[June 29, 2011] Rascal Flatts offers fans a country festival Tweet Jun 29, 2011 (St. Louis Post-Dispatch - McClatchy-Tribune News Service via COMTEX) -- Rascal Flatts wants to ensure that its legion of country-loving fans receives its money's worth when the band is on tour, as if performing a bevy of chart-topping songs isn't enough. The band came up with the idea of Flatts Fest, a preshow festival experience that includes karaoke, carnival games, a photo booth, miniature golf, singing contests and more spread out through the venue's plaza and parking lots. "This is something we've never done before, and it's going to be stuff to do all day long for people to come out and have a nice time," Rascal Flatts singer Gary LeVox says. "It's pretty cool. We didn't want people to just come to the show and go home." LeVox says he's most excited about the singing contests. A winner will be selected in each city, leading to a sing-off in which the winner will open a show for Rascal Flatts at a later date. "Who knows, we could find the next American Idol," LeVox jokes. Rascal Flatts is on tour to promote its most recent album, last year's "Nothing Like This," a follow-up to the 2009 release "Unstoppable." The band, which seems unable to sit still, has already cut several songs for its next album. But with "Nothing Like This," LeVox says the band made music unlike anything it had done before. "It shows growth, and it shows that we never get complacent in the music we make," he says. "We switched record labels and management companies, so we have new inspiration, and we're having a blast." Rascal Flatts recorded the album in Nashville, Tenn., and Santa Barbara, Calif. It was the band's first time recording outside Nashville. "I always heard about how much fun they have in Santa Barbara, and at that time when we were cutting the album, it was raining in Nashville for three months," LeVox says. "So we were either going to cut 11 ballads or go find some sunshine. We went to Santa Barbara, and it was great with the beach and sun and atmosphere. It's amazing what that can do to a spirit." "Nothing Like This" is the sixth consecutive hit album for the band. Singles on the album include "Why Wait," "I Won't Get Go" and "Easy," a duet with Natasha Bedingfield. It was the first time Rascal Flatts recorded with a female singer for one of its own projects (the band previously recorded with Reba McEntire on one of her albums). "Natasha's such a great singer, and she and I are such fans of each other," LeVox says. "We put this song together and thought the song was perfect for her. It turned out much better than we expected." If Rascal Flatts has its way, the band's next duet partner will be Adele (who recently canceled tour dates because of illness). "We just found out, when she was asked who does she listen to for inspiration, she said Rascal Flatts," LeVox says. ___ (c) 2011, St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Visit the Post-Dispatch on the World Wide Web at http://www.stltoday.com/. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. _____ ARCHIVE PHOTOS on MCT Direct (from MCT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): Rascal Flatts For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]