Album Review – Tami Neilson’s “Neon Cowgirl”
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It doesn’t even feel apt to characterize Tami Neilson as a “musician” in the conventional sense. She’s a force of nature, a Category 5 Typhoon blowing in from the archipelago, a volcanic eruption of power and talent.
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.
Country Greats Who’ve Passed Away So Far in 2017
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We may never see a year like we experienced in 2016, when such an unmerciful parade of country greats passing away left us with a renewed appreciation for the legends while their still living. But every death, from the often under-heralded songwriters and behind-the-scenes session musicians, to the principal members of huge Southern rock bands, is significant.
Saving Country Music’s Top 25 Spotify Playlist Provisioned for 4th of July Weekend (#6)
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As Uncle Ned prepares to blow his hand off with a concoction of semi-illegal fireworks, get yourself prepared for the extended 4th of July weekend by listening to Saving Country Music’s top recommended songs via the official Spotify playlist. It’s a repository for the top recommended songs, albums, and artists at any given time.
Loretta Lynn’s Vintage Eagle Tour Bus Up For Sale
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A vintage baby blue 1977 Eagle tour bus that was once used by a host of country legends, including bluegrass maestro Vassar Clements, Country Music Hall of Famer Faron Young, and eventually landed in the fleet of Loretta Lynn, is currently up for sale on eBay by the current owner. It was the property of Loretta Lynn’s guitarist Perley Curtis.
Mainstream Country Makes Moves Into Americana
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Mainstream country is not stupid. They see the rising tide of Americana artists cresting the country albums charts on a regular basis, the big Americana names selling out large venues and headlining festivals, and doing it all without the help of Music Row or corporate radio, and continuing to encroach into their overall market share.
Album Review – Country Side of Harmonica Sam’s “A Drink After Midnight”
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If you’re doggedly on the search for music that hearkens back to the Golden Age of country, and the songs and sounds of folks such as Hank Williams, Lefty Frizell, and Webb Pierce, The Country Side of Harmonica Sam is where your search parameters should begin and end.
Sam Hunt’s “Body Like A Backroad” Shatters 55-Year-Old Leroy Van Dyke Chart Record
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Sam Hunt’s smash single “Body Like a Backroad” has already made history, and is set to make more. By now logging 20 weeks at #1, “Body Like a Backroad” and Sam Hunt break a 55-year-old record on the 59-year-old Billboard Hot Country Songs chart previously held by Leroy Van Dyke’s “Walk On By.”
I Hate Everyone Able to Attend These Intimate Sturgill Simpson / John Prine Shows
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Sturgill Simpson was selling out 2,500-capacity venues on consecutive nights before the Grammy noise, and he’s choosing to use the aftermath to play the Grianán Theater in Letterkenney, Ireland, capacity 383. These shows seem to be more for Sturgill than the audience or his pocketbook.
84 New Artists Added to Already-Stacked AmericanaFest Lineup
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The Americana Music Association has just announced an additional 84 names of showcasing artists who will be gracing stages all around Nashville September 12th-17th for the 2017 AmericanaFest, adding to an already-stacked poster of names now swelling to 187 participants, and expected to reach close to 300 eventually.