Music

Old Dominion is bringing the good vibes with their upcoming tour. 

The five-piece band will set off on the No Bad Vibes Tour this spring, and they’re taking a team of up-and-coming country acts with them.

OD made the announcement during Whiskey Jam, a weekly live music showcase in Nashville, on Monday night. Frank Ray, Kassi Ashton, Shawn Austin and Greylan James were also part of Monday’s lineup, surprising the audience with the news that they will all be joining them on the road as openers.   

The trek begins on January 19 in Evansville, IN and travels through the U.S. and Canada before wrapping on June 30 in Lake Tahoe, NV.

“At the #NoBadVibesTour, we want y’all to feel happy… like you can forget about whatever is bothering you or whatever’s weighing you down. Just come and hangout with us, and escape for a couple hours,” the band shares. “We can’t wait to see you! Hopefully you’ll walk out feeling a little lighter than when you walked in.”

Frank and Kassi will join the band for their U.S. dates, while Shawn, Greylan and Steven Lee Olson will be the opening acts for the shows in Canada. 

Tickets go on sale on October 28 at 10 a.m. Visit OD’s website for a full list of dates. 

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Ava Max angered her fans when she announced a delay in her forthcoming album, Diamonds & Dancefloors.  The album was set to arrive October 14, but the release date has since been pushed to late January.

Taking to TikTok, the singer addressed fans about why they have to wait a little longer to hear her sophomore album. She confirmed the effort was leaked online.

“I wanted to come on here personally and talk about all the leaks that have been happening [with] Diamonds & Dancefloors.  I am extremely upset about it, obviously,” Ava began. As the video went on, it became apparent just how deeply the leaks have affected her.

She continued, “I don’t want anyone thinking I am trying to avoid this or anything. I see what is happening. I, personally, haven’t seen the leaks or where they’re coming from online.”

Ava also explained she has no idea how people are coming across her unreleased album and noted, “I just know that it’s out there and — I don’t know… My team and I are trying our hardest to bring it down. We’ve all worked so hard on Diamonds & Dancefloors and I can’t wait for everyone to hear every single song on the album.”

The singer started becoming emotional, and her voice broke as she signed off by telling her fans how “grateful” she is to have them. “I just wanted you to hear it from me that it is upsetting,” she sighed before ending the recording.

Fans have flooded the comment section with words of encouragement and understanding.

Diamonds & Dancefloors — the follow-up to Ava’s debut and RIAA-certified Platinum album, Heaven & Hell — is now set to arrive January 27. Fans can presave the forthcoming effort now.

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Imagine Dragons‘ Latin American tour, which was to have begun Tuesday night in Colombia, has been postponed while singer Dan Reynolds recovers from some health issues.

On the band’s socials, they wrote, “In our 12 years as a band, we’ve never had to cancel a tour (and could count the number of shows on one hand). We hope you guys know how hard it is for us to postpone these dates, and we plan to make it up to you soon.”

The message goes on to explain that Reynolds has been “struggling with hemorrhaged vocal cords and a [vocal cord] nodule” and has been told by a doctor that if he continues to sing, he could “irreparably harm his voice.”  He’s also “unexpectedly” sprained his knee and must wear a brace and undergo rehab.

“We just can’t give you the show you deserve right now,” the band concludes.  They apologize for ruining those who’d made travel plans to see them, and assure fans that refunds will be available for those who can’t attend the rescheduled dates, whenever they’re announced.

Imagine Dragon’s final show of 2022 was to have taken place November 4 in Mexico.

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Taylor Swift continues to info drip on her new album Midnights, choosing her boyfriend Joe Alwyn‘s hometown as the location of her next lyric reveal.

At midnight, a billboard in London, England lit up with the lyric: “I polish up real nice.”  It follows her previous lyric reveal, “I should not be left to my own devices.”  It’s not clear which song or songs these lyrics are from, but they could be from the first single, “Anti-Hero,” given that Taylor has said it’s about her own insecurities.

The lyric reveal is part of Taylor’s partnership with Spotify; on the app’s mobile version, she’s also revealed the second thing that she says “kept her up at night” and helped inspire the album: “Fantasizing about revenge.” We can all probably think of a few folks she’d like to take revenge on. 

The first thing Taylor revealed kept her up at night was “self-loathing.”

Meanwhile, E! reports that Taylor’s official U.K. website revealed that anyone who pre-orders Midnights will receive a pre-sale access code “for forthcoming and yet to be announced Taylor Swift show dates.” 

It’s been a minute since Taylor’s headlined a show in the U.K. She was scheduled to headline the 2020 edition of the country’s most prestigious festival, Glastonbury, but it was, of course, canceled due to the pandemic. This past July, she made a one-off appearance at a London concert by her pals HAIM.

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Jimmie Allen is a bowling champion. 

The country singer teamed up with pro bowler Sean Rash at the Jimmie Allen PBA Challenge, and the two came out victorious. The tournament paired celebrities with professional bowlers, with Nelly and comedian Hannibal Buress also taking part.

Jimmie and Sean bested Hannibal and partner Ronnie Russell with a score of 195 before defeating Terrell Owens and AJ Johnson 177 to 173, giving them the win.

“CHAMPS!!! My guy @sean_rash had my back and was the reason we got the win!!!” Jimmie shared on Instagram alongside a photo of the two holding their trophies, which display a silver guitar and bowling ball. “Thanks so much to all the Celebs, @pbatour and the fans that came out!!”

Jimmie also performed his song “Be Alright,” the lead track on his new album, Tulip Drive, which he had inscribed on his jersey, at the inaugural event.

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R&B diva Ciara is broadening her musical horizons with a new country song.

She teamed up with singer Walker Hayes on “Y’all Life” and says a country record is something she’s long wanted to achieve. 

“I’ve always dreamt of doing something in country and working with a country artist, so it’s just surreal,” Ciara said during a recent appearance with Hayes on The Kelleigh Bannen Show on Apple Music Country. 

On whether the collaboration was unlikely, she said, “No, because, this is from my perspective, just my thoughts and my love for and my appreciation for the country community and culture. So this is like a dream come true.”

During a filming of Dick Clark’s Rocking Eve the duo noticed one another and realized a collaboration was possible. “So I texted her and was like, ‘Here’s “Y’all Life.” What do you think?’ And she sent me a voice text back and was like, ‘Y’all Life. Y’all Life.’ She was into it,” Hayes said.

After nearly two decades of producing award-winning music, Ciara said that the opportunity to break into the country genre is one she’s particularly proud of. 

“I said the other day, I was like, ‘This is one of the coolest things I feel I’ve ever done in my career.'” She added, “In all of my years, to be in this setting, and to have a collaboration like this, is pretty special for me. So it’s such a blessing to be having moments like this.”

Ciara and Hayes recently performed the song at the Country Music Television Artist of the Year 2022 event.

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Josh Groban is teaming up with Josh Cellars wine for “Joshgiving,” which encourages people named Josh — and everyone else — to give back to the people and communities that enrich their lives with meaningful acts of thanks. Josh is actually a longtime fan of Josh Cellars, and not just because they share a name.

“It started many, many years ago because somebody at a restaurant said, ‘Hey, that’s your name, we should order a bottle of that,'” Josh recalls. “And I was like, ‘Well, that is quite delicious.’ And I’ve been drinking it ever since.”

Josh’s act of thanks is supporting the arts charity Sing for Hope, to which Josh Cellars has donated $100,000.  Among its other programs, Sing for Hope refurbishes old pianos and places them in cities worldwide so people can play them.

“It’s a great opportunity to put an instrument in the hands of a lot of people who wouldn’t normally be able to have the exposure to that,” Josh explains. He notes that being introduced to the piano at age 13 — as well as having access to arts education — is the reason “why I’m here today.”

Starting now, you can post your own act of gratitude using #Joshgiving; three fan-submitted charities will receive a donation from the wine brand.

Teaming up with a wine brand is very on brand for Josh, a longtime wine drinker and connoisseur — although he waits until after a show to enjoy a glass while touring.

“I never drink before a show. I know some people that like to have a little glass of wine or two — or seven,” he laughs. “I save my glass for afterwards on the tour bus when we can all high five and watch a dumb comedy and just laugh about the show.” 

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Thomas Rhett and Riley Green have written many songs together, but their current hit, “Half of Me,” isn’t one of them. Still, Riley is grateful to be part of it. 

The two met years ago on a duck hunting trip and hit it off — so much so they pulled an all-nighter writing songs together. Although they didn’t write “Half of Me” together, Thomas turned it into a duet with his country music peer and friend.   

“I took him duck hunting one year and we stayed up all night writing songs and then [he] ended up cutting one that we didn’t write. But very nice of him to let me be a part of it,” Riley says. “It’s such a great song, hit song. It’s been really fun to see crowds really react to it week by week.” 

Despite performing it in front of their respective audiences on tour, the singers have only performed “Half of Me” together live one time — at the CMT Music Awards in April. Riley is hoping they’ll have another opportunity to perform it as it continues to climb up the charts.

“We need to get together and do it again now that it’s in the top 10. It’s becoming a hit and it’s just obvious that people are really liking it,” he says. “So we need to get together and recreate that.” 

“Half of Me” is featured on Thomas’ latest album, Where We Started. 

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