Tyler Hubbard announced that his next single to country radio is "Back Then Right Now". It follows back-to-back No. 1 singles “5 Foot 9” and “Dancin’ In The Country”, and is an ode to living wild and free, embracing life’s simplicity and memory-making moments.

 

 

 

 

 

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“Back Then Right Now” is the first of Hubbard’s new music since releasing his self-titled debut in January of this year, and more new songs are expected in the coming months.

I've been looking forward to the Jake Owen show in Cleveland for months now, and Thursday evening, it finally happened. Let me tell you, it was an awesome concert that was well worth the wait! He did not disappoint me one bit, and the crowd seemed to carry the same sentiment and excitement as I did. 

Doors were opened around 6pm, and we made it up to the Agora around 6:45 or so, and I am thankful that we did. The opening act was called Dave's Highway, and they were super cool. It was a trio of three siblings (two sisters and a brother) who sang beautiful melodies paired with a single acoustic guitar played very well by the brother. They sounded bigger than they looked on stage, if you know what I mean. I'll be looking into their music more, as I liked what I heard!

Next up was Tyler Booth, and he came in hitting hard with his song 87 Octane. Compared to the first band, this act was loud and had the energy cranked up. Tyler was dancing around the stage clearly having fun, and the crowd soon thereafter was also compelled by the music, just buzzing with excitement. I could see this band playing somewhere like The Dusty Armadillo and just blowing the roof off the place. They played for roughly the same amount of time as the first act, for about 30 minutes each. Tyler Booth was a perfect warmup for Jake Owen, and the audience was more than hyped for the headliner come the end of their performance. 

Jake Owen was as good as they get in concert. He played all the songs I wanted to hear, and the band sounded great. He did stop the show at one point to explain how he has been under the weather and almost had to cancel the event, but up until that point I didn't notice any issues with his vocals. Sick or not, Jake Owen was on point singing. My favorite one of the evening had to have been Down to the Honkytonk, but they really did not play a bad song. (Not that he even has any.)

The Agora was a super cool venue and it was my first time there. I'd say it is similar to the Goodyear Theatre here in Akron, if you're familiar. It was easy to get to, and the traffic in Cleveland was a breeze with it being a Thursday night without any other major events like a ball game going on. I'd definitely go back, and if you would like a chance to see a show there, you're in luck! WQMX is giving away tickets to see Warren Zeiders perform on September 21st with our Winner's Weekend. Keep it tuned through Sunday night for your chance to snag a pair of tickets, and be listening for your cue to call in to win! 

I am a believer in letting everything have its time to shine in the spotlight. It seems as though that idea has been lost as seen with Pumpkin Spice showing up in August this year, even before Labor Day! I feel the same way with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas - let each of those holidays have their own stand alone time where we don't mention the next one yet.

Take right now for example. We are exactly THREE DAYS after Labor Day, and I am seeing Halloween decorations up all over the place. I get it, it's warm and you want to get those up while it's still nice to do so. But at the same time...it's only September 7th! More than a month and a half away from Halloween. I just feel it's too early until October 1st. Then we can start with the bird on November 1st, and the jolly guy in the red suit (and the seasonal music) on November 24th.

I know not everyone feels this way, but that is what I think. If you feel differently, you do you. I don't actually spend time thinking about this seriously. I thought it would be a fun topic to write about since I'm seeing a lot of Halloween decorations going up. Since that's the case, I guess it's not too soon to say: Happy Holidays ;). LOL

I enjoy writing my longer blogs, but for this one, I figure it would be cool to do a little ranking. If you like this, maybe I will do a top ten on a different topic each week. I think what inspired to make this list was an out-of-the-blue craving for Skittles on my way into work tonight, and thankfully there's some in the vending machine here.

For a little side note as you go down, if you are curious as to why there is no chocolate on this list, it is because I don't like it. Yeah, I know... how? Well, the best I can figure is that it was in response to something that happened when I was a small child. Allegedly, I stuck an M&M up my nose and sucked it in. The hospital told my mom to just let it melt down my throat, and looking back, I don't think that was a fun time. Anyways, here is the list!

 10. Skittles

9. Big League Chew 

8. Sour Patch Kids (Grape)

7. Bigfoot Blue Raspberry Chews 

6. Life Saver Big Ring Gummies

5. Airheads

4. Starburst GummiBursts

3. Hi-Chew

2. Chewy Spree

1. Welch's Fruit Snacks (Concord Grape)

I was saddened to hear on my first day of vacation that Bob Barker had died at the age of 99. Like so many of us, growing up I would always spend those days home from school either sick or because of a school holiday with the TV on CBS at 11AM to catch Bob and Rod Roddy on The Price is Right. It was also a staple during Summer vacation, and of course when I went off to college!! I was sad when Bob decided to finally retire in 2007 after 35 years, but I knew he deserved it. 

I am also so happy with all of the tireless work he put into animal rights and activism. I love how he always closed out the show with his message about doing your part to help control animal populations. He knew where he stood and he wouldn't budge - he even quit hosting the Miss USA Pageant when they refused to no longer award fur coats. 

Based on how he hosted The Price is Right and how he interacted with the contestants, I would place him as the #1 game show host in television history. There will never be another like him. RIP.

LANCO will release a new six-song EP Run, Run Baby on October 6th. It'll be their first on their new record label.

Run, Run Baby EP Tracklist:

"Sound of a Saturday Night "
"Leaving Looks Good on You"
"Lasso"
"Good With It"
"Making More Of"
"Honey I Lost My Job Today"

 

 

 

 

 

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LANCO also returns to the Grand Ole Opry on October 11th.

  When Montgomery Gentry hit the charts, country was in the middle of unparalleled success and popularity. This duo had its work cut out for them as we had a bevy of big stars ruling the charts, plus Brooks And Dunn was by far the dominant duo in our format.  But what MG did very well was flashlight for that niche and capitalize on it while finding a different sound and image that would be a separator from the fierce competition. They did it, and had a great run on the charts for a number of years assembling a huge and and exceedingly loyal following along their trek.

First Hit Single  - Got Them Noticed

But success was not immediate.  The first number of songs did not get a lot of traction, including a single called Hillbilly Shoes, which I loved.  It was a bit different, BUT there were those that called it their favorite song at that moment.  But it only went to #13. Lonely and Gone was next and went top ten. Then there was a series of misfires and their future seemed partly cloudy.  But interestingly enough that debut album, Tattoos And Scars, sold a lot of copies even without a massive hit from it. Fans wanted to like them and did.

First Top Ten Song

Then as I saw it from my seat behind the mic, they found their footing thanks to a big hit song. The next album, Carrying On and the single, She Couldn't Change Me  which was a top five hit, but for them it was bigger than that.   As much as any act I can recall after all these years, that song instantly defined them from that moment on.  It gave them a real identity that had been missing.  A terrific story song with a thump and a happy ending.  I feel that highly relatable record completely connected with fans, and in the grand scheme of things, we now had lot better idea of who they were and we liked it.  They were not Brooks And Dunn, they were authentically their own act and it's thanks to that single.

This Song Changed Everything

That was 2001, and the gateway had been jimmied opened to far greater success. Over the next eight years MG ran off a long list of big songs that were real fan favorites.  There were a few missteps as far as singles were concerned here and there but they chalked up a bunch of number one songs and a lot of other top tens and were real fan favorites.  Even a few undeniable country "anthems"  like My Town, Hell Yeah, and Something To Be Proud Of were hugely popular.

Hell Yeah!

Of course you more than likely know that Eddie Montgomery is John Michael Montgomery's brother, who left his brothers band to form MG with Troy Gentry and go their own way.  You may also know that Gentry was suddenly killed in a helicopter crash in September 2018, just days before they were to perform at the Wayne Country Fair, a show that I was hosting, he was 50.

My Town (Huge Hit With Fans)

Over their run they won CMA's, ACM's, and People's Choice Awards.  They have several million selling albums, some 40 singles and 5 number one songs.  They were very successful and extremely popular with fans but sadly their big run ended far too early.  After about 2010, their charting success was far less.  But as I have stated before, no one is guaranteed a 20 year run. 

One Of My Favorites From Them

But for their time, they were a big deal. Montgomery Gentry  - well done guys - well done.

Stations May Play This Song Forever

I'll Try - Alan Jackson - 1996 - (Album - Greatest Hits)

I heard Alan Jackson interviewed on a countdown show when this song was a very popular number one.  He was in the middle of a long run of big hits with dozens of number one songs.  He was asked why he wasn't really into writing many "love songs".  He answered just the way you might think he would. He said something along the lines of, many were "fake" and "corny" and not based in reality and that wasn't him.  So, he decided to write this song which is an Alan Jackson "love song."  The reason this song was so big was it was so real, honest and adult.  Someone stating that he's going to do the best he can, and will try to do it forever.  He has faults, he's not perfect and "he'll try."  Man, how relatable is that?  That was Jackson's trademark. Songs we could all understand because it sounded like our lives.  He's right, so many "love songs" are some vision of love that is not based in any reality, but more like a movie, or a romance novel and that's fine, just not real.  Many feature flowery words that set expectations too high for anyone to live up to for a lifetime.  This song is perfectly written and sung by a fallible guy who lives in our real world.  Simply timeless -  fantastic.

For as long as I can remember, I've loved cars. Likewise, I have had a lifelong love for all sorts of video games. Naturally, I love a good car racing game, and I have recently been getting back into playing them during my down time. Lately I have been messing around with Forza Horizon 5 tuning cars and doing some races, and it is a lot of fun. The physics behind this game, in combination with the huge map, plethora of cars, sweet graphics, and extensive custimization options of the vehicles make for a fun time playing. It's surely an entertaining way to spend an afternoon, but my heart lies with older games- specifically those on the PlayStation 2 console.

My all time favorite racing game is Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, and I've easily spent thousands of hours of my life playing it. This may be a hot take, but there is no title from that era that even comes close to the perfection of this game, racing themed or otherwise. Gran Turismo's slogan is "The Real Driving Simulator," and it holds up to that. Unlike Forza Horizon, Gran Turismo is soley a track based game, without an open-world or offroad terrain. Additionally, GT3 lacks online competition, whereas Horizon 5 is a relatively current title which maintains that interactive element and promotes online features. Where GT3 wins out is in its splitscreen two-player compatability, and I love playing side-by-side with my friends. It's apples to oranges trying to compare these two games directly, but truly they are both great. 

I haven't played any of the newer Gran Turismos past 4 as I do not have a Playstation beyond the 2, but I'm sure they're awesome. Of course I have more advanced and visually appealing games than GT3, but they just don't hit the same. I would say it is the nostalgia factor, but I have consistently played this game for the last fifteen plus years, and it is unlike any other PS2 game I have. I just love it. 

I can't write a blog about racing games without mentioning Mario Kart. There are many iterations of the series, but the one that sticks with me was made for the DS. I vividly remember playing it on the bus with my classmates during long rides for fieldtrips and the like. I'm a Yoshi guy through and through. It's fun, but I consider it more of a party game, without much depth to it. A special shoutout has to go out to Crash Nitro Kart on the PS2. 

Apparently there is a new movie out called "Gran Turismo", and it seems pretty cool. If you remember the movie "Pixels," it involved translating video game skills into a real world setting, and this one seems to follow a similar general theme. The movie is based on the true story of a racecar driver, who beat the odds and rose from being just a sim racer to driving for a factory team professionally. Check out the link below if you would like to see the trailer for it, and game on! 

Gran Turismo: Official Trailer (2023) David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, Archie Madekwe - YouTube

This Weekend, was a blast.  Sure hope you had all the Labor Day Fun.  Before the White Pants were put away Monday (kidding I don't have white pants.)   Here's "Ben" There Done That!

Friday was a pool party... my son and his friends celebrated the un-official end of summer and back-to-school.  Great seeing Parents and Friends.

Saturday... I went to OktoberFest in Berea.  Good food, Good beer and maybe my favorite the weiner dog races or more the costume contest.

Then on Sunday, I saw a lot of you at Sunday Funday at The Dusty Armadillo...

Monday was Labor Day and I hope all of you had the day off.  I know that is not the case.  A huge Thank You to those that worked and kept things moving and grinding on the holiday.  We thank you and appreciate you.