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.
Now Central Oregon will have their own country and roots festival, and it may have one of the best lineups of any independent country event all year. Called the FairWell Festival, they have just announced their inaugural lineup for their July 21-23 festival at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond.
Over the last eleven years, one of the major events worth seeking out as a refuge from the madness is Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion held at his ranch just west of town … if you’re lucky enough to be able to get in. Held on the Thursday of SXSW every year (which puts it on March 16th in 2023).
Aaron McCune can not only can handle the bass parts to iconic country songs from The Oak Ridge Boys and others, he can go even deeper, and this is bringing the important element of four-part harmonies with bass in country music to a new generation. He’s a member of Dailey & Vincent.
Mile 0 Fest has established itself as one of the premier destination events in all of country and roots music, especially if you’re into the Texas/Red Dirt side of things. Now after six years, Mile 0 Fest has its own traditions, it’s own nucleus of loyal patrons and regular performers, and a heap of fond memories.
This is 2022, and artists like Tyler Childers, Billy Strings, Zach Bryan, and the Turnpike Troubadours are exploding in popularity. Add on top of that then pent up demand due to the pandemic, and we’re living in an era when you’re favorite independent artists are arena stars.
Now in its 5th season, few need to be told just how important the soundtrack is to the blockbuster series ‘Yellowstone’, and few need to be told just how important getting a song on the soundtrack is to the artists and bands that are featured. ‘Yellowstone’ has quite literally made careers.
The band is most certainly due for a new album, and anyone who’s seen them live will confidently attest they’re one of the most spirited live bands to see at the moment as they’ve been steadily climbing the ladder of recognition toward top headliner status. But all of this might be in store for a massive jolt sooner than later.
There are now two consecutive country music festivals planned for Key West, Florida for the Winter of 2023: The 6th Annual Mile 0 Fest featuring Red Dirt, Texas, and Americana, and the 90s-centric Key Western Festival, happening the very next week.
The accolades and opportunities for 49 Winchester continue to pour in, as they’re quickly becoming one of the biggest emerging bands in independent country here in 2022. Riding off the momentum of their recent album Fortune Favors The Bold, the band has just released a slew of new tour dates.
Two bands from Texas who help represent just how diverse and omnivorous the music from Texas can be have just given us the first taste of new music in what will hopefully be two rousing projects to help get us through 2022: The Vandoliers, and Shane Smith & the Saints.
If you’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to catch the Turnpike Troubadours on their reunion tour and got locked out of the first round of shows due to the crazy run on tickets, the opportunities to see them live just got a lot more lucrative.
Live music in 2021 saw its return after the worst moments of the pandemic, but only in fits and starts, with multiple postponements and cancellations wrecking many plans, yet a few important moments still going off in the windows when they could.
Listen ladies and gentlemen, it’s not just a hypothetical that when a song gets featured on Paramount’s Yellowstone series it’s a big deal. What’s going on at the moment is a musical phenomenon helping to support independent country music.
If you need an illustration to help put into perspective how the shifting dynamics in entertainment are causing a tectonic-level reorganization of media, and how this is all weighing upon already deepening trends in country music, this might be one of the best.
It could have been a disaster, or it could have not happened at all. When Mile 0 Fest rescheduled their 2021 festival from late January to late April, a lot of dominoes had to fall their way for them to pull it off. It was a risk. But they pulled it off with flying colors.
The Texas, Red Dirt, and Americana-oriented Mile 0 Fest in Key West, Florida will be moving forward in 2021, and they have just announced the festival’s preliminary lineup. Usually occurring in late January/early February, they have moved the date later in the year due to COVID-19 concerns.
Texas-based Southern rock band Whiskey Myers is set to launch their own personally-curated festival and annual gathering for their fans called the Firewater Festival, and they have just announced the inaugural lineup. The event has been cleared by state and local officials to move forward.
Neal McCoy’s tour bus “Old Glory” is the latest to go up in flames in an early morning fire. Luckily, McCoy and all his crew were able to vacate the vehicle before the blaze overtook it, and much of their gear stowed in a separate trailer was also spared. But it is the latest close call involving touring musicians, and fires.
2019 was a stacked year for top live performances. This was supposed to be a list of the top 10 live performances, but due to such a crowded field, things boiled over. And yes, there are three #1 acts. All should be considered equals at the very top level of live performance. They were all so great, it seemed unfair to put one over the other.
Thursday, November 21st couldn’t have gone any worse for the Austin-based Texas music band Shane Smith and the Saints. But as word trickled out to the public of what had happened, and the harrowing pictures got passed around the internet, Shane Smith and the Saints let it be known that the show would still go on, and go on it did.
All members of Texas music band Shane Smith and the Saints are safe and accounted for, but their bus and gear trailer are completely destroyed, along with most all of the contents after it caught fire Thursday (11-21) en route to a show Thursday night in Lubbock. However, the show must go on, and they’re still planning on playing the show.
The commonality of criticizing country radio within the ranks of country music’s classic and independent fans is pretty severe, and for good reason. Generally speaking, country radio is a blob of nationalized playlists and unimaginative music, and no curation by the DJs on the ground in local markets. But this doesn’t mean all radio is bad.
The Turnpike Troubadours may be on indefinite hiatus at the moment, but you’ll get to see the band’s hot shit guitar player Ryan Engleman soon at a Reckless Kelly show near you. After the departure of long-time Reckless Kelly guitarist David Abeyta in February, it has been a revolving cast of characters filling the big […]