looked to be a relatively straightforward firefighting day turned tragic when the winds unexpectedly shifted, trapping the men.

After an early viewing of the movie, director Joseph Kosinski asked Dierks if he would contribute to the rough version of the closing song.

"My first reaction was 'This song is perfect [as is].' But I was honored to be asked and thought maybe I could take it up a notch and put my voice on it," said Bentley.

"The message of the song is that you are never alone," said Kosinski. "It shows the enduring sense of camaraderie and support for one another at the core of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, whether they were working on the fires, or back home just living their lives."

The lyrics are emotional and reflective, coupled with the hope of seeing your loved ones "on the other side." The music itself is haunting, flooding the listener with a process of pain to hope. Just a few seconds in and it's clear this song is motion picture quality.

"Hold the Light" is available now on iTunes and on Amazon.

Dierks was one of the first to publically to help the families of the Hotshots (the 19 men left behind many loved ones, including 51 children). That July, Dierks headlined a “Country Cares” concert fundraiser in Prescott Valley, Ariz., where the Band Perry, Randy Houser, and David Nail joined him on stage. The event raised an incredible $476,000, all of which went directly to the families of the fallen firefighters.

As Dierks said at that time, “I want to help honor the memory of these 19 brave firefighters, to be part of the healing process for the community and to raise money for the families left behind. I was and still am devastated by this tragic event in my home state. I certainly can’t imagine what these families are enduring, but I do believe in the healing power of music.”

The lone survivor from the Hotshots team, Brendan McDonough, joined Dierks at the concert, along with the families of the fallen.

Thank you to KMLE 107.9 from Phoenix, Ariz., for this photo, taken from their Twitter page.

"Over the last couple years, I’ve met and gotten to know Brendan ... and my mom has met with some of the guys’ families, and it’s still unfathomable to put yourself in any of their shoes," said Dierks.

The day after the 2017 ACM Awards, Dierks and his mom visited the Hotshots memorial site in Yarnell, Ariz.

mom and I stopped by yarnell az on the way home from @acmawards to pay our respects to the #granitemountainhotshots #granitemountain. Thoughts and prayers for family and friends as always.

A post shared by Dierks Bentley (@dierksbentley) on Apr 3, 2017 at 7:41pm PDT

Within the week, at the Country Thunder concert, Dierks shared an inspired song he wrote after visiting the memorial. Deborah Power, DB Congress Rep from Arizona, captured this never-before-heard song, “Hotshots.”

"It's such a powerful, important story that hits home to me so hard."



Only the Brave will be in theaters nationwide on Oct. 20. The movie stars Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Taylor Kitsch, Jeff Bridges and Jennifer Connelly.

Lyrics:

If it wasn’t known

That our love will carry on

I will be the wind

That echoes on the canyon wall

One more day with you

To walk around our neighborhood

We will never know

Like it was understood

You never say goodbye

Just let me hold the light

If you’ve given up

I will call an end to this

I will be your rock

From my perch

If you walk the ridge

You will find the marks and scars

Kneel down by the tree

Under the setting stars

You never say goodbye

Just let me hold the light

We never say goodbye

I’ll see you on this side or the other

Where the desert sun kisses the sky

Baby hold the light

Keep it in your eyes

And promise that you’ll dream of me

Beyond the walls of time

In the end we lay beside

Just look up at the light

Just let me hold the light

Let me hold the light

This is the second motion picture song for Dierks. Earlier this year, his song "Days of Dark" was featured in "The Shack."


Jessica Borrelli
DB Congress Rep, WA
@AllTheWayToMe

Dierks Takes The Ridge To The Station Inn

Dierk Bentley started sneaking in to The Station Inn  (internationally known as the place to go in Nashville, Tennessee to hear Bluegrass and Roots Music), when he was 19 years old.  DB Congress rep, Emily Leisgang (TN), thought that was a cool connection since she was only 19 on her first time to the Station Inn to see Dierks perform.

That was just a few nights ago, when he took Up On The Ridge--his 2010 bluegrass album to the historic venue. "It was just awesome to see him in that kind of setting. As much as I love seeing him on a big stage it was really awesome to see him in a smaller setting and just have a ton of fun with it," Emily tells us.

Dierks teased earlier in the day that he was "just hanging out with some of the best pickers in town/the world. jon randall and @sam_bush. no big deal. ha!"  Later that night they joined him on stage!

"playing the greatest stage in MY world... the world famous @stationinn. got a mad man on my left @sam_bush!"

Emily was joined by fellow DBC rep, Ashley Wardrip (TN) and together they captured some of the special moments on video. (see below).

"We waited a bit after the show and Dan [Hochhalter, Dierks' fiddle player] was waiting on him, too. Dierks came out and talked to Dan for a bit and then came right over to us and asked if we wanted a picture with him. I asked about a Riser release party and he said he hadn't even thought about it because he was so focused on this show and making that night perfect," said Ashley.

Photo Credit: Ashley Wardrip

Draw Me A Map (by Emily)




Down In The Mine (by Ashley)




Senor (by Ashley)





You're Dead To Me (by Ashley)




David Mattingly, DBC rep from Kentucky, made the drive to Nashville and offered his perspective:

"Dierks wanted to do an Up On The Ridge show, so he invited Sam Bush (mandolin) and Jon Randall Stewart (guitar) to play. They both helped write/perform on the Ridge album. Mike Bub (bass) and Scott Vestal (banjo) are known bluegrass musicians with credits a mile long. Jessi Alexander was there also, Jon's wife. She wrote 'The Climb' and 'I Drive Your Truck' (Lee Brice). She helped sing back up on a few songs. Jessi and Jon have a bluegrass band called "18 South" and play The Station Inn often.

Dierks was in a great mood Wednesday night.  He joked from the stage all night and it was fun to hear the other musicians tell stories of Dierks when he first started coming to The Station Inn.

A few of Dierks' regular band members were there as spectators--Tim Sergent and Dan Hochhalter.  We got some good chat time with D afterwards. He's so genuine and thanked us for coming out. They played almost all of Up On The Ridge songs and many other bluegrass tunes as well. Great to talk with Tim and Dan. RISER was the topic and its gonna be great!"

The next day, Dierks tweeted he was donating all the money from the performance to a worthy cause:

"btw, donating all the door money from our @StationInn Up On The Ridge jam last night to @2HarvestMidTN. about $4,000. total blast! thank you"

Sounds like an incredible night, and just like our favorite artist to give it all he has to give! Thanks to Emily, Ashley and David for sharing their experience!

Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival to Feature Dierks Bentley

You don't have to wait until June to visit Nashville, Tennessee, where "it all begins with a song."  For the first time in its 20 year history, Dierks Bentley will perform at the Tin Pan South Songwriter's Festival to be held March 27-31, 2012.

This 5-day festival features hundreds of live performances by some of country music's biggest talents when it come to writing songs, including Dierks and Luke Bryan.

Specifically, Dierks will perform on Wednesday, March 29 at 6 pm at the Hard Rock Cafe on Broadway with buddies Sam Bush and Jon Randall.

Tin Pan South is the world's largest all-songwriter festival, produced annually by NSAI (National Songwriters Association International).

Fast Access Pass holders will take their places in the Fast Access Line at each venue on a first-come, first-served basis. Beginning 30 minutes prior to show time, pass holders will be admitted into the venue first (except at the Bluebird Café and the Listening Room Cafe* shows, where Reservation holders will be admitted first).


Be sure to visit the Tin Pan South website for details on tickets, performers and venue schedules.