If you need your faith restored in the present and future of country music, just pipe up a record from Zephaniah Ohora, or make the effort to see him live. There is a purposefulness and a purity behind Zehphaniah’s music.
Though it’s a local venue, the Skinny Dennis has become nationally and internationally known, especially by traditional country fans who’ve been following the career of country crooner Zephaniah Ohora.
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, or you can just use the song, artist, and album recommendations.
2020 has been a bad year for many things, but a good year for country music albums. Accordingly, the nominees for Saving Country Music’s Album of the Year have been expanded to an unprecedented 12 entries to represent the best releases the year has to offer.
“Perfection” is a very hard metric to measure when it comes to music. But if your measure of perfection is how well you re-interpret and reinvigorate the classic styles of country music, then Zephaniah OHora’s second record—similar to his first one—scores a 10.0.
Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye. By the power vested in me by country music, I am officially declaring the 28th of August, in the Year of Our Ford 2020 as an officially-sanctioned country music holiday, with all the rights and privileges thereof afforded to all self-professed country fans.
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. It’s available on most all streaming formats, or just use the song, artist, and album recommendations to find something new to listen to. New songs just added.
Man does this Brooklyn-based throwback country crooner and songwriter just continue to deliver. He pulls off the feat of sounding more like Merle Haggard than Merle Haggard on the second track released from his upcoming record, “Black & Blue.”
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, or just use the song, artist, and album recommendations to find something new to listen to. New songs just added.
It’s been a long and arduous wait for many classic country fans sitting on the edge of their seats for the second record from country songsmith and crooner Zephaniah OHora. But ‘Listening to the Music’ has finally been announced, with a new song “All American Singer” available now.
Few debut artists and albums have taken us off guard recently like This Highway did from Zephaniah OHora. The Countrypolitan throwback sound with a hint of early Merle Haggard offered such perfect interpretations of the classic era of country, it was eerie how much the words and music took you back to when country music was country music.
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.
What is “Ameripolitan”? It’s an effort to support artists and bands that are too country for country, and that carry a prominent roots music influence. The nominees for the 2020 Ameripolitan Award have been announced in 13 separate categories. One shakeup for the awards in 2020 is there will be no “Outlaw” categories.
Tuesday, September 10th is Suicide Prevention Day, and the day has been observed with renewed importance by many in the independent country and roots world after the recent passing of songwriter, player, and producer Neal Casal. The 50-year-old took his own life on August 26th leaving many with lingering questions about his passing.
The 6th Annual Ameripolitan Awards will be transpiring on Monday, February 25th, 2019, but with 50 acts playing over four total days involving six separate venues, it’s become like its own festival, with many opportunities to see your favorite performers with a prominent roots influence.
The Ameripolitan Awards are gearing up for another installment in 2019, set to take place for a second year in a row in Memphis, Tennessee after its first few years in Austin. With pre-parties set to transpire the weekend before, the 2019 Ameripolitan Awards will be held once again at the Guesthouse at Graceland.
One may ask why a journalist based in Austin, Texas would trek some 2000 miles to attend a music festival just outside of Portland, Oregon with all the more convenient options the “Live Music Capital of the World” can offer. But those people have probably never been to Pickathon before. Trumped only in stature for […]
In the late 80’s, there was a commercial for Pace Picante Sauce that featured a bunch of cowboys sitting around a campfire eating a chuck wagon dinner. When the cowboys ran out of Pace made in San Antonio (by folks who know what Picante sauce is supposed to taste like, the commercial proclaimed), the cook […]
“Countrypolitan” or “The Nashville Sound” are the terms used to describe the lush, orchestral approach to country music that took root in Nashville in the 60’s, which embellished the music with strings and chorus sections to make it appeal to a more distinguishing audience of the time. It was Music Row’s answer to the counterculture revolution.
Alan Jackson isn’t one to pull punches, or to not say what’s on his mind when somebody asks him. His Hall of Fame career has been marked by taking hard stances for the cause of real country music. Alan Jackson was recently interviewed as part of a GQ feature, and had some interesting things to say about Chris Stapleton.
For years the fans of real country have been waiting for that one festival that represents all of their needs and desires, without having to sift through the scores of names they don’t want to be bugged with. In 2017, the Tumbleweed Festival in Kansas City emerged as that festival. Now they have released their 2018 lineup.
The Pickathon Festival just outside of Portland, Oregon has just announced the initial lineup for their 20th Anniversary season, and like most every year, numerous important luminaries from the effort to help save country music have made the cut.
Country music will not be saved by just one soul, even though this is a thought process many fans and much of the media tend to buy into, often putting an unfair burden on the careers and purpose of certain artists, and placing them at odds with what they should be focused on, which is the creative process.
The last few years have been a somewhat down era for excellent, legacy-caliber releases in country music and independent roots,. But 2017 was a different story, especially the first half, leaving us with difficult choices of what to consider to be the best of the year. As always, your feedback is requested, and will be included in the final calculus.