Before Tyler Childers was the indie powerhouse he is today, he was a relatively unknown independent singer/songwriter from Lawrence County, Kentucky. With only one studio album, Bottles and Bibles, under his belt, the release of Purgatory on August 4th, 2017, sent shockwaves through the independent country scene. It’s no stretch to say that Purgatory is a modern-day classic from the Appalachian singer/songwriter. Coming in at 10 tracks and 37 minutes, Purgatory is arguably a perfect record. It traverses plenty of ground in the tight tracklist, containing songs about murder, religion, love, loss and even cocaine. Not a single song, lyric…
Author: Brennen Kelly
The wait is finally over. One of the fastest-rising stars coming out of the independent country scene, Charles Wesley Godwin, is back with his first major label release. Godwin returns with four brand new songs off of his upcoming album, Family Ties, slated for a Sept. 22nd release. After signing with Big Loud Records back in March, many were curious when the Cranes of Potter singer would release his first song under the label. Godwin took to Instagram on Tuesday to tease the song’s release with the simple caption, “8.4.23”. Though he gave no title for the track, many of…
With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) throughout the past year, artists and critics everywhere have been concerned about its impact on art, the creative process and the authenticity and ethics of the work created through these AI programs. In between discussing the Bud Light boycott, Travis Tritt, performing at festivals and even aliens on The Joe Rogan Experience, Zach Bryan expressed his concerns about AI in the music industry, specifically how it scares him, “People fu*king every day, man, 20 people send me a song by an AI bot that I wrote. And it’s almost insulting because I see…
Following the success of 2017’s Purgatory, Tyler Childers returned with his third studio album, Country Squire, on August 2, 2019. Coming in at a tight nine songs and 35 minutes, Country Squire is filled top-to-bottom with incredible, bluegrass-inspired tracks. One thing that will stick out to keen listeners who listen to the album from start to finish is that every song transitions perfectly into one another. It’s little details and production choices like these that make Childers’ records stand head and shoulders above his contemporaries Like Purgatory, Country Squire is also produced by fellow independent star, Sturgill Simpson, and David…
Being out on the road night after night can be tiring. Spending each day in a tour bus, wearing the same few shirts and eating similar foods gets old even for the most hardened road warriors. The same goes for country music’s fastest-growing star, Zach Bryan. During his appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Bryan opened up about the repetitive nature of playing similar setlists every night and what keeps him motivated to give it his all during every show, “I love making music and stuff, but even touring, playing the same songs, I love doing it because the people…
“The culture war in this country is so goofy, so overblown.” Zach Bryan and Joe Rogan came out of the gate firing during Rogan’s latest episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, discussing Bud Light, Travis Tritt, online discourse and the culture war going on in America. The pair opened up cans of Bud Light as the episode begins. Rogan says, “We’re drinking Bud Light, ladies and gentlemen. Sorry. There’s nothing wrong with it, people. Bryan interjected by simply saying, “We’re fu*ked,” with a laugh. Rogan goes on to say how one marketing decision led to the controversy surrounding Bud Light,…