Benton County Fair hosts chart-topping County trio

CORVALLIS - This year is a first for the Benton County Fair & Rodeo: For the price of fair admission, a chance to see a live performance of the song that has topped the U.S. country charts since July 13, while simultaneously hitting the top of the pop charts in Canada.

Lady Antebellum, better known as "Lady A" to their fans, will perform their hit single "I Run to You" as well as the popular "Lookin' for a Good Time" and their debut single "Love Don't Live Here" at 8 p.m. Thursday, July 30. The group is taking a break between West Coast tour stops with Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban for the show.

Lady Antebellum is made up of Hillary Scott (vocals), Charles Kelley (vocals) and Dave Haywood (guitar, mandolin). The trio met in Nashville in 2006, locked themselves in a house and brought together their influences in classic country, 1960s R&B and 1970s singer-songwriter to come up with their first batch of songs.

The result of that creative outburst has been a meteoric rise into the national music scene. In 2008, after being picked up by Capitol Nashville and releasing their self-titled debut CD, they won the Academy of Country Music's "Best New Vocal Group" and the County Music Award's "New Artist of the Year." In 2009, they were nominated for two Grammys.

Entertainer editor Nancy Raskauskas recently had the opportunity to talk with the lady of "Lady A," Hillary Scott, about the band's successes, fans and the travails of touring:

The Entertainer: It must seem like a crazy last three years, from just meeting the guys to having the number one Country Music single. Did you ever expect this?

Hillary Scott: No, not at all. Honestly, I was so excited to have met Charles and Dave and just start writing with them and just to feel like we were creating music that we loved and were excited about.

And, when we started performing those songs together it was amazing. It was just like I'd found my place in the sun. This is what I'm supposed to be doing and this is why I am here.

As for the pace of everything and how quickly it has progressed, all of that is so overwhelming, it's been really kind of hard to keep up in a lot of ways, you know, because we just had no idea. When the ride starts, you just jump on, and it's just been so much fun. We feel blessed in abundance.

But, we don't take it lightly at all. It could all end tomorrow, but we sure are enjoying ourselves now.

ET: You have performed with so many other great musicians. Have you picked up a lot of friends while touring?

HS: Yeah, that's been one of the things that I love the most about the country music industry. It's a competitive environment, but everybody really roots each other on. I am the biggest fan of other country artists and I can say that Miranda Lambert has become one of my best friends. It's just crazy how friendly everybody is and how embraced we feel. It's been a lot of fun.

And definitely, being out on the road, we've learned so much. We're out on the road with Kenny Chesney right now and we're taking a break from Kenny's tour to come see you'all, but learning from him every night has just been great. It's not only him and his wisdom and what he's learned and all of that, but it's just watching his show every night. The way he connects with the crowd, it's like nothing we've ever seen before.

ET: You are really known as a fan's band, with your weekly

Webisodes of life on tour and extra efforts to meet and greet fans (as well as chatting with fans on Twitter). Did you want to be a really

accessible band, or is that just your style?

HS: I think that that is just part of who we are. We had a MySpace page up before we even really had a band name. So, it's just one of those things that has been really important to us. That's how we got people to our shows early on. You know, we just want people to see who we really are and see more than just who we are on stage. That is why we have a camera around all the time documenting life off stage. I think the more ways your fans can connect to you than just the level of your music the better, and that builds loyalty.

ET: All those long roadtrips, lots of hours to fill, I'm sure? (Behind the scenes shannigans have included shooting Haywood with a T-shirt gun and putting the entire contents of green room fruit plate in a juicer).

HS: What amuses you and entertains you is amazing when you have a 14-hour bus trip. We have our own language and inside jokes. It's pretty hilarious, our little road family, that is for sure.

ET: What's the upside and downside of traveling with so many guys?

HS: It's a lot of dudes … all the time. The upside is we have nine big brothers on the bus that take care of us and look out for us. And then it's also a lot of jokes and they may or may not put down the toilet seat, but nothing really offends me anymore. It's a give and take, but I think for the most part we just laugh a lot and enjoy each other's company. And, we've truly become a family.

ET: When you travel around, I notice you guys have a mix of huge stadium venues and county fairs, and of course awards shows. Is it important to you to keep mixing up the venues like that or do you think as you get more popular that you'll drop the smaller venues?

HS: You know what, some of the fairs and festivals have been the most fun. Honestly, I hope that we never stop because it keeps us on our toes from a live performance standpoint, because your approach in every scenario is a little bit different. These fair dates we really look forward to because we get to play a full set and we put our heart and soul into it, that's for sure.

ET: Are you already looking ahead to a new recording?

HS: We are. We've been writing for the second record since before the first one was done. We write all the time. We'll bring out songwriters with us on the road for a couple of days here and there. We've started the process a little bit. We've gone into the studio and are just in the very early stages of work on the second record. And that is exciting too, because when we are home for a couple days we're getting to be creative and using that part of our brain again.

ET: For a band that really lives with a lot of exposure, you seem to have done a great of avoiding drama and staying out of the tabloids. How do you stay sane?

HS: I think that is where it's a great advantage that there are three of us. We keep each other grounded and talk about everything. And also … this is our job. We have a really fun job and it has its really cool moments, but at the end of it, we're not anymore special than anybody else. It can't be all of who you are. Keep family first and keep close to the friends and family that hold you accountable. That's what we've learned. Life finds a way of humbling you really quickly.

CHECK IT OUT

WHAT: Benton County Fair & Rodeo Mainstage Entertainment

WHO/WHEN:

• Diamond Rio 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 29.

• Whiskey Dawn 6 p.m. and Lady Antebellum 8 p.m. Thursday, July 30.

• The Edgar Winter Band 7 p.m. and Bad Company former lead singer Brian Howe 8:30 p.m. Friday, July 31.

• Johnny Limbo & The Lugnuts 7 and 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1.

WHERE: 110 S.W. 53rd St.

COST: Reserved tickets to concerts are $20 Wednesday through Friday and $10 Sunday. Festival seating behind the reserved seating is included in fair admission.

Daily admission at the gate is $8 for adults, $5 for seniors and $3 for youth. Children under 5 are admitted free. Tickets bought in advance of the fair get a $1 discount and season passes are also available. Parking is $4.

INFO: www.bentoncountyfair.

com or 766-6521.