Iconic Willie Nelson Mural Gets Second Life in Austin
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Sometimes there are still happy endings to depressing stories. That is the case for the iconic Willie Nelson mural in downtown Austin that was demolished on February 3rd.
Study: Country Gets Happier When Times Get Hard
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The cyclical trends of country music, and all popular music have always thought to be tied to a certain extent to the socioeconomic conditions of the time, but a recent study by the American Psychological Association bucks the conventional wisdom that country music’s stereotypical depressing themes come from dealing with tough times. Conversely, when times gets tough, country gets happier.
9 Must-See Moments of Lip Sync / Backing Track Protest
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All mainstream musical performers are probably asked to do it at one time or another, but whether a musician is willing to lip sync a performance or play to a non-live musical backing track is what separates the boys and girls from the women and men. Sometimes these requests have led to protests. Here’s nine of these such memorable moments captured on tape.
UPDATED: Uproar Over “Callous” Florida Georgia Line Remarks
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On Tuesday, April 15th, the city of Calgary in Alberta, Canada faced the city’s worst mass homicide in its history. American pop country super duo Florida Georgia Line played a concert in Calgary the following day, and according to numerous reports, broached the subject of the tragedy on stage in such an uninformed and callous way, it has created a big backlash against the band in media outlets.
Sturgill Simpson’s “Metamodern Sounds” Now Available for Pre-Order
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We’re less than a month away from the release of critically-acclaimed rising country star Sturgill Simpson’s sophomore solo release called “Metamodern Sounds in Country Music” on May 13th, and the album has now been made available for pre-order, and Sturgill has released the first single from the album “Turtles All the Way Down”. He’s also just premiered the video for the song through NPR.
Willie Nelson to Receive 5th-Degree Black Belt
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Willie Nelson might be about to turn 81-years-old and be regarded as one of the world’s most famous living pacifists, but apparently hiding behind his friend-to-all disposition and grandfatherly sweetness is a mean roundhouse kick and lethal karate chop. Willie has been training in Martial Arts so long he will be awarded his 5th degree black belt in the discipline on April 28th in Austin.
Moot Davis & “Goin’ In Hot” Are Worth A Good Listen
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I’ve been wanting to tug on the sainted Saving Country Music reader’s ear about Moot Davis for years, and who knows what all kinds of dumb excuses have conspired up to this point to not allow that to happen. But the release of his latest “Goin’ In Hot” is just about the perfect damn opportunity if there ever was one to stop everything else down and sing the praises of this man’s contributions.
ACM Admits to “Plenty of People” Lip Syncing on the Show
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The alert and conscientious country music fan has always held deep suspicious that country music award shows, especially the ACM’s, featured lip-synced performances on an annual basis, but we may just now be discovering the depth of the deception on the American public during the presentations. “There have been plenty of people who have lip-synced on our show,” RAC Clark said…
“Rolling Stone Country” Readies Big Launch
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As first announced in early December of 2013, Rolling Stone is planning a move into the country music realm this year, and in a big way. With a million-dollar website planned and a long-term outlook and commitment, one of the most recognized brands in music journalism will certainly make a splash in the country genre when rollingstone.com/country goes live June 1st.
New 5-Song “LV” Coming from Hellbound Glory May 13th
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Brand new, long-anticipated music from Reno, Nevada’s Hellbound Glory is finally on its way in the form of a brand new EP scheduled for release on May 13th called LV. It is exclusively a digital release, and is the first new music aside from a few individual singles since the band released its last full-length Damaged Goods in November of 2011.
BOBBY BONES, LEAVE KACEY MUSGRAVES ALONE! (a rant)
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How in the world did we get to this place in country music where a pop DJ who hasn’t even been in the format but for a year feels like artists have an obligation to not only acknowledge his presence, but pander to his adolescent and self-centered insecurities, and furthermore, that said DJ would use those personal insecurities publicly as fodder for his bullshit syndicated wacky morning radio show?
Song Premier – Bradford Lee Folk’s “Foolish Game of Love”
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In a world of plastic banana music monkeys, Bradford Lee Folk is the real deal. The lineage of bluegrass from legendary bands like Flatt & Scruggs is in good hands with Bradford Lee Folk and the Bluegrass Playboys, and nowhere is that truth more evident than when listening to their song “Foolish Game of Love” off Somewhere Far Away. And you can hear it here first before the rest of the world.
Collin Raye: Country Has Become “Dumbed Down”
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The singer recently released a memoir called A Voice Undefeated, and in the book he speaks candidly about his detest for what is currently happening in country music. “They’ve largely abandoned the reality-based moral message for the common man that made country music a strong cultural force for good,” Raye says…