Gabe Lee: The Hometown Kid

Gabe Lee: The Hometown Kid

David Overstreet

So… Who is ready for another Gabe Lee album? Yeah… me too!

It's been a LONG two years since Gabe’s epic 2020 release Honky Tonk Hell. While 2020 was a dumpster fire of a year for most of us, for new music it was a killer year and a year of stiff competition with the likes of Sturgill Simpson’s Cuttin’ Grass Vol. 1, American Aquarium’s Lamentations and Lori McKenna’s The Balladeer. So, for a relatively newer artist like Gabe Lee to have a sophomore album Honky Tonk Hell get listed by numerous sources, Rolling Stone, Whiskey Riff and vlogger, Grady Smith, just to name a few, as one of, if not, the best albums of the year was no small feat! This set a HIGH bar for this, his next work.

Into the Circle: Adam Hood Debuts at the Grand Ole Opry

Into the Circle: Adam Hood Debuts at the Grand Ole Opry

Erik Guthrie

Were it possible to feel history, to taste inspiration, to breath in awe and amazement, all in one simultaneous instant, the place to experience those sensations would be in Nashville’s historic Grand Ole Opry. After 97 years of bringing the best that Country music has to offer to the masses, this well-oiled machine is something to behold. The inviting, warm shimmer of the polished oak and mahogany; the soft gleam of gold and brass; twinkling lights and WSM radio over-head, all welcoming you into the most lasting of memories. These are the marvels and wonders for guests and audiences entering the celebrated building. And while debut artists participate in all this same spectacle, their experience is that much more internal, as they enjoy the opportunity to join Opry history on their first visit to the stage.

Laurel Cove Music Festival 2022

Laurel Cove Music Festival 2022

Lucas Wayne Nelson

Deep in the hills of Appalachia lies a little town on the Kentucky/Tennessee border that bears the name Pineville. At first look you might wonder what’s so special about Pineville? Or what is special about Bell County in general? Well, let me be the one to tell you. Laurel Cove Music Festival, that’s what. This is one of the greatest venues in the great state of Kentucky. Nobody sets the stage more beautifully and no other venue I have yet visited has had the incredible seating arrangements that the cove offers. Just before the main stage is a beautiful little pond that stretches across the entirety of the stage separating fans from pickers and creating some great photo opportunities of musicians and announcers' reflections in the water. While there, I heard someone refer to this spot as “the Red Rocks of Appalachia” and that has been how I mostly describe it when speaking in person. Among the many great venues and festivals in the Bluegrass state, this one stands out for its incredible display of staging and the lineup. Driving to Pineville was quite a treat as well. My wife and I were lucky enough to stay with some friends at a cabin up the hill from the festival grounds and if you are able to drive over the mountain at Pine Mountain State Park, you absolutely should. There are breath-taking views that will nicely accompany the sounds that you may find at Laurel Cove Music Festival.

Black Mountain Jamboree: A Festival Review

Black Mountain Jamboree: A Festival Review

Lucas Wayne Nelson

Off the beaten path in Monticello, Kentucky is where this story begins at a little place called Hidden Ridge. What transpired were two incredible nights filled with music, love, and all around good vibes. I was lucky enough to be camped out just a short stretch away from the stage alongside my good friends. A few of them were Austin Shuck, from WhatTheShuck Podcast, the wonderful band members from one of my favorite bands, Brother Smith and of course, nearly every band’s drummer Zach Martin. Martin definitely deserves an honorable mention for how many songs he knows and absolutely murders. It was a beautiful weekend on the hill, camped in a wonderful, shady spot listening to some of the greatest acts the region has to offer.

Born & Raised 2022

Born & Raised 2022

Melissa Payne

It’s no secret that one of the best festivals to feature Americana and country music happens every September in the great state of Oklahoma. If you thought last year’s inaugural Born & Raised was good, then year two has set the bar even higher. This year’s lineup featured an even wider range of amazing artists, with the perfect blend of well-established artists and those that are still considered up and coming. A main wish of mine last year was more females to be added to the bill, so one of the best parts of the lineup announcement was seeing so many talented females included for the second year. Equal representation on the bill is always the goal, but compared to other festivals in the region that feature artists in the same genres, Born and Raised definitely did a better job with adding more female representation on this year’s lineup.

Premiere | Gregory Childs and Heart Lung: From the Chest

Premiere | Gregory Childs and Heart Lung: From the Chest

Jolene Horihan

Today, we have the pleasure of premiering the latest single from Toronto-based independent alt-country group, Gregory Childs and Heart Lung. The single, “From the Chest,” arrives on the heels of their May release, “Lonesome,” and is carving a path of track releases leading to their upcoming full length album debut. They came on the scene with the EP, “Baby Blue,” in 2020, releasing a music video for the B side track, “Blood Ties.”

Mightmare: Cruel Liars

Mightmare: Cruel Liars

Phillip Ring

Sarah Shook is a name that I’ve heard a few times surrounding the scene of music that I find myself tangled in, and somehow I’ve never taken the time to listen to the work that they did with their band Sarah Shook and the Disarmers. The second I hit play on the first song off of Mightmare’s Cruel Liars, I was immediately embarrassed for not being more familiar, but extremely grateful that this one did not miss me, and excited that I have a back catalog to dig through.

I listen to a lot of music from a lot of genres, and usually I find a takeaway or some piece of enjoyment in almost anything that I take the time to listen to. Rarely does a piece of music just hit me in the gut and drag me on a ride whether I’m ready or not. Cruel Liars is exactly that kind of record. There is a skill that I find to be one of the most intriguing and difficult to master: Saying a lot without using a lot of words, and Sarah Shook has that skill with room to spare.

Courtney Patton: Electrostatic

Courtney Patton: Electrostatic

Mandy Mitchell

Texas based singer-poet Courtney Patton's latest solo album, Electrostatic, has been set loose upon the world, and even a precursory listen proves the musically gifted Jill-of-all-trades has put the four years between album releases to excellent use. Whereas Patton's previous work was an endearingly stripped down and lyrically personal approach to the creative process, the new album delves deeply into melodic craft without losing any of Patton's poignant and raw writing charm.

AmericanaFest 2022

AmericanaFest 2022

Melissa Payne, Jolene Horihan, Mandy Mitchell

For those headed to Americanafest, it’s important to remember one thing, you’re never going to be able to see everything or everyone that you want. For some attending, they’re there for the networking and conference sessions. For others, it’s reuniting with old friends or discovering new artists. For me, my main objective is always to photograph and listen to artists that are new to me or that I’ve known about and have yet to see, as they haven’t toured in my part of the country.

This year, the team from the Amp was able to experience Americanafest over five days. At times we divided and conquered showcases, other times we banded together and hit all the same shows in a night. At any rate, there was always a special event or showcase to keep our schedules jam-packed.

Premiere | Cassie Latshaw: Misery

Premiere | Cassie Latshaw: Misery

Melissa Payne

Cassie Latshaw doesn’t have your typical background. She grew up on an exotic animal farm near Bristow, Oklahoma and was opening for artists like Ray Price and Sammy Smith before the age of 12. These days she’s a realtor by day and songwriter at night, regularly appearing on stage at well-known venues like the Mercury Lounge in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Fullbright Puts his Faith in the Fellowship of a Song

Fullbright Puts his Faith in the Fellowship of a Song

Mandy Mitchell

Oklahoma native, John Fullbright, was first propelled upon the Americana music scene as an original member of the well-loved Turnpike Troubadours, and later established himself firmly as a gifted lyricist with the release of two solo albums, notably Grammy nominated "From The Ground Up" in 2012. After the release of his 2014 sophomore album, "Songs," Fullbright vanished abruptly into the belly of the Tulsa music collective for eight quiet years, only to re-emerge recently with a new solo album, "Liars," scheduled for release September 30th, and an evolved approach to songwriting and music production that relies on collaboration and community rather than heavy handed singer-songwriter perspective.

OUTlaw Pride Fest

OUTlaw Pride Fest

Victoria Scott

The Amp is honored to highlight the second annual OUTLaw Pride Fest, Texas’ first queer country festival. Headliner and longtime industry favorite Sarah Shook & the Disarmers will take the stage September 24 at Rustic Tap in Austin, TX. LGBTQ+ supporting artists include Joy Clark, Julie Nolen, Paisley Fields, Andrew Sa, the Secret Emchy Society, Mya Byrne, Mercy Bell, Lilly Milford, Mary-Charlotte Young, and Stephanie Cash.

Premiere | Will Payne Harrison: Don't Drink Well Whiskey in the Lonestar State

Premiere | Will Payne Harrison: Don't Drink Well Whiskey in the Lonestar State

Melissa Payne

We’ve got a fun one for you today from Nashville-based artist, Will Payne Harrison. We’re premiering his latest single, “Don’t Drink Well Whiskey in the Lonestar State.” It rides the line of being equal parts funny and cautionary tale. The single appears on Harrison’s upcoming album, Tioga Titan, out on October 21st. A rollicking tune featuring Meredith Krygowski on fiddle and Gabe Tonon on baritone guitar. It’s a song that would feel right at home being played at any dance hall in the state of Texas. You might be surprised to learn that this honky-tonk vibe isn’t the sound Harrison originally tried to capture in his first couple of albums. “I’ve always wanted to be a bluegrass musician, but I just don’t have the chops so it comes out as Americana," he chuckles. "For these new songs, I paid attention to what the fans were really digging into previously and decided that I should release a full album of honky-tonk since those were the tracks that resonated most with listeners." If you think the light-hearted nature of “Don’t Drink Well Whiskey in the Lone Star State” is indicative of the tone of the rest of the album, you’d be wrong. Although Harrison knows how to keep things light, he also can write a tearjerker.

Adam Hood: Bad Days Better

Adam Hood: Bad Days Better

Derek Scudder

Adam Hood is a self-avowed maker of Southern songs. “One of the t-shirts I sell at every show simply says ‘Southern songs’ and that's a good summary of what I do. It's what I've always done." When Hood’s lyrics are not actually checking off the names of cities around the South they still speak from the perspectives of the best of our Southern writers. "It's southern music," he says, "That's what it represents: the soulful side of southern music, the country side of southern music, the genuineness of southern culture, and the way I grew up.”

The Panhandlers: Where Cotton is King

The Panhandlers: Where Cotton is King

David Overstreet

Josh Abbott, John Baumann, William Clark Green and Cleto Cordero, AKA The Panhandlers are out to prove that lightning can, actually, strike twice with their upcoming second album. Ahead of this anticipated release, on September 2nd they put out the first single “Where Cotton Is King.”

“This is actually the very first song we tried writing with all four of us, back on our first writing trip to Marfa in 2019” said Abbott. “We even recorded it for the first album but it just wasn’t quite right. I’m glad we’re all mature enough to know when to pull a song. And because we did, we were able to finish it in 2021 the way it deserved.”

Premiere | Taylor Hunnicutt: All or Nothin'

Premiere | Taylor Hunnicutt: All or Nothin'

Kerri McClinton

You could call Taylor Hunnicutt Alabama’s Sweetheart, and for certain, you wouldn’t be wrong, but you’d be glossing over a woman who is also gritty, raw, fierce, and soulful. She might be sweet, but she’s the epitome of ‘fuck around and find out,’ and I don’t think you wanna.

A small-town, Southern Alabama native, Taylor has graced stages with artists and friends like Joshua Ray Walker, Mike and the Moonpies, Jaime Wyatt, Daniel Donato, Lilly Hiatt, Early James, 49 Winchester, Them Dirty Roses, and fellow Alabama artists Red Clay Strays.

Joe Purdy Finds Restoration and Reclamation in the Mountains of New Mexico

Joe Purdy Finds Restoration and Reclamation in the Mountains of New Mexico

Mandy Mitchell

Arkansas born folksinger, Joe Purdy has released four meritorious bodies of work over the course of the last five months, bringing his total album count up to an impressive 18 albums and firmly establishing himself as a consistently prolific songwriter. More notable than the quantity of albums is the quality and method of the latest releases. After taking a six year hiatus to heal a significant case of songwriter's burnout, Purdy has returned to his musical career with genuine gusto and is cranking out thoughtful, well-written, tastefully produced tracks at a head spinning pace, much to the benefit of loyal folk audiences who have missed his understated and pure approach to the craft since his 2016 album release of Who Will Be Next?

B.B. Palmer: Krishna Country Gold

B.B. Palmer: Krishna Country Gold

Derek Scudder

What is Consciousness?

What is Godliness?

What is the Eternal Living Soul?

What is Heaven or Nirvana, Salvation or the Brahma?

Is it All Just Lies That We Are Told?

This could be a lesson plan for a college-level course in Existentialism or the topics for a really deep intellectual conversation among religious scholars. Could be. But what they really are is the opening verse of the song “God Consciousness” from BB Palmer’s new EP Krishna Country Gold, released August 19. There’s a lot going on here lyrically and musically. The words continue to explore some of the basic questions man has been asking about his existence for centuries, set in ¾ time with honky-tonk instrumentation, including a fiddle break which shifts into an electric guitar-driven groove with actual sitar melodies and all sung in Palmer’s unique voice, which has been best described as a “barroom tenor.” That’s a lot to take in for a song that clocks in at just under three minutes.

Lance Rogers: Pretty Gone

Lance Rogers: Pretty Gone

Ryan Bush

A clean mix of wittiness and heel-pounding sonics, Lance Rogers’ latest single, “Pretty Gone,” is here - and it’s pretty damn good.

“This song is sort of a humorous song about a guy that lost his beautiful girlfriend and is trying to figure out how it happened,” Rogers said of the piece. “As the song progresses, it becomes apparent that he drinks too much and he was really the problem the entire time.”

Fresh off of the renowned Red Barn Radio stage, which features the finest of Appalachia’s music scene, Rogers' sound glowed on the July 20th live broadcast, blending tunes from his 2021 self-titled release, as well as new works - all while backed by a full band to further compliment his dusty, dirt-road tone.

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