Final Living Member of The Band, Garth Hudson, Has Died
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Those cool frog croaking sounds you hear on the band’s iconic “Up On Cripple Creek”? That was Garth Hudson playing a clavinet through a wah-wah pedal. The mournful sax moans on “Tears of Rage”? That was Garth’s work too.
Piano Legend Leon Russell Has Passed Away
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From country to rock, from the studio to the stage, from collaborations with Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, and Frank Sinatra, Leon Russell was popular music’s piano man for a generation. And now he has joined the list of music legends who took their final breath in 2016.
Album Review – Chris Stalcup & The Grange’s “Downhearted Fools”
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Full of true-to-life stories run through a gritty filter, ‘Downhearted Fools’ is Chris Stalcup singing about what he finds right smack dab under his nose—the adversities and self-doubts that smack him in the face like every rising sun so rudely blasting through tattered shades, reminding one of the heartbreaks and sordid affairs of the night before.
How Many of These Country Music Veterans Can You Name?
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So many of country music’s legendary artists also spent time earlier in their lives serving the country in one capacity or another. And on Veteran’s Day as we pay tribute to ALL the men and women who served in the military and put themselves in harm’s way, let’s have some fun by looking back to see how many of these country legends we can pick out by their pictures.
Jamey Johnson On New Music: “I’d Rather Not Get Into That Right Now.”
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If you’re waiting for new music from Jamey Johnson, you best not hold your breath. This is what little can be gleaned from the reception a recent interviewer found when talking to Jamey Johnson on the subject, and receiving the answer “I’d rather not get into that right now.”
Leonard Cohen Could Have Been a Country Star (RIP)
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As if mother universe hasn’t had a dandy old time over the last few days running all of us stuck on the mortal coil through the mother of all emotional gauntlets, now we’re being asked to field the devastating news that Canadian songwriter, performer, poet, and novelist Leonard Cohen has passed away this Thursday (11-10) at the age of 82.
Of Life & Limb: Why The Savannah Welch Story Feels Beyond Comprehension
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Amputations are things we’re only used to hear about happening in war zones, not during lazy afternoons at the Wimberley Farmers Market. The news was so shocking, with the thought of this musician and a mother that has brought so much light and vitality to people being encumbered now for the rest of her life feels so unjust. Not Savannah. Anyone but Savannah.
Alan Jackson Walked Out on Beyonce’s 2016 CMA Performance
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Alan Jackson has been known throughout his career for putting his foot down for the integrity of country music, regardless of the ramifications. That’s what happened at the 1994 ACM Awards when Jackson instructed his drummer to play without sticks when the producers insisted his band mimic playing to a backing track.
Saving Country Music’s Apolitical Election Survival Playlist
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For those fed up with the political system, scared to vote either way for two of the most unlikable Presidential candidates in recent memory, voting with trepidation, not voting in spite, or just plain wanting this whole election thing to end and hoping that somehow the United States can find a modicum of healing after it is all over…
Muddy Roots Festival Announces 110 Bands for 2017 “Reunion” Year
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November may be a little bit early for some folks to be planning what they’ll be up to on Labor Day 2017, but Muddy Roots would like for you to consider the raised skirt and perfumed inner thigh of their lineup for the 2017 installment of the Muddy Roots Festival in Cookeville, TN.
It Wasn’t Beyonce Who Challenged Racial Hatred at the 2016 CMA’s
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Nearly a week removed from the 2016 CMA Awards, and what are we still talking about? We’re not talking to each other at all. We’re shouting. We’re yelling. We’re digging into our predisposed positioning stances and blaming the other side. We’re not discussing the music.
Little Big Town’s “Better Man” (written by Taylor Swift)
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“Better Man” is interesting for many reasons. Unfortunately, most of those reasons have little to do with the music itself. But this track is far from the worst transgressions on country radio, and it is refreshing to hear song that’s not all rosy targeted to the mainstream set. It will perform well as a cozy winter single tiding over Taylor Swift fans.
Album Review – Paul Cauthen’s “My Gospel”
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One of the most difficult undertakings for a music reviewer is to share your opinion on a record that you ultimately favor more than fault, but happen to have more critical observations for than positive ones, especially when public sentiment is tilting so favorably towards it already. It just becomes a recipe for misunderstanding.