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.
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.”
Trace Adkins Brawls with Impersonator / Enters Rehab
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Country star Trace Adkins has checked himself into rehab according to Country Weekly after taking his first drink in 12 years and ending up in an altercation with a Trace Adkins impersonator aboard a “Country Crusin'” cruise ship headed for Jamaica. Adkins was scheduled to continue on the cruise, but his performances have subsequently been canceled.
Tim McGraw’s “Lookin For That Girl” (A Rant)
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What kind of fresh hell has Tim McGraw unearthed here? Apparently the once high-flying country star has been inadvertently inoculating himself with inebriating bronzer agents from his incessant chemical tan treatments that have now seeped into his blood stream. “Lookin’ For That Girl” isn’t a cry for relevancy, it is a barbaric yawp, a banshee scream, a cacophonous ode to the onset of monoculture and wholesale mediocrity.
DJ Bobby Bones Gets Into Feud with Kacey Musgraves
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Bobby Bones has been a polarizing figure from the beginning, but just ratcheted up a notch by getting in a public battle with Kacey Musgraves over the last few days through Twitter. Musgraves conducted an interview with Bobby Bones on November 5th, the day before the 2013 CMA Awards, like many of the artists that performed or that were up for awards or in attendance did…
Review – Johnny Cash’s “She Used To Love Me A Lot”
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Learned country fans will recognize “She Used To Love Me A Lot” as a David Allan Coe single released in early December of 1984 off his album Darlin’ Darlin’. That version of the song also emanated from Columbia Records, with Billy Sherrill as producer, though it’s probably not fair to call Cash’s version a cover of David Allan Coe because Cash’s version was very likely recorded first.
The Cadillac Three Poised for a Big 2014
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Hard to pigeonhole, and certainly not what one would traditionally consider mainstream country music, their ability to appeal to mainstream fans, Southern rock fans, and even some independent and underground fans with a sound that despite whatever lack of depth is hard to not label as authentic and gritty, The Cadillac Three could be a band who finds themselves at the nexus of of the “bro-country” phenomenon, and its backlash.
Travis Tritt: Artists Are Portraying “Something They Aren’t”
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“There’s a mentality in the country music world of Nashville that says, “You don’t know anything, and we know how to do this.” It’s “We know what’s best for you: You get to the microphone, sing what we tell you to sing, play what we tell you to play, and you’ll be fine.” That scares people away from branching out and doing things that creatively are out of the box.”
Jayke Orvis & The Broken Band Crash Bus in Colorado
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Jayke Orvis & The Broken Band crashed their small tour bus Sunday night (1-12) while traversing the snowy Colorado roads in the midst of a 6 week Winter tour. Nobody was seriously injured, but members of the band suffered bumps & bruises and the bus was totaled. Anyone willing to sell, loan, barter, or otherwise procure a touring vehicle for the band is encouraged to contact them.
Ke$ha & Pitbull Blend A Country Vibe Into “Timber” Hit
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Back in July of 2012, I placed my chips on the square that said that sometime in the future pop star Ke$ha would be a big player in the country music realm, and that when she did, she would be huge. Ke$ha’s mom is country songwriter Pebe Sebert that wrote the #1 hit “Old Flames (Can’t Hold a Candle To You)” for Dolly Parton amongst other notable compositions, and Ke$ha has professed her love for country music in the past.
10 Badass Willie Nelson Moments
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Willie Nelson is in many ways a microcosm of the American experience. He grew up during The Depression, had a rough and tumble youth, battled through familial and financial problems for years, struck it rich, and reformed himself from his violent past to become one of the world’s most well-known and greatest pacifists and advocates for the poor and social justice.
Radio Programmers Sound Off on State of Country
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In today’s Billboard Country mid-week newsletter’s “The Stark Report” with Phyllis Stark, the people that pick what the masses are exposed to through radio surprisingly sounded off on how they wanted more substance, better variety, and new blood in the country radio format, tasking the country music industry to deliver them a better product.
Lead Guitar Player Will Indian Passes Away
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Country music has lost one of the most tasteful lead guitar players to ever fill a break. Will Indian, lead guitarist for country legend James Hand, as well as the guitarist for The Nortons, The Cornell Hurd Band, and many others, has passed away after a long battle with Hepatitis C. He died Wednesday night (1-8-14) according to his family.