Cross Canadian Ragweed, Mile 0 Fest Take Over Key West
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As much of the rest of the United States was stuck fast in an ice storm, Key West, FL was set ablaze as Mile 0 Fest returned to their old tradition of opening the festival with a free street party.
Yola Takes Strong Momentum From AmericanaFest On The Road
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British-born country soul singer Yola didn’t win anything she was nominated for at the 2019 Americana Music Awards last week. But a consensus emerged throughout the 2019 AmericanaFest event that this was the moment Yola had arrived. Along with multiple opening opportunities, she has announced her “Walk Through The Fire World Tour.”
Cody Jinks Promises 2nd “Loud & Heavy Fest,” Releases New Songs
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Yes, there will be a 2nd Annual Loud and Heavy Fest featuring Cody Jinks and a personally curated lineup of artists from Jinks himself, with the details forthcoming. This is the news coming out of the Cody Jinks camp, while two new songs have just been released from Cody’s two upcoming albums.
Review – Episode 4 of the Ken Burns Country Music Documentary
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The fourth installment of the eight-part Ken Burns documentary on country music laid out in no uncertain terms how country music became a well-ordered business in the aftermath of the death of Hank Williams, and during the rise of rock n’ roll as the most popular genre in America, putting pressure on country music.
Veteran Country Music Journalist Chuck Dauphin Has Passed Away
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Veteran country music writer, well-respected journalist, and radio broadcaster Chuck Dauphin has passed away. Well known for his work at Billboard as a ‘615’ columnist where he began writing in 2011, Chuck Dauphin also wrote for Rolling Stone, At Home Nashville, Roughstock, and most recently Sounds Like Nashville, along with other periodicals.
Review – Hank Williams Takes Center Stage in Ep. 3 of ‘Country Music’
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Even though names like Jimmie Rodgers, Roy Acuff, and The Carter Family loom large for many of country music’s devoted fans, they don’t necessarily rise to the level of household names like Ernest Tubb, and of course the great Hank Williams, who was the centerpiece of the third installment of the Ken Burns ‘Country Music’ documentary.
Review – Vincent Neil Emerson’s “Fried Chicken and Evil Women”
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Good ol’ vintage Texas country music bliss is what greets your happy ears when you pipe up Vincent Neil Emerson’s “Fried Chicken and Evil Women.” It’s a little bit of Western Swing flavor added to Texas Troubadour Ernest Tubb styling that nestles right in your sensibilities as an old soul, filling you with fuzzy feelings.
Emily Scott Robinson & Charles Wesley Godwin at AmericanaFest
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The 2019 installment of AmericanaFest seemed especially packed with top-level talent, and both Emily Scott Robinson and Charles Wesley Godwin made the trek to Nashville hoping to put renewed interest behind their 2019 efforts. And like their albums, they both stood out in the crowded field of country and roots music performers and hopefuls.
Quaker City Night Hawks Drummer Apologizes for AmericanaFest Incident
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Drummer Aaron Haynes of the Ft. Worth-based Quaker City Night Hawks offered a lengthy apology early Tuesday (9-17) afternoon for his conduct at AmericanaFest last week where he berated the sound man working one of the band’s shows, and eventually punched and shoved employees of the venue, and threw parts of his drum set across the stage.
Review – Episode 2 Of Ken Burns Country Music Film, “Hard Times”
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The first episode of the Ken Burns Country Music documentary tasked itself to define what country music is by delving deep into its origins and original purveyors. The second episode called “Hard Times” began the work of explaining why the music means so much to so many people.
Sierra Ferrell Makes Stunning Debut at AmericanaFest
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To a packed audience, Sierra Ferrell absolutely dazzled with her incredible songwriting and singing, backed by a simple band of fiddle, upright bass, and vintage drums. Sierra has a spunk and power to her, yet it’s all encapsulated in a flawless delivery. There are such amazing layers and textures in her voice and style.
Review – Ken Burns Country Music Documentary, Ep. 1 “The Rub”
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Over seven years of full-time labor on the part of numerous people, over 101 interviews conducted, countless hours of archival work digging up old photographs, audio, video, and other vintage material, and an elongated year-long promotional effort finally culminated in the broadcast of the debut episode for the Ken Burns Country Music epic.
Ken Burns Country Music Film Comes at the Best & Worst Time
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The broadcast of the Ken Burns-produced 8-part, 16-hour documentary on country music could very well be the most significant event to happen in country music in 2019, if not in the next few years. For country music to receive the expansive documentary treatment for America’s preeminent filmmaking archivist could have significant implications.