Rascal Flatts Motivated by CMA Award Loss

Rascal Flatts came out strong in the beginning of 2010. In spite of the closure of their record label, Lyric Street, the trio -- Gary LeVox, Jay Demarcus and Joe Don Rooney -- headlined the successful Unstoppable tour, then immediately moved into another tour, Nothing Like This, in support of their new album of the same name.

Still, with two Top 10 singles and a string of sold-out shows this year, the multi-platinum-selling group were only nominated for one CMA Award -- and lost that trophy to Lady Antebellum. The guys, however, say they're motivated, not discouraged, by this year's snub.

"The future is bright, and it's what we make it," Joe Don tells Nashville's Tennessean newspaper. "We're not going to lay down and give up because our names weren't mentioned in a few [awards show] categories. We came to Nashville because we wanted to be in country music and we found a sound and we wanted to be unique. I think we're a new glimpse of what country is. I can't wait to see five years down the road and where we will be. It just feels really good right now."

Earlier this year, the guys insisted they would recover some of the honors they have lost in recent years, including the CMA award for Vocal Group of the Year, which they took home every year from 2002 to 2008 before the statue went to Lady Antebellum in the last two years. "We don't expect anything, but we're coming out swinging this year," Jay told The Boot in February."We're gonna punch some people in the nose and were gonna try and take back what we feel is rightfully ours, because we believe in ourselves that much."

The band's new boss also assures fans they aren't out of the running yet. "Sometimes we have a bunch of glass houses here on Music Row, and you need a loud voice to remind everybody of the amazing things that are happening for the band on a [regular] basis and of the amazing things they do here," says the head of their new record label, Big Machine Records' Scott Borchetta. "I think the industry will come back around and see they are absolutely deserving of the biggest awards. People love this band."

Getting ready to release a new album, 'Nothing Like This,' tomorrow (November 16), the threesome are hopeful that the industry notices their growth and evolution as artists. "There are songs on the album that look back to the first couple of records and then other songs push the boundaries of what we've done up to this point," Gary says.

Rascal Flatts have announced dates for the next leg of their Nothing Like This tour, which kicks off January 14 in Sioux Falls, S.D., with opening acts Chris Young and Luke Bryan. And 2010 could still be a winning year for the guys. They are nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group this Sunday, November 21, plus four American Country Awards, including Artist of the Year: Duo or Group.