John Baumann: Country Shade

John Baumann: Country Shade

Derek Scudder

I fear we’re living in the strangest of times /

Where no matter where you stand /

You’re always on opposing sides /

John Baumann seems to sum up 2020 with those lines from “The Country Doesn't Sound the Same,” the opening track of his latest record Country Shade. With the COVID-19 pandemic bringing live music to a sudden halt, the usual cycle of touring to promote a new release has kept Baumann off the road and you may have missed out on this record when it came out in June. It deserves a closer look.

Interview with The Jensen Sisters

Interview with The Jensen Sisters

Erin Elizabeth

On the list of things synonymous with Minnesota, country music isn’t exactly one of them. For The Jensen Sisters, that leaves plenty of room to blaze a trail all their own. Which is exactly what the young songwriters are doing. It was only 5 years ago sisters Kansas (17) and Kendra (20) kicked off their musical careers, performing Waylon Jennings’ “Good Hearted Woman” on a whim in their high school talent show. “That was the moment. If there was ever one moment for us, that was it,” says Kendra. “It was such a natural snowball. That’s how I would describe it. We didn’t even conscientiously realize we were becoming musicians. It just kind of happened. I’m lucky that it’s never felt like something we had to push. It’s always just been something we’re behind and it keeps pulling us.”

Malin Pettersen: Wildhorse

Malin Pettersen: Wildhorse

Melissa Payne

Have you heard of Nordicana music? If you’re like me, you probably consider yourself well-versed in most things relating to the Americana music genre. However, until the recent album release of “Nordicana artists” like The Northern Belle, I confess that I’d never heard of the term. It’s a term used for artists from Scandanavian countries who are making folk and Americana music. Which brings me to Malin Petterson, the subject of this review and her new album, Wildhorse. Wildhorse is the album that you’re going to reach for on the rough days to brighten your spirits. That’s not to say that the album doesn’t have his slower, thoughtful and even sad songs, but Malin’s warm vocals are enough to bring a bit of color to any gray day.


Premiere: Tiffany Williams | Ticket to the Moon

Premiere: Tiffany Williams | Ticket to the Moon

Jolene Horihan

I immediately fell in love with the music of Tiffany Williams when I heard her January 2019 debut EP, When You Go. Her haunting, yet stunning vocals are the immediate draw, but upon more attentive listening, you are captivated by the detailed lyricism. It’s no wonder as Williams is a former English teacher and an award-winning fiction writer. Tiffany has resided in Nashville for a handful of years now, but her love for her East Kentucky roots always shines through in her writing. The generations of pride, hard work, heartache, loss and redemption shine through in everything she pens. Her most recent work from this year is remarkable and only stands to solidify her rise to the pinnacle of the Appalachian artists that are dominating the country and folk music scene as of late. Premiering today, is her latest single of 2020, Ticket to the Moon.

An Interview with Izzy Heltai

An Interview with Izzy Heltai

Jessie Pugh Weiss

If the goal is for a collection of songs to become a whole -- a sum of sustenance, an entirety -- Izzy Heltai accomplishes that with his debut album Father, each track serving as a stepping stone on a single path of discovery.

With arrangements by his childhood friend Micah, recorded at Sleeper Cave Records in his home state of Massachusetts and produced by Sophie Buskin, who also provides backing vocals and harmonies on the record, you get a sense of home and comfort along the way. Even without dissecting the moving lyrics and the undercurrent of growth and resolution, these are the tales of a person in bloom -- not so much the sunlit bursting of a garden bud but more the fuzzy unfurling of a woodland fern, the success of pushing up and through the ground covering that had nourished when it could have smothered.



Great Peacock: Forever Worse Better

Great Peacock: Forever Worse Better

Derek Scudder

“Don’t quit your day job” is the standard insult used by hecklers to put down performers, but the new Great Peacock record, Forever Worse Better, took shape as part of band frontman/guitarist Andrew Nelson’s day job. That job has him driving a truck delivering meat from a small farm to restaurants around the southeast. It gives him plenty of alone time which leads to inspiration for writing songs. Nelson says he would use phone apps to record lyrics and work out basic arrangements while he was on the road between deliveries. With the 2020 pandemic shutting down the live music industry, Nelson was happy to have that day job.


Michael Bernard Fitzgerald: Love Valley

Michael Bernard Fitzgerald: Love Valley

David Overstreet

Michael Bernard Fitzgerald is a Canadian singer/songwriter who has collected an audience of fans across North America drawn to simple honest words and a genuine smile. Having released four full-length albums to date, Fitzgerald has spent his career since 2006 creating music, touring, developing as a songwriter, and connecting with audiences. Fitzgerald’s unique and innovative ideas coupled with his inherent warmth allow him to engage with people in a way that always leaves them meaningfully connected.

Love Valley is the culmination of Fitzgerald’s experience as a songwriter and the warm vibe achieved on the LP is something he is carrying over to his live shows. Faced with very few options for touring due to COVID-19, Fitzgerald came up with the idea to set up the Greenbriar Tent in his own backyard in Calgary where he played an intimate concert for a handful of folks Tuesday through Saturday night each week. Guests were treated to a concert and conversation.


49 Winchester: III

49 Winchester: III

Jonathan Oost

he Appalachian region of Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Virginia has a rich tradition of country music, however it does seem like a tidal wave of talent has emerged from the region over the last seven or eight years. 49 Winchester hails from Russell County, VA (minutes from the birthplace of country music, Bristol, TN) with a sound they brand as “Appalachian Soul”. An eclectic mix of country, blues, soul, and rock n roll that blends them together effortlessly with a five piece band (Isaac Gibson- Vocals/Guitar, Bus Shelton- Guitar, Chase Chafin- Bass, Noah Patrick- Steel Guitar, Dillon Cridlin- Drums)


Laid Back Country Picker: Kingsport

Laid Back Country Picker: Kingsport

Ryan Bush

That sound you hear ripping through the valley and rambling over the hill is proudly brought to you by Laid Back Country Picker and his newest album, Kingsport

A stalwart in the musically-enriched soil of Eastern Kentucky, Laid Back puts his talent to work with a combination of witty storytelling, head-bouncing rhythm, and some electric guitar work that is nothing short of precise and, sometimes, down right mesmerizing.

Released by Hickman Holler Records, the label owned by Tyler Childers, Laid Back was immersed in an unbelievable wealth of talent, including Producers David Ferguson and Kenny Miles out of The Butcher Shoppe recording studio in Nashville, Tennessee, Kingsport is a testament to what happens when creative forces combine – including the album art of the one-and-only Jimbo Valentine. Backed by the likes of Hayden Miles on drums, Russ Pahl on guitars, JT Cure on bass, Jesse Wells on Fiddle/Banjo and Honey (Laid Back’s sweetie) with backing vocals, there is something that is, undeniably, the “Laid Back” sound. Oh, Shady Boggs offers his talents with vocals as well. Let’s not forget him.

Band of Heathens: Stranger

Band of Heathens: Stranger

Phillip Ring

We as a nation, as a people, as music lovers in the age of social media face an odd conflict. Americana and “southern” identity while not wholly unapproached, is again under the bright lights of the musical landscape. The contrast of artists you hear on the radio and indie scenes that are “dirt road, cold beer, eagles and AMERICA!” to the soft spoken compassion and activist songwriting of others saying “listen, look, we have to protect those who need us.” It can be confusing and polarizing. Are we acting on the same information? Is that information filtered to us correctly? This isn’t intended to lay out some “secret liberal leftist agenda” or convince you to “Stand By,” so put your papaw’s shotgun away and don’t come hunt me down in my little corner of southwest Virginia paradise. It’s an important backdrop for an album that asks by and large what we’re all asking in our confused southern drawl, “huh?” While some people are firmly set in their beliefs, there are a lot of people who just wonder, how do we make sense of any of this? What agency and impact do I have? What choice do I have? Does my voice matter?

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival 2020

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival 2020

Jolene Horihan

Typically occurring in San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Park, the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival will be switching gears to provide its attendees a virtual experience in 2020. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 virus, measures were taken to keep the fans, artists, and staff safe, as well as adhering to California’s statewide mandate against large public gatherings, while still producing a high caliber musical and community-focused event. One thing that has never changed, is the custom of this festival to remain free to its attendees. Warren and Chris Hellman initiated the festival as a gift to the City of San Francisco by sharing their love of American Roots music. Celebrating its 20th year, it was important to the Hellman Foundation, who oversees the festival, to maintain their tradition. Part of the celebration broadcast will include new performance footage, archival sets, as well as fan and staff memories from previous festival years.


Bonnie Whitmore: Last Will & Testament

Bonnie Whitmore: Last Will & Testament

Derek Scudder

Fed up with being told to “just shut up and sing,” Bonnie Whitmore has taken the offensive and turned some of today’s major talking points into songs with a message. “I thought, fine, I’m just going to sing what I want to talk about,” she says about her new release, Last Will & Testament (Aviatrix Records). While many artists have stayed far away from taking any position on controversial topics, Whitmore tackles such serious issues as rape culture, suicide, loss, and the widening divide in American society in a genre-bending collection of songs that showcase her incredible voice. Bonnie has never been shy about dealing directly with serious matters in a conversational manner. Her previous release, Fuck With Sad Girls, is full of social commentary and Whitmore considers Last Will & Testament to be a sequel of sorts to that 2016 breakthrough album. Her earlier records were more Americana in feeling, but with her more recent releases she has focused more on personal topics including her depression and feelings of vulnerability.




Rye Davis | Cut to Tape

Rye Davis | Cut to Tape

Kody McDowell

Some people may say that country music is dead.

At first listen, Rye Davis' most recent release, Cut to Tape, will prove that to be untrue with distinguishing vocals and powerful lyrics we can all relate to. The Kentucky native released his first album, A Story to Tell, in 2018 with great success. That album included such hits as "She'd Know" and "They All Know My Name." Davis, along with wife, creative partner and manager, Brandy co-wrote all of the songs on both the previous album and the new EP. Taylor Kropp, a long-time friend, plays a major role in this project as both producer and musician, on electric guitar. They are joined by Scott Neubert on pedal steel guitar. The new EP, Cut to Tape, is composed of five songs and takes off with "If You Wanna Rock and Roll," which embodies a high-speed honky-tonk feel with powerful dueling electric and steel guitars. Davis portrays to us the story of life on the road with its trials and tribulations that all musicians face in the name of keeping music alive and well. This song is the most autobiographical on the EP as the lyrics state "out here on the highway is the only life I know, and you ain't got time for nothing else if you wanna rock and roll."


Lyman Ellerman: Closer to Home

Lyman Ellerman: Closer to Home

Jolene Horihan

Writing sad songs is what Lyman Ellerman claims to do best and I don’t typically disagree with his own assessment, except in the case of his latest album. Closer to Home, rather, is full of sentiment, camaraderie, love, faith, and hope. This album will fill your heart full of exactly what we need at a time like this: the things that matter to you most. It’s about shared experiences and realizing that pure joy comes from the simple things in life. Sometimes these are the things we often take for granted. Lyman has lived enough life to understand this and he has the lyrical prowess to put those feelings into words. This album is a tribute to those special moments and relationships that balance our life. It should be a reminder that those we surround ourselves with can have the ability to fill us up with contentment when we need it most. Not to be taken too lightly, Ellerman, in his usual fashion does tackle some difficult topics as well. Humanity and humility are always the common denominators.

Mike McClure: Looking Up

Mike McClure: Looking Up

Melissa Payne

Red Dirt music legend, Mike McClure is set to release his new album, Looking Up, on Friday, September 25, 2020. The album was recorded and produced at his own Boohatch Studio in Ada, Oklahoma with partner Chrislyn Lawrence. The album is an incredible creation that represents self-renewal, almost a spiritual reawakening that has him sober and appreciative of living life in the moment. McClure and Lawrence have magnificently created a “page turner” of songs that are a representation of the past five years in the life of Mike McClure.

James Steinle: The Man From the Mountain

James Steinle: The Man From the Mountain

David Overstreet

The Man from the Mountain isn’t just unique for James Steinle, it is truly unique. From what I have heard he set out to create a concept album along the lines of Pink Floyd’s The Wall, The Who’s Tommy or Rush’s 2112. Each song is written to tell a part of the overall story. But what sets this album apart is that while those iconic works are polished full band albums, The Man from the Mountain has an unpolished, rough sound. Most of the tracks are just the singer and a guitar. In some instances, it’s just James reading a poem. All of this lends itself well to the rough frontier nature of the characters depicted in the story. Another interesting aspect of this album is that the story is told in reverse. What is known as “retrospective narrative,” and if you had to look up this concept, you aren’t alone; I just did too. So, you hear the ending first and then you get to

Brennen Leigh: Prairie Love Letter

Brennen Leigh: Prairie Love Letter

Victoria Scott

Each of us has a story, transcribed by miles on the soles of our boots and woven by years through the sinew of our hearts. Some of us get to share our stories with friends, commiserating over crossed paths. Others, like Brennen Leigh, are talented enough to weave an entire town’s worth of stories through anecdotes of its people. Her new album Prairie Love Letter lays testament to the sweet midwestern heddles serving the loom for common threads in many of our stories. “This is a collection of songs about my childhood home: the line between Western Minnesota and Eastern North Dakota,” Leigh says. “I’ve lived away for eighteen years and been homesick every one of them.”

A Look Back: Kickin' It On the Creek 2019

A Look Back: Kickin' It On the Creek 2019

Jolene Horihan

My 1750-mile solo trip to and from Kickin’ It on the Creek (KIOTC) was a journey in many senses of the word. I’m not used to traveling that far by car alone. But for something as special as this festival, I knew I had to do it. I stopped along the way there and back home to visit with and stay with dear friends that I don’t see often enough. I reluctantly, at first, but ultimately savored going off the grid for four days. I caught up with friends and acquaintances, and met some new life-long ones. It’s so refreshing to be surrounded by like-minded folks who are genuinely passionate about the music and are equally kind. So many people from all over the country have welcomed this Nebraska girl into their homes and into their circle of friends. I struggle to find the right words to express how I felt and what I experienced at Kickin’ It on the Creek. Spiritual, soul-cleansing, uninhibited, heart-warming, relaxing, safe, nurturing, kindness, family, community, and fellowship are just a handful of the words I could use in my description. I think everyone’s description would be a little different, but I know we all came away with the same satisfied feeling. If you’ve been to one of the four previous festivals, then you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t experienced a trip to the Wolf Pen Branch on Little Ross’ Creek, then I highly encourage you to make it a priority.

Juliet McConkey: Disappearing Girl

Juliet McConkey: Disappearing Girl

David Overstreet

Now for those not familiar with Juliet and her work, she was born and raised in central Virginia, deep in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Juliet McConkey has always possessed a deep understanding of nature and interpersonal relationships that only comes from a rural upbringing. That is articulated sincerely and thoughtfully in her songwriting.
Since relocating to Texas in the summer of 2018 she has entered the regional scene with nothing short of a meteoric ascent. She was the winner of the Blue Light Singer/Songwriter Competition in 2018 (which took place at the legendary venue in Lubbock, Texas). This has garnered high praise and respect from her fellow musicians in the Texas music scene. Since then she has cut her teeth performing weekly residencies at storied Texas institutions such as Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos and Riley’s Tavern in New Braunfels.


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