Album Review – Mason Via (Self-Titled)
Combining adept flat-picking with top-caliber songwriting and a voice perfectly tooled for bluegrass, Mason Via brings an accessibility and immediacy to the bluegrass discipline.
Old Crow Medicine Show
Big Moments & Memorable Collaborations Mark 2024 DelFest
Carefully curated like MerleFest and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, it features an eclectic lineup each year. It’s not unusual to find legends and veterans of the traditional bluegrass scene, the jamgrass scene, and younger acts.
Memorable Moments Mark Willie Nelson’s 2024 Luck Reunion
What started as a very exclusive gathering has become a world-class event with international interest due to the names that play and attend the event during Austin’s greater SXSW festivities. This was especially true in 2024.
Kermit the Frog Joins Willie Nelson for “Rainbow Connection” in Luck
When Kermit The Frog took the stage to sing “Rainbow Connection” with Willie Nelson to start off Willie’s set, it checked off a bucket list moment for the folks in Luck they never knew they had.
20 Years Ago: Old Crow Medicine Show Releases Landmark “O.C.M.S.”
Over the last 20 years, there are a few specific albums you can select out of the crowd and give credit for critically reshaping country music into what it is today, and specifically for re-instituting the roots of country.
Hank Williams Jr. to Celebrate 45 Years of “Family Tradition” on Tour
Hank Williams Jr. doesn’t tour very often. He’d rather spend his time in a deer blind or out on a dock these days. But the Country Music Hall of Famer is always good for a couple of weeks of tour dates each year.
This Should Be the Year for a Country Super Bowl Halftime Show
Sure, there might be bigger things to worry about in life and country music. But if there ever was a year to feature country music on the Super Bowl Halftime Show, it would be this one.
Album Review – Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Jubilee”
Old Crow Medicine Show is at its best when they embrace the wild assed hillbilly street performer persona. Crow has always put the “show” into their version of throwback country.
Officially Declaring August 25th, 2023 a Country Music Holiday
Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye. I unilaterally declare that August 25th in the Year of Our Ford 2023 will be officially recognized as a country music holiday, with all right and privileges thereof.
Zach Bryan Reveals New Self-Titled Album, Track List & Collaborators
Zach Bryan is getting ready to release what will be one of the most important and anticipated albums in country music in 2023. Despite some false starts and misinformation on the album…
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway Look to Ride Momentum to “City of Gold”
Looking to capitalize on the attention and momentum she’s captured in her Golden Highway era, Molly Tuttle recently ventured back in the studio, and recorded “City of Gold.”
Country Fans Aren’t Unwitting Pawns (a Response to Ketch Secor & NYT)
It goes without saying that at this moment in history, everyone in America is incensed and sickened by the level of gun violence plaguing society, and specifically the prevalence of mass shootings, and especially school shootings.
Turnpike Troubadours Book D.C. Show, Hank Early Talks Arena Shows
Are the Turnpike Troubadours post hiatus truly an arena act? Down in the Ark-La-Tex, the answer has definitely been certified as “yes.” That all changes when they play Friday, May 5th at the Capitol One Arena in Washington D.C., with Old Crow Medicine Show and Lucero set to open.
The Legendary Longhorn Ballroom Finally Sets Re-Opening
The Longhorn Ballroom was one of the most important venues in country music for many years. When it opened in 1950, it was known as Bob Wills’ Ranch House, and was one of the major venues in Western Swing. It was also once operated by Jack Ruby.
Hank Williams Jr. Announces 2023 Tour Dates
Hank Jr. is not one for touring very much these days. He’d rather spend his time in a deer blind or out on a dock as opposed to doing just about anything else. But he’s always good for a couple of weeks of tour dates each year to keep the money rolling in, and to keep the fans happy.
1st Look at Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music’s Ellis Theater
For years, all we’ve had to see of what Marty Stuart had in store with the Congress of Country Music were architectural renderings. But as the Ellis Theater gets ready to open, we’re finally getting to witness just how much love and effort Marty Stuart and many others have put into bringing it to life.
Marty Stuart Releases New Song, Officially Opens the Ellis Theater
There is new music from Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives. I repeat, there is new music from Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives. Along with the new song, Marty Stuart is finally announcing the opening of the first piece of his long-awaited Congress of Country Music.
Polarizing “Wagon Wheel” Now One of The Most Popular Songs Ever
There is one thing that can’t be disputed about the song “Wagon Wheel.” It is unequivocally now one of the biggest songs in country music history. Darius Rucker and his label Capitol Records Nashville celebrated the song going Certified Diamond by the RIAA, meaning it has now racked up 10 million in sales.
It’s Not Just Another Year for the Bluegrass Music Awards
The International Bluegrass Music Awards, or IBMA’s announced the nominees earlier this week, and it felt anything but perfunctory. In previous years you had the usual suspects up for all the major awards. It feels completely different here in 2022, and for good reason. Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull, and more.
Album Review – Molly Tuttle’s “Crooked Tree”
‘Crooked Tree’ is Molly Tuttle going, “Oh, you want a bluegrass album? We’ll then here you go …” and then melting faces in 13 straight original tracks that embrace many bluegrass traditions, while still offering a uniqueness of perspective, and a personal connection to Molly.
Molly Tuttle Leans Heavy Into Bluegrass on New Album ‘Crooked Tree’
“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…
Turnpike Troubadours, Lake Street Dive Lead 2022 Floydfest
Floydfest in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and just off the Blue Ridge Parkway has formally announced their 2022 lineup, and it’s a doozy. Not exclusively a country or roots festival, they consider themselves more a “world” festival, but they always include a healthy dose of cool country.
Release Radar & Most Anticipated Albums for 2022
Welcome to 2022, and another (hopefully) exciting year for albums releases in the greater country and roots music world. In the spirit of trying to keep you informed, you can find a detailed list of confirmed album releases for 2022, and the always-exciting “Rumor Mill.”
Making Sure Justin Townes Earle’s Legacy Is Not Forgotten
Second generation country performer Justin Townes Earle passed away tragically on August 20th, 2020, but strong efforts are underway to make sure his legacy doesn’t go forgotten, especially after the ownership of the label that released his first five albums was sent in flux.