Sturgill Simpson’s “Metamodern Sounds” Reaches 100,000 in Sales
Tired of seeing Sturgill Simpson news? Well then tell it to stop happening. If you can fathom this, the Kentucky-born singer is currently experiencing a renewed increase in interest, even while in the more long-term perspective he continues a meteoric rise which could have big implications on the country music community at large.
On Sunday’s 2015 installment of the Grammy Awards, five albums from country music’s top A-list performers were up for Best Country Album. But at that moment, Sturgill Simpson’s Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, released all the way back in May of 2014, was beating all five of the Grammy contenders on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. While Metamodern Sounds sat at #8, Miranda Lambert’s Platinum (the eventual winner) sat at #10, Eric Church’s The Outsiders was at #9, and Brandy Clark’s and Dierks Bentley’s albums weren’t even in the Top 25.
It was too late for this to weigh on the decision to not only exclude Metamodern Sounds from the Best Country Album category, but couldn’t even factor into a potential win for Sturgill in the Best Americana Album category. Eventually Rosanne Cash’s The River & The Thread walked away with the distinction. But that didn’t cease Metamodern‘s continued positive push, selling 2,800 copies just last week, and putting the album past an important century mark of having certified sales of 100,000 copies. Not bad for an independent release supported by virtually no radio play, in an environment of dramatically decreasing sales for complete albums.
Making the feat even more exceptional is that it doesn’t seem to be stimulated by any specific news. There was a small feature in Playboy recently on Sturgill, and of course the news of the Grammy nomination and his signing with Atlantic Records caused some of a stir. But overall Sturgill appears to be continuing to climb under his own volition, and not to be plateauing or coming to the crest of an album release cycle as per usual. He may even be just now hitting his stride.
On Thursday night (2-12), he’s scheduled to play the Late Show with David Letterman for the second time—a show that includes the high profile Tom Hanks as the other guest. Currently amidst a sold out American tour that is making news locally everywhere he goes from the run on tickets and the buzz the concerts are getting, there seems to be no ceiling on Sturgill’s upside potential.
February 12, 2015 @ 7:34 pm
i saw him and his band in Grand Rapids last Friday and it was stunning.
February 12, 2015 @ 7:51 pm
Virtually no radio play? You mean there actually has been some Sturgill on the radio?
February 12, 2015 @ 8:30 pm
I hear him all the time on Texas/Red Dirt stations.
February 12, 2015 @ 8:35 pm
Yep. As I commented below I hear him a lot on those stations and I live in Alabama. I just listen to them through their apps on my phone
February 13, 2015 @ 1:25 pm
SiriusXM “Outlaw Country” (channel 60)
February 14, 2015 @ 9:30 am
Also gets played on local college stations and NPR.
February 14, 2015 @ 11:27 am
What’s a radio?
February 12, 2015 @ 7:56 pm
It’s a remarkable accomplishment.
February 12, 2015 @ 8:33 pm
They play Sturgill all the time on Austins Koke FM and Ft Worths the Ranch as well.
February 12, 2015 @ 10:19 pm
He also plays on 100.1 Sun Radio pretty often, and I think I heard him on 98.9 KUTX, too. Maybe it was 98.5 KOKE FM though. Anyway, he gets good radio time in Austin.
February 12, 2015 @ 10:30 pm
I am very excited about the rise of Sturgill Simpson, and what this could mean for Contemporary Country Music as a whole!!
February 12, 2015 @ 10:38 pm
Half the time I think Trigger just posts these Sturgill articles to mess with Clint. I can’t wait to see his comment.
February 13, 2015 @ 9:28 am
It’s funny you say that, Joshua, cause I’ve wondered the same thing; but I doubt that Trigger is immature enough to write articles just to annoy 1 reader.
I believe Trigger has a genuine, fan-boy, man-crush on Simpson. Plus, like most of us Country Music fans, he’s starved half-to-death for real Country music. I’m just not as easily impressed as Trigger is.
And I’m not alone, I’m just the loudest, I guess.
February 13, 2015 @ 11:17 am
“I believe Trigger has a genuine, fan-boy, man-crush on Simpson.”
Nothing of the sort. It’s just my job to report the news. And when an album released by an independent artist receiving no mainstream radio play is outselling all of the Grammy’s Best Country Album nominees and crests the 100,000 sales mark, this is definitely news. What Sturgill Simpson is doing is nothing short of historic, and I feel it would be irresponsible of me not to cover it.
February 13, 2015 @ 11:54 am
Clint, just out of curiosity what do you consider REAL Country music? I understand that everybody has their own preference of what they enjoy but you REALY seem to get pissed whenever SS is talked about. It is one thing to dislike an artist, but what he is doing is contributing in a huge way to getting real Country music to the masses, and for that alone show some respect.
February 13, 2015 @ 1:21 pm
I think Clint considers Sturgill real country music; he just doesn’t think it’s of particularly high quality. Which is absolutely baffling to me. I don’t see how anyone could sit down and listen to his albums all the way through, especially High Top Mountain, and not think it’s at least very good. But I don’t know, I don’t wanna speak for Clint.
February 13, 2015 @ 5:56 pm
What Joshua R said, is pretty much accurate. Simpson’s music is Country, I’ve never said it wasn’t. And I don’t get pissed, just frustrated and annoyed.
Simpson is the kind of act that I’d pay a $5 cover to listen to, for a 5 hour set in a honky tonk, while I drank $6 pitchers of Busch horse piss. That is, if I still did those things.
He’s about as unoriginal as it gets. He’s a mediocre vocalist, and an imitator. In my opinion, the only reason he’s being hyped the way he is, is because of young Country music fans, who, bless their hearts, think he’s doing something new; along with slightly older Country fans who think Waylon, Willie, and Cash created Country music sometime in the early 70’s, and that this guy is the Savior.
February 13, 2015 @ 9:38 pm
So that being said that you are not a fan of Willie and Waylon and obviously Sturgill, what do you consider real country? Is this Darius Rucker? Jason Aldean? I’m sensing some serious jealously.
February 14, 2015 @ 7:13 am
Just curious-have you seen him live yet? Saw him last night in DC and he was fantastic. I’ve seen a lot of live music of all genres and I didn’t see an imitator. He stands out because he can play guitar more than proficiently and interprets the songs he sings in his own way. I’m not hearing that from the majority of music that is advertised as country. And an added bonus is that the band is made up of Sturgill and 3 additional musicians that are cohesive throughout the set but are more than capable of carrying some weight individually, especially Laur Joamets.
I paid $20 bucks to see him, albeit that might be the last time I can do that for awhile.
February 14, 2015 @ 3:03 pm
From his comments in total it’s pretty obvious Clint has never seen Sturgill live or listened to either album for that matter. His views are like a very angry book report delivered by someone who never read the book. Waste of time.
February 14, 2015 @ 10:21 pm
God. I don’t know what’s worse- retarded frat boy country wannabes, or old country snobs that can’t be happy about anything. All these old obscure artists you won’t name are just as unoriginal as the next guy. Everybody thinks their own shits are special
February 13, 2015 @ 12:38 am
One of the benefits of having the ad-supported version Spotify, is that you can listen to an album for free several times before you decide you want to purchase your own copy. I want recordings that I can see myself listening to far into the future. Metamodern Sounds in Country Music is an album that I now own, and enjoy telling people about. Looking forward to seeing Sturgill and his amazing band on Letterman tonight.
February 13, 2015 @ 1:04 am
Country is alive and well – as close to Waylon as you can get.
February 13, 2015 @ 6:15 am
Great accomplishment, I am new to both this site and his music but I enjoy what I have heard so far.
What are some of the Texas/Red Dirt stations that play good music and can stream? Thanks in advance,
February 13, 2015 @ 9:05 am
Check out my comment above. Koke FM and 95.9 the Ranch both have apps u can download on your phone and then just press play my friend. I haven’t listened to a radio station where I live in a couple yrs.
February 13, 2015 @ 10:45 am
I stream 95.9 the Ranch all day at work. Good stuff!
February 13, 2015 @ 6:18 am
Just my 2 cents, but I’m sure if Sturgill ever starts getting airplay on major radio stations, that could quite possibly be the starting point for getting Country back on Country radio. It may seem like a bit of a long shot, but maybe not too far out granted his track record or success, and it’s just not him there are many acts that would fit just fine.
Imagine turning or the radio and hearing Sturgill, and Dale Watson.
February 13, 2015 @ 7:21 am
The country music revival revolution is NOW.
February 13, 2015 @ 11:10 am
I really like how they take the time to work out interesting arrangements. All the little stops and build ups and such. You can have a 3 chord country song with a 2 piece drum set but still keep it interesting. It would be nice to see a 2nd harmony part but oh well. Keep up the good work. It’ll be interesting to see how many people that love him now will start hating on him if he actually does make it on “today’s hot new country” or gets certified gold.
February 13, 2015 @ 12:50 pm
Country music ain’t dead, but Simpson is keeping it on life support. Lets hope you pull through!
February 14, 2015 @ 9:56 am
Sturgill said in a recent interview on the Joe Rogan Experience (around the 1:50 mark) that he was going to make a total of 5 albums including the previous two. Its a great interview on Youtube about 3 hours. I hope Sturgill Simpson makes more than 5 albums! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2KP8-zV9mc
December 20, 2015 @ 1:26 pm
I was wondering about that comment. He said, “I’ve got a very clear plan…I’m gonna make a total of 5 records and then be done….there’s a certain methodology to the entire thing…I don’t know what else I would have to say beyond that…in each one successfully incorporate other elements of music that I love…and get more progressively opened up…id rather keep it more concise and focused…i might try something else at some point like just writing outright (like writing a book)… It’s not an issue of running dry… There’s certain things that I want to say… And use the opportunity to make it something more than just about me… Try to promote a bigger message…and at some point you just end up repeating yourself.” I thought this was very interesting. Has anyone heard anything else about this? And when will the next record come out? I can’t wait.
February 14, 2015 @ 11:47 am
I saw Sturgill’s sold out show last night at the 9:30 Club (capacity – 1200) in DC last night. I would say that in my roughly 25 years of seeing shows in the DC area, the crowd was among the most expectant and excited crowds I’ve been in. It was like a baseball crowd that was into every pitch. The amount of crowd sing alongs on both the verses and choruses in numerous songs was something to behold. And it seems like Sturgill and the boys have upped their game in response to the challenge of playing bigger venues. A few of the songs, like You Can Have The Crown. had different arrangements. Guitarist Laur Joamets seems to be featutred even more and he is up to challenge. A few times, Sturgill would say “Thank you very much” with a little laugh at the end, as if he was thinking “I can’t believe this shit.”
This was my third time seeing him. The previous time was a sold out show in August at the Birchmere, which is a 500 person listening room venue. It was a very happy, excited crowd. After the show, the line at the merch table was the longest I’d ever seen there. But last night’s show, only six months later, was another level entirely with respect to the crowd reaction and Sturgill and the band’s performance.
February 14, 2015 @ 12:51 pm
It was indeed a great show, Jack. That crowd was definitely fired up on “Living the Dream.” We had seen Sturgill last April at Gypsy Sally’s, and it’s amazing how the size of the crowds and the rooms have grown in such a short amount of time.
I also appreciated that there were hardly any people (at least that I saw) watching it through their phones. Good stuff.
February 15, 2015 @ 4:14 pm
I too was at the show on Friday, and I couldn’t agree more with what everyone else had said. The energy in the room was incredible, that’s one of the big things I remember after it was over, just how much the crowd was into it. Its hard to explain in words the energy that was in the room that night, but it was certainly special.
I’ve read posts from awhile back about how Sturgill seemed to not really enjoy himself at his shows that much, but to me it seemed like he was having a damn good time. I loved how he wanted to keep acknowledging his band. And I too had the feeling that he was almost in shock that he’s selling out shows and getting such a great response from the crowd. He did mention how he’s still getting used to “this whole encore thing, its weird”. Good times, one of the best concerts I’ve been too.
February 16, 2015 @ 7:58 am
I was hoping to see a review of the show in the Washington Post. Nothing as of yet. They were able to review Sam Hunt’s Saturday show at the Fillmore in Silver Spring, though.
February 15, 2015 @ 11:59 am
I was at the DC show on Friday, as well, and saw the same thing Jack Williams reports above. People knew the songs and were singing along, which means they’ve been living with those songs–Simpson’s songs mean something to them. Now I don’t give a damn for authenticity but for a songwriter’s work to be known and loved like that–and whole albums, not just a catchy single that an audience has been bombarded with–that’s just about the only meaningful measure of success I can think of. The other requires that we wait around 20 years to see if kids in the next generation are learning them as they learn to be songwriters. I believe I’ll enjoy the music now just in case we find out in 20 years that it was good.
February 15, 2015 @ 2:53 pm
There’s a definite growth and buzz in Texas. Saw him at a few shows, large and small, and everyone there was similar in that each felt something special and somewhat shocked to see other Sturgill supporters just like themselves. I can’t imagine what the 930 Club show was like, in that sense.
Check out The Range 95.3 (Dallas-FTW) and/or The Ranch 95.9 (FTW-Dallas). Both have streaming on website and apps. Both have been on Sturgill for a while and actually got ME into him, which is amazing when that happens in today’s internet age.
Also, Good Records in Dallas has a list of top 10 albums bought of the week. Sturgill has been in top 10 (and 5) for several weeks now. Right alongside indie, rock, dance, etc. popular record-store type stuff. His two shows at Club Dada caused a pretty solid reaction locally, even with local SPORTS radio guys fawning over him. Granted, these sports radio guys are tapped into good and Texas music.
Koke FM and also TCU’s 88.7 have played him as well.
February 15, 2015 @ 4:46 pm
I was at the April show at Gypsy Sally’s, the Birchmere show, and this past Friday at 9:30. I can easily say the following that he has built is something I have never really witnessed. I’m so fortunate to have found him when he was just starting as a solo artist.
He’s got the 25-54 Demo locked! His songs are awesome and he’s as humble as the day is long. Keep up the news Trigger! It’s only a matter of time before the country music world will have no choice but to jump on the train. And I absolutely agree that his best years are ahead!
February 16, 2015 @ 7:55 am
I missed the Gypsy Sally’s show because I wasn’t aware of it until too late and couldn’t just drop everything and go.
I did see him at Hill Country BBQ in November 2013 for free. I think only a few of us in the 50 or so people who who he was. I bought a second copy of High Top Mountain because I felt guilty about not paying anything to see the show. I had a nice chat with an Irish gentleman while we waited to get our CD signed. He had never heard of Sturgill and loved the show. Hopefully, he’s been keeping up with Sturgill’s rise. He has quite a story to tell.
February 16, 2015 @ 7:56 am
Given the independent nature of Metamodern Sounds, what kind of money would an artist make on the sale of 100,000 copies? I saw the live show in Grand Rapids and it was the best performance I’ve ever witnessed.
February 18, 2015 @ 1:46 pm
Sturgill’s DC show Friday night was damn near a religious experience. Let the critics talk till they’re blue in the face about the overkill of covering him on this site and others…its warranted. That man blew my mind with a four-piece band…Little Joe is a freaking guitar slinger…they just play for the love of the music and the pure joy of the fans.
March 2, 2015 @ 3:44 pm
Saw him on David Letterman. It was awesome!
The Hodgepodge: Mainstream Country Artists Need To Put Up or Shut Up | Country Perspective
October 29, 2015 @ 8:01 am
[…] records making albums that are very country and have received praise from fans and critics alike. As pointed out by Saving Country Music, Sturgill Simpson’s 2014 album Metamodern Sounds in Country Music has sold over 100,000 […]