By Eileen Tilson

Remember that game show “The Newlyweds”? Freshly married couples asked the same questions without letting their partner hear their answers? Sounds like a recipe for disaster, huh? Well, not too many people know that the creative head of Atlanta’s favorite electric Bluegrass band, The Whiskey Gentry, are in fact newlyweds. Front woman Lauren Staley Morrow and lead guitar, Jason Morrow tied the knot last September, and instead of spending their first year as a married couple making babies, they decided to make a record… a really great record so appropriately named Please Make Welcome. This “baby” is having its baptism this Friday and Saturday at Smith’s Olde Bar for what is being called “Twang On.”  We chatted with Lauren and Jason as part of our own little Newlyweds game…needless to say, I don’t think anyone will be sleeping in the doghouse.

What is the most outrageous gift you have ever received from a fan?

LM:  A good friend of ours, who is also a fan of the band’s, framed the lyrics of the first songs we ever recorded and gave it to Jason and I for our wedding. It’s not really “outrageous,” but it was one of the most thoughtful things anyone has ever done for us.

JM: A framed flyer from a show, not very outrageous but it was very thoughtful and it hangs on our wall now.

How do you like your coffee?

LM: Two creams and two Splendas. My mom got me hooked on that fake sugar crap when I was little… which is probably why I’ll give birth to a kid with three arms or something.

JM: I don’t really drink coffee, I like a nice cold Coca-Cola in the morning.

If you could collaborate with any musician who would it be?

LM: Loretta or Dolly. They’re the best.

JM: Greg Graffin, Dwight Yokam, and Bob Dylan.

Who is your celebrity crush?

LM: HA! I can’t wait to see Jason’s answer for this one! He jokes around all the time and goes, “Oh! My girlfirend is in this movie!!” As for myself, I’m currently into Timothy Olyphant… he’s purty.

JM: Mila Kunis.

If you were the opposite sex for one day, who would you most want to take on a date?

LM: Probably Sofia Vergara from “Modern Family.” She’s gorgeous and seems like she would be loads of fun, too.

JM: Cee-lo.

How old were you when you lost your virginity?

LM: Um, 19. I’m what you would call a “late bloomer.”

JM: 17… late bloomer

Can you play the ukulele?

LM: Hell no. I have a hard enough time with guitar.

JM: Not yet…

What was your first concert?

LM: My mom took me to see K.D. Lang when I was in 2nd grade. I kept asking her why all the girls were kissing other girls.

JM: Eric Clapton’s Journeyman tour with my mom and dad, I took mom for her birthday because I knew they wouldn’t let me go alone. I loved Slowhand, still do.

How do you feel about tequila?

LM: Let’s just put it this way: the last time I was drunk on tequila, I was standing on the side of a pool with a cigarette in my mouth, a drink tucked under my arm, and I was shooting double birds at Jason (we had just started dating and he must have pissed me off). I proceeded to tell him to “F-off and get a life” and then I tried to do a backflip into the pool (cigarette still in mouth). Class act.

JM: Funny you should ask… I’m fine with it. My wife however… not so much. Last time she drank tequila (before we were together) she was swimming with some friends, shot me a bird with a cig hanging out her mouth, told me to f-off and tried to do a backflip into the shallow end. I’ve tried to forget that image.

If you were a racehorse in the Kentucky Derby what would your name be?

LM: Class Act.

JM: Butternuts.

If you were the star of your own reality TV show, what would you call it?

LM: “Get Out of the Room While I Get Dressed: Confessions of a Frontwoman.”

JM: “Cabbagetown Creeper.”

Can you dance?

LM: I sure think I can after about five vodka/sodas.

JM: Like no ones business… Only to Huey Lewis though… friggin love that guy. Sports is the best record.

What’s your favorite thing to do on your day off?

LM: Sit on the couch with Jason and our golden retriever, Toby, and watch movies OnDemand.

JM: Golf or catch up on some mindless TV.

If you could live in the shoes of any musician for a week who would it be?

LM: Bono. Duh.

JM: Chris Martin.

What are you working on right now? What are you the most excited about for the future?

LM:We just finished our first full length record Please Make Welcome, and I’m super excited share it with everyone. We worked very hard over the past few years as a band, and I can’t wait to see where it takes us.

JM:  Right now we’re working on pushing this record and showing the world what we do. As for the future… excited to see what kind of doors this record opens and more importantly I’m excited to be playing with people who i consider to be my best friends.

The Whiskey Gentry are playing two back to back CD release shows on July 22 and 23, with additional featured acts Have Gun Will Travel, West End Motel, Lera Lynn, and Packway Handle.

So, part of the Atlanta Music Guide team went to Vegas this weekend to catch the U2 360 Tour at the Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. Somehow the Black Eyed Peas had blagged their way on to this leg of the tour, so no Muse tonight.

I'd caught the show at the Georgia Dome a couple of weeks earlier, but was more amazed by the size of the stage this time. As we walked up to the venue we could see it poking out the top of the 60,000 outdoor, roofless stadium. The band were sound checking as we arrived.

(tip: you can click on any picture to see it full size)

Once inside it was obvious how massive the set was. There are 3 of these costing $40 million each. They leap frog one another, from one venue to the next, taking 4-5 days each to set up.

We were stood on the floor in the GA section outside the red zone. Some friends at the Atlanta show said being in the red zone sucked because it felt like the band was playing over the top of you. I'd had seats for the Atlanta show so was excited to be on the floor this time.

The Black Eyed Peas came on about 7:30p

The band did pretty well. It was obvious a few die-hard U2 fans weren't into them, and some of their lyrics are ridiculous.. especially these doozies…

"Blasting out an SMS, Text me and I text you back, Check me on the iChat, I’m all about that h t t p
You’re a PC I’m a Mac, I want it..

Myspace in your space, Facebook is a new place, Dip divin’ socializin’, I’ll be out in cyber space
Google is my professor, Wikipedia checker, Checkin my account, Loggin in and loggin out"

The big hit I've Got A Feeling went down well though.

The main stadium floodlights came back on and it only took about 30 minutes for them to switch the set. Bowie's Space Oddity blared out over the system – the floodlights were still on.

Then the overhead screens lit up and the countdown clock started. Here's a video I took showing the beginning of the show.

Here's the full set list from the show:

Main Set: Breathe, Get On Your Boots, Magnificent, Mysterious Ways, Beautiful Day – In God's Country – Fix You, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For – Viva Las Vegas, Stuck In A Moment, No Line On The Horizon, Elevation, In A Little While, Unknown Caller, Until the End of the World, The Unforgettable Fire, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo – All These Things That I've Done, I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (remix), Sunday Bloody Sunday, MLK, Walk On – You'll Never Walk Alone

Encore(s): One, Amazing Grace, Where the Streets Have No Name, Ultraviolet, With or Without You, Moment of Surrender 

We walked to the back towards the end of the show.

Here's a video of my favorite track: Where the Streets Have No Name

Apparently Bill Clinton was there too

More photos