EVENT PREVIEW
Shaky Boots Music Festival
When: May 16-17; noon-11 p.m. each day. To see the lineup for each day, go to the AJC Music Scene blog at http://music.blog.ajc.com.
Where: KSU Sports and Entertainment Park, 3000 George W. Busbee Parkway, Kennesaw.
Tickets: $95 (single-day general admission); $185 (two-day general admission); $350 (single-day VIP); $499 (two-day advance VIP). Children under 8 are free with a paying adult (no more than two kids per adult). It is highly recommended not to bring children under 8 years of age.
Box office: The Shaky Boots box office will be located at KSU Stadium Box Office, 3200 George W. Busbee Parkway.
Transportation: Parking passes can be purchased in advance at www.ticketalternative.com ($15-$30 single day, $20-$45 two-day). Some lots are within walking distance; others have shuttle pickup. Handicapped parking is available in all lots and shuttles are handicapped accessible.
There's an app for that: A Shaky Boots one with schedules and maps and other helpful tidbits. Available for Androids and iPhones.
Info: 1-800-745-3000, www.shakyboots.com.
Most music fans know Brad Paisley as the guitar-slinging hit machine behind 19 No. 1 hits.
The gregarious Paisley, 42, has also scored more than a few fans thanks to his annual hosting gig with Carrie Underwood on the Country Music Association Awards.
Recently, he honed his comedy chops by doing an almost 10-minute set of stand-up at the Wild West Comedy Festival in Nashville, Tenn.
But this weekend, the guy behind such classic-yet-fresh country hits as “I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin’ Song),” “Ticks,” “Remind Me” and the recent “Perfect Storm,” will headline the Sunday lineup of the maiden voyage of the Shaky Boots Music Festival (he’ll take the Peachtree Stage from 9-11 p.m.).
The friendly and forthcoming singer-songwriter-guitarist checked in recently from his studio in Nashville to chat about the new tour — which launches Friday in Philadelphia — his new animated video for the single “Crushin’ It” and why he wants to visit Fernbank Museum of Natural History.
Q: I know the setup of the Shaky Boots show won’t be the same as the rest of your tour, but what are your plans for the show from a music perspective?
A: It's mostly a hits-driven show with a few songs off the latest album. I'm really selective about which hits we play on any given tour. … We have built a bar into the set and it looks like a video wall for some of the show, but it has a fully working bar counter and beer taps.
Q: What’s in those beer taps?
A: I think we have Guinness, good stuff. (On the tour) once the opening bands finish their set, they can sit out there.
Q: You play Atlanta pretty much every summer. Is this a city you get to spend much time in outside of being on stage?
A: I have this year! My wife (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) has been filming the Chipmunks movie ("Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip"). Just recently we went to the Legoland and Georgia Aquarium. The kids loved it. I've been wanting to go to the natural history place (Fernbank Museum of Natural History). I'm a freak about dinosaurs and I hear they have a big one. It's such a great city.
Q: Tell me about this video for “Crushin’ It” (Paisley released the animated clip earlier this week).
A: I don't think people are expecting this. My friends in the industry are going to die. I drew every frame of it. The fun part about animation is that it's whatever universe you want to create, and the universe for this is all of us country singers are superheroes and we all have alter egos. I've thought long and hard about what everyone's character would be as a superhero and capturing some part of their persona. It's very "South Park" in some ways. If I can make people laugh, I've done my job.
Q: “Moonshine in the Trunk” was your eighth album to hit No. 1. At any point, do you feel pressure that you have to continue to match that success?
A: After having done this for well over a decade, I've learned to roll with it to some degree. The only good thing that's happened to the music biz is, albums are such a different thing than they were. Unfortunately and fortunately, things have evolved that the album is one of five or six facets of a career now. There's a freedom in realizing that really the only person who cares about some of those things is you!
Q: Will we be seeing you and Carrie hosting the CMA Awards later this year?
A: I think you will. I'll do it as long as they want us. We have the best time, and there's so much yet to be done as hosts. We have a lot to say, still.
