Billy Strings’ Mother Dies. He Gives Heartfelt Speech Before Show
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It just happened to be that the universe had brought Billy Strings back to his home state of Michigan right before his mother’s passing. He’s always put family first.
Jason Isbell Announces New Tour Dates, Nears 100,000 in Sales for “Something More Than Free”
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Jason Isbell is on a roll if there ever was one, and he’s not planning to slow down anytime soon, at least not after he takes some well-appointed time off in September to spend with his newborn daughter. After that, it’s back on the road hard and heavy. Meanwhile his July 17th release “Something More Than Free” continues with strong sales.
Another One Bites The Dust: Eric Paslay Sells Out with “High Class”
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“High Class”? Try bottom-feeding on the dreck of moralistic depravity and the absolute evisceration of scruples this song evidences in spades from Eric. The words of this song are slop, purposely dropping essential consonants and vowels to invigorate its appeal to the idiocy of the drooling mass consumer. References to Escalades, VIP lists, DJ’s, and Timberlake….
Liam Payne of One Direction, Cyndi Lauper Making Country Moves
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Scrunch in and make some more room on the back of the country bus, because it looks like a few more folks are getting on, including 80’s star Cyndi Lauper, and One Direction heartthrob Liam Payne. Cyndi Lauper says, “I want to work with Tony Brown down in Nashville and do a country record, finally!”
Album Review – Turnpike Troubadours (Self-Titled)
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That’s the thing about the Turnpike Troubadours: they’ve exuded a patience and steadiness that has put them steadfastly in touch with the underlying spirit of country music. If they wanted to pivot just slightly and go some big rock route, they could blow up huge. But they didn’t and they don’t ,and they still blew up huge. This isn’t old country. This is new country, only the roots are still attached, and the branches fan out wide.
Okay Tim McGraw, You Have Me Intrigued With Your “Damn Country Music” Album Title
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Okay so Tim McGraw is declaring his next record is Damn Country Music. Well let’s just wait and see. But let’s wait to actually hear the music on November 6th before we start high fiving each other. In the end, it’s just a cover.
The Curious Case of Wheeler Walker Jr. (and his new single)
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From the “I have no idea what the hell is going on here” file comes the curious case of Wheeler Walker Jr., an incredibly foul-mouthed country artist who apparently is gearing up to release a Dave Cobb-produced record through Thirty Tigers, and has just released his first single.
Willy Tea Taylor Readies Release of Anticipated “Knuckleball Prime”
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The wait is nearly over, and the emergence of one of our generation’s most talented songwriters draws near as Oakdale, California’s Willy Tea Taylor readies the release of his debut album called “Knuckleball Prime.” The thought with Willy has always been that he is a gem waiting to be discovered, and Blackwing’s support may be what delivers Willy Tea to the wider audience his songs deserve.
A Cosmic Connection: Sturgill Simpson Chooses to Celebrate Americana Wins with Fans
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Sturgill rescheduled the dates to make it up to the communities he missed because of the cancellation, including one of the few available dates in Charlottesville at The Jefferson Theater—the same night as 2015’s Americana Music Awards. Sturgill had a choice, and it couldn’t have been an easy one.
Zac Brown Calls “Old” Country “Predictable.” Says He’s Making More EDM Music
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The “Benedict Arnold of Country Music,” a.k.a. Zac Brown, sat down recently with the always-complicit Rolling Stone Country to participate in yet another puff piece, and shoved his foot so far down his throat, Cheryl Tiegs would be colored impressed by his the once country star’s incredible pliability.
2015 Americana Music Awards LIVE Blog
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Welcome ladies and gentlemen to Saving Country Music’s 2015 Americana Music Awards LIVE blog! As the festivities stream live from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, we’ll tag along to leave our observations, keep up with the winners, discuss the performances, and share what happened with the folks who missed it.
Changing the Name of Nashville’s Marathon from “Country” to “Rock ‘n’ Roll” is Stupid
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Look, I don’t want to make too much of this, because in the end, what’s in a name? I didn’t really get too exercised over it (har har) until I saw award-winning songwriter (and #55 on SCM’s Greatest Country Songwriters of All Time) Don Schlitz tweet out about it, “Hey Mark Buffalino: you’re an idiot. And that’s my nice tweet.” But this has got to be the most dumb and over-thought decision I’ve seen in a long time.
Album Review – Brett Eldredge’s “Illinois”
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We have entered a new era in country music where the ambitions and influences an artist shows up to Nashville with are patently irrelevant, and all that matters now is finding a seat at a shrinking table and making whatever concessions one must to secure your spot. It’s a cutthroat version of musical chairs, with the participants most willing to sell out the hardest having a distinct advantage.