Album Review – Dwight Yoakam’s “Brighter Days”
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Dwight is different on “Brighter Days.” This is Dwight the dad. This is Dwight the husband. This is Dwight at 68 who did his time in honky tonk hell, and is now basking in hillbilly heaven.
An Open Letter to C3 Presents in Regards to Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic
64 Comments
It is your show and you can choose who covers it and who doesn’t, and receiving media credentials is always a privilege. Please don’t think that I am unaware of those facts, or am unwilling to pay admittance if I choose to cover an event, as I do very often, despite the paltry money earned in the web publishing business. However, your unprofessionalism has made paying to attend an unavailable option for many of us.
The Banning of “Dixie,” & the Birth of “An American Trilogy”
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This is not the first time hysteria has jeopardized Southern institutions. In the late 60’s, the song “Dixie” was strongly-identified with slavery and other unsavory elements of the Confederate cause. A robust effort to ban the song was undertaken, and it was generally rebuked in many sectors of American culture. But Mickey Newbury decided to take a stand….
The Country Music Festival Bubble Is Bursting
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Festivals are an efficient and enjoyable way for music consumers to see many different acts in the short time span, and they look to continue to become one of the best meal tickets and opportunities for exposure for country music artists. But too much of a good thing has lead to the bursting of the country music festival bubble in 2015.
Dinosaur Truckers’ Philip Bradatsch Goes Solo with “When I’m Cruel” (review)
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In 2013, one of the biggest and most unlikely musical takeaways for this particular music junkie was a breakneck, high-octane bluegrass band from Germany called the Dinosaur Truckers. Yes, Germany is not necessarily what most would consider a hotbed of American string band music, but however unlikely the story, the music of the Dinosaur Truckers spoke for itself.
Album Review – Easton Corbin’s “About To Get Real”
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Operating a site called “Saving Country Music” for the last eight years, I’ve learned the patient art of losing every single day with grace. It is the ever-present conceit of the living to believe that the present times are the worst there’s ever been, and country music is no exception. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that people weren’t yelling that the sky was falling when John Denver was winning the CMA Entertainer of the Year…
Tributes Planned for Randy Howard and Jon Hensley
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The first two weeks in June 2015 were some of the darkest moments the greater independent country world has experienced in quite some time. After Jon Hensley passed away on June 1st, so did Randy Howard and a newborn of Texas artist Randy Rogers on June 9th. Then just two days later, Jim Ed Brown died. It has made the month of June a time of deep sorrow, and July as a month to pay tribute.
“I Say, Include Women.” An opinion piece by Lindi Ortega
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Gone are the days of Loretta Lynn singing “One’s On The Way.” Gone are the days of adult issues like divorce, resonating with mature audiences. Gone are the days of originality, not only in style but in songwriting. In that classic era you could tell the difference between Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. Artists were easily discernible and legends arose because of their unique qualities…
NFL’s J.J. Watt Tackles Stage Crasher at Zac Brown Band Show
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Training camps for the 2015 NFL season haven’t even commenced yet, and one of the NFL’s star defensive tackles has already recorded his first sack . . . that is unless you take a second look on instant replay and want to throw a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct. Houston Texans defensive superstar J.J. Watt was in attendance for the Zac Brown Band portion of Summer Fest…
Man Beaten to Death After Kenny Chesney Concert, Suspect At Large
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A father of two is dead, and Seattle police are looking for the killer in an altercation that occurred right after the Kenny Chesney concert in Seattle at CenturyLink Field Saturday (6-27) night. According to witnesses, two men were seen fighting at around 9 p.m. near 5th Avenue and S. Weller Street in Seattle, and 31-year-old Benito “Benny” Enriquez suffered a head injury during the fight.
Country Rapper Mikel Knight Threatens Lawsuits Against Victims’ Families / Saving Country Music
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Country Rapper Mikel Night has gone on the offensive against critics who he says are making unfair accusations against him and his organization, including the families of victims who have been killed and injured while working for him. Knight claims he has hired private investigators to look into people who are complaining about his treatment of employees, and is working with a Nashville-based law firm.
Urban Pioneers are a Blast From the Past with New Album “Vehicle In Transit”
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This isn’t any slick and polished nouveau bluegrass with lilting runs and brazen compositional poise, this is Stringbean and Grandpa Jones slapping away at strings while sucking on corn pipes trying to entertain folks on back porches and beyond. Unpretentious and fun, and fairly authentic to the Appalachian traditions, The Urban Pioneers will make you chuckle and strut, and see the timeless value in the old traditions of primitive country.
Song Review – Ray Wylie Hubbard’s “Stone Blind Horses”
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This song is so good—whether it’s the album version, just Hubbard with his guitar, or with a four-piece band like he played it on Conan—at first I truly believed it had to be a cover of a hit from a previous era that had been forgotten about. The song feels so classic, yet remains fiercely original, it’s a wonder how it was never written before.