There is a small town nestled deep in western North Carolina that holds a secret, 25-year-old Andrew Chastain. Andrew is from Murphy, NC and spends his free time focusing on music. After seeing a youtube video he uploaded, I knew I had to dig deeper. What music did you listen to growing up? I can remember being about 4 years old and hearing my babysitter's son blasting Garth Brooks "The Thunder Rolls" from his bedroom and I think that sealed the deal right there. Living in the middle of nowhere with only a couple radio stations to choose from ,... Continue reading

I stumbled upon a video on YouTube of this man singing a Easton Corbin cover and right away I had to find him. The moment he opened his mouth and started to sing, I felt like country music had made a comeback. It's amazing how much talent is on YouTube, when I hear Odiss Kohn sing it makes me hopeful that country music has a future. It was a pleasure to catch up with him for a much needed interview. At what age did you realize you wanted to pursue country music? I guess I had to be around the... Continue reading

Photo: Me & Jaida Dreyer at the 99.9 WFRE Winning Wednesday Concert On Wednesday April 24th, the H Lounge at the Hollywood Casino in Charles Town, WV was filled with people of all ages awaiting the arrival of the very talented Jaida Dreyer. The local radio station WFRE host a free concert each month which is known as "Winning Wednesday." DJ Don Brake, who was hosting, had alot of fun things going on for the listeners including a raffle for Tim Mcgraw tickets. Jaida was born in Canada, but was raised in a small town in Iowa and from there... Continue reading

John Mcdonald is your average West Virginia boy, however, when he is not working at the strip mine he is singing Lady Gaga covers. Oh come on, it's not country music but at least this version I can stomach. This 26-year-old Trace Creeker grew up listening to Hank Sr, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley. His current influences are Eric Church, Justin Moore, and Jamey Johnson. He grew up in the backwoods and got his first guitar at fourteen, he wanted to be just like Lynard Skynard he says. He even won a talent contest during the Freedom Festival in Logan,... Continue reading

Bush Hawg consist of six bad ass band memebers who are newly signed to RCA Records. The band members include: Craig Hand(lead singer.) Shaun Ames (acoustic guitar, banjo & mandolin) Russ Caldwell(lead guitar) Ben Helton(bass/background vocals) Jim Phipps (drums) and Alex Wilshire(rhythm and lead guitar.) Founding members Shaun & Alex started this band about 10 years ago, however, the offical lineup wasn't in place until 2010. I think these guys are extremely talented and their personalities are even better. I was more than excited to have them answer my 10 Random Questions. 1. How long have you been performing together?... Continue reading

Gwen Sebastian may come from a small town in North Dakota, however, her voice is exceptionally huge. In 2009 she released her first single to country radio titled "Hard Rain." Shortly after she debuted her EP titled "V.I.P" but what really kick started her career was being a contestant on season two of The Voice. Gwen was swept up by team Blake, however, she did get eliminated during the battle rounds. Blake liked her so much that he offered her a spot on his tour. Her most recent single is powerful,touching and very well written, "Met Him In A Motel... Continue reading

Sam Grow is a pop, rock singer from Southern Maryland who discovered music at the age of five. He grew up listening to Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding and Elvis. His album "Ignition" sold 10,000 copies in just one year in his local market. He has shared the stage with Ronnie Dunn, Kanye West and Josh Kelley. Sam performs roughly 250 shows a year, however, in his down time he likes to sing Luke Bryan songs in his bathroom. This is by no means a country cover, Sam has made this song his own and gave it a little pop/rock flavor.... Continue reading

I will admit that while watching the red carpet show I thought, "This is going to be a disaster" because some of the artist looked tired, or bored. Meanwhile, I sat on my couch with a cold one in my hand just waiting to see who won New Artist Of The Year. The show opened up with Blake Shelton singing "Boys Round Here" and he had guest such as Sheryl Crow & Pistol Annies on stage with him. Sheryl made that performance awesome! I totally loved Luke & Blake hosting together and the punch lines were just adorable. "What does... Continue reading

Doug Stone is a Georgia boy who learned to play guitar at the age of five and by the age of seven he had the chance to open up for the great Loretta Lynn. He debuted in 1990 with his first single "I'd Be Better Off (in a pine box)" which earned the #4 spot on the music charts. His song "In A Different Light" earned him the #1 spot on the country charts and he also had three other singles hit #1. Doug also had 11 top ten singles as well. In 1992, Doug had quadruple bypass surgery and... Continue reading

Shain Gandee, who was the most popular cast member in the hit t.v show "Buckwild" died in a traffic mudding accident on April 1st 2013. It was reported that Shain, his uncle and another young man died due to carbon monoxide poisioning. Apparently Shain's bronco was stuck in mud which caused carbon monoxide to leak into the vehicle. Shain was only twenty one years of age...he was a son,brother,uncle,boyfriend and friend. Alot of people took to the twitter world to tweet their condolences, including celebrities. Cast member Tyler tweeted, "Help me get #PrayForGandeeFamily trending. One of my best buddies passed.... Continue reading

I'm sure you already know where this is headed, right? Of course I'm going to give a good review considering I'm a member of the B.G Nation myself. However, you have to admit this song is powerful. Brantley mentioned that Brian Davis was a cowriter on this song, which don't surprise me considering they have wrote plenty of songs together. I think the two of them together, make a great team. The song is about death, but it gives a lighter side to it and is not the traditional mourning song. I think everyone can relate to this song and... Continue reading

What do you call a country music newcomer who mixes country, rock & blues all together? Josh Charles. Josh was born in California but spent his childhood in Kansas City, he is now a NYC resident. Josh has a lot of talents and songwriting is just one of them. He is a pianist, guitarist, singer and one heck of a songwriter. He started writing and performing as a teenager and some of his main influences include his mentor Dr.John, George Strait, Waylon Jennings and The Eagles. In a world of evolving country music, Josh enjoys listening to Brad Paisley, Blake... Continue reading

Chris Janson is a prime example of real country music. His energy on stage is tremendous and he has a personality you can't help but love. His new video for his single "Better I Don't" premieres today on CMT Pure and cmt.com. The video took place in Nashville, TN at a venue known as 12th & Porter. The blonde you see at the bar? Oh thats just the beautiful Kelly Janson, Chris's wife. I give the video a ten, for sure. I love his hillbilly, blue collar type dance moves. My favorite thing about Chris Janson? He is who he... Continue reading

The Lacs is a country rap duo that hails from south Georgia. The duo is made up of Clay "Uncle Snap" Sharpe and Brian "Rooster" King. Their name is short for Loud Ass Crackers, which I find rather fascinating. The duo recorded their first two records with Backroad Records which is co-owned by Colt Ford. You can call them white trash, rednecks or whatever you want...I prefer to call them AWESOME! 1. How do you know each other and how long have you been performing together? We've known each other for 13 years and have been performing together for 5... Continue reading

Photo by Montana Adkins North Carolina native Brian Davis has a pure country sound, mixed with some rock flavor. He has been opening up for Brantley Gilbert on the Hell On Wheels tour and has really made some solid foundation in country music. His fans describe him as down to earth, charming and funny. He took some time to answer my 10 random questions, check it out. 1. At what age did you know you wanted to persue music? 6 years old. The switch flipped watching my dad play on stages. I've never looked back from the moment it happened.... Continue reading

New single by James Wesley "Thank A Farmer" just hit country radio a few days ago. I think everyone knows I'm about promoting good country music, and this song is genius. It was also written by Josh Thompson & Dustin Lynch. Support real country music and check out this video. For more country music gossip follow me on twitter @brittwv Continue reading

Saturday night in a small town in West Virginia, right on the Kentucky line, there was a party going down. Beer pong, country boys, country girls and of course good ol' country music. Watch as these fellas teach you how to diffie. In case your not familiar with the song it's "1994" written by Thomas Rhett and cut by Jason Aldean. It's currently Jason Aldean's new single. Oh, and ladies...these boys are single. Better hurry, I have a feeling they won't be for long. For more country music gossip follow me on twitter @brittwv Continue reading

Justin Weaver has been writing songs for over ten years now. Just a small town boy from Forsyth, Georgia who let his dream of songwriting take him to music city. Justin has had major success so far, he has wrote for Gary Allan, Jason Aldean and Dustin Lynch. I thought I would give him a chance to tell his story, check out my interview with Justin Weaver below. 1. How long have you been writing songs? I've been a signed writer here in Nashville for ten years, but I wrote my first song when I was 14 years old and... Continue reading

Jake Owen wants to go anywhere with you, as long as it's via skype. He took to twitter this evening and informed everyone that he had just got his first skype account. He spared some time to chat with a few fans and then tweeted "Talked to a bunch of fun people on skype tonight. I'm hittin the hay. Had fun, see ya'll tomorrow." That Jake Owen, he sure does have a way with his fans. For more country music gossip follow me on twitter @brittwv Continue reading

There is a place most people will never get to see, visit, or live. They say it's "almost heaven" but alot of us are known for raising hell. Country hip hop artist Mini Thin is proud of where he comes from and he is letting the world know it. Mini Thin has won major national M.C battles and has shared the stage with names like Jay-Z, Lil Kim and Nas. He is best known for his song titled "Coal Miners Lullaby" which burned up the radio stations in West Virginia. He holds nothing back and his music paints a perfect... Continue reading

There is a small town tucked away in southern West Virginia, best known for the Hatfield & Mccoy feud. Logan, WV is also home to 22-year-old country music singer Kaitlin Boytek. Kaitlin is a mother and a wife to a underground coal miner. Just a girl in the coalfields with a dream, a big dream. Kaitlin entered a singing contest at the age of four and she won. Her mother says she was singing way before she could talk. Kaitlin, who is from the same town as me, was more than happy to answer a few questions. 1. Who were... Continue reading

Gloriana is known for their country sound with a pop influence. Their first single "Wild At Heart" which was on the top 15 U.S Billboard Hot Country Songs chart was released in 2009. Since then they have been hot and heavy. They released their second album in 2012 titled "A Thousand Miles Left Behind." One of their most well known singles "(Kissed You) Goodnight" was a top ten country hit as well as a top forty pop hit. Currently, they have a new single out on country radio called "Can't Shake You" which I love. The talented trio was up... Continue reading

Thoughts and prayers are with Toby Keith as he mourns the loss of his bass player and good friend of 25 years,Chuck Goff Jr. Chuck was in a fatal car crash yesterday in Oklahoma and sadly he passed. Police are still investigating the incident. I would like to send thoughts and prayers to all his friends and family. Chuck you will be deeply missed! Continue reading

Justin Moore teams up with Crown Royal to launch their annual 'Your Hero's Name Here' program with a special concert prior to the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 24, 2013 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images for Crown Royal) Justin Moore (R) introduces the inaugural nominees for Crown Royal's annual 'Your Hero's Name Here' program, firefighter Pat Copeman (L) and police officer Paul Scott during a special concert prior to the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 24, 2013 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images for Crown Royal Justin... Continue reading

Texas native Kristen Kelly has hit country music radio full force. Her 2012 debut single "Ex-Old Man" was an upbeat and fun song that everyone seemed to enjoy, while her 2013 single "He Loves To Make Me Cry" is a ballad about a man who brings his woman much happiness. She released her four track EP October 2012 and she can currently be spotted touring with Rascal Flatts. For album details and tour dates head on over to www.kristenkellymusic.com but for 10 fun random questions, well this is just the right place. 1. At what age did you know you... Continue reading