Album Review – Sam Barber’s “Restless Mind”
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Similar to Zach Bryan, it’s hard to understate how massive Sam Barber has become. That’s not all that’s similar about Zach Bryan. You listen to ‘Restless Mind,’ and you could easily be convinced it’s a Zach Bryan album.
Album Review – Randy Houser’s “Fired Up”
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New Theory: Many 3rd tier mainstream major label country stars are nothing more than musical dumping grounds for all the excess songwriting material left over at the tail end of a dying trend. That’s about the only explanation for the relentless onslaught of outdated and terrible material you’re exposed to on Randy Houser’s new album “Fired Up.”
Free SXSW Country & Roots Showcases for 2016
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Screw spending somewhere between $700 to upwards of four figures for some official SXSW badge or wristband just to get turned down at most of the shows you want to get into because you’re not on some VIP list. The smart and frugal SXSW goer knows that the free, all access day parties and unofficial showcases is where it’s at, and many of the events even provide free beer and food.
Song Review – Luke Bryan’s “Huntin’, Fishin’ And Lovin’ Every Day”
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Hypothetically, whether a given song is released to mainstream country radio as a single or not shouldn’t affect the listener’s judgement upon the song itself. And in many cases, it doesn’t. A song is a song, and it should be considered on its own merits. There are exceptions however, like when a song is exceptionally bad, like many of the country radio singles over the years from Luke Bryan.
Songwriter Turned Good Samaritan Saves the Day for Local Restaurant
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“It was my girlfriend’s birthday, and I had to borrow 40 bucks from a buddy to take her out to dinner,” Willy Taylor explains. “This car drove by and something flew off the roof and hit our van. It was dark, and I said, ‘Wow that sounded important’ because it was heavy and it came off the top of the car. It’s just a classic move. I’ve done it before, leaving stuff on top of the car.”
Roy Acuff’s Long Lost Country Smut Comedy Songs
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Roy Acuff may have been the model of good clean family fun and old-fashioned entertainment for the majority of his country music career, but at the beginning of his legendary, Hall of Fame-caliber run was an era of music that was quite the opposite of the accepted Acuff character, or the wholesome nature of his performance home of the family-friendly Grand Ole Opry.
Willie Nelson Pens Ode to His Death Hoaxes: “Still Not Dead Again Today”
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On the heels of releasing a new record Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin, Willie Nelson decided to release a new original song called “Still Not Dead Again Today,” lampooning his many, many death hoaxes. Included with the song is a video highlighting some of the information and images from many of the ridiculous hoaxes.
Gogi Grant, The Queen of “The Wayward Wind,” Has Passed Away
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When “The Wayward Wind” took Billboard’s #1 spot, it remained there for eight weeks, which was a record at the time. It went on to sell over a million copies, and Gogi was voted as the most popular female vocalist by Billboard. Grant’s version of the song also returned to the Billboard 100 in 1961. The song was also a hit in the U.K.
No, James Hetfield is NOT Quitting Metallica to Make a Country Record
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Over the last few days, an especially effective fake news story about Metallica’s James Hetfield quitting the heavy metal band to make a country record called “Hetfield Road” has been making the rounds. Saving Country Music headquarters has been bombarded with emails about the article, and according to the stats, it’s been viewed over 223,000 times since being posted on March 8th.
Jack Ingram Signs with Rounder, Will (Finally) Release New Album “Midnight Motel”
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The incredibly long drought for new music from one of the biggest names in Texas country is finally coming to a close. After releasing two records with Big Machine—the last being Big Dreams & High Hopes in 2009—Ingram pulled a disappearing act for the last seven years or so when it came to studio work, but will be returning in a big way this summer, and with a label known for letting artists do what they do best.
You Have Every Right to Be Disappointed If Sturgill Simpson Chose Not to Make a Country Record
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For the second time in four months, a writer for the Dallas Observer has taken a completely ridiculous and incorrect premise, hindered by a perspective on country music that is very much from the outside looking in, and built it into an irresponsible think piece that shreds the truth and frames anyone who would have the audacity to care about country music as a feckless, misguided moron.
Brooklyn Country Cantina at SXSW: House Party Feel with World Class Talent
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For every officially-sanctioned event, there’s two more that squeeze in where they can and try to keep the original spirit of SXSW alive, including the now 8th Annual Brooklyn Country Cantina, which boasts a stacked 2016 lineup including Sam Outlaw, Daniel Romano, Possessed by Paul James, The Quebe Sisters, Mike and the Moonpies, and many more.
Why I’m Ending My Open Boycott of CMT . . . For Now
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No, I’m not going soft, and I’m certainly not endorsing CMT or any of its programs or online properties. I can list dozens of other better alternatives to CMT for your country music and lifestyle needs, and the Viacom-owned entity would probably come near the bottom of the list of recommend media sources. If boiled down to one word, the way to describe CMT would be “filth.”