The Great American Country cable televison network (GAC) is seeking submissions for their upcoming talent competition, The Next GAC Star.

GAC is partnering with Music Nation and their Original Signal Recording label, to manage the competition. Their goal is to select the next American country music star, first from among video and mp3 entries submitted by July 14, and then among six finalists selected to appear in a two-part live TV elimination September 3 and 10.

The finalists will be chosen through a series of head-to-head online votes, with entrants randomly pitted against another. From May 23 through July 21, two winners will be chosen each week - one by online ballot, and the other chosen by the show’s staff.

The 16 semi-finalists will be winnowed to six by a celebrity panel of judges when The Next GAC Star premiers on June 1, with these six moving on to the live finals in September.

The winner, chosen by the television audience, will receive a recording contract with Original Signal and a music video to be aired on GAC. Of course, all six finalists will receive exposure on the two final episodes of the show, and selected submission videos will be aired during the semi-final shows.

Amanda Pitts with Music Nation told us that bluegrass artists are encouraged to enter! Video or audio submissions can be uploaded on the Music Nation site.

Speaking of Cadillac Sky…

Their first music video is set to debut tomorrow (11/18) on GAC TV. It’s for the song, Born Lonesome, from their current Skaggs Family release, Blind Man Walking.

C-Sky’s Bryan Simpson said that working with director Roger Pistole was a great experience.

“Yeah… working with Roger was awesome. He’s done videos as varied as Del McCoury’s My Love Will Not Change and Limp Bizkit’s Sour.

This video is a little bit different from what we’ve seen from other bluegrass bands. The story is a bit abstract, and you may need to see it a few times before you catch the whole thing.”

The video is set to air for the first time on Sunday at 11:30 (EST) on GAC’s Edge Of Country show. Simpson said that they hope to have the video available for viewing online by sometime next week.

The band will be heading back into the studio early next year to start on their next CD, also slated for a Skaggs Family release.

GAC-TV was a primary sponsor of the IBMA Awards Show last week, and this week they are beginning a run of four episodes of their show Edge of Country, featuring a large number of bluegrass artists.

GAC describes Edge of Country as:

a great mix of bluegrass, Americana, country rock and traditional styles.

The footage was captured by GAC during the IBMA World of Bluegrass week in Nashville. From what I understand, it consists mainly of interviews conducted backstage during Fan Fest.

Some of the time slots are’t all that fantastic, but at this point it’s just nice to see some coverage of the event making to air.

According to the GAC website, the first segment runs tonight at 11 PM EST and then again at 3 AM EST.

The second segment will air only once at 1 PM EST tomorrow.

Similar times are given for the third and fourth episodes, set to air on October 19-20, 2007.

Here’s a list of the performer to be included in the series.

• Doyle Lawson
• Sam Bush
• Ronnie Bowman
• Jim and Adam of Mountain Heart
• Grascals
• Larry Cordle
• Chris Jones & John Pennell
• Rob Ickes
• Williams and Clark
• Newfound Road
• Cadillac Sky
• Donna Hughes
• Red Stick Ramblers
• Bradley Walker
• Mark Newton & Carl Jackson
• Alecia Nugent
• Cherryholmes
• The Greencards
• Marty Raybon
• J.D. Crowe

UPDATE 9:45 a.m.: GAC will also air the new Randy Kohrs music video, Who’s Goin’ With Me, along with an interview with Randy following the Mountain Heart piece. The new video will then go into regular rotation on Edge Of Country.

Great American Country (GAC) will be rebroadcasting their special Alison Krauss program tonight (10/8) and tomorrow on their cable TV network. The show, Alison Krauss: A Hundred Miles Or More, finds Ms. Krauss in the studio, recreating many of the memorable performances from her recent CD of the same name.

She sings duets with James Taylor, Brad Paisley and John Waite, and her impeccable band, Union Station, is also featured.

The show airs this evening at 9:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. (10/9), and again on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. All times are US Eastern time.

Look for Sam Bush on GAC TV this afternoon at 1:00 p.m. He’ll be on their Edge of Country show to talk with host Kylie Harris about his hosting the IBMA Awards Show on Thursday, and to preview the debut music video from his concert DVD, On The Road.

This show will be rebroadcast several more times over the next few days, but the times are not yet listed on the GAC site. Look for re-airings of Videos From The Edge in the GAC listings if you miss today’s showing.

Cherryholmes will be featured on Opry Live this Saturday, during the televised portion of The Grand Ole Opry broadcast on GAC TV.

The show airs at 8:00 p.m. (ET) on Saturday (8/18), and again that same evening at midnight. It repeats at noon and 7:00 p.m. on Sunday (8/19), and once more on Tuesday (8/21) at 9:00 p.m.

You can hear the entire Saturday Opry radio show on WSM 650 AM from 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., or via live streaming at WSMonline.com. Highlights from the show will be available in the WSM audio archives next week.

Earlier this spring, Alison Krauss sat down with WGBH radio’s Brad Paul to talk about her then upcoming compilation CD, A Hundred Miles Or More.

The discussion was largely focused on the songs included on this recording, but she also talked about working with T Bone Burnett on the O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack.

It was really an incredible experience. I’ve worked with him before, on Cold Mountain and Ya Ya Sisterhood. I would come in for a day and work on something and he is so encouraging. By the end of the day you are thinking, “I must be the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. I must really be something else.” Because he really keeps the mood up and he is so very happy with what’s going on and so complimentary, whatever he is doing really keeps you inspired. Sometimes I would sing all day long. It wasn’t like I was in there killing it and then leaving. I was singing all day long, “Well yea! I’ll sing it for you again, sure!” He’s positive and encouraging to all those playing. He has such a respect for roots music and a huge knowledge of the history of roots music and rock-and-roll.

The transcript from this interview is now posted on the official Alison Krauss web site - just in time for the TV special on GAC with Alison recreating many of the songs from the CD live in the studio. The program will debut on Saturday (8/11) at 9:00 p.m., with several additional airings over the next 10 days.

Full schedule below - all times EDT:

• August 11, 2007 9:00 p.m.
• August 12, 2007 1:00 a.m.
• August 19, 2007 8:00 p.m.
• August 20, 2007 12:00 a.m.
• August 20, 2007 3:00 p.m.

In June we told you about an upcoming special on GAC TV, featuring Alison Krauss performing songs from her latest Rounder CD,  Hundred Miles Or More. In mid-July, we posted again to alert everyone that the initially announced air date of July 14-15 had been canceled, with a later date to be announced.

Now comes word that the show will finally air in August, starting with the 8/11-12 weekend.

The concept of this one hour special, shot live in the recording studio, is to showcase the songs on the latest CD, many of which feature Alison in duet with other notable vocalists. The program will include her singing with country star Brad Paisley on their duet hit Whiskey Lullaby, and with famed singer/songwriter James Taylor on The Louvin Brothers’ How’s The World Treating You?”

She is assisted throughout by her stellar band, Union Station (featuring Jerry Douglas), with guest appearances from Tony Rice, Sam Bush and Stuart Duncan for Sawin’ On The Strings, perhaps the only purely bluegrass number on the show.

The special will debut on GAC Friday, August 11 at 9:00 p.m., and later that same night at 1:00 a.m. (technically Saturday morning). It will run again the following Saturday evening (8/19) at 8:00 p.m., with one additional showing on Sunday (8/20) at 3:00 p.m. All times are Eastern.

There is a ton of bluegrass emanating from The Grand Ole Opry this weekend - on radio, online, and on TV.

Friday night’s radio broadcast will feature performances by Bobby Osborne, John Cowan and Mountain Heart, and Saturday’s show has John Cowan again, along with Mike Snider and The Whites.

The Friday show airs from 9:00-11:00 p.m. on WSM 650 AM, and on Saturday from 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Both shows are streamed live from WSMonline.com, and portions of each show will be available in their audio archives next week. All times are EDT.

On GAC TV Saturday night, their Opry Live program has two songs by The Grascals, filmed on July 24 during the Tuesday Night Opry. That airs at 8:00 p.m.  July 28, and again at midnight. GAC will run it again at noon and 7:00 p.m. on Sunday (7/29) and then on Tuesday (7/31) at 9:00 p.m.

In fact, if you are in Nashville Thursday evening (7/26), you can catch the last of this summer’s Bluegrass Nights at The Opry concerts with The Grascals, Mountain Heart and The Steep Canyon Rangers.

The Alison Krauss special on GAC we posted about last month, which was originally set to air this weekend, has been postponed until a later date. “Technical difficulties” is the reason given by GAC, and no rescheduled date has been announced.

This show features songs from the most recent Krauss release, A Hundred Miles Or More: A Collection, and includes duets with several of her high profile collaborators.

Read more about this special program in our earlier post.

Doyle Lawson will join host Kylie Harris on this weekend’s edition of The Edge of Country on GAC. It will air on Saturday (6/23) at 1:00 p.m., and again on Monday (6/25) at both 1:00 and 11:00 p.m. (EDT).

The interview (taped several weeks ago) will cover Quicksilver’s latest CD, More Behind the Picture Than the Wall, and Doyle’s plans for the rest of 2007.

Among the many reasons Alison Krauss has generated such a large and enduring following would have to include her ability to appeal to a widely diverse fan base. Bluegrass fans love her for her gritty, grassy tunes - and for her loyalty to the genre - while country and soft rock fans appreciate her delicate treatment of tender ballads.

This unique aspect of her career is the focus of her latest CD, A Hundred Miles Or More: A Collection, which includes a number of popular duets she has recorded with stars from well outside of bluegrass and acoustic music.

Be sure to mark the weekend of July 14-15 on your calendar to catch a one-hour special on GAC TV which will feature live performances of the music from the new CD. Alison will sing her duets with Brad Paisely (Whisky Lullaby), James Taylor (How’s The World Treating You) and John Waite (Lay Down Beside Me).

The members of Union Station (Dan Tyminski, Jerry Douglas, Ron Block and Barry Bales) will back the vocalists, along with guests Tony Rice, Sam Bush and Stuart Duncan. That lineup suggests that they will perform her stellar arrangement of Sawing On The Strings, also on the new release.

The show, Alison Krauss: A Hundred Miles Or More, will air on GAC July 14 at 9:00 p.m., and on July 15 at 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. All times are eastern.

The Grascals will be part of a Friday broadcast on GAC TV, captured live at the CMA Music Fest in Nashville.

The band’s web site says that the show is on at 8:00 and 11:00 p.m. on June 15, but the GAC site shows 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. It may repeat the same show again at 8:00. GAC should be running promos that clarify the schedule, and the show in question is the one that also features The Road Hammers.

All times shown are eastern.

If you’re a fan of the duet between Alison Krauss and John Waite, you will want to tune in to GAC Nights this evening at 8 PM EST. Host Suzanne Alexander will be interviewing the two artists and discussing their current duet Missing You, among other things.

The interview airs tonight at 8 PM EST and again at Midnight.

Last month John told you about the new release from the Isaacs, Big Sky. The CD is released today and is available for order from the Isaacs’ website.

Sonya Isaacs will be on the GAC show On the Streets, with host Suzanne Alexander, today at 1:30 pm and 10:00 pm. The show will re-air on April 25th at 2:00 am, and April 29th at 4:30 pm. All times are EST.

Fans of new young bluegrass phenoms, The Infamous Stringdusters - or anyone curious to learn what they are all about - will have several chances to see and hear them over the next few days.

They will be interviewed on GAC TV’s The Edge of Country show on Saturday (3/17). The show is hosted by Kylie Harris, and airs at 1:00 p.m. with a rebroadcast at 11:00 p.m. The show will also be shown on Monday (3/19) at 1:00 p.m., and again on Tuesday morning (3/20) at 3:00 a.m. All times are eastern.

Banjo picker Chris Pandolfi shared some thoughts on taping the segment with GAC.

“The Edge of Country was some of the first real ‘national’ media attention we have received, and the show went really well. We do many press opportunities as a full band, so it was a challenge to get everyone involved, but we did, in turn showcasing one of our greatest assets - we are a band.

It’s hard to classify exactly what we do, genre-wise, but ‘edge of country’ seems an appropriate catch-all for our music.

I asked dobroist/vocalist Andy Hall what is was like for them, with a new CD out on a major independent label after actively performing without label support for almost two years. He responded with high praise for the folks at Sugar Hill, and said that all was right with his world.

“This is a great time for us, as we have a full touring schedule and a brand new first record. What more does a picker need?”

Andy also mentioned that The ‘Dusters recently recorded a live segment for AT&T blue room, which showcases artists online with both in studio performances and interviews. We’ll be sure to post an update when that is available on the blue room site.

On Monday, the band will be in Knoxville for a live radio broadcast from the studios of WDVX. The show will air from noon to 1:00 p.m. (3/19) on 89.9 FM, and will also be available online via streaming audio.

If you just can’t get enough of The Infamous Stringdusters, you could listen to the WDVX audio stream from noon to 1:00, and then tune in to GAC and catch the interview.

If you don’t have any other plans tonight, you may want to tune into the Grand Ole Opry on GAC TV. Ricky Skaggs will be on the televised portion of the show. Other bluegrass artists scheduled to perform at Del McCoury and Bobby Osborne.

The show airs at 8PM ET on GAC. You’ll need to check your local listings for cable channel info. GAC is also carried on DirecTV channel 326, and Dish Network channedl 167.

We posted last week about the premier of the music video for Me and John and Paul by The Grascals being available on CMT.com.

Though not yet in rotation on CMT’s cable network, the video is set to debut on GAC-TV later today (January 19). The first showing is scheduled for approximately 4:55 p.m. (EST) and is likely to air several more times in the next few days. GAC’s Top 20 Countdown is based wholly on fan voting, so Grascals fans will want to be sure to get a vote in once they appear on the Countdown Voting Page.

Once the video starts airing, you will also be able to execute a search on the GAC site to find additional times when you can catch the Grascals’ video on GAC.

As we mentioned a few days ago, we had the opportunity to interview David Talbot and Terry Eldridge of The Grascals recently, and they talked at some length about the process of creating a music video, and how touched they have been by the reaction to Me and John and Paul, the Harley Allen penned tune that won them the IBMA’s Song Of The Year award for 2005.

Look for the interview in an upcoming edition of The GrassCast, our weekly audio podcast.