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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Describing the new Zac Brown Band album is anything but simple.
"It's your basic country-Southern rock-bluegrass-reggae-jam record," Brown joked.
"Uncaged" is out July 10 and Brown says its 11 tracks further push the boundaries of what fans can expect from the Atlanta-based band.
Brown wanted to keep most of the surprises on the band's follow-up to 2010's "You Get What You Give" under wraps in a Tuesday afternoon phone interview.
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Zac Brown may be best known for his musical contributions, but he could add entrepreneur to his title. "There are 12 companies that I run, with a lot of help of other people," Zac tells The Boot.
Of the dozen different entities, the one foremost in Zac's mind is Camp Southern Ground, a non-profit camp south of Atlanta for, as Zac describes it, kids who are "mainstream, underprivileged and with developmental disorders."
"We'll have an organic farm there, straight farm-to-table," says the singer and band leader, who is also an accomplished chef. "The kids will be able to eat what they pull up from out the ground that day. It's a big project, a big undertaking."
Big Machine
Thomas Rhett has been putting in his time on the road opening for acts including Blake Shelton,Pat Green and Brantley Gilbert. This summer, he'll open for Toby Keith on the Live in Overdrive tour.
The 22-year old, whose first single, "Something to Do With My Hands" is climbing the charts, has already learned the three things never to leave home without: "Clean underwear, clean socks and Twizzlers," Thomas tells The Boot.
He also learned the hard way that he should always travel with something warm. "We were playing in Illinois one night and we had to stop at a gas station," he says. "All I had was a T-shirt, so I bought this disgusting hoodie and that saved me for like four days from freezing!"
J. Michael Krouskop
Millions of Americans can help support this worthy cause either by buying participating products or visiting Walmart's Facebook page through April 30. Fans can vote on the Facebook page for one of 200 American communities that has been hardest hit by unemployment, and the winning town will receive $1 million to help combat hunger in that area. The next 20 communities will each receive $50,000 to help aid hunger relief in their areas, as well, through the Facebook initiative. The campaign also provides information on how users can donate or join local efforts to fight hunger in their own communities.
Amazon
"The main thing is stay true to who you are," Luke tells The Boot, reflecting on what he believes to be the secret ofTaligates' success. "When it happens unnaturally and when it's forced, it gets a little weird. You just make sure you love it and that it's the music that you want to be represented by. The rest is out of your hands. It's up to the fans and the people who buy the album."
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"It's in honor of a dear friend of ours, Miss Lisa White, who passed away from cancer," lead singer Kimberly Perry told local TV reporters (quote via Country Weekly). "So it was really amazing just to honor her life today and to raise money for such an amazing organization."
Mark Humphrey, AP
The eight-song collection features tracks from the Wood Brothers, Nic Cowan, Dugas,Levi Lowrey, Sonia Leigh, the Wheeler Boys and Blackberry Smoke. It closes with a live rendition of the Zac Brown Band's 'No Hurry,' which is the group's latest Top 20 hit on the country chart.
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The tour starts off June 14 in Salt Lake City and concludes on Sept. 22 in Boston. Before rocking along to Toby's catalog of favorites, fans will get the chance to better acquaint themselves with opener Brantley Gilbert, the 27-year-old singer and songwriter who's penned the No. 1 country smashes 'My Kinda Party,' 'Dirt Road Anthem' and 'County Must Be County Wide.'
Capitol Nashville
In 'I Don't Want This Night to End,' Luke meets a gorgeous blonde and falls head over heels, but we don't know how their love story ends. She disappears, and he tells his manager (played by video director Shaun Silva) to leave a ticket for her at his next show. 'Drunk on You' picks up two months later, with Luke having left tickets for his mysterious lady at every single show he's done since meeting her ... to no avail. Will she finally show up? Watch the world premiere of Luke's 'Drunk on You' video (below) to find out.
