Working the Weekend with Luke-Whiskey Rose, Married/You’re the Worst, James Garner

Welcome to another edition of “Working the Weekend with Luke”. I’ll get to a few things in a bit, including the new FX comedies MARRIED and YOU’RE THE WORST, but I’d like to start off by discussing what’s been the talk of my town over the past week and that’s the Country Life Music Festival, the first of its kind here in Peoria. Months ago, when word was getting around that Peoria was going to attempt to put on a three-day country music show, I honestly had my doubts. I’d been to the venue and wasn’t sure if it would work there. I also wasn’t sure that they could get many big names to come. Damn I was wrong. Week after week, names started coming down the pipeline and before you know it, they had put together one hell of an event. Just look at the headliners. Friday night was Hank Williams Jr. Saturday night was Brad Paisley. Tonight’s headliner is Trace Adkins. That’s solid enough in itself, but even the rest of the lineup was stacked. Names like Montgomery Gentry, Kellie Pickler, Jennifer Nettles, Randy Houser, Josh Thompson, Leah Turner, and one of my favorite groups, Blackhawk, who kicked off Saturday’s show and I made sure I was right up front for that.

I was actually a little upset, as I thought that Blackhawk should have gotten a better spot on the card so more people could see them, but oh well, I saw them and that’s really all that matters anyway. The TV station I work for was one of the sponsors for the event, so I was given an all-day pass for Saturday, so I made sure I got there early. Blackhawk put on a hell of a set, and later last night, Brad Paisley put on the best set I’ve ever seen him put on. But these are names you know. What I really want to focus on is the act that you might not know.

WHISKEY ROSE

From left to right, that is Skye Claire and Kristen Kuiper, better known as Whiskey Rose, one of the hottest duos coming out of Nashville right now. Fresh off their first time appearing at CMA Fest, the girls came to town this week with a very busy schedule. I had the pleasure of meeting them on Tuesday night during a little Sponsor VIP event at the grounds. They played a two-hour set during the event and I just had to chat them up afterwards to tell them how amazing they were and get to know them a little better. After talking with them for a few minutes, the VP of my station joined the conversation and was able to book them for a little TV show we do every day. After playing one of the bars in the area the night before and being scheduled at another about 45 minutes away later that night, they were nice enough to come in and do the show on Thursday. I sat in on the broadcast and talked to them a little more afterwards before they headed over to Bloomington, and I gotta tell you, they are the sweetest girls you’d ever want to meet. Both are very down to earth and just really pleased to be doing what they’re doing this week. It was actually very refreshing to see.

They’ve got a nice little story too. Skye is from New York and Kristen is from Michigan. Both moved to Nashville to pursue solo careers and actually, both put out projects of their own. I listened to a few of their solo tracks over the weekend. I’d say my favorite so far from Kristen is HURT LIKE I HAD FUN, which you can download HERE, and my favorite from Skye is USED, which you can download HERE. And while they were having some success on their own, they met each other at a writers round, teamed up, and for the past seven months or so, they’ve been making the rounds as a duo and they’re killing it.

The Country Life Music Festival kicked off on Friday afternoon and Whiskey Rose had the distinction of getting the entire weekend started. Skye even performed the national anthem before getting their set going. Unfortunately, I was still at the station and couldn’t make it out, but the buzz around town is that they were amazing. Even walking around the grounds yesterday, the crowd was still talking about how awesome they were.

The single they’re really pushing right now (and the song I had on repeat on my iPod yesterday) is WHAT ARE YOU RUNNING FROM. For those that live in the area, you know what I’m talking about, but for those who haven’t heard it, watch their performance from CMA Fest below or just go ahead and download it HERE.

Ladies, it was so nice getting to know you this week and like we talked about, if I ever come to Nashville, be prepared to hook me up. But seriously, I wish you all the luck in the world as you continue to move forward in your career. If I can ever do anything else for you here at Binge Media, just let me know. And to my readers, if you’re looking for more on Whiskey Rose, go to their Facebook page or follow them on Twitter @whiskeyroseduo. All the best girls. You deserve it.

MARRIED/YOU’RE THE WORST

For years, I’ve been a huge fan of FX comedies like ITS ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA or THE LEAGUE, and the two newest that premiered on Thursday night, MARRIED and YOU’RE THE WORST are going to continue the trend of great fucking shows on FX.

I thought that MARRIED was going to be funny, but I didn’t think it was going to be as dark as it was. I thought the usual marriage clichés would be included, and to a point they were, but damn, this show was fucking great. I certainly wasn’t expecting the first show to include what it did. I’m not big on spoiler alerts, so I’ll just tell you to go ahead and check it out. You won’t be disappointed, even if you’re married. Because, let’s face it. If you’re married, you’re probably disappointed most of the time.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure quite what to expect from YOU’RE THE WORST. The TV spots were okay, but I think I liked this one more than I liked MARRIED. I was sure it would be the other way around, but what they’re able to get away with in this show…holy shit. Again, I won’t give it away if you’ve still got it sitting on the DVR, but I think these two shows are going to be hits for years to come. I don’t watch a ton of TV shows at a regular pace anymore, but with these two, I’ll be tuning in every Thursday.

JAMES GARNER

I actually had something else in mind to write about for my last topic, but after hearing the news this morning, I just had to include this picture and at least make a comment on the passing of James Garner. Chances are every single one of you has seen James Garner in something. Whether it be MAVERICK or THE ROCKFORD FILES for the guys or THE NOTEBOOK for the ladies, he was a great actor and he will be missed. James Garner: 1928-2014. RIP.

Well, that’ll do it for me. Check back in tomorrow for the Bingecast and MONDAY MORNING MORENO. As always, you can leave comments below or follow me and tweet @THElukenorris. Don’t worry…I didn’t forget. Here’s your BEVERLY HILLS 90210 Clip of the Week. Oh, you remember this, you know you do. Bringing the drama at a slumber party. Until next weekend boys and girls.