Kathy Mattea Invited to be Next Grand Ole Opry Member
45 Comments
“Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and thank you!” was Mattea’s response after fellow West Virginian Charlie McCoy posed the question. McCoy came out on stage while Mattea was singing her iconic “18 Wheels and A Dozen Roses.”
Austin’s Spring Fling Offers a Local Alternative to SXSW
3 Comments
The Spring Fling is hosted by A. Michael Uhlmann, a native of Switzerland who moved to Austin over 25 years ago to cover Austin music. Held at the authentic local honky tonk called Giddy Ups south of town in an area called Manchanca (pronounced “Manchank” by locals), the Spring Fling tries to embody what Austin music used to be.
New Video Explains Perfectly Why Pretty Much Every Country Hit Sounds The Same
75 Comments
Wonder why pretty much every mainstream country single sounds ostensibly the same? It’s probably because they all pretty much do. Lill illustrates how nine songs on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart all employ the same exact drum beat, and within the same 15 or so beats per minute.
Album Review – AJ Hobbs’ “Too Much Is Never Enough”
17 Comments
They say you have your life to write your first album, and there is a lifetime’s worth of stories and experiences in the very personal ‘Too Much Is Never Enough.’ AJ isn’t just channel surfing through soap operas looking for inspiration, it’s born from his own foggy recollections of what the hell went wrong in well-written songs.
Old 97’s Share TV Opportunities with Nikki Lane & Caitlin Rose
12 Comments
Alt-country perennials The Old 97’s have been making the late night rounds to promote the release of their latest record Graveyard Whistling, and have been sharing that opportunity with some worthy east Nashville artists. Tuesday evening, The Old 97’s will be enjoying the company of Caitlin Rose on stage when they make an appearance on Conan O’Brien.
ACM Awards Unceremoniously Release 2017 New Artist Winners
30 Comments
To show the great reverence that the ACM Awards take with these New Artists distinctions, and to shower incredible appreciation for the musical contributions of these fine performers, the ACM’s, with distinct honor, announced the winners of these awards on a random late Tuesday morning on freaking Twitter.
An Open Letter to New Grand Ole Opry General Manager Sally Williams
36 Comments
Dear Sally Williams, To begin, let me offer my sincere congratulations to you for ascending to the position of not just the new General Manager of the most esteemed and storied institution in all of country music, but as the General Manager, and Senior Vice President of Ryman Hospitality’s new Programming and Artist Relations Division.
Don Warden, Steel Guitar Legend And Dolly Parton’s “Mr. Everything”, Has Died
4 Comments
Don Warden, who was one of the original members of the Porter Wagoner Trio, and spent nearly 50 years in service to Dolly Parton, passed away on Saturday, March 11th according to Dolly Parton and Don’s family. The news was revealed on Monday when Dolly paid tribute to her long-time manager and right hand man in a personal statement.
Robbery & Shooting of Musician Spooks Austin at Start of SXSW Week
5 Comments
Saving Country Music has confirmed with the Austin Police Department that the three suspects are still at large, and the incident is still under investigation by the robbery division. The investigation is being called aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. It happened at 3:04 a.m. early Saturday.
Album Review – Josh Turner’s “Deep South”
71 Comments
Before we even listen to a peep of the music from this new album from Josh Turner, it already serves as an incredible illustration of the sheer incompetence, and creative immorality that so often still grips elements of Nashville’s Music Row. But what of the music on ‘Deep South’ after the incessant delays leading up to this final, triumphant release?
Jason Isbell Announces New Album “The Nashville Sound”
56 Comments
Jason Isbell has officially announced his sixth solo studio album called ‘The Nashville Sound.’ Produced by long-time collaborator Dave Cobb, recorded at the historic Studio ‘A’ in Nashville, and to be released by Thirty Tigers via Isbell’s own Southeastern Records, the album is highly-anticipated by many country and Americana fans.
Saving Country Music’s 2017 Guide to Unofficial SXSW Showcases
3 Comments
There are so many unofficial parties, we could list 200 here and still leave some out. But in an effort to curate the noses of those Saving Country Music-oriented readers in the right direction, here is a smattering of recommended showcases presented in a similar fashion to SXSW itself, meaning a blobish mess.
U.K.’s Country to Country (C2C) Festival Slammed for Booking DJ at Afterparty
27 Comments
Not only was it a DJ comprising the afterparty entertainment, of which attendees had to pay £15 to get in, but the music selected wasn’t even country. “DJ Bad Ash,” a.k.a. Ashlee Willis, who is a DJ from Los Angeles, thought Snoop Dogg, Miley Cyrus, and other non-country selections would be the perfect music for the afterparty.