I have been warning all the elitist think piece writers, academics, Twitter intellectuals, and even some artist who’ve been imploring country music artists to speak out politically to be careful what they wish for .
One of the reasons independent acts have been rising in popularity to rival and even surpass their mainstream counterparts in popularity is due in part to events like the Jackalope Jamboree.
Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion remains one of the most premier and exclusive events in the country and roots space every year, and a much healthier option to braving a day at SXSW in Austin, TX, which Luck acts as an alternative to. But even though the 2023 installment will be remembered for plenty of fond reasons…
Not all of us will end up making it to 90. But we’re all the beneficiaries of the fact that Willie Nelson (almost) has. On April 29th, Willie will officially turn 90 years old, and on that day and the next one, a massive cavalcade of stars will converge on the Hollywood Bowl in California.
Consisting of 30 total dates, including a couple in the UK and some previously-announced festival appearances, it gives Tyler Childers fans the greatest set opportunities to see him in the last three years. Though there are some big venues and amphitheaters on this tour, these are not arenas.
The Pill. THE PILL! Even before the unfortunate passing of the great Loretta Lynn on October 4th, there was nothing that exposed one more as a political apparatchik larping as a journalist within the country music space than shoehorning a reference to Loretta Lynn’s “The Pill” into your misguided think piece.
Held on the same grounds as the massive Rocklahoma gathering, Born & Raised boasted one of the best lineups all year on an incredibly crowded weekend. Just the Friday night lineup alone was worth the effort, with some of the best songwriters and performers in all of country music booked one after another.
‘Rolling Stone’ published a list of the The 100 Greatest Country Albums of All Time this week, and as per usual, it has many arguing its merits, omissions, and inclusions. There was a time when whatever Rolling Stone said was taken as the definitive word in music. These days it’s more polarizing.
As reported by Saving Country Music in July, a new 6-part, 12-hour documentary named ‘They Called Us Outlaws: Cosmic Cowboys, Honky Tonk Heroes, and the Rise of Renegade Troubadours’ is on the way, featuring over 90 interviews and 75 live performances, with Jessi Colter executive producing.
August 16th, 2022 would have been Billy Joe Shaver’s 83rd birthday, but unfortunately, he passed away on October 28th, 2020 at the age of 81, leaving a legacy of songwriting that set the very foundation for Outlaw country music that is still just as influential and resonant today.
There are many festivals out there now catering to independent country and Americana. But in three short seasons and amid a pandemic, Under The Big Sky Fest has quickly made the case for being the biggest and most important of all off the strength of its lineups.
A new country music documentary is on the way, courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and executive producer Jessi Colter. Delving deep into the Outlaw era of country music like never before, They Called Us Outlaws will be a six-part series spanning 12 total hours.
After two years away due to COVID-19, the annual Healing Appalachia concert event is returning September 23rd and 24th to Lewisburg, WV, with Tyler Childers once again headlining the event that looks to raise funds and raise awareness about the opioid crisis gripping Appalachia, and so many parts of the US.
There may not be another collection of voices more commonly featured via the recordings and live performances of country and roots artists than The McCrary Sisters—from the top reaches of mainstream commercial country, to the most revered Americana performers.
“I always knew I wanted to make a bluegrass record someday,” Molly Tuttle says, and so did the rest of us. Yet strangely, it had never come to pass until now. Already considered a titan of the bluegrass discipline as a two-time winner of the IBMA’s Guitarist of the Year…
Tickets to the two shows sold out almost immediately. But if you still want to get in on the action, you can do so by paying into a livestream of one or both of the events via fans.live. Tickets will be $19.99 in advance, and $24.99 after the concert has commenced. Or you can purchase tickets to both nights.
On Monday (6-21), Tyler Childers celebrated three decades on this mortal coil as the birthday boy of June 21st, 1991. But it was him doling out the gifts, not receiving them. It started by Childers sharing a remastered live stream of his 2019 Red Rocks performance.
One of the most iconic and longest-lasting traditions in country music will be taking a second year off: Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic. But Willie Nelson has plotted his return to live music with a select run of shows, and the Outlaw Music Festival Tour.
Hot off of winning the ACM Album of the Year for his most recent release Starting Over, Chris Stapleton has added dates to his upcoming “All-American Roadshow” tour. Joining Chris Stapleton as always will be a host of cool openers decidedly outside of the cast of mainstream country.
The fact that Loretta Lynn is still with us is grace enough, especially after the merciless culling of souls we experienced over the last year from the ranks of country royalty. But without any hyperbole or bias, after listening to her latest album ‘Still Woman Enough,’ Loretta Lynn still sounds excellent.
A name once tied closely to progressive values, an independent approach to journalism and music, and transparency in media is continually graying the line between what is an ad, and what is an article. It does not bode well for one of the recognizable brand’s in music journalism.
As some of the dust begins to settle from the fallout of Morgan Wallen’s inappropriate and offensive use of the N-word, there’s an addendum that needs to be addressed in regards to the accusations of a double standard pervasive in country music.
Sturgill Simpson rarely gives interviews. But he participated in a rather lengthy one recently for the cover story of Relix where he revealed quite a few details about his plans for music in the future. In the interview, Sturgill says his next album is written, but to not expect it anytime soon.
It is very important to contextualize that Luke Combs has completely scrubbed Confederate flags from his image, and for many years now—a critically important point not relayed by Margo Price’s tweet. If nothing else, this should exonerate Billy Strings from having to answer for anything.