Album Review – Waylon Jennings – “Songbird”
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Waylon Jennings was the real deal if there ever was one, and that’s why unheard tracks come so anticipated. The 10 tracks from ‘Songbird’ are from the ’70s and early ’80s era.
They’ll Never Play Jonathan Parker & The Bel-Airs in Nashville
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Nope. And that’s how you know it’s good. If you like country, and I mean country, then Jonathan Parker’s They’ll Never Play My Songs In Nashville has you covered. This guy has a country growl that’s like Waylon Jennings mixed with the DNA of a hard-nosed bulldog. This is hard country, honky tonk music in its purest incantation. No frills, just lean forward and belt it out.
New Book “Merle Haggard: The Running Kind” Released (Giveaway)
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From author David Cantwell and the American Music Series of the University of Texas Press comes a brand new book about the iconic country music Hall of Famer and Kennedy Center Honoree Merle Haggard. Covering his entire career, but focusing mostly on his most prolific decades, Merle Haggard: The Running Kind delves into this complex, often contradictory icon of country music.
I Give A Shit, Jason Aldean. I do. (A Rant)
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Who gives a shit what Zac Brown has to say? I do. We do. Are we the minority? Maybe, but the statistics show that our numbers are growing every day while mainstream music continues to circle the toilet hole of financial insolvency, trying to shore up their golden parachutes by instilling this sugar rush of completely vapid and talent-less hack acts that amount to nothing more than a harey carey maneuver.
2013 Americana Music Awards Winners & Recap
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The 2013 Americana Music Awards once again transpired in Nashville at the historic Ryman Auditorium as part of the week-long Americana Music Conference. Delbert McClinton lead off with Hank Williams’ “Hey, Good Lookin,'” leading into MC Jim Lauderdale giving a poignant introduction that included the line, “The past matters, traditions matter, even when we explore ways to have those traditions extended and expanded.”
Jason Aldean To Zac Brown “Nobody Gives A Shit What You Think”
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The war of words concerning the state of country music continues, with Jason Aldean being the latest to enter the fray. Responding to comments by Zac Brown in a recent radio interview, Jason Aldean took to his Instagram account to call out Zac Brown. “To those people runnin their mouths, trust me when i tell u that nobody gives a shit what u think.”
Interview: Head of New Outlaw Country Hall of Fame Gary Sargeant
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On August 15th, the plans for the upcoming Outlaw Country Music Hall of Fame and an accompanying Outlaw Music Association were made public. The announcement stimulated a lot of speculation about what direction the upcoming Hall of Fame would take, but not many serious answers. So Saving Country Music reached out to Gary “Sarge” Sargeant, the spearhead of the Outlaw Country Hall of Fame.
“High Cotton: A Tribute To Alabama” Is A Tribute Done Right
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High Cotton: A Tribute To Alabama gets right what so many cover and tribute albums get wrong, including its 2013 counterpart Alabama & Friends. A good tribute album doesn’t just pay tribute to the band or artist. It should be a 50/50 proposition, with the contributing artists also benefiting from the name recognition the tributee affords.
12 Reasons to be Positive About Country Music in 2013
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Country music in 2013 feels like the best of times, and the worst of times. While a few top male performers perpetrate untold atrocities on the integrity of the genre, the rise of independent music and infrastructure in the marketplace is now almost to the point where it equals its corporate counterpart. Quality songs and worthy artists are beginning to see more and more support…
Davy Jay Sparrow’s “All Nite Long!”
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No ladies and gentlemen, Western Swing is not dead; not when Davy Jay Sparrow is on the job, doing his level best to keep the distinguished country music sub-genre fresh and fun by forging ahead with his fast-paced and frolicking take on one of country music’s original modes. Sparrow has migrated west from Indiana to Portland, OR and traded in his “Well Known Famous Drovers” for a gaggle of “Western Songbirds”.
Zac Brown Says Luke Bryan’s “That’s My Kind Of Night” Worst Song Ever
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Another day, another country artist coming out against the current direction of country music. The latest is Southern rocker Zac Brown of the Zac Brown Band, who not only had some unkind words about the state of country music, but specifically set Luke Bryan’s song “That’s My Kind Of Night” in his crosshairs—the current #1 song in country music right now according to Billboard.
The Time A Topless Neko Case Got Banned from the Opry
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In 2013, there is only one music artist who can say they’re officially banned for life from country music’s most storied institution: the Grand Ole Opry. No, it’s not David Allan Coe, Hank Williams III, or some other hothead, firebrand artist quick to call out the Opry and other mainstream country music institutions at any perceived slight. No, the offending party is none other than alt-country luminary Neko Case.
Gary Allan Calls Out Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift
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The parade of country artists coming out to criticize the direction of country music continues, with Gary Allan now coming out in an interview with Larry King, decrying country music’s move towards pop, and specifically Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood. “I would say they’re pop artists making a living in the country genre. I also feel like we lost our genre.”