2nd Verse, Sweet As The 1st For “Country Music Magazine”
When word first came down that a country music magazine was on its way from the same publishers of Classic Rock Magazine in the UK, and that the publication was planning to feature country music greats like Johnny Cash and Buddy Emmons, right beside up-and-comers like Sturgill Simpson and Austin Lucas, it almost seemed too good to be true. The hunger for a viable print magazine that isn’t just a puppet on Nashville’s Music Row has been needing to happen for years, and of course it took an outfit offshore to make it a reality.
The first issue of Country Music Magazine did not disappoint, and made good on their promise to deliver high quality content to the scores of country music fans who want to read about past greats and future hopefuls while not completely ignoring the mainstream names worth a listen. Now they have released their second issue as they settle into their quarterly cycle, and the 2nd verse is as sweet as the 1st.
On the cover is the one and only Dolly Parton who departed The States about a month ago to trek off the international portion of her tour ahead of the release of her new album Blue Smoke. Speaking of country music greats, the issues also features Buck Owens, Jimmy Webb, Spade Cooley, Ricky Skaggs, and others. It also features a rundown of the pioneers of country guitar, hand picked by The Reverend Horton Heat, and a Marty Stuart-penned feature on Jerry Lee Lewis.
As far as cool, up-and-coming artists go, Country Music Magazine #2 features Lindi Ortega, Jason Eady, The Tillers, Possessed by Paul James, Samantha Crain, and Shovels & Rope just to name a few. Once again the issue includes dozens of album reviews, other artists features, touches on Americana music with artists like Slaid Cleaves and Rosanne Cash, and doesn’t forgo the mainstream with features on The Band Perry and Chris Young.
Country Music Magazine is also a multimedia experience, featuring a 12-song CD with music from the Turnpike Troubadours, Lindi Ortega, Possessed by Paul James, and many more. They have also launched a two-hour radio show as part o the magazine that broadcasts live on Sundays and is archived at teamrockradio.com.
Country Music Magazine is somewhat pricey for us stateside, but you get a full few months worth of reading, great suggestions on artists and albums, and free music. It can be found at most Barnes & Noble bookstores and other newsstands, or can be ordered online. And who knows, you may see some content from some of your favorite writers too ;).
March 6, 2014 @ 11:56 am
I got the first one and while it’s very lavishly done and nicely presented, it doesn’t feature anything that’s not already covered in established UK magazines like Maverick and Country Music People. I think it may have a difficult time winning over long-time readers of those magazines.
March 6, 2014 @ 12:23 pm
That’s great for all of you UK folks, but we have nothing like this over here in the states whatsoever. It makes perfect sense to me though that England has three good country music magazines, and the US has zero. Country weekly is pretty prolific, and though they do have some good stories here and there, it’s mostly a propaganda rag for the major labels.
March 6, 2014 @ 1:35 pm
Sorry to hear that. Don’t get me wrong, these magazines aren’t perfect but they are objective (99.9% of the time) and they do cover all the bases. Country Music People is pretty comprehensive and keeps abreast of most things. They even squeezed a report on the Ameripolitan Awards into their latest issue.
March 6, 2014 @ 1:11 pm
I’m assuming you can’t this digitally through iTunes or Google Play? If not, I’m still pretty intrigued to pick it up, especially when it comes with new awesome music.
March 6, 2014 @ 2:28 pm
I bought the first issue and I want disappointed as son as I get the funds together I’ll be getting this one and any that follow it. It’d be nice if they had a yearly subscription instead of just ordering one at a time though.
March 6, 2014 @ 2:48 pm
I looked into purchasing these online, but $30.00 for both issues is just too rich for my wallet – even including shipping. Maybe they’ll see that there’s a market here in the States and start producing a US addition.
March 6, 2014 @ 4:45 pm
Yeah, it’s a bit much for me as well. I wonder if maybe it costs a bit less at Barnes and Noble? If anyone knows?
March 8, 2014 @ 8:15 am
Bought a copy last night at the Maple Grove, MN Barnes & Noble. $15.00. I initially thought the price was a little steep, but after seeing that a CD was included have decided that it was worth the few extra dollars. Briefly glanced through the magazine and scanned a few articles. Appears to be a well written worthwhile publication. Will buy future issues if possible.
March 6, 2014 @ 3:42 pm
Trigger, you should do a review of Jon Pardi’s Write You A Song. His single “Up All Night” is pretty sorry, but there’s actually some half-decent stuff on the album
March 7, 2014 @ 2:46 pm
“And who knows, you may see some content from some of your favorite writers too ;).”
Like you? That would be pretty cool. I am a hop skip and a jump from Barnes and Noble. I will check it out.
March 8, 2014 @ 5:42 pm
Well, I guess I’ll be heading to a Chapters bookstore where I found the first issue! Worth every nickel!
March 10, 2014 @ 2:14 am
“Country Music Magazine is somewhat pricey for us stateside” – speaking as someone in the UK, I think it’s pretty pricey for us too! I’ve enjoyed both issues (especially pleased to see older artist being covered – great article about Spade Cooley) but find it strange to see reviews for ‘new’ releases which have been out for months!
March 21, 2014 @ 6:18 pm
what happened to scm, no new articles for a while, trigger ok?
March 21, 2014 @ 6:22 pm
Buck,
You might be looking at a cached version of the site for some reason. I’ve probably posted 25 articles since this one. Try refreshing your browser or using a different browser.