Garth Brooks Sexual Assault Allegations Must Be Taken Seriously
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On Thursday afternoon (10-3), it was revealed that a “Jane Roe” had filed a lawsuit in California state court accusing Garth Brooks of multiple incidents of rape, sexual assault, exposing himself, and other explicit behavior.
Garth Brooks: “Our Job Is To Fly The Flag of Country Music”
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Garth Brooks held a much-anticipated press conference on Thursday (7-10) to announce an upcoming world tour, new music on the way, and that for the first time his music will be released digitally. Though no specifics were given in regards to world tour dates, or a name or release date for the new album, Garth did allude that we may see the first new single in the next month or two.
“Bro-Country” Songwriter Dallas Davidson Arrested
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In the world of country music songwriting, and specifically the writing of many of the so-called “Bro-Country” hits that have gone on to dominate country radio in the last few years, one man stands tall above the others as the King of “Bro-Country” songwriting, Dallas Davidson. Davidson was arrested Thursday morning and was yelling “racial and homophobic obscenities.”
Scott Borchetta Living Up to Promise to “Dig A Little Deeper”
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Behind-the-scenes, Borchetta was spying all the earmarks of a hyper-trend, and saw that “Bro-Country” may be leaving his label vulnerable if they continued to bet their future on it. In Neda Ulaby’s NPR report, Borchetta said some things that stunned the country blogsphere at the time. “So we’ll task our writers and artists to dig a little deeper,” the label owner said.
Garth Brooks Headed to Sony? (A Press Conference Primer)
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The country music world is titillated with anticipation at what Garth Brooks might be announcing at his upcoming press conference on Thursday, July 10th, scheduled to stream live on his website at noon eastern. But the cat may already be out of the bag. Over the last few days there has been industry chatter that Garth may be announcing a deal with Sony Nashville.
Now There Really Is A “Rocky Top, Tennessee”
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One enterprising town in East Tennessee called Lake City just a little north of Knoxville saw where the lack of a true Rocky Top, Tennessee could be an opportunity. Looking to boost tourism to the town of around 2,000, Lake City’s city council voted on November 7th, 2013 to petition the Tennessee State Assembly and have the town’s name officially changed to Rocky Top.
Chris Gaines Named as Garth Brooks Replacement at Ireland Shows
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Looking to salvage whatever they can from the debacle, the local promoters have announced they have found a replacement for Brooks, and it will be another entertainer coming out of retirement to perform for the Croke Park crowd. Dark-edged alternative rocker Chris Gaines has been named as the Garth Brooks replacement.
Song Review – Florida Georgia Line’s “Dirt”
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Because this song is from Florida Georgia Line is not the reason to hate it. It’s the exact reason to love it. Today, the 8th of July, 2014, is a victory for country music, and for the individuals and entities who wish to see a measure of balance restored back to the format—not based on taste, but on the theory of finding less divisive music that we can all enjoy together as country music fans.
Dale Watson’s “The Truckin’ Sessions Vol. 3”
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This isn’t an album of truckin’ songs that you sit back and listen to nostalgically, this thing takes a big arm cocked at a 90-degree angle like it’s about to give a hearty yank of the air horn, and instead grabs you by the gruff of your neck and pulls you right up into the cab of a serious diesel machine for one sensational ride. It might be one of the best Dale Watson albums to date.
Taylor Swift’s Op-Ed in the Wall St. Journal (A Rebuttal)
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On Monday (7-7), Taylor Swift did something somewhat unusual from the music space—she posted an op-ed piece for the Wall Street Journal. what is going on here is marketing. It beings with marketing, and ends with marketing. It doesn’t mean that Taylor Swift doesn’t make some salient points, or mean what she says, and that those points aren’t important. But the bottom dollar is what is driving this.
UPDATE: Garth Brooks, & 18 Semi Trucks On a Ship in the Atlantic
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Today, 7/7, was supposed to be the day that “the 7’s aligned” and Garth officially announced his upcoming world tour after a nearly 15-year retirement. But the 7’s did not align. Garth’s master plan originally hatched in 2013 and assembled around his favorite number of ‘7’ was foiled, or for the least, delayed until Thursday, thanks to turmoil over upcoming concert dates in Ireland.
Country Is Now Pop: Sam Hunt’s “Leave The Night On”
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This is not a review, this is a warning. Sam Hunt’s “Leave The Night On” is a potential swan song for what we define as country music today, more than any song that has come before. I know, you’re saying, “Can you tell me this song is somehow more pop than Taylor Swift, or pushes the limit more than Jerrod Neimann’s EDM monster ‘I Can Drink To That All Night’?” That is exactly what I’m telling you.
Independent Labels Back Down YouTube in Rights Fight
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Amid the blow back YouTube was experiencing from fans, artists, and labels, they are now second guessing their strategy. In this high stakes game of music streaming chicken, the independents won, at least for now, as YouTube and Google executives head back to the drawing board and negotiating table to hammer out how to include everyone in the new service.