Jan 25

Jan 25 Premiere | Mike Frazier: Tulsa

Sometimes inspiration comes to you when you least expect it. That’s what happened with Mike Frazier for his new single, “Tulsa.” A trip to Oklahoma to open for Jason Hawk Harris at Mercury Lounge, way back in January 2020. The “before times;” before we knew the world would shut down for months and our whole way of living would be disrupted. This is where Mike found his inspiration, in the “bluest skies he’s ever seen, Tulsa will always be near and dear to my heart.” Today we are premiering his single, “Tulsa.” It will be available everywhere on January 27th, which is the same day that Mike will announce pre-orders for his new album.

Dec 23

Dec 23 Jeremy Squires: Hymnal

Ryan Bush

Inhaling deep into those shadows that sway in the candlelight of a cold, dim room, Jeremy Squires has crafted a lullaby for the bruised soul. Hymnal, now the 13th album of his collection, proves Squires’ prowess as a haunting songwriter, cloaked in eloquent wording and a warmth that is soft, yet unrefined. There’s a beauty found within the pain of his sound, and it’s quite easy to lose one’s self in each phrase that Squires allows to softly slip from his lips. An album grounded in loss and shrouded by the pain that life can conjure, Squires' Hymnal faces the dark head-on, tackling his own personal obstacles of overcoming a failing marriage and the mental shambles the body endures.

Dec 20

Dec 20 Premiere | Brittany Collins : Somebody

Melissa Payne

Today we’re debuting the video of “Somebody,” a single from Brittany Collins’ album, Things I Tell My Therapist. In case you missed it, the album was released in September of this year. “Somebody” is the final single off the album and it’s one that speaks to childhood trauma, and processing that as an adult, while learning that where you came from and what you have experienced doesn’t have to define you. You can become the person you want to be, in spite of everything that you’ve experienced.

Dec 9

Dec 9 Bluegrass, but not: An Interview with Golden Shoals

Melissa Payne

Nashville based roots duo, Golden Shoals, made up of Amy Alvey and Mark Kiliansk, have been making music together for a decade. During that time, they’ve weathered a pandemic, made the choice to change their name to Golden Shoals, and continue to write songs that address the issues that those of us are facing every day, whether it be inflation, climate change, the current political climate in America, or trying to keep your head above water in this crazy world we live in. In November they released two singles, “Ain’t No New Orleans” and “Treading Water”. Although a new album has yet to be announced, these two singles are a step in that direction. Please enjoy the interview we did with Golden Shoals about their current singles and what they have coming up in the new year.

Dec 1

Dec 1 Andrew Crawford & Brandi Colt: In This Dirt

David Overstreet

The first few lines of any song are make or break. You either get the audience’s attention of you don’t. It's hard to ignore any song that starts with

“He’s been on this farm alone for 13 years Since the angels took his wife

Just turned 82, heading through The sunset years of life

We tried to convince him that he needs to sell it all and move to town But every time we bring it up

He grabs his cane and reaches for the ground

This is another great open from the South Carolina, Red Clay, duet power couple of Andrew Crawford and Brandi Colt. Their new single “In this Dirt” will be the first salvo, fired for effect, for their upcoming duet album aptly titled CrawfordColt.

Nov 18

Nov 18 One to Watch: Kadie Meadows

Ryan Bush

I’ve found that when Kadie Meadows sings, the world isn’t such a damn cold place.

The self-dubbed “Sad Song Sally” has a way with words - A real-life Appalachian siren, breathing her poetry into the dusty hollows of the Tri-State Region and beyond.

Inspired by her buckeye roots - Zanesville, Ohio for those of us keeping track - Meadows has been gaining hefty steam following her 2021 inaugural album, Memory Lane, pulling words and creativity from the experiences that life has thrown before her.

Nov 17

Nov 17 Melissa Carper Bares her Ramblin' Soul

Mandy Mitchell

Directly on the heels of her critically acclaimed 2021 LP, Daddy's Country Gold, Melissa Carper barrels into the homestretch of 2022 with a jumping and jovially jazzy new release, Ramblin' Soul. Sure to further intoxicate an already captivated and ever expanding following, the 13 track LP boasts lyrics that read as a romantic vagabond autobiography melded deftly with that distinctive Carper sound born of the blues, the earliest of rock-'n'-roll, classic country, western swing, and steeped in steadfast soul.

Nov 10

Nov 10 Emily Scott Robinson: Built on Bones

Jolene Horihan

Built on Bones has a mystical vibe and although “spooky season” may have come and gone, the latest project from Emily Scott Robinson is a twist on a familiar tragic tale that has stood the test of time – dating back to the Elizabethan era of the 1600s. Robinson’s Built on Bones delves into the story of The Three Witches of Macbeth. The collection of songs came to be when friend and theatre director, Colin Sullivan, requested Emily compose music for a production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth at th

Nov 7

Nov 7 Flatland Cavalry: Songs to Keep You Warm

David Overstreet

Imagine yourself, after a hard day, reclining by a bonfire with the one you love, wrapped in a blanket. The night is crisp and the sky is filled with stars. Taking in all of God’s natural beauty… This is the best way that I can describe Flatland Cavalry’s new EP Songs To Keep You Warm. It is all that, in sonic form. The overall effect of the album is low key, but not to be confused with lacking in depth or content.
Unlike their previous releases the band went with a slower paced, acoustic sound. One that carries this theme well. Cleto says of the new EP that

Nov 3

Nov 3 Memphis Kee Debuts Wimberley

Mandy Mitchell

Memphis Kee has partnered with Adam Odor and yellow DOG Studios in the Texas Hill Country for his October 28th album release Wimberley, titled after the location of its conception. A rollicking mix of Hill Country Rockabilly, Americana, and Roots, Wimberley leans heavily on Kee's personal experiences while adhering to no genre in particular, resulting in a unique collection of songs reminiscent of the sound of early pioneers in Red Dirt and amped up with a healthy helping of 90's rock.

Nov 3

Nov 3 Premiere | The Stubborn Lovers: Gramercy

Melissa Payne

We’ve got another new single to premiere for you this week. Today’s tune is from the Americana group, The Stubborn Lovers. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, the band is made up of Jenny Taylor-, bassist and the primary songwriter of the group, Mandy Allen-, singer/guitarist and Michael “Pearl” Nelson on drums. Their upcoming album, Come a Reckoning is out on November 18th, but today we’ve got their latest single, “Gramercy” to share with you.

Nov 1

Nov 1 Premiere | Kimmi Bitter: I Dream of You

Melissa Payne

oday we are excited to share a sneak peek of a new video from Kimmi Bitter, a self-described “Americana throwback” by the way of California, her video for the single, “I Dream of You” is out everywhere on November 3rd. Although Kimmi has released a few singles since her EP in 2019, this single will be one featured on her upcoming full-length album, due out in 2023.

Oct 31

Oct 31 Trampled by Turtles: Alpenglow

Ryan Bush

For nearly 20 years, the perfect-storm sextet that is Trampled By Turtles has continued to toe the line with creative sounds and unforgettable lyrics, establishing the band as one of the most voracious touring acts in the country. With their tenth studio album, Alpenglow, TBT shows no signs of faltering behind the new release. A testament to the edges that the band harmoniously blurs between the stomping realm of Bluegrass and the driving rhythms of solid Rock-n-Roll, Trampled By Turtles have always stirred the music genre cauldron with their poetic verse and spot-on sound: Always flawless, always original.

Oct 28

Oct 28 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.

Oct 27

Oct 27 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.

Oct 20

Oct 20 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.

Oct 19

Oct 19 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.

Oct 18

Oct 18 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.

Oct 14

Oct 14 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.”

Oct 13

Oct 13 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.