Get your boots rockin'

Every year, GIE+EXPO features free concerts at 4th St. Live! in downtown Louisville, giving attendees the chance to unwind from the trade show’s daily events. This year’s concerts will take place Oct. 22-24 on the Nissan Commercial Stage and are free to all conference attendees.

Not just featured during the GIE+EXPO, Louisville’s 4th St. Live! is a dining and entertainment venue open year-round. Along with the stage for band performances, the area also features plenty of restaurants and bars, including the Hard Rock Café, Howl at the Moon, Maker’s Mark Bourbon House, The Marquee Bar, PBR Louisville: A Cowboy Bar, Sully’s Restaurant Saloon and T.G.I. Friday’s.

The headliner for the first night, sponsored by Dixie Chopper, will be Montgomery Gentry, taking the stage 9 p.m. Wednesday. The country music duo is made up of Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry, both from Kentucky. The group has 14 Top 10 singles, including five number one hits, and has been nominated for more than 25 awards since releasing its debut single, “Hillbilly Shoes,” in 1999. In 2000, Montgomery Gentry won Favorite New Artist – Country at the American Music Awards, Top New Vocal Duo or Group from the Academy of Country Music and Vocal Duo of the Year from the Country Music Association. In 2009, they were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry and they were the 2010 winners of the Academy of Country Music’s Humanitarian Award.

During their 15-year run, they’ve released seven albums: Tattoos & Scars (1999), Carrying On (2001), My Town (2002), You Do Your Thing (2004), Some People Change (2006), Back When I Knew It All (2008) and most recently, Rebels on the Run (2011). In February of this year, the duo announced that they had signed with a new record label, Blaster Records, and consequently announced a new album, which is slated to release in early 2015. This will be the first recording released by them in three years. The first single from the album, “Headlights,” hit country radio stations in August and is available for purchase via iTunes and all other digital outlets.

Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry refer to themselves as “blue collar singers,” and the majority of their music is relatable to their fans.

Opening for Montgomery Gentry on Oct. 22 is Jeni Carr and her band TwangTown, who will perform at 7:30 p.m. Carr has been in the country music industry for 20 years and released her debut, self-titled album in 2012. Her first radio release, “Don't Throw that Dog a Bone” landed at #48 on the charts, making it her first Top 50 hit. The second single from her album, “Grace,” landed in the Top 20.

TwangTown offers a blend of new and classic country, mixed with southern rock dance tunes and original music. The band is made up of Bill Miles on the drums, Mike Stump singing vocals and playing the bass, and Barry King playing lead guitar and singing vocals. Carr and TwangTown have opened for country singers such as Neil McCoy, the duo of Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, and Brad Paisley.

Thursday’s concerts, sponsored by Synchrony Financial, will start with first headliner Jamie Lynn Spears. The 23-year-old Louisiana native has made her name in the entertainment world via television and in the footsteps of her older sister Britney Spears, being covered by media outlets such as Entertainment Tonight and CMT. Spears' official music debut features songs that incorporate her southern roots, highlighted in her country ballad "How Could I Want More." The song was co-written by Spears and River Rutherford, a Nashville songwriter who has collaborated with the likes of Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley and Montgomery Gentry. As her first single, the song was named a Taste of Country Critic's Pick. In the wake of her debut song, Spears now has over 100 songs in her catalogue.

The second headliner of the evening will be The Crashers, going on at 9 p.m. Made up of Mark Maxwell (lead vocals), Max Maxwell (drums and vocals), Shane Isenberg (guitar and vocals), Jesse Vest (bass), Howard Gittli (guitar, trumpet and vocals) and Geoff Gittli (saxophone, flute, keys and vocals), the cover band was formed in 2008. The Crashers was the official pre-game band for NBC at Super Bowl XLVI, and they played at the Indiana Convention Center for VIPs prior to the game.

Members of the band have been certified as gold- and platinum-selling artists by the Recording Industry Association of America and the Canadian Recording Industry Association. Appearances on television include performing on the Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O’Brien and MTV. They have played concerts all over the world, appearing on stage with acts such as Blake Shelton, Aerosmith and Luke Bryan.

Playing covers of popular songs, their repertoire ranges from the 50s to the present, including music by Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Eric Clapton, Bryan Adams, Lenny Kravitz and Adele. In July of last year, the group released its debut album, available online.

Friday’s concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. with opening act Josh Logan. Logan was a Top 12 finalist on Season 5 of “The Voice,” as well as a Top 10 finalist on CBS’s 2006 TV show Rockstar: Supernova. Attendees can expect to hear Logan's new single, "Bad Decisions," as well as music from his CD “Gone Tomorrow, Here Today.”

At 9 p.m. “The Voice” finalist Olivia Henken will perform. Henken was also on season five of “The Voice” on NBC in 2013, as a member of Team Christina. Since the show, she has been performing at festivals and appearing on stage with performers like Charlie Daniels and Kip Moore. In 2013, she performed at Downs After Dark, an evening event at the famous Churchill Downs horse racing track.

Henken’s first vocal award came at the age of 7, when she won the Kentucky State Fair’s Karaoke Contest for her performance of “You Ain’t Woman Enough to Take My Man.” She’s been competing in beauty pageants since 1998, most recently being named 2007 Miss Kentucky National American Miss Teen and 2008 National American Miss Teen. Her debut original album, “The Ride,” was released in 2011.