Album Review – The Soda Crackers (Self-Titled)
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Since 2021, this group of of young musicians native to Bakersfield have been doing what they can to keep the authentic sounds, songs, and stories of The Bakersfield Sound alive.
Don Williams Tribute Album to Feature All-Star Contributors
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An all-star cast will come together to celebrate the life and music of country music icon and Hall of Famer Don Williams in a new tribute album with the proceeds going to a good cause. ‘Gentle Giants: The Songs of Don Williams’ will be released on May 26th via Slate Creek Records.
Song Review – Luke Combs’ “Hurricane”
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You want to like Luke Combs. He one of us, not one of them. At least that’s what you think, or that’s what you thought, or that’s what you want to think. Let’s face it, he’s no matinee idol. He’s a big ol’ corn fed boy from North Carolina with a scruffy Amish beard and a cheap haircut tucked under a properly-aligned baseball cap.
Willie Nelson Cancels Even More Shows Due To Undisclosed Illness
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Willie Nelson had fans worried when he canceled shows at the Venetian Theater in Las Vegas on January 27th and 28th due to an undisclosed illness, and now he’s canceled three more. Ticket holders for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night shows (2-6 thru 2-8) at Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, California.
Album Review – Dead Man Winter’s “Furnace”
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I don’t blame Dave Simonett for wanting to take some time away from what has been his main gig for 15 years as the frontman of the bluegrass-esque Trampled By Turtles. As stellar of a collective of musicians as Trampled By Turtles is, at some point the experience of a string band is going to feel limiting to someone who is a songwriter first.
Quit Trying To Politicize Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl Performance
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Dammit, can’t we do anything in American without someone wanting to inject their political vitriol into it and make a moment of unification into a vehicle for polarization? God blessed, we’re inundated with political acrimony 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and in every sector of American life. You can’t get away from it.
That’s Right, Hee-Haw Could Be Coming Back
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Hee-Haw—the Roy Clark and Buck Owens-hosted show that ran for 30 years could soon be coming back to the airwaves with a brand new cast and fresh episodes. But don’t get your hopes up too high because it isn’t a done deal just yet.
Song Review – Zac Brown Band’s “My Old Man”
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Zac Brown promised last September that the band would be bringing the music back to its roots, and he certainly delivers on that promise with Zac Brown Band’s latest single called “My Old Man.” But how we got here and why such a return to the roots is even possible or necessary is important context.
Joey Feek’s Shelved Major Label Debut Finally Gets a Release Date
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Right as Joey’s album was getting ready to be released, Sony went through a regime change, and along with the label reshuffling, Strong Enough to Cry was completely shelved. One of the potential reasons is that during the album-making process, Joey met Rory Feek—her eventual husband and duo partner.
Eric Church Shocks Crowd in Dallas By Inviting Ray Wylie Hubbard on Stage
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There may be no openers on Eric Church’s current tour, but that doesn’t mean you may not see some worthy artists take the stage. On Friday evening (2-3) in Dallas, TX at the American Airlines Center, Eric Church shocked the crowd by inviting Texas songwriting legend and general music guru Ray Wylie Hubbard on stage.
CNN Breaks The Internet After Announcing Faith Hill Collaboration with Notorious B.I.G.
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Not only is Faith Hill and Notorious B.I.G and incredibly awkward musical pairing on the surface, it’s also a strange headline because Notorious B.I.G. has been dead for some 20 years. He was gunned down in 1997 in a still unsolved murder. Nonetheless, it’s coming from CNN, right? President Trump may accuse them of “fake news,” but this isn’t the onion.
Saving Country Music is Heading to Folk Alliance to Participate in the Sweet Beaver Showcase
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For 29 years now, the annual gathering of established and up-and-coming folk, roots, country, blues, and bluegrass musicians known as Folk Alliance has been like a fulcrum of the independent music industry, offering support to artists looking for opportunities, and showcasing some of the newest talent for the industry.
The True Lesson of The Band Perry
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You better be damn sure of your rationale when you veer so incredibly off the page believing there’s better opportunities out there. Because if you leave behind everything you were before, you’re going to leave behind all those people who followed you there, and they will turn their backs on you just like you did them.