Americana
R.I.P. Justin Townes Earle, Singer-Songwriter Dies at 38
Singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle has died at the age of 38. “It is with tremendous sadness that we inform you of the passing of our son, husband, father and friend Justin,” read a statement posted to the musician’s social media. “So many of you have relied on his music and lyrics over the years and we hope that his music will continue to guide you on your journeys.” A cause of death was not immediately made available. Justin Townes Earle was the son of country legend Steve Earle, who named him after his own musical mentor, Townes van Zandt. The father and son had a complicated relationship; Steve left Justin’s mother when he was only two years old. After Steve got sober, however, Justin returned to live with his father and became immersed in Nashville’s music scene. As a teenager, Jus...
Dawes Yearn For Home On New Song “St. Augustine At Night”: Stream
This fall marks the arrival of GOOD LUCK WITH WHATEVER, the newest studio album from folk rock outfit Dawes. Recorded with Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb (Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell), the nine-track LP is being previewed today with a single called “St. Augustine at Night”. Quiet and reflective in tone, it… Please click the link below to read the full article. Dawes Yearn For Home On New Song “St. Augustine At Night”: Stream Lake Schatz You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share of Internet rev...
Charley Crockett Shares the Origins of New Single “Fool Somebody Else”: Stream
Our new music feature Origins finds bands giving listeners a bit of an inside scoop on their latest single. Today, Charley Crockett wants you to “Fool Somebody Else”. When a songwriter sings of woe and heartbreak, we want to believe them. We want, in some part, to believe that this person has really gone through the wringer of life, and what we’re hearing is all that adversity spilling out. It’s not that we’d ever wish such hardships on a person, only that if they’ve experienced it, we can feel it in their songs. Well, there’s no doubt that you can feel it in the songs on Charley Crockett’s new album, Welcome to Hard Times. The country musician has been through homelessness, felony stints, family addiction, and the struggle of being an independent artist. Even with all that behin...
Courtney Marie Andrews’ Old Flowers Finds Growth in Moving On: Review
The Lowdown: Old Flowers, Courtney Marie Andrews’ fifth full-length LP, is an album about heartbreak and growth. After a nine-year relationship that began at the tender age of nineteen, Andrews realized it was time for her to move on and grow on her own. In her own words, “Anytime I felt like myself, I was alone and wandering, and I knew that was a sign that it was time for change.” This is a tale as old as time for many, when you realize the love you share with someone cannot grow anymore. As Andrews puts it herself in the title track, “You can’t water old flowers,” meaning, you can’t force something to grow that’s already dead. Andrews understood it was time to take the reins of her life herself, as scary as that would be, and she does this with as much grace as possible on her new album...
Dawes Announce New Album, Share “Who Do You Think You’re Talking To?”: Stream
Dawes have today announced the October 2nd release of a new album called Good Luck with Whatever. In anticipation, they’ve shared the lead single, “Who Do You Think You’re Talking To?”. Marking the band’s seventh full-length overall, Good Luck with Whatever is the band’s first with new label Rounder Records. It follows a series of self-released records including 2018’s Passwords, 2016’s We’re All Gonna Die, and 2015’s All Your Favorite Bands. For Good Luck with Whatever, Dawes teamed with Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb (Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit) at Nashville’s landmark RCA Studio A. According to a press statement from frontman Taylor Goldsmith, the recording process saw him opening up more to his bandmates’ input: “In the past, I’ve definitely been mo...
The Chicks’ Gaslighter Galvanizes The Trio’s Long-Awaited Return: Review
The Lowdown: The most infamous act in country music, The Chicks (formerly known as the Dixie Chicks), stopped releasing new music 14 years ago, after their seventh album, Taking the Long Way, netted five Grammys. These included Album of the Year, plus Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Not Ready to Make Nice”, which settled any lingering questions about whether they regretted their 2003 criticism of George W. Bush (they did not). Gaslighter marks the trio’s official return, and a lot has changed, both in the surrounding world and in the sound of The Chicks’ music. But some crucial elements remain the same: their attention is firmly focused ahead of them and on the things they care for. In the songs that focus on deteriorating relationships, and notably lead singer Natalie Maines’...
The Chicks Perform “March March”, Talk Dropping “Dixie” on Colbert: Watch
When the pandemic hit and lockdown was initiated, Stephen Colbert was forced to abandon the iconic Ed Sullivan Theater. His last guests scheduled to appear at the New York City landmark were the then-named Dixie Chicks, but they were understandably bumped in favor of CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta. On Thursday night, the group now called just The Chicks were finally able to make up that missed appearance on The Late Show with a remote performance of “March March” and a discussion about their new moniker. Asked why they’d chosen now to drop “Dixie” from their name, lead singer Natalie Maines said a change was always in the works. “Well, it’s because of everything that’s going on in the world. It was about time; we’ve wanted to change it for a long time, actually,” she explaine...
Margo Price Premieres New Album That’s How Rumors Get Started: Stream
Country singer-songwriter Margo Price has released her third album, That’s How Rumors Get Started, on Loma Vista. You can stream it below via Apple Music or Spotify. For a high-definition listening experience, you can sign up for a 60-day free trial of TIDAL HiFi. That’s How Rumors Get Started was initially slated for release on May 8th, though like many musicians, Price postponed the date due to the coronavirus pandemic. But fans can rest assured that the wait is worth it: in our album review, we called it a “valid look at what it means to make a country record in a modern landscape of country-pop,” making it feel expansive enough for everyday listening. It’s a theme that is evident in the LP’s previously released singles, “Letting Me Down,” “Stone Me,” and “Twinkle Twinkle”. T...
My Morning Jacket’s The Waterfall II Offers a Slice of Thoughtful Summer Escapism: Review
The Lowdown: In our diseased and never-ending present, 2015 feels like a hell of a lot longer ago than just five years. That April, My Morning Jacket released The Waterfall, a record that our Sheldon Pearce praised for its “stunning sonic scenery” and “perceptive, generation-bending kind of songwriting about lost love and nostalgia.” In addition to producing their best-received record since 2005’s breakthrough, Z, the sessions at Panoramic House in Stinson, CA, also produced a second album’s worth of material that Jim James and company decided to save until they needed them most. At the time, James told critic Steven Hyden in an interview for Grantland that “the two records aren’t related or anything” and that he “[didn’t] want to put it out as, like, The Waterfall 2 or anything like that....
Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois Spins a Tale by the Everyman That’s Still Being Written Today
How does the story of America begin? When encapsulating the country’s essence in musical form, which is the best foot forward with such rich, yet charged, subject matter? The opening moments of a dozen different albums produce a dozen different answers, whether it be a Tom Morello riff or a Boris Gardiner sample. On July 5, 2005, it began with a piano song about a UFO. To be more accurate, it’s as plausibly a biblical allegory as it is an introduction to civilization from the perspective of extraterrestrial life, refracted through the same passage of history like light from a prism. Its abstract lyricism is only matched by its blunt emotional presentation, as gorgeous keys and fluttering flutes propel a chorus of voices — all directed by one unmistakable soft croon. Its owner? Sufjan Steve...
Neil Young Steps Out Onto the Porch, Covers Bob Dylan for Latest Fireside Session: Watch
A few weeks after releasing his long “lost” album Homegrown, Neil Young is back with the latest edition of his Fireside Sessions. After playing at every fire pit and fireplace in his Colorado home over the first four episodes, the folk icon took to the barn for the most recent entry. Now, Young steps out onto his front porch — and into his personal teepee — for Fireside Session No. 6. With his wife Daryl Hannah behind the camera, Young delivered a set of politically pertinent songs from throughout his storied catalog. He opened with “Alabama” from Harvest before going into the Decade rarity “Campaigner”, his first time playing the song since 2008. He also dusted off the enduring Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young protest song “Ohio”, as well as the terribly...
Steve Earle on Using Ghosts as a Writing Tool
Kyle Meredith With… Steve Earle Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public Steve Earle speaks with Kyle Meredith about Ghosts of West Virginia, his new album inspired by the 2010 West Virginia mining explosion that killed 29 miners. The songwriter/activist shares how the album has its roots in a theatre production called Coal Country, why he wanted to make a record for people who don’t vote the same way he does, and his thoughts on unions being the common ground between county factions. Earle goes on to discuss the task of taking all of this information and making it a musical, why he enjoys using ghosts as a writing tool, and the stories on ghost-based movies that he enjoyed in his youth. Kyle Meredith Wit...
