Republic NashvilleEli Young Band heads to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in the Dominican Republic to host a big Super Bowl Sunday party for their fans this weekend. Band members James Young and Jon Jones are bringing their wives along for the trip, too.

James tells ABC News Radio, "It'll be my two-year anniversary. So, I had to."

Jon adds, "Mine is on the 29th, so it's right after mine as well. When I found out James was doing it, shoot. [I] can't say no."

The guys hope to have a little fun in the sun on their trip, but their time in the Dominican Republic will be brief.

"It's a very busy time amping up for the record coming out," Jon explains. "It'll be fun to have a bunch of fans down there just for us. Hopefully, we can get a little beach time in."

Eli Young Band's new album, 10,000 Towns, comes out March 4 featuring the #1 hit, "Drunk Last Night." The band's new single, "Dust," is hitting the airwaves soon.

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

Gus PhilippasPete Seeger, a folk singer, songwriter and political activist whose credits include “If I Had a Hammer” and the antiwar tune "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?," has died at the age of 94. 

Seeger’s record label, Appleseed Recordings, released a statement to ABC News confirming the singer’s death.  Spokesman Jim Musselman said, “Yes, Mr. Seeger has passed on. But nobody is truly gone until all those who are touched or influenced by that person are gone. So he will live on in the  hearts and minds of so many for years to come.”

Seeger’s grandson, Kitama Cahill Jackson, told The New York Times  the singer died Monday of natural causes at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

Seeger popularized the Woody Guthrie song "This Land Is Your Land," the civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome," and penned The Byrds hit "Turn! Turn! Turn!," which is based on a passage from the Book of Ecclesiastes.

As Seeger influenced countless performers who came after him, he himself was influenced by Guthrie, adopting his style and repertory. During the early 1940s, Seeger enjoyed some success with the Almanac Singers, a group he formed with Lee Hayes and Millard Lampell. Later, Seeger and Hayes formed the Weavers with Ronnie Gilbert and Fred Hellerman. They sold an estimated four million albums and singles in 1950 and 1951 with hits that included "Kisses Sweeter than Wine" and Lead Belly's "Goodnight, Irene" which made it to number one.

However, Seeger's early ties to the Communist Party dogged him, eventually causing the group's break-up. He refused to apologize before the House Un-American Activities Committee and was indicted on ten counts of contempt of Congress in 1957, leading to a conviction in 1961 that was overturned on appeal.

Among the myths that also followed Seeger was that he tried to cut power cables with an ax when Bob Dylan performed an electric set at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. While Seeger and other traditionalist folkies were upset, witnesses said he didn't try to sabotage Dylan's groundbreaking performance.

Seeger performed for many years after other folk acts faded away and even when his voice admittedly started giving out, the audience would often sing for him.  In 2009 Seeger joined longtime admirer Bruce Springsteen in performing at the inaugural concert for President Barack Obama's first term.

Seeger's accomplishments earned him a Kennedy Center Honor in 1994 and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 as an early influence. He also won Grammy Awards in 1997, 2009 and 2011 and was nominated for spoken word album this year.  He lost to Stephen Colbert.

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

Capitol NashvilleDierks Bentley has been working for years to capture the feel of his live shows in the studio. He thinks he's finally pulled off that feat with this new album, Riser, due out February 25.

“It’s the sound in my head that I hear when I’m playing a live show,” Dierks says of the new music. "There’s a certain amount of gravel to it because you’re tired, but you’re all jacked up on whatever you're drinking and adrenaline, and the crowds and the fans are there and there’s this feeling, fists in the air -- it’s that thing that’s hard to transfer into a studio environment. There’s a rawness.”

Dierks called on his pals Kacey Musgraves and Chris Stapleton to sing on the project. Charlie Worsham also did some guitar work on Riser. Making this music with people he also hangs out with made all the difference for Dierks.

He explains, "I have such a romance with Nashville and this community. I drove across the country when I was 19 years old with a dream of just being invited to the party. It’s still wild to me that I get to work with and call so many incredibly talented people my friends.”

Riser features Dierks' latest hit, "I Hold On."

Here's the Riser track listing:

"Bourbon in Kentucky"
"Say You Do"
"I Hold On"
"Pretty Girls"
"Here on Earth"
"Drunk on a Plane"
"Five"
"Riser"
"Sounds of Summer"
"Damn These Dreams"
"Back Porch"
"Hurt Somebody"

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

The Recording AcademyGrammy viewership was up slightly over last year with about 29.7 million viewers tuning in. According to Variety, that's the second-largest audience for the show since 1993. Keith Urban, Kacey Musgraves, Taylor Swift, Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert all performed on the Grammy Awards Sunday. Taylor was also one of the most Tweeted-about stars of the night.

The 2012 broadcast brought in 39.91 million viewers in the wake of Whitney Houston's death the day before.

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

Capitol NashvilleKeith Urban's new video for "Cop Car" debuted Monday morning on Vevo, just hours after he performed the song on the Grammy Awards Sunday night. The clip fleshes out the song's storyline of a couple falling in love while getting arrested for trespassing.

"Cop Car" is the follow up to Keith's #1 duet with Miranda Lambert, "We Were Us." Both songs are included on his latest album, Fuse.

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

Comstock/ThinkstockWho was Blake Shelton's co-host on the ACM Awards before Luke Bryan stepped in? ANSWER: Reba.

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

Photo Credit: Carlos RuizCountry newcomer Kelleigh Bannen shows off her acting skills in the video for her new single, "Famous." After finding her man cheating, Kelleigh speeds off to warn everybody in town about his no-good ways. The video and song offer a playful take on the classic lover's revenge tale.

"What first attracted me to the single was the angle," Kelleigh says.  “You cheated on me, you hurt me -- so I’m going to make you famous.  It’s not just revengeful, there’s a little smile and wink to it -- and I love that!”

Kelliegh shot the video for "Famous" in Palmdale, CA. Check it out now on Vevo.

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, the Seattle hip-hop duo, was named best new artist at the 56th Grammy Awards last night.

They also walked away with two awards for their song “Thrift Shop”: Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song. Plus, their album “The Heist” scored Rap Album of the Year.

Lorde won song of the year for “Royals” and it was Kacey Musgraves who won song of the year and album of the year in the country categories.

Here are the major award winners:

Record of the year“Get Lucky” — Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers — WINNER

Album of the year“Random Access Memories” — Daft Punk — WINNER

Song of the year“Royals” — Lorde — WINNER

Best new artistMacklemore & Ryan Lewis — WINNER

Best pop solo performanceLorde — “Royals” — WINNER

Best pop duo/group performanceDaft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers — “Get Lucky” — WINNER

Best pop vocal albumBruno Mars — “Unorthodox Jukebox” — WINNER

Best dance/electronica album“Random Access Memories” — Daft Punk — WINNER

Best traditional pop vocal album“To Be Loved” — Michael Bublé — WINNER

Best rock performanceImagine Dragons — “Radioactive” — WINNER

Best metal performancesBlack Sabbath — “God is Dead?” — WINNER

Best rock song“Cut Me Some Slack” — Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, Pat Smear — WINNER

Best rock albumLed Zeppelin — “Celebration Day” — WINNER

Best alternative music albumVampire Weekend — “Modern Vampires of the City” — WINNER

Best R&B performanceSnarky Puppy with Lala Hathaway — “Something” — WINNER

Best traditional R&B performanceGary Clark Jr. — “Please Come Home” — WINNER

Best R&B song“Pusher Love Girl” — Justin Timberlake — WINNER

Best urban contemporary albumRihanna — “Unapologetic” — WINNER

Best R&B albumAlicia Keys — “Girl on Fire” — WINNER

Best rap performanceMacklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz — “Thrift Shop” — WINNER

Best rap/sung collaborationJay Z featuring Justin Timberlake — “Holy Grail” — WINNER

Best rap song“Thrift Shop” — Macklemore & Ryan Lewis — WINNER

Best rap albumMacklemore & Ryan Lewis — “The Heist” — WINNER

Best country solo performanceDarius Rucker — “Wagon Wheel” — WINNER

Best country duo/group performanceThe Civil Wars — “From This Valley” — WINNER

Best country song“Merry Go ‘Round” — Kacey Musgraves — WINNER

Best country albumKacey Musgraves — “Same Trailer Different Park” — WINNER

Best compilation soundtrack for visual media“Sound City: Real to Reel” — WINNER

Best song written for visual mediaAdele — “Skyfall” — “Skyfall” — WINNER

Best music videoJustin Timberlake featuring Jay Z — “Suit & Tie” — WINNER

Best music filmPaul McCartney — “Live Kisses” — WINNER

The Recording AcademySure, there were plenty of trophies handed out at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, held Sunday night in Los Angeles. But as always, the real focus of the more than three-and-a-half hour telecast was the performances.  Here's a rundown of who played what:

Beyonce and her husband Jay Z opened the show with a super-sexy rendition of her hit "Drunk In Love."  She wore a skimpy black bodysuit, and a short "wet-look" hairdo; he wore a suit and patted her backside while performing.  The couple shared a hug as they walked offstage.

Lorde performed a mostly a cappella rendition of her hit "Royals" which went on to win her two awards.  The 17-year-old singer sang while wearing a blouse, slacks and dark fingertips, in front of a projection of a statue of an angel.

Country star Hunter Hayes sang his latest hit, "Invisible," whose lyrics carried an "It Gets Better"-type message.

Katy Perry staged an elaborate performance of her latest hit "Dark Horse."  She's said that the song was inspired by The Craft, a movie about witches, and she took that idea to the max, singing in a crystal ball while wearing a cape and glowing red top, surrounded by black-clad dancers and a demon horse.  She also sang in a ring of fire, and did a pole dance on a witch's broom.

Robin Thicke teamed up with the legendary band Chicago for a medley of their hits -- "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?," "Saturday in the Park" and "Beginnings" -- and his own hit, "Blurred Lines."

Country star and American Idol judge Keith Urban and singer/guitarist Gary Clark Jr. teamed for a version of Keith's single "Cop Car."

John Legend sang his romantic ballad "All of Me."

While seated at the piano, Taylor Swift sang "All Is Well," a fan favorite from her album Red that wasn't a single.  She gave an excellent vocal performance, at times appearing to snarl the words of the tune, which was a takedown of a former boyfriend; many believe Jake Gyllenhaal inspired the song.  At one point, she head-banged so hard that her hair flipped up and down like crazy, inspiring fans to create some fun gifs of the moment.

Pink did a sequel to her show-stopping aerial performance at the Grammy Awards back in 2010; this time around, she sang her hit "Try" while soaring through the air, and spinning upside down.  When she finally came back to earth, she and Nate Ruess performed their nominated duet "Just Give Me a Reason."

Imagine Dragons and rapper Kendrick Lamar gave the most energetic and rocking performance of the night, doing a mashup of the band's "Radioactive" and Kendrick's "m.A.A.d City."  There was tons of smoke, lights, shock and awe, and Taylor Swift was dancing her butt off in the front row the whole time.

Kacey Musgraves unfortunately had to follow that performance with a simple rendition of her hit "Follow Your Arrow;" at least her cowboy boots had blinking electric lights on them.

Ex-Beatle Ringo Starr performed his classic hit "Photograph" with an enormous band that included Peter Frampton on guitar; Ringo also played drums behind his old bandmate Paul McCartney, as Sir Paul sang one of his new songs, "Queenie Eye." It was a 50 percent Beatle reunion!

Country legends Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson, joined by Blake Shelton, performed "Highwayman," "Okie from Muskogee" and "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys."

Daft Punk, joined by Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers and Stevie Wonder, had the entire house on their feet and dancing to "Get Lucky," which incorporated bits of "Le Freak," by Rodgers' group Chic, and Stevie's song "Another Star."  It was only the duo's second-ever TV performance.

Carole King and Sara Bareilles teamed for a mashup of Carole's "Beautiful" and Sara's "Brave."

Metallica teamed up with Chinese pianist Lang Lang for a rendition of their classic song "One."

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, joined by Mary Lambert, sang their hit "Same Love," while Queen Latifah married 33 couples, some same-sex, some heterosexual, in the audience.  Madonna, sporting a white suit and cowboy hat, then joined them to sing a bit of her song "Open Your Heart."

Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong and country star Miranda Lambert sang "When Will I Be Loved" in tribute to the late Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers.

The show closed with Nine Inch Nails, Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham, Queens of the Stone Age and Dave Grohl rocking out, first with the song "Copy of A," by Nine Inch Nails, and then the Queens song "My God Is the Sun."

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

The Recording AcademyHere's what the stars had to say backstage at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday night:

-- Daft Punk let their music do the talking for them throughout the night. The helmet-wearing French electronic duo won four awards, including album of the year, for Random Access Memories, and record of the year and best pop/duo group performance, for "Get Lucky."

They didn't speak on stage or backstage. Their collaborator Nile Rodgers explained to reporters the group can speak English well, but they were staying true to their characters.

Rodgers said he was stunned by all of the wins he and Daft Punk piled up. Before the ceremony, he said, he was simply looking forward to performing with Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams and Stevie Wonder, and wasn't thinking about bringing any hardware home with him.

-- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis also won four awards -- best new artist and best rap album, for The Heist, among them -- but they were especially proud of the wedding that was held during their performance of their gay rights anthem "Same Love" alongside Madonna and Mary Lambert. Among those who tied the knot in front of marriage officiant Queen Latifah: Lewis' sister.

Lewis said, "I still have chills now....It was amazing to work with Madonna, to work with Queen Latifah, two legends. The whole thing's just been a ride."

Macklemore made sure to thank the Grammy organizers for allowing them the opportunity to spread their message of "same love." He commented, "Ten years ago, I don't think that a song like 'Same Love' would have been embraced on this level by any mainstream media, and the fact that radio got behind it, the fact that television got behind it, that award shows got behind it, it's a testament to where we're headed in this country."

-- Latifah was proud to play a role in the wedding, in part because she had a couple of friends who were involved. She declared, "To be able to do something special for people, to be able to change someone's life...I am so thankful to be a part of that, you have no idea."

-- Recording Academy CEO and president Neil Portnow said the wedding was the result of discussions with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis that began months ago, exploring how they could participate on the telecast. He said, "Our object is always to take our stage and make it available to creative people, to express their feelings, their emotions, their thoughts. And we're very proud of what we did tonight."

-- Kacey Musgraves had a breakthrough night, thanks to her major-label debut release, Same Trailer Different Park, which captured best country album. One of the tracks from that disc, "Merry Go 'Round," was named best country song.

The 25-year-old said the last year has been "indescribable." She compared it to a "fast roller coaster" in some respects, though she added that she and her team have put in a lot of hard work.

Musgraves noted that she brought her mother to the show, and had a funny exchange with her when the best country album category was announced. She recalled, "I heard Same Trailer Different Park, and I was like, 'Damn, I didn't get it...oh wait, that's me!' And she was like, 'Go, get up there, that's you!'"

-- Black Sabbath's Grammy win for best hard rock/metal performance, for "God Is Dead," is the cherry on top of what has been a successful reunion for them. In 2013, they toured the world and topped the U.S. album chart for the first time, with their release, 13.

Lead singer Ozzy Osbourne marveled, "It took us 45 years to get a number one

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Little Apple New Years Eve 2014!

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In an amusing moment, a reporter asked if Ozzy is a fan of Taylor Swift. His answer: “Yes, I’m a big fan of Taylor Swift. Who the [bleep] is Taylor Swift?”

-- Darius Rucker has been in the country music game for a while, but he was still blown away by the fact that he was presented a Grammy in that genre on Sunday night. He said he was "over the moon" to take the Grammy in the best country solo performance category, for his cover of the Old Crow Medicine Show song "Wagon Wheel." Darius thought Blake Shelton or Blake's wife, Miranda Lambert, would win, because "you expect them to win everything."

-- Vampire Weekend playfully had revenge on their mind when they accepted the award for best alternative music album, for Modern Vampires of the City. It's a category the band lost in 2011 to The Black Keys -- and they saw their win on Sunday night as retribution, even if the Keys weren't nominated this time around. They joked, "I don't know if technically we can say we defeated them this time, but we did win something."

-- Zedd and Foxes both said they didn't have a speech prepared when they received best dance recording honors for their hit collaboration, "Clarity." Foxes said, "I went up there with gum in my mouth."

-- Actor/comedian Steve Martin confessed, "I never thought in my life I would get an award for songwriting." Yet he and his musical partner Edie Brickell did before the Grammys telecast, claiming the prize for best American roots song, for "Love Has Come For You." He pointed out that he and Brickell are workshopping a musical, Bright Star, which tells the "secret of a woman's life" and jumps between 1945 and 1923.

-- Presenter Kevin Hart dropped plugs for his movies Ride Along and About Last Night, and his TV series Real Husbands of Hollywood. After praising the Grammy performance of his former Real Husbands of Hollywood co-star Robin Thicke, Hart promised his show's next season "only gets funnier" and tries to push the envelope.

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio