Entries to Grammy’s New Traditional Country Category Look Very Promising
20 Comments
When the new Best Traditional Country Album category was announced, there was some trepidation. ballot reads like a killer playlist of some of the best country albums released in the last year.
Total Loss for Shane Smith & The Saints After Bus Fire
13 Comments
All members of Texas music band Shane Smith and the Saints are safe and accounted for, but their bus and gear trailer are completely destroyed, along with most all of the contents after it caught fire Thursday (11-21) en route to a show Thursday night in Lubbock. However, the show must go on, and they’re still planning on playing the show.
Sam Hunt Arrested for Drunk Driving in Nashville
77 Comments
EDM country artist Sam Hunt was arrested on charges of drunk driving early Thursday morning (11-21) by the Nashville Metro Police Department, and was taken to jail at 6:30 a.m. on charges of driving under the influence and having an open container. Hunt was driving the wrong way on Ellington Parkway near Ben Allen Road.
Radio Or Not, Here Comes Ashley McBryde
23 Comments
Ashley McBryde has taken her quality songs and almost universal favorability that crosses the line between mainstream and independent, and turned it into awards show nominations and hardware that has side stepped the radio paradigm and put her straight in front of listeners.
Move Over Bro-Country, “Boyfriend Country” Is Here
107 Comments
Actual country music is actually starting to emerge as a serious trend in mainstream country today, but we still need to see more widespread adoption before we declare ourselves in the midst of another neotraditionalist resurgence. Instead, the new trend that has begun to emerge is being described as “Boyfriend Country.”
Worthy Country & Roots Artists Pick Up 2020 Grammy Nominations
84 Comments
The distaste the CMA Awards experience can leave in the mouth of actual country music fans is chased early this year by the announcement of the 2020 Grammy Award nominees in the Country and American Roots categories. Though no set of ears will find the nominees list ideal, those with distinguishing tastes will be much more rewarded.
Sturgill Simpson / Tyler Childers Top Touring Charts – Sell Out Arenas
74 Comments
For years people played the musical version of fantasy football in their minds by pairing up tour partners like Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson, Cody Jinks and Tyler Childers, or Tyler Childers and Sturgill Simpson, sure that if anyone had the guts to put a bill like that together, it could possibly sell out arenas. But nobody saw this coming.
Beloved Billy Joe Shaver Bass Player Tony Calhoun Has Died
9 Comments
The 2nd best thing about seeing Billy Joe Shaver live behind Billy Joe Shaver himself is the band behind him, including his bass player Tony Calhoun. Big smile, big sense of humor, and one heck of a master of the lower register, he put the mustard on Billy Joe Shaver’s Outlaw style of country music for the last few years.
Luke Combs Shatters Record on the Way to #1 Album
30 Comments
We knew the release of the latest Luke Combs album ‘What You See Is What You Get’ would be big, and that’s exactly what it was, bringing in the biggest numbers for a country title all year, topping all the charts, and setting a new record in the country space. Luke Combs is now indisputably the biggest artist in country music.
Eric Church Takes Jab At Garth Brooks Amid CMA Awards Fallout
280 Comments
Well well, it’s getting chippy out there after Eric Church and others lost the 2019 CMA Entertainer of the Year honor to Garth Brooks. At Eric Church’s show at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, November 16th, he was singing a rendition of “Are You Sure Hank Done It His Way” by Waylon Jennings, changing the lyrics to lash out at Garth.
Before CMAs, Garth Brooks & Carrie Underwood Honored Randy Travis
14 Comments
As an addendum to all of the brewhaha last week surrounding Garth Brooks winning the 2019 CMA Entertainer of the Year over Carrie Underwood, a little context is perhaps needed. Though Stan armies love to war back and forth, behind the scenes things are often a lot more moderate and congenial.
Album Review – Ags Connolly’s “Wrong Again”
13 Comments
We’re far past calling Ags Connolly’s passion for Austin style honky-tonk some sort of passing phase or lark. Now on his third full-length album of original country released in the last five years, he’s become one of the first names you cite as an example of how anyone can make country music as long as a sincerity resides in their heart.
Riley Green’s “Bury Me in Dixie” Returns to Streaming Services
36 Comments
Riley Green’s “Bury Me in Dixie” has returned to streaming services after it was pulled due to a controversial line in the song. “I wish Robert E. Lee could come and take a bow” is the line that was deemed too incendiary to continue to serve to the public, and the song was pulled from streaming services in late October.