THE SCENE It’™s a glass half empty, glass half full kind of situation. The Americana Music Association awards and conference is an event that I eagerly await and always enjoy every year (mild understatement). A chance to catch up with friends both old and new, gain some knowledge at the panel discussions, and, of course, […]
Brendan & the Strangest Ways – Are We Sure the Dawn Is Coming?
As documented by everyone from Ken Burns on down, country music came out of the fields of the South and the mountains of Appalachia. Alt-country, on the other hand, has its roots in the urban centers of the Rust Belt, like St. Louis, Chicago, and Pittsburg. Based on the new album from Brendan & the […]
Heidi Newfield on Twizzlers and Never Having a “Plan B”
Heidi Newfield talks about investing in real estate, her transition from a tour van to a tour bus, and her dog Gustus.
Erinn Peet Lukes Video Premiere – Small Town Hero
I was fortunate enough to come across Erinn Peet Lukes when she came out with her first EP a couple of years ago. Since then I learned she’d been with a band for several years and they gained some notoriety with a cover of a Guns ‘n’ Roses hit. Last year they put out an […]
Suzi Ragsdale Premiere – Live Until You Die Video
Sometimes you just have to give in to temptation and root for the favorite. That’s kind of how I felt when I heard Suzi Ragsdale’s new EP, Ghost Town. Suzi has toured with Guy Clark and Darrell Scott. She’s sang on over 60 albums from a who’s who of Nashville, and had her songs recorded […]
Curtis Grimes Premiere – Still A Little Country Left
Curtis Grimes is an interesting guy. Besides being Male Vocalist Of the Year a couple of years ago for the Texas Country Music Association, he models jeans, sells bibles, and acts in national TV commercials. I guess that makes him kind of an all-American kid. A lot of his music reflects that idea of a […]
Kelley Swindall – You Can Call Me Darlin’ If You Want
Regret is an interesting emotion. For some people, it’s a melancholy tickle in the back of their mind. For others, it’s a pair of blinders that forces them straight ahead when they have so many choices. Finally, some use regret as the engine that propels them to greater heights. On her new album, You Can […]
Zephaniah OHora on Music Industry Business Models and Visiting Harrisburg, PA
Singer-songwriter Zephaniah OHora talks about a powered beer cooler, a sensitive van key fob, and his preferred business model for the future of music.
The Good Part – A Premiere from Ted Russell Kamp
Down in the Den, the latest album from Ted Russell Kamp, is one heck of a fun listen. It offers fourteen tracks that veer effortlessly from the feisty rock ‘n’ roll opener “Home Sweet Hollywood†to the New Orleans riverboat vibe of “Waste a Little Time†to the honk-tonk of “My Turn to Cryâ€, all […]
It’s Alright Just to Be – a Premiere from Isaac Hoskins
Songs really don’t come much better than “It’s Alright Just to Beâ€. The acoustic ballad starts with a random encounter between the singer and a drunk man at a bar. As the man’s heartbreaking story emerges, the singer considers the false assumptions he made about the man. A musical pause transitions the song into a […]