Beloved Songwriter, Artist, Comedian John Hadley Has Died
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When it comes to songwriter, actor, painter, poet, writer, comedian, academic, and musician John Hadley, somehow the term “Renaissance Man” doesn’t seem to encapsulate the full breadth of his contributions.
When The Unthinkable Happens To a Touring Band
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We love our favorite touring bands in their beat up Ford Econolines, hand-me-down Dodge Sprinters, and decommissioned rattletrap fleet vans ambling down the road. Because when they come to our town, they bring the joy of music with them, and when they leave they carry a sense of freedom that can only be delivered by the open road…
Album Review – “Country Songs” by Karen Jonas
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It’s within the anticipation her first record inspired that the sophomore effort ‘Country Songs’ from Karen Jonas comes spilling out of her songwriting pen just as fervent and hungry as her first effort, yet with more refined and deliberate results due to the wisdom won through the experience of her debut.
4 Texas Songwriters Come Together for Can’t Miss ‘Hard Candy Christmas’ Tour
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Any of these songwriters would be worth braving a cold winter’s night to see individually, but luckily they have made it easy on us all by banding together and announcing the Hard Candy Christmas Tour scheduled to transpire in December through Texas and the Midwest. If you’ve always wanted to see one or all of them, this would be your opportunity.
Lady Gaga’s “A-YO” Is NOT a Country Song
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Saying that a massive pop star has just released a “country” song has become the Rickroll of 2016. Enterprising entertainers looking to troll popular media and the gullible Millenial journalists who enable them have made this an enterprising endeavor for not just a few pop stars this year.
Tracy Byrd Returns After 10 Years with “All American Texan” (review)
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If I were Tracy Byrd, I wouldn’t have released an album in the last decade either. What would have been the point, just to have it summarily ignored by an industry obsessed with youth and debauchery as some of the best country music voices of our time get shoved out to pasture?
A Music Fan Explains Why Bob Dylan Doesn’t Deserve The Nobel Prize in Literature
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Giving the Nobel Prize in Literature to a musician is no different than giving an actor a Grammy or a musician an Oscar or a pop star a CMA Award. Or I don’t know, maybe electing a reality TV star President. And as is being reported, Dylan has yet to acknowledge the accolade, and isn’t even returning the Nobel committee’s phone calls.
Interesting Contributors in Miranda Lambert’s “Weight of These Wings” Track List
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Miranda Lambert isn’t releasing one, but two albums November 18th when her double record ‘The Weight of These Wings’ hits stores. With all that material she was sure to solicit help with songwriting. And as we attempt to read the tea leaves of what we might expect from the new record, the names in the songwriting credits are making the prospects more interesting.
After Historic Sales Week, Americana Positioned to Become Major Rival to Mainstream Country
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One of the reasons we feel so surprised at Americana’s success and so many have been so slow to recognize it is because it has been a slow and steady process. Because of Americana’s model of sustainability, the revolution has been plodding, yet purposeful. And now it’s success is palpable, and measurable by industry-standard metrics.
Song Review – Brad Paisley’s “Today”
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“Today” isn’t particularly great, but it’s actually aimed at adults instead of children, features steel guitar, mandolin, and fiddle, and if we’ve figured out nothing else about Paisley’s still unnamed upcoming album (of which this is the second single), it appears he’ll at least have opportunities to unsheathe the Telecaster again.
UPDATE (Video): Randy Travis Stuns Hall of Fame Induction By Singing “Amazing Grace”
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Despite still attempting to gain the full ability to speak and walk after his devastating health setbacks of 2013, Randy Travis reportedly stunned the crowd when he sang a rendition of “Amazing Grace” for the assembled country music dignitaries.
Courtney Granger Extols The Virtues Of Classic Country in “Beneath Still Waters”
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Courtney Granger delivers a surprising, touching, well-rounded, and frankly stunning performance of classic country tunes made anew by the power and passion behind his voice. Courtney Granger is Cajun music royalty. The grandnephew of the formidable Balfa Brothers, Courtney grew up surrounded by the music of Southern Louisiana, and currently performs in the Pine Leaf Boys.
Sturgill Simpson Makes the Case for the Turning Tide in Country on Charlie Rose
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“I think I was ahead of the curve honestly. Now if I tried to release that first record I would probably find a lot of homes for it. This was 2012-2013. It’s been a very progressive three years in terms of people searching harder to find sounds that maybe they’ve realized they’re missing.”