Random Notes

“The Voice” Contestant Adam Wakefield Could Be Our First Chris Stapleton Clone

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With the recent overwhelming success of Chris Stapleton, it was only a matter of time before we began to see clones and copycatters crop up among the hungry masses seeking stardom. You didn’t have to squint to see the Stapleton influence in the long-haired and bearded Adam Wakefield when he chose the exact same rendition and style of Chris Stapleton’s take on “Tennessee Whiskey” for his audition on NBC’s The Voice.

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Curb Records is Trying to Mount a Comeback

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When LeAnn Rimes and Hank Williams III fought very public battles with the label, people chalked it up to a couple of artists with declining careers who couldn’t handle being professional. But after high profile and nasty exits by Hank Williams Jr. and then superstar Tim McGraw, the word was out on the streets about Curb Records’ unfair business practices.

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Leave Music & Musicians Out of Your Boycotts Against Religious Freedom Laws

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New religious freedom laws in North Carolina and Mississippi, and pending legislation in Tennessee, has the South and the United States in an uproar over religious and civil liberties in an already contentious political season. And all of a sudden, music, and country music specifically, is getting caught in the crossfire.

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Netflix Series “The Ranch” Showcases Worthy Country & Roots Artists

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Reviews have been mixed for the show so far, but country music listeners may have an extra incentive to watch the program. Featured on the 10-episode series has been a slew of independent country artists who will hopefully see decent paydays and a bump in exposure. There are also ample country music references and jokes in the series.

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Merle Haggard: The Living Embodiment of the American Experience

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Are the lives of celebrities any more special than our own, and is their passing any more tragic than the common, unheralded people who pass every single day without as much as a word beyond loved ones, or a tiny blurb in a local paper? In short, no they’re not. But that’s also what made Merle Haggard special. He was the embodiment of America’s forgotten: the poor, the imprisoned, the wrongfully accused…

Sturgill Simpson Makes 2nd Appearance on Joe Rogan Experience Podcast

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Sturgill Simpson made his second appearance on the long-winded Joe Rogan Experience podcast on Monday (4-4) ahead of the release of his new album A Sailor’s Guide to Earth out April 15th, and talked many subjects with the comedian, including the new album. “This is definitely a record that anybody that knows about me, I would like them to hear as a record, because that’s how I recorded it to be heard.”

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Saving Country Music’s 2016 ACM Awards LIVE Blog

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Welcome ladies and gentlemen to Saving Country Music’s Official 2016 ACM Awards LIVE blog, where we will smack talk, celebrity shame, and hopefully see some positive moments to share with each other to try and get through yet another mainstream country music awards show sham together. Fair warning that you may see the occasional swear word or grammatical flub as the timeline unfolds…

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Tracing Bloodlines and Preserving Traditions: The Story of Hank Williams IV

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It was nearly five years ago now that Saving Country Music first delved into the subject of whether there was indeed a legitimate fourth generation member of the most legendary name in country music history: Hank Williams. Of course we all know about the original Hank Williams, whose birth name was actually Hiram King Williams, and who was country music’s first superstar.

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CMA is All Talk When It Comes to Including Females in Festival Lineup

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The CMA has officially released the Nissan Stadium lineup for the CMA Music Festival coming up the 2nd week in June, and despite all of the talk of diversity and the inclusion of female acts in country, the lineup remains painfully lacking in female representation once again. Carrie Underwood thinks she knows why.

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The Best Way to Buy Music And Support Your Favorite Artists

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How to purchase music is a very convoluted subject, is specific to each artist, and it can drive you crazy thinking about it. But despite some rare cases and unusual exceptions, there are a few hard and fast maxims about the best ways to purchase or stream music to make sure you’re supporting your favorite artists as best you can.

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Why Are So Many Music Concerts Selling Out Instantly?

Random Notes 38 Comments

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This isn’t just a problem for big mainstream bands playing massive venues anymore. As independent music continues to take over market share, and there continues to be a slow build of interest in more substantive music, this issue is starting to affect performers that a few years ago fans were used to seeing in dingy bars with 20 other people.

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Free SXSW Country & Roots Showcases for 2016

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Screw spending somewhere between $700 to upwards of four figures for some official SXSW badge or wristband just to get turned down at most of the shows you want to get into because you’re not on some VIP list. The smart and frugal SXSW goer knows that the free, all access day parties and unofficial showcases is where it’s at, and many of the events even provide free beer and food.

You Have Every Right to Be Disappointed If Sturgill Simpson Chose Not to Make a Country Record

Random Notes 106 Comments

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For the second time in four months, a writer for the Dallas Observer has taken a completely ridiculous and incorrect premise, hindered by a perspective on country music that is very much from the outside looking in, and built it into an irresponsible think piece that shreds the truth and frames anyone who would have the audacity to care about country music as a feckless, misguided moron.

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Brooklyn Country Cantina at SXSW: House Party Feel with World Class Talent

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For every officially-sanctioned event, there’s two more that squeeze in where they can and try to keep the original spirit of SXSW alive, including the now 8th Annual Brooklyn Country Cantina, which boasts a stacked 2016 lineup including Sam Outlaw, Daniel Romano, Possessed by Paul James, The Quebe Sisters, Mike and the Moonpies, and many more.

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Move Over Steve Goodman, Jason Isbell Pens “The Saddest Song Ever”

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“In my new song we cover such diverse tragic country topics as unemployment, the troops, reliable trucks gone done breakin’ down, the devil’s brown liquor, and the no-good bankerman knocking on the door with papers,” Isbell says in the fictitious infomercial. “My new 180-minute four chord song also covers new cartoonishly tragic down home scenarios.

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Blake Shelton (Yes, Blake Shelton) Advocates for the Protection and Exclusivity of Country Music

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…Back to the argument Blake Shelton had with Adam Levine on The Voice as America watched on, and they both battled to be picked as the judge for Adam Wakefield, Blake Shelton said some things about country that needed to be heard, and were quite surprising coming from Blake. Usually the banter between judges is quite lighthearted on the show. But in this case, it got fairly heated.

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Too Little, Too Late for the Dying Austin Music Scene

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There’s no more hypothesizing what Austin might look like if the music scene is bled out of its system. All you have to do is walk down 7th Street or Red River to see it. So will the solutions be small baby steps that look to support the dwindling artists and infrastructure that’s still left? Or will there be big proposals and bold plans that not only fix Austin music, but fix Austin in general?

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This Don Williams Retirement Isn’t His First, And Hopefully It Won’t Be His Last

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It’s perfectly alright to be totally not okay with the news Tuesday (3-1) that Don Williams has decided to go into retirement, again. That hat, that beard, and most importantly that legendary smooth baritone voice that won him 17 #1 hits over his career and an induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010 can’t just go softly in the night and not expect there to be some sad faces, and disappointed ears.

Mary Sarah Could Be One To Make Something of “The Voice” Opportunity

Random Notes 17 Comments

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Mary Sarah is an unusual case when it comes to mainstream country prospects. On the surface, you have this gorgeous young woman with lots of styling, pizzazz, and stage presence, seasoned from performing since a very early age, like a pop country star ready to go out of the box. But what does she decide to do with her debut album? She releases a duets record with country legends.

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Luke Bryan Can’t Hold His Beer, Falls on Stage (Again)

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When they compile a highlight (or lowlight) reel of Luke Bryan’s career, along with his Greatest Hits, they’ll have to include his greatest falls. There was a reason that at the CMA Awards in November, co-host Carrie Underwood referred to the Georgia son and spitting image of Gomer Pyle as “Luke Stagefaller” in their opening Star Wars skit.

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