Despite Multiple Rape Allegations, Nelly Invited to ACM Honors
49 CommentsNot only is Nelly not a country artist, his very troubling record with sexual assault accusations makes him the antithesis of the type of person the ACM Honors should be highlighting.
Cody Jinks to Make His National Television Debut
31 CommentsFolks like Sturgill Simpson, Chris Stapleton, and Jason Isbell were not overnight sensations. It took years of effort and these artists reaching their mid 30’s before it all came together for them. And if you put your ear to the ground, you get the sense that a similarly shaped groundswell is building beneath Cody Jinks at the moment.
Album Review – Dale Watson and Ray Benson’s “Dale & Ray”
18 CommentsIt was bound to happen at some point. It’s almost strange it took so long. Two guys who have long called Austin, TX their main haunt, and who have made careers out of steadfastly sticking to their guns in their particular styles of country music, be damned of the financial ramifications, what fleeting trends come and go, or what Nashville thinks of it all, joining forces on a duets record.
Pete Fisher Leaving The Grand Ole Opry Could Be Huge
46 CommentsAs the most storied institution in country, the direction of the Grand Ole Opry is always a hot topic, especially among traditional country fans. And many were unhappy with how the Opry functioned under the Pete Fisher regime. Of course the biggest question for Grand Ole Opry fans is who will be Pete Fisher’s replacement, and what direction will the new leadership take the institution?
Shut The F*** Up Whiskey Riff, Country Music DOES Have a Definition
43 CommentsCountry music is not just a commodity or even a form artistic expression. It is an integral part of people’s lives and has been the foundation for their cultural identities for generations. It’s what binds them to their homes and ancestry, and is interwoven into the very fabric of who they are as people.
What and Who Is Really Behind the Smearing of Philip Anschutz and AEG Live?
25 CommentsThe misplaced political anger that has sent entertainment media scurrying to find anyone they can tie to the “alt-right” and then character assassinate for the benefit of their web traffic has claimed yet another victim in the music realm. This time it is Philip Anschutz, the billionaire owner of AEG Live—the second-largest concert promoter in the United States.
Watch Alan Jackson Serenade His Recently Passed Mother at the Ryman
20 CommentsRuth Musick, the mother of country music legend Alan Jackson, and known affectionately by Alan Jackson fans as “Mama Ruth,” passed away Saturday (1-7-17) at her home in Newnan, Georgia—the same town where Alan Jackson was born. Mama Ruth was 86-years-old.
Leave Carrie Underwood Alone Over This Gay Marriage Controversy
75 CommentsThe controversy stems from Carrie Underwood performing at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on January 2nd at the evangelical “Passion” conference. The song she performed was her uplifting, critically-acclaimed, faith-based song “Something in the Water” that reached #1 on both the Hot Country Songs and Hot Christian Songs charts in 2014.
Five Years After Linda Chorney, The Grammy Awards Still Can’t Get Americana Right
41 CommentsThis year many of the artists, labels, managers, fans, and even many of the individuals involved in the Grammy nomination process are feeling let down like many years, and are scratching their heads on how certain efforts got overlooked, while others got pushed to the forefront.
New Movie About Austin Music Scene Has No Artists from the Austin Music Scene
31 CommentsFamous director Terrence Malick is getting set to release a new movie on March 17th (when Austin’s SXSW is raging) called Song To Song starring Ryan Gosling and Natalie Portman. The movie is centered around the Austin music scene, with a heavy musical component to the film. Many big-time music names appear in the movie, but none from Austin.
The Bakersfield Music Hall of Fame Announces Inaugural Inductee Class
17 CommentsThe Bakersfield Music Hall of Fame in cultural-rich Bakersfield, California has announced their inaugural class of inductees to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame in correlation with the one year anniversary of opening its doors to the multi-use facility. Not your average Hall of Fame, it includes two professional recording studios, and a 250-seat performance hall.
Saving Country Music’s 2016 Artist of the Year
46 CommentsYeah, I know. I know. I don’t need you to tell me how not country Sturgill Simpson’s A Sailor’s Guide to Earth is. I don’t want to hear how horn sections have no place in country music. Did you happen to notice the name of this website as you navigated here? Don’t think the country-ness of A Sailor’s Guide hasn’t been a hot topic of discussion?
Dave Mustaine of Megadeth Just Inadvertently Exposed a Big Problem with Today’s Country
89 Comments“When you watch country players, a lot of times they’re metal players that couldn’t get a gig so they settled for country,” Mustaine says. “Every single [country] band that I’ve met, any of the guitar players are like, ‘Oh man, I’m a huge fan of yours!’ It’s like, ‘What?’ Some of the performers too, they’re big fans, they love metal music.”