Halloween Review – Bridge City Sinners – “In The Age of Doubt”
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The Bridge City Sinners and front woman Libby Lux use dark stories and even darker sounds to exorcise internal demons and personal doubts, and to refract the darkness that comes barreling toward the human soul.
Album Review – The Mavericks’ “Mono”
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Listening to the first song from the album “All Night Long,” you might be mistaken that Mono starts off right where In Time ends, but in reality if there’s any one most dominant influence on the new effort it would be Jamaican ska. The style that emphasizes the two and four of the beat is called upon in multiple tracks during ‘Mono.’ But this isn’t a ska album, or a Latin album. It’s a Mavericks album.
Song Review – Chris Stapleton’s “Traveller”
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Released ahead of the album’s May 5th street date, the title track from ‘Traveller’ has just about everything you could hope to hear ahead of this highly anticipated release. It’s country, it’s real, it’s steel guitar, it’s tone. And it highlights Stapleton’s voice excellently. The album itself may still take a more Southern rock/sensible approach, but this song serves up some pretty juicy red meat for the true country crowd.
Blackberry Smoke’s “Holding All The Roses” Hits #1
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You had a sense going into Blackberry Smoke’s new album Holding All The Roses that this could be a big one for the Atlanta-based band, and now were seeing all of the hard work and the good will they’ve sewed with their fan base over the last 15 years or so paying off big. Holding All The Roses shipped 19,614 copies in its first week of sales, which is good enough for #1 on Billboard’s Country Albums Chart.
Ameripolitan Awards Rally Past the Anchor of Mojo Nixon’s Foul Mouth
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Once again the Ameripolitan Awards, founded by Dale Watson, and championed by many hard working individuals and artists wanting to shine a spotlight on under-appreciated but highly-deserving roots music, was a rousing success. However one oversight that was completely predictable, and highly inappropriate was the appointment once again of SiriusXM DJ Mojo Nixon as the Master of Ceremonies.
The Muddy Roots Festival Announces 2015 Lineup
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The Muddy Roots Music Festival has just announced their 2015 lineup, and it is chock full of legendary roots artist who helped forge what we consider roots music today, and the new generation of artists who are doing their best to carry on those traditions into the future. the Muddy Roots Music Festival has forged one of the most loyal followings on the festival circuit, and hosted many legendary names over its now five year run.
The 2015 Ameripolitan Awards LIVE Blog
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Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the 2nd Annual Saving Country Music Ameripolitan Awards LIVE blog. The festivities being held at Austin’s historic Paramount Theatre will NOT be televised, streamed, broadcast, or otherwise disseminated, so it will be the effort of Saving Country Music to offer you the most complete window into the experience as possible.
Album Review – Aaron Watson’s “The Underdog”
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Who would have thought a few years ago that in 2015, Aaron Watson, Aaron Watson, would be releasing one of the most-anticipated, and potentially most impactful albums in all of 2015 in country music? Oh it’s not that Watson hasn’t been setting country music fans in Texas, Oklahoma, and on the rodeo circuit ablaze for many years.
The Road to Recovery Leads through Austin for Chelle Rose
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For the first time since her recovery, Chelle Rose opened up to Saving Country Music about her trials and tribulations over the last two years and what her plans are now that she’s back on a healthy path. After taking more than a decade between her debut ‘Nanahally River’ album (2000) and her critically acclaimed and Ray Wylie Hubbard-produced ‘Ghost of Browder Holler’ album (2012)…
Metro-Politan: Country Music’s New Cancer
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The next menace was country rap, symbolized by Jason Aldean’s “Dirt Road Anthem” becoming the biggest country single in all of 2011. Then country rap gave way to Bro-Country—the most dominant torment to country music arguably in the genre’s entire history. Now what looks to depose Bro-Country as the next malevolent hyper-trend? Let’s just call it “Metro-Politan.”
Steve Earle & Brandy Clark Talk Saving Country Music
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Steve Earle says it wasn’t his politics that held him back from greater mainstream country success. It was more the oligarchy who was afraid of artists who call their own shots. Steve Earle is not the only one talking about saving country music lately. Brandy Clark amidst her Grammy Awards success said recently, “My name is said in the same breath as people like Kacey [Musgraves] and Sturgill Simpson, Ashley Monroe…
New Willie Nelson Biography “It’s A Long Story, My Life” Coming
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The 400-page biography is said to be the “unvarnished, complete story of Willie Nelson’s life” that touches on his time in Texas and Nashville to Hawaii, to his legendary bus, his drive to write music, the women in his life, his collaborations, and his biggest lows and highs-from his bankruptcy to the founding of Farm Aid. It is also said to include stories from many of Willie Nelson’s friends.
Bob Dylan: “I Wasn’t Dissing Merle, Not the Merle I Know.”
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Bob Dylan is pretty notorious for not speaking publicly very often, either in speeches or to the press. But after being honored at a Grammy Awards’ MusiCares event a week ago, and the impending melee that resulted from the 30-minute speech in which he specifically criticized Merle Haggard and Tom T. Hall among others, Dylan was forced into another public disposition with Rolling Stone on Friday.