It might be a tad bit late here for me, but I have reached a climatic time in the year, when my TOP 50 is almost released, and I have a huge extensive list of essential albums from 2021 that did not make my TOP 50, but they certainly do NOT NEED to be excluded or overlooked. Most of this work that I have done throughout the year, and was written down on so many lists that I had to take some time to sift through all of the lists, and piece together what to do when.
So much like my ongoing list of local weekly shows on here, this article is going to be added to throughout the entire 2022 year, as I find more albums and artists that are releasing new albums this year. Along with that, I have an extensive list of smaller festivals complete with dates for the entire 2022 season, and each festival will also have it’s own separate article with maps and information , so you can research and enjoy whichever one you have been eyeballing.
This website here has your COMPLETE 2021 and 2022 comprehensive guide to local music in every form I can possibly include in lists. I spent the last 12 days with covid, collecting data, and going over all of my lists from 2021, and all of my random scribbling on legal pads that I had scattered all over my office here.
As it stands right now, I am currently working on my TOP 50 of 2021, and when I finally get that finished, I will embed it into all of these articles so that nobody misses anything that I have published lately.
2022 UPCOMING ALBUM RELEASES:
February:
Sarah Shook And The Disarmers – Nightroamer
The Cactus Blossoms – One Day
The Wooks – Flyin’ High
The Infamous Stringdusters – Toward The Day
The Del McCoury Band – Almost Proud
Doug Adkins – A Cowboy’s Life
Massy Ferguson – Joe’s Meat And Grocery
Chris Castino And Chicken Wire Empire – Fresh Pickles
B.J. Thomas – In Remembrance : Love Songs And Lost Treasures
Handsome And The Humbles – 400 Cigarettes
March:
Matt Castillo – How The River Flows
Ned Ledoux – Buckskin
W.D. Miller – Hard Times Like These
Dolly Parton – Run Rose Run
The Dead South – Easy Listening For Jerks Parts I & II
Jeremy Ivey – Invisible Pictures
Sometimes Y ( Yelawolf And Shooter Jennings ) – Make Me A Believer
Tejon Street Corner Thieves – Thick As Thieves
Randall King – Shot Glass
Hailey Whitters – Raised
Ray Wylie Hubbard – Co – Starring Too
Po’ Ramblin Boys – Never Slow Down
Ian Noe – River Fools And Mountain Saints
Pretty Little Goat – Big storm
April:
North Mississippi Allstars – Set Sail
Old Crow Medicine Show – Paint This Town
Paul Cauthen – Country Coming Down
Corb Lund – Songs My Friends Wrote
May:
Dusty Rust – Secret Desert
Eddie Montgomery – Ain’t No Closing Me Down
Known Albums With No Release Date Yet
Wolfpen Branch – TBD
Gloria Anderson – TBD
Paige King Johnson – TBD
Sunny Sweeney – TBD
The Delta Bombers – TBD
Paige King Johnson – TBD
NewsComments Off on Long List Of Essential Albums Of 2021.
Jan192022
I have many yearly end articles coming out in the next few days that encapsulate all of the 2021 music events, that I usually implement to close out the year. I will be linking all of the articles into each other, so that all my readers can get the entire story of the year’s music happenings.
I spend a great deal of my personal time going to other websites and resources to find new bands and artists on a daily basis, and I have devoted a large portion of my life to the study of local music. I am not one of the “underground music sites” that only report on what is “trending” within the scene…..I report on the underdog.
Here is an extensive list of ongoing local shows in Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama that I have accumulated from literally hundreds of sources, and it covers hundreds of bands and venues. PLEASE FOLKS I urge you to go support these small venues and bar staff that NEED your support, and your presence.
Here is a comprehensive list of 100 ( so far ) music festivals that I have supported throughout the years. Many of these festivals are small DIY ones, run by local blue collar folks like us! There are no boundaries to this list, from Washington to Florida, we got them all covered!
I found so many new bands and artists last year, and I wanted to share them all with you, as well as learn about new bands from other sources and lists. Currently, I am also working on my TOP 50 OF 2021, which I am releasing a little later than I usually release my list.
Additionally, I will be soon releasing an extensive up and coming list for albums coming out in 2022, as well as building up a splendid spotify list for upcoming singles and news. I personally guarantee that my list is more extensive and carefully planned than many of the other websites that I get compared to.
Gary Allan – Ruthless
Amigo The Devil – Born Against
Lost Dog Street Band – The Magnolia Sessions
Ashley Monroe – Rosegold
Ashley Monroe – The Covers
Parker McCollum – Gold Chain Cowboy
Tristan Marez – Tristan Marez
Grayson Jenkins – Turning Tides
Elijah Ocean – Born Blue
Billy Strings – Renewal
The Vegabonds – Sinners And Saints
Garrett T. Capps – I Love San Antone
Rod Gator – For Louisiana
Carley Pierce – 29: Written In Stone
Jeremy Pinnell – Goodbye L.A.
Natalie Hemby – Pins And Needles
Lance Rogers – Lance Rogers
The Wild Feathers – Alvarado
Lainey Wilson – Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’
Daryl Wayne Dasher – Honky Tonk Ways
Dori Freeman – Ten Thousand Roses
Melissa Carper – Daddy’s Country Gold
Reckless Kelly – The 911 Demos
Stoney Larue – Live 25
Pistol Annies – Hell Of A Holiday
Justin Clyde Williams – Empty Rooms
Joe Troop – Borrowed Time
Elder Jack Ward – Already Made
Del Barber – Stray Dogs Collected B Sides Volume 1
Malcolm Holocombe – Tricks Of The Trade
Don Gallardo – All The Pretty Things
The Flatlanders – Treasure Of Love
Son Volt – Electro Melodier
Pokey LaFarge – In The Blossom Of Their Shade
Colebrook Road – Hindsight Is 2020
Tejon Street Corner Thieves – Stolen Goods
Karen Jonas – Summer Songs
AJ Lee And Blue Summit – I’ll Come Back
Boy Named Banjo – Circles
Nellen Dryden – Standstill
Tim Easton – You Don’t Really Know Me
David Ferguson – Nashville No More
Walter Parks And The Unlawful Assembly – The Unlawful Assembly
Emmylou Harris And The Nash Ramblers – Ramble In Music City: The Lost Concert
Matthew Fowler – The Grief We Gave Our Mother
Taylor McCall – Black Powder Soul
Rob Leines – Blood Sweat And Beers
Senora May – All Of My Love
Crownover – Another Day In Our 20’s
Conrad Fisher – Homemade
Taylor Rae – Mad Twenties
Jeb Cardwell – My Friend Defiance
The Hello Darlins – Go By Feel
Cory Grinder And The Playboy Scouts – Honky Tonkin’ Beauty Supreme
Riddy Arman – Riddy Arman
The High Hawks – The High Hawks
Kiely Connell – Camulet Queen
Country Westerns – Country Westerns EP
The Georgia Thunderbolts – Can We Get A Witness
Ted Russell Kamp – Solitaire
Aaron Lee Tasjan – Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan!
Clay Walker – Texas To Tennessee
Esther Rose – How Many Times
Grace Pettis – Working Woman
Charlie Parr – Last Of The Better Days
Travis Linville – I’m Still Here
Jamestown Revival – Young Man
Mercy Bell – Golden Child
Leah Blevins – First Time Feeling
Colby Acuff – If I Were The Devil
Max Flinn – Meant To Be
RC And The Ambers – Big Country
Cannan Smith – High Country Sound
Carson Jeffrey – Buzzed Brain Pt. 2
Paul Thorn – Never Too Late To Call
Abby Bryant And The Echoes – Not Your Little Girl
Suzanne Santo – Yard Sale
Jon Byrd – Me And Paul
Brandy Zdan – Falcon
Swamptooth – B-Flat Earth
Jeremy James Meyer – Alive And OK
The Shootouts – Bullseye
Kashena Sampson – Time Machine
Them Coulee Boys – Namesake
Asleep At The Wheel – Half A Hundred Years
Andrew Farriss – Andrew Farriss
Tony Kamel – Back Down Home
Lainey Lou And The Bird Dogs – Through The Smoke
Sean Devine – Here For It All
Brandi Carlile – In These Silent Days
Teea Goans – All Over The Map
The Bronze Horseman – The Hound
Tyller Gummersall – Lucky Guy
Andy Dale Petty – Rattlesnake Eggs
Rhiannon Giddens – They’re Calling Me Home
Yola – Stand For Myself
John Hiatt – Leftover Feelings
Kacey Musgraves – Star – Crossed
Todd Snider – First Agnostic Church Of Hope And Wonder
Silas J. Dirge – The Poor Devil
The Reverend Deadeye – When Death Come Call Ya
Black Tarpoon – Probable Caws
Loney Hutchins – Buried Loot, Demos From The House Of Cash And “Outlaw” Era
Jordan Robert Kirk – Western Holler
Nick Dittmeier And The Sawdusters – Companion ( extended edition )
BD Frank – Born On The River
Justin Moses – Fall Like Rain
Eric Brace And Last Train Home – Everything Will Be
Ava Rowland – Ava Rowland
The Royal Hounds – A Whole Lot Of Nothing
Allie Colleen – Stones
Rod Aldridge And The Proponents – Mind Over Manners
Noah Smith – Ain’t So Bad Round Here
Bill And The Belles – Happy Again
Vivian Leva And Riley Calcagno
J.P. Harris Dreadful Wind And Rain – Don’t You Marry No Railroad Man
Abe Partridge – Live In The U.K. Agony Is Alright
TK And The Holy Know-Nothings – The Incredible Heat Machine
Ken Wilber – Ran Out Of Sky
Eddie Montgomery – Ain’t No Closing Me Down
Ida Red – Harmony Grits
Red Shahan – Javelina
Jackson Melnick – Abilene
Jim Lauderdale – Hope
Angela Autumn – Frontiers Woman
The Oak Ridge Boys – Front Porch Singin’
Sean Devine – Here For It All
Toler Gibson – The Days Before
Leah Belle Faser – Crossing Hermi’s Bridge
Nick Sizemore – Where The Lonesome Roam
Bo DePena – It’s About To Get Western
Katie Jo – Pawn Shop Queen
Ryan Curtis – Rust Belt Broken Heart
Bridge City Sinners – Unholy Hymns
Those Poor Bastards – Old Time Suffering
The Kokomo Kings – A Drive-By-Love Affair
NewsComments Off on Legendary Mr. John Prine Self Titled Album Is 50.
Dec302021
Just Announced: John Prine Plays John Prine Limited Edition Box Set
Watching this video here I re fell in love with this album and how hollow it is to have to listen to it knowing Mr. John is gone. I cannot begin to elaborate how many hours I have spent studying this man and his life. His high points and his tragedies as well have solidified him as a true enigma of the music world.
This first album was actually the work of Mr. Kris Kristofferson calling the record label and telling them to straight out sign him, and they did. Many of these songs he played all the way until his death. I myself have watched him play all of these in different shows all through my life.
I spend al lot of time listening to music and studying music, and I spend a lot of time attending shows. My entire home is set up to study music and to display my appreciation of it as well. To say that Mr. John Prine was not a major part of the initial beginning of that would be wrong.
1. Illegal Smile
2. Spanish Pipedream
3. Hello In There
4. Sam Stone
5. Paradise
6. Pretty Good
7. Your Flag Decal (Won’t Get You Into Heaven)
8. Far From Me
9. Angel From Montgomery
10. Quiet Man
11. Donald And Lydia
12. Six O Clock News
13. Flashback Blues
September 23rd marks this 50th anniversary of John’s self-titled debut album. To celebrate this momentous occasion, we are proud to announce “John Prine plays John Prine, a recording of the memorable night in September 2016, where John played his first album front to back for the first time ever.
Re-live this special one-time only show with a limited edition exclusive box set featuring vinyl, cd ,and dvd of his legendary performance during the 2016 Americana Music Festival. This box set will contain vinyl, CDs and a dvd performance of this special night.
Prine’s label Oh Boy Records, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, will release a limited-edition box set, “John Prine Plays John Prine,” this spring—a special live recording of the only time Prine performed his debut record front to back (pre-order here). Recorded during AmericanaFest in 2016, the box set—created by the Grammy Award-winning Dodds Sisters—will include a CD, vinyl and DVD version of the performance, with a portion of all proceeds benefitting the Americana Music Association Foundation.
NewsComments Off on Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender 2022!
Dec302021
Lot’s of stuff to tell you and it’s all good………
Come on now folks, you didn’t think for one minute that I wasn’t going to include the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend if my website features over 275 of them did you? I mean, I am constantly adding info on them weekly as I get the info to do so! Many of them have not announced lineups yet, but for those of them that have I have added them, and talked about many of them on here.
THE VLV25 APP
The VLV25 App is up and running and we are adding content every day. If you already have the WHOVA app, just add Viva Las Vegas #25 to the app. If you don’t have the WHOVA app download it from your app store for free.
Note the code to enter.
VLV25EVENTAPP
BIG SANDY & THE FLYRITE BOYS added to the
VLV25 CAR SHOW
Yes, Big Sandy & The Flyrite Boys have been added to the VLV25 Car Show. Please go to the website to see the full line up of bands CLICK HERE
VLV22 Dickies Jacket
We are clearing out the last few VLV22 Dickies jackets. Limited sizes and quantities.
NewsComments Off on The Western Swing Authority LIVE DVD In Full Swing.
Dec292021
New WSA Live Concert DVD
“For over a decade, this cast of musical peers and friends have shared a common love of playing Western Swing music together. In early 2021 the band decided it was time to head to a soundstage to create their first ever live concert DVD, featuring classic Western Swing tunes, along with their own “new vintage” originals. Since the early days of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, Western Swing has been a genre that is built on live performance, improvisation, musicianship and entertainment. There is no better way to experience The Western Swing Authority than seeing them live. Their live show has been described as “all killer, no filler” and this collection is no exception. The concert film also includes interview vignettes with all of the band members as they recount great stories from the bands history, and the stories behind some of the songs.
Any fan of WSA and Country music in general will love this high definition concert film that covers the best of The Western Swing Authoritiy’s music over the last 12 years.”
We are so excited for you to see and hear this. Pre orders are available now so you can be the first to get your copy.
For many years I have enjoyed Western Swing music from many of the different bands of Texas, Oklahoma and even here in Nashville. The wonderful fiddle music and even the twin fiddles with those iconic double stops have been at the hub of my heart for over 35 years now.
I think studying all of the shows like Austin City Limits and the Opry all these years made me salivate for more of this amazing genre of music, and the band called The Western Swing Authority, which I learned about in 2012.
They have four albums out as of now, and this Live DVD starts out with a song called “Sweet Harriet” about a preacher’s daughter who gets a little promiscuous in all the juke joints during the week. This song appears on the “Now Playing” album with the songs “One Of Us Is Lying” and the song called “Miss Molly”.
Many of these songs have been recorded by so many in the past, nobody is really sure whom did them first or who wrote them. “Miss Molly” was recorded by Mr. Bob Wills and Mr. Spade Cooley and many more.
“Dance With Who Brung Ya” was recorded with Mr. Ray Benson from Asleep At The Wheel ( whom is credited for writing the song ) on the album “Big Deal”. Also from that album was the song called “Swingin From The Rafters”
“This Old Bar” is my favorite song they do, probably because it is more of a Honky Tonk Country song than it is a traditional Swing song here. The recitations made my arms get goosebumps and made my mind spin. How many Legends exist in this world, that are forgotten and overlooked, only to sit at some old bar the rest of their years? How much knowledge and how many stories are forgotten and cast aside for “progress”?
1. Sweet Harriet
2. Faded Love
3. Maiden’s Prayer
4. I Fall to Pieces
5. I’ve Got a Feelin’
6. Miss Molly
7. Dance with Who Brung Ya
8. One of Us Is Lying
9. Big Ball’s in Cowtown
10. Rocket to the Moon
11. You Don’t Know Me
12. Swingin’ from the Rafters
13. This Old Bar
14. Barnyard Boogie
NewsComments Off on The Dead South To Release Two EP Albums in 2022.
Dec282021
This article bears the two sided coin of being a music website. You get to hear albums like these before everyone else, the good side is I get to announce the new album right now for 2022…the bad news is those albums are all covers. Now for many other bands that is an ugly truth but not with The Dead South.
Once you hear their take on the songs off both albums, you will find a dark, poignant and gothic direction of some of old classic songs like the 1969 classic “People Are Strange” by the Doors. As well as classic folk songs the likes of “You Are My Sunshine” which is a public domain song pretty much.
What makes me so elated concerning these two album full of covers? Well, allow me to elaborate on one thing that makes this album so good…for the first time ever all four members of the band take turns with the lead vocals on this album here! Banjoist Colton “Crawdaddy” Crawford makes his vocal debut on a Ween cover called “Help Me Scrape The Mucus Off My Brain”.
The source material for the EP two-pack sees The Dead South trace very different musical lineages: one a beloved folk songbook and the other a set of volatile modern outsider anthems. Always playing against type, The Dead South flip traditional bluegrass and hard rock conventions upside down, drawing out an ominous, lurking unease in the bright innocence of Bristol Sessions-era sound, and pulling moments of absurdity from the hardcore bluster.
Part I includes the Sun belt-meets-black belt take on “You Are My Sunshine,” in which The Dead South dig below the surface layer lullaby to levels of deep desperation. In a minor key, “Keep On The Sunny Side,” changes from sweet to sinister. “Matterhorn,” a gallant adventure tale that sees four friends set off to climb a mountain, also works on the level of The Dead South’s origin story. “It’s closer here to heaven than it is back to the ground,” goes the song, now also a fitting encapsulation of the band’s feelings of anxiety and exhilaration about returning to life on the road.
Part II is inspired by the band’s own pre-show playlist, and will include songs by System of a Down, The Doors, Cold War Kids and The Misfits. Easy Listening for Jerks are the first releases that see all four members taking lead vocal turns.
Rich with quality finger picking and replete with harmonies, Easy Listening for Jerks offers many new moods of songs we think we know so well. Under a title that recalls the songwriting humour of Roger Miller and Steve Martin’s comedy stylings alike, the EPs offer a surprising and compelling mix of gravity and levity. From Earl Scruggs to Serj Tankian, the two parts of Easy Listening for Jerks find surprising common ground between traditional bluegrass and hard rock in the selection of songs of alienation, misanthropy and adversity. Foggy Mountain Boys, but make it Beetlejuice.
Hey folks! We just released our new single “You Are My Sunshine” from our upcoming EP Easy Listening For Jerks, Pt. I. Everything’s better in a minor key, so we broke down the cheery childhood lullaby and uncovered levels of deep desperation and sadness behind the lyrics.
“You Are My Sunshine” was our first experience recording songs separately from our own homes. Nate went first and had to play these songs completely on his own in his house to nothing and just hope that he could capture and convey the energy despite us not all being there at the same time. We’re so happy with the final version, and we can’t wait for you to hear it! Watch “You Are My Sunshine” in the video below, shot by Two Brothers Films!
Easy Listening for Jerks Part I Track Listing:
1. Keep On The Sunny Side
2. Pallet On The Floor
3. Will The Circle Be Unbroken
4. Flint Hill Special
5. You Are My Sunshine
6. Matterhorn
Easy Listening for Jerks Part II Track Listing:
1. Yahoos and Triangles (Intro)
2. People Are Strange
3. Chop Suey
4. We Used To Vacation
5. Help Me Scrape The Mucus Off My Brain
6. Saturday Night
7. 96 Quite Bitter Beings
Germany (2021)
Nov 2 – Wiesbaden, DE – Schlachthof
Nov 3 – Amsterdam, NL – Mlekweg Max
Nov 4 – Dusseldorf, DE – Zakk
Nov 5 – Weissenhauser Strand, DE – Rolling Stone Beach Festival
NewsComments Off on Matt Woods Celebrates 10 Years Of The Manifesto Album.
Dec282021
2021 is a landmark year for many bands and artists, and Matt Woods is one of them. This man, his music and especially this album have been inspirations to me and my website here. It is people like him that made people like me, and even though we do not see one another as often as I’d like to…I consider him a friend.
In my opinion, he is vastly overlooked by many for the talented man that he is and his songs resonate vividly in my own interpenetration of his songs. I still remember when he played “The American Way” at Muddy Roots, and how I felt like I WAS in that song as a forklift driver on a factory dock, See, because that is what I do for a living!
Back in 2006 (and the following years) when I was going through my divorce I started to lean into music more than ever, and through the budding evolution of social media ( AKA the mighty MySpace) I found a plethora of bands, including him. I did not find him until I heard the Manifesto album in 2011, and when he announced the 10 year anniversary vinyl pressing I wanted to let my readers know it’s now on vinyl. What’s different about this edition? Here is the official release:
2021 marks a decade since the release of my debut full production studio album. For years I have wanted to have this pressed to vinyl and finally that day has come. We are currently in the pre-order stage of the album release and super excited to offer (for the first time) the Manifesto album on 180g red and yellow splatter! This is a deluxe double LP featuring the full album, which has been remixed and remastered, as well as previously unreleased tracks from those early sessions, including the audience favorite “No Beer in Heaven” which now has been bettered by vocals from my pal and yours, Adam Lee. “No Beer in Heaven” will be released as a single on Spotify and other streaming sites on Friday September 24th.
So be sure and FOLLOW NOW to not miss it! Along with the music, we also have some rad new merchandise in conjunction with the 10 year anniversary including The North Face brand knit hats and Bella+Canvas tees. Plus, I am offering limited numbers of handwritten lyrics to songs from the Manifesto. Be sure to pick your favorite soon before they get gone!
This album has four songs on it, that the original album didn’t have on it. One of his crowd favorites called “No Beer In Heaven”, which mentions my home town of Milwaukee ( I was adopted and moved to Nashville 20 years ago). It pretty much is still a heavy drinking town but I recall in my youth the great jobs the breweries used to provide people, it was like coal mining was to West Virginia.
“Kind Of Gone” is a reflection of what used to be song, the kind of gone that never comes back home is a great line, and I thought this song was truly well written and easy to understand. Anybody can relate to it in their own way, however it speaks to you personally.
The other songs are called “Hammerdown” and “Ghosts Of The Gospel” are the other two songs on this album, that were not on the original album, and now that it is on colored vinyl, I would be remiss to not include it in my collection!
NewsComments Off on Angela Autumn Releases Frontiers Woman,
Dec272021
For those of you that are avid readers of my website, you will recall that I attended a number of smaller shows this past year. I have many bands I reported on and explained how they all fit together like a giant puzzle in the community of independent music. See, I am not one of those keyboard warrior music websites that report from their home. No, I am actually out there attending live music events and supporting it as well as writing about it from home.
One of those I told all of you to be on the lookout for was none other than Miss Angela Autumn. She has released her album called “Frontier Woman” out earlier this year, and I wanted to touch on some things and include the press release.
As I listen to this album here , and I attempt to formulate all of the meanings and her influences I had to listen intently and read between lines on this one. “Old Time Lovers” was a song referencing the songs of old in North Carolina and how they influenced her modern decisions, and her reasoning for applying them to her life now.
One of the songs that grabbed me in a negative way was “Shooter” It’s one of those politically motivated songs I ignore, as with most conservative and liberal infused crap. However once I listened more it spoke to me in a different way, and it didn’t become an anti – firearm song. This song took me back to my divorce, and how I aimed for the shooter in the middle of all the lies my ex wife told. I actually thought this was a unique double meaning here.
Americana/folk singer-songwriter Angela Autumn to release new album, Frontiers Woman, on June 4th
Americana/folk singer-songwriter Angela Autumn is set to release her new album, Frontiers Woman, on June 4, 2021. A guitar player by trade who also plays clawhammer banjo, Autumn originally hails from Zelienople, Pennsylvania but now calls Nashville home. Like the weathered Appalachian mountain peaks of her home, her voice yodels, cascades, and breaks with emotion. Accompanied by an often-droning guitar, a homespun sensibility is the center of Autumn’s lyrical craft. From the carefree whooping and bluegrass elements in the album’s jaunty kiss-off opener “Old Time Lovers,” to the slow, Latin shuffle of “God’s Green Earth,” to the Laurel Canyon elements in “Texas Blue Jeans,” her music freely wanders the backroads of American music.Mining the emotional roller coaster of life and telling stories from an empowered female perspective, Autumn’s lyric-heavy songs on Frontiers Woman create a cohesive whole centered around nomadic ways. “Frontiers Woman is about a young woman who’s traveling,” says Autumn. “This young person is examining their life in relation to a map, and where she wants to go. What’s the cost of being a pioneer when no one else believes in what you’re doing? When no one else understands — and you don’t even understand — are you going to keep moving towards your dreams?”
Helping Autumn’s journey toward her own dreams, demo collaborations with pals Nick Harley (S.G. Goodman) on guitar and Kate Haldrup (Lilly Hiatt) on drums were the genesis of Frontiers Woman with the initial three songs: “Old Time Lovers,” “Sowin’ Seeds,” and “God’s Green Earth.” The trio began to record the album in late 2019, with Autumn at the helm as producer and Haldrup engineering. Frontiers Woman is her first self-produced album. “I had much more agency just in having more time to think and be immersed in the process,” Autumn says of producing the record. “Working with a female engineer was just a different experience.” With the record’s release delayed by the events of 2020, Autumn had time to overdub some of the songs, adding Wilco-esque drums and electric guitars to the initial arrangements. It also gave her time to add three more songs: “Back in Line,” “Texas Blue Jeans,” and “Fine Blue Sky.”
Autumn doesn’t shy away from the peaks and valleys of her journey. That determination can be heard in “Old Time Lovers.” “It’s about finding the truth for yourself,” says Autumn. “The reels and fiddle tunes I heard in North Carolina opened up a new musical world for me. We win and we lose along the way.”
Exploring the limits of self-liberation, “Fine Blue Sky” taps into the guilt that can accompany decisions that affect others. “It’s about a woman leaving a relationship and saying, ‘I’m gonna go have my own affair.’ And then she feels guilty. So, she’s saying, ‘I’m sorry I left. I had to do this, but I just wanted a piece of that fine blue sky for my own story.’”
The album’s emotional climax, “Shooter” digs deep into reckoning with — and prevailing over — depression: “It was born out of frustration about gun ownership, but also it’s about struggling with self-doubt. I’ve dealt with depression and I wanted to express the feeling of, ‘If this thing’s taking me down, I’m going to aim for it and take it down with me.’”
The album ends with a hint of nostalgia on “Texas Blue Jeans,” which pulls inspiration from a pair of her late father’s blue jeans and imagines what his life might have been like in 1970s Texas. “I wanted to feel others’ experiences without being too voyeuristic,” she explains. “I wanted to understand others’ pasts, and how the past can be linked to your own pain.” In drawing a map of her own experiences, Autumn hopes others can follow it. “I want my journey to help others in some type of way, or else it would be futile for me.”
Autumn grew up north of Pittsburgh, on the outskirts of the Appalachians, where she started playing music at the age of 9 and started writing songs when she was 14. She found her footing in Pittsburgh’s supportive music scene. Inspired by artists as diverse as Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake, and Doc Watson, Autumn describes her music as “traditional,” but with strong contemporary influences. “I was 20 when I found bluegrass,” she recalls. “Traditional music ended up being the thing that means the most to me. I think it has the best community.” After moving to Nashville, the singer-songwriter gradually put down roots by jamming with bluegrass players at the now-famous concert series at American Legion Post 82, the locus of any roots music out of the Nashville mainstream.
Autumn released the Crash and Burn EP in 2014, and the Rascal EP in 2019, and her music garnered some attention in press circles. NPR dubbed her music “like snippets from a diary entry, filled with… meditations on loneliness and the desire to love.” DittyTV took a liking to the title track, “Rascal,” adding it to one of their playlists, and PBS collaborated with Autumn on a video for the song “Colorado.”
NewsComments Off on News On John Hartford Memorial Festival.
Dec272021
The next installment of the John Hartford Memorial Festival is in the works, With the regretful 2021 passing of the creator, John Hotze. Tom Burkhart has joined with Brent Turner and John Grantz to maintain the festival into the future. The event is scheduled for June 1st through the 4th in 2022. We will be moving it to a new location, the Lawrence County Recreational Park in Springville, Indiana to better accommodate the festival experience. “The new location will allow the multi-day festival to have a much larger camping area and room for everyone to spread out,” said Tom Burkhart, festival organizer. “Nearly 8 times more acreage is going to give us all plenty of wiggle room and air space. It will also help make the event more affordable to attend including free tent camping and free hot showers with every ticket.” Lawrence County Recreational Park is less than 40 miles from the location where the event was held for the past 11 years and is only 12 miles south of Bloomington.
Visit; HARTFORDFEST.COM for more information.
Tickets and camping options will go on sale around December 1 on our website. Cunningham Golf Carts will start taking reservations for carts around the same time. Mailing list subscribers will be notified about 24 hours before tickets go on sale to the public. Our initial lineup will be announced when tickets go on sale.
We can’t wait to see our Hartford Fest Family and start the next chapter!
Welcome To The John Hartford Memorial Festival
Here we go! Fuel up the “Steam Powered Aereo-Plain”, shout from the top of” Tall Buildings” and most importantly come to the place where there is “No End of Love”. We are gearing up for the official 2022 John Hartford Memorial Festival. We ask you each year to bring someone you love, and you do. Just imagine who you would love to see sitting or dancing next to you, tell them that you’ll be at “The Most Laid Back Festival in America.
Follow your friends to Springville, IN June 1-4, 2022, and enjoy the official John Hartford Memorial Festival. Our new location is at the Lawrence County Recreational Park in Springville, IN.
Tickets Are On Sale Now
Don’t forget to input the special E-Blast Password.
Tickets are now on sale and today we released the first tier of 500 Discounted 4-Day Early Bird Tickets. We suggest you get them now before they sell out and the price increases. This first tier of tickets has historically sold out quickly, sometimes within a day! Our ticket prices are structured to give a break to the first 500 sold. Once a tier sells out, the 4-Day Early Bird ticket price will increase to the next tier, regardless of the date. Single day tickets will go on sale at a later date.
From now until Friday, Dec. 17 at 4:20am ET, you will need a password to buy 4-Day Early Bird Full Festival Tickets and RV Camping. Your password is JHMF2022. Once you get to the SeeTickets ticketing Page make sure you enter the password JHMF2022 and you will be granted access to our ticketing page.
Remember, the password is JHMF2022. Click Here to buy tickets. Need more information about the tickets? Click Here.
In addition to festival tickets, RV passes are also available for purchase. The new location features a mix of RV sites with electricity and water, just electricity, and primitive RV camping. Please make sure you read up on all our camping options prior to purchasing camping byClicking Here. Free primitive tent camping is included will all full festival passes. Just when you think it can’t get no better than it does.
Festivals are always enjoyed best with a friend… or two. Christmas is right around the corner so give the gift of music and purchase a ticket for you and a friend. Gifting a ticket to the John Hartford Memorial Festival is a perfect way to express your love and friendship. We will continue to limit ticket quantities to less than 50% of capacity as we get used to our new and much larger venue. A total of 3,000 full festival tickets will be available. We want to make sure you continue to have ample amounts of wiggle room at the new digs.
We’ve moved! The 2022 festival will take place at the Lawrence County Recreational Park conveniently located 12 miles south of Bloomington, Indiana. The new site features a large stage and audience area, a multi-unit bathroom/shower facility, several shelters, an RV park with water and electricity, and plenty of space for camping in both wooded and open fields. This park can facilitate over 200+ RVs. Although this site is home to miles and miles of motorcycle and ATV trails, they will be closed during the festival. Golf carts can be reserved in advance from Cunningham Golf Carts. Learn about our new golf cart policy and reserve your own by Clicking Here. You may also bring you own cart by purchasing a pass on our ticketing page. We suspect this new location will soon be your favorite destination for experiencing music festivals in Southern Indiana.
There Is A Ticket Cap
We continue to listen to your feedback and will limit the amount of multi-day tickets sold to just 3,000 Full-Festival Tickets. We want to make sure that you continue to have the ample amounts of wiggle room that you come to expect. We strive to create an exclusive, laidback, event. We are a family friendly, kid friendly, dog friendly, jam friendly, just plain friendly festival. Click Here to buy tickets.
Our talent scouts travel every year to music conferences, festivals, concerts, backyard shindigs and everything else in between to find both budding and established talent. We pride ourselves on presenting artists that are on the cusp of rising to fame along with headliners that we feel are sure to please the crowds. Year after year the John Hartford Memorial Festival has promised and delivered a fun, peaceful musical event and our initial lineup is very close to being complete. As always you can expect some great surprises thrown in! We’re proud to be known as a genre busting event that features newgrass, bluegrass, old time, jamgrass, and every other type of music that you can put a “Vamp in the Middle”. Just like years past there will be multiple stages filled with music. We will announce the initial lineup in early January. Stay up to date with all our progress by visiting our web site www.HartfordFest.com
Final Notes
Our mission is to continue the legacy of John Hartford, The Father of Newgrass. Our lineup will always feature a genre busting mix of musical styles reflected in the long discography of John Hartford. We encourage you to visit our festival website and read all about John Hartford. You can also visit the Official Hartford Family web site at www.johnhartford.com and peruse the largest selection of John Hartford music and merch anywhere. We have been and shall remain, John Hartford centered. This was the vision of our late founder, John Hotze.
See You June 1 – June 4, 2022
Where in the world can you go to sit back, relax, leave your worries at the gate, enjoy the campground atmosphere, and listen to or participate in campfire jamming? Where can you go to experience the most exciting, thoroughly entertaining bunch of pickers and singers ever assembled in the most laid back atmosphere in the country? Join us June 1 – June 4, in Springville, Indiana at the Lawrence County Recreational Park for the official 2022 John Hartford Memorial Festival, “The Most Laid Back Festival in America!” That’s where it all takes place.
The initial 2022 lineup for the official 2022 John Hartford Memorial Features: Leftover Salmon, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, The Dillards, Henhouse Prowlers, Great American Taxi, Damn Tall Buildings, Chicago Farmer & the Fieldnotes, Wolfpen Branch, David Davis & The Warrior River Boys, The Lonesome Ace Stringband, The Sweet Lillies, Never Come Down, Stillhouse Junkies, Good Morning Bedlam, Phillip Steinmetz & His Sunny Tennesseans, One Way Traffic, Chain Station, New Old Cavalry, Deep Fried Pickle Project, Red Mountain Boys, & More To Be Announced. The final lineup will be announced around mid-February.
As you may have heard, the official 2022 festival will take place at the Lawrence County Recreational Park, located 12 miles south of Bloomington, Indiana. The new site features a large stage and audience area, a multi-unit bathroom/shower facility, several shelters, an RV park with water and electricity, and plenty of space for camping in both wooded and open fields. This park can facilitate over 200+ RVs. Although this site is home to miles and miles of motorcycle and ATV trails, they will be closed during the festival. Golf carts can be reserved in advance from Cunningham Golf Carts. Learn about our new golf cart policy and reserve your own by Clicking Here. You may also bring you own cart by purchasing a pass on our ticketing page. We suspect this new location will soon be your favorite destination for experiencing music festivals in Southern Indiana.
John Hartford Songwriters Challenge & Band Contest
Get ready to boogie because we are bringing back the popular John Hartford Memorial Band Contest and the Songwriters Challenge. Stay tuned to our website as we’ll launch both these contests on Tuesday February 1st. You can read and learn about the past Band Contest winners by Clicking Here and learn about the past Songwriters Challenge winners by Clicking Here. We’ll have new info and updated rules posted on these sites on Tuesday, February 1st.
2022 Band Contest Prizes:
1st Place: $1000, a Hartford main stage slot at the 2023 John Hartford Memorial Festival.
2nd Place: $500
3rd Place: $300
4th Place: $200
2022 Songwriters Challenge Prizes:
1st Place: $250 and other prizes to be announced.
2nd Place: $150 and other prizes to be announced.
3rd Place: $100 and other prizes to be announced.
See You June 1 – June 4, 2022
Where in the world can you go to sit back, relax, leave your worries at the gate, enjoy the campground atmosphere, and listen to or participate in campfire jamming? Where can you go to experience the most exciting, thoroughly entertaining bunch of pickers and singers ever assembled in the most laid back atmosphere in the country? Join us June 1 – June 4, in Springville, Indiana at the Lawrence County Recreational Park for the official 2022 John Hartford Memorial Festival, “The Most Laid Back Festival in America!” That’s where it all takes place.
NewsComments Off on PCG Artist Development Creates Partnerships With Independent Artists, Signs Country Artist Paige King Johnson
Dec272021
PCG Artist Development Creates Partnerships With Independent Artists, Signs Country Artist Paige King Johnson
Johnson’s New Single “Baby Don’t” Among Top 5 Downloaded And Streamed On PlayMPE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – CEO of PCG Artist Development, Bernard Porter announces the formation of PCG Records, distributed by BFD/The Orchard – a subsidiary of Sony Music – which specializes in media distribution, marketing, and sales. PCG Records will partner directly with the artist by licensing the master recording for a specified time, providing label services and marketing strategies to grow the artist’s market share, developing brand identity, and establishing the artist’s team. This innovative approach is designed to give the artist far more creative control within a structure that produces lucrative success.
PCG Records is proud to announce the signing of their first artist, country singer/songwriter, Paige King Johnson. Johnson has been in development with PCG Artist Development’s Emerging Artist program for two years. Her last single, “Just Like You” charted at #48 on Indicator with 3,100 spins across 25 stations and #30 on Music Row with 7,000 spins across 40 stations. The accompanying music video, directed by country music superstar Pam Tillis, was featured on CMT. Johnson’s first single with PCG Records, “Baby Don’t,” is currently being promoted nationwide and is already receiving positive responses among PlayMPE’s TOP 5 downloaded and streamed songs. “Baby Don’t” will be officially released on all digital platforms on October 15, 2021.
“Paige was the obvious choice as our first artist,” states Porter. “Paige truly has it all—work ethic, entrepreneurship, talent, and beauty. It has been such a privilege to see her talents and career grow. She is exemplary in every way!”
To keep up with everything Paige King Johnson, visit HERE and follow the socials linked below.
About Paige King Johnson:
Born in a quiet North Carolina town just 22 miles south of Raleigh, as a young 9-year-old girl, Paige King Johnson spent her summers under the crepe myrtles imitating the styles of Loretta, Patsy, Waylon, and Merle. Having a grandpa as her biggest fan also meant receiving the gift of her first guitar – a baby Taylor – and enrolling in lessons. After her grandpa passed, the bright-eyed dreamer carried on his memory by taking her newfound discovery to local fairs, festivals, and any other stage she was allowed to stand on. As she grew older, Johnson added “opening act” to her resume, supporting chart-topping artists like Scotty McCreery, Neal McCoy, Luke Pell, and James Otto. And with high school graduation came the realization that this was more than a hobby. The Angier native traded in horse pastures and back roads for the bright lights of Music City in 2015. Upon starting school at Belmont University for Music Business, Johnson honed in on the magic that had heavily influenced her as a child: the art of storytelling through songwriting.
The famous Bluebird Café was just one of many writers’ circuits around Nashville that provided a safe space for Johnson to meet other writers, try out new tunes, and get feedback. In return, Johnson began captivating audiences with her down-home stage presence, cut straight to the bone stories and raw country voice, reminiscent of the classic country era. In the last four years, Johnson has traveled back and forth between Nashville and the Carolinas, playing shows like the North Carolina State Fair and running her dinner theater, Country on the Outskirts of Town, that she founded in high school. Johnson’s quarterly show provides an atmosphere for locals to enjoy Southern cooking, fellowship with friends, and the sounds of classic and current country music with some gospel thrown in. A three-time Carolina Music Awards Nominee for Best Country Female Artist, Johnson’s devoted homegrown fan base continues to expand farther than just her backyard.
About PCG Records:
PCG Records is an independent record label in partnership with the Artist. PCG records will be distributed by Bob Franklin Distribution (BFD) and Sony Orchard (The Orchard). The Orchard is the top music distribution company in the industry which reaches digital and physical retailers worldwide. PCG Records offers label services including digital experts who specialize in best practices for social media marketing, advertising, sync license, video monetization, music streaming, performance rights, and much, much more. Collectively, PCG Records and the Orchard industry pros, empower artists to connect with fans across the globe.
About Bob Frank Distribution (BFD):
Bob Frank Distribution (BFD) was formed in 2013 as a boutique independent music distributor with a global sub-distribution arrangement with The Orchard. BFD currently represents over 50 companies and artists with thousands of masters including Righteous Babe, Blue Hat, DPTV, Astor Place Recordings, Big Deal Records, Once Upon A Time, Node Music, Silva Screen, Woodward Avenue Records, The Atlantic Screen Group (Filmtrax), REMT, Pra/Bad Dog, UFO, as well as artist-owned labels and catalogs including Crystal Gayle, Dale Watson, Dave Davies, Mark Collie, Darryl Worley, Lee Roy Parnell, Trini Lopez, and Charlie Daniels.
NewsComments Off on Yonder Mountain String Band Re-Release Pivotal 2nd Album Town by Town For 20th Anniversary
Dec272021
Yonder Mountain String Band Re-Release Pivotal 2nd Album Town by Town For 20th Anniversary
Double 180g Vinyl; On Tour Now Through February 2022
October 25, 2021 – Nederland, CO – Falling a few weeks ahead of their 2021 Fall Tour, September 27th, 2021, marked the 20th Anniversary of award-winning Colorado bluegrass luminaries Yonder Mountain String Band’s incredibly popular and influential 2nd studio album, Town by Town. To celebrate, YMSB has just announced a 20th-anniversary re-release of this modern classic on 180g double vinyl. Originally released on the band’s own independent label, Frog Pad Records, Town by Town features founding members Adam Aijala, Ben Kaufmann, Dave Johnston, and Jeff Austin, along with album producer and bluegrass legend Tim O’Brien who lends his talent on fiddle and bouzouki. “Wow, 20 years have gone by since I dove in with Yonder for a new recording,” says O’Brien. “It’s a good thing to look back and see what we did and what happened since.” The 20th Anniversary release of Town by Town is available for pre-order now at this link and will be arriving at Yonder’s merch table on the road and their online store on November 20th, 2021.
Over time, the songs of Town by Town have grown into classics in their own rights and are certainly considered fan favorites at YMSB’s legendary live shows. Additionally, Town by Town paved the way for the next generation of jam-grass talent who regularly pay tribute to the Nederland, Colorado-formed band—and specifically this album—in their live shows. Six-string shredder Billy Strings slides “Sorrow Is A Highway” into his live shows and Greensky Bluegrass cover “Peace of Mind” in their sets. Up and comers The Kitchen Dwellers cover “New Horizons” and fellow jam-circuit veteran Keller Williams put the same song on his first bluegrass album with Larry and Jenny Keel. YMSB’s reach expanded beyond the bluegrass community when rapper Bubba Sparxxx sampled “To See you Comin’ Round the Bend” for the track “Comin’ Round” from his 2003 album Deliverance.
Looking back twenty years later, it’s apparent the impact Town by Town had—and continues to have—on YMSB’s fans and contemporaries. “They were excited and determined and open-minded. I pushed them some, they pushed me some and we both learned a lot,” remembers producer Tim O’Brien. “At that time Yonder was exploding on the scene, gathering new fans like a wet snowball rolling down a black diamond slope. I doubt they knew they were carving out their own legacy. I was honored to be there with them.” For a full tour listing, please click here.
NASHVILLE, TN. – (November 1, 2021) – Paulette Carlson (best known for being part of the legendary band Highway 101) has released, “Branded Soul,” on CDX Records. The song was written by Paulette Carlson, produced and mixed by Mark Capps and recorded at Soundstage Studios. Studio musicians include some of Nashville’s biggest and well-known players including Eddie Bayers on drums, Mike Brignardello playing bass guitar, Michael Rojas on Keys, Chris Leuzinger adding electric guitar and Michael Spriggs on acoustic guitar. The new release, “Branded Soul” is being distributed to radio via CDX Nashville and is available worldwide for streaming and downloading through CDX Record’s relationship with The Orchard on all digital music platforms at brandedsoul.
Joe Kelly, President of CDX Records stated, “When you hear this new single, you immediately recognize Paulette’s unmistakable vocals. Paulette is preparing to hit the road for a 2022 tour and while crossing the country will be visiting her friends at country radio. CDX Records will be there every step of the way.”
Paulette Carlson shared, “I like to call this song Montana Americana because Montana remains a beautiful bastion of outlaw country, remnants of a culture idolized and sorely missed by America’s free spirits. This Montana Americana song, “Branded Soul,” will bring out the free spirit in all of us. ”
“The fire’s in the sky, he devil’s in his eyes
He’s ridin’ on the flames that we see rising
His horse is on the run, hell has come
He names the time and place for his vengeance
No way to stop the brand from burnin’
Stop the hurt from hurtin’
Stop the wheel from turnin’, oh oh no
He’s got a branded soul he’s got a branded soul…”
When the production crews and actors came to her hometown of Darby, Montana to film the TV series “Yellowstone,” there was an amazing symbiosis that occurred between Darby and the Yellowstone employees. The diversity and sheer numbers of the Yellowstone production staff sparked parties and events on a larger scale than what the town had been used to. The town of Darby, with its magnificent vistas and the rugged lifestyle of its inhabitants, imbued that signature frontier culture into the film crew and the series itself. Paulette witnessed this and decided to write her song, “Branded Soul,” to encapsulate that experience in song. The magic of this song lies within her weave of western American thematic material and the powerful rawness of her voice, the two aspects constantly playing, and building off one another.
About Paulette Carlson: Paulette Carlson, the creator of the legendary Band Highway 101, started out in life as the precocious daughter of a farming family from the northern Midwest state of Minnesota. At the age of five, the folks already knew that she was going to be something in the entertainment world. Paulette always marched to a different drum, dancing and singing for the town folks at every opportunity she had. Famous in a small town was not enough and at eighteen she was performing in a club band, writing music, and playing her guitar. Ten years of working night after night in the clubs only sharpened her desire to go out into the world and do more. She moved to Nashville and eventually put together the Band Highway 101. Within eighteen months she and the band were at the top of the charts and accepting the highest awards the country music community could offer. Top group of the year awards for two years in a row from the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association pretty much confirmed that Paulette was a legend maker.
About CDX Records: CDX Records is a boutique imprint for unique custom projects. CDX Records offers label services and distribution for artists and projects that are thoroughly vetted by our A&R Department. Founder of CDX Records, Joe Kelly, is an industry veteran whose wealth of industry experience, knowledge, and connections serve as the foundation of which our talented and dedicated team continues to build upon. CDX Records’ music is distributed globally through The Orchard.
About CDX Nashville: CDX Nashville, the parent company of CDX Records, is a staple in country music radio, serving hundreds of artists every year. While CDX Nashville’s core business is pushing their client’s music to radio, playlist curators and other media, they formed CDX Records as a service to clients who needed a way to distribute their music physically or through the Digital Service Providers (i.e., Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, etc).
NewsComments Off on Del McCoury Sings His Own Version Of The Blues with Latest Single
Dec272021
Del McCoury Sings His Own Version Of The Blues On “Once Again”
2nd single from upcoming album Almost Proud, out February 18th; Hear “Once Again” today via Relix
“Del is, of course, quite the storyteller.” -NPR’s Bob Boilen
November 19, 2021 – Nashville, TN – On his newest release, “Once Again,” bluegrass elder statesman Del McCoury leans into a swaggering, swinging, piano-led shuffle; blue as blue can get. “It’s the same night after night, heart broke on a stool under neon lights,” sings one of the most unique and recognizable voices in bluegrass music.
“Once Again ” is the second single from McCoury’s upcoming album Almost Proud (McCoury Music), a blue-collar collection of songs that reflect McCoury’s self-image of a working man who chose music as his vocation. Almost Proud, out on February 18, 2022, is comprised of four songs about love lost, one love song that sounds like many others he’s cut as a tribute to his wife of 57 years, Jean, two cheatin’ songs, 2 drinkin’ songs, one extolling the virtues of hard work, and one about a working-class hero standing up to big coal in the West Virginia of the early nineteen hundreds. Today, Relix premiered “Once Again.”Fans can give this beer-soaked blues tune a listen now at this link, pre-order or pre-save Almost Proud right here, and check out the previously released single, “Running Wild,” at this link.
Over the course of the pandemic, McCoury found himself as fully engaged and absorbed by music as he was when he was a teenager, throwing himself into listening to as much music as he could. According to Del, he listened to well over 200 songs, including some that had been in a neglected box in his music room for over 10 years. He listened intently. He listened for songs that excited him. He listened for songs that he would find interesting if he heard them on the radio. When asked about the song selection, Del says, “I’m as excited about listening to new music today as the day I started—finding a new tune or a story that tickles me. This album is the best of what I heard while the world was on pause.” With a strong idea of his favorites, the Del McCoury band entered the studio, mixing in some classics along the way—notably “Rainbow of My Dreams,” which McCoury first heard sung by a young Lester Flatt in the 1940s.
Just like his live performances, McCoury started Almost Proud with his regular point of view: “If I’m not interested, how can I expect the audience to be?” This collection of songs kept 82-year-old McCoury engaged during the pandemic and it’s part of a body of work that ended up being nearly 30 songs—so it’s likely to see a volume 2 in the very near future. At the end of the day, Del may be almost proud of what he’s accomplished, but he’s always proud of the music he records.
The Del McCoury Band will be wrapping up their 2021 tour tonight (11/19) at the Hamilton Live in Washington, D.C., and tomorrow night (11/20) in Albany, New York, at Kitty Carlisle Hart Theatre. For more information and to stay tuned for 2022 tour dates, please visit delmccouryband.com/tour.
NewsComments Off on Sierra Ferrell Announces 42-City Headlining Tour of North America
Dec262021
This album has been a top favorite of mine for the year, and I’m quite adamant that it will adorn many of the top lists of other websites in their 2021 lists. As of now, I have been catching up on so much back news and features that I am finally getting to where I can wind it all down.
There sure is a lot of news on the upcoming year’s festivals and upcoming tours that I have more than enough to cover for the next decade or so….I mean I have so many notebooks chocked full of information that I will keep on keeping on.
This album has no real genre that it can be lumped into, it has touches of Bluegrass and Folk Roots sounding tones all delivered by a top notch songstress and an even better band. This album was produced so well, that it would be a insult to overlook. More info on this one later.
Ferrell’s singing has clear antecedents—Loretta Lynn’s holler-raised twang, Dolly Parton’s effortless melodiousness, Bessie Smith’s confident rasp—but her nods to those legends always feel heartfelt, never academic. Already, she’s learned to sound only like herself.” – Pitchfork
December 16, 2021 – As Sierra Ferrell’s debut headlining tour of the US draws to a close and she prepares to travel to the UK for a sold-out run of dates in January, she has announced a 42-city tour of the States that will get underway on February 17 in Memphis, TN and continue through early May. The tour will include stops in Phoenix, West Hollywood, San Francisco, Vancouver, Denver, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Boston, Nashville, Montreal, Toronto, New York City, Asheville, and Chicago. Tickets went on sale to the general public last Friday, 12/10, and many venues are already close to selling out.
Ferrell’s inaugural tour in support of her captivating Rounder debut Long Time Coming has been an unquestionable success, including more than 30 sold-out shows at venues across the country and appearances at multiple music festivals. A particular highlight for Ferrell was making her debut on the Grand Ole Opry, which was the fulfillment of a lifelong ambition.
Critical praise for Long Time Coming:
“At this point in her upward career trajectory, Ferrell’s name might someday be up on the Opry’s wall of fame, too.” – Forbes
“…it’s clear that no one, and I mean no one, is doing what Ferrell is doing, be it in her songwriting, arrangements, or delivery.” – No Depression
“The record is an expertly curated tapestry of melody, precise performance and playful intention. The thing that ties it all together is Ferrell’s vocal, which takes center stage. It’s powerful and incandescent, full of heartwarming tone and breathtaking vibrancy.” – The Line of Best Fit
“Part Billie Holiday and part Iris DeMent, it certainly isn’t your bog-standard off-the-shelf set of pipes, but she uses it to devastating effect.” – Country Music People
“Concocting a spellbinding mix of bluegrass, folk, old-time soul and gypsy jazz, Ferrell’s debut album, Long Time Coming, documents these places and the memories they hold – crafting a captivating compilation that covers life on her own and the self-discovery that has come in tow.” – Holler
“Ferrell’s new album is woozy and wonky, jubilant and joyous, curious and cautious in how much it will give, while still wanting you to know, know, know what its central character wants always to tell.” – American Songwriter
“…the buzziest indie-country debut of the year. Ferrell, who wrote or co-wrote all of the album’s 12 songs, takes a fleet-footed tour through country styles demonstrating remarkable range and musicality.” –PopMatters
Sierra Ferrell Spring 2022 Tour Feb 17 – Growlers, Memphis, TN
Feb 18 – The Auditorium, Eureka Springs, AR
Feb 19 – Tower Theatre, Oklahoma City, OK
Feb 20 – Tulips, Fort Worth, TX
Feb 23 – Tumble Root, Santa Fe, NM
Feb 24 – Coconino Center for the Arts, Flagstaff, AZ
Feb 25 – Crescent Ballroom, Phoenix, AZ
Feb 27 – Belly Up Tavern, Solana Beach, CA
Mar 1 – Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA
Mar 3 – Felton Music Hall, Felton, CA
Mar 4 – The Chapel, San Francisco, CA
Mar 5 – Arcata Theatre, Arcata, CA
Mar 7 – Mississippi Studios, Portland, OR
Mar 9 – Biltmore Cabaret, Vancouver, BC
Mar 11 – Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA
Mar 12 – Lucky You Lounge, Spokane, WA
Mar 13 – Remington Bar, Whitefish, MT
Mar 15 – The ELM, Bozeman, MT
Mar 17 – Matthews Opera House & Arts Center – Spearfish, SD
Mar 18 – Fox Theatre, Boulder, CO
Mar 19 – The Black Sheep, Colorado Springs, CO
Mar 20 – Bluebird Theatre, Denver, CO
Apr 1 – The Basement East, Nashville, TN
Apr 6 – The Hamilton Live – Washington, DC
Apr 7 – World Café Live, Philadelphia, PA
Apr 8 – Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, PA
Apr 10 – Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, ON
Apr 12 – Bar Le Ritz PDB, Montreal, QC
Apr 14 – State Theatre, Portland, ME
Apr 15 – Higher Ground, South Burlington, VT
Apr 16 – The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA
Apr 18 – Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
Apr 19 – The 8X10, Baltimore, MD
Apr 20 – Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC
Apr 22 – The Orange Peel, Asheville, NC
Apr 24 – Bijou Theatre, Knoxville, TN
Apr 25 – Walker Theater, Chattanooga, TN
Apr 29 – Southgate House, Cincinnati, OH
Apr 30 – The People’s Bank Theatre, Marietta, OH
May 2 – Woodlands Tavern, Columbus, OH
May 3 – The Ark, Ann Arbor, MI
May 4 – Lincoln Hall, Chicago, IL
NewsComments Off on Barry Waldrep Honors Tony Rice With All Star Tribute Featuring Vince Gill, John Paul White, Darrell Scott, Warren Haynes, and Many More
Dec262021
Barry Waldrep Honors Tony Rice With All Star Tribute Featuring Vince Gill, John Paul White, Darrell Scott, Warren Haynes, and Many More
Barry Waldrep and Friends Celebrate Tony Rice available digitally today
December 24, 2021 – Nashville, TN – In the era of modern music, describing anybody as the “greatest of all time” is usually met with resistance—if for no other reason than the ever-evolving tastes of both musicians and fans—but if the topic is bluegrass guitar players, there’s a universally correct answer to “who’s the best”; the late, great Tony Rice. And today, a group of much lauded artists handpicked by bluegrass instrumentalist and producer Barry Waldrep, are releasing a 21-song tribute to the master titled Barry Waldrep and Friends Celebrate Tony Rice on the 1 year anniversary of his passing.
When looking through Waldrep’s list of friends, its apparent how far Rice’s music reached beyond just bluegrass. Americana greats Rodney Crowell and Jim Lauderdale and jamband royalty Warren Haynes and Oteil Burbridge make appearances alongside Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Spooner Oldham and Patrick Simmons and country superstars Vince Gill and Emmylou Harris. And that’s just a fraction of who’s contributed to this celebration of the music of Tony Rice. Barry Waldrep and Friends Celebrate Tony Rice is available digitally everywhere today and can be purchased at this link. Vinyl pre-orders (shipping midsummer) are also available at barrywaldrep.com.
“The intent of this album and the artists involved is to show what a powerhouse master Tony Rice was at bringing musicians and fans together from different genres,” said Waldrep. A full list of contributors is below and more information can be found at barrywaldrep.com.
Barry Waldrep and Friends Celebrate Tony Rice in the news:
Warren Haynes spoke with Relix about upcoming projects and his love and respect for Tony Rice. Read more here.
Live for Live Music shared Jimmy Hall’s version of “Why You Been Gone So Long.”
Bluegrass Today featured “Blue Railroad Train,” the song Marty Raybon recorded for the project.
Waldrep stopped by The Sound Podcast in November to chat all things Tony Rice.
Bluegrass Situation debuted “10 Degrees and Getting Colder,” the track Darrell Scott contributed to the project.
Folk Alley’s Henry Carrigan named the album in his best-of 2021 roundup.
Cleveland.com spoke with Vince Gill about bluegrass, this Tony Rice tribute and more.
Featured artists: Jimmy Hall, Rodney Crowell, Darrell Scott, Marty Raybon, Mike Farris, Kim Richey, Warren Haynes, Vince Gill, Radney Foster, Teresa Williams & Larry Campbell, Jim Lauderdale, John Berry, Patrick Simmons, John Paul White, Jacob Bunton, John Jorgenson, Rory Feek, Donna Hall & Kelli Johnson, and John Cowan.
Musicians: Barry Waldrep, Emmylou Harris, Tammy Rogers, Andrea Zonn, Aubrey Haynie, Bryan Hall, Caelan Berry, Spooner Oldham, Oteil Burbridge, James “Hutch” Hutchinson, Jason Bailey, Bryn Davies, Scott Vestal, Benji Shanks, Dillon Hodges, and Heidi Feek.
Barry Waldrep and Friends Celebrate Tony Rice Tracklist:
Why You Been Gone So Long – Featuring Jimmy Hall
Song For The Life – Featuring Rodney Crowell
10 Degrees and Getting Colder – Featuring Darrell Scott
Blue Railroad Train – Featuring Marty Raybon
Walk On Boy – Featuring Mike Farris
Early Morning Rain – Featuring Kim Richey
Wayfaring Stranger – Featuring Warren Haynes
I’ll Stay Around – Featuring Vince Gill
Song For A Winter Night – Featuring Radney Foster
EMD – Featuring Barry Waldrep, Tammy Rogers, John Jorgenson and John Cowan
You Were There For Me – Featuring Teresa Williams and Larry Cambell
Church Street Blues – Featuring Jim Lauderdale
This Old House – Featuring John Berry
9 Pound Hammer – Featuring Pat Simmons
Four Strong Winds – Featuring John Paul White
More Pretty Girls Than One – Featuring Jacob Bunton
Summer Wages – Featuring Barry Waldrep, Tammy Rogers, Spooner Oldham
It’s Cold On The Shoulder – Featuring John Jorgenson
Bury Me Beneath The Willow – Featuring Rory Feek
Where The Soul Never Dies – Featuring Donna Hall and Kelli Johnson
Me And My Guitar – Featuring John Cowan
About Barry Waldrep: Barry Waldrep is an American Bluegrass, jamband, Americana instrumentalist, songwriter, composer and record producer who co-founded the bluegrass/jam band Rollin’ in the Hay in July 1993.Rollin’ In The Hay soon became a full-time band touring the Jam Band circuit of festivals and college campuses across the country until May 2009. The band produced 7 CDs and performed over 300 dates per year for 16 years. During this time, Waldrep recorded 21 bluegrass tribute albums with CMH Records in Los Angeles for Eric Clapton, The Black Crowes, Widespread Panic, Phish, R.E.M., Tim McGraw, The Allman Brothers, Neil Diamond and others. He was also featured on the CD Masterworks of American Bluegrass also produced by CMH Records.
In September 2009, Zac Brown invited Waldrep to join him on his “Breaking Southern Ground Tour,” and Waldrep was featured on the Zac Brown Band Pass The Jar CD/DVD, along with Kid Rock and Little Big Town. During this time he met the husband and wife country duo Joey + Rory. He did a tour with them during the Zac Brown Tour, and in some cases, they all toured together. In addition, Waldrep played the Grand Ole’ Opry several times at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, which was the previous home of the Grand Ole’ Opry. In January 2013, after landing a record deal with Singular Records in San Francisco, California, Waldrep began the Smoke From the Kitchen sessions, which is a bluegrass banjo/southern rock project. This project includes artists Chuck Leavell (Rolling Stones), Paul T. Riddle (Marshall Tucker Band), Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers), Charlie Starr (Blackberry Smoke), Coy Bowles (Zac Brown Band), Benji Shanks and Jazz Grass Mandolin player David “Dawg” Grisman.
For Immediate Release—
Barry Waldrep Honors Tony Rice With All Star Tribute Featuring Vince Gill, John Paul White, Darrell Scott, Warren Haynes, and Many More
Barry Waldrep and Friends Celebrate Tony Rice available digitally today
December 24, 2021 – Nashville, TN – In the era of modern music, describing anybody as the “greatest of all time” is usually met with resistance—if for no other reason than the ever-evolving tastes of both musicians and fans—but if the topic is bluegrass guitar players, there’s a universally correct answer to “who’s the best”; the late, great Tony Rice. And today, a group of much lauded artists handpicked by bluegrass instrumentalist and producer Barry Waldrep, are releasing a 21-song tribute to the master titled Barry Waldrep and Friends Celebrate Tony Rice on the 1 year anniversary of his passing.
When looking through Waldrep’s list of friends, its apparent how far Rice’s music reached beyond just bluegrass. Americana greats Rodney Crowell and Jim Lauderdale and jamband royalty Warren Haynes and Oteil Burbridge make appearances alongside Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Spooner Oldham and Patrick Simmons and country superstars Vince Gill and Emmylou Harris. And that’s just a fraction of who’s contributed to this celebration of the music of Tony Rice. Barry Waldrep and Friends Celebrate Tony Rice is available digitally everywhere today and can be purchased at this link. Vinyl pre-orders (shipping midsummer) are also available at barrywaldrep.com.
“The intent of this album and the artists involved is to show what a powerhouse master Tony Rice was at bringing musicians and fans together from different genres,” said Waldrep. A full list of contributors is below and more information can be found at barrywaldrep.com.
Barry Waldrep and Friends Celebrate Tony Rice in the news:
Warren Haynes spoke with Relix about upcoming projects and his love and respect for Tony Rice. Read more here.
Live for Live Music shared Jimmy Hall’s version of “Why You Been Gone So Long.”
Bluegrass Today featured “Blue Railroad Train,” the song Marty Raybon recorded for the project.
Waldrep stopped by The Sound Podcast in November to chat all things Tony Rice.
Bluegrass Situation debuted “10 Degrees and Getting Colder,” the track Darrell Scott contributed to the project.
Folk Alley’s Henry Carrigan named the album in his best-of 2021 roundup.
Cleveland.com spoke with Vince Gill about bluegrass, this Tony Rice tribute and more.
Featured artists: Jimmy Hall, Rodney Crowell, Darrell Scott, Marty Raybon, Mike Farris, Kim Richey, Warren Haynes, Vince Gill, Radney Foster, Teresa Williams & Larry Campbell, Jim Lauderdale, John Berry, Patrick Simmons, John Paul White, Jacob Bunton, John Jorgenson, Rory Feek, Donna Hall & Kelli Johnson, and John Cowan.
Musicians: Barry Waldrep, Emmylou Harris, Tammy Rogers, Andrea Zonn, Aubrey Haynie, Bryan Hall, Caelan Berry, Spooner Oldham, Oteil Burbridge, James “Hutch” Hutchinson, Jason Bailey, Bryn Davies, Scott Vestal, Benji Shanks, Dillon Hodges, and Heidi Feek.
Barry Waldrep and Friends Celebrate Tony Rice Tracklist:
Why You Been Gone So Long – Featuring Jimmy Hall
Song For The Life – Featuring Rodney Crowell
10 Degrees and Getting Colder – Featuring Darrell Scott
Blue Railroad Train – Featuring Marty Raybon
Walk On Boy – Featuring Mike Farris
Early Morning Rain – Featuring Kim Richey
Wayfaring Stranger – Featuring Warren Haynes
I’ll Stay Around – Featuring Vince Gill
Song For A Winter Night – Featuring Radney Foster
EMD – Featuring Barry Waldrep, Tammy Rogers, John Jorgenson and John Cowan
You Were There For Me – Featuring Teresa Williams and Larry Cambell
Church Street Blues – Featuring Jim Lauderdale
This Old House – Featuring John Berry
9 Pound Hammer – Featuring Pat Simmons
Four Strong Winds – Featuring John Paul White
More Pretty Girls Than One – Featuring Jacob Bunton
Summer Wages – Featuring Barry Waldrep, Tammy Rogers, Spooner Oldham
It’s Cold On The Shoulder – Featuring John Jorgenson
Bury Me Beneath The Willow – Featuring Rory Feek
Where The Soul Never Dies – Featuring Donna Hall and Kelli Johnson
Me And My Guitar – Featuring John Cowan
About Barry Waldrep: Barry Waldrep is an American Bluegrass, jamband, Americana instrumentalist, songwriter, composer and record producer who co-founded the bluegrass/jam band Rollin’ in the Hay in July 1993.Rollin’ In The Hay soon became a full-time band touring the Jam Band circuit of festivals and college campuses across the country until May 2009. The band produced 7 CDs and performed over 300 dates per year for 16 years. During this time, Waldrep recorded 21 bluegrass tribute albums with CMH Records in Los Angeles for Eric Clapton, The Black Crowes, Widespread Panic, Phish, R.E.M., Tim McGraw, The Allman Brothers, Neil Diamond and others. He was also featured on the CD Masterworks of American Bluegrass also produced by CMH Records.
In September 2009, Zac Brown invited Waldrep to join him on his “Breaking Southern Ground Tour,” and Waldrep was featured on the Zac Brown Band Pass The Jar CD/DVD, along with Kid Rock and Little Big Town. During this time he met the husband and wife country duo Joey + Rory. He did a tour with them during the Zac Brown Tour, and in some cases, they all toured together. In addition, Waldrep played the Grand Ole’ Opry several times at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, which was the previous home of the Grand Ole’ Opry. In January 2013, after landing a record deal with Singular Records in San Francisco, California, Waldrep began the Smoke From the Kitchen sessions, which is a bluegrass banjo/southern rock project. This project includes artists Chuck Leavell (Rolling Stones), Paul T. Riddle (Marshall Tucker Band), Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers), Charlie Starr (Blackberry Smoke), Coy Bowles (Zac Brown Band), Benji Shanks and Jazz Grass Mandolin player David “Dawg” Grisman.
For Immediate Release—
Barry Waldrep Honors Tony Rice With All Star Tribute Featuring Vince Gill, John Paul White, Darrell Scott, Warren Haynes, and Many More
Barry Waldrep and Friends Celebrate Tony Rice available digitally today
December 24, 2021 – Nashville, TN – In the era of modern music, describing anybody as the “greatest of all time” is usually met with resistance—if for no other reason than the ever-evolving tastes of both musicians and fans—but if the topic is bluegrass guitar players, there’s a universally correct answer to “who’s the best”; the late, great Tony Rice. And today, a group of much lauded artists handpicked by bluegrass instrumentalist and producer Barry Waldrep, are releasing a 21-song tribute to the master titled Barry Waldrep and Friends Celebrate Tony Rice on the 1 year anniversary of his passing.
When looking through Waldrep’s list of friends, its apparent how far Rice’s music reached beyond just bluegrass. Americana greats Rodney Crowell and Jim Lauderdale and jamband royalty Warren Haynes and Oteil Burbridge make appearances alongside Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Spooner Oldham and Patrick Simmons and country superstars Vince Gill and Emmylou Harris. And that’s just a fraction of who’s contributed to this celebration of the music of Tony Rice. Barry Waldrep and Friends Celebrate Tony Rice is available digitally everywhere today and can be purchased at this link. Vinyl pre-orders (shipping midsummer) are also available at barrywaldrep.com.
“The intent of this album and the artists involved is to show what a powerhouse master Tony Rice was at bringing musicians and fans together from different genres,” said Waldrep. A full list of contributors is below and more information can be found at barrywaldrep.com.
Barry Waldrep and Friends Celebrate Tony Rice in the news:
Warren Haynes spoke with Relix about upcoming projects and his love and respect for Tony Rice. Read more here.
Live for Live Music shared Jimmy Hall’s version of “Why You Been Gone So Long.”
Bluegrass Today featured “Blue Railroad Train,” the song Marty Raybon recorded for the project.
Waldrep stopped by The Sound Podcast in November to chat all things Tony Rice.
Bluegrass Situation debuted “10 Degrees and Getting Colder,” the track Darrell Scott contributed to the project.
Folk Alley’s Henry Carrigan named the album in his best-of 2021 roundup.
Cleveland.com spoke with Vince Gill about bluegrass, this Tony Rice tribute and more.
Featured artists: Jimmy Hall, Rodney Crowell, Darrell Scott, Marty Raybon, Mike Farris, Kim Richey, Warren Haynes, Vince Gill, Radney Foster, Teresa Williams & Larry Campbell, Jim Lauderdale, John Berry, Patrick Simmons, John Paul White, Jacob Bunton, John Jorgenson, Rory Feek, Donna Hall & Kelli Johnson, and John Cowan.
Musicians: Barry Waldrep, Emmylou Harris, Tammy Rogers, Andrea Zonn, Aubrey Haynie, Bryan Hall, Caelan Berry, Spooner Oldham, Oteil Burbridge, James “Hutch” Hutchinson, Jason Bailey, Bryn Davies, Scott Vestal, Benji Shanks, Dillon Hodges, and Heidi Feek.
Barry Waldrep and Friends Celebrate Tony Rice Tracklist:
Why You Been Gone So Long – Featuring Jimmy Hall
Song For The Life – Featuring Rodney Crowell
10 Degrees and Getting Colder – Featuring Darrell Scott
Blue Railroad Train – Featuring Marty Raybon
Walk On Boy – Featuring Mike Farris
Early Morning Rain – Featuring Kim Richey
Wayfaring Stranger – Featuring Warren Haynes
I’ll Stay Around – Featuring Vince Gill
Song For A Winter Night – Featuring Radney Foster
EMD – Featuring Barry Waldrep, Tammy Rogers, John Jorgenson and John Cowan
You Were There For Me – Featuring Teresa Williams and Larry Cambell
Church Street Blues – Featuring Jim Lauderdale
This Old House – Featuring John Berry
9 Pound Hammer – Featuring Pat Simmons
Four Strong Winds – Featuring John Paul White
More Pretty Girls Than One – Featuring Jacob Bunton
Summer Wages – Featuring Barry Waldrep, Tammy Rogers, Spooner Oldham
It’s Cold On The Shoulder – Featuring John Jorgenson
Bury Me Beneath The Willow – Featuring Rory Feek
Where The Soul Never Dies – Featuring Donna Hall and Kelli Johnson
Me And My Guitar – Featuring John Cowan
About Barry Waldrep: Barry Waldrep is an American Bluegrass, jamband, Americana instrumentalist, songwriter, composer and record producer who co-founded the bluegrass/jam band Rollin’ in the Hay in July 1993.Rollin’ In The Hay soon became a full-time band touring the Jam Band circuit of festivals and college campuses across the country until May 2009. The band produced 7 CDs and performed over 300 dates per year for 16 years. During this time, Waldrep recorded 21 bluegrass tribute albums with CMH Records in Los Angeles for Eric Clapton, The Black Crowes, Widespread Panic, Phish, R.E.M., Tim McGraw, The Allman Brothers, Neil Diamond and others. He was also featured on the CD Masterworks of American Bluegrass also produced by CMH Records.
NewsComments Off on The Pistol Annies Have Had A Pivotal Few Years.
Dec262021
In a world of mainstream media garbage lies a few saving graces that adorn the printed media, and garner very little airplay on Country radio. The Pistol Annies made their debut in 2011on the CBS special Academy Of Country Music’s Girl’s Night Out Superstar Women Of Country, performing their iconic hit “Hell On Heels”. They gave themselves the monikers “Lone Star Annie”, “Hippie Annie”, and “Holler Annie”.
I wholeheartedly agree with the major Country Radio’s aggressive war on women on the major mainstream echelon. If you ever really pay attention and take notice to the radio now….it’s 95 percent men. That’s NOT to say it’s because women aren’t making quality songs, because there are some good females like these and Miss Lainey Wilson and others.
Despite their lack of radio airplay and lack of chart success this trio has had both solo success and success as a band. Their first album “Hell On Heels” debuted at number 1 on the U.S. Country charts, and was certified gold in sales. Their second album “Annie Up” was by far their least embraced offering, and shortly after in 2013 they took a brief hiatus.
In 2018 they finally emerged back around full of girl power, and ready to take on the world with their third album “Interstate Gospel”. That album debuted at number 1 as well, and sold 80,000 copies without radio airplay. But it is their personal issues that propel them to the forefront of my attention here lately, it has not been an easy few years for the three gals here.
Right on the cusp of their fourth album being released called “Hell Of A Holiday” they had another setback this time from Miss Ashley Monroe announcing she had been diagnosed with an extremely rare type of blood cancer called Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia.
Without haste, she dealt with the denial stage of dealing with this diagnosis, and quickly went into chemotherapy treatments. She said in an interview “I’m in a slight sliver of denial-slash-hopefulness that maybe I won’t have to hear about it. Maybe it’s one of those things I’ll have, and it won’t affect my blood like it had been after [I receive] these treatments.”
“The biggest change has been this overall acceptance and surrender of control that it turns out I probably very much needed anyway,” Monroe says. “Oddly enough, I’m calmer now than I ever was. I’m more in the moment, and I can clearly see what matters and what doesn’t. What my doctors have stressed to me now,” Monroe says, “[is that] my biggest danger is getting an infection or getting sick, even getting a cold, just because my immune system is so low. That’s what I’ve been told: Just don’t get sick.”
On December 15th, she finished her chemo treatments, and was seen leaving the treatment center ringing the bell. She is taking care of herself, and said that her blood level numbers look positive on all fronts. However what will this mean for touring with the band? Will she be able to record further albums solo or with the Annies?
I’m so glad that all the drama with Miss Miranda Lambertt and Mr. Evan Felker is over with on a major media scale, and that he is sober and ready to reform the Turnpike Troubadors now. As an addict myself that struggles with opioids, it really made me happy that he got sober even if it meant the demise of his own marriage. It seems that he is working on his issues and is mending fences, he is a lucky man his wife chose to stay with him.
I choose not to write articles focusing on another person’s detriment, but I feel this was more of a hopeful post for everyone to emerge victorious on that situation, and that Country Music retains the Pistol Annies and the Turnpike Troubadours both, because we need them!
NewsComments Off on DelFest Announces Triumphant Return Of 14th Annual Festival.
Dec262021
DelFest announces triumphant return of 14th annual festival, tickets on sale Friday, Dec. 17 at 10 AM EST
May. 26-29 in Cumberland, MD; limited quantities of special holiday pricing 4-day passes
This festival has always been one of the many festivals I feature yearly on this website, and I was elated to learn of the news on their return to activity in 2022. As with all of the other festivals, I will be featuring much more information on this one, complete with maps and videos.
Festival hosts The Del McCoury Band and The Travelin’ McCourys, will be joined by Railroad Earth, Bela Fleck’s My Bluegrass Heart, Sam Bush, Leftover Salmon, Watchhouse, California Honeydrops, Sierra Hull, Anders Osborne & Jackie Green, Cabinet, The Lil Smokies, and more
Cumberland, MD – December 16, 2021 – DelFest, the beloved genre-spanning festival brainchild of McCoury Music and High Sierra Music, is pleased to announce that after a 2 year hiatus due to COVID, the music of Del McCoury and friends will return to beautiful Cumberland, Maryland, on May. 26-29.
Today, DelFest organizers announced the bulk of artists for this year’s roster. Festival hosts The Del McCoury Band and The Travelin’ McCourys, are joined by Railroad Earth, Bela Fleck’s My Bluegrass Heart, Sam Bush, Leftover Salmon, Watchhouse, California Honeydrops, Sierra Hull, Anders Osborne & Jackie Green, Cabinet, and The Lil Smokies. Stay tuned to DelFest socials for a few fun surprise additions in the coming months.
Tickets will be, as of tomorrow (Dec. 17) at 10 AM EST, available for purchase including 4-day passes at a special holiday price of $230.50 (limited number available, when they are gone, they are gone).
On-site RV passes (again, a very limited number of these exist), on-site vehicle passes, DELuxe experience packages, DelFest Academy, and Glamping packages will also be on sale on Dec. 17 at 10 AM EST.
Music fans are encouraged to act fast, as the limited time holiday pricing will not last. DelFest’s famed Late Night programming will be announced in the coming months along with lineup additions.
In addition to traditional stage sets by these world-class artists, attendees can again expect to see one-of-a-kind collaborations, special guest sit-ins, various tributes to Del McCoury and his musical legacy, and intimate appearances from the aforementioned artists. Delfest will, as usual, be immediately preceded by the 3-day DelFest Academy hosted by The Travelin’ McCourys and other all-star players.
Located along the Potomac River in the scenic Appalachian Mountains, and personally chosen by Del, the Allegany County Fairgrounds in Cumberland, MD (2.5 hours from Baltimore and D.C.) serves as the ideal location for DelFest. The fairgrounds are conveniently located near four major airports and can be easily reached by rail or road. The city of Cumberland, MD, is a welcoming host offering multiple hotel options, a charming downtown, and great amenities that include biking, fishing, and kayaking, as well as a steam train engine and museum, and interesting dining options. Come for the music, and perhaps stay an extra day to explore the area offerings which are well suited for music fans and outdoor enthusiasts alike.
For information including camping, parking, partners, and more, please visit delfest.com and follow DelFest on all social platforms. Can’t wait until May for Del-centered goodness? Refresh with and relive the magic of DelFest on the festival’s Youtube page.
NewsComments Off on Four Albums By Ronnie McDowell To Be Available On All Major Streaming Platforms For The First Time Ever On August 6th.
Dec252021
FOUR ALBUMS BY RONNIE MCDOWELL
TO BE AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR STREAMING PLATFORMS
FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER
ON AUGUST 6 (TIME LIFE)
FANS ABLE TO STREAM HIS SMASH HIT, “THE KING IS GONE,”
JUST IN TIME FOR ELVIS WEEK,
AUGUST 11-17, 2021
Nashville, Tenn. (August 6, 2021) – Country music star Ronnie McDowell will release four of his albums featuring more than 40 songs to all major streaming platforms today. This marks the first time that the albums have been available for fans to stream, particularly those who want to hear his iconic tribute, “The King Is Gone,” as well as his versions of beloved Elvis Presley songs right before this year’s Elvis Week celebration from August 11-17. His classic albums “Ronnie McDowell Sings Elvis,” “A Tribute to my Friend Conway” and “Crazy Crush” are now available, along with “The Greatest Hits,” a collection of newly recorded versions of McDowell’s most popular songs including his #1 hits “Older Woman” and “You’re Gonna Ruin My Bad Reputation.”
“This is for my fans, the ones who have been there since these albums first came out on vinyl along with the ones who may have just heard my voice for the first time,” says McDowell. “I’ve always wanted to make sure my music was there for anyone who wanted to listen to it, and my friends at Time Life are going to make sure that if someone wants to hear me on their phone or computer or any other place they stream their music, they can.”
McDowell’s career spans more than 40 years and includes 30 Top 40 country hits and over 20 studio albums. His signature song, “The King Is Gone,” has sold over 5 million copies to date. Inspired by the passing of Elvis Presley in 1977, McDowell wrote and recorded the track which has become a favorite of Elvis fans around the world. McDowell later sang 36 songs on the soundtrack to the 1979 television movie “Elvis,” for the ABC series “Elvis” and Showtime’s “Elvis Meets Nixon.”
The Greatest Hits
The King Is Gone
Wandering Eyes
Older Women
Watchin’ Girls Go By
Personally
I Dream Of Women
Love Talks
In A New York Minute
You’re Gonna Ruin My Bad Reputation
Ronnie McDowell Sings Elvis
Just Pretend
Memories
That’s All Right
Love Me Tender
He’s Got You
(Such An) Easy Question
Angel
I Got Lucky
Love Letters
Please Don’t Stop Loving Me
All Tied Up
A Tribute to my Friend Conway
Happy Birthday Darlin’
Crazy In Love
Don’t Take It Away
There’s A Honky Tonk Angel
Behind Blue Eyes
Love Me That Way
Hello Darlin’
I May Never Get To Heaven
I Don’t Know A Thing About Love
I’d Love To Lay You Down
Tight Fittin’ Jeans
Crazy Crush
Nashville Nights
One Heavenly Christmas
I Wanna Wake Up With You
Crazy Crush
If You Ever Wanna Fool Around
Red, Yellow, Black And Red
Two Step Boggle
It Is What It Is
That Should Have Been Me
Without You
Soulmates
Time To Say Goodbye
Good Ol’ Days
NewsComments Off on Reckless Kelly 9/11 Demos : 2021 Album Features.
Dec252021
I started listening to Texas Music in my teenage years as I grew up in Wisconsin, and I became infatuated with the south and all of it’s culture and music. This band is one of my core influences when it comes to who I am, and why I began this website. There were many bands from many different genres and scenes that composed the core of my existence as a music fan, and as a writer.
For many years as a teenager I stayed in my room and spun records while reading the sleeves, and reading books on music and the people that made it happen. I studied it all from Mr. Ernest Tubb to Mr. Rusty Weir, and I studied many different genres from all over America, Mowtown, Memphis, the Louisiana Hayride and many more.
Later on in life I began to study what would become a national phenomenon called “Red Dirt”. I cannot tell you how many books I have read about this subject and this type of music, or how many countless hours of videos I have watched on these bands. I moved to the Nashville area around 1996, and in 1999 I began finding many of these bands when the internet came around.
When I went through my divorce in 2006 I started to escape my problems by delving into underground music like Roots Music and Red Dirt. At that time there weren’t many but Reckless Kelly was indeed one of them. I have about 100 albums that heavily influenced me as a man, and “Wicked Twisted Road” was one of my Top 20, and one of the reasons why I like this album so much. The songs “Broken Heart”, “Motel Cowboy Show” and the title track of that album are also on this album here. Now remember these songs were recorded way before they were released on the albums I speak of…
In 2003 they released an album called “Under The Table And Above The Sun”, which boasted three of the songs on this album called “Snow Fall” and “Sound Of Free”, and another called “Willamina”.
Back when these songs were originally recorded, there was only two of the Braun Brothers and their drummer Mr. Jay Nazz, and they only had two albums in their catalog. They went into an Austin Texas recording studio to make this album here, and as they set up shop, they learned of the terrorist attacks. They ultimately decided to continue the session, and record these demos but they didn’t come into fruition together on the original album until now.
Their friend and former guitarist Mr. Dave Abeyta helped bring this album into the forefront, which features four songs previously unreleased until now. Those four songs being “Me And My Baby”, “I Hate That Guy”, “Million Reasons” and “By The End Of The Night”. To be honest, those four songs really didn’t do as much for me as the other songs that ended up on previous albums, but as a fan overall, it still was exciting to hold in my hands and hear them.
Here is the press release:
20 years ago, on September 11th, 2001, Reckless Kelly was scheduled to record at Arlyn Studios in Austin, TX. When we woke up that morning, we had no idea how the day would end, but we decided to keep our session on the books. The band recorded 16 songs, in-between hours spent glued to the television. Most of the songs would eventually be re-recorded and find their way to an album or two, but the original demos were never released and sat untouched for 20 years, including four tracks never previously released
This year, with the help of our old friend and bandmate, David Abeyta, we’ve dusted them off, digitized them, and we’ll be releasing the entire session on 9/10/21, in honor and remembrance of the lives lost that day. All songs are sequenced in the exact order they were recorded.
NewsComments Off on Tylor And The Train Robbers New Album And Other News.
Dec252021
All of you know I am ardently working very diligently while on vacation here to finish as much 2021 work as I can. I fell behind very bad these two years to take care of other issues, so many of the albums and events are from the past year. However, the important thing is I am still getting the work done, late or not late.
I went down to Georgia a few months ago to spend time with my co-writer Mr. Joshua to see this band play in Atlanta with Reckless Kelly ( who helped produce this album ). Both this band and also Reckless Kelly both released some stellar albums in 2021, and I have had the distinct opportunity to watch this band grow as a unit, and their songs still tell stories that get better each time.
If you would like to read about the past show I went to, you can read this article HERE. Their live stage show was amazing, and I am just flummoxed that this band has not been noticed on a higher echelon from the national media. I hope that this website can help them with that in some form, so if you like what you see PLEASE BUY THEIR ALBUM.
TYLOR & THE TRAIN ROBBERS TO RELEASE NON-TYPICAL FIND
(July 9, 2021)
Produced By Cody Braun of Reckless Kelly, The Family Band Dives Into Classic Roots Country and Modern Americana Music.
Boise, ID April 19, 2021—Like most bands who tour over 200 days in a year, Tylor & The Train Robbers quickly saw their plans derail in the spring of 2020. Not to be hindered, they connected with their fans through other avenues. Launching a Patreon, they did regular virtual shows and built a community around their music. Most importantly, 2020 opened up the opportunity for the band to write and record this new album and work with Cody Braun (producer) and Rob Matson (mastering and engineering).
Non-Typical Find is Tylor & The Train Robbers 3rd studio album, and a first for working with a producer outside of the band. “It’s also the first time we’ve recorded an album of brand new songs that we had not already been playing live for months (or years) before recording,” notes Tylor Ketchum. “Lyrically all the songs were finished before we went in to record, but one of the things that Cody encouraged us to do was to let the arrangements come together in real time in the studio. We wanted to allow the songs to evolve during the recording process and leave room for creative collaboration with all the musicians who played on the album.”
Tylor & The Train Robbers has evolved into a family band. The core of the band was always Ketchum on guitars and lead vocals, his brother Jason Bushman on bass, and Johnny “Shoes” Pisano on guitars. In 2019 Tylor wed Jennifer Pisano, Johnny’s daughter, officially making him Tylor’s father-in-law and Tommy Bushman joined his brothers in the band. Tommy not only brings his own fresh approach to the band as their drummer, but he also adds a perfectly blended 3rd part harmony to their already well-oiled sibling harmonies. “Our producer Cody has a unique understanding of our band because he has also played music with his brother in their band Reckless Kelly and with his family for most of his life. Having him bring his vision to the record was really incredible.”
To elevate their sound, the band invited a few outside musicians to join them on this album–Brian Davies on Pedal Steel, Bernie Reilly on keys, banjo and cello, Cody Braun on fiddle and mandolin, and Jennifer Pisano Ketchum on back-up and harmony vocals. Jennifer can be heard on all 3 of the bands albums, but this time around she is featured on her namesake song, “Jenny Lynn and These Eyes”, and she is also co-writer on the track, “Something Better”. “We wanted to add new layers and textures to this project,” explained Ketchum. “They all delivered in a huge way.”
Tylor & The Train Robbers are known for being a tight, dynamic, hardworking band and their songs are a lyric-driven blend of roots, country, and modern Americana music. “A lot of these songs were written after the onset of the pandemic and I was inadvertently using writing as a way to process what was happening in my own life and in the world,” admits Ketchum. “Being forced to spend so much time off the road gave me a chance to really look at things from a new perspective—the band, what we had been doing, the pace we had been going and how we were managing it all. Reflecting on it helped me gain a new appreciation for it, but being home also gave me space to write about other things. I was challenged to write or finish quite a few of these songs on a deadline. I knew that I was going to be working with top notch people in the studio with Cody and Rob, so I really wanted to rise to the occasion and bring my best work to the table.”
The album kicks off with “Equation of Life” which highlights the 3-part brother harmony during the last chorus, singing a-capella. The song, “Jenny Lynn” was written for Ketchum’s wife, Jennifer. “I’ve spent a lot of time on the road with the band and sometimes we only have a phone call to keep us going until I get back home. In the studio, Cody had the vision of me recording this one as a single track performance, just me and my guitar as the foundation.” Braun’s melancholy fiddle melody is a nod to the Irish folk music sound and evokes a longing for home that is often written about by those who miss the one they love.
The title song is a true story, handed over from a buddy of Ketchum’s. “In 2019 he was horn hunting on his folk’s property and came upon human remains. The police thought that the person might have been linked to a case they worked on a few years earlier. He told me this story while we were at his cabin and we spent the night cooking up ideas about how the two fates may have been connected.” The instruments on the song help to tell the story. The line, “that’s when she started getting nervous and then her heart sank” is mirrored by the pedal steel and the guitar and bass walk along with the line, “I hiked downward to the bottom near the creek and up the other side”.
“Lemonade” featured a banjo solo and has a little bluegrass flavor, while “These Eyes” has a front porch feel. “It feels as if we were all sitting around in a picking circle, singing together,” Ketchum observes. “Johnny played acoustic lead and Cody brought in fiddle and mandolin to give it a more stripped down feel. Jennifer joined me on harmonies in the verses, and added a 4th part to the choruses. I wanted her voice to be present in the song because it was written about our lives together as an engaged couple stepping into marriage.”
The album ends on a positive note with the song, “Silver Line”. “In the midst of the pandemic and being forced to do everything in new and different ways, I had a lot of time to reflect on what matters most,” shared Ketchum. “This song came from recognizing how dependent we are on external things and systems and how easily it can all fall apart. It got me thinking about the lessons that have come from this year and that even the worst circumstances can yield something good if you choose to see it that way.”
Though the band have all been inspired by different people and experiences along their own artistic journeys, these days they stay inspired by the art they create together and the anticipation of each next step in their pursuit of this dream. “We know each other well and we bring that knowing into our songs and our live shows,” concludes Ketchum. “We work hard for each other because we are all equally invested in this music, the band, and the life that we are building around it.”
Non-Typical Find is a gem of a find, showcasing Ketchum’s lyrical talents and the innate alchemy of this family band. Tylor & The Train Robbers will tour the East Coast as support for Reckless Kelly in September of 2021.
NewsComments Off on Jason Boland Plays Pantera On The Opry.
Dec222021
Well I bet your jaw hit the floor when you clicked on the link headline there? To my knowledge no other website caught this portion of the Opry in December, where Mr. Jason Boland And The Stragglers made their Opry debut. They played the opening riffs from the song “Cowboys From Hell” which was on the 1990 blockbuster album of the same name, recorded by Pantera. That album was their fifth album overall, and their first album on a major label.
I mean, how many of us that are currently loving and proliferating these Country artists today grew up loving metal bands like Pantera and bands of their ilk? I can tell you from my own perspective I am one of them that does. I myself have a huge and deep love of Heavy Metal as well as many other genres of music. I have a vast appetency to collect old metal shirts and vinyl LP’s, and I can tell you first hand people like Mr. Jason, Mr. Cody Jinks and many others share my love and respect for the genre.
This past year has been an absolute cynosure this year, and just about every website that features independent music has been featuring his new album called “The Light Saw Me”. Right now, I am not finished with all of my album features for the year and I am going to have more information on that album soon. I can and will tell you outright this album is truly one of his finest works to date, and I’ll tell you another reason I love it so much.
A few years back I covered a show at the City Winery that featured BOTH Mr. Jason Boland and the man that produced his new album, none other than my friend Mr. Shooter Jennings! HERE is where you can go to read more about that show. They got together and swapped songs acoustic style. From there I learned about their iconic friendship, and from there I also got to witness Shooter produce some BANGER albums in those next few years.
Now, for those of you that do not know or follow Heavy Metal and have never heard of Pantera, I’ll divulge some brief information about this band that steamrolled onto mainstream music in 1989. The reason this band is held in such high regard by Mr. Jason and others is they are from Texas as well. Brothers Mr. Vinnie Paul Abbott, Mr. Darrell Abbott ( AKA Dimebag ), Mr. Phillip Anselmo and Mr. Rex Brown were the iconic ( and final ) foursome that plowed through the Metal community like a mack truck!
They began in the early 80’s as a Glam Metal band, having a lead singer named Mr. Terry Glaze who originally was hired to be a second guitarist that kind of got placed into singing when original singer Mr. Donnie Holt left. They recorded four independent albums as a Glam Metal band, however the three other members sought after a heavier sound, and hired Anselmo.
After they finally recorded their fifth album “Cowboys From Hell” they continued to record heavier albums drop after drop, pushing the envelope further every time they put out another one. Their stage shows soon became legendary and well known for their brutal and intense energy, and on the downside they became well known for their propensity for violence.
In 2003, the band had gone their separate ways, where the Abbott brothers formed a band called Damageplan and Anselmo and Mr. Rex Brown went on to form a band called Down. On December 8th, 2004 Dimebag was shot and killed during a performance by a fan that jumped onstage, and murdered him.
As of this point in time, it was reported that Heavy Metal in any form has never been performed on the Opry until now. And what better time to have it done than in December to commemorate Mr. Darrell’s death than now? So you can see the intense amount of respect and magnitude of relevance this little portion of his performance had. I think it speaks volumes of his integrity and his passion for entertaining his fans, and his love for the Opry.
NewsComments Off on ROMP Festival Announces Initial Lineup For 2022.
Dec222021
ROMP 2022 Initial Lineup Announced!
On June 22 – 25, 2022, ROMP Festival will be held at Yellow Creek Park, located in Owensboro, Kentucky. Festival tickets and camping passes are on sale now at holiday prices, get yours today!
My website has been diligently tracking and reporting on over 275 festivals nationwide for next year, as well as catching up on things I missed in 2021. I have literally months of work to do in the next few short weeks, however I plan to move on to the next echelon of music journalism and continue to be an independent music juggernaut.
This particular festival does so many positive things for my own local community that I would be remiss if I didn’t dwell upon their epic grandeur and the amazing music they include and promote. This festival not only benefits bands, but it embellishes the economy through hotels and restaurants as well.
Many of the other festivals that I attend are exactly like this one as far as patrons go. This festival has camping like many others, and those campsites often become neighborly to one another and share foods of many types. You can meet so many different people form different walks of life, from all over the world.
In today’s questionable economy and not so amicable times, music is one of the best forms of escape from the nasty news of the world. Most of the time at all of these music festivals, the people that go are like family and they all have a sense of belonging. Most of them are more than willing to welcome newcomers that are there to support the bands, and to enjoy the ambiance in a positive manner.
Headliners for ROMP 2022 include Punch Brothers, The Del McCoury Band, Rhiannon Giddens, and Tommy Emmanuel. The Grammy-winning Punch Brothers return to ROMP Festival for the first time since 2017. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011, Del McCoury is a genernational favorite for all fans of bluegrass music. Giddens first appeared at ROMP in 2011 with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, which became a touchstone performance for the festival and earned Giddens a dedicated following of ROMP fans. Guitar master Tommy Emmanuel returns after a very popular appearance at ROMP in 2021.
Also on the initial lineup, We Banjo 3 brings with their Celtic-inspired bluegrass to the festival, and 2012 & 2013 IBMA Entertainers of the year, The Gibson Brothers, make their first appearance. Rounding out the initial lineup are: Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley, The Po’Ramblin’ Boys, East Nash Grass, and Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road. More artists will be announced at a later date!
Presale tickets are on sale now, and prices will increase soon! Four-day tickets are available at the discounted rate of $165, and VIP tickets are available for $415. Onsite tent and RV camping passes are also available. Children 12 & under are free. Tickets are available at rompfest.com.
NewsComments Off on Rooster Walk Announces Dates And Partial Lineup!
Dec202021
Drum roll, please…12 BANDS ADDED to RW12 LINEUP!
Right now I am in the middle of trying to catch up on last year’s work, while at the same time featuring all of the things that are going to transpire in 2022. There are so many festivals I am featuring on here, that what seems to be overwhelming is actually a grand scheme, to where I am planning on tying in so many articles together!
In the next few weeks, I will be releasing more information on this festival ( and 45 more ) where I will be posting videos and discussing all of the lineups and sharing maps of the festival venues on this website, so please keep tuned on the website for more!
We’re thrilled to add a dozen dandy bands to the Rooster Walk 12 lineup! Click HERE to get the scoop!
The 12th annual Rooster Walk Music & Arts Festival will take place May 26-29, 2022, at Pop’s Farm near Martinsville, Va. RW12 will feature approximately 50 amazing bands, plus on-site camping, kids’ activities, outdoor adventures, delicious beer options and food vendors plus some stellar arts & crafts vendors.
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TICKET UPDATES
Certain ticket options are already sold out! Others have very low inventory. Make your move now to spend Memorial Day weekend with us at Pop’s Farm.
Our VIP & GA Glamping Tent Packages are the perfect option for those who want to arrive to the festival with a campsite already set up and awaiting them! GA Large and Small RV Passes, and all Near Car Camping Passes (VIP & GA) should also be on your Christmas shopping list … whether you’ve been naughty or nice!
Click HERE to see all the tickets currently on sale for RW12.
Little Feat tops initial band announcements!
TICKETS GO ON SALE TOMORROW (TUES.) @ NOON
The first band announcements of the Rooster Walk 12 lineup are here, just in time for tickets going on sale tomorrow (Tuesday) at noon EST.
Legendary rock band Little Feat will perform the entirety of their ‘Waiting for Columbus’ album at Rooster Walk this year! Tab Benoit will sling smoking New Orleans blues, while Andy Frasco & The U.N., and Sammy Rae & The Friends, will bring the party.
Music fans will be treated to two sets from Brandon “Taz” Niederauer, Yarn, Mike & The Moonpies, The Wooks, Sol Driven Train, Crawford & Power and Pirates of the Piedmont. Meanwhile, Mountain Heart will host “The Jimmy Jam” and The Nude Party will make their RW debut!
Many, many more bands will be announced in the coming months.
Rooster Walk will take place over Memorial Day weekend (May 26-29, 2022) at Pop’s Farm. You can count on all the RW staples at this one, from amazing music, to food and craft vendors, kids’ activities, on-site camping, outdoor activities and so much more!
Please note that we put tickets on sale for “Rooster Walk 12” back in November 2019, before COVID. Many fans bought tickets back then (in 2019/2020) and have been holding onto them ever since. Ticket prices will pick up where they left off, meaning that you’ll some ticket types won’t be starting at their traditional “early bird” price levels, because those were sold back in ’19/’20. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to everyone who has been holding onto these tickets for nearly two years now. Rooster Walk might not still be here without you
NewsComments Off on The Wooks Announce 2022 Tour, New Album “Flyin’ High” – out February 25th
Dec192021
The Wooks Share Video for Soaring New Single “Flyin’ High” Today
Upcoming album Flyin’ High out February 25th
This was an absolute pleasure to see this email come to me as of late, because this band is one of my favorite bands to see live. I was introduced to their live show on a grand scale, by attending the festival in east Kentucky called Kickin’ It On The Creek.
There is an entire list of shows below on their tour schedule down below, and I intend upon trying to get to a few of their shows next year. Speaking of next year, I wanted to sort of tie in another 2022 event that features the Wooks, and that is Rooster Walk.
I have another article coming this afternoon with information on this event coming this afternoon, and I have a few more festivals articles coming in the next few days on this website, so please stay tuned for more information.
December 17, 2021 – Nashville, TN – Good, stand-the-test-of-time love songs tend to come from unlikely origin stories, but until The Wooks’ founder CJ Cain wrote “Flyin’ High,” from their upcoming album of the same name, not one of them has been inspired by the crash landing of a buddy’s World War I bi-plane. “He had bought this plane at a good price and would soon find out why,” says Cain. “He lost oil pressure and had to take her down in front of his family who had gathered in the yard to watch him buzz the farm. Luckily he made it out.” The resulting tune is a story of two different couples, real folks from the small town of West Liberty, Kentucky, where Cain’s father grew up, that falls somewhere perfectly between the sound of The Band, Van Morrison, and The Wooks’ ever-evolving signature style. The official video for “Flyin’ High” is out today; animated by Josh Clark, the video follows the storyline in intricate, beautiful detail. “Flyin’ High” is the first release from The Wooks’ third full-length album, Flyin High, out February 25, 2022.
Rather than repeating the formal studio experiences for past albums, The Wooks—CJ Cain on guitar and vocals, Harry Clark on mandolin and vocals, George Guthrie on banjo and vocals, and Allen Cooke on Dobro—recorded Flyin’ High over two sessions in Nashville in the home studio of bluegrass guitarist Jake Stargel. As a producer, he brought an easygoing vibe as well as acoustic expertise to the project, which is the band’s first full-length album since the fall of 2018. “Jake recorded us way more live than I have ever gotten to record,” Cain recalls. “This album has a lot of solos and vocals and all kinds of stuff that’s just the raw take. There’s no click track. We were trying to get a sound like Bela Fleck’s Drive album or Tony Rice’s work at Arch Studios with Bill Wolf. That live feeling. So much of bluegrass these days is almost autotuned and fixed to the point of perfection. We were trying to run away from that quickly as possible.”
After Tony Rice’s death in December 2020, Cain wanted to honor his legacy in some way, so he cold-called Bill Wolf to see if he would master the album. Wolf wrote back, asking to hear it – and then elevated Flyin’ High to the next level. “For a guy who’s done iconic albums all his life, he put a ton of work into this,” Cain says. “Bill told me to listen to it to see if I was satisfied with it, and I was like, ‘Man, what am I supposed to listen for?’ And he said, ‘Is it fun to listen to?’ I think he accomplished that.”
Inspired by the traditional as well as the unconventional, The Wooks have established a distinctive sound through original songwriting, exceptional musicianship, and outside influences ranging from jam bands to Southern rock. While their origin stories are diverse, all four members of The Wooks have forged a common bond that honors individuality and innovation. But with minimal shows to road-test the material on Flyin’ High, Cooke speaks for the band when he says he’s eager for fans to discover these new songs—on the album as well as the stage. “This band is definitely not a band that is set on keeping things to the way they sounded on the record,” he says. “We’re all about keeping these songs fresh and new-sounding as shows go on.
The Wooks are ambassadors for Can’d Aid, a nationally recognized nonprofit that rallies volunteers from all walks of life to build thriving communities; through their work with Can’d Aid, they’ve performed and donated instruments to schools and underserved youth.
Catch The Wooks On Tour in 2022:
2/24 – Louisville, KY – Zanzabar
2/25 – Huntington, WV – The Loud
2/26 – Lexington, KY – The Burl
3/1 – Atlanta, GA – Eddie’s Attic
3/2 – Birmingham, AL – The Nick
3/4 – Asheville, NC – Isis Music Hall
3/5 – Nashville, TN – Station Inn
3/9 – Awendaw, SC – Awendaw Green
3/10 – Raleigh, NC – Pour House
3/12 – Roanoke, VA – Martin’s St Patty’s Street Fair
Hello my dear friends. I’m now in some of the final stages of completing my catching up on all of the 2021 work I missed, and that includes sifting through literally thousands of new album PR submissions! Once I finish my TOP 50 OF 2021,and 3 legal pads of past article ideas, I can focus totally on my 2022 stuff.
True, I am up against a big hurdle here of the arduous task of covering all of this music, festivals and months old information that accumulated on me while I had to step back a little bit, but I enjoy the challenge of it really.
What I’ll do here is put a few albums together that I thought were really good, and I wanted to share with y’all. This article will be chocked full of videos and all sorts of goodies, so sit back, turn on Spotify, or however you listen to new music, and enjoy these. BUT PLEASE BUY any of these albums you like!
Turner Cody and the Soldiers Of Love released an album in June called “Friends In High Places”, and as I sifted through a bunch of mediocre albums, I found one that was a slow and poignant one, but it hit me nonetheless! This album spoke to me for a number of reasons, however it’s not specifically COUNTRY per se.
You can easily ascertain ALL of his influences here on this album, his folk songwriter heroes like Gram Parsons and those of his ilk shine through the lyrics of this album here. The first song called “Boozing And Losing” is a slow and sad song of failure and self worthlessness, I mean WHO ISN’T their own worst enemy?
The lyrics are so descriptive and make you actually smell these smoke soaked clothes on a shitty motel room floor, and it’s followed by a song called “The Four Thousand Days”, which is another good luck turns sour song.
This man is a seasoned entertainer in every sense of the word folks. He has a TON of albums under his belt, and twenty years experience in the anti-folk scene of New York lead him to re base out of St. Louis as of now. “Telling Stories” was one of the pinnacles of the album here, hands down. It contains all sorts of clever, twisted visions of reality and lying to yourself, while believing the bullshit you tell yourself.
Overall, I enjoyed this album simply because it was not an overproduced Eleven song album full of crappy jam songs, and he isn’t trying to be anything he isn’t.
Mr.Hayden Haddock is somewhat of a newcomer in the Texas Red Dirt community, only being twenty one, however he is definitely solidifying himself as a songwriter and performer. “Friends Like These” is an awesome song in today’s times that every person needs, one who will tell you what people say about you behind your back. I’m lucky enough to have one of these, and if you do, this song will also speak to you as well.
“Better Than It’s Ever Been” is a superb song in every sense of that statement. Irony at it’s finest is the bottom line here, and recalling the good and the bad of the past relationships we all go through is one of the catalysts of life for us all. Also, another good breakup song was “One By One” which went from her taking boxes one by one to refereeing to drinking beers to cope with her moving out.
This album was produced by Mr. Trent Willmon whom also does Mr. Cody Johnson and Mr. Randy Houser, who also manages him, and it was produced quite nicely! Songs like “Honky Tonk On” is your typical Friday night party song you hear on every Red Dirt album, but this one also had a style that easily differentiated it from the others.
Miss Shannon McNally released a banger this past year. Now, many times I am not very impressed with an album full of cover songs, where an artist focuses on their own heroes. But when someone puts this much effort and emphasis on making a perfect album while keeping the original songs a level above the album they made, I can respect that one hundred percent!
She included so many classic and beloved musicians, that I would be remiss if I did not touch on that subject for sure. Mr. Chris Scruggs, Mr. Lukas Nelson and so many others adorn the songs of this album here. They assist in setting up an opportunity for her to present these songs from a female point of view, like the fact Miss Jessi Colter appears on the song ‘Out Among The Stars”.
She changes a few lyrics around, but at the same time delivers the vocals with such intense emotion that it’s insane to pass this album up as a gimmick or anything other than a must have for your collection. The song that the late Mr. Billy Joe Shaver wrote called “Black Rose” that also appears on the 1973 Honky Tonk Heroes album, was an amazing job on this project hands down.
NewsComments Off on 4848 Festival Announces Dates!
Dec182021
4848 Festival returns in July 2022
We want to thank those of you who have previously joined us at Snowshoe for 4848 and invite those of you who have yet to check us out.
Next year, All Good Presents will host 4848 Festival on July 7, 8 and 9, 2022.
Save the Date and stay tuned for a stellar lineup announcement and on-sale in January. Enjoy a safe and joyous holiday season and we’ll see you next year!
Team 4848
My dear friends, it is becoming that time of the year when I am working into what I call the “‘year end transition period” of one year into the next. I have so many wonderful festivals that are announcing 2022 dates, and I will indeed feature every one of them for you on here. I get overly excited to feature all of the many bands that are involved in the lineups, and all of the fantastic venues.
This festival is also added to my extensive list of 2022 dates that you can read HERE. Also, this article will always be getting updated throughout the year in many ways, and will soon contain a plethora of information for you if you decide to go for the first time, or if you attended the first one.
4848 Festival On Sale
Friday, January 14 at 10am ET
4848 Tickets and Room Packages will go on-sale along with tickets for Camping, RV Packages and Stand-Alone Festival Tickets. Please visit the 4848 Festival Website for complete details, and be sure to check out the Deets and FAQ pages for all things 4848!
Village Room Packages will move fast and we politely suggest that you do your homework! Familiarize yourself with the various options found here on the 4848 Festival Lodging page. Get with your friends and decide how many of you will be sharing a space and what type of package will work best for your group. You may want to pick your 1st, 2nd and 3rd room package choices. If you’re not familiar with Snowshoe, the resort village sits at the summit of the mountain, hosts the 4848 Festival concert grounds and boasts incredible views in every direction from 4,848 feet.
Your ticket includes 3-days and 3-nights of jammin’ live music, 2 main stages, 20+ genre-busting sets, crowd performers, craft beer, delicious food and authentic craft vendors, scenic-lift rides, Festival Express Shuttles, Split Rock Pools, climbing wall and Shavers Lake Activities including; swimming, paddle boats, canoes, kayaks, plus hiking trails, beach and lake-side hammocks.
