She's Country? What?

If y’all have read my bio, you know that I’m from Kentucky-West Virginia. And I really don’t like it. There’s little to do here, mullets, pickup trucks, and rebel flags run wild, and almost everyone has an accent. But there’s also pride. An unfathomable amount of pride. 

And there’s also country music. 

For the longest time I was like, 88% anti-country music. Or at least I tried to be. I was a music snob, and I’m not proud of that. I should know better, really, because having Hanson as your favorite band doesn’t garner a ton of respect. (EVEN THOUGH IT SHOULD PLEASE DON’T GET ME STARTED. That could be an entirely different post...) But I just attended a country concert. Willingly. I even purchased a VIP upgrade. WHO AM I?

The We’re Not Invisible Tour kicked off this past weekend and featured Danielle Bradbery, Dan + Shay, and Hunter Hayes. And it was awesome. Like most of our concert experiences, we went all out; Tay, Amber, and Ashley drove 5+ hours from Indy, and Stephanie made the 15+ hour trek from Minnesnowta. 

Let’s start with little Danielle. 

We missed the very first part of her set because we thought we had time to do a merch run. We were wrong, and we ended up frantically running back to our seats. Super fun to do in boots, not. Anyway, homegirl can SANG. Like, I don’t know where that voice even comes from. I wasn’t familiar with many of her songs but it didn’t even matter. She could sing the phonebook and I would listen intently. See for yourself:

Now about Hunter...

What a little firecracker! Within the first two songs he had switched guitars multiple times, had been through the crowd, onto a b-stage, and back to the main stage. So much energy from such a little guy. And like, is there any instrument he can’t play?! During the show he was on guitar, piano, and drums. He’s crazy-talented. Probably my favorite part of his set was when he covered OneRepublic’s “Counting Stars.” He killed it. I cannot get over how humble and appreciative he was. I lost track of how many times he told us that this tour was his dream come true. I cannot wait to get his new album, "Storyline" when it comes out in May. I'm going to post a video of him and Danielle singing "I Want Crazy" but keep an eye out here for our vlog with concert footage. :)

Oh Dan + Shay...

Dan + Shay were the first to go on stage and they were hands down my favorite part of the night. I take that back, the VIP Meet & Greet with them before the show was my favorite part. You might be asking yourself, “Why in this world would she have paid to meet this country duo if she doesn’t even like country?!” Well it all started when I saw Amber and Justin Richards (from A Rocket to the Moon and Brighten) liking the same posts on Instagram. (Don’t you dare judge me, you know you creep that page too.) I looked them up and quickly realized that I was SO into it. Fast-forward to last weekend to Amber, Ashley and I in a little room with maybe 15 other fans that was dubbed #theTent. They did two (and a half) acoustic songs, answered some questions (Dan’s favorite Hanson is Taylor, and he likes the Underneath album), and took some pictures. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet several of my favorite musicians and I’ll just tell you, these guys might have been the sweetest. 

(P.S. their debut album comes out on April 1st and you can preorder it here with lots of songs available for immediate download and you'd be crazy not to.)

This concert made me seriously think about my taste in music and in retrospect, there have been several albums and musicians that I have loved that have blurred the lines of genres. There was always a part of me that enjoyed the likes of Taylor Swift, and I can’t not to mention the numerous folksy bands that dangerously bordered the dreaded “country” label. 

                                So here’s a quick little list of the ones that immediately popped into my head.  

(Click the album covers to buy 'em if you want)

T. Swifty. Can someone please show me another more successful crossover artist? No? Didn’t think so. I still listen to her “Red” album as much as I did when it first came out, if not more. In my opinion it’s the perfect blend of pop and country. She really hit the nail on the head with this one. There's a vlog of our Red Tour experiences over on our Youtube channel, if you're interested. :)

The Wild Feathers 

I remember when I sent a link to my friends of “The Ceiling” they were shocked that I liked it, because it was so country. Nearly two years later and I can’t imagine not having that song in my life. Theirs is one of those albums that couldn’t come out quick enough. And they didn’t disappoint. 

Sundy Best

Had to include these guys because they’re Kentucky boys! They’re from two counties over from where I live and I love that. Guess I got a little bit of that pride in me too. :)

Wild & Free

A Rocket To The Moon

Rocket’s last album (sob) most definitely puts off a country vibe and maybe that’s why I was so obsessed with it. For real though, check out "Ever Enough" "You're My Song" and the title track, "Wild & Free." You won't regret it. 

Maybe I’m finally realizing that I can’t escape my roots and maybe I’m finally okay with that. I mean, I’m not about to get a “She’s Country” decal for my truck (I don't have a truck...) but I’m not gonna be ashamed to like country music anymore. 

pssssst:  i guess even the paparazzi can find you in KY/WVa ;)