Last month, genre-defying artist Lily Rose released her long-awaited first full-length album, I Know What I Want, independently via Lily Rose Music. The project marks a defining moment in Rose's career, a project shaped by persistence, creative freedom, and a deep love for the songs themselves.
Over the last four years, Rose has written nearly 800 songs, thoughtfully curating the 13-track collection. Some songs are newer additions to her catalog, while others have long held a place in her heart, waiting for the right moment to be heard.
The album reflects an important shift. For the first time in years, Rose felt she had true creative control, and the result is a project that represents her refusal to stay down, her commitment to get back up, and her clarity of vision.
"I signed my first record deal just shy of five years ago. I think I really needed to find myself as part of the Music Row community," Rose tells us exclusively. "I had been in Nashville plenty of years beforehand, and going after this career, but we took a lot of time making sure that I had the correct songwriters in the room with me and all of that to make some magic happen. We wrote a lot of songs. I would've loved to have an album out a little bit sooner, but I couldn't be happier that it happened the timing that it did because all 13 of these songs are exactly what I want on an album."
The new record follows her 2024 Runnin' Outta Time EP and 2021 debut Stronger Than I Am, capturing a new level of confidence and perspective in her sound.
Lily is currently on the road, bringing her powerhouse live show to stages across North America. Dates are scheduled through November 22nd in Phoenix, Arizona.
After her breakout 2020 viral hit “Villain” was released, the Atlanta native went from local favorite to national name practically overnight – landing a record deal, joining tours with Sam Hunt, Luke Bryan, and Shania Twain, national TV performances, and racking up accolades including an ACM Best New Female Artist nomination and GLAAD’s Outstanding Breakthrough Artist Award.
The Boxmasters, featuring Billy Bob Thornton (or Bud as he's known in the band) and JD Andrew, recently released their latest album, Pepper Tree Hill, marking the group's 19th release. The project showcases their love of the Sixties and the inspiration of their studio, also named Pepper Tree Hill.
The song "Pepper Tree Hill" features legendary trumpeter and bandleader Herb Alpert and longtime collaborator and Boxmaster alum Brad Davis. The title track is "a salute to the creative atmosphere that The Boxmasters thrive in."
"Pepper Tree Hill is the property where my family and I live, and it’s also where our studio is, and we call the studio Pepper Tree Hill. The studio is at the bottom of the hill, and the house is at the top of the hill. It’s a very steep climb up the driveway, and it's lined with pepper trees. And so we thought that was just a natural name, you know, you got a little little Beatle reference in there," Thornton tells us from the group's tour bus before Andrew interjects, "Sergeant Pepper Tree Hill."
Thornton continues, "This album really is, more so than a lot of our records, even though all of our songs that we write are based on the 70s and the British invasion and all that. This one really has some touches that are more evident than usual and, of course, we had Herb Alpert on the song 'Pepper Tree Hill' which harkens back to the 60s."
The rest of the album contains jangly guitars, a Mellotron, and solid backbeats that drive the songs about nostalgia, hope, and happiness.
The group is on its 2025 Pepper Tree Hill Tour, which wraps in Los Angeles on October 19th. Some familiar stops, like in Kansas City at Knuckleheads, and Tomball, TX at Main Street Crossing, are joined by five nights at the Bourbon and Bonfire weekends in Livingston, Montana, and many other new towns and venues across the country.
They recently opened for The Who in Newark, New Jersey, where the show didn't go as planned. Thornton and Andrew discuss the performance along with the album, tour, and more, including a Landman soundtrack album that's in the works, featuring original songs co-written with Landman co-star and country singer/songwriter Mark Collie, Ronnie Dunn, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Parker McCollum, and Dwight Yoakam, to name a few.
James Dupré has released his new album, It's All Happening, today (Fri, Aug 22nd) via Warner Music Nashville. The project follows his Perfect Time EP, released in February, and features "Knee Deep in a River" and "Alright Tonight."
Dupré was born and raised in Bayou Chicot, Louisiana. The one-time aspiring meteorologist turned paramedic became a YouTube sensation in 2007, which led to an invitation to perform on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Shortly after, he released his debut album, It’s All Happening, in 2010, which charted on Billboard. After signing a record deal with Warner Music Nashville in 2011, Dupré began performing and touring full-time.
In 2015, Dupré appeared on season nine of NBC’s The Voice with a four-chair turn, landing him a spot on Adam Levine’s team. Following his departure from The Voice, Dupré released his sophomore album Stoned to Death, yielding two singles on the Billboard Indicator chart.
The father of five made his acting debut in the film The Price, playing the son of a country singer portrayed by Randy Travis. In 2019, James was handpicked by Randy and his wife, Mary, as the special guest vocalist for the More Life Tour. Along with Randy’s original band, James performs all of the Country Music Hall of Famer’s biggest hits.
James released his third studio album, Home and Away, in 2020 with three singles, including the title track, “Another Love Song,” and “Painfully Pretty.” In September 2023, he made his Grand Ole Opry debut in Nashville. In May 2024, James was featured on CBS Sunday Morning as the first-ever “vocal bed” on a commercially released song. The single, “Where That Came From,” was the first new music released by Randy Travis in over a decade, and was produced with the help of AI to reimagine Randy’s legendary vocals on new music.
Jenna Andrews and Stephen Kirk are a highly successful songwriting and production duo, known for their work with a wide range of popular artists, especially in the K-pop realm. The real-life couple gained significant recognition for their work on BTS's hit songs "Butter" and "Permission to Dance."
Some of their notable songwriting credits include "Free" and "What It Sounds Like" from the widely popular Netflix series, KPop Demon Hunters, and its record-breaking soundtrack. KPop Demon Hunters (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) climbs the charts for a fifth consecutive week with over 1.5 billion global streams to date, rising to No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and continuing to be the highest charting soundtrack of the year. In addition, the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack secures the No. 1 Soundtrack Debut of 2025, and a fifth consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Soundtracks chart.
Besides Andres and Kirk, the soundtrack features original songs written by Danny Chung, Ido, Vince, Kush, Ejae, Lindgren, Mark Sonnenblick, Daniel Rojas, and produced by Teddy Park, 24, Dominsuk, Jenna Andrews, Stephen Kirk, Lindgren, Ian Eisendrath. Original songs are performed by Ejae, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami, Andrew Choi, Danny Chung, Kevin Woo, SamUIL Lee, Neckwav, and Lea Salonga. The soundtrack also includes the original song “Takedown” featuring Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and Chaeyoung from K-pop powerhouse girl group Twice.
The pair has also worked with Sabrina Carpenter, Drake, Nelly Furtado, Jessie Murph, and others.
Country superstar Cole Swindell is spending his Fourth of July Weekend with Mountain Dew and fans at the lake. Swindell will be at Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri, this weekend to keep fans' coolers full of Mountain Dew with on-demand deliveries.
The Mountain Dew Thirst Guards program tackles summer's biggest party emergency – the empty cooler – by deploying Mountain Dew-branded Sea-Doos to bring bold, thirst-crushing refreshment directly to boaters and lake-goers at Lake of the Ozarks. On July 5-6, fans with empty coolers can text (803)-MTN-DEWS and send their location for an emergency delivery of ice-cold Mountain Dew, while supplies last. The program ensures Mountain Dew enthusiasts never miss a moment of summer fun, providing the refreshment needed for long days on the water.
Swindell, a long-time Mountain Dew fan, will lead the Thirst Guards, making surprise deliveries to fans near MarineMax Osage Beach at Lake of the Ozarks on Sunday, July 6th. This authentic partnership comes on the heels of Swindell's new studio album, Spanish Moss, and showcases the natural connection between the country star's carefree and energetic lifestyle and the adventurous brand ethos Mountain Dew is known for.
"I've always been a big fan of Mountain Dew, so I'm hyped to lead the Mountain Dew Thirst Guards and help keep the party going July 4th weekend," Swindell says. "Catch me at Lake of the Ozarks filling up coolers, passing out Pit Vipers and blasting my new music -- an ideal summer day!"
Beyond Lake of the Ozarks, the Thirst Guards (sans Swindell) will also take over Lake Travis, Texas; Miller Beach, Indiana; and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with on-land beach stations packed with ice-cold Mountain Dew, creating an unmatched refreshment experience and keeping legendary summer excitement going all weekend long.
In this podcast episode, Swindell talks to us about the partnership, his new 21-track fifth album, upcoming fall tour, and more.
Building on the soundtrack of his life, diamond-selling superstar Brian Kelley drops his latest solo offering, Sunshine State of Mind Season Two, Chapter One, today (Fri, June 20th). The full-length independent project features 14 tracks co-written by Kelley, as he returns to his personal mantra, and the feel-good foundation of his acclaimed solo career.
Kelley’s new songs were penned alongside his 2021 release, Sunshine State of Mind Season One, and saved for another day. Much has changed in the years since – including delivering two more albums (Tennessee Truth and Ed & Mary Margaret’s Son) – but its sing-along themes remain relevant, with creative passion and country-born pride expressed through Kelley’s laid-back beach town vibe.
Kelley’s expansive creativity was recently showcased on Fox's The Masked Singer season 13, where he made it to the show’s final round. Unmasked as the Mad Scientist Monster, judge Robin Thicke applauded his closing performance as the “best vocal of the season.”
Starting July 24th in Savannah, Georgia, Kelley will hit the road to headline his Sunshine State of Mind Tour with dates continuing through September 7th in Raleigh, North Carolina.
In this episode, Kelley speaks to us about the fun he had on The Masked Singer, his new album, the tour, and more.
Hootie & The Blowfish co-founding guitarist Mark Bryan has a new solo project called Popped. Showcasing his multi-faceted talents, Bryan played all instruments while also enlisting a band of Charleston musicians, including skilled horn players, to round out the project with additional depth and dimension.
"I made the record before the tour, in the fall of '23, I guess it was," Bryan tells us. "It just where I was at musically. I just had a bunch of songs and I have a home studio, and got with my engineer and cranked them out. Most of the noises you hear on the album are me, including drums. I played a lot of drums this time for the first time, which is cool. I had a band in on other tracks, and some horns. I kinda really stretched the direction that I'm going on this one. I went many directions. I kinda let the songs dictate the style, and just followed that. I have a Latin pop song on there, and ska song, and a reggae song, and some stuff that's a bit more folky and a big rock song. It's just all over the place."
Bryan is on tour supporting the project. The multi-instrumentalist, who's from Silver Spring, Maryland, will play a hometown show at The Atlantis in Washington, DC on June 20th featuring Hootie's Gary Greene, and other area musicians.
This episode also sees Bryan discuss his and Darius Rucker's solo projects, and what he hopes the future holds for his longtime band.
This weekend, hard rock and heavy metal fans will flock to Columbia, Maryland for the 16th edition of the M3 Rock Festival. Tonight (Fri, May 2nd), Sebastian Bach kicks off the three-day event with Snake Oil. David Lee Roth headlines tomorrow (Sat, May 3rd) with appearances by Accept, Winger, Slaughter, Steven Adler, Child’s Play, Red Voodoo, and more. The festival closes on Sunday with a long-awaited reunion of Stephen Pearcy and Warren DeMartini performing Ratt, Ace Frehley, Warrant, Great White, Lita Ford, Vixen, Spread Eagle, and Soundcheck Rock.
Ahead of the festivities, we had a chance to chat with Great White founder and guitarist Michael Lardie about their performance.
“It’s always great to play. We’ve been pretty lucky of late. We’ve been [playing M3] pretty much every other year, which is great for us. We’re doing a show up in Flint, Michigan. Got a travel day and then we’re over in [the Maryland, DC, Virginia area],” he tells us. “Obviously the fan base is, pretty perfect for our genre of music… And it’s cool to see everybody still doing it. I mean, that’s another thing that warms your heart, when you’re there and you’re doing the show with all the different bands that are there. it’s kind of like, wow, we’re still doing it. This is awesome.”
Lardie also discusses new music and more with us.
Check back for exclusive M3 coverage with reviews, interviews, and photos from the weekend.
California-based Great White is Lardie on guitar and keys, Mark Kendall on guitar, Audie Desbrow on drums, Scott Snyder on bass, and Brett Carlisle on vocals. Since 1982, the Great White sound has captivated audiences worldwide with crushing, blues-based guitar riffs and swagger that invokes an emotional high for anyone that listens. The band’s core writing team of Lardie and Kendall forged numerous hits over the years, and when Desbrow joined in ’85, the grooves hooked an amazing stride.
Four decades in and Great White enlists Brett Carlisle to take over vocal duties and lead the charge on hit after hit. That arsenal of songs include the Grammy nominated Best Hard Rock Performance hit, “Once Bitten, Twice Shy,” Great White has sold over ten million albums worldwide, has six Top 100 Billboard hits, nine Top 200 Billboard albums, two platinum albums, and clocked the top of MTV four times.
Last month, UMG Nashville released the original series soundtrack for the Paramount+ hit show Landman, featuring an original score by Andrew Lockington (San Andreas, Rampage). The music flawlessly matches the drama and the intensity of the series as well as the expanse of the landscape. Set in the boomtowns of west Texas, Landman is a modern tale of fortune seeking amongst roughnecks and billionaires in the world of oil starring Billy Bob Thornton, Ali Larter, Michael Peña, Jon Hamm, and Demi Moore. The series was co-crated by Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace.
Lockington is best-known for his epic scores to such Warner Bros. blockbusters San Andreas, Rampage and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, which together have surpassed over $1 billion in box office revenues.
"I have been working with Taylor Sheridan for four years now," Lockington tells us. "I believe I started out, he hired me to do a show called Mayor of Kingtown with Jeremy Renner. And then after that went pretty well. We worked on Lioness together, which is Nicole Kidman and Zoe Salana and Morgan Freeman, another great show. and he'd been working on Landman for a while and he approached me and said, 'What are your thoughts on it and what would you do musically?' And as per our process, I threw together a few ideas and texted them to him and we went back and forth a little bit and I was really fortunate to get the gig."
Paramount+ has renewed the 2024 breakout hit Landman for season two with Lockington confirming he's already working on the score.
The series scored in the Top 10 SVOD Original Series for quarter four across all SVOD, alongside Paramount+’s Tulsa King and Lioness, marking only the second time since Nielsen began tracking SVODs that a service had three of the Top 10 series, outside of Netflix.
Landman had 35 million global streaming viewers for the premiere episode and set new records for Paramount+. It was the most watched global premiere and finale of any series in Paramount+ history. It has placed as the top Paramount+ Original ever on the service with the top engagement driver and No. 1 on households.
Season one is available to stream exclusively on Paramount+ with a Blu-ray and DVD release scheduled for May.
Rising singer/songwriter Annie Bosko proves country music isn’t just about where you’re from, but who you are with her latest single “California Cowgirl,” available now via Stone Country Records. Bosko embraces her California and farming roots with the neotraditional song that declares country girls can be found all over the map.
"I'd say that even though I'm from California, I had a pretty, rural upbringing and my uncle was in the rodeo world," Bosko tells us. "We had five quarter horses and an arena and they did the team roping events and barrel racing and I would go take a horse on horseback and go trail ride and sing. That was like, I would just love to be out in nature on trail ride. That was my jam. I never got into the rodeo events. I just sing a lot of national anthems up but never actually competed. My uncle's a grape grower in Delano, so I'm very familiar with that area. And I've always really had a love for the Bakersfield country sound -- Buck Owens. Dwight Yoakam is a friend of mine which is very strange to say that, to be like Dwight Yoakam is a friend. We text him and he and his wife have just been awesome so supportive of, and he actually gave me the idea for 'California Cowgirl,' my latest song that came out. I was doing his podcast and he said, 'California Cowgirl, Annie Bosow.' And so that's sort of really what inspired it."
"California Cowgirl" was released last week and is a taste of her forthcoming debut album. The song follows “Better Than You,” her top five duet with multi-platinum country star Joe Nichols.
Following her RodeoHouston debut last month, where she kicked off opening night with a performance of the National Anthem, Bosko will perform at Stagecoach on the Mane Stage on Saturday, April 26th.
Last fall, Poison drummer Rikki Rockett introduced his new band, The Rockett Mafia! Featuring Rockett on drums, Brandon Gibbs on guitar and vocals, Bulletboys guitarist Mick Sweda, and Bryan Kimes on bass and backing vocals, the group celebrates the best music of the 70s through the 90s classic rock era.
Rockett, who is the co-founder of Poison, and remains the band’s only drummer throughout their storied 40-year career, says the band stemmed from the annual Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride he hosts in Los Angeles.
“I’m a city host for a motorcycle ride every year called the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride. And it’s a worldwide ride,” he tells us. “[B]ut they never had entertainment at the Los Angeles one. And they’re like, ‘Hey, why don’t you do something?’ I’m like, ‘What are you doing? You just go out and do a solo.’ I mean, And I thought to myself, maybe I can put a little something together, do a bunch of cover songs and see how that goes. Just have fun, have people enjoy, the day, so I put it together and I just used the players from Chevy Metal and cuz I had done a fill in for them. And I got Brandon from Devil City Angels who we’ve been friends forever. And I just called up The Rocket Mafia and we did that one-off show and I thought to myself, ‘This is pretty cool. This could be a fun thing to just do cover songs, enjoy some of the stuff that I loved growing up with and just have a great time with it. Maybe reinvent a few little things.’ And then Brandon mentioned to me after looking at a poll about Poison where people were saying, ‘Man, I wish Poison would do more of these deep cuts.’ and I just know we’re not going to do more of these deep cuts. So, guess what? I will.”
Rockett talks more about the new band, what’s ahead for Poison’s 40th anniversary in 2026, his cancer battle, evacuating from the recent Los Angeles widlfires, his memoir, and more.
This year’s Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride takes place on Sunday, May 18th. Those who want to sponsor him can via the event’s website.
“On Sunday the 18th of May 2025, I’m riding in The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride with fellow men and women across the globe to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer and men’s mental health on behalf of Movember,” he shares. “Men die on average six years earlier than women and for largely preventable reasons. The number of men that are suffering is growing, and we need to do something about that. So, before I press my tweed and polish my boots, I’m asking you to join me in raising funds and awareness for these causes by donating what you can for this meaningful cause and to help the men we love, live happier and healthier lives.”
Poison has sold over 50 million records worldwide behind the hits “Talk Dirty To Me,” “Nothin’ But A Good Time,” “Something To Believe In,” “Ride The Wind,” “Unskinny Bop,” and the Hot 100 No. 1 single, “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn.”
Last week, Dugger Band took the internet by storm after brothers Seth and Jordan Dugger shared a video reading an email that WSMV-TV in Nashville sent about their new patriotic song "True Colors." The brothers were set to perform the self-penned and John Rich-produced track on Today in Nashville, but were told by station management that the lyrics were deemed too "politically biased" and recanted their offer for that song.
Blindsided, the brothers contacted Rich who advised they should not appear on the station at all. Instead, Dugger Band and Rich shared messages on social media that went viral and shot their song to No. 1 on the independent download charts.
"I think WSMV probably had no idea that I had produced this record because if they would have known that my name was attached to that, they would have known all hell was about to rain down if they made the move that they made," Rich tells us in an interview. "But I'm glad they made it. Know why? Because it pulled the curtain back on that television station, WSMV. They're total cowards. They will not answer an email. I have friends in conservative media who have called them multiple times. Guess what they do? They hang up the phone the second they ask the question. So, They're weak. They thought they could kick the Duggars around because the Duggars aren't a big act yet. They thought they could get away with bullying somebody and shoving them around. And they didn't get away with it. And the result of it was these guys go number one on the country download chart. So, hell yeah."
The Duggers said the song was written to unite, not ignite, people.
"We wrote the song trying to bring people together," they share. "We didn't see it as a political issue at all. We saw it as a patriotism type and so we wrote the song with that in mind. And whenever they scheduled us to come perform it on the show and we were excited about doing it. We told our fans, 'Hey, we're going to be able to go on this news network in Nashville and perform this full band on the news.' And it was just about a day and a half, about 36 hours or so before we were supposed to perform, whenever we received the email that they had determined that it was too politically, divisive, I guess, to be able to play it. And we still don't know what lyrics they were talking about, because we wrote the song with patriotism in mind."
The Music Universe has reached out to WSMV for comment, but still has not heard back a week later.
Legendary artist Bill Medley releases his debut solo country album, Straight From the Heart, via Curb Records. The album sees the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s unmistakable baritone voice covering mega country music ballads alongside some of the industry’s biggest stars including Michael McDonald, Vince Gill, Keb’ Mo’ and Shawn Colvin.
Previous tracks include "These Days" featuring Vince Gill, which offers a taste of the singer-songwriter’s blues roots; "(Since You’ve) Gone" featuring Keb’ Mo’, which delivers a doleful version of remorse and regret; "Crying Time" featuring Michael McDonald, a powerful blend of soul and harmony; and a cover of George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today," that blends country and soul, adding a new layer of emotional resonance to the country classic.
In the interview, Medley tells us why he chose ballads over a mix of slow and uptempo songs.
"I'm really a blues singer, and so the ballads just are, like (singing) 'Born to lose.' 'I live my life in vain.' That's what I want to say," he says. "They asked me to do a couple of fast songs, but I said, 'I just want to keep it soulful,' and that's what I do best."
In support of the album, Medley will make his Grand Ole Opry debut on Saturday, February 22nd. The singer-songwriter and his new partner Bucky Heard are also currently performing a residency at the South Point Casino, Las Vegas, and will be hitting the road on tour, taking fans on a nostalgic journey through the catalog of one of the greatest duos of all time.
Quartz Hill Records’ Runaway June is working on new music. Last year, the trio featuring Jennifer Wayne, Natalie Stovall, and Stevie Woodward, released the intoxicating "New Kind of Emotion" and "He Ain't My Problem," which had over a million streams in its first week in November. The ladies co-wrote each track and teamed with Sugarland's Kristian Bush for producing duties.
Each is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. Wayne is a California native who started on a path as a tennis pro before forming her first band, then began writing for artists like Eric Paslay soon after her post-college move to Nashville. Stovall took up classical violin at age four in Central Tennessee launched her music career by playing the fiddle in the Opryland Kids Club, attended Berklee College of Music, and eventually linked up with Wayne while on tour with her former band. Woodward got her start playing solo gigs all over South Carolina at 14, studied songwriting and music business at Middle Tennessee State University, and later embarked on a solo career as a singer-songwriter.
Woodward joined the band in April 2022 after Wayne and Stovall discovered her online. Wayne, Stovall, and Woodward made their first public performance together at Nashville’s historic Grand Ole Opry and are constantly on the road, hitting stages in cities across the U.S.
The trio joins us to discuss their new music and what fans can expect in 2025.
Last month, Cincinnati-based singer, songwriter and storyteller Michael Marcagi shared a raw and reflective new single entitled “Good Enough” via Warner Records. Marcagi co-wrote the tune with The Lumineers’ Wesley Schultz, while David Baron produced.
The track’s breezy acoustic guitar and propulsive beat underline this modern troubadour’s unfiltered storytelling as nostalgia and bare emotion collide. In between the melodically buoyant harmony, the song culminates on an anthemic yet heartbreaking chant, “You said I wasn’t good…You said I wasn’t good enough.” As always, feeling bleeds through his delivery.
Marcagi chats with us to discuss the track, working with Schultz, and a big year of touring with more on the way.
"I record in upstate New York and it's with the same producer, the Lumineers have you been using for the past couple albums," he tells us. "And it was just one of those things where, you know, we, the producer had always been talking about like, 'Oh, I think you guys would get along. I think you guys would be a good fit to do a song together.' And it's just never really worked out or whatever. Finally, we had time in our schedules and [recorded] a song together. We spent a week, me and Wes, the lead singer of Lumineers spent a week together up in upstate New York and just wrote a song from scratch and recorded it and it was a really, really cool experience."
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Mark Farner will release Closer to My Home, his long-awaited new studio album, on November 8th via Righteous Rock Records with distribution by MVD Entertainment Group. Bridging past and present, the grit of industry, and the calloused hard work of a rural man, the project champions Farner’s multi-faceted artistry. Celebrating the 55th anniversary of the iconic Grand Funk Railroad hit “(I’m Your Captain) Closer To My Home,” the album is highlighted with a re-record, finding Farner in exactly the same form as 1970.
"There was no such thing as a click track back then. We played to the drummer. All of those hits back then, all of that music, it was all played to a real person, a drummer in a bone suit," Farner tells us about recreating the song. "So we did a tempo map. Josh Egan, who played drums on this particular cut, [Egen] did a tempo map of Brewer's original tempo, how it went up and down. I mean, if you looked at that map, you're going, 'What the hell?' You know, I mean, it was all over the place, but it doesn't sound like it. It's just naturally in and out. If the drummer does a fill, a lot of times, he's gonna make it to one before you do a pure tapping. (Laughing) He gets excited about what he's doing. So we wanted to capture that, and Josh certainly did. And he played Ludwig drums, just like Brewer played on the original track."
Farner talks to us more about the project and whether a reunion with the original Grand Funk Railroad is in the works or not.
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Award-winning artist and songwriter Brad Tursi of multi-platinum-selling band Old Dominion releases his first-ever solo project, Parallel Love, on July 19th.
Parallel Love is a collection of songs that have been written over the past ten years that are reflective of where the accomplished artist, guitarist, and writer is in the present moment. Created and released with the band's full support, the project features co-writes with Stephen Wilson Jr., Dan Isbell, Jessi Alexander, and Matt Jenkins. Tursi produced the entire project as well, with Ben West and Marc Scibilia co-producing select tracks.
In addition to his role with the reigning CMA and ACM Vocal Group of the Year, Tursi is a Grammy-nominated songwriter, has earned multiple CMA Triple Play Awards for writing three No. 1 songs in 12 months, been named AIMP Artist Writer of the Year, and co-written hits for Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan, Tyler Hubbard, Josh Turner, Darius Rucker, and Cole Swindell, among others.
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The musician discusses his new spoken-word solo album
Country, bluegrass, and Americana legend John McEuen release his long-awaited album, The Newsman: A Man Of Record, in April via Compass Records. In this project for McEuen, the album has ten spoken word tracks and one instrumental piece. Each one tells a special story in a way that's like a play, with John's style of music in the background. The album starts with a story about a newspaper seller who had a big impact on John when he was getting started in Los Angeles and ends with "Jules' Theme," a song inspired by Jules Verne talking about his wife, who passed away in a French cemetery. Every part of the album is carefully put together to make it unforgettable.
The collection spans various literary themes from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Civil War-era poem "Killed at the Ford" (which we premiered) to Robert Service's "The Cremation of Sam McGee" about a Yukon prospector. Other tracks include Stephen Vincent Benét's "The Mountain Whippoorwill," Hank Williams Sr.'s "Fly Trouble," and Walter Brennan's "Old Rivers." Thomas Monroe's Vietnam War reflection "Nui Ba Den" contrasts with more recent compositions like John Carter Cash's "The Guitar Of Pineapple John," Hans Olson's "I'll Be Glad (When They Run Out Of Gas)," and Thaddeus Bryant's "Red Clay."
McEuen was set to support the project, but underwent an unexpected medical procedure around the time of the album's release, forcing him to be sidelined for several months.
We recently chatted with the country legend to discuss the project, his latest book, and his history with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
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Rising country star Kassi Ashton is a week away from releasing her major debut album, Made From The Dirt, via MCA Records on September 20th. The project features her top 40 country radio hit, "Called Crazy," "I Don't Wanna Dance," her chilling new ballad "The Straw," and others.
She holds nothing back on the ten tracks. Spiking her brand of country with rock ‘n’ roll spirit and unabashed vulnerability, she proudly wears her heart on her sleeve.
Ashton tells us the album title describes who she is.
"I was watching a live feed of a couture fashion show. And these models were wearing the most gorgeous, handmade, textured, metallic gowns trudging through mud. The stage in which the show was presented was like a pitch black, high spotlight beamed, motocross field, basically," she says. "The puddles, the hills, the obstacles. And I thought 'I wonder if everyone realizes that the gowns are all the more beautiful because they're being dragged through the mud because the models are having to climb and claw and really put their back into it.' And I just related so heavily to that imagery because all of my favorite things about myself if I could make a list have come from struggle or overcoming obstacles. I wasn't born with any of my favorite things. That's like, congrats, you were born with it, no one cares. But the things that have given me scars and that have shaped me are my favorite things. So yeah, I'm 'Made From Dirt.' And I tell everybody, I love the get back up. Please push me down, because I'm all the more interesting afterward."
In the episode, Ashton also explains the idea behind "Called Crazy," her stage presence, and more.
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McBride & The Ride celebrates its 35th anniversary with a new live EP this fall. The album's first single, "Amarillo Sky," is available now and may be familiar to country fans as it was made famous by Jason Aldean although Terry McBride & Co had recorded it years before Aldean.
"We've never recorded a live album, record or anything," McBride shares with us. "A lot of people have always asked us about live music. Our live show has a lot of energy that wasn't always captured in the studio, especially way back in the day when we were cutting a lot of ballads for radio. We just thought it was a great way for people who are fans or maybe never heard us to maybe get an idea of who we are live."
2024 also marks the 30th anniversary of the blockbuster film 8 Seconds, starring Luke Perry as bull rider Lane Frost. The band appeared in the film and contributed "No More Cryin'" to its soundtrack.
When they first began releasing music in 1989, McBride & The Ride released three acclaimed albums Burnin’ Up The Road, Sacred Ground, and Hurry Sundown, with hit singles like "Love on the Loose, Heart on the Run," “Sacred Ground,” "Going Out of My Mind," and many more. In the spring of 2021, they announced they were reuniting and going back in the studio to record new music. Though the band has been on and off over the past 30 years, its members have thrived through their careers.
Ray Herndon has been Lyle Lovett’s lead guitarist since 1985 and has had songs cut by Kenny Chesney, Aaron Tippin, Lee Greenwood, Linda Davis, and more, he continues to operate his family’s historic club, Handlebar J, in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Terry McBride has had quite a fruitful career, writing major hits for Brooks & Dunn, Reba McEntire, Easton Corbin, Cody Johnson, and more. He toured with Brooks & Dunn through most of their biggest years playing bass and writing songs.
Billy Thomas moved to Nashville from Los Angeles in 1987 and immediately started working with Vince Gill along with many other country stars, including Emmylou Harris, Patty Loveless, Steve Wariner & Earl Scruggs. He’s been Gill’s drummer on the road and in the studio ever since, adding background vocals to his many hits, as well as joining him as a member of The Time Jumpers, one of Nashville’s favorite bands.
The trio’s previous EP, Marlboros & Avon, produced by all three members, was released in 2023.
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