Author: Brennen Kelly

Hailing from the Chicagoland area, Brennen graduated from Valparaiso University with a BA in Communication and a minor in Cinema and Media Studies. After covering Arts & Entertainment at his university's newspaper, he began writing for Country Chord in March of 2023. Known for his love of independent country and authentic songwriters, Brennen has a long-history of championing the likes of Zach Bryan, Jason Isbell, Tyler Childers and many others.

From the moment that he announced it on Theo Von’s podcast, This Past Weekend, there was no doubt that “Miami” was going to be the most controversial track on Morgan Wallen’s record-breaking album, I’m The Problem. In case you forgot, the “Last Night” singer first pitched the song on the podcast as a rap-inspired “flip” on Keith Whitley’s iconic 1985 track, “Miami, My Amy.” He’d also told Von that a remix would come out eventually, “It seemed like it could use rapper on there, but I didn’t end up using a feature. We ended up just making a second verse,…

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Fresh off of the release of his brand new single, “Surrounded,” Koe Wetzel is hosting his own benefit concert to battle the devastating effects of 4th of July floods in central Texas. Following in the footsteps of fellow Lone Star artists such as George Strait, Pat Green, Cody Johnson, Parker McCollum and more, the “Ragweed” singer has just announced “Stronger Together: An Evening For Texas & Flood Relief.” Taking place on Monday, August 4th, the benefit concert will be held at The Pavillion at Toyota Music Factory in Iriving, Texas. Wetzel is bringing along an all-star cast of Texas artists…

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In celebration of National Tequilla Day, Chris Stapleton, has teamed up with none other than Kendall Jenner and her tequlla brand, 818 Tequilla to promote their new collaboration: the Calabasas Cowboy Cocktail Kit. In case you weren’t aware, 818 Tequila was founded by Jenner back in 2020 and is named after the area code of Calabasas, California where Jenner grew up. Working closely with local, family-owned farms in Jalisco, Mexico, the model and entrepreneur has noted that its main focus is sustainability. In celebration of the collaboration between Jenner and Stapleton, 818 posted an eight-minute video of the “Maggie’s Song”…

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As if there weren’t enough ridiculous trends that have infiltrated country music over the past decade, “YeeDM” might take the cake for the most eye-rolling. As the name states, “YeeDM” is the attempt to blend country music with electric dance music (EDM). Though this concept has been around in some form for years, it seems as if it’s gained even more steam as of late. Between DJ Jesse Frasure (aka DJ Telemitry) launching a “YeeDM” radio station on Apple Music back in 2022 to artists such as Dustin Lynch, Kaitlin Butts, Thomas Rhett, Nate Smith and more re-releasing electric versions of tracks, there’s…

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Just when you thought that drama surrounding Zach Bryan lately had died down, the “Something in the Orange” singer reignited the flames this afternoon. In case you missed it, he played not one but three sold-out shows at MetLife Stadium along with the likes of Kings of Leon and The Front Bottoms as openers and even called upon Bruce Springsteen, Jack Van Cleaf and newcomer, Gabriella Rose as surprise guest over the weekend. All in all, it seemed like a perfect get-back weekend for the 29-year-old singer/songwriter. Some of the goodwill gained, however, might have been lost today when he…

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After a week filled with drama after reigniting his public feud with his ex, Brianna LaPaglia, also known as Brianna Chickenfry, it seemed that Zach Bryan was back to his regularly scheduled program. On top of releasing the highly anticipated single, “Madeline,” with a surprise feature from rising star, Gabriella Rose, the “I Remember Everything” singer played not one but three sold-out shows at MetLife Stadium. Along with openers, Kings of Leon and The Front Bottoms, Bryan pulled out all the stops over the weekend. Not only did the severely underrated Jack Van Cleaf make an appearance on “Rattlesnake,” a…

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