Oliver Anthony, Don’t Work with John Rich (& Other Advice)
299 CommentsThere are a lot of threads and tentacles to talk about and run down when it comes to the ultra viral explosion of Oliver Anthony and the video for his song “Rich Men North of Richmond.”
What’s The Scoop Behind Dale Watson’s New Album “Under The Influence”?
27 CommentsDale Watson is not only one of the most dedicated torchbearers and gatekeepers of authentic country music—or as he would prefer to call it, Ameripolitan—he also happens to be one of the most prolific. Dale will release an album on you with absolutely no warning, no press, no info, and if you blink you would miss it.
George Strait Thinks Country Is Trending Back Towards The Traditional
27 Comments“I think right now it’s kind of trending back to more traditional country music, which is what I like and I like to do. So I’m glad to see that. But I can’t put anybody down for having success in the business, which is just tough … I’m not saying I have to like it, but I just know how tough it is.”
This Zac Brown “Sir Rosevelt” Side Project Business
68 CommentsI’ll tell you exactly what’s going on with Zac Brown folks. He’s tired of just playing country and Southern rock, and he would sell out his entire career and fritter away all the cred he’s accrued with dedicated fans for going on two decades just for the chance to indulge his fancy that he can be some sort of power player in the weirdo hybrid EDM pop world.
Jim Lauderdale Heads to Texas for “This Changes Everything” (review)
16 CommentsJim Lauderdale decided that since he’d never made a Texas country record, he’d head down to Austin and assembled a hot shit band of Texas pickers and players, and record himself a Texas country project in one day at Arlyn Studios. Lauderdale wrote or co-wrote every song on the record, and each one has a Texas flavor of some sort.
John Conquest of 3rd Coast Music Has Died
30 CommentsIn an era when music coverage has become nothing but an endless parade of plaudits by corporate-owned entities looking to drive traffic to their websites, John Conquest was a hard-nosed, honest, dogged, pugnacious, and ruthless critic that would tell it like it is, positive or negative, without holding back.
Tami Neilson Turns Personal Loss Into Inspiration for New Album “Don’t Be Afraid”
20 CommentsTami Neilson is the greatest singer of any genre I have ever witnessed, and if there’s any justice in this crooked world, soon the rest of humanity will at least be given a chance to behold this for themselves. But just like it took Sturgill Simpson many years before his talents were recognized beyond a few dedicated fans and studious bloggers, it may still take a while.
Winners of the 2016 IBMA Bluegrass Awards
8 CommentsThe Earls of Leicester and Flatt Lonesome were the big winners at the 2016 installment of the International Bluegrass Music Association or IBMA Awards held during the World of Bluegrass conference in Raleigh, North Carolina Thursday (9-29) evening.
Brother Osborne Says Artists Use Country to Release Their “$hitty Pop Music.”
30 CommentsYou’ve gotta love it when major label country artists get off their guard and actually say what they want to say. Even many of the artists responsible for the worst atrocities against country music know that many of the songs are garbage. They also happen to know who butters their bread and when to lock lips and say the right things.
“Vinyl” Proves William Michael Morgan Is The Traditionalist The Mainstream Needs
84 CommentsThis is it folks. Without qualifiers, caveats, or commercial dalliances outside of his tightly-knit traditional-leaning comfort zone, William Michael Morgan has released a country record that is quality cover to cover, true country at every turn, and most importantly, one that might actually pique the interest of the masses as its lead single eyes a top spot in the charts.
BREAKING: Country Artist Decides to NOT Make a Christmas Album This Year
42 CommentsThe Nashville country music community is reeling after the news that one of its own is refusing to make a Christmas album this year despite the blatantly obvious and universally-recognized obligation for anyone and everyone with a record deal and a decently-sized audience to record one this season.
Now With #1 Album, Aaron Lewis Continues to Backpedal From Country Comments
48 CommentsCelebrating the #1 record in country this week with his Big Machine Records debut Sinner responsible for 39,000 copies sold, Aaron Lewis continues to try and walk a difficult line between being a major label country artist, a traditionalist who wants to talk smack on the industry, all while wearing the baggage of being the successful frontman of the rock band Staind.
SCM’s Biggest Takeaways from AmericanaFest 2016
24 CommentsList making either before or after events has become a dubious enterprise of mainstream outlets just looking to troll the fan bases of independent performers to get these performers to dutifully post the coverage to their social network feeds and drive unique views to the outlets while little if any true discovery for said artists by new fans actually occurs.