What to do in Oklahoma on Sept. 29, 2011: Listen to the music at the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival in Guthrie
Cowboy Jim Garling (Photo by David McDaniel, The Oklahoman Archives)
Today’s featured event:
GUTHRIE – Listen to a variety of acoustic music, plus take in workshops, children’s activities, tonight’s random jam band and more, as the 15th annual Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival begins at 9 a.m. today at the festival grounds on Cottonwood Creek, State Highway 33 at U.S. 77, Guthrie.
Today’s lineup includes the Red Dirt Rangers, Mountain Smoke, Cowboy Jim Garling, and of course, the Byron Berline Band. To read my recent interview with Berline, the acclaimed fiddler who founded and organizes the event, click here.
The festival continues with full days of activities starting at 9 a.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday. Headliners Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers will play at 9 p.m. Saturday.
For more information, go to www.oibf.com.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: James Marsden and Elmo engineer on “Sesame Street”
James Marsden with Elmo by xmenfan001
The 42nd season of “Sesame Street” premiered Monday on public television, including Oklahoma’s OETA.
Oklahoma native James Marsden is among the new season’s featured guests. Check out this video of the “X-Men” and “Enchanted” actor and Elmo exploring the “Word of the Day.” Since the word is “engineer,” Marsden and the Muppet assemble an “automatic spaghetti server.”
Other celebrities set to appear on “Sesame Street” during the new season include Nicole Kidman, Mila Kunis, Amy Adams, Conan O’Brien, Naomi Watts, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, Robin Williams, Sofia Vergera, Emma Stone, Seth Rogen, Andy Samberg, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Juanes, Elvis Costello, Bruno Mars, Craig Ferguson, Drew Brees, Carmelo Anthony and John Krasinski, reports NewsOK TV blogger Melissa Hayer.
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Wednesday Video Spotlight: Blake Shelton brings back his mullet for Brad Paisley prank
Oklahoma stars Blake Shelton flashed back to his long-haired early days in country music to pull a funny joke on well-known prankster Brad Paisley.
Paisley‘s “H2O II Tour,” featuring Shelton, wrapped up Sunday night in Raleigh, N.C., but not before both the headliner played a prank and become the victim of one. Earlier in the afternoon, Paisley printed off and distributed 200 extra Blake Shelton meet and greets, according to TasteofCountry.com.
As you can see in this YouTube video, Shelton responded during the pair’s duet “Don’t Drink the Water,” cracking Paisley up when he took the stage wearing a fake mullet. It wasn’t as pretty as the real one the Tishomingo resident sported on his 2001 debut album, but it still made for a funny flashback moment.
Even more distracting for the superstar, Shelton brought along a gaggle of costumed pals, including Spider-Man, Captain America, Elvis and more, who began frolicking around the stage in a free-spirited way that would make Wayne Coyne and The Flaming Lips proud.
If all that wasn’t enough, the towering Shelton capped it off by embracing the slight Paisley and repeatedly kissing him on the cheek.
Silly boys. You gotta love ‘em.
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Wednesday Video Spotlight: Vince Gill invites Rascal Flatts to join the Grand Ole Opry
After more than a decade as one of the format’s top acts, Rascal Flatts has received one of country music’s most prestigious honors: an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry.
Oklahoma native Vince Gill surprised the contemporary country trio, which includes Picher-bred guitarist Joe Don Rooney, with the news Tuesday night during the group’s Opry performance. Check out the video here.
Rascal Flatts — Rooney, singer Gary LeVox and bassist Jay DeMarcus — had just finished playing their signature smash “God Bless the Broken Road” when longtime Opry member Gill snuck onto the stage, prompting Rooney to joke, “I got a new guitar tech, by the way, guys.”
An avid golfer, Gill initially pretended that he was there to collect $500 the trio owed him after placing a friendly wager on a golf game last week. After ribbing them for a few minutes, Gill extended the Opry invitation, which had all three band members in tears.
After the announcement, the band asked Gill to play an impromptu collaboration of his hit “Whenever You Come Around.”
Rascal Flatts will be formally inducted Oct. 8 during the Opry’s 86th birthday celebration. The show will air live at 8 p.m. Oct. 8 on Great American Country cable channel.
On Oct. 16, the band will play a home state concert for Rooney at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville. For more information, go to www.winstarworldcasino.com.
To read my full report on Rascal Flatts’ surprise invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry, click here.
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Rascal Flatts invited to join the Grand Ole Opry
Rascal Flatts (AP file)
A version of this story is set to appear in Thursday’s The Oklahoman.
Rascal Flatts invited to join the Grand Ole Opry
The contemporary country band, which includes Picher-bred guitarist Joe Don Rooney, received the surprise invitation Tuesday night from Oklahoma native Vince Gill.
After more than a decade as one of the format’s top acts, Rascal Flatts has received one of country music’s most prestigious honors: an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry.
Oklahoma native Vince Gill surprised the contemporary country trio, which includes Picher-bred guitarist Joe Don Rooney, with the news Tuesday night during the group’s Opry performance.
“Hey, we usually don’t like surprises, but I love this surprise — and it only cost us 500 bucks,” said Rooney, who was visibly emotional but maintained his sense of humor.
Rascal Flatts — Rooney, singer Gary LeVox and bassist Jay DeMarcus — had just finished playing their signature smash “God Bless the Broken Road” when longtime Opry member Gill snuck onto the stage, prompting Rooney to joke, “I got a new guitar tech, by the way, guys.”
An avid golfer, Gill initially pretended that he was there to collect $500 the trio owed him after placing a friendly wager on a golf game last week.
“You would think that after hit record after hit record and millions of records sold, they’d come up with the 500 bucks, but no, no, no,” cracked Gill, who hails from Oklahoma City.
After he and Rooney teasingly played out the joke for a few minutes, Gill extended the Opry invitation, which had all three band members in tears.
“I came out for one reason only … and gratefully and gladly so, to invite you guys to be the next members of the Grand Ole Opry,” Gill said, as the Opry audience gave a standing ovation. “On behalf of all of us, we’re very, very proud to have you as part of this family.”
After the announcement, the band asked Gill to play an impromptu collaboration of his hit “Whenever You Come Around.”
“Personally, my hero is Vince Gill, and for him to come out here … man, what a surprise,” Rooney said.
The top-selling country group of the last decade, Rascal Flatts becomes the latest in a string of longtime stars, including Tishomingo resident Blake Shelton and The Oak Ridge Boys, to recently receive an invitation to join the Opry.
“You know, we have gotten to do a lot of amazing things in our career, like going to Iraq and visiting our soldiers and selling out arenas, and doing a lot of just magnificent things, things that you can’t even dream that big. God way surpassed our dreams a long time ago,” LeVox said.
“But all three of us grew up listening to the Opry: Jay with his grandfather, me with my grandmother, and Joe Don with his entire family. You can’t even put into words what this means to us. When we first signed our record deal in 1999, our main goal was we wanted to play the Grand Ole Opry and hopefully someday be members of the Grand Ole Opry.”
Since 2000, Rascal Flatts has sold more than 20 million albums and 25 million digital downloads, scored 13 No. 1 singles and won numerous awards. One of the genre’s biggest touring acts, the group has sold more than 6 million concert tickets and recently ranked No. 5 on Forbes’ list of top-earning country stars.
Despite their successes, the country-pop band told the Associated Press in a 2010 interview that they weren’t sure they would ever be fully accepted by the Nashville music establishment.
“That’s probably the thing that hurts the worst, that people don’t think we’re country,” Rooney told the AP, adding that they dreamed of one day joining the Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame. “If they could cut our hearts open and look at our souls, we are country to the core.”
Rascal Flatts will be formally inducted Oct. 8 during the Opry’s 86th birthday celebration. The show will air live at 8 p.m. Oct. 8 on Great American Country cable channel.
On Oct. 16, the band will play a home state concert for Rooney at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville. For more information, go to www.winstarworldcasino.com.
-BAM
Gatlin Brothers to headline Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival, starting Thursday in Guthrie
Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers
From Wednesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.
Gatlin Brothers headlining 15th Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival
Starting Thursday, the three-day Guthrie event will feature a full lineup of acoustic musicians, workshops, children’s activities, youth music contests and more.
GUTHRIE — Country music stars the Gatlin Brothers will be among the thousands of music lovers from around the world who will make the pilgrimage this week to the 15th annual Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival.
Frontman Larry Gatlin made his debut at the Guthrie event last year, but this year, his siblings Steve and Rudy Gatlin will join him, bringing their signature three-part harmonies, family-band chemistry and impressive collection of hits such as “All the Gold in California,” “Broken Lady” and “Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer to You)” to the Cottonwood Creek festival grounds.
“He enjoyed it so much last year that he wanted to bring his brothers this year, and I said, ‘We can arrange that.’ That was a no-brainer,” said internationally renowned Guthrie fiddler Byron Berline, the event’s founder and organizer, with a laugh. “Our fans did really enjoy him coming out to the festival.”
Opening Thursday, the three-day Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival will again live up to its name, with three fan-favorite European bands making highly anticipated returns. Swiss band the Kruger Brothers will headline the festival Friday night and precede the Gatlin Brothers Saturday night. The Bluegrass Boogiemen from Holland and Fragment from the Czech Republic also will play two sets each during the festival.
“We get people from New York to L.A. who come to the festival,” Berlin said, adding he expects 3,000 to 5,000 attendees.
“We’ve had people from Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Japan — and Texas. It’s a neat deal. They just come and make a vacation out of it.”
In addition to traditional bluegrass, the festival will showcase a variety of acoustic music, from Hankerin’ 4 Hank’s Hank Williams tribute and Jim Garling’s cowboy songs to Frenchie Burke’s Cajun fiddling and the Red Dirt Rangers’ eponymous music. Berline’s band will play all three days, and the event will include an open mike, random band jam and workshops.
Best known as leaders of the countrypolitan movement of the 1970s and ‘80s, the Gatlin Brothers recently received the Academy of Country Music’s Pioneer Award along with Oklahoman Garth Brooks. The Grammy-winning trio released in 2009 “Pilgrimage,” a storytelling album paying tribute to the late, great Johnny Cash, who mentored the band of brothers in the early ‘70s. The album was produced by Cash’s son John Carter Cash and includes the single, “Johnny Cash Is Dead (And His House Burned Down).” The Gatlin Brothers’ most recent single, “Americans, That’s Who,” salutes U.S. military personnel stationed around the world, in particular those who tracked down and killed Osama bin Laden earlier this year.
The Gatlin Brothers won’t be the only musicians playing for the first time at the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival. Another family group, the Quebe Sisters Band of Fort Worth, Texas, will make their debut at the festival on Friday.
“There’s three of them, and they sing real tight harmonies and they all play fiddles,” Berline said. “They’re terrific.”
Bluegrass festival favorites Jerry Butler & The Blu-J’s will appear in the lineup of the Guthrie event for the first time, and Berline expects local fans will be particularly excited to see the band’s mandolin player, Bobby Clark. A former founding member of the popular Williams & Clark Expedition, Clark is an Oklahoma native who joined Butler’s group two years ago.
“It’s an added bonus that he’s now in the band. He’s well known in the Oklahoma City area. He had a band with Vince Gill in high school,” Berline said.
The Austin, Texas-based bluegrass band Third Rail are new to the event’s lineup, but band member JP Shafer won the festival’s youth mandolin contest last year.
“They’re a young group, very talented and really popular,” Berline said. “Our whole mission for the festival is to promote the music, especially to the youth and make them more educated about acoustic music. So it’s important to have them play, too.”
Along with young musician contests, the festival will feature a children’s tent with live music and hands-on arts and crafts and main-stage performances by winners of Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival scholarships. Instrument auctions at 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday will help fund more scholarships for musically talented youths to take private lessons or attend music camps.
“The festival is really good for the whole state, and not just Guthrie,” Berline said. “It’s a good mission, and it’s good for the bluegrass community.”
GOING ON
15th annual Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival
When: Activities begin at 9 a.m. Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday.
Where: Festival grounds on Cottonwood Creek, State Highway 33 at U.S. 77, Guthrie.
Admission: Advance tickets are $25 for Thursday, $30 for Friday, $35 for Saturday, or $70 for a three-day pass. Tickets at the gate are $30 for Thursday, $40 for Friday or Saturday, or $80 for a three-day pass.
Information: 282-4446 or www.oibf.com.
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What to do in Oklahoma on Sept. 28, 2011: Hear Pat Metheny and Larry Grenadier at UCO Jazz Lab
Pat Metheny
Today’s featured event:
EDMOND – Spend an evening with Grammy-winning jazz guitarist Pat Metheny and special guest Larry Grenadier with shows at 7 and 10 tonight at the UCO Jazz Lab, 100 E Fifth.
For more information, go to www.ucojazzlab.com.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
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New releases for Sept. 27, 2011: Original “Footloose” dances onto Blu-ray, new “Footloose” soundtrack cuts loose
The promotional push for the upcoming remake of the dance drama “Footloose” is cutting loose.
The soundtrack for the remake dropped today, featuring Oklahoma country music star Blake Shelton’s cover of the theme song, originally a hit for ’80s soundtrack guru Kenny Loggins.
The new album also features Hunter Hayes and Victoria Justice’s duet on “Almost Paradise (Love Theme From Footloose),” originally recorded by Ann Wilson and Mike Reno; Jana Kramer’s cut of “Let’s Hear It for the Boy,” first done by Deniece Williams; and Ella Mae Bowen’s “Holding Out for a Hero,” originally cut by Bonnie Tyler. The remake soundtrack also includes new contributions from Zac Brown, Cee Lo Green with Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Big & Rich with Gretchen Wilson.
The remake stars newcomer Kenny Wormald, country singer/dancing TV personality Julianne Hough and Dennis Quaid and is written and directed by Craig Brewer, who made the music-driven movies “Hustle & Flow” and “Black Snake Moan.”
Due in theaters Oct. 14, “Footloose” follows closely to the dance steps of the 1984 original film, which made Kevin Bacon a star. For fans of the ’84 version, it debuted today on Blu-ray in a deluxe edition also available on DVD.
The original film was loosely based on real-life events that happened in 1980 in Elmore City, where students convinced the school board to let them organize the school’s first prom, despite an 80-year-old city ordinance banning public dancing. The Oklahoma farming community marked the 30th anniversary of the first prom last year.
In music, other notable releases include new albums from Wilco, Blink 182 and Chickenfoot, while other big movie drops include today’s release of the 50th anniversary edition of “Ben-Hur” and Friday’s bow of “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.”
Here is a list of new CDs, DVDs and books, from Amazon.com and VideoETA.com:
CDs
Various artists, “Footloose: Music From the Motion Picture.”
Wilco, “The Whole Love.”
Blink 182, “Neighborhoods.”
Chickenfoot, “Chickenfoot III.”
J. Cole, “Cole World: The Sideline Story.”
Pink Floyd, “The Dark Side of the Moon – Immersion Box Set.”
Johnny Winter, “Roots.”
Mastodon, “The Hunter.”
Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa, “Don’t Explain.”
DVDs
Adventure Time: My Two Favorite People
Army Wives: The Complete Fifth Season
Ben-Hur: 50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition
Carlos
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – Eleventh Season
CSI: Miami – The Ninth Season
CSI: New York – The Seventh Season
Footloose
Go For It!
Good Neighbors
How I Met Your Mother: Season Six
How to Make It in America: The Complete First Season
Hung: The Complete Second Season
Law & Order Special Victims Unit: Year 12
The Ledge
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Friday)
Treasure Island
Without Men
Books
The Affair: A Reacher Novel (Jack Reacher) by Lee Child
Aleph by Paulo Coelho
Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever by Bill O’Reilly, Martin Dugard
Sweet Land of Liberty by Callista Gingrich, Susan Acriero
10 Mindful Minutes: Giving Our Children–and Ourselves–the Social and Emotional Skills to Reduce Stress and Anxiety for Healthier, Happy Lives by Goldie Hawn
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt
The Secret Lives of Wives: Women Share What It Really Takes to Stay Married by Iris Krasnow
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Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley to perform “Remind Me” Nov. 9 on 45th Annual CMA Awards
Along with co-hosting the 45th Annual CMA Awards, Brad Paisley and Checotah native Carrie Underwood will perform their hit duet “Remind Me” on the Country Music Association’s annual awards show. It will be their first live performance of the No. 1 hit song on national television.
The 45th Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Paisley and Underwood, will air live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville from 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9 on the ABC Television Network. Previously announced performers include Tishomingo resident Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Taylor Swift, and Keith Urban, who are all nominated for entertainer of the year.
Underwood is nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year in 2011, an award she has won three times (2006-08). If she wins the award this year, she will tie with Martina McBride (1999, 2002-2004) and fellow Oklahoma native Reba McEntire (1984-1987) for the most wins in the category. Underwood has received a total of five CMA Awards thus far, including the Horizon Award (2006) and Single of the Year (1997 for “Before He Cheats”), and has a total of 14 CMA career nominations to date.
Paisley is CMA’s reigning Entertainer of the Year. He received five nominations in 2011 for Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Album for “This is Country Music”; and Musical Event and Music Video of the Year for “Old Alabama,” featuring Alabama. Paisley has won 14 CMA Awards to date, including three consecutive Male Vocalist awards (2007-09) and Album of the Year (in 2006 for Time Well Wasted). He is No. 5 for the most career wins in CMA Awards history, behind only George Strait (22), Brooks & Dunn (including former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn) (19), Oklahoma native Vince Gill (18) and Alan Jackson (16).
This will be Paisley and Underwood’s fourth straight year to host the CMA Awards.
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Easton Corbin plans to return to Oklahoma City for Nov. 19 Diamond Ballroom show
For country fans who hated to miss Easton Corbin’s canceled performance last weekend at the Oklahoma State Fair, the up-and-coming star will return to Oklahoma City for a Nov. 19 show at the Diamond Ballroom, the venue has announced.
Tickets to the Nov. 19 show are $24 in advance or $29 on the day of the show. For information or tickets, go to www.diamondballroom.net.
The “A Little More Country Than That” singer was scheduled to perform in concert after last Friday night’s Xtreme Bulls competition at the Jim Norick State Fair Arena. But he canceled his performance the day of the show due to illness.
Patrons of the scrapped Oklahoma State Fair show will receive a refund for their tickets from their point of purchase, according to OKStateFair.com. For fans who bought tickets from Tickets.com via phone or Internet, their credit cards will automatically be refunded. Those who purchased tickets from a retail outlet or the State Fair Arena Box Office are advised to bring their tickets to that point of sale for a full refund. Ticketholders have up to 30 days to request their refunds.
Corbin also is set to perform Oct. 7 at the Tulsa State Fair’s PRCA Rodeo event. For more information, go to www.tulsastatefair.com.
To read my recent interview with Corbin, click here.
-BAM
