Rockin' it Out Country Style at Coyote Joe's

So if it wasn't obvious enough from my post about the Downtown Hoedown, I am quite the fan of country music. I've heard about the country bar Coyote Joe's quite a few times, but never actually took the initiative to make the hike to 22 mile and Ryan -- until Friday night.

I must say that I was quite impressed. I would only (and I stress only!) recommend going there to someone who is a country fan. It's about as hick as it gets, and I loved every second of it! Perks about the place include $1 draft pints on Fridays from 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. and Ladies Night on Thursdays (which includes free line dancing and $1 drinks). Not to mention, it's a fabulous place for people watching! A majority of the people there know different line dances, so it's really fun to kick back and watch...and if you're like me, it will motivate you to want to come out on Thursdays for the free line dancing lessons!

I was pretty much in heaven (please note that the Tigers actually WINNING this night contributed to the glory!) -- then the band came on and made the night 10 times better. They're a relatively new group with a super unique name -- Lady Antebellum. They rocked it out like they've been performing at concerts for years and years. Think Sugarland + Little Big Town. The group's debut album actually comes out this week. The single from the album is "Love Don't Live Here Anymore," and I heart it! The trio will be at the Hoedown on Friday, May 9.

To top off the night, as we (me, Sarah and Lyndsey) were walking out of the bar to go home, we just so happened to walk right by the band standing in front of their tour bus taking photos with fans. Lyndsey had already proclaimed her love for the lead singer (Charles Kelley, Josh Kelley's brother and Josh is married to Katherine Heigl) -- who by the way could pretty much be Ryan Gosling's twin. So I marched us right up to them to get a picture. All three of them were beyond nice, and as you can see from the photo above, we are now Lady Antebellum groupies!

All in all, the night was a blast...and I will definitely be back with the girls to learn the line dances and soak up all the glory of being a country music fan!

Downtown Hoedown 2008

It doesn't get much better than this combo: free concerts, country music, Hart Plaza and all the people watching you can possibly handle! That my friends, is the Downtown Hoedown. The 26th annual 2008 Downtown Hoedown will take place May 9-11. Check out 99.5 WYCD's Web site for the entire three-day lineup.

I am really impressed with some of the artists that will be rockin' out at this year's Hoedown, such as Trisha Yearwood (seriously a country music legend!), Little Big Town, Chris Cagle, Jewel and Gretchen Wilson.

I myself was wondering how the Hoedown came to be, so here's a bit of the background. The Downtown Hoedown dates back to 1983 and is recognized as the largest country music festival of its kind in the world. It's regarded by the country music industry as the premier event to showcase new and seasoned artists. More than 800,000 people are expected to swarm Hart Plaza during the three-day concert. Something really interesting I didn't know is that some HUGE country artists got their start at the Hoedown, including my personal favs Rascal Flatts, Garth Brooks (rumor has it he may show up to cheer on wifey Trisha!), Reba McEntire and Big and Rich.

You can guarantee I will be there in my cowgirl hat singing at the top of my lungs! Even if you aren't a country music lover, it's a fun, FREE event and a great excuse to hang out in D-town for the day/evening.

Sidenote -- I HEART WYCD's morning show with Dr. Don, Grunwald, Rachael and Jason the 300-pound cowboy. By far one of the most hilarious morning shows that broadcasts to metro Detroit!