Tuesday – Justin Moore – 8:30 p.m.
When Justin Moore found himself homesick and missing his mother’s Southern cooking after moving to Nashville several years ago to pursue his musical dream, he was inspired to write “Small Town USA,” an ode to the spirit and simplicity of small-town life. “A lot of people called it prison when I was growin’ up/But these are my roots and this is what I love,” sings Justin about Poyen, Ark.
Justin knew he had to record the song because it succinctly captured the upbringing that shaped him both as an artist and as a man, but he wasn’t sure if the autobiographical song would speak to those from different backgrounds. “Thank God I was wrong,” he says. The fast-rising song has become a Top 15 hit and established Justin as one of 2009’s break-out country artists.
“I grew up on old-school country and I also played in a Southern rock band,” says Justin, who wrote nine of the 10 songs on his debut project. “If Alabama and Lynyrd Skynyrd made one band, this is the way it would be. Lyrically it’s pretty old-school country and melodically it’s a little more Southern rock edge.”
“Backwoods”, “How I Got to Be This Way,” “The Only Place That I Call Home” and “Good Ole American Way” extol the virtues of a simple life, while “Like There’s No Tomorrow” is a sap-free love song with a Southern rock kick.
Wednesday – Love and Theft – 8:30 p.m.
Whether headlining or opening, Love and Theft has swept away audiences with their soaring harmonies and on-stage charisma. Fans have stood in line for up to three hours after the show for a chance to meet the band and get an autograph. As those fans have bought their debut album, World Wide Open, and driven their breakthrough single, “Runaway,” up the charts, the milestones have followed.
“Runaway” was 2009’s highest-charting debut single, quickly hitting the Top 10 on both the Billboard and Mediabase country charts. It also had the year’s highest first-week digital track sales for any debut country artist, scanning 19,000 paid downloads in the first six days of release. The single helped drive World Wide Open into the Top 10 on the Nielsen Soundscan Country Top 75 chart.
The group appeared on both the Today Show and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, made its debut on the Grand Ole Opry, and was tapped to host the CMA Awards pre-telecast.
Thursday – JoDee Messina - 8:30 p.m.
The irrepressible spirit of country music has been in Jo Dee’s DNA since her childhood in Holliston, Massachusetts. She was first attracted to country in the music of Alabama and Hank Jr. as well as Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire. She appeared in local plays and musicals as a girl, and by 16 she had a band that included her sister on bass and her brother on drums. She performed in clubs throughout the Northeast, booking shows and hauling gear, with a work ethic she inherited from her single-parent mother.
At 19, she loaded a car and headed to Nashville, where she entered talent contests and got a regular gig on Nashville’s “Live at Libby’s” radio show. Producer Byron Gallimore heard her and introduced her to another struggling newcomer named Tim McGraw. Jo Dee was singed, then dropped, by one major label before, at a backstage meeting at Fan fair, she met and charmed a Curb Records executive and got a record deal on the spot.
With Gallimore and McGraw producing, Jo Dee gained attention out of the box with “Heads Carolina, Tails California” and “You’re Not in Kansas Anymore.” Her follow-up album, “I’m Alright,” exploded with it’s back-to-back-to-back chart toppers, “Bye Bye”, “I’m Alright” and “Stand Beside Me” made her a star. The Burn album entered the Country Albums chart at #1, went platinum and earned to Grammy nominations. Hits like “Lesson in Leavin’,” “Because You Love Me,” “Downtime,” “Bring on the Rain,” “That’s the Way” and “My GIve A Damn’s Busted” would cement her reputation as one of the country’s most loved and enduing hit-makers. Along the way, Jo Dee earned a well-deserved reputation as an electric live performer, becoming one fo the first women of country to mount a major headlining tour.
Friday – George Jones - 8:30 p.m.
Whether the times have favored honky tonk songs or lushly produced “pop” offerings, George Jones has continued to make his brand of country music, which has produced hits in every decade of the second half of the 20th century.In fact, Jones has had more charted singles than any other artist in any format in the history of popular music.
George Jones first hit the charts in the 1950s with hits like “Why Baby Why” and “White Lighting.” Hits to follow in the 60s included “Tender Years,” “She Thinks I Still Care,” and “Walk Through This World With Me.”
Famous duets with wife, Tammy Wynett,e included “We’re Gonna Hold On,” “Golden Ring,” and “Near You.”
Jones kicked off the 1980s with one of the all-time great country records, “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” which won him Single of the Year honors from the CMA in 1980 and again in 1981. He won virtually every award available for that song including a Grammy and the song remained #1 for 18 weeks.
Tina and Lena at the Fairlane Building – Times to be announced
Saturday – Hinder – 8:30 p.m.
Combining raw riffs with big hooks and vocal harmonies, Hinder take their cues from rock legends like Aerosmith, AC/DC, KISS, and Guns N’ Roses, and update them with modern guitar sounds. Their triple platinum debut Extreme Behavior documented the decadence and strained relationships of these retro rock juggernauts, whose subsequent cover of Steppenwolf’s “Born To Be Wild” for NASCAR last year was a natural extension of their lives on the road.
“One of the things that I think is cool is that we really put our lives and what we’re going through into our music,” states King. “I think that’s why people relate to a lot of our songs so well.”
Once they were signed, Hinder played anywhere and everywhere, from a crowded houseboat to a small club with a faulty sprinkler system that could have gotten them electrocuted. But they slugged it out for a year and a half before shattering the mainstream music barrier. Thanks to hard work, steady touring, and strong video airplay for their balladeering ode to infidelitous intentions, the crowd-pleasing “Lips Of An Angel,” which gets arena audiences singing along, they eventually sold three million copies of Extreme Behavior.
A new tune destined to become a crowd-pleaser is the arena-ready title track for the new album, which features a guitar solo from Mötley Crüe axeman Mick Mars. The members of Hinder were ecstatic to receive him. “Mick Mars was all for working with us, and being huge Mötley Crüe fans we jumped at the opportunity,” enthuses Winkler. “We took the song to him, and he killed it! He heard the final version and said, ’It was a beautiful thing.’
Tina and Lena at the Fairlane Building – Times to be announced
Sunday – Demo Derby 4:00 p.m.
Other Entertainment:
Kachunga – Rodeo Square
The “Kachunga & The Alligator Show” is an action packed, family oriented show, featuring the American Alligator. This informative and humorous presentation is owned and operated by Florida based corporation, Wildlife Entertainment and Education.
Once Kachunga successfully captures the alligator using only his bare hands, he gently lifts the two hundred and fifty pound reptile up and out of its watery domain and gently places him onto the deck area for the next portion of the show. From here the audience receives an up close and personal lesson in alligator anatomy as various features of the animal such as the eyes, ears and nose are pointed out, ending with a rare look inside the alligator’s mouth as Kachunga opens it wide for all to see. Attention now shifts to some unsuspecting child chosen to help with final segment of the show. With Kachunga holding the alligator in place, the emcee adds an unforgettable highlight to the show as he interviews his new guest. Although an irresistible target for the emcee, the child gets a chance of a lifetime as he interacts with Kachunga, the emcee and the alligator.
Tina and Lena – Fairlane Building Friday & Saturday
25 years is an exciting landmark for Tina and Lena…the popular comedy and singing duo from Minnesota. These two witty, wild and wonderful women will pull out the stops with the best of the best jokes and most favorite songs as they sing and play their way through 2010.
Tina and Lena don’t have the silver hair…yet 25 years of laugh lines and loving each audience adds up to heartfelt thanks and adoration for all their fans.
If you’ve seen them before…you know the best of the old could be new to you!
“Tina and Lena,” two of the funniest, zaniest ladies you’ll ever meet, are in the full-time business of making people laugh out loud. Their engaging variety show is a rich blend of clever to cornball comedy, musical harmony and spirited antics …a celebration of the audience that goes full blast in high gear from start to finish. Born in 1984, “Tina and Lena’s” fame has spread widely across the U.S.A. These lively ladies are perennial favorites at corporate outings, state and national conventions, fairs, festivals and performing arts theatres. They’re coming to our town. They’re coming to our event! Come join the fun with “Tina and Lena.”
Caution: The hilarity of “Tina and Lena” may cause you to snort or shed tears of laughter.
James Wedgewood, Ventriloquist – Fairlane Building Wednesday & Thursday
James Wedgewood’s show is simply “The Most Fun You Can Have Without Moving Your Lips!
James uses amazing comic ventriloquism, outrageous characters, and hilarious audience participation to bring truly memorable entertainment to the fair.
