Channing Wilson: Dead Man

One day prior to standing in the hallowed circle of his Grand Ole Opry debut, emerging singer, songwriter and musician Channing Wilson will release his highly anticipated album, Dead Man, on February 24.

As a self-professed “student of this world,” let Channing Wilson and this record guide you through a few of life’s trials and tribulations: loneliness, pain and perseverance. Wilson lays himself bare; sharing his experience with heartbreak and disappointment. This album wrestles with these themes along with frustration with the cost of staying the course. Somehow, Wilson manages to pull you along and most likely himself to the other side determined and wiser, no matter the price.

Dylan Earl: "I Saw the Arkansas"

Love songs can be a powerful conveyor. They are usually written about someone or for someone: whether you are trying to show them your appreciation or articulate a realization. But who said that love songs are only for people? In the latest album from Dylan Earl, he expresses the love he has for his home state of Arkansas. Today, Dylan is releasing the title track from his third full length album, I Saw the Arkansas. The full album is set for release on March 10th from independent label Gar Hole Records. 

Butts Fights Bare Knuckled with the Premiere of Blood

Kaitlin Butts debuts her first music video with her January 29th release of “Blood,” a no-holds-barred, inside look at marital despair and what it means to love a narcissist. 

Anyone who has been fortunate enough to catch Kaitlin and her band, the Asstronauts, live since her 2022 release of her acclaimed album What Else Can She Do most likely are already aware of the emotional, and deeply personal connection she has to the “Blood” track. Co-written with Angaleena Presley of the Pistol Annies, “Blood” was largely born of Butts’ own childhood experience of bearing witness to the emotional abuse suffered by her mother at the hands of her narcissistic father. Live listeners ride cathartic waves of redemption with Kaitlin as the female protagonist of the song plaintively, but purposefully, confronts her abuser with her mistreatment. All those who have ever found themselves trapped in a similar relationship instinctively understand the bravery inherent in simply naming out loud the injustice of their maltreatment, as that mere act alone is enough to elicit an explosion of anger from the aggressor as they attempt to gaslight their victim and shift any accountability away from themselves. 

Corduroy Brown: Rest

In August of 2021, we at The Amp were handed the debut record of Corduroy Brown Let Me Know and were surprised at the record as a whole. It was an indie rock powerhouse of a record that was part jubilation, part confusion, but all heart. Coming off of a fairly traumatic year, it was a record of piecing together what happens after the noise dies down and you’re left in silence to pick up some pieces. This release picks up in a lot of ways where that record left off. The main difference is that the Rest EP strips away the jubilant compositions and strips them down to in most cases an instrument and a voice. It’s vulnerable and exposing which can be tough for a lot of artists, because in that setting when things are that simplified, every piece has to be right, and with this record, it is. 

An Inside Look at Wookin’ Overtime

The only stop on the way is for a 24-pack of Ale-8-One, the commonwealth's glass bottle specialty. The 200-mile drive back to Illinois is all too familiar. As you approach Exit 130, the city skyline fades into the rearview. It’s a straight two-lane road lined with corn fields as far as the eye can see from here. Look out the window, hypnotized by the pump horse's never-ending motion. They don’t have those back in Kentucky. The landscape in the distance begins to deepen and darken as you come up on the remnants of the Pattiki Coal Mine. Things begin to feel a little more like Kentucky.

Pony Bradshaw: North Georgia Rounder

A studious musician spends a good chunk of time living in the fictitious universes, lost in the stanzas of poetry, and decides to write an album that is made of pieces of stories collected, compiled and flushed out over time. Throw that into a soundtrack-style haunting group of melodies and deep hooks with an impactful emotive voice and you have Pony Bradshaw’s latest effort on North Georgia Rounder.

JD Clayton: Long Way From Home

Without pomp, circumstance, glitz or glamor. Just honest, raw, heartfelt country music from a troubadour livin’ the dream. JD Clayton will be releasing his first full album, Long Way From Home, on January 27th.

His musical journey began in Fort Smith, Arkansas, a town known for its true grit, resting on the banks of the Arkansas river and peering over into the farmlands of eastern Oklahoma. A place where the new south meets the old west. Clayton’s father worked in real estate before becoming a pastor when the oldest of his three children, JD, was starting high school. Clayton was already well-indoctrinated into music by then. His grandfather played banjo in a bluegrass band and taught Clayton some rudimentary chords; his father could pick a few chords too. “He would sit there trying to learn Jack Johnson songs from a guitar tab book while “In Between Dreams” played from a junky CD/Cassette player.” Clayton’s dad gave him a guitar when he was eight years old, though it would be a few years before it took.

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.

Jeremy Squires: Hymnal

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. 

Premiere | Brittany Collins : Somebody

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.  

Bluegrass, but not: An Interview with Golden Shoals

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.

Andrew Crawford & Brandi Colt: In This Dirt

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.

One to Watch: Kadie Meadows

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.

Melissa Carper Bares her Ramblin' Soul

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.

Emily Scott Robinson: Built on Bones

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

Flatland Cavalry: Songs to Keep You Warm

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

Memphis Kee Debuts Wimberley

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.

Premiere | The Stubborn Lovers: Gramercy

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.

Premiere | Kimmi Bitter: I Dream of You

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.

Trampled by Turtles: Alpenglow

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.