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Garth accepting his award for  the 2010 Grammy on The Hill.  Heres a link to some photos   www.cmt.com/pictures/garth-brooks-honored-at-grammys-on-the-hill/1637153/4779605/photo.jhtml

I have my personal favorite picks and the ones I think will win, it’s just fun to follow along and see how well you pick the winners.  We’ll talk about the show Monday midday on WTCM!

Carey on,

Carey Carlson

2010 ACM AWARD NOMINATIONS

This Sunday, the Academy of Country Music Awards will be handed out with the help of host Reba McEntire.

Entertainer of the Year

• Kenny Chesney
• Toby Keith
• Brad Paisley
• George Strait
• Taylor Swift
• Carrie Underwood
• Keith Urban
• Zac Brown Band

I think Brad deserves this award HANDS DOWN!   But Taylor could really compete in this category this year. 

Top Male Vocalist of the Year

• Kenny Chesney
• Brad Paisley
• Darius Rucker
• George Strait
• Keith Urban
• Darius  had an incrdible year, George is George and that is always good enough, but again I think Brad Paisley could take this one

Top Female Vocalist of the Year

• Miranda Lambert
• Reba McEntire
• Taylor Swift
• Carrie Underwood
• Lee Ann Womack
• Everyone of these women could take it this year with incredible albums,  I love Lee Ann Womack and think that she is so often overlooked.  My vote is  for Miranda, her Revolution cd is so good, she has had such growth in this past year.  Does anyone have a chance over Taylor, I dunno, we’ll see.

Top Vocal Group of the Year

• Lady Antebellum
• Little Big Town
• Randy Rogers Band
• Rascal Flatts
• Zac Brown Band
• OK, This is the tough one for me, equal parts Lady A and Zac Brown. 

Top Vocal Duo of the Year

• Brooks & Dunn
• Joey + Rory
• Montgomery Gentry
• Steel Magnolia
• Sugarland

Do Brooks and Dunn get the nod on their way out of Country Music?  Steel Magnolia had a good year, but only one song on the radio, I think it’s too early for them, and  Joey & Rory made a big splash last year, but nothing since… My vote goes to Sugarland.

TOP NEW SOLO VOCALIST of the Year *

• Luke Bryan

TOP NEW VOCAL DUO of the Year *

• Joey + Rory

TOP NEW VOCAL GROUP of the Year *

• Gloriana

ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company(s)]

• American Saturday Night - Brad Paisley

Produced by: Chris DuBois, Frank Rogers

• Lady Antebellum - Lady Antebellum

Produced by:  Victoria Shaw, Paul Worley

• Play On - Carrie Underwood

Produced by: Mark Bright

“Quitter” Produced by Max Martin & Shellback for Maratone Productions and Mark Bright

• Revolution - Miranda Lambert

Produced by: Frank Liddell, Mike Wrucke

• The Foundation - Zac Brown Band

Produced by: Keith Stegall, Zac Brown

While they are all totally deserving, my pick….Zac Brown Foundation, I hope these Georgia boys go him with a win in this category, 3 #1 singles from a debut album…NUFF Said.

Single Record of the Year [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company(s)]       

• “Need You Now” - Lady Antebellum

Produced by: Lady Antebellum, Paul Worley  

• “People Are Crazy” - Billy Currington

Produced by: Carson Chamberlain, Billy Currington

• “Red Light” - David Nail

Produced by: Frank Liddell, Mike Wrucke

• “Toes” - Zac Brown Band

Produced by: Keith Stegall, Zac Brown

• “White Liar” - Miranda Lambert

Produced by: Frank Liddell, Mike Wrucke 

I’m going with Need You Now, from Lady A

Song of the Year [Awarded to Composer(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]

• “Cowboy Casanova” - Carrie Underwood 

Composers:  Mike Elizondo, Brett James, Carrie Underwood 

• “Need You Now” - Lady Antebellum 

Composers:  Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott

• “People Are Crazy” - Billy Currington 

Composers:  Bobby Braddock, Troy Jones

• “White Liar” - Miranda Lambert 

Composers:  Natalie Hemby, Miranda Lambert

• “You Belong With Me” - Taylor Swift 

Composers:  Liz Rose, Taylor Swift

Again, Need You Now, from Lady A, they crossed genre lines with this hit.  although People are Crazy had us all singing along,  It’s another tough category this year.

Video of the Year [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)] (Off Camera Award)

• “Boots On” – Randy Houser

Producer: Eric Welch     Director: Eric Welch (Drake footage: Vickie Vaughn)         

• “Need You Now” – Lady Antebellum

Producer: Clarke Gallivan     Director: David McClister

• “Welcome To The Future” – Brad Paisley

Producers: Mark Kalbfeld, Jim Shea, Peter Tilden      Director: Jim Shea

• “White Liar” – Miranda Lambert

Producer:  Tameron Hedge     Director: Chris Hicky

• “You Belong With Me” – Taylor Swift

Producer: Randy Brewer         Director: Roman White

I loved Randy Housers song and with the little kid air guitaring in the back seat, it was a unique way to incorporate the viral video that surfaced.  But Miranda’s White Liar, with Jamey Johnson as the minister was the best!

Vocal Event of the Year [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company] (Off Camera Award)

• “Hillbilly Bone” – Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins

Producer: Scott Hendricks

• “Honky Tonk Stomp” – Brooks & Dunn featuring Billy Gibbons

Producer: Ronnie Dunn, Terry McBride

• “I Told You So” – Carrie Underwood featuring Randy Travis

Producer:  Mark Bright

• “I’m Alive” – Kenny Chesney with Dave Matthews

Produced by: Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney

• “Seeing Stars” – Jack Ingram featuring Patty Griffin

Produced by: Jack Ingram, Jeremy Stover

I love Jack Ingram and Patty Griffin but hardly anyone heard Seeing Stars, unless you tune into the Back Burner Sunday nights at 6pm (shameless plug for my little show)  Carrie and Randy was nice but I was already tiring of the song by the time they did the duet, loved Kenny and DAve Matthews but my vote is the silly good for nothing Hillbilly Bone.

Carey here…Boots On!  Randy Houser will bring his heavy duty show to Northern Michigan Friday night, July 9 at Cherry Festival!  This is great news, I know alot of WTCM listeners have been clamoring to see him live.  He opened recently for Miranda Lambert in Kalamazoo and rocked the house.  The first song we heard from him was Anything Goes (When Everything’s Gone),  that was a great, country to the bone ballad, since then he has upped the energy with Boots On, Whistlin Dixie and his new one that is bubblin’ on The Back Burner, I’m All About It.  Tell Your friends to block out July 9 and make the trip to the open space, your buds at WTCM will be there to help welcome Randy Houser to T.C.

Thanks to Denny for turning us on to this…very cute!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDvLSC3xVlw

Carey here, I had a great opportunity last weekend to attend a showcase with Gwen Sebastian at The Sheraton in Tampa.  You may have heard her song Hard Rain on The Back Burner in recent weeks.  Gwen records for Lofton Creek Records and dozens of radio/music folks gathered to get to know her better.  One of Country Radio’s guru’s, the good Dr. Keith Hill ( the title is honorary) introduced Gwen to the crowd.  I promise, I am working on my video skills… but Gwen and her band were great!

I had the chance to visit with some snowbird friends too while I was in FL.  Thanks to The Peps and my friend Cathy for takin me in for a few days.  Cathy and I visited The Bok Tower Gardens in the center of the state, the highest point in the state.  It is a 50 acre botanical garden with one of 8 carrilons in the country.  We have one too at the Uof M campus in Ann Arbor.  It was gorgeous!!!  Comin home to these temps and all the sunshine sure made it great to come home to Northern Mi.

Hey, Carey here, thanks for checking in.  A couple of different things to share with you this week.  First off, I had a ball getting to know Ken Domash a little better, he came in Tues. 3/30, we played his debut single Countrified off his new cd, then Ken broke out the guitar, check out the front page of the site to view that performance.  Here he is in the studio, sweet Tammy from our front desh was gonna shoot a picture for us, but the video ran for a second…

Thanks to Ken for visiting us and for rockin the lunch crowd at TC Reds BBQ.  We’ve been Countrified!

A smiling Big Kenny Alphin of Big and Rich  arrives at the shoot for the upcoming movie The Frontier Boys  Wednesday in Charlevoix.  Our own Chris Kropp was on the scene with the WTCM Country Cruiser to watch the production.   I don’t remember ever seeing Kenny without a hat.  I hear dozens of northern Michiganders turned out to serve as extras during the films production shoot at the Community Reform Church .   Were you there, I’d love to hear from you tomorrow 9-2pm on WTCM!  And Thanks Chris for handing out WTCM T Shirts to the big screen bound crowd and snappin a pic.

Carey, out for now!

Hey Gang, Carey here.  Being a Sarah fan myself, I really like hearing a taste of some of her songs done acoustically and little bits of the stories behind the songs.  Want to hear for yourself,  just click and enjoy from Todays Country Music WTCM!

http://iwwerks.com/sarahbuxton/widget/

Hey Carey here again,  you may have missed this over the weekend with the Olympics wrapping up, the big McGraw concert in Grand Rapids and all the other things going on this past weekend, but we are here to fill in the blanks.  Were you there?  Cadillac, homecoming 1975!  You gotta see this, then pass it on

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4954046&categoryid=2378529

Hi Gang, Carey here,now this was a BIG Weekend.  Van Andel was packed to the rafters and Tim McGraw had us all in the palm of his hand.  I had  a last minute opportunity to catch the show and join our WT CM listener winners and about 11.000 other fans for the hottest ticket of the year.  The Lost Trailers kicked off the evening although I missed out on their set while schmoozin with Lady A before the show ( I know… tough gig I got).   Charles, Dave and Hillary are completely stoked about their place in the world right now, on tour with Tim, the best selling, record setting album Need You Now on the charts since it came out early this year.   Hillary told me they are just running on energy generated by the reaction of the audience and the support they feel from fellow country music superstars.  They looked and sounded amazing.  And then Tim McGraw’s  entrance… he is just one sexy man, entertainer, movie and Country Rock Star!  He was classy enough to thank the crowd in Michigan for spending their hard earned dollars on coming to see him, he shared a couple of stories about selling his class ring for his first guitar and how he and Chesney and Tracey Byrd played the old hot dog stand and got in a little trouble.  His real power is in his songs, the ones we’ve been singing for over a decade the ones that thousands sang along with in downtown Grand Rapids.  That being said I am sorry that not everyone could be there to see the show.  But I am going to do my best to share a little bit, in baby steps… as I learn the technology better.  Check out a couple of not ready for prime time videos, but be kind, it is a work in progress.