Hah seriosly having drinks isn't a big deal at all. Mostly everyone drinks and if Shania wants to go ahead and do the same i say go for it. She probably got tired of having so many rules on herself. Woo go Shania! If any of this is true...and if its not...Wooo still go Shania! ILOVEYOU no matter what. Look at the saint Mutt turned out to be from not drinking :]

Chill guys she's just a woman
:)

yeah,i'd like that too,just to let her know that we won't judge her and we will always be fans.

Murray fans pay to sit in on chat


SPRINGHILL Joan and Sandy Bears visit to the Anne Murray Fan Fair in Springhill on Sunday was prompted by an Australian bus drivers devotion to the Nova Scotia singing star.

"Its all for an Aussie bus driver," Mr. Bears said as he examined a ball cap emblazoned with the singers name, a potential gift for their friend Down Under.

The Halifax couple met the driver when they boarded a special Santa bus during a trip to Australia last Christmas, Mrs. Bears explained. Despite draping his vehicle with festive lights and pictures of Santa, the driver had kept his big photo of Anne Murray posted over his seat. He got extremely excited when he heard the couple was from Nova Scotia, his favourite singers home.

"Hes a really big fan," Mrs. Bears added as she poured over the booths set up in the Dr. Carson and Marion Murray Community Centre, named for the singers parents. "You talk about her and he gets all weak."

The couple was among hundreds of people who spent Sunday afternoon demonstrating their attachment to Anne Murray, including a roomful of fans who bought tickets to sit in on an interview the singer had with arts journalist Michael Posner.

Ms. Murray, relaxed and cheerful in mauve, admitted to Mr. Posner that her golf game had taken a vacation.

"I thought Id get better the more I played," she grinned.

Ms. Murray confirmed that she doesnt expect to do any more tours of Canada and the U.S. She said shed agreed to do the most recent ones in order to meet people "while I can still sing," but called the gruelling schedule "a monumental undertaking."

In one sense the tours were easier than those shed done before, she said.

"I didnt have a husband and two kids at home, but," she paused for emphasis, "Im old. I forgot about that part."

Sleeping at odd hours and trying to maintain a fitness routine while travelling between concerts was tough, but she "got through it fine," she said.

"But I dont think Ill do it again," Ms. Murray said.

Staying clear of tours doesnt mean shell quit performing, she added.

"I dont think Ill ever say retirement. Thats too final."

The fan fair marked Ms. Murrays 40th year in the music business, said Bill Munro, chairman of the Anne Murray Centres volunteer board of directors.

"Every opportunity throughout those 40 years, Anne has made a commitment to her community," he said, noting that all proceeds from Sundays event go to the not-for-profit centre.

The centre aims to tell Annes story and offers employment in the former coal mining town.

Ms. Murrays most recent album, her 35th, is Anne Murray Duets: Friends and Legends, featuring duets with the likes of Shania Twain, Nelly Furtado, Celine Dion, Olivia Newton-John and Carole King.

( mgraham@herald.ca)

http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1071305.html

	A little bit of country set to rock Heritage Fest September 12, 2008 By Charity Bonner Staff Writer

WEST DUNDEE -- It's not a household name, but Tin Horse, a trio that will perform at 11 a.m. Saturday at West Dundee's annual Heritage Fest, has a running start at fame by touring in Big Blue, the same teal blue tour bus that was used by Willie Nelson and Shania Twain.

The Chicago-based country band with strong southern rock leanings recently shared the stage with Diamond Rio and KC & the Sunshine Band and have opened for Gretchen Wilson, Billy Currington, Emerson Drive and Toby Keith.

The trio -- who choose to be identified only by their stage names after dealing with a stalker incident earlier this year -- include Andra on fiddle, Antje on guitar and Caroline on keyboard. They are backed by a drummer, guitarist and bass player.

Band members cite country singers Hank Williams, Gretchen Wilson, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Alison Krauss as some of their musical influences.

The 9-month-old band has played in venues throughout the Midwest and has toured as far west as Nebraska. Andra said the band recently was set to play at John Barleycorn in Lansing, Mich., when the tour bus stalled in a parking lot in Schaumburg. They made it to Michigan in the middle of the night, got three hours of sleep, woke up and performed for four hours.

"We played for longer than we had gotten sleep. It was one of the times that reminds you to really appreciate the simple things in life," she said.

Antje's parents live in West Dundee, where she spends holidays and has close ties to the village.

"It is my home away from home," she said.

This year's Heritage Fest, which starts today and runs through Sunday throughout downtown West Dundee, will offer new fun and new bands. In past years, re-enactors traveled the streets of downtown Dundee, but this year, the collection of American Indians, statesmen and early West Dundee businessmen will be in Heritage Village near the downtown fountain.

Village Manager Joe Cavallaro says the event's main purpose helps to reunite people in the community.

"It is a very well-received event. It is neighbors seeing neighbors. It is very community- and family-oriented," he said.

Cavallaro said officials changed the entertainment lineup this year to add variety.

There will be an interactive rock band performing in front of village hall. Live bands scheduled to perform include Sixteen Candles, The Lenny's, Wedding Banned, deaD beaT daDs, Modern Day Romeos and Fast Eddie and the Corvettes. Irish dancing, belly dancing and scarecrow decorating are just a few fun activities for the family.

Angie Rodstrom of Fox River Grove organized 12 antique vendors for this year's Heritage Fest. She said the event attracts high-quality merchandise.

"This is not a flea market type thing, we have nice antiques," she said. "The park and the music create the perfect atmosphere for the event. It is a great Sunday afternoon thing to do. You can listen to the jazz band from the gazebo. I don't even think the fair they have downstate could be nicer with the atmosphere they have right here.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews/entertainment/1157928,3_5_EL12_HERITAGE_S1.article#

Living dead take over the Boro

Zombie Bazooka Patrol raises hellish good time at Club 527

By: Laura Raines

Posted: 10/23/08

The night is young, and Club 527 is an empty saloon on a street that makes Murfreesboro look like a ghost town. The only occupants of the club are bored bar keepers who are waiting for the first customers to show.

Few cars pass by outside the club, and the wet streets are mostly empty on this dreary night. Rain is drizzling lazily to the pavement, and voices from the tattoo shop next door drift up the stairs to the few people standing on the porch of 527.

As the temperature begins to drop, a few people drift into the club from outside and sit at the bar to enjoy spirits.

Over the next few hours, people seem to magically appear. And by 11:30 p.m., the place is packed full of people waiting to hear the headlining band of the night, Zombie Bazooka Patrol.

With the guys' faces so they look zombie-like, their instruments warm and the mic check complete, ZBP takes the stage and rocks Club 527 hard enough to wake the dead.

The show itself proves to be nothing short of wild. By the end, two brooms are broken, lead vocalist and mandolin player Spy Zombie has lept offstage into the crowd and Toxic Zombie, lead guitarist, had broken his guitar strings. At least for this show, the $6 cover is well worth the financial sacrifice.

This folk punk rock group possesses original lyrics to their catchy sound. On stage, Spy Zombie sings, "When you're all done biting brains, you ain't got nothin' to do, come on over to my place and shake what God gave you," from their song titled Zombie Shake.

In another song titled "Shania" about country singer Shania Twain, ZBP wails, "Oh Shania don't make us annihilate you, you know we can. Your influence on country is drivin' us crazy. You are our sworn enemy."

With comedic jabs at celebrities and songs about all things zombie, it's no wonder this face-painted foursome has such a strong following.

After the zombies complete their set, Lieutenant, Spy, Soul and Toxic exit stage right and go outside to talk with their next victims. Many people come up to congratulate the band on the show.

Some, who have never seen ZBP perform before, ask questions about the band at a safe distance, looking unsure as to whether they will be bitten or not.

"We originally formed in the year 2025 as a crime-fighting duo - not a band," Toxic Zombie says. "We had a couple nemeses like Pirate Pharaoh and his pals Time John, Shania Twain, Scream Dog and the Robot Bazooka Patrol.

Soul Zombie, the drummer for ZBP, says that crime fighting became old and that playing music was more suitable for zombies.

"We reached neo-Beatle status and were the biggest band on earth by 2054," Soul Zombie says. "That's when we got distracted, and Time John sent us back to the past to 2005. Ever since then, we've just been trying to reclaim our fame."

Though crime fighting, hating Shania Twain and struggling to reclaim their once-revered status in the music industry is tough, the four still manage to work on side projects as pizza guys and waiters. And on top of all this, the ZBP has managed to cut a new album called Zombie Bazooka Patrol at the Center of the Earth, scheduled to drop this week.

The band says the album is their third and favorite to this point in their somewhat backtracked career. The guys admit they haven't really listened to it, or much of their other material, because they play it too much.

The band recorded its new album at The Pride House, or what the four like to call the "command center." According to ZBP, zombies reside and produce at Pride House, which just so happens to be where the four live.

"Our house is pretty much like our command center," Toxic Zombie says over his own laughter. "We are able to operate and do most things within the walls of House Pride. By most things, I mean most things you can doeverin the world."

Tomorrow marks the first day of ZBP's month-and-a-half-long Dress Like a Zombie Tour, which includes shows in Chattanooga, Knoxville and Johnson City. The band plans to play a few out-of-state gigs in Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas.

ZBP enjoys giving words of wisdom to aspiring musicians and adoring fans that the four come in contact with on tours like its upcoming one. The guys advise that people should keep their minds open, keep their dreams alive, buckle up, strive for greatness, achieve excellence, not smoke, support local music, slow their rolls, ride the wave, take heed to those who have made mistakes before and "get ready to pee their pants."

"We will kill your dad," adds bassist Lieutenant Zombie as an afterthought to all the advisement.

Leaving everyone around them dancing in their wake, ZBP slowly begins to load up their equipment to head back to The Pride House---. Fans are sad to see them go, but they know that it won't be long before the band will be back on a local stage eating brains and rocking out the only way Zombie Bazooka Patrol knows how. Zombie-style.

http://media.www.mtsusidelines.com/media/storage/paper202/news/2008/10/23/Features/Living.Dead.Take.Over.The.Boro-3502088.shtml

Sound like a couple of wackos. A little too much smoke?

Like Matthew McConaughey?
No comment. I like him with Jennifer Aniston, but she is a friend of Sheryls, so that might be tough. I could see him with Shania Twain, whos got that all-American look, or Christina Applegate, who is pretty, sweet, and also a cancer survivor. He should stay off Ashley Olsen. He needs to keep it over 30.

http://www.blackbookmag.com/article/star-crossings-matching-celebrity-hookups/4762/

Interesting.

And why not, she couldn't pronounce salmon correctly.

But Pam Anderson ad? Sheesh, at least Shania isn't a PETA freak.

Matthew is a neat looking blonde, but that is how she used to describe Mutt. I don't think she would want someone who reminds her of her ex-husband.

Country gal wrote:

---

 

2ndAmendment wrote:

---

Interesting.

And why not, she couldn't pronounce salmon correctly.

But Pam Anderson ad? Sheesh, at least Shania isn't a PETA freak.

---

Ha Ha Ha,Pameladoen't eat meat but used to do drugs,hmmm
i bet she didn't turn veggie for health reasons

 

 

---

Yeah, something tells me drugs are worse than a piece of chicken, lol.

 

Definitely no comparison between Pam and Shania.

Yeah, that stuff doesn't matter to me, and she does nothing for me, in all aspects.

The only time I thought she was decent was way back when she was the 'Tool Time' girl on the show "Home Improvement" and that goes way back to the early 90s before she lost her ways.

Yes, Shania has a reputation for being a decent person when it comes to being interviewed. She never was and never will be a diva by that I mean she is polite and considerate to those who are interviewing her.

From the delivery truck to delivering Grey Cups

QUARTERBACK RICKY RAY TOOK THE LONG ROAD TO THE CFL AND CAME OUT A STAR

From 1986 to 2000, Henry 'Gizmo' Williams was the face of the franchise, though good times and bad, for the Edmonton Eskimos.

When he left, Ricky Ray arrived to take the team into the next era. The Eskimos, through The Gizmo Williams Era, won their 10th and 11th Grey Cups and played in their 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st Grey Cup games. So far in The Ricky Ray Era the Eskimos have won their 12th and 13th Cups and played in their 22nd, 23rd and 24th Grey Cup games.

Ray arrived in 2002 and few have made a name for themselves as fast as Ricky Ray, or Frito Ray, as he was being called that season. One day the 22-year-old was driving a potato chip truck, the next he was driving the Eskimos down the field.

GAME OVER

"I thought I'd never play football again. I thought I was going to be working at Frito Lay for a while. My route was Safeway, Albertsons and Wal-Mart. We'd leave at 5 a.m. from the warehouse."

The 6-foot-3 native of Redding, Calif. who played college football for Sacramento State, went to training camp with the San Francisco 49ers and played a year of arena football with the Fresno Frenzy for head coach Rick Worman, an old CFL quarterback who had briefly been an Edmonton Eskimo.

Ray received $200 a game with a bonus of $50 for a win and wasn't quitting his day job delivering potato chips.

Worman tipped off then Eskimo head coach Tom Higgins that Ricky Ray was a quarterback invented to play Canadian football and Ray was soon headed north after signing up for less than the $41,500 he would have made delivering potato chips.

It's a bit of an adjustment going from arena football to the Canadian game.

"Obviously, it's a lot different," said Ray.

"In arena football, you've got that little dinky field. Here it's humongous. Throwing an out pass could be 50 yards. That's a heck of an adjustment."

ON THE BENCH

Ray made the team as a backup and found himself starting halfway through his first season when Jason Maas was injured.

"I expected to be carrying a clipboard for a year or two. I came here believing it would happen but not that soon."

He made it a happening. In his first game he completed 21 of 28 passes for 277 yards. He threw four touchdown passes with no interceptions.

"Obviously there's a little doubt in there because you've never started a game. But what you want to do in that situation is take advantage of your opportunity," he said.

Ray certainly did that.

He completed 227 of 359 passes for a 63.2% record, 2,991 yards and 24 touchdowns versus nine interceptions.

In his rookie year he took the Eskimos to first place, won the West Final and became the only quarterback in Eskimo history to start a Grey Cup game for the team in Commonwealth Stadium.

Unfortunately, Ray and the Eskimos didn't write the perfect ending.

It was a Grey Cup of missed opportunities for the Eskimos who lost the Canadian classic to the Montreal Alouettes.

Because the game was at home, and there wouldn't be another Grey Cup in Edmonton until 2011, there was no wait 'til next year on that.

"It's going to be a hard thing to look back on that," said Ray when it was over.

"It wasn't like we went out and played our best game and lost. It could have been so much different."

This was not, to most observers, a Grey Cup game the Alouettes won but a game the Eskimos lost.

Edmonton had a 25-7 edge in first downs, a 417-300 edge in total offence and 35:15 time of possession to 24:45 by the Als.

How do you manage all that and lose 25-16?

That's what the Eskimos would be asking themselves all winter.

"Just one play here and one play there. They were able to make big plays for touchdowns, we weren't. When we had a chance, we didn't do it.

"I'd overthrow somebody or somebody would drop a pass. I've got to be able to hit those guys when they're open and when I do, they've got to come up with the catch for the touchdown."

Most Edmonton fans spent the winter blaming Higgins for a questionable coaching call as well.

It was, however, a wonderful week and another spectacular hosting job right up to game time with 62,531 fans in the stands, Shania Twain starring at half time and rave reviews once again as the Grey Cup host with the most.

But this time Edmontonians weren't strutting with the same pride as after the first two hostings because of the way the Eskimos played in the game.

There wasn't much Ray and the Eskimos could do but commit to each other and try to get back and win it the next year, even if it was being held in Regina instead of in Edmonton.

In 2003 Ray led the Eskimos to a 13-5 record which included 10 wins in an 11-game span from July 31 through Oct. 17 and a 30-23 win over Saskatchewan in the West Final.

The Eskimos went to Regina and won their 12th Grey Cup by 12 points. Ricky Ray out-quarterbacked the guy who two days earlier had been named the CFL's most outstanding player and the Eskimos did what they hadn't done for a decade, their most recent Grey Cup victory having been in 1993.

The 34-22 win featured Ray going to work, first with Ed Hervey and then with Jason Tucker, exposing cornerback D.J. Johnson.

Tucker ended up as the player of the game catching seven passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

But it was Ray who, to most observers, put his name on the game, completing 22 of 32 passes for 301 yards.

"It's weird," said Ray as he held the Cup up for photographers.

"Last year was the dream season for me. It was awesome. I came up here just hoping to be the third-string quarterback. I went all the way to the Grey Cup as starter and we almost won it. The whole year was like a dream.

"This year it was so much different because I had to prove I could do it again, that last year wasn't a fluke. I'm just so happy I was able to play my part to do what this team was able to do."

It was a Grey Cup which was about Leo Groenewegen who, after a long career, finally got to drink out of the Grey Cup.

And it was about Chris Morris and Sean Fleming, the only two Eskimos left from the last time they won it back in 1993.

Ricky Ray wasn't there in 2004, spending the year in the NFL with the New York Jets. The Eskimos lost their first three games, finished up with a 9-9 season and lost the Semi-Final. Tom Higgins lost his job, Danny Maciocia took over and Ray came back to Edmonton to play for his old offensive coordinator.

The Eskimos won five of their first six and three of their last four but finished third. Ray struggled in the Semi-Final in Calgary only to have Maas come off the bench to beat the Stampeders 33-26. It was Maas in relief again in the Final in Vancouver to get the Eskimos back to the Grey Cup with a 28-23 win.

The Grey Cup was back in Vancouver and it was an all-timer.

Ricky Ray started. Ricky Ray finished. And it was the greatest finish in the 93-year history of the event.

"I couldn't have written this any better. What a way to end the season. And what a season to end it this way."

It was overtime, the first one since the 1961 Grey Cup. And Ray, who hadn't thrown a touchdown pass in eight games, threw one early to Hervey and one late to Tucker with another one to Tucker for the two-point convert to get the Eskimos to overtime and a 38-35 win over the Montreal Alouettes.

Ray was playing in his third Grey Cup in three years in the league and had won the last two and was named the MVP in this one.

"It seemed getting to the first two Grey Cups was so much smoother than this one," he said.

"We owe so much to Jason Maas. He got us to this game. We finished third and became the first Eskimo team to do that and win the Grey Cup. And we just won it in overtime. This is unbelievable." Maas, who had the headlines the previous two Monday mornings, said Ray deserved to be the hero this day.

"He's 27 years old and he's been to the Grey Cup all three years he's played and won the last two," said Maas.

"Ricky Ray is going to go down in history as one of the great quarterbacks ever to play the game up here. I know it."

Maas was gone to Hamilton the next year, there were mass retirements on the offensive line and Ray was on his back most of the next year. He didn't get back to the Grey Cup. In fact he became part of Eskimo history in an entirely new direction as the fabled football franchise North American pro sports record of 34 consecutive seasons in the playoffs came to an end.

Injured for the final third of last season, the Eskimos lost every game without him in a total rebuilding year.

Edmonton fans will debate if they're back or not, but they're back in the playoffs and The Ricky Ray Era is far from being over.

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Columnists/Jones/2008/10/30/7250796-sun.html

 

Ashby plays Timmins tonight

SATURDAY SPOTLIGHT
Posted By CHELSEY ROMAIN, THE DAILY PRESS
 

Sean Ashby has appeared on the Grammy Awards twice, "Saturday Night Live" and David Letterman three times and "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno five times.

But tonight, Ashby will be live and in concert in Timmins.

Ashby is taking himself out of the background and putting himself centre stage as he releases his newest solo album.

Long known as the guitarist for Canadian recording artist Sarah McLaughlin, Ashby's newest album "Brass and Gold" is his third solo CD, but the first under his own name.

Kicking off his promotional tour for the album in Northern Ontario, Ashby will be in Timmins tonight for a performance at Micky J's Big House Bar and Grill to introduce his fans to a different sound.

"It's much more rock than what I do with Sarah," Ashby toldThe Daily Press."There are some acoustic songs, even some with strings on the album, but live we're a rock band trio."

Performing with artists like McLaughlin, Swollen Members, Lee Aaron and Holly McNarland to name a few, Ashby also found success with former band Jack Tripper, going up for awards against heavy hitters Nickelback.

But now, Ashby is looking to do things his way, working with different types of music and musicians.

"It just seemed to make more sense," said Ashby, who moved to Vancouver to start the band.

"I wanted to have a band and I tried to do that, but I had to make the move to Toronto and the band is still in Vancouver."

His career in music began many moons ago, playing in cover bands across Ontario, including Timmins.

He even admits to a crush on Timmins superstar Shania Twain, never forgetting seeing her on a television show wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater.

Trying to describe the sound of his solo work, Ashby calls it a cross between the Foo Fighters, Jack Johnson and Coldplay, but marks his influences as everyone from The Beatles and The Beach Boys to AC/DC.

"I love a rock band that can groove even though they are a rock band," Ashby said.

Refusing to limit himself to one genre, Ashby described his shows as "all over the map".

"As music fans, I hope they like something I do," said Ashby, adding he even does some country tunes.

"But as much as I like something thoughtful and introspective, I'm still a rocker at heart."

While performing his new songs gives Ashby a better idea of how an audience will react, it's also a chance to show another side of the man on the guitar behind McLaughlin.

"Sarah is my biggest client, and I've played with a lot of people, done a lot of session work," Ashby said. "Some may think I've been imprinted by her style, which is not true, even though I am honoured to play with such a great artist."

Stepping into the spotlight has been an interesting challenge, one Ashby compares to an artist having to paint portraits of people and then going out to paint, simply to create art.

While Ashby said his music comes from his heart, he is a crowd pleaser when it comes to creating music.

"A lot of thought goes into my songs, but I'm learning what the Canadian audience likes, what I can do and what they would appreciate," Ashby said. "Every audience has a different personality. When backing someone up you're not as exposed to that. I'm learning how to feel out an audience."

As he continues to learn both on stage and behind the scenes, Ashby vows to stay as real as possible, refusing to fake any kind of the music experience for his fans and himself. He's not trying to portray the poor tortured artist, but trying to create a sound that will not be defined.

"This has been the best experience of my career so far," he said. "I feel like the luckiest guy in the world."

More information on Ashby, along with a selection of his songs can be found at www.myspace.com/seanashbymusic.

http://www.timminspress.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1277167

-- Edited by twain2country at 13:14, 2008-11-01

'Flyover rock' rocks the heartland

IN THE ZONE: Hinders ability to blend hedonistic lyrics with emotional themes is a flyover hallmark. Here the group gathers after playing MTVs A Night for Vets show Oct. 23.

While the coasts are busy chasing after the Next Big Thing, Middle America's fans have latched onto 'real' bands that can make a Sarah Palin smile.

By Ann Powers, Pop music critic
November 2, 2008

Brian Howes gets a little hot under the black-leather collar when asked who listens to his kind of rock music. Speaking on a BMI-sponsored songwriter's panel before last year's Grammy Awards, the Vancouver-based producer, who has co-written hits for Hinder, Chris Daughtry, David Cook and Puddle of Mudd, sent an emotional shout-out to the common fan. * "I call it the hosers in Canada, the rednecks," he said. "The flyover zones. The people in Middle America seem to still buy records . . . You can sit on the back of your flatbed Ford, have a six-pack, crank some AC/DC and throw on some Daughtry or Hinder."

"Flyover rock" (like its more politically minded sister term, "red-state rock") is the kind of insult critics apply to what they find bland or derivative. Yet for Howes and his peers, identifying with music's middle ground is a point of pride and commitment.

"This is no slam against the media -- I used to be that elitist punk guy," said Howes, who played in a successful ska-punk band in the 1990s, by phone recently. "But the media are looking for the next cool thing, whereas Middle Americans just want good music that makes 'em feel good."

Since the days when former art-school kids the Rolling Stones declared themselves exiled on Main Street, populism has served as a normalizing counterpoint to rock's freaky bohemian tendencies. The idea of the "average Joe" keeps rock stars grounded and helps fans relate. But for artists like Hinder, Nickelback and "American Idol" winner Cook -- all of whom release albums nearly guaranteed to top the charts this month -- ordinariness has become a source of distinction.

***

Their music's phenomenal success says a lot about what rock signifies in the 21st century and how much the mythical "rock 'n' roll lifestyle" has influenced the way so-called ordinary people live.

"Sarah Palin likes the music that Tipper Gore hated! I find it kind of perplexing," said Chuck Eddy, author of books including "Stairway to Hell: The 500 Best Heavy Metal Albums in the Universe."

In the mid-1980s, moderate "Washington wife" Gore helped organize Senate hearings to examine the content of songs by Poison and Mötley Crüe (as well as Prince and Madonna). Now, partly because of hard rock's legacy, a little excess seems like fun, and the uber-conservative Palin shows her hard-rock roots by giving her son Trig the middle name "Van," after Van Halen.

Flyover's turf

Flyover rock thrives in an expanded heartland that also encompasses parts of the South and Western Canada (and maybe the L.A. neighborhood where Buckcherry lives). But it also exists in an imaginary zone only tangentially connected to current political concerns, moral judgments or fashion trends. The flyover fantasy world is a place where mothers bring their daughters to arena shows, where hearty partying is seen as a healthy release after a hard week's work and where rockers view themselves as traditionalists, just like sports fans, churchgoers and patriots.

The most wholesome flyover rocker yet might be Cook, whose first major-label album comes out Nov. 18. Growing up in Missouri, Cook wanted to be a baseball player before turning to rock. He sees the sports analogy as particularly apt.

"Let's say tomorrow I do two things," he said at his management company's West Hollywood offices. "I go see Game 1 of the World Series, and it's 15 innings, no score, until the very end. And that same night I go see one of the greatest Paul McCartney concerts ever. They're both things I'm gonna talk about for the rest of my life."

Austin Winkler also wanted to play pro ball before becoming the singer for Hinder. Speaking by phone from a stop on tour, he described his band's desire to uphold the legacy of Aerosmith and Guns N Roses as "basically the whole big fun part of rock 'n' roll. It went through a very dark period whenever Kurt Cobain and Nirvana and those bands came out," he said. "Rock was getting a little too cheesy, and those bands called out the earlier guys. But at one point, before that, it was real."

"Real," for bands such as Hinder, means both blatantly hedonistic and openly emotional. There's no contradiction between the impulse to "be up all night/doing things your dad won't like" -- a lyric from Hinder's new album "Take It to the Limit," out Tuesday -- and the desire to avoid such temptations, which was the subject of "Lips of an Angel," the power ballad that put the band on the map.

"There's a duality," said Howes, whose band will also play an election night concert Tuesday at the Wiltern. "Like 'Lips of an Angel.' It's not about cheating, it's about thinking about cheating. Everybody can relate to that."

A country connection

Thinking about cheating -- that sounds like a country song. The connection between flyover rock and country is often played up in the media and embraced by artists in both genres. "Dark Horse," Nickelback's sixth album (also out Nov. 1, was co-produced by Mutt Lange, famous for catapulting both Def Leppard and his ex-wife Shania Twain to stardom. It closes with "This Afternoon," a drinking song that would fit right in on a Kenny Chesney set.

"I actually grew up listening to country," said Cook. "My mom would drive my brother and I to Little League football games and we'd listen to country radio; I remember always going to this doughnut shop and grabbing doughnuts and listening to George Strait."

Winkler admires country's simple lyrical content. "Country's got some of the best lyrics in the world. They're very easy and simple to understand, they paint a picture for you. It doesn't make you have to think a lot."

For all of the mutual admiration between flyover rockers and country stars, the core connection between country and flyover rock isn't a musical one. It's philosophical. Both genres explore the idea of hedonism as a necessary part of a healthy life -- the eternal wild Saturday night that contrasts with the penitent Sunday morning.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-ca-flyover2-2008nov02,0,204871.story

Thanx for posting Tommy. I really think all of Shania's fans (well at least the majority of us) will show up when she decides to do a new cd and tour again. I've noticed they have (Coty that is) has brought back shania perfume gifts for the holiday season. I wonder how sales will go as Shania is not out promoting it. I guess we will have to wait and see.

Musician Spotlight

Published: Friday, November 7, 2008 at 3:15 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, November 4, 2008 at 10:17 a.m.

Braud: I started playing music in the womb, according to my mom. I grew up listening to my uncle Donnie (Braud), fabulous local drummer, and his band Nightlife. When I moved to Baton Rouge, I was forced to take up piano lessons and then started in the school bands in ele-mentary school. There I was forced to play sax (sax is for losers like Mouton and Ryan though) and after much consternation I finally told the teacher I was getting some drums and forming my own school band. She reluctantly agreed and I have played drums ever since. I played in high school, college and with many big people including, but not limited to, Shania Twain, Keith Urban, Wes Warm Daddy Anderson, Wynton Marsalis and many others.

http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20081107/BIGFUN/811042986/1030/OPINION02?Title=Musician_Spotlight

Recommendation XXXVIII: Shania Twain

My thirty-eighth recommendation is: Shanias Twains I Aint Goin Down from her 2002 Up! album.  Yes, yes, we have gotten to her (for those who didnt know me too well before, youre probably surprised to see her here lol).  Im a pretty big Shania fan, and have been pretty much since Any Man of Mine in the 90s.  She was certainly one of biggest definers of that decade and her music was a big part of my childhood.  Even though shes not really country country, it doesnt really matter to me.  Shania Twains music brought about excitement to the genre that didnt really exist before (though, Ive come to the conclusion, that while I love her music, Im not particularly fond of her imitators music who would arise in later mainstream country music).  She did commit murder on music row, but Im willing to forgive her for it :p (in fact, Ill hand her the hatchet myself, say swing away!, look the other way, because I love her that much and will allow her to get away with it lol).  And Its too bad that her marriage with Mutt Lange didnt work out because I thought they made a good team together.  I hear rumors that Shania will be the surprise performer at this Wednesdays CMA Awards, so I figured Id highlight Ms. Twain for this entry (Im so excited for new music!)  It was tough to select a track for her because most of her songs have been hit radio singles haha, so choosing one from the Up! album was the path to go.

(Man! Im hoping this post isnt too long because I could go on and on)  Anyway, I Aint Goin Down is the 16th track on the incredible Up! album.  As shocked as my purist/traditionalist readers may be, Down is actually very much country: its traditional country with a moderate modern Mutt Lange influence to it (mostly the former, though).  Its full of steel guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and is even a story song, just like all those classic country songs of the past.  The pop Shania fans may not be particularly crazy about this one, though they may like the Red/pop version (I dont think that one works as well, though, since its more suited for country IMO).  So yes, there are two versions (well, three theres a Blue version thats more Asian/Middle-Eastern influenced), but the one you guys gotta hear is the Green/country version.  She even performed I Aint Goin Down live on her DVD special with Alison Krauss & Union Station.  Its one of the most countriest songs shes recorded in recent years, along with 2004s I Aint No Quitter.   The song is about an under-aged teenage girl who had a baby, and all the repercussions that came along with that.  Raising this baby girl is a double-edged sword: her sin has caused her to lose her family/friends and become a single mother at a young age, but the baby is a miracle too, because the blessing that being a parent can be, cant be described (or so I hear).  While Shania didnt have a baby when she was of that same age, as almost everybody knows, she did have to raise her brothers when she was young after a tragic accident killed their parents, so there is a personal connection to the story, in that respect.  Its tough enough to raise kids when youre doing it all by yourself, but as a teenager or young adult, its even harder.  The song is like a tribute to single moms, and seeing as I was raised by one, I can connect to it somewhat.

I remember a girl back at my high school who got pregnant and had her baby later on (I even knew the father).  I remember that she was very intelligent in school and had great grades, so when I learned of this, I was fairly shocked.  It made me think of the song, and I wondered if it really was worth it, but Im sure she doesnt regret it.  People have their life experiences early in life, and she was one of them.  I hope everything is going well for her and child, and that she continues to hold on.  Its not an easy world to live in.  I think Shania did a great job with Down and captured the emotion and the vocal delivery that a song like this needs: its message is filled with hope and optimism for the future, despite difficult circumstances.  Im not encouraging girls to allow themselves to get pregnant (some people just arent fit to be parents, ever, or at that time in their life) because I dont think anybodys ready to become a parent that young.  Give it some time and wait.  The song also reminds me of the film, Juno (great comedy, but portrays the issue well too).

Now to the Up! album.  People may criticize all the exclamation points and silly rhyming songwriting here and there, but I really enjoy this album.  Yeah, its ber pop and Im usually against that, but it totally works here.  Some people call it overproduced and I agree that it is, but whatever.  Sounds good to my ears and I like jamming to the tunes.  I was first introduced to the album through the first single, Im Gonna Getcha Good! and thats still one of my favorite Twain songs, and from there on out, its quite a ride.  My other favorites from the Green/country disc are Nah!, In My Car (Ill Be the Driver), Forever and for Always, Thank You Baby! (For Making Someday Come So Soon, Cest La Vie, It Only Hurts When Im Breathing, and more.  I was converted to love the Red/pop disc when I saw Shania live in concert with the song, What a Way to Wanna Be!.  Some of my other favorites from the pop disc are: Im Jealous, Waiter! Bring Me Water!, When You Kiss Me, Ka-Ching!, and others.  If you arent aware by now, every American copy of the Up! album contains two versions of 19 songs, making it 48 songs really, for the price of one album.  Truly a great deal, if you ask me.  I love how Mutt and Shania made the country disc because you dont usually hear country instruments used in those ways and it makes for a really fun listen and brings about high-energy motivation.  Besides for the Up! album, my favorite music of Twains has gotta be her older stuff, especially with The Woman In Me and Come On Over (seriously, who doesnt have that album?).  I would talk more about those, but this entry is getting too long.  Maybe another time.  Best bet for new Twain fans is to get the Greatest Hits and Up! to get started.

Hopefully, we see Shania on Wednesday night.  Like I mentioned before, Id love for her new album to be bluegrass-rock or something like that, or she could surprise us and make an acoustic/folk album?  Who knows?  Without Mutt, its hard to tell, but Ill definitelty be listening!

Thanks for reading!

http://icfmusic.wordpress.com/2008/11/09/recommendation-xxxviii-shania-twain/

-- Edited by twain2country at 13:51, 2008-11-10

-- Edited by twain2country at 13:52, 2008-11-10

COMMENT: Return of the keitai in Europe?

Tim Green Today, 11:38am

Be first to comment

ME exec ed Tim Green on how Japanese handset manufacturers could be coming back to Europe in a big way.

Cast your mind back to the early years of this decade. N Sync and Shania Twain are blasting out of your CD walkman and youve just given your box-fresh Reeboks a little extra pump.

You take a call on your mobile. But what make is it? Well, pick any brand from over a dozen. Back then, the handset market was crowded to say the least.

In addition to the big five we know today you could choose from NEC, Sharp, Sendo, Siemens, Philips, Panasonic and even Bosch. Yeah, Bosch! Not just for putting shelves up.

Occasionally, other esteemed names from the world of consumer electronics would dip into the space. I remember Toshiba having a go. And Sanyo too, which must have felt the steam was running out of the radiogram market.

Now, of course, its all a bit like Premier League football (sorry to be UK-centric, international readers). Footy in the UK is dominated by the same four teams year in year out, thanks to factors too arcane to go into here (but ask me in a pub and prepare for five hours of bitter ranting).

Similarly, mobile has its apparently immovable top five. Yes, I know Apple, Blackberry and HTC might have something to say about this, but in the feature phone market its a long time since Nokia, LG, Samsung, Motorola and Sony Ericsson had any serious competition.

Well, a source tells me that the Japanese are planning a fresh assault on the Western market in 2009. The alarming collapse in domestic sales of 'keitai', with shipments down nearly 60 per cent in October because of operators charging more for handsets, is apparently causing Japans phone firms to look again at Europe. It makes sense.

Although virtually all markets are saturated, there must be an opportunity given the weakness of Motorola and Sony Ericsson. Then theres Nokia, which is playing a game of chicken with operators over content services.

I remember being at the launch of Vodafone 3G in 2004, and the flagship device was the Sharp 902. Hard to believe now.

But given that operators and not the public are the real customers of handset companies, a little shake-up might well be on the cards. The property crash must have laid waste to the DIY market.

Nows your chance, Bosch.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/32234/COMMENT-Return-of-the-keitai-in-Europe

Deano wrote:

---

That last post says everything about Shania's carear since the early years of the decade. N Sync and CD Walkmans are no more and I fear Shania has gone the same way too sadly. I very much doubt if she will be blasting out of the headphones of the MP3 players of the later years of this decade. Of course she will be playing on my MP3 player and the loyal fans who have waited for years for the new material, but she is yesterdays music to the mainstream now.

-- Edited by Deano at 13:00, 2008-12-19

---

All it takes is one killer lead off single and huge hype by the label and you could be  very wrong.
We won't know until she releasing her first single.
Eitherway, I can promise you that if it is released during  holliday season of 2009 that it will rack up 2 million in 2 months and after that it depends on the songs.
I could see this doing better than UP. Because country radio will play more of her music now.

Deano wrote:

---

EveryBodyLovesKevy wrote:

---

Deano wrote:

---

That last post says everything about Shania's carear since the early years of the decade. N Sync and CD Walkmans are no more and I fear Shania has gone the same way too sadly. I very much doubt if she will be blasting out of the headphones of the MP3 players of the later years of this decade. Of course she will be playing on my MP3 player and the loyal fans who have waited for years for the new material, but she is yesterdays music to the mainstream now.

-- Edited by Deano at 13:00, 2008-12-19

---

All it takes is one killer lead off single and huge hype by the label and you could be  very wrong.
We won't know until she releasing her first single.
Eitherway, I can promise you that if it is released during  holliday season of 2009 that it will rack up 2 million in 2 months and after that it depends on the songs.
I could see this doing better than UP. Because country radio will play more of her music now.

---

Well if it does better than Up! she will have done very well as Up! did outsell alot of other albums worldwide that year. I think we have to accept that she can never match COO ever again, or will anyone else for that matter.

I don't think getting the first single hype going will be a problem as the industry will be hungry for new material. The problem could be her label and management giving up after a few months as they seemed to do with Up! The choice of singles for Up! in the States was poor to say the least as well as releasing concert videos.

I do agree that she needs to exploit any thawing of her frosty relationship with Nashville and try to be more country friendly in North America. Maybe she could try two different albums for the pop and country audiences instead of remixing the same songs.

---

Good points but of course no album will ever again 38 million like COO did.
That was an icon  making album.
It is about reinventing yourself with a fresh sound.
I am sure her  label will promote this album ten times more than with UP. With UP she was coming off the biggest album of alltime by a female and they basically didn't promote it much and it still did well.
Now she is coming off a huge hiatus with a new sound and will have to be re-introduced to the younger public with her music.
Those 30  yearold woman who were big fans of Shania's a while back now have kids who have grown up listening to Shania with their moms.
Shania also has lots of fans who are fans of Taylor Swift and other young stars plus she has her older fanbase who are loyal.
Shania will have to promote this cd much more and show like she really loves the music and her job.
She went through the motions with UP promotion and looked like a robot and lip synched many performances.
I agree also that the Shania and the label could of released tons of songs that would of been  huge hits off of UP. I ain't going down would of been a huge #1 country hit.
I also thought Ka-Ching could of been a huge pop hit in North America.I know it was huge in Europe.
In my car could of been another pop hit.
The promotion and song releases of UP were horrible but alot of that has to do with Shania. She has final say in everything and how much she wants to promote.