Album Review – Joshua Ray Walker’s “Tropicana”
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In ‘Tropicana,’ the cunning use of subgenre dialects and instrumental modes, and the fearlessness he brings to writing silly melodies and singing his guts out to them is a version of genius you just can’t help but appreciate.
The 2022 ACM Awards LIVE Blog
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Though the plan was to retire this particular annual live event commentary amid the rapid decline of popular award shows and the lack of interest they create, since this year the ACM’s are making a seismic shift to streaming online through Amazon Prime…
Album Review – Matt Castillo’s “How The River Flows”
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Take your favorite traditional 90’s country vibes, mix them with a good measure of strongly-written songs in the Texas music tradition, and spice it up with a just little bit of south Texas Tejano squeezebox flavor, and what you have is the latest album from Matt Castillo.
On Blake Shelton Pondering Retirement
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The best in country music don’t make music because they want to. They make country music because they have to. It’s not a means to an end financially. It’s a requisite emotionally and spiritually. Making country music is how a true country music artist unburdens their soul.
Billy Strings Adds New Tour Dates, Jams w/ Bob Weir, Les Claypool
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We are living in the era of Billy Strings in bluegrass music, and it won’t be long before that is so self-evident it’s trite to say, and his popularity and influence spills over into the popular culture realm at large. Gone already are the days of seeing him in clubs or on side stages .
Country Music Legend Warner Mack Has Died
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When you write a song at the age of 13 that becomes a country standard and a hit in three separate decades, you know you were born to make country music. Warner Mack was born Warner McPherson on April 2, 1935 in Nashville, Tennessee, and was a natural.
Charley Crockett to Tribute Country Roots with “Jukebox Charley”
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“Jukebox Charley” isn’t just the name of an old Johnny Paycheck song. It’s a good term of endearment for Charley Crockett since he’s quickly proving that that he and his backing band The Blue Drifters can light into just about any classic country song you can call out
Album Review – Jenny Tolman’s “Married in a Honky Tonk”
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All the appetites of your country music palette are satiated by the end of Jenny Tolman’s ‘Married in a Honky Tonk,’ with your funny bone tickled, you brain stimulated, and your spirit raised. Jennyville is a fulfilling place to spend a few hours, and return to often.
Garth Hudson of The Band Not Forgotten During Difficult Time
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From country to Americana, to folk and classic rock, from Canada to the United States and around the world, everybody knows and loves The Band, and their influence and appeal is stratified across genres and continents. But along with Robertson, there is another surviving member.
Put Rock Artists in Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Before Dolly Parton
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The nominations for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were announced last month, and leading the pack and making the biggest splash was not a name from the rock world, but a country one in the form of Country Music Hall of Famer Dolly Parton.
Ryan Bingham Right At Home Capping Off 2022 San Antonio Rodeo
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When the finals transpired at the 2022 San Antonio Rodeo Saturday, February 26th, Ryan Bingham wasn’t there to compete, but to cap off the 2022 season with a performance on the big stage at the center of the AT&T Arena, and who better…
Album Review – Mike Kuster’s “Better Late Than Never”
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To sing country, you have to live country, and that’s what makes the music of Mike Kuster so much more meaningful. It comes with that real life, lived-in and loved aspect that you just don’t get from the antiseptic and formulaic notions of big radio singles.
Randall King’s Major Label Debut Album “Shot Glass” Coming
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George Jones once famously asked, “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes?” Well when it comes to the buttoned-up, straight-ahead style of country music indicative of George Strait and others, the answer from the new generation of performers is Randall King.