Steel Guitar Player Zachary Moulton Leaves Silverada
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Earth-shaking news for the world of Austin-based honky tonk band Silverada, the entire Texas music scene, and country music in general. Steel guitar player Zachary “Bean Judge” Moulton has decided to leave the band.
Saving Country Music’s WORST Songs of 2018
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We took the time to celebrate some of the Best Songs Released in 2018, as well as some of the Best Albums, so now it’s time to place a clothespin firmly on our noses, slip on some elbow-length rubber gloves, and go digging through the cesspool that is radio country to dredge up the absolute worst offenses.
2018’s Top 100 Americana Albums and Songs on Radio
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The Americana Music Association has released the Top 100 Albums and Songs for 2018 according to the amount of radio play each album and song received. The annual report gives listeners a glimpse into the albums, songs, and artists that gained traction in the format over the year, and is a good tool to see what you missed.
Saving Country Music’s Best Live Performances of 2018
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Naming the best live performances of a given year is not the same exercise as naming the best songs, albums, or artists, because it is specifically dependent on the experiences of the individual making the list. But it’s still an important exercise.
Gary Allan: “We Used to Influence Pop. Now We’re Being Influenced by Pop”
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“ ‘Organic’ is a good word,” Gary Allan says. “I feel like somebody needs to stick out and turn this thing back toward something more organic. Country music used to be the most organic stuff out there, and now it’s become super pop-influenced. We used to influence pop. Now I feel like we’re being influenced by pop.”
Newest Additions to Saving Country Music’s Top 25 Current Playlist (#32)
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As we get near the end of the year and the amount of new releases begins to slow down, it allows us to look forward at what might be ahead for 2019. One artist and album that is already emerging to be on the lookout for is Charles Wesley Godwin’s ‘Seneca’ that is due to be released on February 15th, 2019.
Ray Charles Masterpiece ‘Modern Sounds in Country’ to Finally Be Reissued
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If you didn’t have a physical copy, or perhaps matured during the streaming era of music, then you’ve possibly never experienced what is considered one of the greatest works in country music history—‘Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music’ by Ray Charles.
New Video Exposes Excessive Use of Clap & Snap Tracks in Country
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The one thing you can point to that makes a song decidedly not country is the presence of electronic drums. The human operated element of country music is one of the last great differences between country and the rest of popular music, and more frequently electronic beats have been creeping into the pop country soundscape.
Christmas Review – JD McPherson’s “Socks”
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Christmas is officially cool again after years of American popular culture being too cool for Christmas. But there was never a time when Christmas and music was cooler in America than in the 1950’s. JD McPherson proves himself uniquely qualified to tackle the difficult task of recording a Christmas record.
I Can (& Will) Say Florida Georgia Line Ain’t Country
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Cute, Florida Georgia Line, cute. Call your latest album Can’t Say I Ain’t Country and act as if this somehow insulates you against what any country music fan worth their salt already knows inherently. I can, and will say you ain’t country if I damn well please, as will the rest of us.
Alan Jackson Announces New Tour Dates for 2019
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Yes, Country Music Hall of Famer Alan Jackson will tour in 2019, and we’ve now got the dates to prove it. After announcing a few dates earlier this week, he let some more loose on Thursday (12-13), with more to come soon. Starting on January 25th, he’ll be heading out on an arena tour that will see him hit multiple stops.
Amid Grammy Love, Ashley McBryde Preps New Single “Girl Goin’ Nowhere”
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An artist like Ashley McBryde doesn’t need radio. It’s radio that needs an artist like Ashley McBryde. Radio shouldn’t play McBryde just because she’s a woman. They should play her because she’s real. Ultimately, “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” may fail at radio. But Ashley McBryde is going somewhere regardless.
Cody Jinks Tops Billboard’s Country Boxscore Chart
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Once again speaking to the commercial prowess of hard pounding country music honky tonker Cody Jinks, the Ft. Worth native recently did something usually reserved for only the top echelon of mainstream country musicians—he topped the Billboard Country Boxscore chart for top grossing tour revenue.