Though some Jason Isbell fans may have balked at the idea of not getting the full, roaring version of The 400 Unit live, at the 32nd Annual Old Settler’s Fest, it seemed even more appropriate than the electric alternative. It gave fans of Jason Isbell and his band an opportunity to see them in a way few have.
Spearheaded by the positively Wallen received for his Jason Isbell “Cover Me Up” cover, he’s just released a studio version of the song, and surprisingly, it’s lossless in quality compared to the original acoustic version. Tastefully produced and arranged with sparse accompaniment, it’s arguably even better.
Very excited to share the latest additions to the Saving Country Music Top 25 Playlist, which includes songs from some great records and artists that need to be on your radar. Ben Jarrell’s debut LP ‘Troubled Times’ has been setting people’s hair on fire, and there’s nothing better to get the blood pumping at the top of the playlist.
It’s said that time is the harshest critic of all. If that’s the case, time has not been very kind to the music of Florida Georgia Line at all. The title of their new album ‘Can’t Say I Ain’t Country’ isn’t fooling anybody, and apparently the fickle pop country music fan has moved on en masse to the likes of Luke Combs and others.
Bloodshot Records was a stepping stone, and a repository for artists who were too ornery to be signed elsewhere. And that was what was cool about them. It was a punk attitude imprinted on country, and their verbiage about leading an insurgency inspired others to pick up the charge to take country music back, including this very website.
Four the last four year, the Hinterland Festival in Iowa (just south of Des Moines) has boasted some of the best country and Americana lineups in the Midwest, and 2019 is no different. Set to take place August 2nd thru 4th, the festival just got an additional boost by the results of the 2019 Grammy Awards.
This year’s Oscars will have country music implications. Among the Academy Awards nominees announced Tuesday morning (1-22), David Rawlings and Gillian Welch have been nominated for Best Original Song for their composition “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings,” from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.”
An iconic guitar owned by Ed King of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and that once was stolen from the “Sweet Home Alabama” co-writer at gunpoint, is now in the custody of the King of Americana, Jason Isbell. “Don’t think I’ve played a finer electric guitar than this one. It haunts me now,” Isbell said after playing it the first time.
Jason Isbell is one of numerous performers for the event, all of whom are from Alabama. Also scheduled to perform are St. Paul & The Broken Bones, The Blind Boys of Alabama, The Commodores, Moon Taxi, and multiple local bands yet to be named on a 2nd stage.
An artist like Ashley McBryde doesn’t need radio. It’s radio that needs an artist like Ashley McBryde. Radio shouldn’t play McBryde just because she’s a woman. They should play her because she’s real. Ultimately, “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” may fail at radio. But Ashley McBryde is going somewhere regardless.
Some benefit concerts are humbled to have whomever they can get to grace their stage and contribute their talents to the cause. When it comes to the over 30-year-old Tibet House US Benefit Concert held annually in New York City, it’s a humbling experience for the artists asked to play due to the prestige of the opportunity.
The 10th annual 30A Songwriters Festival set for January 18-21, 2019 in Walton County, Florida will take on extra significance this year, and not just because it’s the event’s 10th Anniversary. Located in the Florida Panhandle, and just west of where the devastating Hurricane Michael made landfall in October.
The 32nd Annual Old Settler’s Music Festival is set to transpire April 11th thru 14th in Central Texas once again, and they just released their initial lineup. Taking place just outside of Lockhart, TX and within easy driving distance of Austin and San Antonio, it will be the festival’s 2nd year on their new permanent site
The hit HBO Western Series Deadwood is receiving a reboot of sorts, only in feature film form, and Americana singer and songwriter Jason Isbell is playing a part in the production. Just exactly what he’s doing is for Jason Isbell to know at the moment, and the rest of us to find out in the future.
Jason Isbell has ascended to being considered the King of Americana by making all of the right moves at the right time. Isbell’s Ryman Auditorium residencies over the last few years have become a thing of legend all to themselves. But the simple truth is that ‘Live From The Ryman’ is a rare misstep by Isbell and his crew.
How many times can you remake the same movie and it still be good? If it’s a classic story told with passion, is well-acted and directed, and expertly updated for the modern context, the answer would be at least four. “A Star Is Born” is a big moment for Americana music.
Live records can often be a wild card when it comes to sales, but Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s “Live From The Ryman” has proven to be a hit. The successful debut also comes as Jason Isbell just wrapped up another sold-out six night run at the Ryman Auditorium October 22nd through the 28th.
2018 was a high water mark when it came to the amount of diversity showcased by the organization and its community. But still the criticism for Americana’s lack of diversity have grown louder, bolstered by the current political climate where many feel they need to insist upon more diversity.
The 17th Annual Americana Music Awards held at the Ryman Auditorium Wednesday night (9/12) found the organization addressing the social tensions boiling in America, the call for more diversity throughout culture, and facing it’s own transitionary period for the awards themselves.
A new version of the feature film A Star Is Born is on the way starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, and a host of notable names from the the cool side of country music are included in the movie and soundtrack. But the most surprising takeaway from the track list is the very active participation of Lukas Nelson.
The summer is winding down, but the fall and winter release cycle in country and roots music is heating up, with some of the most anticipated projects of the entire year to be released between now and when the hammer falls on 2018. To help you keep up, here’s a list of Saving Country Music’s most anticipated releases for the final portion of 2018.
After Saturday night’s show at Bass Hall, Jason Isbell headed down to the much smaller, but very legendary Continental Club on South Congress in Austin to play a surprise sit-in set for folks lucky enough to experience it, sitting in with Joe Ely’s band The Booze Weasels.
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s next album will be a live one recorded at the Mother Church of Country Music, the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. And as part of the release, he will play another one of his historic residencies at the historical landmark—a place he’s sold out for 14 consecutive dates and counting.
Those hungry for some new tunes from Jason Isbell just got a tasty, surprise treat in the form of two previously-unheard studio tracks that precede the reissue of one of Jason Isbell’s back catalog albums. Sirens Of The Ditch was Isbell’s first proper solo studio record, released in 2007 by New West Records.