HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year to all DB Congress representatives and all readers of this blog! We wish you a year full of good health, peaceful moments and tons of Dierks Bentley happy memories.

Here's what Dierks offers as a remedy for the day after a New Year's Eve full of Domestic, Light and Colds: "I think January first is universally accepted as a day off. So, I mean a little hair of the dog. But just water and stay on the couch, I guess. There's no real sure-fire cure for that."

COUNTRY WEEKLY GOES EYE TO EYE WITH DIERKS BENTLEY

Dierks Bentley: What I really think about George Strait. That headline is on the cover of the 1/4/10 Country Weekly issue, along with Dierks' white T mug shot, giving me reason enough to buy the magazine.

The 6-page feature story goes eye to eye with Dierks, digging into dialogue about what a big year 2009 was for the multi-talented, and quick-witted country music artist, whose powers of intelligent observation, keen perception, and mental acuity have all contributed to his success.

Never lacking in his sense of humor, Dierks had this to say when asked, "If you went to a beach and didn't know it was a nude beach, would you stay and go swimming or would you leave?"

"I would leave only because it would probably be like male and female. I don't want to see a bunch of naked dudes [laughs]..."

CW asks Dierks his thoughts on Forbes naming him to the 10 Next Breakout Stars, how he found out that President Obama quoted him and if George Strait ever responded to Dierks giving him the song/CD during the GS Artist of the Decade show. They also asked him to finish sentences such as: "I'm better off without...", and "I can sing better than..."

Dierks also responds to some thought-provoking questions like,'What do you like most about yourself?' 'How do you handle rude people?' 'When was the last time you told a white lie?' and 'If you could have anyone cloned and keep them all to yourself, who would it be?'

Overall, Pat Gallagher did a great job in this 'eye to eye' interview. Although, I half expected the "eye" reference to tie to Dierks' latest single, "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes", especially since it's on the verge of becoming his third consecutive number one hit. Never saw it.

Be sure to pick up a copy to read for yourself how Dierks answered these and many more questions. Also, please send your thank you emails to Country Weekly.

~Ronna Clark

DB Congress Chair

DIERKS SOARING NEW YEARS EVE

Dierks Bentley could be ringing in 2010 with his wife, but instead he'll be starting off the New Year with his second love--his band and his fans. Dierks and the Terminally Lonesome Band (Rod Janzen, Robbie Harrington, Tim Sergent and Steve Misamore) will perform at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort tonight in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. The show begins at 10:30 p.m., just in time to ring in the New Year.

Tickets are $85, $75, $65 and $55, available at Star Tickets Plus outlets, or by calling the Soaring Eagle at 1-800-585-3737. For detailed information about the New Year's Eve show, visit www.soaringeaglecasino.com.

Congratulations to all the DB Congress reps (fan clubbers) who get to meet Dierks at the turning of the decade tonight! Please come back here and leave a comment or send me your M&G pic and NYE experience to Ronna@dbcongress.com!

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WHO'S THE BEST COUNTRY ARTIST?

American Songwriter magazine's Evan Schlansky sounded off in the Jan/Feb 2010 issue about popular music--quantifying both the best music of 2009 and the best of the 2000's.

The publication is heavy on the non-country genre (except for the May/June 2009 Dierks Bentley feature and cover!), so it was no surprise that 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."

Please write to Evan Schlansky and let him know why you choose Dierks Bentley! eschlansky@americansongwriter.com