AEG / Live Nation Now Coming for Music’s Mid-Sized Independent Venues
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The catalysts for the catastrophic implosion in mid-sized independent venue ownership in the United States is about to make matters much worse with Live Nation and AEG investing heavily in the space.
2013 CMA Awards Nominees, Picks, & Prognostications
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On November 6th, the 2013 Country Music Association Awards will transpire once again on ABC, with the nominees being announced this morning. Most surprising was that Kacey Musgraves, along with Taylor Swift, lead all nominees with six total nods. Here is a complete list of nominees, along with thoughts, picks, and prognostications.
Vince Gill Owns Westboro Baptist Church Protesters
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Two guns up for Vince Gill, who yesterday (9-8-13) emerged from the Muriel Kauffman Theatre in Kansas City to accost a slew of Westboro Baptist Church protesters outside, apparently protesting his appearance because he is married to Christian music artist Amy Grant. Both Vince and Amy Grant are divorced after previous marriages.
Science Explains Why The Music You Play For Your Kids Is Important
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For generations we’ve accepted that it is the social norm in Western civilization for children to gravitate away from the music of their parents. But a recent study by the Cornell University of Psychology seems to refute this generational music gap, and reinforce other studies that have previously stated that adolescence and the teenage years are the most important and influential time in forming musical knowledge and tastes.
Seth James to Leave The Departed
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Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Seth James has announced today that he has decided to leave The Departed, a band he helped form with former members of Cross Canadian Ragweed Cody Canada and Jeremy Plato. He will continue to play with the band until his final show at the legendary Texas venue Gruene Hall on November 23rd.
Sturgill Simpson Releases Two New “Bastard Children” Songs
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For those of you who couldn’t bear the thought of waiting another year+ for new music from country music rising star Sturgill Simpson, the music fairy has just left you a sweet little nugget under your country music pillow. Sturgill has just released two new songs through Bandcamp, affectionately titled “Bastard Children.”
Loretta Lynn’s Broken Ribs Forces Cancellation of Shows
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The Coal Miners Daughter and Country Music Hall of Famer Loretta Lynn has been forced to cancel a couple of weekend shows after cracking two ribs last weekend right before a big concert at her ranch in Hurricane Mills, TN. The 78-year-old was trying to get her guitar out of a closet when it apparently fell on her, forcing her into a dresser and breaking two of her ribs.
Danny Kay & The Nighlifers Are “Crazy Lonesome Blue”
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Crazy Lonesome Blue comes at you with no frills, offering up a bevy of original songs, a few covers and traditionals, and an all-star cast comprising the Nightlifer’s lineup. It’d take a DNA test to convince me that Danny Kay isn’t a cousin of Lucky Tubb in the way his lonesome drawl with a rounded cadence really pulls the emotion out of the words to a song while pulling the listener’s ear right in.
Song / Commercial Review – Will Hoge’s “Strong”
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Will Hoge’s latest release is a song called “Strong,” and like so many of Will’s compositions, it demonstrates heart, depth, soul, and taste. There’s a lot of emotion in this song. It’s weighty. But just like Bob Seger’s “Like A Rock,” and John Mellencamp’s “Our Country,” it has been tapped to become the official song of the Chevy Silverado—destined to be played half a dozen times during every single football game.
Alan Jackson Says There’s “No Country Stuff Left”
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Ahead of his performance at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Baltimore, Alan Jackson had some discouraging words about the current state of country music in an interview with the Baltimore Sun. Jackson’s last album, 2012’s Thirty Miles West sold moderately well, but did not produce the type of radio hits Jackson enjoyed earlier in his career.
UK’s Classic Rock Mag Launching New Country Magazine
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If you’ve been wishing for a print magazine that would cover cool up-and-coming country artists right beside the big names, and not just focus on the here and now but take the time to look back on the past greats of the genre, well you may just have received your wish. The inaugural issue of “Country Music Magazine presented by Classic Rock” is being released September 11th.
Possessed by Paul James to Release “Nights When I’m Lonely”
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Texas singer/songwriter, one man band, multi-instrumentalist, Teacher of the Year, and dedicated husband and father Possessed by Paul James has announced that he will be releasing his next album Nights When I’m Lonely on October 29th through Hillgrass Bluebilly Records. The follow up to his 2010 Independent Music Award-winning Feed The Family features 13 brand new original tracks recorded in Austin, TX.
Luke Bryan’s “That’s My Kind Of Night” (A Rant)
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Luke Bryan’s music has the nutritional value of notebook paper, and is the clinical result of when an entertainer spreads his arms wide in a submissive pose and relents his entire will to the country music industrial complex, saying “Do your worst.” Luke Bryan has no soul. He is more machine than man. He has the integrity of a Guatemalan mule bridge with a squadron of M1 tanks trying to cross it.