Dierks Bentley Brings 30,000 Fans Into the Studio

More than 30,000 fans logged on to watch Dierks Bentley record 15 new songs in five days from the Echo Mountain studio in Asheville, N.C. Dierks offered fans a 24-hour video feed in order to include them in the operation.

"This entire recording process was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had as a singer or a musician," Dierks says. "It was definitely intense and at times a roller coaster emotionally as we worked through the arrangements of these songs. I guess I'm still a little old school in the way I like to record, and as a fan: the way I like to listen to music. I still enjoy the process of making an album and not just a collection of singles. Letting the fans be part of that process was a total bonding experience: it was 24 hours a day, and they probably know more about me than they ever wanted to now!"

Before making the jaunt to North Carolina, Dierks talked about why he chose to leave Nashville to record. "I learned from my experience recording 'Ridge' that getting out of Nashville and away from the business side of things can be really inspiring," Dierks explained. "I've got the best musicians in the world, and we're going to go hunker down for a few weeks and live and breathe this record. I thought it would be cool to let the fans be part of the whole experience, so we're going to let them watch as it all goes down."

Next up, Dierks his headed to Los Angeles, where he'll present at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards. The singer-songwriter is also up for Country Album with 'Up on the Ridge,' and has two nominations in the Country Collaboration With Vocals category for 'Bad Angel' with Miranda Lambert and Jamey Johnson and with 'Pride (In the Name of Love)' featuring Del McCoury and Punch Brothers.

After that, Dierks hits the road as the headliner on the Jagermeister Country Tour. "The Up on the Ridge tour was so much fun but now we're turning back to a more modern country show," Dierks told The Boot. "We're just gonna go out there and have fun like we always do, with the guys in my regular band. We'll incorporate some of the stuff we learned on the Up on the Ridge tour so we'll have new sounds for our show."

The Jagermeister Country Tour kicks off March 17 in Wallingford, Conn., with opening acts Josh Thompson and new duo Miss Willie Brown. See Dierks' tour itinerary here.

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