country

Having just been added as the opening act for country superstars Sara Evans and Martina McBride, Temecula Road has reached the kind of success many new acts take years to achieve, almost overnight. But that skyrocketing success has seen its consequences for three performers so young.

As her own songwriter, manager and booking agent, vocalist Alaina Blair may be the hardest working artist for the new music generation. Performing at several venues in Temecula through the end of the year, including Lorimar Winery, Miramonte Winery and Public House, Blair is a Southern California native yet a country girl at heart.

On a warm summer’s eve, on a train bound for nowhere, the hero of country music legend Kenny Rogers’ epic musical narrative, “The Gambler,” met a drifter who taught him the meaning of life, at least the way he’d chosen to live, and the rules you had to follow just to get by in the world. For Rogers himself, personal fulfillment is not about knowing when to hold ‘em or fold ‘em or how to make a quick buck. For Rogers, a winning hand is a full house.

After years of paying their dues -playing in bars and clubs five nights a week just trying to get noticed – brothers Tom and Mike Gossin found their muse in Rachel Reinert; a fellow struggling country vocalist on the cusp of the being discovered as the next big thing. Once joining forces, the trio signed with Emblem Music Group and Gloriana was born.

The 13th Annual KFROG Cares Concert, this Monday, April 13th at Pechanga Resort & Casino, brings together three of the country genre’s hottest up-and-coming artists; all to benefit the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital.

Brothers Kanan, Kyle and Kory Cox formed Kanan Road over fifteen years ago, as teenagers, in Palmdale. Together with Rick Rickards on bass and drummer Brandon Scott, Kanan Road has found success opening for such big names as The Band Perry, Scotty McCreery, and Blue Oyster Cult, among others. They can be found headlining at venues all over Southern California, including locally at the Temecula Balloon and Wine Festival and all over wine country.

In 1985, four of the biggest names in country music, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson, joined forces to create one super-group. Calling themselves The Highwaymen, the pioneers of the subgenre called Outlaw Country delighted fans, off and on, for almost a decade.

I know that a lot of you are probably looking for something to do after the kids have finished trick or treating, carving pumpkins and bobbing for apples, so I have compiled a list of some of the adult-centric Halloween activities being scared up around the valley. Here is just a taste of the happy haunting available for the big kids in town.

Country music star Joe Nichols can be called many things: hit-maker, award-winner, entrepreneur, even survivor. But, when asked what it’s like to be a heartthrob, he’s a little hesitant to accept the title.

When the chart-topping raspy-voiced country music star, Gary Allan, prepared to record his ninth studio album, “Set You Free,” he utilized a previously untapped resource; which also happened to be 50% of the population.