Right now is my second busiest time of the year with my TOP 50 list brewing in my mind as I pontificate my choices for that huge task, along with many of my usual festivals I cover turning in their lineups for 2019. This website is choked full of those festivals nationwide with COMPLETE info you will require to fully enjoy the lineup you choose.

There are so many exciting shows to attend all over Tennessee and Kentucky, and other states as well, and it’s difficult to keep track of them all but we think we do a pretty good job on our complete list. This list updates twice a week and you can find it RIGHT HERE!

A few weeks ago, I went down to the good ol’ Nashville Palace for some familiar friends and some Legends of Country Music as well. It’s always enjoyable to catch a show at the Palace, I love that area more than downtown for the easy parking, also I think the food is better. I would choose John A’s over Jason Aldean’s bee bop emporium ANYDAY!

First up tonight was a name that this website has covered many years ago at Outlaw Fest in 2014, and that name is Mr Kyle Wilson who at that time was solo.This period I met him was directly after the untimely death of Mr. Wayne Mills, who Mr. Kyle played lead guitar for.

Mr. Chad was in Nashville enjoying his own success on his own record deal, before the two brothers collaborated on ten truly fine songs to make up their current Wilson Brothers Band project, with a self titled album.

The Wilson Brothers Band features some truly fine harmonies, and one can easily ascertain they are brothers because lyrically one brother KNOWS where the other one is at all times. This band is debuting on CMT on high acclaim by viewers, and is targeting a more mainstream direction while still maintaining a more traditional sound. Make NO mistake even though it is more radio friendly than other bands I feature on here, there is no be bop bullshit or sparklebritches.

They opened their acoustic set with just the two brothers (note: there is a whole band). But I’ll tell you what, they are solid together vocally. “Permission To Be Me” was first, which was an uplifting song to me, that talks about finding a good spot to relax and be yourself no matter what. MY HOME is that place, it has my eclectic collection of music in all forms, and I face NO criticism…I get it guys…I do.

“It All Looks Good From Here” is the song that is being played on CMT now, and I myself wasn’t grabbed by this song as much as I was the others. That does NOT MEAN it was a bad song, It just didn’t speak to me like others. However their harmonies on this song are exceptionally precise, and their delivery was equally powerful.

The next song they played was called ‘The Coast Is Clear”, which was one of Mr. Kyle’s solo songs from his 2013 album Let The Time Pass. There is also a 2016 album called Look at Me Now.

“Everybody Knows” was another upbeat song that featured exquisite harmonies from the brothers, and was followed by a heavy rocking song called “Loving You Loving Me”. This song featured a video and I’ll embed this video, please go up and click on their band website to purchase their music.

Their strongest song that garnered a bunch of crowd response was called “Alabama Will”. It basically boasts about their home of Alabama, and if you don’t love their music there is a town in Alabama that will!  You know bragging about being from Alabama has become stale in the local music scene, but the direction they take the subject made it quite fun.

This new album was produced by Mr. Chris Rowe and released in early November, and was a GREAT addition to the honorable mentions of 2018 this year! I was really impressed with the new mission that Mr. Kyle has found, and I wish the band a LOT of success on the road. I got to talk with Mr. Chad who was a truly nice fellow, he even took my CD and got it signed, that made me feel appreciated as a fan. Just because I do this for media I BUY CD’s and Vinyls, I BUY merch just like I IMPLORE you too, as my reader.

Mr. Dallas Moore was next up, whom is NO stranger to my website nor is he a stranger to my TOP 50 of the year lists. I try to get out and see him any time he is in town, and tonight he played with Mr. Lucky Chuck on guitar and Mr. Mike on harmonica. Afterwards they played a full band show at the next bar over also owned by the Palace.

He started with some old tunes from his 2008 album as he played “Rollin On” from the album Can’t Tame A Wildcat, and followed it with “Hank To Thank” from Tales From A Road King.

One thing I thoroughly enjoy about Mr. Dallas is the songs he selects to play as cover songs. I mean how many people can blatantly point out he sang “Della And The Dealer”, which is a Hoyt Axton song that reached number 17 only. In 1979 he had it on his album called Rusty Old Halo, and it garnered more success in the UK than it did in America.

His next three songs were from his 2018 offering called Mr. Honky tonk, which was out on Sol Records. Although “Mr. Honky Tonk” is an older song he re recorded it in a different fashion this time around. ‘Home Is Where The Highway Is”was one inspired by his wife.

“Somewhere Between Bridges” was his last song from the new album, as he played ” Up On That Mountain” which I believe was wrote about Altamont where I first met Mr. Dallas. That was a cold, cold weekend. He also covered ‘I’m Gonna Live Forever”.

River Dan was next and believe you me I was BLOWN AWAY by this band here. His vocal delivery of the songs were completely different than the rest, and it was gritty and hardcore. Right upon his release of his new album called Baby Blues in September, he is armed with an arsenal of new Honky Tonk songs that bring out the wild in anyone.

However he began from his first album called Substance Abuse And A Woman On the Loose, which grabbed my attention right away. The opening song called ‘The whiskey” did not, I’m tired of songs called Whiskey, HOWEVER what followed blew my mind. Being a forklift driver for a job, that line made me smile.

“Mr. Can’t Do Right” was one of the feature songs from his new album, which conveyed a very relatable subject for an oddball like me, but one of the songs that stuck out to me was one called “Cowboy Music” which took me back to my childhood.

“She Don’t Love Me Anymore” was a poignant song about loosing a loved one, in fact both of his albums are full of more darkness than your most depressed state you have ever had. They are full of crutches like dope addiction with songs like “Stay Stoned”. This band live will take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions, and I’m amazed he isn’t covered by more media sources.

We all came to see the man and the Legend himself Mr. Gene Watson. His fifty year career spans over thirty six albums, twenty three top ten hits, and seventy six charted singles. He is one of the few Legends left in perfect health, and he sounds SO PRETTY folks!

He opened with “Raisin Cain In Texas” which was originally released on the Capitol Records era in 1980, and the album was called “No One Will Ever Know”. Followed by his first charting hit from 1974 also from Capitol called “Love In The Hot Afternoon” from the album of the same name, respectively.

As he belted out hit after hit like “Too Much Tequila” and “Paper Rosie” from 1977, he once again proved all he needed to do was stand on one spot and JUST SING…he doesn’t have to jump around and blow stuff up to gain attention. I mean let’s face it with a top notch band like his who needs anything fancy?

From the “Little By Little” album we heard “Sometimes I Get Lucky And Forget”, and he followed that up with a Johnny Russell song from the next album Mr. Gene recorded in 1984 called “Got No reason Now For Going Home”. That album was called “Heartaches And Love And Stuff”.

Respectively from 1979 we had the song “Should I Go Home (Or Should I Go Crazy)” followed by the 1980 hit song “Nothing Sure Looked Good On You”.  Also included in tonight’s set was the Mr. Bill Anderson penned hit called “When A Man Can’t Get A Woman Off His Mind”, also sung by many others.

He sung the Hank Cochran beloved hit called ‘Make The World Go Away”, along with the 1979 “Pick The Wildwood Flower”. He closed his set with the Dallas Frazier hit “Fourteen Karat Mind”, and the ever popular “Farewell Party” that included some mighty fine steel guitar work from Mr. Robbie Primm.

I look forward to many many more years of beautiful simple Country Music from this juggernaut of traditional Country music greatness! ALSO Let’s get this fine man into the Hall Of Fame in 2019 shall we?…..Does he not deserve this accolade?…YES, YES HE DOES!