Album Review – Joe Stamm Band’s “Little Crosses”
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Releasing ‘Little Crosses’ in the dead of summer is smart timing for Stamm and Co. This is a summer album full of serious heartland rock, songs that stoke sentimental memories, and a little bit of recklessness.
Album Review – Hank3’s “Brothers of the 4×4”
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Few things get people talking in the independent channels of country music like a Hank3 release. From his neotraditional days in the early 2000’s when he had traditionalists singing his praises, to his magnum opus Straight to Hell from 2006 that saw his punk and metal influences bleed over into a hard country approach, to his last few releases that have become a polarizing subject with many fans….
Grand Theft Auto 5 Game Features Real Country Through “Rebel Radio”
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If you need any more proof that corporate country music has become so milktoast that the backlash against its homogenized format and fashion plate stars has become an indelible and easily-identifiable element of American culture, then look no further than the recent blockbuster video game Grand Theft Auto 5 from Rockstar Games.
The 10 Best Country & Roots Songs From Breaking Bad
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Did you know the first song to ever be featured on Breaking Bad was a classic country tune by Stonewall Jackson? They may not play real country on the radio anymore, but there’s many different ways you can skin a cat. As popular and critically-acclaimed TV series like Breaking Bad breathe new life into television, they have become an invaluable market for showcasing quality country and roots music from the past and present.
Sheryl Crow’s “Feels Like Home” Only Country By Name
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It’s not that there aren’t some token homages to mark her move into the country format, but overall, except for one song that we will get to in due course, there is very, very little contrast between Feels Like Home and what Sheryl Crow was calling rock for the body of her career. But that doesn’t necessarily paint Feels Like Home, or Sheryl Crow, or her career as bad.
Hillstomp: Still Going Strong After 12 Years
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In the 12 years since Hillstomp’s inception, John Johnson, and guitar player Henry Christian have become one of the Pacific Northwest’s most well-known underground roots duos, garnering a loyal following and making fast fans from their avant-garde approach to blues that combines elements of punk, trance, and most notably, a beat that is delivered by a drum set centered around a bucket instead of a snare drum.
Music Feuds Aside, Good on Blake for Squaring Off with Westboro
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Look, I like Blake Shelton like I like a trip to the proctologist. But qualifying points aside, in the end it is just music. These Westboro Baptist Church turds beat all, and so good on Blake Shelton for taking the game to them and telling them what for. Westboro has been targeting the singer and reality show judge through Twitter, calling him a “vulgar adulterer”….
Hank3 Talks New Album “Brothers of the 4X4” & More
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Hank3 is poised to release two new albums next week, and embark on an extended tour of Texas, the West Coast, and upper Midwest. Brothers of the 4X4 and A Fiendish Threat come on the heels of an extended touring hiatus after Hank3’s drummer Shawn McWilliams required shoulder surgery. Hank3 was gracious enough to sit down with us ahead of the tour and releases to talk about what fans can expect…
Vince Gill & Alan Jackson Show How To Grow Old Gracefully in Country
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With 34 CMA Awards, over 20 Grammys, and and some 80 million records sold between the two, they both have seen their share of overwhelming commercial success, public notoriety, and peer recognition. But over the last few years the writing has been on the wall that their time has come, and their days of widespread radio play and big awards are over. And so what did these two men do?
Willie Nelson’s Stolen Armadillo – UPDATE: Returned
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At Willie’s show on Thursday, September 19th at the Capital Theater in Port Chester, NY (a northern suburb of NYC), the small stuffed armadillo was stolen off the sound desk backstage by a woman who can be seen in low grade surveillance footage from the show. The armadillo is affectionately known as O’ Dillo, and it is the property of Aaron Foye, Willie’s monitor engineer.
5 Antidotes to Country Rap / Checklist Songs
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There’s nothing worse than inadvertently coming within ear shot of one of those songs—the idiotic country music laundry list / checklist ditty, or even worse when the performer is inclined to get all hip-hop on your ass and start rapping the lyrics over a drum machine beat. If you find yourself bent over and fighting back a gag reflex from Class A country checklist exposure, these songs will help cure what ails you.
Sarah Jarosz’s “Build Me Up From Bones”
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The 22-year-old Texas native Sarah Jarosz symbolizes a victory by so many measures, even before you delve into the substance of her new album Build Me Up From Bones. Build Me Up From Bones is a bold work of progressive bluegrass that showcases young Jarosz’s developed songwriting and adeptness at composition, while not sacrificing the whimsy and fun an album from a 22-year-old must have to be genuine.
The Greatest Feuds in Country Music History
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The last few weeks might go down in history as one of country music’s most feud-laden moments. Though country music feuding may be on a sharp rise here recently, it is not an uncommon or recent occurrence in country music by any stretch. Nothing gets folks talking like a good old artist on artist donnybrook. Here are some of the most infamous over the years.