Officially Declaring May 19th a Country Music Holiday
33 CommentsAttention all you card carrying members of the country music community, by the power invested in me, I am officially declaring May 19th, 2023 an official country music holiday.
Country Music Hall of Fame Announces 2014 Inductees
56 CommentsOn Tuesday (4-22) the Country Music Hall of Fame announced their 2014 inductees in a press conference held in the Country Music Hall of Fame rotunda. Kix Brooks hosted the event. The Country Music Hall of Fame inductees are selected through a committee process appointed by the Country Music Association, or CMA. Since 2010, the selection process has been split up into three categories.
Willie’s Daughter Paula Nelson Arrested for Pot on 4/20
16 CommentsSunday was 4/20, an unofficial holiday for marijuana smokers all around the world, and unfortunately one such reveler with a father famous for his fondness for pot found herself on the wrong side of the law. Paula Nelson, Willie Nelson’s 44-year-old daughter and front person for the Paula Nelson Band, was arrested on 4/20 when less than two ounces of marijuana was found…
Martina McBride Does What She Wants with “Everlasting”
63 CommentsWith Martina McBride at the crossroads that every big country music superstar knows they must ultimately face at some point in their career, where their radio relevancy is slipping through their fingers and the industry is slowly relegating them to the ranks of legacy acts, Martina does something very curious: she releases an album solely consisting of soul and R&B standards.
Broken Record: Why Record Store Day Is Not Working
62 CommentsThe simple fact is that Record Store Day is failing in many respects, and has been doing so for a number of years. As with so many things in independent music, Record Store Day started with an excellent, virtuous, and brilliant idea that was so good, it sparked an international event transpiring on an annual basis. But like so many of these great ideas, it was quickly co-opted by corporations.
Bob Wayne Talks “Back To The Camper”
16 CommentsOn Monday (4-21), The Outlaw Carnie Bob Wayne will be releasing his latest album called Back To The Camper. It will be his first independent release in the United States after releasing two album with the heavy metal label Century Media. Before a show at Austin, TX’s White Horse honky tonk, I sat down with Bob to talk Back To The Camper and catch up with his other doings.
Dozens of Injuries & Arrests Connected to Record Store Day 2014
25 Commentsalarming accounts are coming in from witnesses and police all across the country as Record Store Day 2014 turns violent in many of the independent record stores the day is meant to promote. In multiple instances, vehement vinyl listeners are resulting to violence in order to obtain their favorite sought-after Record Store Day rarities.
Album Stream – Joseph Huber’s “The Hanging Road”
15 CommentsJoseph Huber is one of those country roots gems with potent tunes that impact the open heart with such resonance and penetration, it remains with the listener much after the music stops. The Hanging Road is an exposition of Huber’s multi-talented musical skill set, engaging and vibrant, yet humble and rootsy as he takes his country, folk, bluegrass and blues influences into heavy account.
Study: Country Gets Happier When Times Get Hard
20 CommentsThe cyclical trends of country music, and all popular music have always thought to be tied to a certain extent to the socioeconomic conditions of the time, but a recent study by the American Psychological Association bucks the conventional wisdom that country music’s stereotypical depressing themes come from dealing with tough times. Conversely, when times gets tough, country gets happier.
9 Must-See Moments of Lip Sync / Backing Track Protest
19 CommentsAll mainstream musical performers are probably asked to do it at one time or another, but whether a musician is willing to lip sync a performance or play to a non-live musical backing track is what separates the boys and girls from the women and men. Sometimes these requests have led to protests. Here’s nine of these such memorable moments captured on tape.
UPDATED: Uproar Over “Callous” Florida Georgia Line Remarks
70 CommentsOn Tuesday, April 15th, the city of Calgary in Alberta, Canada faced the city’s worst mass homicide in its history. American pop country super duo Florida Georgia Line played a concert in Calgary the following day, and according to numerous reports, broached the subject of the tragedy on stage in such an uninformed and callous way, it has created a big backlash against the band in media outlets.
Sturgill Simpson’s “Metamodern Sounds” Now Available for Pre-Order
60 CommentsWe’re less than a month away from the release of critically-acclaimed rising country star Sturgill Simpson’s sophomore solo release called “Metamodern Sounds in Country Music” on May 13th, and the album has now been made available for pre-order, and Sturgill has released the first single from the album “Turtles All the Way Down”. He’s also just premiered the video for the song through NPR.
Willie Nelson to Receive 5th-Degree Black Belt
7 CommentsWillie Nelson might be about to turn 81-years-old and be regarded as one of the world’s most famous living pacifists, but apparently hiding behind his friend-to-all disposition and grandfatherly sweetness is a mean roundhouse kick and lethal karate chop. Willie has been training in Martial Arts so long he will be awarded his 5th degree black belt in the discipline on April 28th in Austin.