CountryHound Exclusive: Dierks Bentley

2/8/2008 Stephen L. Betts Dierks Bentley ended 2007 on a high note. Well, several high notes, actually, with another No. 1 single (his fifth), four Grammy nominations, and the honor of being CountryHound’s first-ever Reader’s Choice Award winner! We asked our readers which artist had the biggest impact on them this year, and overwhelmingly they chose Dierks.   In this exclusive CountryHound interview with Dierks, he looks back at a monumental 2007, and looks toward 2008, as he gets back on the concert stage, prepares a new album, and brushes up on his Halo 3 skills! CountryHound: Obviously, your fans have a huge impact on you, and your relationship with them is important to you. Dierks Bentley: The biggest thing we try to do is keep our fans aware of what we’re doing and more involved in what we’re doing - having more of a say in what singles [are released], how our meet-and-greet process works. That's my biggest thing, giving my fans the same access that I wanted when I was a fan of different bands growing up.  I want to be close to them, to know what they are doing what they are involved in. 2007 was a big year for you, with three No. 1 singles, and the Grammy nominations. How would you sum up the year? The word that comes to mind when I think about last year and the way this year is looking is blessed. I feel truly blessed. When the year ended we found out about the Grammy nominations. What a way to close out the year! It felt really good.  And then to start the year we get a chance to look forward to those Grammy Awards and going out there and picking something up or just being a part of all the cool press that comes out of it. We'll go out there and do a lot of cool stuff, and then we'll come home, roll up our sleeves and do what we really enjoy doing, which is going out there on the bus and touring. Did the Grammy nominations surprise you? I honestly was not expecting anything this year because we're between records, but to find out that Long Trip Alone is still being honored is cool. And the really cool thing for me is the DVD category there's one called long-form video, and the DVD I shot out in Denver [Live and Loud at the Fillmore], which was one of the coolest things we've done because it captures all the five years of touring, all that effort and thought, all the tears and beers that me and the guys in our crew put in to our show, we kind of captured that on one DVD and I'm really proud of that. And to find out that that's up in the long-form video category with other people like Madonna and R. Kelly and folks like that, it's just flattering to me and the guys. You’re getting back to the concert stage on Feb. 14 in Gainesville, FL. What kinds of things are in store for this tour? Clean slate, new ideas. We’re recharged, ready to go. I've never been more excited to get back out on the road, to see the guys in the band and see all our fans. The stage … the road really becomes like a family member. And for me, this year is special because I'm working on a new record that’ll be out towards the end of the year. We get a chance to try different songs on different nights. What do you like to do when you arrive in a town and have time before a show? We have a little jeep we carry behind the bus. We go out and cruise around for a little bit. The jeep allows us to get out and see the town and meet people and go work out. When we’re hanging out on the bus there’s a lot of time to kill, but I try to be productive - write songs, work on music, and think about the show. We've got an album coming out this year so there's a lot to work on. What are some of your favorite time-killers on the bus? Do you watch movies, play video games? Halo 3 [the Xbox video game] With Halo four guys on one bus can wirelessly play with four guys on another bus. Are you any good at it? In my band, I'm definitely the best! When Miranda Lambert was touring with us, her crew was pretty good but they couldn't hold a candle to ours. And Cross Canadian Ragweed, they came close, but we’re the best. We're ready to challenge any band out there that thinks they're better at Halo than we are. With a couple of newcomers, Bucky Covington and Luke Bryan, joining you for this tour, what do guys like that bring to the mix? Youthful energy. When you get people there out there that are young and fresh and hungry, it makes the tour exciting, and I try to feed off that little bit too. Not that it's old for me yet, but I try to pass on anything I can, and learn from them as well.