Robert’s Western World to Celebrate 25 Years with Block Party
14 Comments
For 25 years now as Lower Broadway has gone from downtrodden, to resurgent, to downright bustling, to garish and ridiculous like the Disney World of Country Music, Robert’s has remained the rock.
Roger Alan Wade Releases “Deguello Motel”
19 Comments
Roger Alan Wade, one of the best songwriters out there, has released his new album called Deguello Motel, created from sober reflection of 30 years of hard living. Wade, known just as much for his irreverent songs and being the cousin of Jackass’s Johnny Knoxville as he is for penning songs for Waylon Jennings and Hank Jr., took a more serious approach with this album than his previous two. . .
Outlaw Radio & Mojo Medicine Move to SCM LIVE!
21 Comments
I am happy, proud, and humbled to announced that two of the best podcasts out there, Outlaw Radio Chicago hosted by Jashie P, and The Reverend Nix shows of Stink Finger Radio and the Mojo Medicine Show are now permanent fixtures (till I figure out how to screw it up) of the SCM LIVE media channel. Outlaw Radio has been archiving their show on the site for a while, but now it will be broadcast here LIVE!
Emmylou Harris Revitalized The Ryman
11 Comments
The Ryman is what lower Broadway revolves around, and it is easy to think that however it goes, so goes lower Broadway. When The Ryman was virtually shuttered in 1974 and The Grand Ole Opry moved to the Opry House, that is when the seeds of the lower Broadway decline were sowed.
Album Review – Hillstomp’s Darker The Night
10 Comments
This is not music that you sit back and marvel at the eloquence as your foot taps. It is like a chest-thumping ritual that makes you succumb to the carnal cry of the country. Imagine the music you would hear coming out of a ramshackle shack far out deep in the woods in the dead of night, with a dusty light and the raw energy of people and music bleeding out between the cracks of the old boards that are perceptibly pulsing to the sweaty beat. This is Hillstomp.
Merle Haggard Shuns New Outlaws / Opry Shuns Legends
81 Comments
There’s been lots of talk lately here and other places about what makes an Outlaw, who are the real Outlaws, who are the fake ones. Well Nancy Dunham from The Boot had Merle Haggard cornered and answering questions, and was bold enough to ask him some smart ones, and Merle replied with some bold, smart answers.
The Descent of Justin Townes Earle
14 CommentsNow that we’re all able to take a deep breath after the Justin Townes Earle breakdown in Indianapolis and his subsequent tour cancellation and rehab stint, there’s a few things that need to be said, first and foremost being that with all the allegations and points of justification out there, and with legal matters pending, it is the responsibility of ALL of us to assume that Justin Townes Earle is innocent until he is proven guilty.
Hear Whitey Morgan & The 78’s First on SCM LIVE!
20 Comments
Whitey Morgan & The 78’s self-entitled album through Bloodshot Records will not be out until October 12th, but you can get a first listen to the album next Tuesday, Oct. 5th on SCM LIVE at 8 PM Eastern!
This first listen isn’t gonna be some uber-compressed Mp3 type stuff. Oh no. This bad boy is gonna be done by the magic of needle on VINYL for that true, warm, analog sound!
Jayke Orvis Gets Deep About .357 Breakup
17 Comments
“I would have left anyway because I was not happy with a lot of things. It could have been so easy. Just the way it happened, the way it went down is what made me so hurt by it. Just tossed out like a bugger, or like a groupie.”
“I know it happened for a good reason. I’m happier now anyway. You know, if it wasn’t for that I wouldn’t be playing with The Gallows. I’m just thrilled to be with these guys.”
Joe Buck Key To Downtown Nashville Revitalization
30 Comments
When I went to see Joe Buck a couple of weeks ago in Denton, TX, he was billed as “Hank III’s Bass Player.” Yeah, I know; people need a context to understand why a name on a calendar is something to pay attention to, but Joe Buck is so much more. To people who know his music, there is no peer to the amount of energy and passion he brings, and his songwriting reveals great wisdom once you get past the rawness of the presentation.
REAL Country & Muddy Blues – Brothers in Arms
23 Comments
The diversity in this insurgent roots movement gives us strength. If you ask me, Scott Biram, Hillstomp, or Larry & His Flask are much more country than most of the stuff you can hear on the radio that flies that flag. Hank Williams and Jimmy Rodgers were both country bluesman, and I see that same spirit, and musical open-mindedness here.
Justin Townes Earle Cancels Tour, Checks Into Rehab
35 Comments
Justin Townes Earle, recently accused of assault charges in Indiana, has canceled his current tour, and will be checking himself into a rehab facility.
His publicist has released this statement:
“Earle is strongly committed to confronting his on-going struggle with addiction, and thanks his family, friends and fans for their continued support through this difficult time.”
Movie Review – Last Rites of Ransom Pride
28 Comments
Last Rites of Ransom Pride, written by Ray Wylie Hubbard, and starring Dwight Yoakam, Kris Kristofferson, and Lizzy Caplan, is like a Cormac McCarthy novel set to life: brilliant characterization in by-gone, almost mythical settings. This is not a heavily thematic movie, but there is enough plot and artistic attention that you do not walk away feeling like you indulged a guilty pleasure.