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.
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…
Country Music Hall of Fame Announces 2015 Inductees
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On Wednesday morning (3-25) the Country Music Hall of Fame announced their 2015 inductees in a press conference held in the Country Music Hall of Fame rotunda. Country Hall of Famer Brenda Lee hosted the event. The Country Music Hall of Fame inductees are selected through a committee process appointed by the Country Music Association, or CMA. Since 2010, the selection process has been split up into 3 categories.
Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush” Stirs Controversy – Like It Was Built To
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Little Big Town’s latest single called “Girl Crush” is stirring a little bit of controversy from what some perceive as racy, lesbian themes, while others are acting shocked that the song could be misconceived in such a way, making “Girl Crush” a country music battleground for conservative values being fought in the shadow of country music’s big coming out party lately.
Chris Janson’s Embarrassing “Buy Me A Boat” Becomes Hit
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Chris Janson becomes the perfect pitchman for exuberant and unhealthy American consumerism in the wholly-unoriginal, culturally-deprecated, and easily-forgettable Bro-Country track “Buy Me A Boat.” Burying any of the wisdom found embedded in countless American music standards about how things such as love and hard work are the way to true fulfillment and happiness.
Country Radio in a Tailspin with a Key Demographic
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Things are going from bad to worse in country music radio rankings, and now were starting see the lengths country radio is willing to go to in an attempt to rekindle the magic. Just six short months ago it looked like popular country music was poised to take over the music world and take down pop as the most dominant genre. Now the ratings for country radio’s key demographic continues its precipitous slide.
Composer Named for Hank Williams “I Saw The Light” Movie Score
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The highly-anticipated biopic film on the life of Hank Williams that is set to be released later this year has announced who will compose the music score. San Diego native Aaron Zigman, most noted for his work on films such as The Notebook and Sex and the City will be in charge of the score for I Saw The Light, a film based off the Hank Williams biography by Colin Escott.
Kelsea Ballerini Seeks Breakout with “Love Me Like You Mean It”
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Just what country needed—a cute little pop girl pretending to be country, and pushing all the female singers who actually are country yet another step towards the back of a line that they’re already being crowded out of because of the sausage fest at the top of the country charts. Oh, and give an assist to country expat Taylor Swift who tweeted out her admiration for this song.
Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard to Release “Django & Jimmie” Album
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Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard are pairing up once again. This was the one nugget of important information squeezed between pot jokes when Willie Nelson made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Friday evening (3-21) as part of South by Southwest (SXSW) festivities in Austin, TX. It won’t be the first time the two country music legends have released an album together, and it may not be the last.
Female Supergroup “The Local Memories” Forms in Nashville
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Five beautiful and multi-talented women banding together to break down gender barriers in bluegrass, country, and beyond; that’s the story of the newly-formed female supergroup in Nashville called The Local Memories. It’s all the brain child of fiddle player, Berklee College of Music alumni, and former Outlaw Carnie Lucy B. Cochran.
The Next Music Reality Show Could Involve Songwriting
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NBC, Maroon 5 frontman and The Voice judge Adam Levine, and Grammy Award-winning songwriter Dave Stewart are teaming up to work on a new reality TV show pilot called “Songland.” The idea is to be the songwriter’s equivalent to The Voice and American Idol and show that “the songwriter is king in the music business.” I don’t know if to laugh, cry, or cheer.
Dismissing Gary Overton – An Interview with Charlie Robison
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Almost a month removed now from Sony Nashville CEO Gary Overton declaring to The Tennessean of “If you’re not on country radio, you don’t exist,” and the shock waves are still resonating on Music Row and beyond. Taking the point, or becoming the rally cry for the opposition to Gary’s comments was Texas country artist Charlie Robison. Now that Gary Overton is gone, I asked Charlie Robison, is the result is satisfying?
Billboard’s Country Charts at a Critical Crossroads
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In 2015, the names and music residing at the top of Billboard’s respective genre charts seems topsy-turvy and misguided. While Sam Hunt and his music that resembles next to nothing country is at the top of the country charts, an artist like Brandi Carlile who does uphold some of those country standards has the top album in rock. A very serious case can be made that those two artists should be switched.