Jamey Johnson Talks Future Plans in Music, Love for Zach Top
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Jamey Johnson reveals just how much new music he has saved up, including a song about him written by another big artist, his feelings on today’s country, as well as his affinity for Zach Top.
Lineup for Willie Nelson’s 2016 4th of July Picnic Announced
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This year the event will be held for the second year in a row at the Austin 360 Amphitheater on the grounds of the Circuit of the America’s Formula 1 raceway just outside of Austin, and will feature an impressive list of talent, from Picnic mainstays like Johnny Bush, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and David Allan Coe, to newcomers such as Margo Price and Shakey Graves.
After New Billboard Distinction, The Time for Americana is Now
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On Friday (5-13), it was announced that Billboard would finally be adding an Americana chart to their weekly albums chart roster. This is 10 years after the Grammy Awards began to recognize Americana, nearly 17 years after the Americana Music Association formed.
Al Scorch’s “Circle Round The Signs” Will Get Your Head Spinning
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Hide your faces, and duck and cover because Al Scorch is here to prove the banjo is like the battle ax of American traditional string instruments, and he’s coming out swinging. With his chest puffed out and the energy of ten men, this Chicago native and Bloodshot Records signee turns his banjo into a bullhorn.
DJ Bobby Bones Spent $13,000 Smearing Himself in a Bid for Sympathy
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A lying, cheating, deceptive, narcissistic, self-centered buffoon. That is about the only conclusion one can come to when reading the news that pop country über DJ Bobby Bones spent $13,000 of his own money on a smear campaign against himself when he first showed up to Nashville to helm iHeartMedia’s flagship country music morning show.
So There’s a Guy Whose Real Name Is “Willie Nelson Waylon Jennings”
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If your real, legal name is Willie Nelson Waylon Jennings, the good news is you’re named after two of the most badass country music artists to ever suck air. The bad news if your Willie Nelson Waylon Jennings is that you were just arrested in Carroll County, Georgia on burglary charges after your getaway car ran out of gas.
ABC Cancels “Nashville” – A Postmortem
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The cancelling of Nashville has repercussions far beyond a few disappointed TV viewers. The show has been seminal to the spectacular growth in both population and tourism that Nashville has experienced over the last five years. It was an outlet for songs that were worthy of a larger audience.
Big Takeaways from Sturgill Simpson’s Appearance on the WTF Podcast
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Sturgill Simpson sat down with Marc Maron of the WTF podcast recently, and the hour or so interview was released on Thursday (5-12). If you’re a diehard Sturgill Simpson fan, it would be strongly encouraged that you listen. Here are some of the more interesting tidbits from the conversation.
The Band Perry Is Officially Going Pop – Signs to Interscope
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The strange saga of what was once one of country music’s most promising trios and family bands continues. After parting ways with Nashville-based record label Big Machine in early March after the colossal failure of their latest single “Live Forever,” it has been announced that The Band Perry has signed with Interscope Records and is going full pop.
Merle Haggard Final Song “Kern River Blues” Is Released
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As Merle was suffering from complications due to a double pneumonia and was in a hospital recovering, he would pen what would become his final song, “Kern River Blues.” Even though Merle was barely strong enough to sing, he put out the effort to record the song at his “Hag” studio with his full band.
The 2016 Americana Music Awards Announce Nominees
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Early Wednesday evening (5/11), the nominees for the 2016 Americana Music Awards were announced via NPR’s live stream from the historic Mansion on O Street in Washington, DC. The event was hosted by the Milk Carton Kids, and featured performances from multiple Americana artists.
Don’t Waste Your Time on Keith Urban’s “Ripcord”
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Ripcord is a synthy, shallow, rhythmic-centric gaggle of immediately forgettable efforts that is obsessed with the doings of early adulthood in an unhealthy manner for a 49-year-old perfomrer, and offers absolutely no type of statement or expression either sonically, lyrically, creatively, or otherwise.
Cheryl Desere’e – More Than Just A Pretty Face
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Listening to this self-titled record is like taking a side trip to a forgotten roadside motel lost in time somewhere in California’s desert interior, where the glow of a neon sign beats back the dullness of modernity, and the turning of a room key is like the opening of a time capsule to a place much more accustomed and comfortable to old souls.