Album Review – Joshua Ray Walker’s “Tropicana”
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In ‘Tropicana,’ the cunning use of subgenre dialects and instrumental modes, and the fearlessness he brings to writing silly melodies and singing his guts out to them is a version of genius you just can’t help but appreciate.
Blackberry Smoke’s “Whippoorwill” & Southern Rock
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Try telling Blackberry Smoke that genres don’t matter in modern music. In many ways they don’t, and in many ways they are absolutely the most important thing. Blackberry Smoke may be a prime example of why. Many modern Southern rock bands focus too much on force to drive home the Southern rock vibe. I was surprised at how little hard-driving songs there were on this album, and how much attention was paid to lyrics.
Worst “Country” Songs of 2012 So Far
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What a banner year it has been for bad songs in country music. After 2011’s “Red Solo Cup” by Toby Keith and Jason Aldean’s country/rap “Dirt Road Anthem” the bar has been raised for how low you must go to get attention for your twilighting music career. Put a clothesline clip on your nose, a paper bag on your knee, and dive in…if you dare.
Andy Vaughan & The Driveline Are ‘Searching for the Song’
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There’s so much music these days vying for everyone’s attention, it is almost imperative that you employ some sort of “bit” to get noticed: a distinctive singing style, a blending of genres, humor, irony, etc. How about just sincerity in craft, and good songwriting? Why can’t that get noticed too? After all, in music these days, that’s pretty rare itself, and those attributes are what Andy Vaughan puts into play in Searching For The Song.
Some Respect for Randy Travis at a Tough Time
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Alright, so we’ve all now had our yucks over this story of a naked Randy Travis being arrested, and I am certainly not above guilt, but I am seeing some fairly alarming rhetoric surrounding this story that I feel is unhealthy to the country music environment. The details of the story may be funny, but the incident is not. Celebrity or no, Randy Travis is a human being who is clearly going through a moment of crisis in his life.
Expert: Erratic Randy Travis Could Be Caused By Paulie Walnuts Wings
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What is the cause of all of Randy’s recent erratic behavior? One expert says it can be linked to the silver wings that have recently sprouted from the side of Randy’s head. “Paulie Walnuts syndrome is what some like to call it, named after the famous Sopranos TV character known for being especially ruthless and having ‘silver wings’ in his hair.”
The Cure for Music Myopia – Pickathon 2012 Recap
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The thing I am most thankful for when it comes to Pickathon is that in this age of music and cultural mypoia, where technology and media that intuitively should give us access and awareness to so much more seem to instead be fueling the narrowing of the music reality tunnel, Pickathon works to erode music myopia by filtering off the cream of many different scenes and styles of music and offering them all in one place.
Curb Could Use McGraw Lawsuit as Wormhole to Big Machine Secrets
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But more than just shedding light on Big Machine’s relationship with Tim McGraw, the documents and interviews Curb Records is requesting could also unlock reams of Big Machine business secrets that could give Curb new strategic advantage over the much-younger Big Machine who is steadily gaining market share from Music Row’s old guard.
Hank Williams III Raises $18,000 for Happy Tails Humane
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On Friday August 3rd Hank3 played his 4th Happy Tails concert benefit at the Marathon Music Works in Nashville, a newer venue who donated the space for the event. Dubbed “One Big Wag,” Hank3 and his fans raised a whopping $18,000 for Happy Tails, the most money Hank3 has pulled in for a Happy Tails event so far.
Album Review – Shovels & Rope “O’ Be Joyful”
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Shovels & Rope are The Civil Wars for the rest of us. Not pretty, not polished, no Johnny Depp look-alikes here. Just two oddball musicians smashed together in a strange, yet weirdly-intuitive pairing to make music like we like it: raw, untethered, and rabidly infested with emotion. The chemistry of Shovels & Rope is what makes them shine.
Ke$ha Will Be A Force In Country Music (& work w/ Hellbound Glory?)
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Hellbound Glory just finished up a big 6-week tour, and behind them they left a trail of rumors that a future album might have a contribution from electro pop star Ke$ha. Pop stars positioning themselves for a country move by claiming they’ve always been into the music is nothing new. The difference with Ke$ha though is her references to her country roots and influences are actually true.
Recap – Farmageddon Music Festival 2012
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So first of all, for all of you that couldn’t make it to the Farmageddon Fest, I’m sorry. Don’t worry though, since it went so well you will probably have another chance to catch it next year. But to give you an idea of what the music festival was like, this is the story of my experience down on “The Farm.” All I can say is, it was the best four days of my life.
Album Review – Old Crow Medicine Show “Carry Me Back”
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Following Old Crow Medicine Show over the years has been a journey. If you were anything like me, when you first heard their 2004 album O.C.M.S it sounded like music you’d been waiting your whole life for. Then somewhere along the line sentiments began to sour a bit. That leads us to their latest album Carry Me Back. This is the boys returning to their roots of being a roots band.