Blah Blah Blog

My life keeps rollin' along...

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 02:40:00 GMT

Howdy!

Can I first of all say THANK YOU to the man who fixed my air conditioning today, its in the mid 90s and I have had no AC for 3 days...I almost pitched a tent in the yard to catch some breeze....almost :-) I hope everyone has enjoyed the second season of Texas Women so far. Its been fun sharing my journey on TV and I like that yall get to meet Cory too. Isnt he the bee's knees?? His true cowboy spirit and values are something that I find endearing and he has taught me a lot about taking it easy in life. My new single, Sweet Southern Song, really represents a lot of that and the way we choose to live our lives...Have you had a chance to hear it? You should check it out on itunes and let me know what you think here! Hope yall are staying cool, as it looks like we are already teetering on summer temperatures here in Texas. At least we had a longer spring then I have ever experienced here...now if only my tomato plants would grow fasterrrrrr!!!! Im ready for homemade salsa!!

Happy Trails,

Ali

Here we go...again!

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 02:39:28 GMT

So yes it has been announced that a season 2 of Texas Women is in the works! It will air this spring on CMT. I know it was a long wait for all of us to get the green light but let me say I know this season will be amazing. We have an incredible support group for our show that wants only the best for all of us. Here is a photo of all the girls celebrating at some fancy shmancy LA restaurant. We had the chef write in chocolate on a plate which was dripping down the longer I held it up. If you look close you can see chocolate on my fingers from where I was trying to fix it up again!

Sometimes you gotta kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince right? I think that goes for many aspects of our lives, not just talking about relationships, but for me it applies to my career as well. I have had many ups and downs, and I'll share those with you on season 2. There have been a lot of amazing leaps and bounds, and not so amazing trips and falls if you will. But I do think its those times we are struggling to get back up that make us better right? I mean "What doesnt kill you makes you stronger" and I have to say, thought its an overused cliche, not many words have held as much truth.

With all that said, if it feels like you have been a target, be sure to keep moving!! It makes the shot much tougher...

Love yall and see ya soon on the boob tube!!!

PS Check out the new merchy merch would ya?? :-)

Let's Play Ketchup...

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 07:13:47 GMT

I mean CATCH up! get it yall?? ha ;-)

I just got back from a great trip to Nashville, TN, where I attended my very first awards show, the ASCAP Awards. ASCAP is an organization that I belong to as a songwriter and I was excited to be invited to this incredible event. What I loved was that I got to see a lot of the songwriters sing their songs that have been made into hits by folks like Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Jennifer Nettles, Dierks Bentley, Lee Ann Womack and more...not to mention THE Don Williams sang as well. Speaking of songwriting check out a sneak peak of a new Ali Dee tune and a photo from the red carpet at the event...

Talk soon!!

Happy Trails,

Ali Dee

Want some free Ariat boots??? Jewelry?? You know you do...so read this!

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 21:50:06 GMT

Hi everyone!

I teamed up with Langston’s Western Wear to give away items I hand picked for the contest. Items include two pair of Ariat Cowboy Boots, Rock and Roll Cowgirl jeans and tops, and a bracelet by Kender West. There are several ways to enter, increasing your chances to win! So head on over to the Langston’s Western Wear blog to sign up at http://www.langstonsblog.com/2011/10/a-week-of-giveaways/

I have been busy spending some time at The Compound recording studio in Austin, TX working with Ken Tondre getting some vocals done for some new tunes! Here is a pic of me singin my heart out :-)

Hope to see you at my show in McKinney, TX on friday and Ranch Bash in Fort Worth, TX on Saturday!!!!

Happy Trails,

Ali Dee

Texas Women: The End...?

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 03:30:00 GMT

Well the first season of Texas Women is done and done! I thought the finale episode was really great, and I am glad folks got to see a day in the life (kinda) of what its like for me to try to push and push and push to make things happen for myself. If you have a dream, you have to be the driving force, at least that's the way I feel. No one does the hard work for you...

With that said, I am very thankful that Susan Hartman (co-creator of the show with Ted Calaroso) found me and asked me to be a part of it, even if at first I was REALLY scared about this whole thing. I couldn't be happier and I sure did gain about 13,000 new friends across the country on my Facebook page, that I can visit with and talk about music etc...

Next chapter for me, first and foremost the EP will be out this fall, I can't wait for you to hear it, I hope to sell like one gagillion copies so if you could start telling your friends I'd be real happy :-) Also tons of new tour dates will be posted very soon, I have been in band practice mode for a couple weeks now tuning the guys up and making sure everything is ready to hit the road!! Also have great new merch coming in, which some is now posted on the website. AND my new sunglass line (as seen on the show) will be available this fall as well... (I have seen a sneak peak and boy oh boy bling bling cuteness). PLUS you can now buy World's Gone Crazy on iTunes!

As for a season 2 of Texas Women...time will tell!!

Happy Trails,

Ali Dee

EP...Elvis Presley?

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 05:03:33 GMT

It’s time for another blog, Episode 4 of Texas Women came and went, just like the bluebonnets in the spring. Poetic? I know :) First I want to mention a BIG THANK YOU to Matt and Ben at 93-3 the Twister in Omaha. I had a great fun interview with them today and it is posted in the news section of my website on the home page. When my song played (right after a Miranda Lambert tune) I just couldn’t believe it…I work and work and work and then THAT, my friends, is my reward. It made me laugh, gave me sweaty palms, cry, and smile. Also want to say thank you to Kent Terry. Alright let’s get down to the meat and potatoes, or should I say meat and crickets of what went down on Texas Women. Lots to discuss, so here we go... The dinner party, or "Lasagna Cook off" …I think we have seen a LOT of cooking and grocery shopping and dinner parties...A LOT... Thankfully, Brooke comes to the rescue with the ole cricket in the sauce trick. When I arrived (late because I was shooting at another location which happened to me twice in this episode) the cricket had already been marinating a good hour, I wasn’t too worried, I hadn’t ever heard of someone dying from cricket poisoning, I was starving so I knew I would eat it anyway!! Brooke and Hannah thought it was the funniest thing ever, and you didn’t see them take me into the other room to let me in on the joke. Little did we know, Anna had already fished out the cricket carcass. Her lasagna was awesome, I really enjoyed it. There was a lot more that could have been showed that night, some overly drunk drunkenness, some tears, some yelling...I'll leave it at that...moving on! Next up, my 20 questions from Anna...I knew something was weird when I showed up, she sat me down and grilled me like a piece of aged meat. I'd prefer a nice medium - medium well, but by the end of that thing I was a few degrees past well done. There's a lot of fancy TV magic that happened in that scene, different questions to different answers… dramatic pauses...you get the point. First time I really saw the "magic of editing" come alive...Oh boy can ya feel the drama? ;-) Every episode you see me working my butt off to make it, and THAT'S REALITY, I do it every single day of my life, whether the TV cameras are around or not. Are you pickin’ up what I’m puttin’ down? I don't claim to be Dolly Parton, I’m just trying the best way I know how to make it. Good old fashioned REAL HARD WORK! Time for the fun part! At least for me! DRUMMER AUDITIONS!! I was so appreciative of every guy that showed up to my auditions, even if most of them had no idea about country music… living in Fort Worth…the heart of Texas… where country is king… UGH! Is this really happening??? HA! Luckily there were a few great picks, Grady and Donald. Grady is great, we love him, the guys give me a hard time because I have still never named them, they are dying to be Ali Dee and the "somethings" Don't they know us women stand our ground! Get used to Ali Dee boys!!! :-) My band is the most amazing group of folks, not only great musicians, but they are really great to me. They respect me, they listen, and most importantly the let me think I'm the boss. I also heard from Donald after the show aired and he thanked us for saying such kind things, totally a class act! MY FAVORITE night the whole time we were shooting was that night at Brooke's house going swimming. We had such a great time, all got along great, let loose, and it felt like old friends just partying it up. Anna told a great story about a ghost she saw at a ranch she was staying at one time, I really wish they would have showed it, it was so scary! Hannah was her usual sweet self but not in the mood to swim, Brooke hosted a fab dinner and made me feel like a kid again, it was funny when she gave Anna some crap about the name Grady, my new drummer’s name, that's the name of one of Anna's ex's hence why it would be easy for us to remember. Girl Humor!! Just an all out heck of a time…THAT was something I really wish you saw more of....we were up late that night! Time for the q&a portion! Woo Hoo! Q: “Do you totally know how each episode will be before it airs or do you see it the first time like the rest of us??” – Michael Coleman from FB A: No no no!! What you see and when you see it, is what I see and when I see it. Makes it kinda fun, it’s always a surprise to see what’s in each episode and what hits the cutting room floor. Q:”Where can I get the song World’s Gone Crazy???? I’m learning all the words!!” – Mika from Charlotte, NC A: OMG how awesome! I can’t imagine the way it will feel when I do a show and people know all the words to my songs…whoa whoa whoa. You can get the song ONLY on the store page right here at my website as part of the Dee Team Deal until it comes out on iTunes later this month That's a wrap folks!! See ya this thursday on CMT at 10p/9c and right after the show Ill be on ustream live!! Happy Trails, Ali Dee

Boot Scootin' in a Bikini

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 00:30:00 GMT

Well howdy everyone! Episode three of Texas Women is in the books and it was a silly lil episode if I do say so myself. Teskeys is not only a great place to get your boots, spurs, saddles, and hats, but also bikinis! I went there looking for something I could do the boot scootin boogie to, but didnt find it ha. So let's recap the episode from my point of view shall we??

First of all, I LOVE TO RIDE HORSES, but that is accompanied with the fact that I'M NOT A GREAT RIDER. I started riding when I was a kid, I dunno maybe 4th grade or so, and took lessons for a long time, rode every summer, but my skills just arent that great. So the fact that Brooke knew that, and was still willing to show me the ropes in a sport that takes a lot of control and toughness on a horse, was great! Not only that, but she didn't thrust me into full speed ahead even though I was riding her horse named Andale!! :-) I have watched barrel racing a gazillion times, and I am Brooke's biggest fan, and now I know not only is she a great rider, she's a great teacher, TOUGH TO FIND! So gals, if you want to learn how to run barrels, give her a shout! You can find her on FB here. If they do start a barrel racing for walkers, I am SO in, Im ready right?

Secondly, the photo shoot, oh lordy. Like I said in the show, I really am not a fan of photo shoots, I find them very stressful, on stage your imperfections come and go, in a photo they last forever! So I always get a little nervous and uneasy as you saw. Good thing Danny Bollinger, the photographer, was so hilarious!! He made me laugh and feel comfortable and we ended up getting the shot I needed for my artwork for the single World's Gone Crazy, which will be coming out in just a few weeks!! So excited!!! Visit Danny's studio for all your photography needs right here.

Lastly, the party party party...it was nice chatting with a few friends, & it was a small party. There was a lot of funny stuff you didnt get to see that happened at the party, theres only so much time in the show. I got to bring home a pink flamingo which was the best part, except my new dog that wondered up to the ranch a few weeks ago and never left us (Miss Kitty Pearl) thought it was a toy and chewed it to bits :-( boo hoo. Miss Kitty Pearl now sleeps in my bed, Im such a sucker...PS Im not a fan of hog, especially one that sits out in a pasture all night ha! My friend Stephanie who is a butcher forbid me to try it... Either way, whatever it was they ended up serving folks seemed to like!

Now its time for the question portion of the blog!
Q: What the heck is horse herpes? - Clint from Ardmore, OK
A: HA!! When we shot the show, Horse Herpes was a problem facing the horse community around the southwest, and many horses were quarantined because its so contagious. With that said, I was referring to that, but obviously it was a joke because horse herpes affects, well horses, and is not transmitted through bikinis at Teskeys :-)

Q: Where did you get your blinged out sunglasses? - Cheryl from Facebook
A: My sunglasses are actually from MY LINE that I will be launching this fall!! I am glad so many folks liked them, I was hoping for a good reaction. For me, the more bling the better. They will be available online and there will be several styles to choose from. They are made with the finest Swarovski Crystals sure to sparkle under the sunshine (or the rodeo arena lights)

That's all for this week folks, looking forward to episode 4, drummer auditions, one of my favorite days of shooting!!

Happy Trails,

Ali Dee

OH! my band and I did a lil cover of an 80s song by Soft Cell called Tainted Love last night, it was my moms request..so here it is! Country Fried!!

37 divided by 2

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 08:18:31 GMT

Howdy everyone, I want to start off by saying first of all I LOVED THIS WEEKS SHOW! I was really excited that we got to see more about each of our lives and our careers, especially after the first episode which was a little...wild... :-) OK lets cut to the chase, I SWEAR Im not that bad at math, Im actually kinda decent at it...my elementary teachers were probably cringing, I was cringing, but if anyone has had a Joe T Garcia's margarita, they know they put a lil kink in your think if you know what I mean. So yes, 37 divided by 2 seemed like a Calculus equation or like someone was asking me what the molecular structure of an AC/DC current is..ha! Oh margaritas...We did eventually work it out... Lets talk a little about my little visit to 95.9 the Ranch...I really went in there hoping to get some great response, obviously it didnt go as planned, and I was disappointed BUT hearing yalls comments and support has meant SO MUCH TO ME! Whether its here, on facebook or twitter, I read every single note and repond to as many as I can. I have been so shocked with the response for my lil ole song I wrote called Worlds Gone Crazy... Its something that I wrote because I was mad at the craziness around me, like an x boyfriend in jail, and a family member being held up at gun point. The whole point of the tune is no matter what's going on around us...we gotta just continue to stay true to who we are and live our lives like WE want to live them! So when the song does come out maybe we can all get together and call the radio stations and tell em "hey #playalidee, wouldya" ..maybe we will get em to listen! Its SO tough getting on the air! I want to say thank you to Kevin McCoy for giving me a shot, and Charla Corn for putting up with me, and making me feel better, she was so nice to me...which helped to ease the blow..sigh...At the end of the show it was SO nice of Brooke to get the DJ to play my song, a confidence booster seeing all the folks in the club dancing to it! She's a great supportive friend and always knows how to give a gal a little pick me up!! Also immediately after last nights show I went LIVE on Ustream to answer questions and chat about the show...so many of you showed up to chat! I LOVED it!!! Ill be doing that every week right after the show. You can click HERE to find the channel. This coming week I will be in Los Angeles so I will be streaming from the West Coast! Check my facebook for the exact time Ill be on on thursday, since Ill be in California...I also get to meet Devin from Sweet Home Alabama, Im sure we will have lots of stories to exchange! Its time for this weeks questions!!! Here they are: Q: "I love the song Worlds Gone Crazy I heard on Texas Women. Where can I get your music?" -Courtney from Kansas City, MO A: Hi Courtney! I have been getting a LOT of questions about where and when yall can get my music. Everything will be available in late August!!! So if you could hold tight til then, I sure would appreciate it!! I still cant believe all the support...its just amazing, truly awesome! Q: "Hey Ali.. Where do you get most of your clothes you wear on the show? I LOVE your style! " - CarolinaCowgirl A: Hi gal! Well I am a HUGE bargain shopper. I love clothes, and I love a good bargain even more!! I like to throw together things that might seem a little strange, trying new combinations of colors, and things that are a little..uhm..different ha! Sometimes I think, why the heck did I buy that, but Ill usually end up finding some way to wear it. Believe it or not Forever21 can be my best friend, the clothes are cute, trendy, but more importantly affordable!! Yee haw!! NOW when it comes to my cowboy boots, I can splurge on those. I love the trendy styles they have at Teskeys Uptown in Fort Worth...a little pricey, but for boots, its worth it! You will have them forever!!! Also I love local Texas Boutiques, lots of neat stuff at great prices... Ok there ya have it, episode 2 is in the books and Im looking forward to next week...looks like Ill be trying to look purdy for the cameras in a photoshoot!! Dont forget to come visit me on my facebook and my twitter! Im a twitterholic ha! Happy trails, til we meet again, on your tv set next week!!! #playalidee !! Ali Dee

Everybody loves beef jerky

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 22:30:00 GMT

Well I made it through the first episode of Texas Women!! In my opinion, the show was hilarious and entertaining.... it is a television show after all and I found myself laughing...a LOT! Brooke and I had a watch party at the Wild Rooster Bar (click for photos at dfw.com from our party and also Hannah's) in Fort Worth and it was nice to celebrate with our friends and families, I mean they have to put up with us on daily basis so Im sure not much was a surprise for them :-) For my weekly blogs while Texas Women is airing, I'll answer a few questions that yall ask me each week and you can post your questions on my FB page at www.facebook.com/thealidee or ask me on www.twitter.com/ali_dee and mention you'd like to hear the answer in my blog! Or just post them as a comment right here!! This week: Q:"How did you end up on the show Texas Women?" - Ines from El Paso, TX A: One of the creators of the show, Susan Hartman, contacted me and asked me if I would be interested in being involved with a show focusing on western lifestyle, rodeo, etc. At first I was a little weary, well alotta weary, I mean its a reality show after all, and I was REALLY focused on making and writing good music. I finally decided I would do it because I felt like as an artist its important for people to get to know the person behind the music. This show will give me a chance to let folks out there learn more about me, and why I sing what I sing and why I write what I write. Also I hope you get a look into how hard I work, everyday, to try to get my big break and make it in country music...you dont just show up in Nashville with a pretty dress on and get signed...at least thats not how it is for me :-/ Q: "What the heck was with the hub cap in the radio station gift box??" Christopher from Monroe, LA A: Ha!! It seemed strange, but actually one of the songs I played for Kevin McCoy from 95.9 the Ranch was called "A Wheels Gotta Roll." I thought it was a clever (or not so clever) way to catch some attention. Ya know...wheel...hub cap...get it? I went to Walmart and got a whole set of 4 for just $16.99, what a bargain!!...oh brother....anyway that part got edited out. So thats it for this week, things look to get even crazier according to the previews CMT has started to roll out for the rest of the season...hope you will join me on this wild journey! -Ali Dee

BLah Blah BLog

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 20:22:30 GMT

Its two weeks until the premier of Texas Women on CMT and I have to say I am really excited for this show. I think it will give a good look inside some great women's lives and I hope the country grabs onto the lifestyles we lead (though we are all very different). I have been busy working away, writing and recording some new music, and I can't wait to share the details on all of that. By the way, HOW BOUT THEM MAVS!! World Champs!! What an incredible ride that was, I also enjoyed my ride on the parade float from the Dallas Convention Center to the AAC. Seeing all of those fans out there was so special...So I guess I am a World Champion TV Host?? I'll give myself that title :-) Looking forward to sharing more with y'all as we embark on this crazy adventure! Ali