Album Review – Dan Lepien’s “The Honky Tonk Traditional”
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Oh bless this guy’s heart. He thinks it’s still 1990 and you can release a country record without any snap tracks, trap beats, tractor rapping, Auto-tune, or other wiggety wah wah and still get people to go wild over it.
Why Let Pop Steal Listeners, When Country Can Be Pop Too?
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Top 40 pop radio has always been about taking the biggest songs from the respective genres and featuring them in one place. That’s pop radio’s job; that’s its niche in the marketplace. Now country is showing the early signs of coveting that position for itself. Mainstream country radio stretched its belly with Bro-Country, and now that it’s in serious decline, it’s looking for the next fix to filly its over-portioned appetite.
Stupid Good 4th of July Lineups in Texas Forcing Fans into Quandary
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One thing is for sure, the 4th of July in Texas is going to be hot. It’s also going to be a happening time for country music; so much so it’s going to be a hard to know where to point your nose. It was already setting up to be a good 4th of July for country music in 2015 with the holiday falling on a weekend this year.
Brothers Osborne Say People Are Tired Of “Bullsh-t”
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The Brothers Osborne have been attempting to straddle the line between commercial acceptance and critical acclaim ever since signing with EMI Nashville in 2013. With a stripped-down and earthy sound sonically, and songs that speak to the relevant themes of today’s country but still remain hard to hyphenate with “Bro-,” even if you don’t dig on their music, they’re an outfit that’s hard to hate.
SUSPENDED: The Midnite Jamboree in Jeopardy
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A cultural institution of the country music world and the second longest-running radio show only to The Grand Ole Opry is in serious trouble. The Midnite Jamboree, a Saturday evening staple for over 68 years started by Ernest Tubb is in danger of shuttering after its historic run due to a lack of funds, and folks are banding together in attempt to rescue the show.
Roo Arcus’ “Cowboys & Sunsets” Does Traditional Country Right
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Beneath the surface of Australian country, traditional artists still fight for attention and find it amidst both Australian and international listeners. Roo Arcus is one of those traditional country artists, and one who can quiet American naysayers arguing an Australian can’t birth authentic country songs, and not just from the songs that his life has inspired, but the country lifestyle Roo Arcus leads.
A Guide to the Global Release Day for Independent Artists (and their fans)
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Nothing is more important for an independent music artist or band than the day they release an album. Despite all the adversities independent artists face in their effort to get the attention of the listening public, the release of an album can act like a great equalizer, if the band does their job, has a good track record with their fans, and gets the word out.
Country Music Already a Big Factor in Upcoming Presidential Election
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Ted Cruz says he became a country music fan after 9/11, while the digital editor of ‘Ebony’ responded with “Nothing says ‘Let’s go kill some Muslims’ like country music,” forcing MSNBC to have to publicly distance from the comments. Meanwhile a super PAC supporting Hillary Clinton released a pro-Hillary country song. Here’s how country listeners will be targeted like never before in the upcoming election.
Album Review – Allison Moorer’s “Down to Believing”
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Down to Believing nestles right down in that classic alt-country approach of building up from a country foundation, but then striking out with a decidedly rock and roll sound. It’s a bold, full experience that in some ways reminds one of the nascent alt-country period when the sounds were still fresh and renewed, yet still had the essence of what made you a country fan to begin with.
Willie Nelson-Branded Marijuana Products & Stores Coming
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It was only a matter of time before marijuana started to become big business, and apparently Willie Nelson is trying to beat the bigger companies to the punch by developing a signature marijuana brand that is scheduled to include storefronts, products such as bongs and vaporizers, and specific strains and blends of marijuana to sell in the states that make possession of the plant legal.
ACM Awards: “Here Taylor Swift, a Milestone Award! Please Show Up!”
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Even though Taylor Swift has 86’d country and said she wants nothing to do with the awards specifically, the ACM’s have minted a special 50th Anniversary “Milestone Award” crafted by noted jewelry designer David Yurman to be handed out to Swift and a few select others. The Milestone Award trophy is made up of more than 1,010 grams of sterling silver, with the top edged with 4.16 carats of black diamonds.
Keith Urban Wears Sturgill Simpson Shirt on American Idol
68 Comments
If you’re anything like me, you hate how these stupid television reality show singing competitions are doing their level best to suck independent music fans into their diabolical fold. Either it shows how desperate they are for new viewers, or shows how independent music is truly permeating culture in ways never seen before. If it’s the latter, then I guess we should take it as a positive sign.
Hilarious Craigslist Ad Seeks Major Label Talent in Nashville
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Whether the author is some major label lackey with a rabid lack of self-awareness, or some huckster looking to lampoon the current state of country music, an ad posted on the Nashville subset of Craigslist has been causing a stir and putting people in stitches after being posted Tuesday night (3-24). Professing to be a major label looking for a new star, the ad…