Category: Entertainment

Music Spotlight: Flat River Band

Bethany Bowman
Flat River Band

Flat River Band consists of three brothers Andy Sitze, Chad Sitze, and Dennijo Sitze, who grew up in a multi-generational family band. Performing alongside their parents and grandparents, they held residencies at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, and at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

No strangers to success, the Missouri natives have charted #1 hits on the bluegrass gospel charts and have opened for Natalie Maines, Alison Krauss, Ricky Skaggs, Rhonda Vincent, TG Sheppard, and more.

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Country Radio Seminar 2024 Wrap Up

Bethany Bowman
CRS

After three packed days of musical performances, informative panels, and engaging sessions, Country Radio Seminar (CRS) has concluded.

This year’s event was a success, with attendees enjoying a full-day Streaming Summit, with insightful panels and CRS anchor events such as the “Amazon Music Presents: Country Heat at CRS” showcase, Warner Music Nashville’s Luncheon, Bob Kingsley’s Acoustic Alley, “Team UMG” at the Ryman, Big Machine Label Group’s Luncheon, BBR Music Group Decades Party, “Paddle Royale” Ping Pong Tournament, and the New Faces of Country Music Show and Dinner.

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Music Spotlight: Bettin’ On The Mule

Bethany Bowman
Bettin on the Mule

Anyone who follows my blog knows I like a good hometown rockin’ country band. When I first heard Bettin’ On the Mule (BOTM) from Rockmart, Georgia, I instantly loved their energy.

The “Hometown Rock” pioneers consist of Jacob Wilson on lead vocals, bass, and rhythm guitar, who also serves as the band’s lead songwriter, new member Phil Beavers on lead guitar and backing vocals, Rick Norris on drums and backing vocals, and Shannon “Beef” Wilson on bass and backing vocals for the band.

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New York County Single-Handedly Bans Boys from Competing in Girls Sports

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Girls Sports

A county in New York banned men from competing with women in competitive sports at county-run facilities, according to ABC 7 News.

The ban applies to competitive female sports, but co-ed sports or sports where biological females want to compete against biological males are allowed, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said, according to ABC 7 News. The ban is alleged to be the first of its kind in the nation and is effective immediately.

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Music Spotlight: Due West

Bethany Bowman

Due West is a trio of country musicians who met at a house party in 2004. Tim Gates, Matt Lopez, and Brad Hull are from the western U.S., but like many aspiring artists, they found themselves in Music City.

The three of them were all invited to the same party. As happens in Nashville, when everyone gets together, they usually sing. When Gates started singing, Hull and Lopez chimed in, playing and singing harmony.

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Report: Girls Basketball Team Forfeits After Three Players Injured Against Team with 6 Foot Tall Male Player

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Girls Basketball with Trans Athlete

by Debra Heine   A girls’ basketball game between two Massachusetts high schools was cut short earlier this month after three female players were injured while playing against a six foot tall trans-identified biological male. On February 6, the Collegiate Charter School of Lowell forfeited against KIPP Academy after only 16 minutes of play, ItemLive reported. KIPP was leading the February 6 game 31-14, but the game reportedly went into the books as a 10-0 forfeit win for KIPP. A video posted on YouTube by “Inside Lowell” shows a Collegiate Charter School girl being dragged to the ground like a ragdoll while wrestling for a rebound with the much larger biological male player from KIPP Academy. The girl can be seen grabbing her back and wincing in pain as she tried to get back up off the floor. According to ItemLive’s sources, the biological male player is “more than 6 feet tall with facial hair.” He has reportedly been on the roster since the beginning of the season. “A man hitting a woman used to be called domestic abuse. Now it’s called brave,” said former competitive swimmer Riley Gaines on X. “Who watches this and actually thinks this is ‘compassionate, kind, and inclusive’?” Prior…

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Clint Black Announces 2024 World Tour Celebrating 35 Years of ‘Killin’ Time’

Bethany Bowman
Clint Black

Following three sold-out shows at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, Clint Black is going on tour to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the award-winning album Killin’ Time. He and his electrifying band will play the album top to bottom, along with many other number-one hits.

Black moved to Nashville over 35 years ago with his bandleader and longtime songwriter colleague, Hayden Nicholas, where he readily signed a deal with RCA Records.

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Michael Patrick Leahy: John Fredericks Owns the Only Independent ‘America First’ Radio Network in the Country

Kaitlin Housler
Michael Patrick Leahy and John Fredericks

Editor-in-Chief and CEO of The Tennessee Star Michael Patrick Leahy said the John Fredericks Radio Network is the only radio network left in the country that hosts independent, America First personalities as other networks, like Audacy, are being bought out and transformed into left-wing outlets by the likes of George Soros.

Leahy, who hosts The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on 760 AM WENO “The Flame,” Nashville’s only America First Newstalk station, said Soros, a Democrat mega-donor, is buying up radio networks across the country as a “2024 campaign contribution for the Democrats.”

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Jill Biden Commits Inadvertent ‘Umbrella Assault’ Against Nashville Mayor During Trip to Tennessee

Tom Pappert
Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell Greets First Lady Jill Biden

First Lady Jill Biden committed an inadvertent “umbrella assault” against Metro Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell during her visit to Tennessee, which was reportedly aimed at securing endorsements from the country music “influencer” community at an event held by country music artist Brad Paisley.

Video appears to show O’Connell being poked by the umbrella before deftly maneuvering around and underneath the umbrella as Biden raised it higher to avoid a second attack.

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Jill Biden to Visit Nashville Friday for ‘Political Event’ Reportedly Aimed at Securing Country Music Endorsements

Tom Pappert

First Lady Jill Biden will travel to Tennessee for a purported “political event” reportedly occurring at the home of country music star Brad Paisley.

According to press reports citing a White House media advisory, the First Lady is expected to land in Nashville on Friday afternoon for an unspecified “political event” that will take place in Franklin.

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Music Spotlight: Scotty Hasting

Bethany Bowman

I often encounter veterans while writing about country music. And while only a few veterans also become performing musicians, something about having served makes their music ring true, especially in the patriotic realm of country music.

Scotty Hasting is from the Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati area. Although he was in several school choirs, being a musician was never a life goal. He joined the army in October 2010, and by April 2011, he was shot and was lucky to be alive.

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Clint Brewer Says Tennessee’s Lawsuit Against the NCAA ‘Isn’t Just About College Sports’

Kaitlin Housler
UT Football

All-star panelist Clint Brewer joined Tuesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy where he offered his thoughts on Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s antitrust lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Skrmetti joined Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares in filing the lawsuit against the NCAA last week, arguing the organization violates federal antitrust laws with its “anticompetitive restrictions on the ability of current and future student-athletes to benefit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL).”

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Music Spotlight: Josh Abbott Band

Bethany Bowman
Josh Abbott Band

One of the bands I have been wanting to feature for a while is the Josh Abbott Band. With multiple hit songs having multi-million streams, they are hugely popular in their home state of Texas and across the globe. You may be familiar with the perennial favorites, “Settle Me Down” and “She’s Like Texas.”

They have also teamed up with megastars like Kacey Musgraves in “Oh Tonight,” Carly Pearce in “Wasn’t That Drunk” and Pat Green in “My Texas” to bring their music to an even wider audience.

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Artimus Pyle Releases ‘Anthems – Honoring The Music of Lynyrd Skynyrd’

Bethany Bowman

Artimus Pyle, a distinguished Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member and former drummer for Lynyrd Skynyrd, unveils his tribute album, Anthems – Honoring The Music of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Nearly 47 years after the horrific plane crash that killed Lynyrd Skynyrd leader Ronnie Van Zant, a new album honoring him and the original Lynyrd Skynyrd band is being released.

I first heard the Artimus Pyle Band in 2020 when he, Dolly Parton, and others raised money to benefit the W.O. Smith Music School and the Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation. I met Pyle in May of 2022 when the former Marine was at an event honoring my ancestor, Lt. Presley O’Bannon.

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Becca Bowen Releases New EP, County Line

Bethany Bowman
Becca Bowen

An artist that I have featured a few times in the past is Becca Bowen. I love her energy, passion, and big, beautiful voice. The South Carolina native mixes her authentic country charm with her background in gospel music and musical theater to bring us a traditional country sound with a soulful approach.

While Bowen has been releasing singles since 2020 and her debut album in 2022, it wasn’t until recently that she became brave enough to release an entire EP, County Line, where she co-wrote every song.

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Music Spotlight: Jake and Shelby

Bethany Bowman
Jake and Shelby

A duo that kept showing up in my Instagram feed was a couple of kids, known as Jake & Shelby. Jake Lawson and Shelby Haim are teenagers from Hendersonville, Tennessee. Known for their smooth vocals and intricate guitar arrangements, their magical mix of melody and lyrics is enticing. The pop duo has nearly 900,000 followers on Instagram. Their TikTok videos have had over 70 mllion views.

At just 18 and 19 years of age, I knew if I had any chance of featuring them, I had better contact them as soon as possible.

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Music Spotlight: Krystal King

Bethany Bowman

Krystal King has had country music in her soul practically since birth. Her parents told her that when she was a toddler, they were scanning the radio stations and when it got to an Alan Jackson song, she squealed, “Oh stop, stop.” And she has been listening to country music ever since.

As she got older, the North Carolina native was visiting friends on the coast. A man was DJing at a restaurant. Her parents dared to get up there and sing a song. So, she walked up to him and asked him if I could sing “You’re Still the One” by Shania Twain.

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REVIEW: ‘Guns, Girls, and Greed’ Offers a Ground-Level Look at Modern Warfare

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History is written by the victors but rarely gives the view of the people who fought it. Politicians and military generals talk about war in platitudes, while the ones they send to combat rarely get their stories out. Guns, Girls, and Greed; I was a Blackwater Mercenary in Iraq flips this paradigm by giving the reader a ground-level perspective of the war in Iraq.

In the vein of Catch-22, the author is unrelenting in calling out the insanity of combat and diplomatic missions in Iraq in 2004–05. Lerette shows how military and political hubris collide to create a new way to wage combat—using private military contractors under the guise of diplomacy to wage war.

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America Salutes You Presents ‘A Concert for Gratitude’

Bethany Bowman

Hosted by legendary country singer Clint Black, America Salutes You Presents ‘A Concert For Gratitude’ that will air on five distribution platforms from January 20th – February 20th.

This televised event mobilizes support for our troops and first responders through music with its eighth event and telecast. The TV special features performances by Clint Black (with Lisa Hartman Black and Lily Pearl Black) Chrissy Metz, Dustin Lynch, Jo Dee Messina, Alana Springsteen, Megan Moroney, Walker Hayes, Charles Esten, Lecrae, War Hippies and Lee Greenwood (celebrating the 40th anniversary of “God Bless the USA.”) Craig Morgan, Jelly Roll and Trace Adkins will have special performances and Gary Sinise was honored with the America Salutes You Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Music Spotlight: Ashley Anne

Bethany Bowman

Occasionally, you meet an artist, and you know they were born with a gift. At age 17, Ashley Anne wrote/released her first single, “Dear Dolly,” a song that she penned entirely on her own.

And while Dolly Parton is arguably the most popular country star on the planet, most people of Anne’s peer group only know “Jolene” and probably don’t realize that Parton wrote “I Will Always Love You” and may not have ever heard Whitney Houston’s version of it.

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Riley Gaines, Other Prominent Female Athletes Protest NCAA Convention in Phoenix For Allowing Transgenders in Women’s Sports

Rachel Alexander

Some of the top female athletes in the country, including swimmer Riley Gaines, attended and spoke at a protest Thursday outside the annual National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) convention in downtown Phoenix. Organized by the Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) and numerous other groups, the athletes demanded that the NCAA stop allowing transgender females to compete against women in collegiate sports, and each one spoke about their own experiences.

Gaines opened the event, which took place at the Marvin A. Andrews Plaza outside Phoenix City Hall. Gaines is a 12-time All-American swimmer and IWF ambassador. She said allowing men who identify as women to compete against women “is not progressive, it is regressive. It’s taking us back in time at least half a century. … Title 9 was enacted and enforced to protect women and girls, not men who want to be like us.” She repeated a line featured on the signs the women held, “We have come too far to be erased.”

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American Idol’s Taylor Hicks to Perform ‘Night Moves’ at the Franklin Theatre

Bethany Bowman

As I learned last year in my original interview, Season 5 American Idol winner, Taylor Hicks is a diverse entertainer. Besides being a soulful singer and songwriter, the artist is an actor and restaurateur. A few weeks after our last interview, Taylor Hicks was asked to make his Grand Ole Opry debut, a milestone desired by many Southern singers.

He made his debut on June 18, 2023. Hicks said, “As long as I’ve been doing this, being able to grace the Opry Stage was something that I will never forget. It’s a big deal. I’ve had a lot of great invitations, and this was definitely up there for sure.”

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Music Spotlight: The Frontmen

Bethany Bowman
The Frontmen

While listening to my pal, Storme Warren on The Big 615, I heard him interviewing a group of men called The Frontmen on his show. And while their voices sounded familiar, I was unsure of who they were.

It turns out that The Frontmen are a new country music trio, and I can honestly say that their harmony is next level. They consist of Richie McDonald, formerly of Lonestar (Amazed, “I’m Already There,” “Mr. Mom,” and “My Front Porch Looking In”); Tim Rushlow, formerly of Little Texas (“God Blessed Texas,” “What Might Have Been,” and “My Love”); and Larry Stewart of Restless Heart, (“Why Does It Have to Be Wrong or Right,” “When She Cries,” “The Bluest Eyes in Texas,” and “I’ll Still Be Loving You.”)

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Country Music Star HARDY to Headline Benefit Concert for Tennessee Tornado Victims

Kaitlin Housler

Country music connoisseur TheBenjiChord will host a benefit concert on Sunday in support of those impacted by the deadly tornadoes that ripped across Tennessee last weekend.

The country music stars that are scheduled to perform at the Unplugged For Tennessee: A Tornado Relief Benefit Concert on Sunday at Exit/In in Nashville include HARDY, Nate Smith, Alana Springsteen, Dylan Marlowe, Chayce Beckham, Abby Anderson, Trey Lewis, Graham Barham, Payton Smith, Kylie Morgan, and Jay Allen.

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Music Spotlight: Amanda Stewart

Bethany Bowman

Growing up in the mountains of Montana, Amanda Stewart spent much of her time on her grandparents’ ranch, being exposed to the acoustic instrumentation and simple yet honest songwriting of Americana, folk, and country music styles.

She said, “My mom did a little bit of singing in school and was always singing in the car. And I sang with her. We actually did little karaoke contests and things like that. And my dad loved music, too. And my grandparents had a piano in their living room at their ranch. Whenever I would go, I would just be in there plugging away and singing. Nobody was professionally inclined, but it’s just always been a big part of the family life.”

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Music Spotlight: Meghan Patrick

Bethany Bowman

A name that kept popping up in my feed and on socials was Meghan Patrick. She is a Canadian Country music singer who moved to Nashville a few years back to make a fresh start. When I interviewed Mitchell Tenpenny in April, I learned he and Patrick had recently wed.

But it wasn’t until I saw her interview on the I Am Second platform, that I found out what all she has conquered to get to where she is today. I knew then that I wanted to tell her story.

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Spotlight Artist Grace Leer Costars in Hallmark Movie

Bethany Bowman

Music Spotlight artist Grace Leer made her acting debut in a Blake Shelton-produced new Hallmark Movie, Time For Her To Come Home For Christmas. Leer costars alongside Shenae Grimes-Beech and Chris Carmack in a holiday romance mystery that is airing during Hallmark’s annual “Miracles of Christmas” programming event.

To many, the words “Hallmark Movie” and “Blake Shelton” don’t appear to belong together, but this movie is the sixth installment of the popular movie franchise based upon the book Time for Me to Come Home by Dorothy Shackleford and Travis Thrasher and Shelton’s song of the same name. Leer performs Shelton’s hit “Time for Me to Come Home” in the movie as well.

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Music Spotlight: David Morris

Bethany Bowman

One thing that I have learned by writing my column is that even though I prefer traditional country music, hip-hop, and rap are tremendously popular with the younger set. There have been a few country artists who have dipped their toes into the hip-hop music scene, but the most successful one I have encountered is David Morris.

Hailing from Charleston, West Virginia, country, hip-hop artist Morris is trailblazing a path by mixing trap-style beats with slide guitars, banjos with catchy hooks, and lyrical mastery with relatable lyrics. Morris has over 120 million global streams and has supported Kidd G and Jelly Roll on tour. The song, “Dutton Ranch Free Style,” recently received its RIAA Gold Certification.

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Illinois Library Marks Christmas with Book About a Santa Who Is ‘Black and Gay, Married to an Equally Cheery Man’

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Santa's Husband

A library in Chicago’s suburbs has marked the Christmas season with “books that also introduce homosexual sex to children,” reports DuPage Policy Journal.

One of those books is Santa’s Husband, which offers a “fresh twist on Kris Kringle, a clever yet heartfelt book that tells the story of a black Santa, his white husband, and their life in the North Pole.”

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Jamie O’Neal And Ty Herndon Bring Us ‘Merry Christmas Baby’

Bethany Bowman

Two of the biggest voices from the early 2000s, Jamie O’Neal and Ty Herndon, have joined together to bring us the original Christmas song, “Merry Christmas Baby.” Last year, O’Neal put out a memorable Christmas record, Spirit & Joy, which I have added to my collection of favorite Christmas CDs.

This year, O’Neal released a deluxe edition of her holiday album, which includes the original song “Merry Christmas Baby” and a cover of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Both songs follow the same theme of missing someone you love at Christmastime.

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Commentary: The Surprising Christian Values in ‘The Exorcist’

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In his four-out-of-four review of William Friedkin’s The Exorcist, film critic Roger Ebert wrote that the picture “transcends the genre of terror, horror, and the supernatural.” However, Ebert did not address perhaps the most compelling element of the 1973 classic horror film: that buried deep within the gruesome story of a demon-inhabited 12-year-old girl is one of the most authentically theological films ever made.

The protagonist of The Exorcist is not, as one might expect, either the possessed Regan MacNeil or her mother, Chris (each of whom take up a majority of the screen time). After all, neither of them complete a character arc during the film.

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Gov. Kemp Points Out MLB Dropped ‘Misguided Understanding’ of Georgia Voting Law as All-Star Game Returns to Atlanta

Tom Pappert

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R) posted on social media to celebrate the return of the Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game to Atlanta in 2025, noting the professional athletic organization changed its mind regarding Georgia’s 2021 voting law.

The MLB announced the Atlanta Braves will hold the 2025 All-Star Game at Truist Park in a statement posted to social media on Thursday. Baseball Commissioner Robert Manfred stated that the Braves are “a model of success on the field,” and predicted that “Truist Park and The Battery Atlanta” will offer “a world class experience” to baseball fans in 2025.

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