Amid Polarization and Adversity, Carrie Underwood Crafts a Unifying Moment
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Promising to deliver a unifying moment, Carrie Underwood accomplished that very thing, despite the incredibly polarizing circumstances, and technical difficulties. And she did it through her talent, poise, and grace.
Album Review – Sons of the Palomino (Self-Titled)
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There is a myth out there in the country music industry that only old people like old country music. And since old people are already stocked with their cadre of outdated CD’s, there’s no reason to court them with new music. Of course, this isn’t true on a number of levels.
Fiddle Player for The Band Perry Says He Wants to Punch Alan Jackson in the Face
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“Alan Jackson. Wholeheartedly. Alan Jackson. All day. Everyday,” is what the former fiddle player for The Band Perry Jason Fitz said when asked who was the person in country music you most want to punch in the face. Jason Fitz now works for ESPN where the segment occurred.
Miranda Lambert’s “The Weight of These Wings” Certified Platinum by the RIAA
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Once again the sales record for one of country music’s critically-acclaimed artists is being minted in precious metal due to robust sales and attention from the public, even while country radio struggles to recognize its significant cultural impact. Miranda Lambert’s double album ‘The Weight of These Wings’ has been certified Platinum.
Charlie Parr Readies the Release of New Album “Dog”
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“I was going to do it completely solo,” Duluth, Minnesota’s Charlie Parr says about his 14th album titled Dog, due out on Red House Records. “I was going to go to this barn in Wisconsin, sit there and play my songs. And I was practicing them and I thought, this is devastating.”
Album Review – “Ghost on the Car Radio” from Slaid Cleaves
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Slaid Cleaves is one of those central Texas troubadours whose words and modes can be heard embedded in the music of some of the biggest acts in Texas music, Americana, and beyond due to the sheer potency of his craft. Slaid’s pen strokes are just too mighty for the mainstream; his stories too intimate and impactful for the widest ear…
Joe Nichols Is Back In a Big Way with “I’d Sing About You”
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“I’d Sing About You” is all steel guitar and fiddle set to a country shuffle to move your boots across the dance floor. And though the premise is a little silly, and maybe even a little list-like in its approach, it’s also very sweet and witty in that warm, folksy manner that you want from a good country song.
Full Schedule Reveals New Additions to Tumbleweed Festival Lineup
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One of the most anticipated events in the entirety of 2017 in true country music is the Tumbleweed Festival just outside of Kansas City. After a vote-in contest Tumbleweed ran for the final performance spot of the festival, they decided to add multiple new acts to the lineup since so many fan bases showed such strong support.
West Coast Country Legend Chris Hillman Readies Tom Petty-Produced “Bidin’ My Time”
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Tom Petty and a host of other cool folks have come together to collaborate on Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers alumnus Chris Hillman’s first record in over a decade called ‘Bidin’ My Time.’ The album includes a collection of songs from in and around Chris Hillman’s career, but many that fell through the cracks in one way or another.
Success of “Body Like a Backroad” & Lack of Women on Radio is No Coincidence
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At the moment there are exactly zero women in country radio’s Top 20, and a whopping total of 4 in the entire Top 50 for an abysmal 8% representation. In fact this 4 out of 50 ratio has been pretty consistent now for the entirety of the “Body Like A Backroad” reign at #1.
Hayes Carll Responds to Steve Earle Diss with New Song at Willie’s 4th of July Picnic
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When Steve Earle threw Hayes Carll under the bus in mid June by calling Hayes a “younger, skinnier, less talented singer-songwriter” than himself, it set up a potential showdown at Willie Nelson’s annual 4th of July Picnic where both men were scheduled to play this year.
Regardless of Your Definition, We Should All Agree That Country Music Has One
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‘Country music’ most certainly has a definition because it means something to millions of people. They identify with it. It’s their culture. It’s what gives them meaning and fulfillment. And if lost, and even worse, impugned and dragged through the mud as being irrelevant, uncool, or unwilling to evolve, it leaves them empty feeling and hollow.
Rock Review – Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires’ “Youth Detention”
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Hot damn if Lee Bains isn’t like a factory for punchy melodies served with angry, yet insightful expressionism that is strikingly relevant, resists the temptation to become invective, with the ultimate goal just as much to build up individuals as it is to tear down the institutions that inhibit them.