Paying a Visit to the Grave of Gram Parsons
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The life of Gram Parsons was marked by planting country music seeds in fertile ground that would eventually grow into a deeper appreciation for the genre well beyond its conventional borders.
Willie Nelson Announces Location & Lineup for 2018 Farm Aid
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The Willie Nelson camp has released the particulars for the 33rd Annual Farm Aid benefit concert, this year taking place September 22nd in Connecticut at the Xfinity Arena in Hartford. This will be the first time the longest-running concert for a cause in America will be held in Connecticut, which is home to 6,000 farms.
Sunny Sweeney & Ward Davis Team Up for “High On Honky Tonk” Tour
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Here in 2018 and before, country music insurgents and songwriters Sunny Sweeney and Ward Davis have been teaming up on what they’ve been calling the “High On Honky Tonk Tour,” and they have recently released a whole bunch of new dates for the tour’s latest installment. Sharing the same management, they make a favorable touring pair.
Garth Brooks Hearkens Back to Honky Tonk Past in “All Day Long” (review)
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The promise and hope ahead of Garth’s return from retirement was one of revitalizing country music by hearkening back to the early 90’s, which compared to today’s sounds, were super twangy and most certainly country. For the first time since his un-retirement, Garth has shown a little bit of country music backbone.
Kenny Chesney Bestows Big Opportunity to John Baumann and “Gulf Moon”
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Originally appearing on John Baumann’s 2014 record ‘High Plains Alchemy,’ the song has the nautical references common to a Kenny Chesney tune, but is much more poetic and deep than a beach bum ditty—more indicative of a song you may have heard from Guy Clark back in the day, or perhaps James McMurtry.
Cowboy From Hell: How Vinnie Paul Helped Craft the Country Music Underground
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When you’re looking for the names of people who were imperative to the rise and eventual success of independent country music that we enjoy today, the drummer for the metal band Pantera may not be your first choice to finger. But Vinnie Paul, who passed away on Friday, played a seminal role in the formation of the country music underground.
UPDATED: Cody Jinks Taken To Hospital, Cuts Performance Short in Omaha
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Cody Jinks has been taken to the hospital after attempting to play a show on Friday night (6-22) at the SumTur Amphitheater in Papillion, Nebraska near Omaha, and was unable to perform after complaining of dizziness. He was taken away from the venue in an ambulance according to concertgoers.
Album Review – Jay Bragg’s “Honky Tonk Dream”
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Not exactly sure what has gotten into 2018, but all of a sudden we’re finding ourselves in the midst of one hell of a twangy, honky-tonkin’, 90’s-style resurgence in country music. Add Jay Bragg and his new album Honky Tonk Dream to the list of names and projects you need to check out.
Newest Additions to Saving Country Music’s Top 25 Current Playlist (#23)
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Downright giddiness accompanies getting to add new songs to the Saving Country Music Top 25 Playlist this round due to the quality of the new selections. Of course the new single from Cody Jinks called “Must Be The Whiskey” was going to make the list, but it’s the new discoveries from under-the-radar artists that are the most exciting.
AmericanaFest Adds to Already-Stacked 2018 Lineup
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The Americana Music Association has just announced an additional 99 artists to go with the previously-announced 74 artists that have been selected to perform at the 2018 AmericanaFest. This brings the total of announced performers to 173 of what will eventually swell to some 250.
Sturgill Simpson, Brandi Carlile & Others Part of New Elektra Records Label
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Whether there’s any need for panic among fans and artists who are part of the new reshuffle remains to be seen, but it is certainly something to keep an eye on. Often these label reshuffles are enacted with the best of intentions, and the devil is ultimately is in the details.
Luke Bryan Serenades Summer & Skin Cancer in “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset”
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Apparently there is a hard and fast proviso in the mainstream country music bylaws stating that artists signed to major labels must release a torpid, moronic ode to coincide with the official observance of summer each calendar year. Over the years Luke Bryan has been one of the most steadfast observers of this natural summer phenomenon.
“King of the Road” Roger Miller Tribute Album On The Way
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Announced on Wednesday (6-20), a massive tribute album dedicated to the King of the Road will be making its way to music lovers. And though tribute records come down the pike all the time and make you wonder if your time and money is worth heaping onto songs you already know, this one has a little something special in the recipe.