Kacey Causes A Stir!

In 2003 Natalie Maines, lead singer of Country mega trio The Dixie Chicks, said on a London stage that she was ashamed that the then president of the Unites States George Bush was from Texas. This simple phrase caused a huge backlash against the group in the States and they were immediately dropped from Country Radio.

So why in 2019 would Kacey Musgraves ever dream of standing on a stage and repeating this mistake by speaking out on gun control, risking career suicide in the process? Surely she would know about the Dixie Chicks controversy and keep her mouth shut? Hell no!

Kacey was performing in Lollapalooza when she addressed fans on gun control following the recent shootings, proclaiming that someone has to “Fucking do something”. Fox News were predictably the first to jump on this, with presenter Todd BARNES warning Musgraves, “When you’re talking about country music you don’t want to talk about going after people’s guns, that’s like bringing store-bought chicken to Wednesday night church supper.” The fact that a news broadcaster would compare controlling firearms to fried chicken somewhat demonstrates the challenge faced here!

I recently visited Kentucky where after a long drive I stopped in to a Walmart to buy some groceries. Having got to the till, the cashier looked at me in horror before saying loudly “you can’t buy that beer Sir, it’s Sunday, Sunday is the Lords day”. It had completely bypassed me that it was Sunday and buying alcohol was banned. The ridiculousness of this became instantly apparent when the chap on the other till was purchasing, on the lords day, a Glock 19 and 100 rounds of ammunition!

But here is the difference ladies and gentlemen. Unlike the events in 2003 that saw the high flying Dixie Chicks career stall in an instant, Kacey need not be worried. Why? Because Country Radio do not play her music anyway. Despite Musgraves winning numerous CMA awards and Grammy’s including album of the year, she cannot for love nor money get a song on Country Radio. After winning album of the year for the brilliant ‘Golden Hour’ album, Musgraves label sent a single to Country Radio. It peaked at 33 before falling straight off the chart.

Therefore Kacey can pretty much say what she wants without the threat of boycott from Country Radio, she lives with this every day and her career could not be flying higher at the moment. And after all, when it comes to gun control in the USA, somebody really does need to FUCKING DO SOMETHING!!

Carrie Underwood at Wembley Arena

Hello all. It’s been a while since I posted anything new so I thought I would get back in to the swing of things with a review of Carrie Underwood performing on her Cry Pretty tour at Wembley Arena.

I had secured a ticket for this concert some time ago and it had kind of crept up on me. I’ll admit that Carrie is not my favourite Country artist however you cannot deny her rise to superstardom is quite extraordinary. Having appeared as a somewhat timid contestant on American Idol in 2005 (in which she clucked like a chicken after her audition…CRINGE) she is now sitting pretty as one of Nashville’s most recognisable artists. A fully fledged member of the Grand Ole Opry and regular co-host of the CMA awards, Carrie now boasts record sales in excess of 65 million!

The support act for the concert were Britain’s own The Shires. I have seen them perform before and they are always right on the money. Being a UK audience everyone knew them and belted out the words to their songs as if they were the main act, which was nice to see.

As for the main event, Carrie appeared onstage in a  highly decorated all in one black leather catsuit. She opened the show with her current single from Cry Pretty; ‘Southbound’. This was the perfect song to get the audience on their feet. There was a good mix of her latest music along with some Carrie classics from previous albums. One of the standout parts was a mix of lesser known songs from albums gone by, performed with the two members of her band that have been with her since day one…a nice touch.

One downside with the UK shows is that in a move I can only assume is down to cost, is that the usual Cry Pretty tour staging used in the US leg of the tour was left behind. Her US shows feature revolving stages, pyrotechnics and elaborate screen set ups. Wembley was a lot more….well….dull. The stage was the usual static rectangle with a small catwalk to the front to mix it up a bit. The video screens either side of the stage were generic and to be honest whoever was operating the camera should be fired, the video was truly awful.

Then we get to the sound. It was quite apparent from The Shires support set that the sound technician had got the levels totally wrong. This got no better when Carrie took to the stage. Even her extremely powerful voice was completely drowned out by the bass , to the extent that I could not hear what she was singing. This was a huge shame and not the fault of Carrie herself, just tarnished an otherwise great performance by her. I guess until Country music becomes more popular in the UK, less effort will be put in to the staging of these shows. A number of tickets still being on sale for the show on the day and a number of empty seats shows how even the queen of country has a way to go with the UK fan base.

Set list: Southbound, Cowboy Casanova, Good Girl, Last Name, Church Bells, Two Black Cadillacs, Blown Away, Drinking Alone, End Up With You, Flat On The Floor, Wasted, Temporary Home/See You Again/I Know You Won’t/Just A Dream/Dream On (Aerosmith cover), Jesus Take The Wheel, The Bullet, Something In The Water, Low, Undo It/Freedom (Wham! cover), The Champion, Before He Cheats

Encore: Cry Pretty, Love Wins

Introducing Sinead Burgess

Unless you have been to see The Shires in concert this year, you probably have not heard of Sinead Burgess. Those who have been fortunate enough to witness her set while touring with Chrissie and Ben will know that she is definitely one to watch.

Originally from Australia but now living and making music in Nashville, Sinead’s upcoming acoustic album ‘Damaged Goods’ is set to hit itunes pre-order at midnight tonight. The single of the same name is already available to download.

I was fortunate enough to see Sinead perform at The Royal Albert Hall earlier this year. Having never heard of her before I was not really sure what to expect. What I can say now is that it was one of the most awe inspiring things to witness. From the first song to the last she had the audience captivated, not just because she has a great voice, but because like all great songwriters, people related to her songs. Plus she plays a mean guitar!

I was at the gig with Chris, a good friend of mine who I have been to many country shows with. I remember turning to him as Sinead was singing ‘Praising God, Raising Hell’, a song she multi-tasks guitar and harmonica playing and we both just said “WOW”. Neither of us have ever been so impressed with a support act and I for one wanted a whole Sinead concert!

Some other songs performed were ‘Tennessee Bound’ ‘Momma Raised A Ramblin Man’, and ‘Wildflowers Of Colorado’ which again displayed Sinead’s exceptional songwriting skill. So much so the audience were completely silent throughout, hanging on every word.

I cannot recommend this girl enough so please check out her new album from midnight tonight. You will not regret it.

Kacey Musgraves ‘Golden Hour’ due March 30th

Kacey Musgraves is back with her third Studio album ‘Golden Hour’. Due to drop on March 30th, Golden Hour is the first album since Musgraves wed fellow country artist Ruston Kelly in 2017.

You can hear the songs ‘Butterflies’ and ‘Space Cowboy’ now, before the full album is released. ‘Butterflies’ is a departure from the style of song that people familiar with Kacey’s back catalogue are used to. A more traditional love song, it was written shortly after she met Ruston. Musgraves has been performing this song at several of her live shows over the last year, leading to speculation (and quite frankly hope) from her fans who loved it that it would be included on her next album.

‘Space Cowboy’ sounds more lyrically familiar to her previous tracks, however the sound is richer and deeper, utilising some clever effects to create echoes over her voice. The song is about a relationship naturally coming to a conclusion, with one party clearly wanting to leave and the other deciding to not try and stop them.

For anyone who is not familiar with Kacey and her work to date, check out my artist spotlight here.

Chris Janson Invited To Join Opry

At this point I am sure a lot of people are thinking “Who the hell is Chris Janson?”

Chris is an up and coming country music star who has been slogging away in Nashville bars and clubs until recently finding more mainstream success after his self released single ‘Buy Me A Boat’ attracted attention from country radio stations in the US. Bringing with it a record deal from Bigger Picture records, Janson is on the up.

Moreover, he has been a regular feature on the Grand Ole Opry. Janson has a love for the Opry and has made more than 200 appearances, many of which are last minute call ups to fill vacant slots. Having seen him live at the Opry myself, I can see why he has amassed a loyal legion of fans on the stage. The Opry has a proud tradition of awarding membership to not necessarily the biggest names, but those that do more to promote country music.

How fitting then that on February 6th 2018, Keith Urban, an Opry member himself and who has appeared recently on stage with Janson, interrupted Janson’s first headline show at the Ryman Auditorium to invite him to become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry!

Janson was overcome with emotion, proclaiming it was “all I ever wanted”. He promises to be the biggest flag bearer and promoter of the Opry going forwards.

C2C 2018 Is Fast Approaching!

C2C is back with a bang for 2018. UK country fans will once again get a chance to see fantastic artists from both the UK and USA. Whether you have main stage tickets or are simply popping along to see some amazing talent on the outside stages, C2C promises to deliver another fantastic weekend of live country music. Here are some top picks from each day at the London O2 arena…

Friday 9th March

Faith Hill and Tim McGraw- Husband and wife duo are sure to wow the crowd as the Friday evening main stage headline act.

Kelsea Ballerini- Playing the main stage on Friday evening. Kelsea will be bringing some of her hits from her latest studio album ‘Unapologetically’ and is sure to be a real crowd pleaser.

Danielle Bradbury- For those without main stage tickets, swing by the Town Square stage and check out Danielle Bradbury’s set. She wowed the judges on the US version of The Voice.

Saturday 10th March

Kacey Musgraves- Main stage headliner and sure not to disappoint. I am a huge fan of Kacey and if you see her live, you will be too.

Sugarland- Fresh from their surprise reunion and new single release, Sugarland are on the main stage. Jennifer Nettles played the festival last year as a solo artist and was superb. This performance will be incredible and for me is the stand out for the entire weekend.

Danielle Bradbury will be on the BBC Radio 2 Stage today, along with LANCO and Lindsay Ell. Had the pleasure of seeing Lindsay Ell live a few years ago when she was supporting The Band Perry in London. Great voice and guitar skills to die for.

Stephanie Quayle and Una Healey are the standouts on the Town Square stage today.

Liz McClarnon (of Atomic Kitten fame) will be showing her new found country passion on the Big Entrance stage.

Sunday 11th March

Little Big Town- Headlining the main stage.

Catherine McGrath, who wowed festival goers on the Big Entrance Stage last year will be playing the Town Square stage today. Her career is going from strength to strength and she is amazing live. LANCO also join the Town Square line up today.

 

There are many more great things to see and do. Grab your tickets now if you have not already. See you there!

 

Sugarland Are Still The Same

After hinting of a reunion during their surprise appearance at this year’s CMA awards, Sugarland are back with new music for the first time since they went on Hiatus.

Still The Same is the new single from an upcoming new album out in 2018. The band will also be touring, although no dates yet announced. The great news for UK country fans is that the band has been added as a late addition to the line up at the C2C festival in March 2018.

As for the new single, it is brilliantly still the same old Sugarland sound I know and love. I’ve got my ticket for C2C, bring on the new album!

Artist Spotlight- Kacey Musgraves

Kacey Musgraves is a no nonsense singer songwriter from Golden, Texas. Signing with major country label Mercury Nashville in 2012, Musgraves released her debut single ‘Merry Go Round’ to critical acclaim. Her first album ‘Same Trailer Different Park’ dropped a year later. Tracks such as ‘Follow Your Arrow’ split opinion on the young singer, with many applauding her progressive views on same sex relationships. However, many country radio stations refused to play the song, citing references within the lyrics to drug use as the main reason why. Despite the reservations, ‘Same Trailer Different Park’ took the album of the year award at the 2014 ACM awards.

Musgraves second album ‘Pageant Material’ was released in 2015. The first single from the album ‘Biscuits’ is another song about doing what you want and other people should mind their own biscuits! She has become known for her controversial lyrics, including drug use, same sex relationships and questioning the existence of god (not something that often goes down well in Southern USA!)

The good news for any UK country fans is that Musgraves has been announced as a headline act for the Country2Country music festival in 2018. This is her first time as a headline act, having previously played the festival in 2016.

Artist Spotlight- Ward Thomas

Ward Thomas, comprising of twin sisters Catherine and Lizzy Ward Thomas are causing quite a stir within the UK. Why you ask? Because they are from the UK!

The sisters released their first album ‘From Where We Stand’ in 2014. It failed to gain great notoriety, except for perhaps a small band of loyal followers.

In contrast, their second album ‘Cartwheels has been making waves. It became the first album by a UK Country artist to take the number one album spot. That is a massive achievement.

What is most impressive however, is their live performances. I had the pleasure of seeing them on the BBC Radio2 stage at Country2Country and they were fantastic.

If you have not already become familiar with their music, I urge you to check them out.

Introducing- LANco

While there is nothing wrong with solo country artists, this five piece band fronted by Brandon Lancaster is causing quite a stir. Together with band mates Chandler Baldwin, Eric Steedly, Jared Hampton and Tripp Howell, LANco (short for Lancaster & Co in case you were wondering) are turning a lot of heads.

The band was formed in 2013 and have bagged themselves a record deal with Arista Nashville. Their single ‘Long Live Tonight’ takes inspiration from bands such as the The Killers and Kings Of Leon, showing how modern country can mix in influences from across a broad spectrum of other genres but still have an individual sound.

Check them out for yourselves. Definitely one to watch.