Paisley for Connacht Country Concert

IT is a rarity for a chart-topping US new Country artist to play in Connacht, but Brad Paisley is bucking the trend. He has just departed the number one slot in the American Country charts for the 18th time, this time with Old Alabama, and having sold out his only Dublin concert in August, Brad has added a Castlebar date to his tour this side of the Atlantic. Saturday August 20 is the Country star's date with destiny in the West at the Royal Theatre Castlebar and tickets went on sale last week Brad Paisley is a consummate singer, songwriter, guitarist and entertainer who has earned three Grammy Awards, 14 Country Music Association Awards and 13 Academy of Country Music Awards. He has 18 number one singles and has released nine critically acclaimed studio albums, many of them being multi-million sellers in the US. Since the late 1990s Brad has been having chart hits in the USA, and in an interview with The Tuam Herald as far back as August 2000, he expressed a wish to tour over here. This was only a few years after the phenomenal success of Garth Brooks here and many Country promoters, and record companies, thought that other acts, similar to Garth, could emulate his success this side of the Atlantic. So far this hasn't happened. Perhaps Brad will be the next one to make the breakthrough? Back when he was interviewed for The Tuam Herald, backstage at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry, he said that he had already sung at a show in Dublin, with several other Country acts but his ambition was to do concerts on his own over here. Now this is due to happen both in Dublin and Castlebar. Last year Brad played before a staggering 879,000 fans at concerts across North America. This placed him as the number one Country attraction for touring according to figures compiled by the music industry's Pollstar publication. His most recent album Hits Alive is a two disc release of original studio hits as well as live performances from concerts and this is a follow-up to his best selling CD This is Country Music which was a chart topper in the US and is also on sale here now. His style of Country is hard-driving, lead guitar led sounds, but while there is a Rock edge to his songs, the lyrics are very traditional Country in their themes. An accomplished musician himself, his guitar playing skills are also a highlight of his live shows and he has not compromised his Country roots for commercial success, but has achieved that success in the States while still staying Country. His Hits Alive is a collection that casts the spotlight on his creative skills both as a singer and songwriter. Brad writes or co-writes many of his songs and they vary in themes from the dark drama of Whiskey Lullaby to the soul-stirring power of When I Get To Where I'm Going to the barroom bravado of Ticks. Another album in recent years by Brad, titled Mud on the Tyres, has also gained critical acclaim as well as commercial success for him outside the Country field in America. His music has covered a wide spectrum of territory during his first decade, and with the release of This Is Country Music, last April, he re-emphasised his intention to promote Traditional Country themes in his songs, irrespective of whether it was cool or not. 'I'm really proud of Country music in general and being a part of it, and being some part of its history now because I'm a fan of its history,' says Brad. In an interview situation he comes across as a caring person and as he started to climb the dizzy heights of success, over a decade ago, he was more than willing to devote time from his already crowded schedule to talk to this Irish newspaper. Now, as he has consolidated his success in his homeland the time is obviously right for Brad to try and spread his musical wings to this side of the Atlantic. 'To have had ten years of hit songs and to be able to put out an album such as the Hits Alive one, where we chronicle our type of music, and to have so many of these songs live is a really proud moment for me,' says Brad, who is married to actress Kimberly Williams. Whether poignantly exploring fatherhood with Anything Like Me, spotlighting the world's technological and social progress on Welcome to the Future, or spanning musical topics from the light-hearted to the most serious, Brad personifies both Country's best-loved traditions and its bright future. Country music observers in the US say that he has an unparalleled work ethic and a wicked sense of humour. All this, as well as his talent as a songwriter, singer and guitarist, has propelled Brad from a small town in West Virginia to the top of the Country charts, and to the 2010 CMA Awards, where he picked up the Entertainer of the Year trophy. Since debuting in 1999 with his Platinum-selling album, Who Needs Pictures, he has sold over 12 million albums. Tickets for his Castlebar concert are priced at €35.60 (standing) or €37.60 (seated) are available from www.ticketmaster.ie as well as from The Royal Box Office on 0818 300 000. â€â€ TG