It appears like Kane Brown is as apt to get lost in the scary landscape of country music as he is his own 30 acres. Sure, navigating through some of country’s subgenres can be a little confounding for the musical civilian. But this is a guy that’s made millions off of being a supposed “country” star.
Every few years or so, an album in country music will emerge whose influence is so rich, its success so undeniable, and its relevancy and appeal so universal, it can’t be held back. ‘Purgatory’ by Tyler Childers released now three years ago is one of those records.
With mainstream radio offering no outlet for many of the most talented country artists of our generation, it’s often up to word-of-mouth and social media influencers to help spread the word about artists actually worthy of mass consumption. This worked in Colter Wall’s favor when he received a ringing endorsement from Joe Rogan.
Margo Price’s new album That’s How Rumors Get Started was described by American Songwriter as “very un-country.” Talking with The Nashville Scene, Price herself foretells how people will still try to sell her new album as country by trying to use “fancy words.” But she states decisively, “Nope, I made a rock ’n’ roll record.”
The Pickathon Festival near Portland, OR has been helping to make the quarantine a bit more bearable over the last few months by tapping into its vast archive of high quality concert footage and streaming full sets from past years. The 2019 set from Tyler Childers on Pickathon’s Mt. Hood stage is streamed in its entirety.
Now 40-years-old, Arlo MicKinley kind of gave up on music for a while, and almost missed a big opportunity. Tyler Childers happens to be a fan as well, and wanted to have Arlo open some shows for him. But they couldn’t get Arlo on the line because he refused to answer an unknown phone number. Finally, he picked up.
AmericanaFest has been officially cancelled for 2020. But the crown jewel of the event—the Americana Music Awards—will move forward at the Ryman Auditorium on Wednesday, September 16th as scheduled. Nominees in the six respective categories have been announced.
Sure, Shooter Jennings as a record producer is nothing new. What has changed now is being a producer now feels like the primary focus, or at least an equal effort for the second generation performer. And most importantly, that’s where Shooter’s passion is.
Sturgill Simpson will be appearing in a free live stream event via webcast on Friday, June 5th at 7 p.m. Central from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Plus he also has an album on the way of old songs recorded new, and a note on Sturgill coverage moving forward.
Like most every musician, Tyler Childers has been mostly just stewing at home since he’s unable to tour due to COVID-19. But unlike some musicians, home is a special place for Tyler Childers, and in country music. He also explains his recent collarbone injury.
Despite all the success Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell and other independent stars have enjoyed, they still haven’t been able to crack the mainstream radio paradigm. Without a million-dollar budget and a nine month commitment to a radio station tour, mainstream country radio just won’t play you. But something inexplicable happened this week.
Multiple dates on the tour had sold out, and certain cities had second shows added, proving the pairing could reach arena capacity. But ultimately, only 12 of the original 43 dates were fulfilled, with the final show happening in Charleston, South Carolina on March 10th.
Sturgill Simpson is the latest artist from the country/roots realm to test positive for COVID-19. The songwriter, performer, and producer said in a statement on Saturday (4/11) that he had been suffering from chest pains, fever, and pre-stroke blood pressure levels when his wife took him to a local hospital ER.
The Tyler Childers set was captured on Pickathon’s legendary Woods Stage in the tall Douglas Fir forest that surrounds the festival grounds the weekend he released his latest album ‘Country Squire.’ Yours truly was standing stage side for the set, and can attest to its quality. Admission is free, but the concert is a MusiCares fundraiser.
Sure, perhaps absence makes the heart grow fonder, and the indefinite hiatus of the boys from Oklahoma has us all foggy-eyed in recollection. But according to one industrious Twitter user’s social experiment in the midst of the Coronavirus quarantine, the Turnpike Troubadours rule the roost.
The amount of cancellations tied to the Coronavius outbreak can be dizzying to keep up with, even within the confines of independent country and roots. But a few important cancellations are worthy of note, including two dates on the Sturgill Simpson / Tyler Childers tour, and the Mike & The Moonpies Europe tour.
Tyler Childers is already regarded as one hell of a singer, songwriter, and country music performer, so much so that even without mainstream radio play, he’s getting nominated for Grammys. But who the hell knew this boy could play fiddle too?
Like someone with the Coronavirus coughing in your face, here come the 2020 ACM Awards nominations. With Maren Morris and Thomas Rhett leading the pack of nominees with five nominations each, Justin Bieber receiving three nominations, you might as well be getting news from the local doctor where you’re quarantine station is located.
The numbers for the song, and for Tyler Childers in general are incredible. But looking bigger picture at the accomplishment, this will be about the opening of a new era in music where non-radio, independently-minded musicians with creative control of their music began to compete with their mainstream counterparts in sales.
This “shitting out of his mouth” to use Sturgill’s own words is not something to be condoned, neither is taking a ho hum attitude towards a tour that fans who don’t have the luxury of telling their bosses off will be spending their hard earned money to attend. This is all disappointing, and very injurious to the grassroots side of the music industry.
It may not exactly be the Grand Ole Opry, but earning an opportunity to debut on the Austin City Limits stage for an appearance on the longest-running TV music program in American history is still a distinct honor, and one now Tyler Childers and Luke Combs will be enjoying during the upcoming season.
Here are the greatest country and roots albums of the last decade in Saving Country Music’s estimation. Albums were regarded primarily on quality, and how they held up over the decade, as well as the influence they had on country music, and music at large. These are the albums that should not be overlooked over the last 10 years of music.
In yet another sign that reigning Saving Country Music Artist of the Year Tyler Childers is one of the hottest commodities in country music at the moment, he has officially sold out his four-night “Country Squire Residency” at the Country Music Mother Church, The Ryman Auditorium, starting with his show Thursday evening (2-6).
Hanging out at the Grammys was not the only high-profile appearance Tyler Childers made recently. The Kentucky native was featured on NPR’s World Cafe on Monday during a 30-minute segment, and once again voiced his concerns for the state of country music, and how he feels Americana is more of a distraction than a solution.