Biggest Takeaways from Record-Breaking Bourbon & Beyond Fest
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Now that it’s all in the books—and after four long days of humpin’ around from stage to stage in the middle of a late season Ohio River Valley heat wave—here are some of the things that were seen and heard.
15-Year-Old Talent Takes On Music Row
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Williamson Branch is a bluegrass and country band from Nashville, and their 15-year-old fiddle and guitar player Melody Williamson recently wrote a song called “There’s No Country Here.” Despite her age, Music Row would be wise to remove themselves for their laundry list clatter and listen to what the future of country music has to say about where country music is headed.
CMT Whores Itself with New “Party Down South” Show
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The flagship of CMT’s new lineup is a reality show called Party Down South from producer SallyAnn Salsano—the same producer of the popular MTV reality show Jersey Shore. The idea is to create a Jersey Shore of the South, but just like Jersey Shore, the show does not depict realities of life, it cobbles together castoff, amateur acting talent from across a wide geographic region…
Photos of a Recovering Randy Travis Surface
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Photos of a recovering Randy Travis have finally been surfacing on Twitter over the recent days—the first glimpse concerned country music fans have seen of the future Country Hall of Famer since he suffered a stroke and subsequent health issues in July of 2013. Randy Travis was initially admitted to the hospital on July 7th, 2013 for viral cardiomyopathy, or a weakening of the heart muscle.
Album Review – Jason Eady’s “Daylight & Dark”
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If you were asked to populate a list of current country music artists that with no frills and no variations lay down country music as country music was meant to be, Jason Eady would very have to be at or near the top of your list. And if you found yourself beset on all sides by ravenous legions of flesh-eating pop country music fans whose only bane was the authentic sound of true country…
The Great Kacey Musgraves Country Music Experiment
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Mid January is the season that most of the big mainstream country music acts unveil their touring plans for the year. Country music critical favorite Kacey Musgraves announced she would not be touring with one of her country music bunk mates, but of all people, the buxom purple-haired pop star Katy Perry. ome Kacey Musgraves’ supporters were disappointed…
Rosanne Cash’s “The River & The Thread”
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The River & The Thread is an album that was worth waiting for. Produced and co-written with Rosanne’s husband, accomplished musician John Leventhal, this album is exhaustive, thematic, all-encompassing, and compromises nothing when it comes to desiring the highest degree of quality in songwriting and production.
UPDATED – Texas Country Legend Steve Fromholz Passes Away
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Singer, songwriter, Poet Laureate, and the author of the Texas Trilogy, Steven Fromholz passed away Sunday morning (1-19) according to the Texas Music Chart. Fromholz was a towering figure of words and music in his home state of Texas, and amongst his famous music friends. He wrote the song “I’d Have To Be Crazy” made popular by Willie Nelson…
The Ben Davenport Band’s “Slow Start”
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It’s been a while since I’ve heard such great texture and diversity in a record that still clings tightly to its country roots. Reflecting back on a lifetime of memories, accomplishments, failures, and the fortunes and lessons that come with both, it is a self-critique and cathartic, fiercely personal, and an album you can tell Jim Yoss made for himself, be damned if anyone else likes it
Auto-Tune In Country Isn’t Evolution, It’s Falling Behind
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Forget about the intended use of Antares flagship software product known as “Auto-Tune” for a second. Almost since the inception of the pitch-correction software, Auto-Tune has been utilized as a vocal effect as well, and one that has become an indelible part of popular music. But country music stayed mostly on the sidelines of the Auto-Tune phenomenon.
10 Badass Johnny Cash Moments
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What made Johnny Cash the ultimate badass was his ability to bridge people together regardless of taste in music, cultural differences, or political ideology. Johnny Cash could tackle some of the most difficult issues facing a tumultuous American society as it saw the emergence of rock and roll and the counterculture because they man had such an air of respect about him.
The Autopsy Report of Wayne Mills Released
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Chris Ferrell was in court Thursday (1-16) for a “discussion date” and to take care of some minor procedural defense motions. The autopsy report was also made available for the first time through the Medical Examiners Office. The autopsy report also included a postmortem toxicology workup testing for a wide spectrum of substances in Wayne’s body.
Keith Urban Says The Country Definition Is “Totally Meaningless”
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Recently when Keith Urban was interviewed by Michigan Live and was asked if definitions like “country,” “rock,” and “pop” are important or meaningless, Urban replied, “Totally meaningless to me. I make music and people decide what it is. That’s it. I don’t think about it any more than that.”