The Enduring Legacy of Colter Wall’s “Imaginary Appalachia”
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It’s hard to believe that it’s been a decade since someone probably mentioned to you that you should check out this really cool, but really obscure EP from a Canadian guy that sounded like he’d been throat punched by a banshee.
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.
Song Review – Cam’s “Burning House”
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There’s no typo here. I didn’t forget the last name, or the second half of the first. Believe it or not, there really is a new female country artist condensedly known as “Cam,” and she’s creating quite a buzz around her new song, and her newish style that has some wondering if she will be the one to solve the problem of women with substance finding success in country music.
Darius Rucker Calls Out “Let’s Take Country Music Back” Blogs
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Beyond what Darius Rucker is saying, it’s unfortunate that it’s coming from him specifically—someone who has worked in multiple genres, and someone who I would have assumed is a little more informed on these subjects, and would be a little more salient with his points. And let’s just all appreciate that Rucker is a country music carpetbagger himself.
What’s Next? Country and Folk Songs That Mention The Confederacy?
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The Civil Ware happened, and the South lost. Atrocities occurred on both sides of the battlefield. Atlanta was burned to the ground, and simply from an economic standpoint, one can make the case the South has still yet to recover from the defeat. But it happened, and how are we to learn from the lessons of The Civil War, especially the South’s misnomers on equality, if we eradicate any notions of the Confederacy’s existence?
Sturgill Simpson Signs Publishing Deal
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Announced Tuesday (6-23), Downtown Music Publishing has signed Sturgill Simpson to a worldwide publishing deal, according to Downtown’s Senior Vice President of Creative Services Jedd Katrancha. It not only includes any music Sturgill Simpson may release in the future, but also his back catalog of songs from his Thirty Tigers releases.