Country music fans who are also reality TV junkies will get a special treat Monday night when tuning in to the latest episode of The Bachelor. While star Sean Lowe takes his date out in the town of Whitefish, Montana, he'll be serenaded by rising country star Sarah Darling, who performs a rendition of her hit "Home To Me."

Darling noted that the taping--her biggest national TV exposure to date--was thrilling for the obvious reasons, but also because she got some much appreciated time with fans. "It was really sweet because they opened [the taping] up to the public, and I got to meet everyone in this small quaint little town," she noted. "They all showed up and I got to play for them. It was amazing to be on the Bachelor, but it was amazing to meet all these new fans and get to spend some one-on-one."

Darling performs on 'The Bachelor' (Photo: Matt Baldwin)

Darling had fun exploring the little town and meeting Lowe; however, one thing that wasn't revealed to her were any advance plot twists. "No! They are very secretive about that," she

Tim McGraw (Photo: Kevin Mazur)Tim McGraw is just a little excited about his new album, Two Lanes Of Freedom, which hits the streets on Tuesday. Okay, we’re lying: he’s actually a lot excited. In fact, he’s throwing a party like never seen before to celebrate the release—and you are invited!

McGraw will be in San Diego for his big album drop, where he’ll be performing a special set on the flight deck of the USS Midway Naval Museum in the San Diego Harbor that evening. The show will include a spectacular entry by McGraw on a helicopter, and end with a fantastic fireworks show over the water. In between, of course, there’ll be great live music from McGraw as he celebrates a new chapter in his life.

Here's a shot of where he'll be playing, to give you a taste of the vibe:

The show is a private event just for McGraw’s most die-hard fans, as well as our hardworking military personnel. However, if you count yourself in the devoted fan category—but can’t make it to California--you can still see the show. As we noted,

Tim McGraw (Photo: Rick Diamond)Tim McGraw is 45 years old and looking better than ever these days. Part of it, no doubt, has to do with his hard-won fresh start on a new label—with a new album coming out on Tuesday. Aside from that, however, there’s a simple reason for his healthy good looks: The singer has been sober now for five years.

McGraw tells People that he decided to quit alcohol once he realized he was uncomfortable with the amount he was drinking. “I drank a lot from my point of view and I needed to stop," he said, adding that his decision was ultimately for the sake of his family—wife Faith Hill and their three daughters.

“I felt quitting was something I needed to do. I didn't feel I had any moral high ground with my kids in the long run.”

The superstar took up exercise in place of boozing, noting that the adrenaline he gets from his workouts helps amp him up on stage while on tour.

Travis's mugshot in August. (Courtesy Grayson County police)Randy Travis is on the way to recovery--both personally and with the law. On Thursday, the country singer pleaded guilty to a driving while intoxicated charge stemming from a dramatic incident last August where he crashed his car and was found naked on a Texas highway.

Travis's lawyer told the press near the end of 2012 that his client was focusing on sobriety; however, that doesn't let him off the hook legally. As a result of his guilty plea, he was sentenced to a 180-day jail sentence, which will be suspended if he stays out of trouble for a 2-year probation period.

Additionally, he'll have to cough up a $2000 fine, spend a month in rehab, perform 100 hours of community service, and and have an ignition interlock device installed on his car for the duration of his probation. The device will prevent him from turning on the ignition if his blood alcohol level is too high.

Kenny Chesney (Photo: Ronald Martinez)Kenny Chesney’s upcoming album now officially has a name, and longtime fans of the singer will be able to guess exactly where he got the inspiration. It’ll be called Life On A Rock, and will hit streets April 30.

The name, of course, alludes to Chesney’s fondness for the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he maintains a residence. "Just living here on this planet, we're all living life on a rock; but for me, and for this record, it's about the way life is when you live on an island,” the singer confirms. “Everywhere you go, there's everyone you know; you know everything about them, and they know everything about you...and well, that's just a whole other way to be.”

Emmylou Harris (Photo: Jonathan Leibson)Country icon Emmylou Harris is starting off 2013 on a rather bad note: The singer has been slapped with a misdemeanor hit-and-run charge stemming from an accident she had last year.

Harris, 65, allegedly rammed into the back of another car on Los Angeles's 405 freeway in October 2012, and, according to the other driver's report, took off without exchanging information. TMZ reports that Harris's camp claims she didn't realize she'd hit the car, and that it was a "garden-variety" incident that happens frequently on L.A.'s busy roads.

Blake Shelton (Photo: Gregg DeGuire)Army veteran Brendan Marrocco is a true American hero: The soldier survived a 2009 quadruple amputation after his vehicle was bombed in Iraq. Just recently, he became one of only 7 people in the country to receive a double arm transplant. And now, he’s about to shake hands with his own hero, country superstar and Voice coach Blake Shelton.

Marrocco, 26, is still recovering from the rare operation and can only partially move and feel his new donor arms at this point. However, he told reporters the first person he’d like to shake hands with once he’s able—following his doctors—is Shelton.

A fan tweeted the local news story to Shelton on Tuesday, prompting the singer to respond “Wow.. Speechless. I will make this happen!!”

He then noted that he was “completely honored” and addressed Marrocco directly on Twitter: “I can't WAIT to shake the hand of an American Hero/Stud... You my brother.”

Lisa MatassaCountry musicians come from all parts of America these days, but Lisa Matassa has one cool distinction in this arena: She's considered "Long Island's first bona fide country artist!"

The singer-songwriter, who was born in New York but raised in Florida, has had an indirect path to country music. Although she grew up loving (and singing) the genre, her career originally took a pop path--she put out two top-10 dance hits while still in her teens, and toured with the likes of Taylor Dayne and Brenda K. Starr. Realizing that her true love was country music, she made the switch to where her creative heart lay, and has released three country albums to date. Her latest, Somebody's Baby, is garnering attention for the title track, which is climbing the charts and attracting ears with its unique rockin' country hybrid sound.

We had the opportunity to talk to Matassa about her new music, the fact that she's not Nashville based, and how she has managed to blend all her musical influences so successfully. Enjoy!

Our Country: There is a lot of discussion about how you are a country artist from Long Island. Given that country music is so widespread in popularity these days--and there are artists in the genre from basically all over the country now--do you find that your NY heritage is less of a talking point?

Lisa Matassa: It definitely continues to intrigue people a bit when they hear I live on Long Island. Once they hear how much country music influenced me as a little girl growing up in South Florida, I think my current place of residence no longer becomes an issue. As far as I'm concerned, country music is America's music regardless of where you hang your hat.