Zach Top Is Opening New Doors for Artists, Young AND Old
29 Comments
Opportunities are opening up for older artists, many of whom were put out to pasture during the Bro-Country era, or forced to capitulate to the current sound. There might not be a better example than Joe Nichols.
New Merle Haggard Tribute is a Head Scratcher
103 Comments
Not since the second installment of the Waylon – The Music Inside series was released with the names of Colt Ford and Justin Moore making their way on the track list have we had such a quizzical collection of artists for a tribute album. As cool as it is to see any attention paid to Merle these days from the mainstream establishment, it is not what’s going to get your average Merle fan’s motor running.
Saving Country Music Helps w/ “Party Down South” Ads
13 Comments
Thursday night is the finale for season one of CMT’s flagship reality show series Party Down South. The show has stirred up quite a bit of controversy for its sexualized and graphic content, especially in its ads. With a servant’s heart, and wanting to pitch in and make sure Party Down South sticks around, Saving Country Music thought we would make some ads for CMT pro bono.
Johnny Cash’s Great Niece Stabbed & Murdered
19 Comments
Courtney Cash, the great niece of country legend Johnny Cash, and the granddaughter of Johnny Cash’s brother Tommy Cash, was brutally stabbed and murdered early Wednesday morning in Putnam County, TN, and stuffed inside a wooden box in her home. Her boyfriend, William Austin Johnson who shared the house with Cash and their young daughter, was also stabbed multiple times.
Tony Bennett Slams Modern Music & Corporations Controlling It
28 Comments
Tony Bennett, the 87-year-old singer who’s still going strong and is considered worldwide even at his advanced age as one of the greatest living singers, had some pretty spicy words about the state of modern music when the BBC spoke to him in an interview released Thursday. “The songs that are written today, most of them are terrible. “It’s a very bad period musically.”
Don Williams’ “Reflections” Reminds Us of What’s Important
28 Comments
“Reflections” is much more than just the easy listening country it may appear to be on the surface. It’s an album with a message, and leads by example. Instead of whining about the state of country music, it does something about it. “Reflections” is the album we needed right here, right now. Not just from the perspective of saving country music, but the perspective of saving ourselves.
10 Badass Wanda Jackson Moments
19 Comments
Up until this point Saving Country Music’s “10 Badass Moments” series has only featured men. But can women be badasses as well? Well if you look at the life and times of one Wanda Jackson, the answer would most certainly be “yes”. Whether it’s from a country or a rock & roll perspective, Wanda Jackson had a significant impact on both….
Up-And-Comer Eric Church Excited to Play Austin City Limits
51 Comments
Austin City Limits has slated a scrappy young country music artist to appear during their latest season. Though you may have never heard of him, all that might change after he makes his Austin City Limits debut. His name is Eric Church, and despite only winning the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music awards for Album of the Year once….
South By Southwest 2014 In Pictures
12 Comments
Saving Country Music was out and about Austin, TX and its outskirts over the past week or so as part of the annual South By Southwest (SXSW) gathering, pounding the pavement and looking for the next country music artist worthy of your ears that you may never otherwise hear about. In the coming months I look forward to taking some of these discoveries and sharing them with you.
Mono-Genre Watch: Florida Georgia Line to Tour w/ Nelly
53 Comments
For the first time ever, two high-powered country and rap acts will tour together, as fast-rising country duo Florida Georgia Line will be paired up with hip-hop artist Nelly in an upcoming summer tour of American Ballparks. The cross-genre pairing first happened when a remix of Florida Georgia Line’s smash hit “Cruise” featuring Nelly was released to radio in April of 2013.
Joe Walsh Twists Off on the State of Music Today
51 Comments
As one of America’s most traditional genres, drum machines, purposely Auto-tuned lyrics, and other such elements were treated with a very negative stigma, and stayed mostly buried on the fringes of the genre in experimental projects. But now as rap and Electronic Dance Music (EDM) have become very influential in popular country.
Why SXSW Will Change, & Must Change After 2014 Fatalities
30 Comments
After 2 people were killed, and 23 injured in a horrific incident during the annual South By Southwest gathering, it’s easy to overreact, and point fingers, and lay blame. But make no mistake about it, on Thursday morning, SXSW changed forever, as well as it should. even without this big, headline-grabbing accident, is, and has been for over a half decade or more, an absolute, colossal failure of logistics.
Country Music Reality Shows Tanking Left & Right
39 Comments
Everywhere you turn, people are trying to take advantage of the rising interest in country music and Nashville. It seemed like only a matter of time before reality TV got on the “gone country” kick, and it has recently with a slew of new shows. But unfortunately for country music’s small screen offshoots, all’s not right in TV land.