ELI YOUNG BAND HEADLINES SIRIUSXM AND PANDORA SALUTES THE UNIFORM STUDIO SESSION AIRING TODAY, MAY 15

Eli Young Band headlines SiriusXM and Pandora Salutes the Uniform Session, a special full-band performance and conversation with SiriusXM host Ashley Till. The special, recorded live at SiriusXM’s Nashville studios, is airing across SiriusXM’s Y2Kountry channel and Pandora’s Music City station starting today, May 15 at 11am ET with replays throughout the weekend. Presented by Navy Federal Credit Union and part of Military Appreciation Month, 30 active-duty servicemembers joined the special taping earlier this month at SiriusXM studios in Nashville.
 
Life At Best, the band’s third studio album, also celebrates its 15th anniversary today with a limited edition vinyl, available for purchase now, alongside a digital release on all streaming platforms. Life At Best (15 Years Deluxe) is available HERE.
 
Featuring No. 1 singles such as 5x Platinum and CMA Song of the Year “Crazy Girl” and 3x Platinum “Even If It Breaks Your Heart,” Life At Best was a career-defining album that cemented the band’s longevity in country music. The new release expands on the original album, adding demos and alternate versions that have never before been released in physical format.
 
The Texas country-rockers also recently celebrated 25+ years of being a band, releasing a short-form documentary titled “This Is Eli Young Band.” Watch the 26-minute YouTube film Below.

Eli Young Band launched a new era with their latest album Strange Hours, available now. As the band’s first independently released album via UnLevel Records, Strange Hours comprises 13 songs, all co-written as a band or with long-trusted collaborators, and introduces a new chapter driven by experience and a million miles of wisdom, from a band of brothers who grew from hometown heroes into globe-trotting, chart-topping pioneers still very much in their prime. Eric Arjes and Jimmy Robbins produced 12 of the 13 tracks, while “Bad Luck” was produced by Julian Raymond and Scott Borchetta.
 
Seeking both a fresh start and a return to their roots with this project, the never-changing lineup of Mike Eli, James Young, Jon Jones and Chris Thompson sought out Panhandle House Studio in their hometown of Denton, Texas – the birthplace of the college friends-turned-bandmates’ 2005 debut album Level, which spawned fan-favorites such as “Small Town Kid” and set the stage for the numerous hits that have followed in the 20 years since.
 
With their Strange Hours Tour underway, the band has tour dates through the fall on sale now. For tickets and additional information, visit EliYoungBand.com.

Eli Young Band Upcoming Tour Dates
 
May 15            Brewster Street Ice House || Corpus Christi, TX
May 16            Mo’s Place || Katy, TX
May 21            Kansas City Live! || Kansas City, MO
May 22            Lazy Gators || Lake Ozark, MO
May 23            Castle Ridge Event Center || Centralia, IL
May 24            Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel || Murphy, NC
May 29            The Refinery || Charleston, SC
May 30            The Coves Amphitheater || Union Hall, VA
June 5              Surf Ballroom || Clear Lake, IA
June 6              Chingawassa Days || Marion, KS
June 10            The Pub Station || Billings, MT
June 12            Roadhouse at the Mill || Emmett, ID
June 13            The Old Saloon || Emigrant, MT
June 19            Enable Utah || Ogden, UT
June 20            Gruner Brothers Brewing || Casper, WY
June 24            Robins Theatre || Warren, OH
June 26            Westfield River Brewing Company || Southwick, MA
June 27            The Stephen Talkhouse || Amagansett, NY
June 28            The Cabot || Beverly, MA
June 30            Main Street Crossing (Mike Eli Acoustic) || Tomball, TX
July 25            Nashville Nights (Mike Eli Acoustic) || Lahaina, HI
Aug. 14           Umatilla County Fair || Hermiston, OR
Aug. 15           Red Truck Brewery || Vancouver, CAN
Aug. 27           Latitude 39 || Truckee, CA
Oct. 1              Quarry Park Amphitheater || Rocklin, CA
Oct. 10            Nite Lite || Alva, OK
Feb. 7-Feb. 11 Boots On The Water || Miami, FL

KENNY CHESNEY TAKES OVER FLORA-BAMA’S DOME TO CELEBRATE 10 YEARS OF NO SHOES RADIO ON SIRIUSXM

Orders from Waffle House were arriving curbside before 6 a.m. as No Shoes Nation lined up, hoping to just get inside the sprawling Flora-Bama Lounge, Package Store & Oyster Bar. While only 388 would cram into the Dome with decades of bras hanging from the ceiling, even proximity to Kenny Chesney’s freewheeling romp across ten years of No Shoes Radio on SiriusXM was enough to draw hundreds of people before daybreak.

By the time the East Tennessee songwriter/superstar took the stage with a 1, 2 sweep of “Get Along” and anthemic “Flora-Bama,” the crowd was singing as loud as the band – and a clearly emotional Chesney announced, “thank you is a word you’re going to hear a lot,” it was clear this set was going to distill all the joy, all the freedom and all the revelry that has defined No Shoes Nation, “a concertgoing community rivaled perhaps only by Parrotheads and Deadheads” according to Variety.

With a summer residency at Sphere in Vegas, FloraBama was the moment where Chesney could have fun with the music, veer from the set list – “The Good Stuff” after asking for the key, a forgotten, but obvious “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems” and a lost-in-it version of George Strait’s “Carried Away” – and also dial up the sing-alongs, the positive energy and life affirming truths with the rarely played “Guitars and Tiki Bars,” Chris Stapleton’s “Never Wanted Nothing More” and the put it aside make the moment “Save It For A Rainy Day.”

By the time a particularly robust “When The Sun Goes Down” was headed to the final verse, bombshell writer/superstar-in-the-making Megan Moroney rolled onstage in a grey No Shoes Nation “corset,” and picked up the chorus. After telling the live audience and everyone listening on SiriusXM Channel 59 the story of their friendship, mutual admiration and adventures, Rosie & The Revival swooped into Moroney’s “You Had To Be There.”

Announcing Megan had just joined the band, the pair shared the smoky “You & Tequila,” a song of knowing better and somehow giving in. That ability to make intimacy massive had defined earlier performances of “Island Boy,” sent out to Boat Captain Ben in Maine, a surging “When I See This Bar” dedicated to FloraBama pirate/poet Jimmy Lewis, and a jubilant “Three Little Birds” for good friend Ziggy Marley and the entire Marley family that led into the tropical “Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven” that felt like personal witness.

“Some days, the songs are just bigger than you are, and they take you where they and the people want to be,” Chesney said of the show. “It was so alive, so free and we were all so glad to be together playing, being with the people, that energy took over everything. Whether it was up tempo or thoughtful, talking or laughing, it reminds me why music is the most powerful force to bring us together.”

Indeed, the turbo-shanty “Pirate Flag” came with all the swagger and bravado required; right down to a woman dressed in full wench regalia in the sweltering crowd. For a band built to rock, they kicked things into another gear. But “American Kids,” which closed the 90 minutes, delivered the loudest, biggest cheers and rush of what a great band can do.

“It’s crazy: people more on fire at the end than the beginning,” Chesney marveled. “When we hit that intro, you could feel the energy double and slam right into us. Talk about a wild ride! It’s the exact reason we do this, and the reason we can’t get to Vegas soon enough.

“I’ve lived a lot of life on No Shoes Radio. I am so grateful to SiriusXM for taking what we do and amplifying it all over the world. A whole lot has happened over the last ten years, and because of them, we’ve been able to live it with everyone who loves these songs.”

Photo Credit: Allister Ann

Mandy Barnett Arrives at Willie's Roadhouse Sunday 10/5

Long hailed as one of country music’s most versatile and soulful voices, Grand Ole Opry member Mandy Barnett brings her timeless artistry and exhaustive music knowledge to SiriusXM. Beginning Oct. 5, Barnett will host “Sundays with Mandy” on Willie’s Roadhouse (Channel 61), taking over the weekly show that became must hear country classic programming from her dear friend and mentor Jeannie Seely.
 
With over 700 Grand Ole Opry performances, originating the role with more than 200 appearances playing Patsy Cline in the beloved juke box musical “Always…Patsy Cline” at the Ryman Auditorium, Barnett demonstrated her allegiance to classic country since signing her first record deal at 12. Her collaborations with Country Music Hall of Fame legends Owen Bradley, Harold Bradley, and members of the Nashville A-Team makes Barnett one of the rare artists who bridges classic country, torch songs and American popular standards with effortless authenticity.
 
“Country music has always been about heart, history and real voices,” Barnett explains. “The women and men who made this era of music carried so much soul, I’m thrilled to share their songs and stories every Sunday with Willie’s Roadhouse listeners. This music is my home.”
 
Hailed by Rolling Stone, Village Voice, USA Today, Variety, People and Playboy, Barnett builds on a legacy that honors Cline, Tammy Wynette and Brenda Lee while making her own indelible mark. The New York Times wrote, “Ms. Barnett had the vocal finesse: the husky dives, the controlled slides and the timing . . . Surrounded by showboating, she made understatement persuasive,” Los Angeles Times hailed her “Pipes of steel,” while Playboy heralded her, “preternatural interpretive gifts” and American Songwriter deemed her “the Judy Garland of our time.”
 
“There is so much more to this era than people realize,” Barnett offers. “It was made by dynamic men and women, the producers, songwriters and musicians as much as the artists – and I want to bring all of what made these records to life every week. These are big pumps to step into, but I feel a little bit like Seely’s gonna be here with me, so we’re gonna have a ball and play some great music.”
 
Known for her eclectic repertoire, Barnett’s reach connects beyond the genre to connect the roots to larger rooms. Having been signed by Seymour Stein, produced by Ahmet Ertegun and Arif Mardin, her musicality transcends genres. As legendary American Songbook ambassador Michael Feinstein declares, “Few singers have the gifts inhabiting the soul of Mandy Barnett. Her blessed voice connects to the truth of every note she sings.”
 
For “Sundays with Mandy,” savor a fascinating afternoon with a doyenne who knew plenty of icons, absorbing their love and humor. Expect generous amounts of history and insight into what makes both the classics and obscurities so timeless, while remembering the magic music makes.
 
“Sundays with Mandy” will air live every Sunday from 12pm to 4pm ET/11am to 3pm CT on SiriusXM Willie’s Roadhouse (Channel 61).

Photo Credit Erik Rock