Whenever you meet someone from Indianapolis or the greater Indiana region who also happens to be into the independent side of country music, they’ll invariably bring up Duke’s in conversation.
No rest for independent country music fans in the second half of 2025. Some excellent country music projects will be coming at you, and this is your updating guide too get you through it all.
Everybody wants to be “country” these days, muddying the waters even more when you want to stay connected to these best stuff. Luckily, you’re plugged into this playlist where the best songs rise to the surface.
It’s one of the most frenetic and talent-rich events all year, resulting in one of the most sought-after tickets in music. It’s Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion, and it happens on the Thursday of Austin’s greater SXSW gathering.
For the people who live along and around 30A—and those willing to travel to it and Airbnb a condo—it’s an incredible opportunity to experience some of the premiere songwriters in the world who travel to attend.
There’s just about no better place to be in the world in the dead of winter than Florida, and it’s even better when you get to listen to some of your favorite songwriters showcase their stuff.
What we’re looking for here are legitimate Song of the Year contenders. This means were not searching for the catchy ditties and toe tappers. We’re looking for songs that elicit a deep emotional response.
‘Critterland’ is a rather dark work, along with being a truly traditional folk record through and through. But patience with this album is rewarded with enveloping and involved writing presenting life lessons and valuable wisdom.
Welcome to 2024, which we hope will be a prosperous year in country music. As we saw in 2023, the amount of releases coming out early in the year is a little light, but that doesn’t mean it won’t include some heavy hitters.
For two days before the awards show transpired, performances took place at the stately Guesthouse at Graceland in Memphis showcasing some of the greatest up-and-coming and independent talent from country, roots, and rockabilly—or “Ameripolitan” as we call it in this instance.
When Sierra Ferrell announced her 2023 Spring tour last fall, you were warned then that most or all of these dates would sell out, and immediately. Lo and behold, that prediction came true, and so to meet demand, Sierra has released a slew of more dates stretching into the summer
Folks who’ve seen him perform live will attest that in the flesh is where the magic of Willi Carlisle really shines. His knack for storytelling, showmanship, and holding an audience in his hands whether it’s a silly tale or a seriously sentimental tear-jerkier is second to none.
Welcome ladies and gentlemen to Saving Country Music’s most comprehensive guide to music in a given year, known as the Essential Albums List. Starting with the first 20 albums that are deemed the “Most Essential”—meaning they were right on the bubble of being Album of the Year nominees…
Picking the Saving Country Music Song of the Year winner has been especially excruciating here in 2022. Not only was there a strong field of initial nominees, no less than four songs emerged as front runners in the voting and discussion, with all of them basically receiving similar counts in the comments.
Infinite apologies if you came here looking for your next favorite boot scooter, because that’s not what Song of the Year is all about. There will be a Single of the Year category coming up too. But what we’re looking for here is the most unabashedly slow and sentimental sad bastard songs possible.
It’s been a couple of years since the Dale Watson-founded Ameripolitan Awards and the corresponding weekend of events have occurred due to COVID-19. But 2023 promises to be a rousing comeback with a stellar lineup of musicians slated to perform February 17th to 19th in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Grammy Awards officially open the initial round of voting for nominees today, and due to the propensity for the Grammys to often overlook key contributors in the country music and roots space, here are some simple suggestions of what Grammy voters should make sure they don’t ignore for the 2023 awards.
There is a gift here for spinning tales in a way that shepherds one’s perspective away from modern societal decay and rabid mundanity, that speaks to the plight of the downtrodden, and that is unparalleled in brilliance, and distinctly valuable within the music space.
By the powers vested in me by the institution of country music, I hereby declare July 15th, in the Year of Our Ford 2022, an official country music holiday due to the incredible volume of important country and roots music releases being debuted on this day.
The Saving Country Music Top 25 Playlist is built to keep you informed on all the best songs and albums coming out right here, right now in country and roots music. It’s available on most all streaming formats (see below), or you can just use the song, artist, and album recommendations to find something new.
Powerfully evoking stirring elements of American music mythology, pairing them up with a superior understanding of style and presentation, and delivering it all to the rafters with a soaring voice, Orville Peck has taken what should have been a niche-appealing music, and…
You can find a detailed list of all the confirmed album releases for the 2nd half of 2022 below, some specific albums from each release week that you should make sure to not overlook, and the always-exciting ‘Rumor Mill’ where intelligence is gathered on upcoming releases.
Willi Carlisle is like few things you will experience in music. His songs are strongly literary with rich characters, and his delivery is deeply compelling. And whether he gets you to laughing, crying, feeling unsettled, or infinitely satisfied, Carlisle always leaves an impression.
A fourth generation of the Hank Williams lineage will officially be crowned when IV and the Strange Band featuring Coleman Williams release their debut album ‘Southern Circus’ on June 17th via the Black Country Rock label owned by Shooter Jennings.