The Music Universe Podcast: Recent Episodes
The Music Universe
The Music Universe is one of the largest independent music news websites with an organic reach of three million readers. Our often first-to-press news and reviews have been shared on social media by many of the artists themselves, including Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw, Huey Lewis, LL Cool J and others. Please join founder Buddy Iahn and reporter Matt Bailey for uncensored music topics.
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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Australian indie pop group Sheppard has returned with Zora, its fourth studio album, available now via Universal Music Group. The highly-anticipated project sees siblings Amy, Emma, and George Sheppard sharing their thoughts during uncertain times.
"We started writing it pretty much the day after we released Kaleidoscope Eyes," George says of the group's third album released during COVID. "We sorta started channeling those frustrations into a new album. We just kinda got back to work and a lot of this album was out of trying to give ourselves some hope of what was to come."
The album was written in Brisbane, LA, and Stockholm and is dedicated to their grandmother Zora.
The project is available on CD, and a limited edition double yellow vinyl and cassette.
The trio recently relocated to Nashville from their native Australia. They chat with Matt Bailey at a recent tour stop in Washington, DC about the project and how the move has affected their career.
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Capitol Nashville's Caylee Hammack has released her newest single, “The Hill,” laying the groundwork for her next creative chapter, pairing her with Celtic influences. The song opens a new spin sonically that pays homage to her transformative time in Scotland and Ireland as well as her sad surrender to a love that can no longer survive. Known as a deeply personal artist, Hammock vulnerably shares the internal battle of when to wave the white flag in a relationship.
Hammack co-wrote the song with singer/songwriter Tenille Townes, and songwriter Logan Wall, with John Osborne (of the country music duo Brothers Osborne) serving as a producer.
Hammack has carved a place for herself in country music, releasing her debut record If It Wasn't For You in 2020 with writer and producer credits for the entire project. She tapped Chris Stapleton, Alan Jackson, and Reba McEntire for collaborations on the project.
In this episode, the rising country star talks to us about her new music and what gave her the courage to ask three country superstars to guest on her debut which was recorded largely independently before signing with UMG Nashville.
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Grammy Award honoree, Songwriters Hall of Fame member, and BBC Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Don McLean released his most recent album, American Boys, earlier this month via BFD/Audium Nashville and distributed exclusively through The Orchard. Paying tribute to his rock and roll heroes, McLean's new single honors those who paved the way.
"American boys invented rock and roll. That's the idea," McLean tells us. "It's really the high school version of 'American Pie' which is the college version, but it's not complicated at all, it's just a simple homage, but they invented rock and roll. That's the thing I want to get across to people that America has invented a lot of different kinds of music. It comes from the soil. It comes from the south. It comes from Memphis, and Nashville, the Texas Panhandle, Louisiana, Arkansas, all over. It doesn't come from New England. It does not come from the West. It comes from these places."
Last week, McLean was a guest at The White House State Dinner for President Ruto of Kenya.
The legendary and still active singer/songwriter has had a significant career, selling over 50 million albums worldwide. Among other things, Don McLean received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2021, was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2022, received a star on the Las Vegas Walk of Fame in 2019 and the Music City Walk of Fame in 2023, and was recently the focus of a Paramount+ documentary The Day The Music Died.
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Texas country singer-songwriter Wade Bowen recently released his new album, Flyin, through his Bowen Sounds via Thirty Tigers/The Orchard. The 12-track record features a curated track listing with diverse songs ranging from old-fashioned honky-tonk country to gut-wrenching ballads, classic rock and even a love song to his home state for shaping him who he is today.
As the second project that Bowen has produced fully himself, Flyin came together over a year and provides listeners with an unexpected array of songs that will keep them on their toes and take them through a unique, musical journey. With this album, Bowen explores the individuality of each song and takes a deep dive into his creativity through songwriting and storytelling.
"Having a new album is always fun. It's always exciting. I really believe in this record and like I've been telling people, an artist, you know, a songwriter always says their most recent song they wrote is always their favorite and the artist always says their most recent album is always their favorite. So I'm trying really hard not to say that this time because I know that's the most cliche answer, but even though I do believe it's my favorite, but I do believe there's an energy to this record that I've never had before," Bowen tells us.
He continues, "This is the second record that I produced on my own of mine. And I believe that as I listen through to it, I think there's an energy to this thing that I've never had. Something that I could carry over into my live shows and something that we have carried over into my live show that has really amped things up and really given like, spirit to things that I've never had something that this really crank things up a little bit and just shown and it really is not it's not just about the tempo it's just this this energy this spirit this this this this this this fun and and happiness and just showing that that I'm having more fun than I've ever had and I feel like I'm at the top of my game right now this far into my career that feels really good to hear all of that in this record and I hope people hear that when they hear this record."
We chat about the new album, teaming up with good friend Miranda Lambert for the first time for a limited Texas run May 24-26 in his hometown of New Braunfels, his Bowen Family Foundation, and performing the National Anthem for the 2024 Texas Rangers Opening Day game.
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Parker McCollum knows how to “Burn it Down,” but does he know the secret sauce for creating the perfect Raising Cane’s Box Combo? Award-winning country music singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist McCollum, the “Gold Chain Cowboy,” avoided the “Young Man's Blues” with a tour of the brand’s Dallas-Area Restaurant Support Office on Thursday (May 16th) with founder and owner Todd Graves.
McCollum – who won New Male Artist of the Year at the 2022 Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM Awards) and Breakthrough Video of the Year at the 2022 Country Music Television Awards (CMT Awards) – spent the morning with his good friend Graves ahead of playing the 59th ACM Awards at the nearby Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. No stranger to the spotlight or ACM recognition, McCollum just won Visual Media of the Year during a pre-awards show event and was nominated for Single of the Year for “Burn it Down.” McCollum recently announced 13 additional tour stops for his now 53-stop Burn it Down Tour, which kicked off in January.
Before McCollum donning his Cane’s-cowboy best at the Dallas-Area Restaurant Support Office, he hosted a star-studded night at ACM Lifting Lives Live: Parker McCollum and Friends at Topgolf at the Colony, Texas alongside Graves and fellow country music stars Old Dominion, Jordan Davis, Ashley Cooke and Kameron Marlowe. Also in attendance were Kane Brown, Miranda Lambert, and numerous other stars. During the show, McCollum and Graves were joined by good friend and country music sensation Koe Wetzel, who performed “Love” with McCollum on stage. The event benefitted ACM Lifting Lives, the philanthropic partner of the ACMs dedicated to improving lives through the power of music.
Later in the night, Graves and Doug Kindy, president of Lucchese, joined McCollum on stage to match McCollum’s $10,000 donation to ACM Lifting Lives, contributing to the more than $700,000 raised. After the concert, Graves and McCollum went outside to serve hungry fans from the Raising Cane’s food truck, which was on-site at the request of McCollum to help the charitable cause. McCollum sported a Cane’s hat and his signature gold chains while serving up chicken fingers to the masses.
“It was great spending the night with Parker at his show and having him here at the office this morning to see some fun mementos of our history. Parker and I have been good friends for a while and it’s been amazing turning that friendship into something more meaningful,” Graves shares. “I’m also glad we had the opportunity to come together last night and make an impact on ACM Lifting Lives. It was heartwarming seeing Koe and everyone enjoying a fun night that benefits an amazing charity.”
During the morning's tour of Cane’s three-story Dallas-Area Support Center, McCollum got an inside look at the celebrity “Hall of Fame,” where McCollum is featured working a “shift” at his hometown Raising Cane’s in Conroe, Texas, before headlining the 2023 Houston Rodeo. Graves – who built the first Raising Cane’s, “The Mothership,” across from the North Gates at LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1996 – gave McCollum an exclusive look into the chicken finger magic that made Raising Cane’s a household name.
“Todd is a family man, which helped our friendship develop naturally before we got into business together. When people see that Raising Cane’s sponsors me, they know Todd only partners with people who are genuine and hardworking – both characteristics that he embodies himself,” McCollum adds. “Having Raising Cane’s on my eighteen-wheeler is so exciting and I always have enough food on the bus after my shows to feed a small village.”
We were on-site following the tour to talk to McCollum in a press conference at the facility with a one-on-one conversation between our Matt Bailey and Graves.
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Acclaimed musical duo Bowen * Young has released their debut album, Us via Snakefarm/Pias, a London extension of Universal Music Group. The duo, consisting of husband and wife Claire Bowen (TV's Nashville) and Brandon Robert Young, draws inspiration from their personal experiences and musical influences and effortlessly blend elements of folk, Americana, and country to create a sound that is distinctly their own.
"When you make a record, it's just one of those things where you're sort of in the lab, you know, you're like in a cave creating, writing songs, recording them, and then you go through the whole mix and master process, but you know to finally get to that place where it's like oh we have a release date and the record's actually going to come out and we're actually going to get to share it with people," they tell us. "We're just thrilled."
The duo will perform at Nashville's 3rd and Lindsley next week before heading to London to perform two special shows at Royal Albert Hall as part of Highways Fest on May 17th and 18th.
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BBR Music Group/Wheelhouse Records singer/songwriter Elvie Shane delivers his most daring work yet with his sophomore album Damascus, available now. Full of unflinching honesty rooted in compassionate clarity, Shane takes pieces of each character he’s met on his path, melding them into one beautifully woven work. The road to Damascus isn't a journey one takes lightly, yet the album tells the stories of those often untold, giving each testimony a chance to shine through. Shane co-wrote all songs on the project produced by his frequent collaborator, Oscar Charles.
"Very heavy-hearted for I'd say 60 or 70% of it," Shane tells us about the album's content. "You know, songs like 'Fan on High' and 'Chicken Shit' are a little bit more light-hearted. But man, I just really wanted to, what I've been noticing more than anything in the world the last few years is a lot of struggle. And a lot of struggle with my folks in particular, with blue-collar people. I'm a rural Kentucky boy, you know, come from a lower middle-class family, truck driver, and a factory worker as parents. Those are the people that I love and care about and I feel like they're very interesting people and I want to tell their stories. But within that picture of blue-collar struggle, there are some afflictions as well, be it addiction, political issues, religious issues, or prison reform. I think we tried to touch on all of those a little bit in this record."
Shane discusses a few songs in more detail and what's ahead on this edition of The Music Universe Podcast.
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Last month, legendary icon Tony Orlando played his final sold-out show in Las Vegas this week after 51 years as a Las Vegas headliner and now at the renowned South Point Casino.
In 1973, the crooner began topping the bill in Las Vegas at the famed Riviera Hotel showroom and soon after began headlining the esteemed and historic Las Vegas Hilton. During his early explosive period performing in the entertainment capital, he headlined most of the city’s legendary venues such as Caesar’s Palace, The Mirage, and The Desert Inn -- and continued an amazing twenty-five years of residencies in all of Michael Gaughan’s venues, including his hugely successful South Point Casino showroom.
On March 22nd, Orlando will bring an end to his long and illustrious 62-year live concert performing career at Mohegan Sun's 10,000-seat arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Amazingly, this will mark his 65th appearance over 23 years at the venue.
“I am so honored that my last concert will be at my favorite venue on Earth, Mohegan Sun Arena,” Orlando says. “My relationship with Tom Cantone, the stage crews, and the staff at Mohegan Sun Arena has been flawless. I also want to thank all my friends within the Mohegan Tribe for making me feel like family and for the opportunity to say goodbye. Thank you for making my dreams come true.”
Throughout February and March, Orlando will play a handful of farewell North American stops, hitting Niagara Falls, Ontario on February 27th and 28th, along with playing a pair of Illinois shows in Des Plaines on March 2nd and St. Charles on March 3rd -- as well as a poignant East Coast date in Atlantic City, New Jersey on March 16th.
Tony Orlando – a 60-plus-year hitmaker and standing-room-only live draw -- was recently honored as a New Jersey Hall Of Fame Inductee and remains a relentless supporter of American veterans. Orlando is a Grammy-nominated artist with a whopping 15 Top 40 hits, two platinum albums, three gold albums, and millions of copies sold. “Tie A Yellow Ribbon” was the No. 1 Billboard Song of the Year for 1973 and went on to become the theme song for Tony Orlando and an anthem for hope, reunion, and renewal in America.
Orlando is a recipient of two American Music Awards and a People’s Choice Award for Best Male Entertainer. He is the 2016 recipient of the Casino Entertainer Of The Year award and the Bob Hope Award for Excellence in Entertainment from the Congressional Medal Of Honor Society, honoring his tireless efforts on behalf of our nation’s veterans.
In 1990, Tony was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame to commemorate his outstanding achievements in the entertainment industry. He was also inducted into Mohegan Sun’s Walk Of Fame in 2010.
Orlando will continue hosting his beloved hit radio program Saturday Nights with Tony Orlando on 77 WABC Music Radio (Red Apple Media, Inc.), which airs in New York, as well as reaching New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. Orlando will naturally continue engaging in a multitude of ongoing projects – including a new film and multimedia company, Tony Orlando Productions.
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(EDITOR’S NOTE: In this episode, we mention Toto will perform with Journey for 44 dates this year. That number is 30 with 14 headlining dates of their own).
Next week, Toto launches its third consecutive tour with Journey with 30 appearances throughout the United States and Canada through the spring with an additional 14 headlining performances planned. A tour of Europe follows this summer with additional headlining dates to be announced.
The band is led by guitarist Steve Lukather (Luke) and frontman Joseph Williams, also known as The Dogz of Oz. In the fall of 2019, we began our podcast with Luke featured in our inaugural episode. Now, as we hit the 200 mark, we invited Williams to join us in the hot seat where we chat about the band's new lineup featuring Williams on vocals, Luke on guitar and vocals, Greg Phillinganes returning on keyboards and vocals, Nashville studio musician Shannon Forrest returning on drums, John Pierce on bass, Warren Ham on horns, percussion, vocals, and Steve Maggiora on keyboards and vocals -- and additional topics.
"It's unbelievable how many versions of this band if you count all the musicians that have played from behind. Of the old guard, you know, it's basically just me and Luke, you know," he says. "But Greg Phillinganes is back and he was once a full-blown member back in the early 2000s and we're thrilled to have him back because he's just exceptional in every single way, so that's wonderful. And then Shannon who was with us during the teens for about six years is back, and it's great to have him back. He's probably -- more than anybody -- reminds me of the way [original drummer] Jeff [Porcaro] used to play. And he also has this encyclopedic knowledge of all the Toto material, so rehearsals are like a breeze. So between those guys, I mean, it's really solid, and it sounds amazing. I can't wait for everybody to hear it."
Over the past decade, Toto has had a major renaissance in popularity like few bands at this point in their career. No individual statistic exhibits this more than achieving the milestone of over 3.4 billion streams at Spotify alone. The total plays of the band’s collected works across all platforms is now approaching five billion. Amongst the most listened-to recordings, “Africa” accounts for over one billion streams on Spotify alone. The song was recertified by the RIAA eight times platinum.
Individually and collectively, the band’s family tree can be heard on an astonishing five thousand albums that together amass a sales history of half a billion albums. Amongst these recordings, NARAS applauded the performances with hundreds of Grammy nominations. They are pop culture and are one of the few 70’s bands that have endured the changing trends and styles while continuing to remain relevant.
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For four decades, Mark Miller has been the frontman of multi-platinum and multi-award-winning group Sawyer Brown and a trailblazer in country music. Now, he’s pulling back the curtain on his storied career with his new memoir The Boys And Me: My Life in the Country Music Supergroup Sawyer Brown, due February 6th via Forefront Books.
From the early days of honing their craft in small-town venues to winning the first-ever televised singing competition with Star Search to becoming country music’s most enduring act, Miller offers a backstage pass to the heart and soul of Sawyer Brown with never-before-told stories.
"The book wasn't my idea," Miller tells us. "My brother is our manager and he came up with the idea that [the band] need[s] to do a new album. My daughter's been involved. She is involved in production and has her own TV show. She really signed on and wanted to do the documentary. And then he thought it would be a good idea to do the book. Just as we talked about my personality, I just thought who in the world would want to read a book about me? And so that was my that was my first thing... Robert Nolan was the, I guess, ghostwriter or whatever. That was the first thing I said to Robert. I said, 'This was going to be difficult for me because I don't even know what parts of me are interesting.' So I think the reason for the book was just maybe to complete the 40-year package with the documentary, the album, and the book. The book, of course, covers my life all the way from growing up. The documentary covers basically the beginning of the band. That's where that picks up."
The book's foreword was written by NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner.
The Boys And Me stands as a testament to the band’s enduring legacy and its impact on the country music landscape. Accompanied by the band’s new tell-all documentary, Get Me To The Stage On Time, and a Blake Shelton-produced album, Desperado Troubadours, coming March 8th via their longtime label Curb Records, Miller’s memoir continues the celebration of Sawyer Brown’s 40th anniversary.
The first two singles of the new album, “Under This Ole Hat” and “Get Me To The Stage On Time,” are available now.
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Marking a new pinnacle in a lifetime of creative achievement, multi-talented entertainer Charles Esten will release his highly anticipated independent debut album, Love Ain’t Pretty, on January 26th.
A diverse and richly textured full-length project more than ten years in the making, Love Ain't Pretty began taking shape when Esten first arrived in Music City to play Deacon Claybourne on ABC/CMT’s Nashville, and now showcases a singer-songwriter with a masterful grasp of the full human condition. Working in tandem with hitmakers like Jon Nite, Eric Paslay, Gary Burr, Leslie Satcher, and more, Esten co-wrote all 14 songs, diving deep into wide-ranging themes of earth-shattering romance, big-picture reflection, and beyond. Vividly detailed and filled with the emotional daring of a celebrated storyteller – both onscreen and onstage – Esten explores life, love, and the passing of time through the lens of a traveled and tested everyman, who has never lost his innate sense of wonder, or his wide-open soul. Meanwhile, he teamed with producer Marshall Altman (Frankie Ballard, Marc Broussard, Matt Nathanson) to sculpt a calm, controlled, and beautifully contoured sound, blending the forward momentum of Country Rock with Rootsy small-town charm, and a warm, soulful vocal.
"[O]ver these years in college, I was singing other people's songs in their voice. I was doing Buddy Holly and his voice on TV's Whose Line [Is It Anyway]. As you know, they would go, 'We want you to sing this song in the style of Neil Diamond or the style of U2.' So you're doing other people's voices for a long time. Part of the journey of any artist is finding out, all right, 'Who am I then?' And Nashville is a beautiful place to get to do that because you're surrounded [by talent]," Esten tells us.
"I had this great producer named Marshall Altman and these incredible players around me who get to follow our lead and make these, bring these songs to life in a way we had imagined, but beyond that because of their great talents. And so, so much of this has been stripping away those impressions and those other folks to find out what it is.
"I want to say, who I am and what I want to say. Now those things have been influenced along the way. There's so much of this music I would think you would agree that Deacon Claiborne could have sung that one. And in a way he did because I played him. And I was fortunate enough to get to write three songs for Deacon on the show Nashville so that overlap is there. But it's very strange to have a debut album at this late point in someone's life. But to me, it's all for the better. It means I have things I've thought about that I want to say, and in a certain way I want to say them, and that all comes together in Love Ain't Pretty."
Esten is a global entertainer. Best known for his roles as Ward Cameron on Netflix’s Outer Banks and Deacon Claybourne in ABC/CMT’s Nashville, the artist-songwriter introduces Love Ain’t Pretty. Surpassing 21 million streams to date, Esten is a 2018 Guinness World Records title holder for the “Most consecutive weeks to release an original digital single by a music act” after delivering 54 original songs once a week for 54 straight weeks. He’s made nearly 170 appearances at Nashville’s iconic Grand Ole Opry and performed multiple headline tours in the US, Germany, Amsterdam, and the UK, further embarking on his US and international headlining Love Ain't Pretty Tour this spring. In addition, Esten serves as the National Honorary Spokesperson for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s annual Light The Night Walk and is a board member and volunteer for Musicians On Call.
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On June 4, 2022, Steve Vai began a world tour that has now staged 194 performances in 51 countries across the globe. Some of these markets he had never appeared in prior, amongst which are Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Kaohsiung (Taiwan), Zallak (Bahrain), Bangalore and Kolkata (India), Mumbai, Macedonia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, alongside six new markets in China (Foshan, Xi’an, Chengdu, Chongqing, Nanjing and Hefei). Throughout this worldwide odyssey, Vai stepped foot on every continent other than Antarctica.
Now back at home after this marathon 19-month tour, Vai is ready to fill up his 2024 with more touring and to share new music. Earlier this month, he began the year by staging his annual Vai Academy. Titled A New Breed Of Virtuosity, Vai Academy 7.0 was staged at the Omni Championsgate Resort in Orlando, Florida.
He chats with us about the upcoming G3 Reunion Tour with Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson as well as his Satch-Vai Tour with Satriani. He also talks about new music that includes his passion project of orchestral songs and teases a big tour announcement for the fall.
"The last year and a half was the Inviolate Tour. So it was the full show that I do, but now for 24, it's more condensed. I'm out with Joe and Eric Johnson for G3 for a good handful of shows. We kick off in about ten days," Vai tells us. "And then finally, it's so nice, Joe and I are going to do a tour together, just the two of us. And that's something -- we've toured together a lot, but we've never toured as just the two of us. And for the first time, we'll also have some music that we recorded together, working on a couple of tracks there. So that's exciting. And it's really nice because it's kind of the end of a huge touring cycle, and I get to do it with Joe. I mean, we've known each other since we were little kids, you know? I started taking lessons [from Satriani] when I was like 12. We've been joined at the hip ever since, but we've never really done anything like this together. So it's very nice."
The G3 tour kicks off on January 22nd and runs through February 10th, and then The Satch-Vai Tour will be staged from March 22nd in Orlando, FL through May 12th in Santa Rosa, California, featuring an extensive itinerary that will stage 38 appearances. This marks the first time that the long-time friends have toured as a duo-bill. It is also the first time they’ve collaborated on new music, which will be premiered just before the tour heading out.
Conceived in 1995 by the multi-Grammy nominated guitarist, Joe Satriani, the inaugural G3 Tour took place in 1996 bringing together three of the most iconic and virtuosic guitarists of their time: Satriani, Eric Johnson and Steve Vai. Known for their incredible technical prowess, musical innovation and unique styles, the G3 tour was a celebration of guitar mastery and proved extremely popular, captivating audiences worldwide. Though the line-up has continually changed over the last 29 years since its inception, Satriani is celebrating G3 in 2024 by reuniting the original trio: Satriani, Johnson, and Vai. The tour is set to begin on January 23rd in Tucson, AZ staging 13 performances ending with a pair of shows at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles which Vai says will be filmed.
Satch and Vai’s musical careers have been intertwined since their very early days. Satriani served as Vai’s guitar teacher during their teenage years on Long Island, New York. Their connection has continued to evolve over the years, even sharing record labels, starting at Relativity Records in the late 80’s, to both calling Sony/Epic Records home for a significant portion of the 90’s. Together, they have also frequently teamed up with a third guitarist on multiple occasions throughout 29 years, participating in the semi-annual G3 Tours, both in the US and abroad.
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We are back from an extended break with an action-packed episode featuring interviews with Riley Green and Garth Brooks. This edition of The Music Universe Podcast originates from Brooks' new Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk in the historic area of Nashville's Lower Broadway, recorded ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday and the soft opening of the new multi-level venue.
Before we talked with Brooks, I had a chance to chat with Green in October surrounding the release of his new album, Ain’t My Last Rodeo, released via BMLG Records. The Alabama good ol’ boy shares a close relationship with fans, taking them inside of his country lifestyle and talking about how his grandfather inspired the project.
"The title's after the title track 'My Last Rodeo' that I wrote about my Granddaddy Buford, and something he told me before he passed away back in 2010. I didn't write this song until just recently, so it was one of the last songs to make the album, but I thought the sentiment of it kind of embodied the traditional country music sale that I think we were going for on this record," Green shares. "Also, it's been a while since we put an album out, so it's always nice to remind fans that you're writing constantly and that you got new music and it's great to have new songs to play at shows."
Last week, we attended a press conference ahead of the soft opening at Brooks' new Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk. We were on hand as Brooks relaunched The Garth Channel on TuneIn, which has its studio overlooking the stage in the facility. During our three-minute two-on-one chat, Brooks discussed his new The Limited Series box set which features his latest album, Time Traveler, as well as whether additional albums are expected from the country superstar.
"Individual record sales aren't really out there. People do [albums] for like artwork and stuff," Brooks says. "So I don't know when it's gonna [be released individually] -- it'll eventually come out on its own. But right now it's sitting in the box."
He adds, "The whole thing of what albums are now and how music is served, I'm not sure an album is in the future of any artist. So I think right now what you want to do is just watch technology and see how people are digesting music and then we'll figure it out from there."
He also states the highly-anticipated Ireland television special from the five-night-finale of his global Stadium Tour in September 2022 is still in the production stages.
"I'm getting to see the pieces [of the film]. We're working on it a week from Sunday, too, so it's still in the evolution stages. I can tell you this. When you talk about how sweet it was -- top-tier stuff, come back stuff -- I'm going to put this up against anything we've ever shot, including Central Park. When you see it, you're not going to believe it. I can't believe it when I see."
This episode also features an interview with Natalie Cox, who's a new host on The Big 615, Brooks' flagship station with TuneIn and his Sevens Radio Network. Additionally, we talk with Blake Carter, who returns as the voice and Program Director of The Garth Channel.
We round out the episode by taking music fans inside three new exhibitions at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, profiling Patty Lovess, Eric Church and the Los Angeles country-rock scene of the 1960s and 70s.
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In August, platinum-selling, iconic country/rock band Sister Hazel released "Coconut Trees." The track was written by the band's guitarist Andrew Copeland and the late Kyle Jacobs, and was produced by Ben Jackson. The c’est la vie track is a unique blend of sounds meant to be listened to with "a little sun and rum on ice with an ocean breeze," no distractions.
"The song is actually supposed to be an upbeat, fun number. And it is. Once the band got ahold of it in the studio, it became just kind of this feel-good mantra of escaping all the worldly crap, and going and spending some time with somebody you love and someplace with some white sand and blue water and some coconut trees," Copeland tells The Music Universe. "So it's not like a super deep, super deep song. It's all about just kind of letting loose and having fun. And I think that this is the first time the band has ever used steel drums in a recording. So it's just got a kind of a happy hop to it. So I'm hoping people are digging it."
Originating from Gainesville, Florida, Sister Hazel is comprised of five gifted, seasoned musicians who are well-spring of natural talent. The song "All for You," topped the adult alternative charts during the summer of 1997 and the success propelled their album to platinum status. Since then, the band has become firmly established not only in rock and alternative music but now in country with four back-to-back Billboard Top Country Albums Chart entries. They have most recently co-produced a cleverly themed EP compilation series entitled Elements, which includes a bonus seventh track that continues throughout the series. Living up to their fan-centered reputation, the band was a pioneer in the themed cruise industry by co-founding The Rock Boat -- which will mark its 23rd anniversary in 2024 -- and annually hosts events like the Hazelnut Hang, and Camp Hazelnut that focus on creating unique experiences and interacting with the fans.
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The Music Universe Podcast gets our wiggle on!
The Wiggles recently returned to North America for their first tour of the region since 2019. The Ready, Steady, Wiggle! Tour is a high-energy celebration of music, dancing, and endless fun, leaving children (and adults) inspired, enthralled, and eager for more. It is named after the Netflix series that has got countless children and families through the tough times of the pandemic.
The eight-piece group played three dates in the US and is touring Canada through October 8th. Concertgoers should be ready to sing, dance and wiggle their way through an unforgettable musical extravaganza of beloved Wiggles hits including "Rock-a-Bye Your Bear," "Hot Potato" and "Do the Propeller."
During the live shows, audiences will be treated to an interactive and engaging experience with the new extended lineup featuring Anthony, Simon, Tsehay, Lachy, Caterina, Lucia, John and Evie. The group is joined on stage by all their Wiggly friends including Dorothy the Dinosaur, Wags the Dog, Henry the Octopus, and Captain Feathersword.
The group is also the subject of the forthcoming documentary, Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles, which launches globally on Prime Video on Tuesday, October 24th in more than 240 countries and territories. The highly anticipated Australian Original documentary celebrates icons in entertainment The Wiggles, their enduring global success, and cultural impact spanning more than 30 years.
Anthony, Lachy, Simon, Tsehay, along with Caterina, John, Lucia, and even Captain Feathersword, have a great time chatting with Matt Bailey about all things Wiggles! The group recently chatted from Canada where they discussed what fans can expect from the shows, their legacy, and the documentary. Follow us for more as the Amazon documentary premieres this fall.
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Black Stone Cherry will release its eighth studio album, Screamin’ At The Sky, on September 29th via Mascot Records. The release will be available on white solid vinyl, a limited edition deluxe vinyl box set, an HMV exclusive limited edition blue vinyl, standard CD and digital formats. The deluxe box set has sold out.
Screamin’ At The Sky features all-new material written collaboratively while on tour, but when it came time to record, BSC tried something they’ve always dreamed of doing: tracking an album at The Plaza Theater in Glasgow, Kentucky - a legendary 1020-seat venue built in 1934 that boasts meticulous acoustics. In June of 2022, the band rented the whole place, and brought in all its recording equipment and trusty engineer, Jordan Westfall. They set up the basement as the control room and the stage as the live drum room. The time between recording sessions and the incredible room ambiance have resulted in a career-high watermark for BSC.
Frontman Chris Robertson joins us while en route to a show in Plano, Texas over the summer. He talks about the inspiration of the album and the decision to record in the theater.
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Equipped with an adventurous and fiery attitude, former Runaway June lead singer and chief songwriter Naomi Cooke Johnson returns with a pavement-pounding anthem, "Livin' Ain't Killed Me Yet." Semi-autobiographical, the song is a musical adrenaline rush celebrating living life to the fullest.
Co-written by Cooke Johnson alongside Phil Bentley and producer Dan Muckala, “Livin’ Ain’t Killed Me Yet” is a scorching celebration of carefree fun with a chosen family of friends.
It's the second offering after signing a solo deal with BMG/BBR Music Group.
Naomi Cooke Johnson’s life is a song worth writing and a story worth telling. Growing up impoverished with no education, Cooke Johnson found her refuge and purpose in music. She’s a real-world example of what’s possible when hope transcends hardship and a real product of the American Dream. This former lead vocalist of Runaway June, who co-wrote many of the trio’s acclaimed hits including the Top 5 smash “Buy My Own Drinks," made her official solo debut in the country music scene with a strong dose of Shania Twain sass releasing “Girls of Summer,” a spirited celebration of carefree fun with a chosen family of friends. With powerhouse vocals and an irresistibly upbeat tempo, “Girls of Summer,” was fans’ first taste of blazing new music from Cooke Johnson who has truly come into her own as a solo artist.
Cooke Johnson joins us to talk about the new song, and how she's transitioned from Runaway June frontwoman to solo artist.
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Garth Brooks has used the same studio musicians for all of his albums from 1989 to the present. This group of seven players is known as The G-Men and has worked with the country superstar for 35 years and counting, curating the "Garth Sound" that changed country music.
Drummer Milton Sledge, bassist Mike Chapman, keyboardist Bobby Wood, rhythm guitarist Mark Casstevens, lead guitarist Chris Leuzinger, steel guitarist Bruce Bouton, and fiddlist Rob Hajacos can be heard on every album Brooks has recorded, sans 1999's rock concept album, ...In The Life of Chris Gaines. Their first recording session was on August 25, 1988, at Jack's Tracks on historic Music Row in Nashville. Songs such as "Not Counting You," "I've Got A Good Thing Going, "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)," and "Nobody Gets Off In This Town" were among the first songs the group recorded live in the studio with Brooks.
Brooks is the first to see nine of his albums certified diamond for sales of 10 million each by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The country star retains the crown as the No. 1 selling solo artist in U.S. history with a total of 157 million overall, according to the RIAA, only second ever to The Beatles's 183 million.
In 2016, Brooks and the G-Men, along with producer Allen Reynolds and engineer Mark Miller, were inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in downtown Nashville. The late Joe Chambers founded the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2006, marking the only museum to honor the greatest musicians of all time. Inside, guests will find everyone from Jimi Hendrix and Elvis Presley to Glen Campbell and Hal Blaine as members of The Wrecking Crew, the famous group of Los Angeles studio musicians who recorded hundreds of top 40 hits throughout the 1960s and 70s.
During the 2023 CMA Fest, Leuzinger took The Music Universe on a tour of the facility where he talked about the history behind some of music's greatest songs Following the tour, he gave us an exclusive on-site sit-down interview, taking us further into the depths of his career, his appreciation for Chambers and his surviving widow (now-CEO Linda Chambers), and crediting Brooks with being the "the most loyal artist on the planet."
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Dreamcatcher Artists’ rising country music star Mitch Rossell captivated audiences and judges alike on NBC's America's Got Talent, leaving an indelible mark. With an incredible performance that showcased his talent, passion, and undeniable stage presence, Rossell's journey on the hit reality show garnered praise from judges, fans, and even his fellow contestants.
Throughout his time on AGT, Rossell captivated both the live audience and the esteemed panel of judges, including Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, and Sofia Vergara. His performance of his original song, “All I Need To See” on the August 22nd live semi-finals further solidified his star power. AGT Judge Sofia Vergara praised Rossell's electrifying semi-final performance, stating, "Mitch, you sing with such emotion. I mean that was such a catchy, romantic song. I think you're the perfect, perfect talent that America is gonna fall in love with."
“All I Need To See,” which has amassed over 30 million all-time streams, is a testament to his unique ability to convey deep emotions through his music. The judges gushed with praise, as Simon Cowell stated, "You are the real deal,” while Heide Klum added, “You are radio-ready. You're great. Your songs are great. You have an amazing family and you seem like a really great guy. I wish you all the best."
Judge Howie Mandel, renowned for his insight, even predicted that Rossell was "the act to beat." Although that prediction did not come to fruition, Rossell's response revealed his positive outlook. He took to social media to express his gratitude, stating, "It didn’t go our way tonight, but it’s definitely all good, y’all. I’m honestly overwhelmed and floored by the love y’all always pour on me and this music I make. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much. You keep me going! This was a great chapter and a lot of fun. Now I'm excited to see what God has in store." Rossell extended his congratulations to finalists Lavender Darcangelo, Adrian, and Hurricane, noting their well-deserved spots in the finals.
Rossell continues his musical journey with his newly signed recording contract with Dreamcatcher Artists. The radio edit of “All I Need To See” is impacting radio now, as his dedicated fan base eagerly awaits his upcoming projects and live performances.
Rossell joins us to discuss his time on AGT, his songwriting career, being discovered by Garth Brooks, and what's ahead with his new label partnership.
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August 18th marks Ricochet's first new album in over a decade with Ricochet Then And Now... The Hits & More. The project celebrates the 90s country band's 30th anniversary of the band's formation in 1993 with newly recorded renditions of six of their classic hits along with eight new songs.
The group is best known for their chart-topping, gold-selling single, "Daddy's Money," Top 10 hits, "What Do I Know," "Love Is Stronger Than Pride," and the Top 20 "He Left A Lot To Be Desired," and are among the re-recorded tracks. We are premiering the new version of "Love Is Stronger Than Pride," which can be seen below.
Wright joins us to discuss the project, the band's role in the 90s country resurgence, and how re-recording their biggest hits can be a double-edged sword.
"When somebody would go in and re-record songs, after you've done a song on the road for several years, you tend to get a little bored with it, you start changing it," frontman Heath Wright tells The Music Universe. "And as an audience, as a fan of country music, that always bugged me, because I want to sing along. I want to sing along the way I remember hearing it on the radio. I told the guys, 'We're gonna go in and we're gonna re-record these songs. We're gonna do them exactly note for note the way they were recorded the first time.' So that's what we did. We went in and re-recorded everything, kind of gave everything a little bit of a facelift."
Despite the change in band members throughout the years, Ricochet still possesses their trademark harmonious vocal sound and is considered one of the hardest-working bands in the business. For nearly two decades, original lead vocalist Heath Wright has maintained the group’s legacy and fan base with a hefty tour schedule. Besides Wright on lead vocals and guitar, current band members are Chris Hempfling on vocals and drums, Rick Toops on vocals and keys, Bruce Bennett on vocals and bass, and Larry Hight on vocals, rhythm/lead guitar, steel, dobro, and saxophone.
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Kent Blazy is an American country music songwriter who was inducted into the class of 2020 Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame during the Golden Anniversary plus one during the special 50th And 51st Gala. The Kentucky native has written several singles with Garth Brooks, and penned tracks recorded by by Gary Morris, Diamond Rio, Patty Loveless, Chris Young, and an upcoming song by Reba. Blazy has a total of seven No. 1 hits to his credit.
Blazy began playing guitar at a young age, citing The Byrds, Rodney Crowell and Joe Ely as influences. He later played for Canadian singer Ian Tyson. Later on, Blazy met former Exile member Mark Gray, who suggested that Blazy move to Nashville, Tennessee. Eventually, he signed to a publishing contract, but the publishing company closed. Despite the loss of contract, Gary Morris sent Blazy's "Headed for a Heartache" into the top 5 on the country charts.
By the late 1980s, Blazy met with a then-unknown Garth Brooks, who gave him the idea for a song entitled "If Tomorrow Never Comes." He and Brooks co-wrote the song, which went on to become Brooks' first No. 1 hit. Brooks continued to record Blazy's material throughout the 1990s, including the singles "Ain't Goin' Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up)," "It's Midnight Cinderella," "She's Gonna Make It," "Somewhere Other Than the Night" and the George Jones duet "Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)." Blazy, along with songwriters Pat Alger, Tony Arata and Kim Williams, recorded an album entitled A Songwriters' Tribute to Garth Brooks, which included their renditions of songs that they had written for Brooks which was released in 2001.
He also co-wrote "That's What I Get for Lovin' You" by Diamond Rio and "Can't Get Enough" by Patty Loveless in the late 1990s and "Gettin' You Home (The Black Dress Song)" by Chris Young in the 2010s, along with a 15-year-old song recently cut by Reba for consideration for her upcoming new album that's expected in 2024.
Blazy returns to The Music Universe Podcast for his third appearance, but first on camera. He chats with us about his new album, From The Beatles to The Bluebird, inspired by a 2022 visit to The Beatles' hometown of Liverpool, England. From first inspirations to endless gigs in bars to writing hit songs in Nashville Tennessee on Music Row, the album is a musical journey from the 60's English invasion winding through decades up till today.
"I got to go to Liverpool last year and you know, I'm a huge Beatle fan. And when you are at the dock, they have a life-size statues of The Beatles. And it's pretty cool because all of them are carrying something that means something to them. So if you go Google that, it's an interesting story how they did that," Blazy tells us. "But it was cold that day. And I was wearing a Bluebird sweatshirt that I had gotten when I was doing a benefit at the Bluebird a couple of weeks before that. And somebody took a picture. And when I saw the picture, I thought, God, that's a great album title -- From the Beatles to the Bluebird -- because part of my career started due to Garth [Brooks] playing 'If Tomorrow Never Comes' at the Bluebird Cafe after he'd been turned down by every record label. And somebody was in the audience to hear somebody else and told Garth, 'Maybe we missed something. Why don't you come back in?' And thanks to the Bluebird, he got a record deal and 'If Tomorrow Never Comes' ended up being his first single that went number one, so pretty cool."
The album is available at digital outlets and features 11 songs penned or co-penned by Blazy. Members of Jon Pardi's band joined him at Sound Emporium in Nashville to record the project in a day and a half.
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Instead of receiving gifts in celebration of his 87th birthday in May, iconic singer Engelbert Humperdinck gifted fans his new album, All About Love via OK! Good Records. A collection of eye-opening reinterpretations of classic love songs, reworkings of some of his own classics, and duets with two of the most-celebrated Mexican singers vocalists today (“Mexico’s Sweetheart” Angelica Maria and Grammy-nominated Mariachi star Lupita Infante), his new 13 track collection is more proof that Engelbert just gets better with age.
The four-time Grammy-nominated and multi-Platinum selling legend tackles some of the most beloved romantic tracks and puts a unique spin on them, including the No. 1 R&B hit "If You Don't Know Me By Now" which was originally released by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes in 1972 (also covered by Simply Red in 1989) and the Philly soul classic "When Will I See You Again" (originally released in 1974 by The Three Degrees). Among other tracks are The Bee Gees’ first US No. 1 (and one of the greatest love songs of the era) “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart,” Lou Rawls’ perennial classic “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine,” and Mel & Tim’s “Starting All Over Again.” Released last fall, his country-western tinged rendition of Barry White’s 1974 Gold-selling chart topper “You’re The First, The Last, My Everything” has amassed over 2.7 million views on YouTube and inspired a line-dance from its celebratory music video, which was filmed at Los Angeles’ authentic Honky-Tonk club, Cowboy Palace Saloon.
All About Love was recorded at famous Blackbird Studios with some of Nashville’s finest musicians, including Dave Cohen (Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, Florida Georgia Line) on keyboards, Rob McNelley (Buddy Guy, Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban) on guitars, Lex Price (Shemekia Copeland, Neko Case, Indigo Girls) on bass, Jerry Roe (LeeAnn Womack, Luke Combs, Keith Urban) on drums, Fred Eltringham (Sheryl Crow, Lucinda Williams, Willie Nelson) on drums, and even legend Charlie McCoy (Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan).
Thanks to massive awareness from creative placement of his classic hits in current and vastly popular mainstream TV shows and films, Engelbert’s popularity has exploded exponentially in recent years. The aforementioned “A Man Without Love” was featured on the Marvel Universe series Moon Knight and "Quando, Quando, Quando" found itself on Netflix's Umbrella Academy. His newly recorded version of West Ham United’s football anthem "Forever Blowing Bubbles" was featured prominently in Brad Pitt’s No. 1 runaway hit movie Bullet Train.
The legendary singer is also on tour, with stops throughout the US, Europe, South American and Asia.
Humperdinck recently chatted with us to discuss the album, touring, his career and more.
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Danielle Bradbery has come a long way since kickstarting her career and becoming the youngest artist ever to win NBC's Emmy-winning competition series The Voice at 16-years-old in 2013. Spending the past decade growing into her artistry, the Texas native has honed her skills and defined her sound while pouring her heart into lyric – earning award nominations, touring across the globe and collaborating with some of the biggest names in music including Diplo, Zac Brown Band, Thomas Rhett, Nick Jonas and more.
Facing the challenges brought on by the pandemic head on, Bradbery spent time creating music she loves, infusing her own heartfelt and personal stories into songs like "Never Have I Ever" and "Monster," the most vulnerable song she's released to date.
Penned by Bradbery alongside Lauren LaRue (Sam Hunt, Arizona Zervas, JoJo, Alana Springsteen, Jimmie Allen) and Sam De Jong (Alec Benjamin, Lennon Stella, Gracie Abrams, Marina, Little Mix), the Nathan Chapman and Derek Wells-produced track delivers a haunting chorus that carries the unbearable weight: "You always lie to me, then you lie down with me / You won’t leave and you’re so unhealthy / You’re breakin’ me, messin’ with my head / It feels like a bad dream and I wonder why I can’t sleep / When you’re here ‘cause I know the monster / He ain’t under the bed / ‘Cause he’s in it with me"
Earlier this year, Bradbery embarked on her first-ever headline A Special Place Tour where established herself a force to be reckoned with by selling out all nine stops. Following her recent collaboration with Jordan Davis on “Midnight Crisis,” Bradbery joins him on the road once again for his Damn Good Time Tour this fall.
Bradbery spoke with us earlier in the spring, ahead of her performance at The Basement East on May 18th with special guest CB30 and CMA Fest, to talk about "Monster," her first-ever headlining tour and career.
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Earlier this year, NBC premiered America’s Got Talent: All-Stars, a new extension of the powerhouse hit series featuring winners, finalists, fan favorites and viral sensations from previous seasons of America’s Got Talent and Got Talent franchises around the world. America's Got Talent season two winner Terry Fator and Romania's Got Talent winner Ana-Maria Mărgean are singing ventriloquists who both appeared on the new edition this past spring, and gave a awe-inspiring performance together.
Fourteen year old Ana-Maria Mărgean is from Bucharest, Romania who's been singing and performing since early childhood. She's performed throughout the world and has won several awards for her ventriloquism and powerful operatic-style vocals. She's also an accomplished voiceover artist and dancer.
In 2021, Mărgean won the Golden Buzzer for the 11th season of Romania's Got Talent, a year after she began working on crafting her singing ventriloquism art. She cites Fator as her biggest influence after discovering his work during the pandemic. At age 11, she won Romania's Got Talent and dreams of headlining a Las Vegas showroom.
Named the “Best Las Vegas Strip Headliner” by Las Vegas Weekly three years in a row, Terry Fator captures the audience’s hearts and funny bones with his unique brand of entertainment that combines ventriloquism, singing, comedy, and breathtaking celebrity impressions. Upon winning season two of the popular NBC show at age 42, Fator headlined his own theater at the Mirage Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas for 11 years alongside his cast of characters that include Winston, the Impersonating Turtle; Maynard Thompkins, the Elvis Impersonator; Duggie Scott Walker, the annoying neighbor, and; a host of famous singers, past and present.
Since March 2021, Fator has been headlining Terry Fator: Who’s The Dummy Now? at MGM's New York New York on the Las Vegas Strip. When he's not performing in The Entertainment Capital of the World, he can be seen on tour or visiting Disney properties around the world.
We chatted with both talented artists together in a sit down interview in Las Vegas where they discuss their path to stardom, appearing together on America's Got Talent: All Stars, their love of the stage, and current and future endeavors.
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Multi-instrumentalist and Platinum-selling artist Hunter Hayes is an embodiment of the type of musician that embraces change and strives to rewrite the rules. After debuting on the scene with a Platinum-certified album, Hayes has charted his own path, moving from his country roots into the genre-bending world that he was destined for.
On his latest album, Red Sky, the singer-songwriter is executing at the highest level of his musical career: crafting memorable melodies and instantly catchy hooks albeit with a top-notch musician’s discerning ear. His music is both a reflection of his influences, and a product of his prodigious multi-instrumental talents, reflected by the fact that he plays every instrument on his records.
His first ever fully independent album is more than a decade in the making, Hunter describes the transition from his last album saying, “[My last album] was the optimistic dreamer, looking out of a window and dreaming about adventure and Red Sky is very much the actual adventure. It has been my diary, my journal alongside a very adventurous part of my life.”
The Louisiana native has garnered over two billion on-demand global streams since the release of his debut album, along with six Gold and Platinum-certified singles. In addition to his legendary headlining shows, Hayes has also toured with superstars like Taylor Swift, and has headlined sold out shows across the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia. With over 50 award nominations and wins, including five Grammy nominations, Hayes is just getting started.
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Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil is staying busy with his band and judging the AXS TV competition show Banded. The 90 minutes season finale of the groundbreaking show airs tonight (Sat, July 1st), and redefines the traditional “build-a-band” concept that showcases exceptional up-and-coming artists who can play, write, and sing their own music.
The series features a roster of legendary mentors and guest judges, including Neil, Kip Winger, early 2000's chart-topping country star Steve Azar, Vans Warped Tour mastermind Kevin Lyman, and world-class rock drummer Mark Schulman, among others.
GameTV will be the exclusive Canadian broadcaster of the series which will air every Saturday at 7 pm ET beginning July 8th.
Neil, who is currently in Europe on The World Tour with Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard, chats with us via video from London to discuss Banded, new music and life after The World Tour.
Last week, Mötley Crüe teased a London club show under the pseudonym Dögs of War which took place last night (Fri, June 30th) in a 450-capacity venue in London. The teaser video also included a snippet of a new song called "Dögs of War," which they were expected to premiere at the show, but played their version of the Beastie Boys' "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)." Neil confirms both "Dögs of War" and "Fight" are among multiple new tracks the group has recorded with producer Bob Rock.
The Live Nation-produced The World Tour returns to the United States for eight dates in August with Australian and Japanese dates set for November. The global trek is an extension of last year's The Stadium Tour which was named the biggest North American stadium tour of 2022 with more than 1.3 million tickets sold, and marks the first with new Mötley Crüe guitarist John 5 who's replaced Mick Mars after leaving the band due to his health.
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Earlier this month, CMA Fest marked its 50th anniversary in Nashville with four straight days celebrating record-breaking milestones and more. The golden anniversary of the legendary festival delivered everything country music fans could want as an estimated more than 90,000 fans attended the festivities in Downtown Nashville each day, cementing a new attendance record for the largest and longest-running country music festival in the world.
Unlike other festivals, CMA Fest acts donate their time to perform so ticket proceeds can directly benefit high-quality music education initiatives across the country through the CMA Foundation.
Reporter Matt Bailey was on hand to capture the action and conduct interviews with some country legends, established artists and newer acts. He attended countless events, including the Nissan Stadium Nightly Concerts where Alabama was honored with the CMA Pinnacle Award, and had the rare opportunity to interact with Reba McEntire during her Artist of the Day on the CMA Close Up Stage panel. The latter moment is featured in this episode.
This episode marks our longest one yet, clocking it at just over 100 minutes with guests including Kidd G, Pillbox Patti, Jake Worthington, Ian Munsick, Travis Denning, Chrissy Metz, Callista Clark and more. We have three very special interviews with Rita Wilson, Kimberly Perry and Randy and Mary Travis, who all discuss their music and careers.
Following CMA Fest, Bailey attended a No. 1 party for Tyler Hubbard's "9 Foot 5" and "Dancin' in the Country" which included a surprise appearance by Keith Urban. Matt's question to both artists can be seen in this episode.
We wrap the feature length episode with coverage of Garth Brooks and TuneIn launching The Big 615, a new global country radio station that's hosted by former GAC-TV and SiriusXM personality Storme Warren. The Big 615 is the flagship station of Brooks' Sevens Radio Network, exclusively on TuneIn, and launched June 15th with a new single from the country legend. The stations featured on the network are conceived and directed by Brooks with more on the way.
All CMA Fest coverage can be seen at our website.
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Emerging with a sharp signature style and an unrivaled live presence proven one gig at a time, Platinum-certified rising Texas-based country rock band Pecos & The Rooftops release their major label self-titled debut album today (Fri, June 23rd) via Warner Records. The hard workin’, hard rockin’ sextet’s anxiously awaited full-length features "The Last Thing I Remember" and "5 AM," the latter of which has already reeled in 4.5 million global streams and 291K YouTube views on the lyric video.
Pecos & The Rooftops have been perfecting a signature heavy blend of lowdown country and classic rock since their inception with the band living in a big five-bedroom house in Lubbock, Texas. Formed in 2019 by a tight-knit squad of college friends, the band outfits their soulful Americana with muscular guitar grit yet remains tuneful and melodic. They’ve carved out a singular niche for themselves in the rich songwriting tradition of their home state, as evidenced by their debut Warner Records single "5 AM," released in March. Anchored by the heart-baring songwriting and booming voice of former Marine Pecos Hurley, the band is rounded out by top-tier players and songwriters Brandon Jones on rhythm guitar, Zack Foster on lead guitar, Kalen Davis on bass, Garrett Peltier on drums and Hunter Cassell on guitars and keys.
Hurley chats with us about the project, touring and where the name "Rooftops" originates.
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Country music pioneer Colt Ford has released Must Be The Country, his new 24 track collection featuring collaborations with Tracy Lawrence, Brantley Gilbert, Sam Grow, Tracy Byrd, and more. The project was released on his own Average Joes Entertainment and marks his first full length project in three years.
The album took shape while battling eye cancer and recovering from an intensive surgery to remove the tumor. Following his successful fight against cancer, Ford has been diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis, an autoimmune disorder that destroys neuromuscular connections and affects the muscles in the face. Despite his recent struggle with personal health, Ford has exhibited his enduring human spirit and continues to tour the nation as well as write and record new projects slated for release later this year.
Ford joins us to chat about the new project, future new music, his diagnosis, and how he's pioneered the country/rap movement.
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3 Doors Down and Finger Eleven are two of the biggest rock bands to have emerged out of the 90s. Both bands are hitting the road this summer on their own respective tours, but we spoke with 3 Doors Down guitarist Chris Henderson and Finger Eleven's Scott Anderson about their careers, including the latter's first-ever collection of hits and vinyl.
Formed in 1996, Grammy Award-nominated multi-Platinum Mississippi rock band 3 Doors Down consistently captivates audiences worldwide. The quintet’s many accolades include selling more than 20 million albums globally, receiving a Grammy nomination, two American Music Awards, and five BMI Pop Awards for songwriting, including ”Songwriter of the Year.” Their debut, The Better Life, became certified seven times RIAA Platinum and was fueled by the success of juggernaut hit ”Kryptonite.” Away From The Sun has been certified five times Platinum. In 2023, to celebrate the anniversary of Away From The Sun, the band will play all the songs from the album and all their hits in Amphitheaters across the US.
One of Canada’s best-selling bands, Juno Award-winning rockers Finger Eleven have built a long-lasting legacy with their genre-defying sound -- spanning cathartic metal and alt-rock balladry to danceable funk, power pop, and beyond -- that continues to keep fans on their toes. The band’s story begins in 1990, when vocalist Scott Anderson, guitarist Rick Jackett, guitarist James Black, bassist Sean Anderson, and drummer Rob Gommerman (later replaced by Rich Beddoe and Steve Molella in 2013) began playing together in high school. In 1995, the Burlington, Ontario five-piece released their debut, Letters from Chutney, under the moniker Rainbow Butt Monkeys, before recording their first LP as Finger Eleven, Tip. The album, which was produced by Arnold Lanni (Our Lady Peace, Simple Plan), caught the attention of Wind-up Records, who signed the band in 1997 and re-released Tip a year later. This summer, Finger Eleven will play festivals across the US.
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Big Time Rush is back with its first new studio record in a decade, Another Life. The project was kick started by the release of "Can't Get Enough" earlier this year followed by "Waves" in May. However, due to frenzied fan excitement and demand, Another Life was released one week earlier than anticipated and is available as of today (Fri, June 2nd).
The group, which shot to fame with their Nickelodeon series of the same name, has an exceptionally busy summer. The band kicks off their 39-city North American Can’t Get Enough Tour with special guests Max and Jax on June 22nd. The trek follows their hugely successful Forever Tour, which ran from 2022 into 2023 and took the band across North and South America and sold over 300,000 tickets with numerous sell outs, including New York’s legendary Madison Square Garden.
Members Kendall Schmidt and Logan Henderson chat with us about the new 10 song project and how they decided to keep the album's making more simplistic than ever before. They also talk about the tour and how their TV show shaped who they are today.
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We have a pair of country superstars on the show this week. Garth Brooks joins us in Las Vegas ahead of his new residency and former Rascal Flatts frontman Gary LeVox talks to us on his tour bus before a headlining show in Los Angeles.
Last week, Brooks kicked off his Garth Brooks/Plus One two year Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The show runs through December with 18 dates currently set for 2024 after selling out all 2023 shows last year.
The residency is different from his One Man Wynn show that spanned more than 200 shows between 2009-2013. Ahead of opening night, we chatted with Brooks who talks about how the show evolved into the band performing most of the show.
After attending the first two Garth shows during opening weekend (read our review), we darted off to Los Angeles where we chatted with LeVox about his new solo endeavors. Following a short interview, we caught his first-ever headlining show at The Troubadour in West Hollywood as part of his Get Down Like That Tour (read our review).
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It's New Music Friday and we have some country ladies leading the releases. Erin Kinsey's Bet My Heart EP is available via Records Nashville while Chapel Hart's third full length album, Glory Days, drops independently.
Erin wrote all seven tracks on the EP, co-writing with songwriting heavyweights such as Sarah Buxton, Josh Kerr, Sara Davis and more. Erin is the embodiment of a ten-year overnight success: the Rockwall, TX native started singing, songwriting and playing guitar at the age of 11. She made the move to Nashville in 2018 to pursue music full time and experienced her breakthrough success in 2021 with the independent release of singles “Drunk Too” and “Just Drive."
The rising country artist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, now 22, caught the attention of legendary music exec Barry Weiss, signing this year to Records Nashville, the Music City division of Records, his joint venture with Sony Music Entertainment. She has amassed more than 70 million streams across her catalog.
Kinsey, who plays seven instruments, also co-wrote “Pink” with Victoria Shaw and Jodi Marr. The song was recorded by Dolly Parton,
Monica, Jordin Sparks, Rita Wilson and Sara Evans. The collaboration released in 2020 to benefit Susan G. Komen, the world’s leading breast cancer foundation.
Chapel Hart — made up of sisters Danica and Devynn Hart along with first cousin Trea Swindle and hailing from Poplarville, Mississippi — are taking country music by storm. The powerhouse trio’s meteoric rise comes on the heels of appearing on America’s Got Talent and receiving the second ever “Group Golden Buzzer” from all four judges after their performance of their viral hit “You Can Have Him Jolene” which led to a spot in the finals, prompting America and the rest of the world to pay attention to their undeniable talent and drive.
Deemed “America’s Sweethearts” following the show, Chapel Hart has earned praise from country music pillars such as Tanya Tucker, Darius Rucker, the one and only Dolly Parton, and the late Loretta Lynn.
Glory Days features the title track, written by the trio along with Jim Beavers and the newly released "Welcome to Fist City," a song inspired and requested by the late Loretta Lynn.
The group chats with us from their newly acquired tour bus as they embark on their first-ever headlining tour, The Glory Days Tour, which spans 60 shows from coast to coast. The trio was recently named one of Music Row's Next Big Thing, CMT's Listen Up, and the Grand Ole Opry's NextStage Class of 2023.
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Caroline Jones is prepping to release her new EP, Superpower, on Friday, May 19th. It features the focus track, "Normal Person," along with "Lawless" and "Keep It Safe" featuring Alyssa Bonagura. Written and co-produced by Jones in Nashville and features five tracks that showcase a wide range of influences from country to pop to Bluegrass and precedes her forthcoming third studio album, set for release later this fall.
The project is rounded out by the title track and "By Way of Sorry," the latter which features Vince Gill.
Jones is pulling double duty as she joined the Zac Brown Band as a full-time member in 2022, marking her as the first and only female to join the band. This year marks her fifth consecutive summer stadium tour with Zac Brown which runs from June to November. She will also perform more than 25 solo dates as a headliner throughout the US and can be seen at key festivals.
Jones chats with us ahead of the EP release in which we discuss the project and talk about her career.
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Savoy Brown released its latest album, Blues All Around, on February 17th via Quarto Records. The release of the new album is especially poignant in that it comes after the December 13th passing from cancer of band founder and sole constant Savoy Brown member guitarist/lead vocalist Kim Simmonds. Simmonds is considered one of music’s premier blues/blues rock guitarists and songwriters and is also discussed as one of the architects of the 1960’s British blues scene in London. Simmonds, an early pioneer of the British blues movement and a passionate proponent of the blues, lost his hard-fought battle with cancer just a week after turning 75.
Blues All Around follows Savoy Brown’s critically acclaimed 2022 album, Ain’t Done Yet, and is lovingly dedicated to the band’s families, friends, and Savoy Brown fans everywhere.
Savoy Brown helped spawn the 1968 UK blues rock boom and later opened the eyes of many 1970s American music fans to their own homegrown blues artists, many of whom had a huge influence on Savoy Brown’s music. Many notable names have performed with the band over the decades and went on to perform with other name bands, including, among others, singer Dave Walker (Fleetwood Mac and Black Sabbath), Bill Bruford (King Crimson), Andy Pyle (The Kinks) and Paul Raymond (UFO). Most notably, classic rock legends Foghat were formed by Savoy Brown alumni Roger Earl, Lonesome Dave Peverett and Tony Stevens.
Bassist Pat DeSalvo and drummer Garnet Grimm, both of whom have been integral members of the band’s lineup since 2009 and were part of the longest-running consistent line-up in the band’s lengthy history. Grimm chats with us about the new project and how Simmonds death inspired its release.
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Stagecoach 2023 is in the books and The Music Universe was on hand for exclusive coverage. We saw 18 artists during the three day festival in Indio from April 28-30 and chatted with several as well. We published our print interviews with Ian Munsick and Warren Zeiders already.
This episode includes an interview with The Valory Music Co's Mackenzie Carpenter, who was recently named a member of CMT's Next Women of Country Class of 2023. We chat with her about her new EP, forthcoming full length album and more.
We also share some sites around the festival grounds, including the iconic Ferris wheel, the seven story spiral rainbow tower walkway called Spectra, and more.
Following our three day excursion in the desert, we headed to a cooler Los Angeles where we visited Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood. The Mario Brothers theme song is the first video game tune to enter the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry. It's one of 25 new additions alongside Mariah Carey, Led Zeppelin and more.
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Cemented as the hottest rock band in Los Angeles, The Scarlet Opera is lighting up stages and screens everywhere with their "unashamedly queer" brand of music and entertainment. In the past month, the group released its major label debut EP, Comedy, via SB Projects/Republic Records, made their late night TV appearance in March, and wrapped their first-ever headlining tour with a hometown stop that sold out in record time.
The group formed in 2016 as Perta, but rebranded themselves as The Scarlet Opera in 2022. The same year, they signed with Republic Records and released their debut single, "The Place To Be."
Frontman Luka Bazulka, keyboardist Colin Kendrick, bassist Daniel Zuker, drummer Justin Siegal, and guitarist Chance Taylor join us via Zoom from their LA-area rehearsal space a week after their tour wrapped. We chat about their newfound success, their history and what's ahead. Our own Matt Bailey has a personal connection to Bazulka as they attended the same art school together in Pennsylvania.
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Country music has returned to New York City as the Broadway play Shucked opened last month at the Nederlander Theatre. Shucked features a book by Tony Award winner Robert Horn and a score by the Nashville songwriting team of Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, who collectively have earned three Grammy Awards and 18 Grammy nominations. The production is directed by three-time Tony Award winner Jack O’Brien with choreography by Sarah O’Gleby, music supervision, music direction, orchestrations, and arrangements by Tony Award nominee Jason Howland, and Little Big Town's Jimi Westbrook and Opry Entertainment co-producing.
The musical comedy stars Kevin Cahoon (Fox's Monarch, The Who's Tommy), John Behlmann (Tootsie), Andrew Durand (Head Over Heels), Caroline Innerbichler (Frozen North American Tour), Ashley D. Kelley (Bella: An American Tall Tale), and Alex Newell (Once On This Island).
What do you get when you pair a semi-neurotic, New York comedy writer with two music superstars from Nashville? A hilarious and audacious farm-to-fable musical about the one thing Americans everywhere can’t get enough of: corn. Shucked is the new musical comedy that proves sometimes tearing down a few walls, rather than growing them, is the only way to preserve our way of life. Shucked is turning Broadway on its ear and offers a kernel of hope for our divided nation.
The score gets to the heart of country music storytelling, and the sarcastic wit that Brandy Clark in particular is known for in her own songwriting.
Corn pone humor beloved ala Hee Haw props up the engrossing tale of a town in dire straits as their livelihood–corn–is threatened by dying crops. In fact, this show started life as a loving parody of Hee Haw and the days when rural life television shows ruled the networks.
What Shucked evolved into is a classic Broadway adventure of love, loss, and redemption. The stand-out original cast of Broadway vets and newcomers give these rural Americans heart.
Kevin Cahoon says the reaction to his character–and indeed the whole show–is unlike anything he has ever experienced in his career as a Broadway performer. People from the midwest come up to him after every show thankful to see their lives represented on a New York stage.
That may be the secret to the success of the Opry Entertainment-backed show’s unexpected success on the Great White Way. Broadway has always been home to diverse stories: from the barrios of Harlem in West Side Story, or the inner conflict of a serial killer in Sweeny Todd, and even the fantastical stories like Harry Potter and Wicked, Broadway had yet to tell a down-home tale of rural perseverance. And if the show continues its smash success, Shucked will persevere on Broadway for a long time to come.
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Dionne Warwick has transcended generations as an R&B and gospel artist for nearly seven decades. The legendary performer has sold more than 100 million records globally and is one of the most-charted vocalists in history with 80 singles making the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Thirty-nine of those songs are with Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
Warwick has a lot on her plate at 82 years young. Her highly rated CNN documentary, Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over, is now streaming on HBO Max. Narrated mostly in Ms. Warwick’s own velvet-toned voice, Don’t Make Me Over blends archival footage with personal photographs and newsreels, telling the story of her music and life, including the backstories behind her many hit songs.
She also has a collaborative gospel album expected later this year. The album's first single, "Peace Like A River" features Dolly Parton in their first-ever duet together.
Fans can also see Warwick on the road throughout the US and Europe this year.
Warwick chats with us about her career, the documentary, her gospel album and more.
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Tonight (Mar 31st), Joni Mitchell is being awarded the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song during an all-star tribute concert. The lineup will include performances by James Taylor, Brandi Carlile, Annie Lennox, Herbie Hancock, Cyndi Lauper, Marcus Mumford, Graham Nash, Diana Krall, Angelique Kidjo and Ledisi.
Joni Mitchell: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song premieres tonight (Fri, Mar 31st) at 9 pm ET/PT on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS App as part of the co-produced Emmy Award-winning music series. It will also be broadcast to US Department of Defense locations around the world via the American Forces Network.
Matt Bailey attended the TV taping earlier this month in Washington, DC and had a chance to chat with Taylor, Carlile, Lennox, Nash, Kidjo and others arriving on the red carpet.
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Responsible for some of rock and roll’s most enduring anthems including “Juke Box Hero,” “Cold As Ice,” “Hot Blooded,” “Waiting For A Girl Like You,” “Feels Like The First Time,” “Urgent,” “Head Games,” “Say You Will,” “Dirty White Boy,” “Long, Long Way From Home” and the worldwide No. 1 hit, “I Want To Know What Love Is,” Foreigner still rocks the charts more than 40 years into the game with massive airplay and continued Billboard Top 200 album success. Audio and video streams of Foreigner's hits are over 15 million per week.
Foreigner is set to launch the start of its Historic Farewell Tour this summer in Atlanta, GA. The spectacular show will thrill audiences with stellar performances of more than 20 combined chart-topping songs before the band retires from the road after more than 45 years.
This spring, the band will once again be taking over the Las Vegas Strip with their exclusive headlining residency show at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. The shows will be held on March 24, 25, 29 and 31 and April 1, 5, 7 and 8.
Foreigner's founder is Songwriters Hall of Fame member Mick Jones who hand selected lead singer Kelly Hansen to help write an inspired new chapter in the history of the classic band in 2005. One of rock’s greatest showmen, Hansen is among the most respected, consummate professionals in rock and roll. With a 40-year career that spans almost every area of music, from the role of lead vocalist to producing and engineering, Hansen has led Foreigner into the digital age while inspiring a whole new generation of fans.
Hansen chats with us about his role as "guardian" of such an iconic catalogue of music, why the band is retiring from the road, Spotify payouts, and more.
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Trailblazing husband-and-wife duo The War And Treaty are releasing their major label debut album, Lover's Game, on March 10th via UMG Nashville. The husband and wife duo of Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter dug deep into the lessons their love has laid bare, with more than 100 songs written over the last two years before completing the 10 song project.
The pair are reshaping the country music landscape with their Delta blues, gospel and R&B sounds. They're featured on the upcoming Rolling Stones 60th anniversary country tribute album, Stoned Cold Country, where they join Brothers Osborne for a rousing rendition of "It's Only Rock 'N' Roll (But I Like It)." The duo performed the song when they made their CMA Awards debut last year.
The War And Treaty will join Chris Stapleton on the All-American Road Show Tour. But first, they will bring their show "from a concert to something of a religious experience" to more than 35-cities this spring on their own Lover's Game Tour, kicking off March 19th in Oklahoma City.
Michael and Tanya join us to discuss inspiration behind the album, their newfound success, and some wisdom longtime Grand Ole Opry member Jeannie Seely shared with them during a recent performance.
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The Music Universe was on hand at the Orange Carpet at Nickelodeon’s 2023 Kids’ Choice Awards (KCAs) on Saturday (Mar 6th) where we chatted with a variety of attendees. While one may not associate a music website with a show like the KCAs, we had plenty of fun chatting with some music-centric guests, including the cast of Erin & Aaron (an upcoming music-based sitcom), Monster High The Movie, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and more.
Several of the stars we spoke with are even working on their own music and were excited to share details with us. A highlight of the Orange Carpet event was when we chatted with the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants and the KCAs, Tom Kenny, who also has his own band, Tom Kenny and The Hi-Seas.
After the Orange Carpet wrapped, we went inside and watched the live 90 minute show from the Microsoft Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles and have a recap of the music winners who took home orange blimps.
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Ronni Le Tekrø is a Norwegian guitarist best known for playing with the Norwegian hard rock band TNT and as a solo guitarist cooperating with guitarists like Terje Rypdal, Mads Eriksen and Ledfoot. LeTekrø was born in Oslo but moved to Raufoss at a young age, and has lived there all his life except for the period between 1982 and 1985, when he lived in Trondheim. With TNT he has sold between four to five million albums worldwide.
Le Tekrø plays with an extremely accomplished technique. One of the big differences in his playing is that his guitar solos are usually a separate melody which can actually be hummed, similar to Neil Schon's solos in Journey songs. He also has the technical ability to play fast with his "machine gun technique, but he does so sparingly. Zakk Wylde is one of the more outspoken fans of Ronni.
Le Tekrø has once again teamed with Ledfoot (aka Tim Scott McConnell) for their second album together, Limited Edition Lava Lamp, due March 24th via TBC Records. It’s the sequel to the critically acclaimed A Death Divine album from 2021, and will be available on limited edition 180-gram vinyl in a gatefold lava lamp color.
The album was produced by veteran and Americana connoisseur HP Gundersen with mastering master Winter Lazerus (Donald Fagen, Michael Jackson, Tom Waits, Pink Floyd), and they have brought along a solid, to put it mildly, group of musicians, including Anders Odden (bass: Order, Cadaver, Magenta, Satyricon), Markus O Klyve (keyboards: Ronni Le Tekrø, Exit), Trond Augland (drums: Hellbillies, Vidar Busk), and HP Gundersen (guitars and keyboards). With HP Gundersen at the helm, the musical expression has changed. The songs are more accessible and will reach a wider audience than its predecessor.
The actual recording was done during eight magical days at Le Tekrø's Studio Studio Nyhagen, and the result testifies to some very inspired days, the songs are in a sort of American soundscape, and move uncomplicatedly between references to everything from the Beatles to David Bowie, The White Stripes and a whole host of other greats.
Le Tekrø and I chat about the project, as well as what's ahead for TNT, including new music from the 80s band.
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Artist manager Scott Frazier has been a music industry professional for 23 years and counting. If his career was a person, they’d be old enough to get into a rock club and buy you a beer, but they shouldn’t expect Frazier to get them past the velvet rope. Frazier has spent his entire career based in Louisville, Kentucky, preferring to raise his family in his hometown instead of transplanting to Nashville, New York or LA.
Frazier’s career highlight reel boasts triumphs like discovering active-rock mainstay Saving Abel and bringing the band from local club acts to multi-platinum arena rock status, and doing the same for Grammy-nominated, world-beating Danish metal troupe Volbeat.
Frazier joined management company 10th Street Entertainment four years ago and has been continuing to crush it. Frazier’s latest signing is rising country heat seeker Bailey Zimmerman, a 22-year-old singer from Southern Illinois, whom he discovered on TikTok. Frazier reached out to longstanding friend and colleague, Chief Zaruk and ultimately did a co-management and strategic partnership with Zaruk and Simon Tikhman of The Core Entertainment with 10th Street Entertainment. From there, he signed Zimmerman to Warner Music Nashville and Elektra Records. Bailey’s first single, “Fall In Love” went straight to No. 1 at country radio and is certified Gold in the United States and Canada. Bailey’s debut EP Leave The Light On was the biggest streaming country debut of all time.
Frazier spoke to us while en route to a studio in Los Angeles earlier this week. We chat about his career and how he went from managing Saving Abel and Volbeat to discovering Bailey. Other 10th Street Management clients handled by their LA, NY, and London offices include Mötley Crüe, Blondie, Five Finger Death Punch and more.
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Ryan Dusick, the founding drummer of Maroon 5 and Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) alumnus, has recently authored a book entitled Harder to Breathe: A Memoir of Making Maroon 5, Losing It All, and Finding Recovery.
Dusick founded the hit band Maroon 5 with singer Adam Levine, guitarist Jesse Carmichael, and bassist Michael Madden in the mid 90s. The band skyrocketed to stardom in the early aughts, going from jam sessions in Dusick’s parents’ garage to playing the biggest arenas in the world. The quick transition to fame took a toll on Dusick’s mental health, and the psychological pressures and physical toll of newfound success influenced his decision to leave the band in 2006.
Dusick joins me to talk about the book that was released last fall. We discuss his struggle with accepting the loss of his band, the importance of maintaining clear mental health, and how everyone -- whether a Maroon 5 fan or not -- can relate to the book.
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Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to discuss monopolistic practices in the live entertainment industry. In December of last year, Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota promised to hold the hearing at the start of this congress. This, in response to the disaster that was the Taylor Swift Ticketmaster on sale, that saw millions of fans locked out and bots make billions of attempts on Ticketmaster’s servers.
True to her word, Senator Klobuchar assembled the bi-partisan committee to hear testimony from Live Nation president and Chief Financial Officer Joe Berchtold. Also present were CEO of Seat Geek Jack Groetzinger, New York City-based independent artist Clyde Lawrence of the band Lawrence, and independent promoter Jerry Mickelson, whose company Jam Productions runs events in Chicago.
On the policy end, witnesses included James Madison Institute SVP Sal Nuzzo, and Kathleen Bradish, Vice President for Legal Advocacy at the American Antitrust Institute.
The spirited discussion led to a unanimous belief across party lines that Live Nation, as Ms. Bradish said, “certainly acts” as a monopoly, with its vertical integration of concert venue ownership and exclusive agreements with other major venues. Plus, the combination of their promotion and ticketing business virtually makes them a monolith in live entertainment.
We had the privilege to speak with Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, who ripped into Ticketmaster-Live Nation President Joe Berchtold for their failure to prevent bots from gobbling up tickets, with secondary market resellers boldly offering tickets before on-sales. Matt spoke with Senator Blackburn about what the Congress can do about Ticketmaster’s inaction on bot attacks, and what can be done to protect concert-going consumers.
We also spoke with Chicago-based Jam Productions owner and CEO Jerry Mickelson, who was a witness before the Judiciary Committee last week. We spoke with Mickelson about his experience watching as one company grew so large, he says, it fundamentally changed his business model. A one-time arena promoter working with big-name music artists, Jam's focus has pivoted to smaller venues with comedians and other bands. This is in part, Mickelson says, due to Live Nation’s vertical dominance in the field of producing, promoting, and ticketing events.
Josh Katz, founder and CEO of YellowHeart, is our final guest. His company uses blockchain technology and Web3 advancements to offer a unique ticketing experience to fans. And bands that use YellowHeart have access to fans information, which allows for the ticket to be a living item that can contain photos from shows, music, and become a digital souvenir ticket stub. Katz gives us his unfiltered thoughts on the current state of ticketing in live sports and entertainment, and how his company hopes to change the landscape for the better.
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The Winery Dogs are back in full force after a lengthy break. The powerhouse trio featuring Richie Kotzen, Mike Portnoy and Billy Sheehan releases its third studio album, III, on February 3rd via the band's Three Dog Music label with distribution by Burnside Distribution/The Orchard. They follow with their long-awaited 202III World Tour.
Following in the footsteps of their first two albums, III was once again self-produced by The Winery Dogs and mixed by longtime band associate Jay Ruston. The album features 10 balls-to-the-wall hard rocking tunes, including the explosive debut single "Xanadu" and its follow up, "Mad World."
III is the follow-up to the band’s critically acclaimed and Billboard-charting album, Hot Streak, which was released October 2, 2015 on Loud & Proud Records via RED, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. After landing in the top five on many of Amazon’s pre-order charts, including No. 1 on the Amazon BestSellers/Hard Rock chart and No. 1 on the Amazon Pre-Orders/Hard Rock Albums charts, it sold 30% more than their 2013 self-titled debut, landing them on various Billboard album charts including No. 2 on Top Current Alternative Albums, No. 5 on Top Current Hard Music and Top Hard Music Albums, No. 6 on Top Current Rock Albums and Album Core/Genre Rock,” No. 15 Top Current Physical Albums, No. 16 Top Current Albums, and No. 30 on the Top 200 Albums chart.
Kotzen makes his third appearance on the podcast as we chat about the album, the band and what fans can expect to see on the road. Dates are currently set for the eastern half of the United States, Brazil and Europe through summer with more on the way.
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We wrap a huge year with coverage from the second week of National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in Las Vegas. This year, we saw concerts by Tracy Lawrence (read our review), Aaron Tippin (read our review), Miranda Lambert (read our review) and Cody Johnson (read our review). We had planned to see Aerosmith, but the remaining four shows were canceled due to frontman Steven Tyler being sick.
While in town, we chatted with Tippin before his show at the Golden Nugget, and attended a VIP event for current Aerosmith drummer John Douglas who has an art exhibit at Animazing Gallery at the Palazzo. We show you his artwork and also chat with Douglas himself and Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford, ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons, Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood and others.
Our weeklong adventure also included riding the Vegas Loop for the first time, a brief tour of Cowboy Christmas at the Las Vegas Convention Center and an interview with Greeley Hat Works owner Trent Johnson who designed the cowboy hats for the characters on the hit TV show, Yellowstone.
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Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis has been America’s favorite holiday tradition for over 35 years. Grammy Award winner Chip Davis has created a show that features the beloved Christmas music of Mannheim Steamroller along with dazzling multimedia effects performed in an intimate setting. Fans can experience the annual magic as the spirit of the season comes alive with the signature sound of Mannheim Steamroller on tour through December 30th. Their holiday CDs have become synonymous with Christmas and continue to occupy top spots on Billboards’s Seasonal charts every year.
Drummer Tom Sharpe is an internationally recognized, award-winning composer, performer, and recording artist. Along with his Mannheim drumming duties, he is a sought out clinician and performer of his own works, and the artistic director and principal performer of the Sharpe World Music Ensemble.
As a 15 year veteran of the group, Sharpe joins us to discuss the band's legacy and what he hopes fans will love about the band's annual tours.
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Barry Williams is a singer, actor and performer who transformed television in the 1970s with his portrayal of Greg Brady on The Brady Bunch. Since the show ended in 1974, Williams has transcended into singing and performing in musical theater with over 85 productions to his name. He's headlined three Broadway shows and wrote and produced a live variety show that ran for six and a half years in Branson, MO.
Music has always been an active part of Williams' career. Since his time as a Brady, he has recorded multiple albums and performed all over the world. He's starred and co-produced three USO Christmas shows, touring the world and brining USA entertainment to troops overseas.
Williams has no plans to retire. He and his Brady brother Christopher Knight host the Real Brady Brothers Podcast. He also tours with his musical trio, Barry Williams and The Traveliers, who have some dates coming up. Williams was recently unmasked alongside Knight and his third Brady brother, Mike Lookinland, on Fox's The Masked Singer.
We chat with Williams about his appearance on the popular all-star program, his career and forthcoming plans.
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Last month, The Music Universe had the opportunity to spend the day at Universal Studios Hollywood where we visited the park and attended a taping of The Kelly Clarkson Show. Airing today (Tues, Nov 8th) in 211 markets nationwide, the three-hour taping we saw included an extended interview with NFL legend Terry Bradshaw.
Bradshaw opened up about his battle with cancer, why he kept it quiet and says he's cancer free. He also shared the secrets to his successful second act: as a singer who entertains in both Las Vegas and Branson, Missouri. Later on, Bradshaw and Clarkson made some burgers and shared some of the footballer’s whiskey.
For "Kellyoke," Clarkson selected the sentimental Cody Johnson earworm, "'Til You Can’t." After a prolonged break where we could hear her last-minute rehearsals backstage, the incredibly versatile vocalist tore it up in one take, before promptly leaving the soundstage.
If you’re planning a trip to Hollywood, make sure to catch a taping. The show has been renewed for two more seasons so there are plenty of chances to catch all of the behind-the-scenes action. Head over to 1iota to request free tickets.
Before the taping, we explored the Universal Studios Hollywood, a leading global entertainment destination that includes a full-day, movie-based theme park and Studio Tour and adjacent Universal CityWalk entertainment promenade.
In this episode, we take you inside the park where we hopped on Jurassic World - The Ride, The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash!, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Revenge of the Mummy - The Ride, and visited Springfield and The Studio Tour. While we couldn't film on the majority of the rides, we include footage from Secret Life of Pets and The Studio Tour that navigates the 415-acre movie studio complex where The Kelly Clarkson Show, The Voice, Ted and others film.
The day was capped with an awesome experience at The Kelly Clarkson Show taping on the lower lot.
Thank you to NBCUniversal and the Kelly Clarkson Show team for having us out.
Full audio and video are streaming below. Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
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Former Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle is a true Street Survivor. He's been been through three airplane crashes, multiple car wrecks, motorcycle wrecks, shot and stabbed, but is in overall pretty good health at 74 years old.
In 2020, MVD Entertainment released Street Survivors: The True Story Of The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash, recreating the story about the ill-fated flight that crashed in the swamps of Gillsburg, MS on October 20, 1977. The film is told through the eyes of Pyle, who not only survived the plane crash that claimed the life of the band's founder and front man Ronnie Van Zant, amongst others, but who also physically pulled the remaining survivors out of the plane wreckage before staggering towards the nearest farmhouse in rural Louisiana to seek help. Pyle narrates the film and also contributes original music to its soundtrack.
The film was scripted and directed by Jared Cohn (Devil's Revenge, Devil's Domain), produced by Brian Perera and co-produced by Tim Yasui for Cleopatra Entertainment. Pyle talks to us about the inspiration behind the film and why it's being reissued two years after its initial release.
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John Morgan is a sought-after songwriter who has written eight songs from Jason Aldean's recent double album, Macon, Georgia, including the multi-award winning and Grammy-nominated multi-week No. 1 hit, "If I Didn't Love You" that features Carrie Underwood and Aldean's most recent multi-week No. 1, "Trouble With A Heartbreak." Morgan is also pursuing a solo career, having written all of his own songs and recently signing with Aldean's Night Train Records imprint with BBR Music Group. With three of his own sad songs and two Aldean recorded, he clearly knows how to write about heartbreak. His latest gritty breakup tune, "Good With Goodbye," finds the protagonist turning to his vices to ease the sting but unfortunately finds “nothing goes good with goodbye.”
Morgan represented his home state of North Carolina on NBC’s American Song Contest, making it to the semi-finals.
Morgan talks to us about his journey and how an only-in-Nashville story involving Uber drivers and impressive demos led to John landing a writing session with Aldean's longtime band members Kurt Allison and Tully Kennedy, who then shared their material with Aldean. Morgan, Aldean, Allison and Kennedy frequently write together with the the country superstar co-producing his music.
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With a legendary career spanning five decades, Kansas has firmly established itself as one of America’s iconic classic rock bands. This "garage band" from Topeka released their debut album in 1974 after being discovered by Wally Gold, who worked for Don Kirshner, and have gone on to sell more than 30 million albums worldwide.
The group is best known for "Carry On Wayward Son," a song that continues to be one of the top five most played songs on classic rock radio, and "Dust In The Wind," which has had more than three million spins on radio.
The iconic band most recently released their 16th studio record, The Absence of Presence, in July 2020 which debuted at No. 10 on Billboard's Top Current Albums chart and other charts around the world. Last year, Kansas released Point of Know Return Live & Beyondwhich features 22 songs from 12 shows recorded in 2019 and 2020 on the progressive rockers' Point of Know Return Anniversary Tour.
Ronnie Platt talks to us about his journey from being a huge fan to becoming the Kansas frontman for nearly a decade. He also discusses their most recent studio and live records, as well as what's ahead for the band.
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Michael Ray is a multi-Platinum country star who has four No. 1 singles under his belt, has garnered over one billion streams globally, and grew up playing traditional country music in a family band. The country star's most recent project, The Warehouse Sessions, features live performances of songs from his most recent studio project, Higher Education.
Earlier this year, Ray released a cinematic video for his latest single, "Holy Water." Filmed near the Florida-native’s hometown of Eustis, “Holy Water” follows a Florida preacher and his lucrative midnight side hustle.
As a fan of 90s country, Ray has released covers of Tracy Lawrence's "Time Marches On," Trisha Yearwood's "Walkaway Joe" and George Strait's "The Chair" from his upcoming The Bootlegger Sessions EP.
Ray recently chatted with us from Las Vegas where he was on sight for the kick off to the Hilton Grand Vacations (HGV) Tournament of Champions LPGA Tour. We chat about his involvement with Hilton Grand Vacations, new music, and his career, and how his new "golf" career is going.
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Morgan chats from his tour bus
Last month, Craig Morgan -- Army veteran, country music hit-maker and star of the CBS series Beyond The Edge -- released his much-anticipated personal memoir, God, Family, Country, in partnership with Blackstone Publishing. The book, which Morgan wrote with Jim DeFelice, details the country star's road to success, from his humble childhood in Tennessee to his years as an elite military operative to his country music stardom with 25 Billboard charting hits.
He recently wrapped a six city in-person national book tour where he chatted with fans and personally signing copies of the book. I met with him in Los Angeles where he discussed his life with the small audience.
He will release the deluxe edition of his latest album, God, Family, Country (Deluxe Edition), on November 11th. The project, aptly releasing on Veterans Day and coinciding with his headlining show at Nashville’s iconic Ryman Auditorium, features 14 tracks including “How You Make A Man,” Morgan's newest single impacting country radio now.
Morgan will launch his headlining Operation Finally Home Welcomes God, Family, Country Tour 2022 with Craig Morgan this fall, playing 11 theater and auditorium dates in October and November. Kicking off October 19th in Green Bay, WI, he’ll be joined by country hitmaker Ray Fulcher to open the shows.
In this episode of The Music Universe Podcast, Morgan chats with us about the memoir, album and how faith keeps him grounded. He was between cities on his tour bus during the Zoom interview, so please forgive any drops in audio and video.
Full audio and video are streaming below. Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
https://youtu.be/n-Px4qzNfMY
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Band releases a remixed version of debut record The Dead Kennedys’ classic 1980 album Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables has been remixed from the original multi-track tapes by Chris Lord-Alge and is now available via Manifesto Records. The band’s debut album, which was originally released on September 2, 1980, is politically incendiary while also wholly musically adept – provocative and often idiosyncratic agit prop lyrics bouncing off of careening, adrenaline-infused musicianship. So it’s only natural that the 40th anniversary re-release of this classic album is revisited by the GRAMMY winning mix engineer Chris Lord-Alge.
Bassist Klaus Flouride joins us to discuss how the themes of the album -- capitalism, fascism and affluenza -- are still applicable now. He also discusses how the pandemic played into the release of the record, which was delayed by two years and the band's influence on modern music.
Full audio and video are streaming below. Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
https://youtu.be/c1h964pDfk0
The Dead Kennedys’ classic 1980 album Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables has been remixed from the original multi-track tapes by Chris Lord-Alge and is now available via Manifesto Records. The band’s debut album, which was originally released on September 2, 1980, is politically incendiary while also wholly musically adept – provocative and often idiosyncratic agit prop lyrics bouncing off of careening, adrenaline-infused musicianship. So it’s only natural that the 40th anniversary re-release of this classic album is revisited by the GRAMMY winning mix engineer Chris Lord-Alge.
Bassist Klaus Flouride joins us to discuss how the themes of the album -- capitalism, fascism and affluenza -- are still applicable now. He also discusses how the pandemic played into the release of the record, which was delayed by two years and the band's influence on modern music.
Drummer joins us for an hour Kenny Aronoff is one of the most influential and in demand drummers and percussionists in the world. He has entertained millions of people with his drumming, has played on thousands of records, and has been the “go to” drummer for the biggest stars in music, including John Mellencamp, John Fogerty, Elton John, Jon Bon Jovi, Stin, Adele, Bruno Mars, Alice Cooper, Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, Santana, Meat Loaf, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Brian Wilson, Sammy Hagar and countless others.
The self-taught drummer was the driving force behind Mellencamp's music for 17 years during his early career. The partnership began in 1980 and includes 10 albums and countless tours as the back beat behind the Americana rocker.
Aronoff is credited with having recorded on records that have sold more than 300 million combined with more than 1,300 having been certified Gold, Platinum or Diamond the the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He's been named the No. 1 Studio Drummer by Modern Drummer Magazine and DRUM! Magazine five times and three times, respectively, voted the No. 1 Pop/Mainstream Drummer by Modern Drummer Magazine five times, and even tops Rolling Stone's "Top 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time" list.
Aronoff talks to us about his career, his fall 2022 tour with Joe Satriani, his future projects and even gives us a tour of his Uncommon Studios.
Full audio and video are streaming below. Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
https://youtu.be/sDoIoLE8bi0
Kenny Aronoff is one of the most influential and in demand drummers and percussionists in the world. He has entertained millions of people with his drumming, has played on thousands of records, and has been the “go to” drummer for the biggest stars in music, including John Mellencamp, John Fogerty, Elton John, Jon Bon Jovi, Stin, Adele, Bruno Mars, Alice Cooper, Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, Santana, Meat Loaf, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Brian Wilson, Sammy Hagar and countless others.
The self-taught drummer was the driving force behind Mellencamp's music for 17 years during his early career. The partnership began in 1980 and includes 10 albums and countless tours as the back beat behind the Americana rocker.
Aronoff is credited with having recorded on records that have sold more than 300 million combined with more than 1,300 having been certified Gold, Platinum or Diamond the the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He's been named the No. 1 Studio Drummer by Modern Drummer Magazine and DRUM! Magazine five times and three times, respectively, voted the No. 1 Pop/Mainstream Drummer by Modern Drummer Magazine five times, and even tops Rolling Stone's "Top 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time" list.
Aronoff talks to us about his career, his fall 2022 tour with Joe Satriani, his future projects and even gives us a tour of his Uncommon Studios.
We trek to Europe to explore some music history If you've been following our podcast, you know that we had a big European trip set for September 2022 to coincide with the five Garth Brooks Irish concerts in Dublin. That time has come and gone and we wanted to recap the trip with a new series -- TMU Radio -- which features us talking about a variety of music-related subjects without a guest.
We not only attended night one of Garth Brooks in Ireland, but we also visited a variety of music landmarks while in Europe. We kicked things off by visiting the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London. The don't give tours, but we hung out at the gift shop next door and stood at the famous crosswalk while snapping photos and signing the block wall that surrounds the property.
Our first full day in Ireland saw us travel to Slane where the famous Slane Castle resides. The legendary venue has hosted a recurring concert series since 1981 that's boasted headliners like U2, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Queen, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and most recently Metallica in 2019. They attract approximately 80,000 fans annually with the shows returning in 2023 as Harry Styles headlines the castle's first post-COVID concert next summer.
Conyngham scion Alex Conyngham -- who was a guest on The Music Universe Podcast last summer -- carries the mantle of the castle and its legendary concert series. Additionally, Alex has co-founded Slane Irish Whiskey and built a distillery inside a 230-year-old renovated horse stable located on the castle grounds. We took a tour of the distillery and ended with a private tasting with Alex who then showed us several key rooms in the castle itself, including where U2 recorded and filmed in the mid-1980s.
The next day, we toured the famous Windmill Lane Studios on the Dublin docks where U2, Def Leppard, Lady Gaga, and many more have recorded. The studio tour included interacting with a mixing board and seeing history lined through its inner walls. Tours are only given whenever the 4,000 square foot main studio is available, so one should check it out the next time they're in Dublin.
Friday night concluded with opening night of Garth Brooks' sold out five night Ireland run to conclude three year The Stadium Tour. Four hundred thousand tickets sold out within four hours last November, marking a new milestone for the country star who hasn't performed in the city in 25 years. Brooks last played Dublin in May 1997, three months before the historic Central Park show.
All our adventures are packed into a 90 minute episode, so grab your favorite drink and sit back for some craziness.
Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
If you've been following our podcast, you know that we had a big European trip set for September 2022 to coincide with the five Garth Brooks Irish concerts in Dublin. That time has come and gone and we wanted to recap the trip with a new series -- TMU Radio -- which features us talking about a variety of music-related subjects without a guest.
We not only attended night one of Garth Brooks in Ireland, but we also visited a variety of music landmarks while in Europe. We kicked things off by visiting the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London. The don't give tours, but we hung out at the gift shop next door and stood at the famous crosswalk while snapping photos and signing the block wall that surrounds the property.
Our first full day in Ireland saw us travel to Slane where the famous Slane Castle resides. The legendary venue has hosted a recurring concert series since 1981 that's boasted headliners like U2, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Queen, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and most recently Metallica in 2019. They attract approximately 80,000 fans annually with the shows returning in 2023 as Harry Styles headlines the castle's first post-COVID concert next summer.
Conyngham scion Alex Conyngham -- who was a guest on The Music Universe Podcast last summer -- carries the mantle of the castle and its legendary concert series. Additionally, Alex has co-founded Slane Irish Whiskey and built a distillery inside a 230-year-old renovated horse stable located on the castle grounds. We took a tour of the distillery and ended with a private tasting with Alex who then showed us several key rooms in the castle itself, including where U2 recorded and filmed in the mid-1980s.
The next day, we toured the famous Windmill Lane Studios on the Dublin docks where U2, Def Leppard, Lady Gaga, and many more have recorded. The studio tour included interacting with a mixing board and seeing history lined through its inner walls. Tours are only given whenever the 4,000 square foot main studio is available, so one should check it out the next time they're in Dublin.
Friday night concluded with opening night of Garth Brooks' sold out five night Ireland run to conclude three year The Stadium Tour. Four hundred thousand tickets sold out within four hours last November, marking a new milestone for the country star who hasn't performed in the city in 25 years. Brooks last played Dublin in May 1997, three months before the historic Central Park show.
All our adventures are packed into a 90 minute episode, so grab your favorite drink and sit back for some craziness.
Sweeney releases new album on Sept 23rd Sunny Sweeney's new album, Married Alone, drops on September 23rd via Thirty Tigers. Produced by Paul Cauthen and The Texas Gentlemen’s Beau Bedford, Married Alone takes listeners on a vibey ride from rowdy juke joints to lonely hotel rooms over the course of twelve tracks. Ranging from sweet acoustic Americana to painful, pedal steel ballads to unrestrained breakup kiss-offs to an emotional duet with country legend Vince Gill, the album captures perfectly the broad spectrum of Sweeney’s talents as a songwriter and a performer.
Sweeney is also the host of a new morning show on Willie Nelson’s exclusive SiriusXM channel, Willie’s Roadhouse (ch. 59) and on the SXM App, dubbed Sunny Side Up. On weekday mornings, from 6 am until noon ET, Sweeney presents over four decades of classic country hits from the ‘50s through the ‘80s by artists including the channel’s namesake Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline and many more.
Sweeney chats with us about her new album, her radio show and her career.
Full audio and video are streaming below. Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
https://youtu.be/UPBcSx43YI8
Sunny Sweeney's new album, Married Alone, drops on September 23rd via Thirty Tigers. Produced by Paul Cauthen and The Texas Gentlemen’s Beau Bedford, Married Alone takes listeners on a vibey ride from rowdy juke joints to lonely hotel rooms over the course of twelve tracks. Ranging from sweet acoustic Americana to painful, pedal steel ballads to unrestrained breakup kiss-offs to an emotional duet with country legend Vince Gill, the album captures perfectly the broad spectrum of Sweeney’s talents as a songwriter and a performer.
Sweeney is also the host of a new morning show on Willie Nelson’s exclusive SiriusXM channel, Willie’s Roadhouse (ch. 59) and on the SXM App, dubbed Sunny Side Up. On weekday mornings, from 6 am until noon ET, Sweeney presents over four decades of classic country hits from the ‘50s through the ‘80s by artists including the channel’s namesake Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline and many more.
Sweeney chats with us about her new album, her radio show and her career.
Kongos is one of the biggest independent bands in the world Kongos -- featuring brothers Johnny, Jesse, Dylan and Danny Kongos -- have music in their blood. They're continuing the musical legacy of their South African/British father, John Kongos, who landed hits on multiple charts in the Seventies.
Growing up in London and Johannesburg, the men ultimately settled in their mother's hometown of Phoenix, Arizona, where the band was officially formed in 2003. Kongos began playing shows and recording, eventually releasing their self-titled debut album in 2007. Completely self-contained, they write, produce, engineer and mix their music as well as direct all their own music videos.
After years touring, emailing labels, agents, radio stations and management companies, the brothers got their first break in 2011 when "I'm Only Joking" became a radio smash in South Africa, followed by multiple top 40 hits from their second album Lunatic, including “Come With Me Now” which would go on to put Kongos on the map in the United States and worldwide in 2014. The group became unanimously recognized as one of rock’s most infectious and invigorating new voices as the track went RIAA 2x Platinum for sales in excess of two million. It occupied the No. 1 spot at alternative radio for five weeks, marking the quickest ascent to the top by a new band in history. They spent the following two years on tour all over the world.
We chat with Johnny who tells us about the band's independent success and how they were influenced by their father.
Full audio and video are streaming below. Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
https://youtu.be/wGHaH0PrQO4
Kongos -- featuring brothers Johnny, Jesse, Dylan and Danny Kongos -- have music in their blood. They're continuing the musical legacy of their South African/British father, John Kongos, who landed hits on multiple charts in the Seventies.
Growing up in London and Johannesburg, the men ultimately settled in their mother's hometown of Phoenix, Arizona, where the band was officially formed in 2003. Kongos began playing shows and recording, eventually releasing their self-titled debut album in 2007. Completely self-contained, they write, produce, engineer and mix their music as well as direct all their own music videos.
After years touring, emailing labels, agents, radio stations and management companies, the brothers got their first break in 2011 when "I'm Only Joking" became a radio smash in South Africa, followed by multiple top 40 hits from their second album Lunatic, including “Come With Me Now” which would go on to put Kongos on the map in the United States and worldwide in 2014. The group became unanimously recognized as one of rock’s most infectious and invigorating new voices as the track went RIAA 2x Platinum for sales in excess of two million. It occupied the No. 1 spot at alternative radio for five weeks, marking the quickest ascent to the top by a new band in history. They spent the following two years on tour all over the world.
We chat with Johnny who tells us about the band's independent success and how they were influenced by their father.
In the mid 2000's, Cowboy Troy defined a new era in country music with country rap -- or hick hop, as he has coined it. The Texas born rapper released Loco Motive in 2005 with "I Play Chicken With The Train" landing in the Top 50 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. It paved the way for a genre that some may argue is unrecognizable today with its hip hop and R&B loops.
Cowboy Troy was a member of the MuzikMafia (Musically Artistic Friends In Alliance) which was founded by Big & Rich's John Rich and Big Kenny Alphin in 2001. The collective contained a variety of outliers in the Nashville community who mixed styles and genres. MuzikMafia grew a vast fanbase as they often hosted late night jam sessions around Nashville that included a variety of guest performers like Jon Bon Jovi, Kid Rock, Jewel, and others, to name a few.
We spoke with Cowboy Troy after the 2022 CMA Fest to chat about his career, new music and what's ahead.
After two summers of delays, Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts hit the road this summer The Stadium Tour. Produced by Live Nation, the summer tour is set to wind down on September 9th with a performance at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Upon initially going on sale in 2020, 25 stops have sold out while amassing over one million tickets sold to eager fans wanting to see Mötley Crüe return seven years after their Cessation of Touring agreement. The band destroyed the contract following a massive surge in new audience after the huge success of their 2019 Netflix biopic The Dirt.
In February, the trek expanded to include five additional stops, due to fan demand. A fifth act, Classless Act, was also added to open the shows, turning the event into a nearly eight hour 80's glam rock traveling festival.
Matt Bailey and Buddy Iahn each had a chance to catch a show. Matt caught the Philadelphia stop in June while I attended the Los Angeles stop over the weekend. While both of our reviews remain positive, we did have a few negative thoughts, but wanted to release an episode to embellish on those thoughts a bit more.
Earlier this year, prolific INXS singer/songwriter Andrew Farriss released his self-titled debut solo record. After decades of producing and writing songs for others, Farriss has embarked on a solo career. A credit to his remarkable versatility, his self-titled debut album is stunningly Americana and features a collection of eclectic songs with a unique blend of rhythm, roots, and country influences.
His first offering from the project “Come Midnight” was released in 2019 and topped the country charts on radio stations all over Australia. His follow-up single “Good Momma Bad” was released at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in 2020. Now, in 2022, Andrew is introducing the project in the US.
Farriss is best known for being a member of the rock group INXS, which is 45 years with a variety of reissues and celebrations. The group will release a 40th anniversary edition of their global breakthrough album Shabooh Shoobah in October with a deluxe digital box set. They'll also release INXS Recorded Live At The US Festival 1983, featuring a previously unreleased concert on CD and 180-gram vinyl LP. Five classic videos have also been concerted to HD and more.
Farriss chats with us about his new album and the legacy of INXS.
Canadian Country Music Hall of Famer Michelle Wright releases her 10th studio record, Milestone, on August 26th via BFD/Audium Nashville. The album was produced by Bob Funk and features her latest single, "Small Town," released in June.
Wright is also celebrating the 30th anniversary of her massive hit, "Take It Like A Man," that catapulted Wright into a US country star. The song was featured on her sophomore Arista Records album, Now & Then, which has been certified 2x Platinum from the RIAA. The song marked Wright as the first Canadian-born artist in the modern era of country music to have a Top 10 hit in America, a No. 1 video on CMT and to win a major US music industry award.
Wright joins us to chat about her new record which features a re-recorded version of "Take It Like A Man" with several of the musicians who recorded the original track in 1992.
The multi-faceted Hayley Orrantia debuts her new single, "Gasoline," today (Fri, Aug 12th). The track is a pop juggernaut that imbues her country trademark, and shows off a new side to her songwriting. It follows the May release of "Open Your Mouth," in which she calls out her self-obsessed ex.
Orrantia co-wrote "Gasoline" with Ben Zelico and Gregory Furman with features a uptempo R&B pop groove and steel guitar. Zelico also produced the three minute song that's now available digitally.
From starring in a hit television series to releasing chart-topping singles, Hayley has quickly made a name for herself as one of the most exciting multi-hyphenate talents in the entertainment industry. She is widely recognized for her successful country music career, where she draws on inspiration from all genres to create a perfect soulful, country-pop blend that showcases her expressive, genuine and heartfelt spirit, even paying homage to Dolly Parton.
In television, she can be seen this fall reprising her celebrated role as Erica Goldberg in ABC’s longstanding sitcom, The Goldbergs. The show's tenth season premieres on September 21st.
Orrantia joins us to talk about "Gasoline," placing second on Fox's The Masked Singer, the forthcoming tenth season of The Goldbergs, her starring run on the award-winning Kinky Boots that ran in July at The Hollywood Bowl, as well as what it was like honor Parton on her TV show.
Singer/Songwriter Ryan Griffin is making waves, having been previously tapped as an opener for Kelsea Ballerini, Lady A and Old Dominion. The budding country star co-wrote Ballerini's No. 1 hit, "Dibs," and is the first signee to Red Street Country, run by Rascal Flatts' Jay DeMarcus.
In May, Griffin released his EP, Slow Down Sunrise, which features the hit song “Salt, Lime & Tequila.” The track quickly gained momentum, Hit No. 1 on SiriusXM The Highway’s Hot 30 Countdown and has already had more than 14 million global streams with ten million on Spotify alone.
Griffin has a social following of nearly one million, with a devoted fan base on TikTok. He recently performed his hit songs at Stagecoach and CMA Fest. Earlier this week, he launched his Slow Down Sunrise Tour which hits 25 cities throughout North America through the fall.
In this episode, Griffin joins us to discuss how he's transitioning from songwriter to an artist, the success of "Dibs," and what's ahead.
Drake White continues his musical voyage with his second studio album, The Optimystic, which was released in March 2022. White co-wrote 12 of the album's 14 tracks and produced two songs solo, co-produced the others with The Cadillac Three's Jaren Johnston.
In August 2019, White collapsed on stage due to a hemorrhagic stroke, the result of Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM), a brain condition White had been diagnosed with early that year. Doctors told him that he might never perform again, but the Alabama native defied the odds, undergoing multiple procedures and months of intensive physiotherapy and has been able to regain the use of his left side. The condition forced him to relearn how to walk.
White is back on the road and will hit perform five dates in The UK in August. We chat with the country star about his incredible resilience that led him to write and record The Optimystic and return to the road. We also discuss how he spent the pandemic and the event space he and his wife operate in Whites Creek, TN.
This episode of The Music Universe Podcast is sponsored by Aroma Retail. Scent Your Space with Aroma Retail that includes a collection of 90 fragrance oils, scenting machines, room sprays, linen sprays, wax melters, reed diffusers and candles. Head to aromaretail.com and use code MUSICUNI10 to save 10% off your order.
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Riders in the Sky is celebrating its 45th anniversary in 2022. The four members -- Doug "Ranger Doug" Green, Fred "Too Slim" Labour, Paul "Woody Paul" Chrisman and Joey "The Cowpolka King" Miskulin -- are keeping country music fans laughing with their mix of quick-witted humor, musicianship and vocal abilities.
The group regularly tours while appearing frequently on the Opry stage, representing the "western" part of the "country & western" genre. The group has held an Opry membership since 1982 and earned numerous awards along the way.
Ranger Doug is our guest this week, where he talks about the group's legacy as well as how they recorded "Woody's Roundup" for the Disney/Pixar film, Toy Story 2, which earned them a Grammy in 2001.
This episode of The Music Universe Podcast is sponsored by Aroma Retail. Scent Your Space with Aroma Retail that includes a collection of 90 fragrance oils, scenting machines, room sprays, linen sprays, wax melters, reed diffusers and candles. Head to aromaretail.com and use code MUSICUNI10 to save 10% off your order.
Billy Dean is keeping 90's country alive with the release of his forthcoming album, The Rest of It’s Mine. The 10-track collection of tunes reflects a place very near and dear to his heart: his home state of Florida, where he and his wife have resided since returning to the panhandle in 2018.
The project is his first country album in 10 years and drops July 22nd via BFD/Audium Nashville. The title track and its video are available now and feature his songwriting partner Paul Overstreet.
In this interview, Dean and I chat about the origins of the song, the influence of the album and his career.
This episode of The Music Universe Podcast is sponsored by Aroma Retail. Scent Your Space with Aroma Retail that includes a collection of 90 fragrance oils, scenting machines, room sprays, linen sprays, wax melters, reed diffusers and candles. Head to aromaretail.com and use code MUSICUNI10 to save 10% off your order.
Rising country duo, BoomTown Saints, have released their debut single, "All Trucks Go To Heaven," via Nashville/Muscle Shoals-based entertainment company, 8 Track Entertainment. Chris Ramos and Ben Chism formed the duo in 2018 after deciding to pursue music full time instead of their previous career paths.
The guys chat with us about those former career paths as well as their forthcoming project expected in 2023.
This episode of The Music Universe Podcast is sponsored by Aroma Retail. Scent Your Space with Aroma Retail that includes a collection of 90 fragrance oils, scenting machines, room sprays, linen sprays, wax melters, reed diffusers and candles. Head to aromaretail.com and use code MUSICUNI10 to save 10% off your order.
For the last decade, troubadour Ian Flanigan has toured his whiskey-soaked voice and evocative lyrics across America, with a country sound reminiscent of Joe Cocker and Chris Stapleton. In 2020, Flanigan was a celebrated finalist on NBC’s The Voice, finishing third as the representative from Team Blake.
The country music world has since tapped him as an up-and-coming artist to watch. Flanigan has since then, continued to tour as direct support to Trace Adkins and Chris Janson, and has released his debut single, “Grow Up” featuring Blake Shelton which has received over 1.2 million streams. Flanigan is expected to release his debut album in 2022 on Reviver Records.
We chat with Flanigan about his career and what's it like to appear as a contestant on the multi-Emmy Award winning NBC series.
This episode of The Music Universe Podcast is sponsored by Aroma Retail. Scent Your Space with Aroma Retail that includes a collection of 90 fragrance oils, scenting machines, room sprays, linen sprays, wax melters, reed diffusers and candles. Head to aromaretail.com and use code MUSICUNI10 to save 10% off your order.
Last fall, Scotty McCreery released his fifth studio album Same Truck via Triple Tigers. The album includes his latest single, "Damn Strait," which has become the fastest rising single of his career. The track follows the country singer's fourth consecutive No. 1 single “You Time,” also from the album.
Earlier this week, McCreery and his wife Gabi shared publicly that they're expecting their first child, a boy, in November. McCreery can also be seen on the road through December with some of his own headlining appearances and as an opener on Brooks & Dunn's Reboot 2022 Tour.
We had a chance to chat with McCreery right after news broke of the couple's pregnancy. We discuss how he feels about being an expectant father, his music and the tour.
This episode of The Music Universe Podcast is sponsored by Aroma Retail. Scent Your Space with Aroma Retail that includes a collection of 90 fragrance oils, scenting machines, room sprays, linen sprays, wax melters, reed diffusers and candles. Head to aromaretail.com and use code MUSICUNI10 to save 10% off your order.
Fast-rising country star Warren Zeiders released his second highly-anticipated set of original tracks, 717 Tapes EP Vol. 2 in April via Warner Music. The set features the stunning, panoramic track, "Wild Horse" which reveals a plaintive tale about the tribulations of chasing a dream to fulfill one’s destiny. The introspective ballad offers a poignant contrast to Zeiders’ recent hits, “Dark Night” and “Burn It Down,” both set to appear on the EP.
717 Tapes EP Vol. 2 follows last fall’s 717 Tapes EP Vol. I, which contained his certified Gold, runaway hit single “Ride The Lightning.” The second installment includes five new compositions, including two different versions of "Wild Horse."
Zeiders is currently on tour in support of the project. Matt Bailey chatted with Zeiders by phone as he arrived for soundcheck in Washington DC last month to talk about his success. Bailey also attended that night's performance which is discussed following the interview.
This episode of The Music Universe Podcast is sponsored by Aroma Retail. Scent Your Space with Aroma Retail that includes a collection of 90 fragrance oils, scenting machines, room sprays, linen sprays, wax melters, reed diffusers and candles. Head to aromaretail.com and use code MUSICUNI10 to save 10% off your order.
The 49th CMA Fest is in the books after a two year hiatus due to the pandemic. Reporter Matt Bailey was on the ground in Nashville where he brought us updates from all of the action all festival long. We wrap our coverage of the 2022 CMA Music Festival with four interviews we haven't shared yet with King Calaway, Caitlyn Smith, TikTok star Thomas Mac and Lindsay Ell.
This episode of The Music Universe Podcast is sponsored by Aroma Retail. Scent Your Space with Aroma Retail that includes a collection of 90 fragrance oils, scenting machines, room sprays, linen sprays, wax melters, reed diffusers and candles. Head to aromaretail.com and use code MUSICUNI10 to save 10% off your order.
One cannot think or talk about country music or the Grand Ole Opry without thinking of Whisperin' Bill Anderson. The Country Music Hall of Famer releases his new album, As Far As I Can See: The Best Of, today (Fri, June 10th) which includes a newly recorded duet and original 1964 demo with Dolly Parton.
The collection of 16 songs shares its name with the current exhibition at the Country Music Hall of Fame, Bill Anderson: As Far As I Can See, and comes from the opening line of one of the first songs he ever wrote, "City Lights," the country classic that was a hit for Ray Price in 1958.
Last summer, Anderson celebrated 60 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Anderson made his Opry debut just a few weeks before his 21st birthday and became an official Opry member less than three years later on July 15, 1961 at 23-years-old, the youngest member at the time.
In celebration, Anderson joins us to discuss his six decade career and share insight on what it's like to hang out backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. We also give a sneak peek inside of the Country Music Hall of Fame exhibit.
This episode of The Music Universe Podcast is sponsored by Aroma Retail. Scent Your Space with Aroma Retail that includes a collection of 90 fragrance oils, scenting machines, room sprays, linen sprays, wax melters, reed diffusers and candles. Head to aromaretail.com and use code MUSICUNI10 to save 10% off your order.
Matt Bailey is back in Nashville a month after we covered the 2022 CMT Music Awards. This time, he's in attendance of a Music Memorial for Jeff Carson, who passed away from a heart attack in March at the age of 58.
Michael Ray, Wade Hayes, Ty Herndon, Lee Greenwood, Heath Wright of Ricochet, Craig Campbell, Rhett Akins, Tracy Lawrence, John Berry, Halfway to Hazard, Danielle Peck, T. Graham Brown and War Hippies performed at the Nashville Palace. Don McLean made a surprise appearance to perform "American Pie."
After retiring from country music in the mid 2000's, Carson pursued his other lifelong dream and joined the Franklin Police Department where he remained a dedicated officer until his untimely passing. Carson had begin to revive his music career as he was working on new music at the time of his death. Last year, Carson spoke with us about his latest single, "God Save The World," which we premiered the video digitally in early 2021.
The concert was a charity event to benefit the Law Enforcement Assistance Partnership (LEAP), a nonprofit organization that provides assistance to sworn officers of the FPD during unexpected life events.
Matt chatted with Ray, Herndon, Greenwood, Wright, Lawrence, Berry, Peck, Brown, and McLean on the red carpet.
Before the interviews, Matt and I discuss other aspects of our joint trip in April 2022. We had the honor to cover the Grand Ole Opry our first night in town which included performances by Sara Evans, Tenille Townes, Riders in the Sky and Nate Smith making his Opry debut. Our last day in town included an afternoon ride on the world famous General Jackson showboat where we enjoyed a concert from the Tennessee Legends, where some of Nashville's finest musicians and singers shared the stories and songs from the pride of Tennessee.
This month, the GRAMMY Museum’s The Power Of Women In Country Music opens for a summer run in Los Angeles. The event highlights the past, present and future of country music’s greatest female trailblazers by exploring the rich history of women as a driving force in country music.
The Power Of Women In Country Music will take visitors on a journey through the history of women in country music, from the early years and post-World War II, to the emergence of Nashville as a country music mecca, and to female country artists becoming international pop sensations. The exhibit will feature artifacts or special content from a diverse roster of 70 female country artists.
The exhibit launches on Friday, May 27th and will run through Sunday, October 2nd. LeAnn Rimes is scheduled for a special Public Program moderated by Marissa R. Moss, author of Her Country: How the Women of Country Music Became the Success They Were Never Supposed to Be, to celebrate the new exhibit on Tuesday, May 31st. Tickets are available now via the GRAMMY Museum's website.
Kelsey Goelz, GRAMMY Museum's Associate Coordinator and curator of the exhibit, chats with us about what artifacts fans can expect to see. She also explains why it's important that the traveling exhibit continues to grow.
Stick around after the interview where Matt and I chat about Naomi Judd, who passed away last week at 76, and Dolly Parton being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this fall.
Tenille Townes chats with us about her EP, Masquerades, Big Hearts for Big Kids charity, what it's like performing on the Opry and opening for some of country's biggest stars, and more.
Last week was a big week for us as we trekked to Nashville to cover the 2022 CMT Music Awards on the Red (Pink) Carpet. We spoke to several country newcomers who are making waves, as well as some well known celebs who were in attendance to present such as Joel McHale and Gayle King.
While in town, we covered Breland & Friends at the Ryman and John Mayer at Bridgestone Arena.
Mid-week, we were the first outlet to officially unveil the name of Garth Brooks entertainment complex on Nashville's Lower Broadway. We were on the scene as his team assembled the retail store and scrim that graces the three-story complex.
Before attending both of his Nissan Stadium concerts, we had the pleasure of chatting with the G-Man himself. During the 20 minute press conference, Matt Bailey asked him a question about future touring plans as the Stadium Tour winds down with five sold out shows in Dublin, Ireland in September. We followed with a personal interview with Brooks.
All of our interviews from the CMT Awards and with Brooks are available on this episode of The Music Universe Podcast. We will have more from Nashville soon.
During this in-person interview, Colin Hay talks about the origins of his album and what's it like to be back on the road since the pandemic began.
Country and Gospel Music Hall of Fame, Grand Ole Opry and The Oak Ridge Boys member William Lee Golden and his sons The Goldens have set Golden Classics, a three album covers project that is now available. The set features 34 songs that were originally recorded by other artists including Tom Petty, Eagles, Janis Joplin, John Denver, Johnny Cash and others.
On Thursday (Mar 24th), we had an exclusive premiere of their version of the Kris Kristofferson-penned "Me And Bobby McGee" that was originally recorded by Janis Joplin in 1971.
Earlier this week, we chatted with Golden while he was home briefly during tour stops with the Oaks. Golden tells us how the project came about and how he and his sons, grandchildren and some friends were inspired to record during the dark days of the pandemic.
The band's late 80's-era drummer Mauro Magellan chats with us about the group's first official live album, "Lightnin’ In A Bottle: The Official Live Album," its history and if there are plans to ever reunite and tour.
What do Garth Brooks, Tim Allen, George Strait, TWICE, Metallica and Billy Joel all have in common? Us attending their shows over the past five weeks! We’ve got a monstrous episode where we tell you about our experiences traveling to Las Vegas three times in a the shortest month of the year, Los Angeles and San Diego to see some of the best live acts on the planet. We have a feature length film edition of The Music Universe Podcast where we chat for an hour and 40 minutes about our February and March travels. Stay tuned until the end where you can hear some uber Garth fans tell us about some of their favorite memories seeing the country superstar in concert.
Buddy Iahn chats with Skid Row co-founder Dave "The Snake" Sabo about the new music that was produced during the pandemic, returning to the road, the Atlantic Years box set, friend Jon Bon Jovi and more.
We chat with TSL's co-founder and CEO Bryan Moore about his work with Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood, as well as how TalkShopLive has become a premiere launching pad for more than Nashville and Hollywood celebrities.
Parker McCollum, MusicFX co-CEO & CurrencyWorks Executive Chairman Cameron Chell, and MusicFX co-CEO and Crown & Ace CEO Billie-Jo Aasen join us to discuss the new NFT partnership with the first-ever NFT fan club.
Wig Wam's music sounds straight out of the 1980s glam metal scene. However, the Norwegian band was formed in 2001 and has been largely been unknown to American audiences until recently when its song, "Do Ya Wanna Taste It?," was chosen as the theme for the HBO Max original series, Peacemaker.
Peacemaker writer/director James Gunn chose the 12 year old track as the theme and created a catchy dance that has gone viral. Frontman and founder Age "Glam" Nilsen visits with us to talk about their newfound success and what the band's future plans are regarding touring.
In the eight episode series, John Cena reprises his Suicide Squad role with Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Chukwudi Iwuji, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, and Robert Patrick also starring. New Peacemaker episodes drop weekly through February 17th on HBO Max.
The Grammy Award-winning Temptations are celebrating their 60th anniversary with a yearlong celebration that includes the release of their long-awaited Temptations 60 album. The new 12 song project consists of nearly all-original songs that are both modern and classic in feel and sound. In addition to tracks produced by group members, the album brings the iconic group together again with some of its beloved producers, including the legendary and award-winning Smokey Robinson and Narada Michael Walden.
This summer, the legendary "My Girl" singers will hit the road for a 60th anniversary tour that will see them hit the United States and abroad before year's end. Tour dates are forthcoming, but they assure us families of all ages will be able to see them "movin' and groovin'" to their classic R&B sound.
During the 20 minute video discussion from their Los Angeles rehearsal studio, the band talks to us about their new album, forthcoming tour, legacy, and the success of their Broadway musical, Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, based on Otis Williams’s personal journey. The show recently wrapped its Broadway run after having been nominated for 12 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and winning the Tony Award for Best Choreography at the 73rd Tony Awards ceremony in June 2019. The show is currently on tour throughout the United States with dates lined up through the end of 2022.
Last week, Country Music Hall of Fame broadcaster Ralph Emery passed away at the age of 88. Emery was known as "the Dick Clark of country music" and "the Johnny Carson of cable television" as he hosted a variety of programs and introduced new artists to country music.
Among his many accolades were host of TNN's Nashville Now,WSM-FM jockey, Ralph Emery Live,and Grand Ole Opry announcer from 1961 until 1964. With a career spanning more than half a century, he was a 1989 inductee into the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame, a 2007 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and 2010 inductee in the National Radio Hall of Fame.
Emery was known for his kindness and support of female artists in country music. He gave early exposure to Lorrie Morgan and The Judds, to name a few.
We remember Emery with an archival interview Matt conducted in 2018.
The year 2021 was monumental to say the least. It was the second year of a pandemic that continued to dictate the concert industry as artists returned or attempted to return to the road. It wasn't until the back half of the year when concerts starting trekking away again, but COVID continued to rear its ugly head as artists and members of their touring camps were diagnosed with breakthrough cases of COVID. Some artists even decided to cancel or postpone planned tour dates as new coronavirus variants began taking shape and cases continued to rise.
Our first show back was in June with Dan Tyminski before heading to Vegas in July to see Dwight Yoakam and Randy Houser one night and Garth Brooks the next. Our concert coverage continued full force with coverage of Alice Cooper, Justin Moore, Jack Harlow, Luke Combs, Chicago, Hank Williams Jr, Collective Soul and others before Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey once again convened in Las Vegas for another three shows that featured Shania Twain, Reba and Brooks & Dunn and Carrie Underwood in early December. Matt finished out the year with another impressive run of shows in the Washington DC area that included KT Tunstall and two nights with Eric Church before wrapping with Trans-Siberian Orchestra on Christmas Eve-Eve.
We were blessed with some big guests on this show. Gene Simmons, Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen, SiriusXM host Eddie Trunk, Police drummer Stewart Copeland and many others graced us with their presence. We also reached our milestone 100th episode which was an NFT-focused show with members of Goodie Mob and Curio's founder Ben Arnon.
We are guestless for this recap which was recorded in our Las Vegas hotel room in December. We want to thank all of our website visitors, podcast listeners, guests, publicists, artists, advertisers and everyone involved in bringing you the best content we can. Cheers to 2022 and an even bigger year to boot across the board.
Designer Manuel Cuevas is so synonymous with combining fashion and music that he's mostly known by his first name. Manuel was responsible for making Johnny Cash the man in black, dressing all three Hank Williams, creating garments for Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead and many more.
The man is not a fashion designer. He is a costumer and an artist as his original designs have become the trademark of true American style.
On a fall 2021 trip through Nashville, Matt Bailey stopped by Manuel's shop where the pair chatted in person. We first met Manuel during our joint trip to Music City in fall 2020. While an interview wasn't planned this time, Man
Over the summer, Styx released its first new album in four years, Crash of the Crown. The legendary band also released a Record Store Day exclusive EP as well this year. The music for both was written pre-pandemic and recorded during the trying times of it.
Vocalist and keyboardist Lawrence Gowan chats with Buddy Iahn about the process of recording the new music remotely, something that's new to them. He also discusses returning to the road and their newest endeavor, a line of beer.
The Queen of Bluegrass, Rhonda Vincent, returns to the show, but this time, it's an in person interview in Branson. Vincent is set to perform six Christmas shows at Branson's Mansion Theatre from December 6-12th with some special guests.
On a recent trip to the Missouri city, Matt Bailey chatted with Vincent backstage following an afternoon performance at the venue. Vincent discusses how she makes each show different sans a set list, the atmosphere of Branson and what fans can expect with the Christmas shows.
Buddy Iahn and Matt also chat about the history of Branson and tease some big news.
Jeff Carson transports fans back to the early 2000s with his classic country sound for his current single “God Save The World." This single is more relevant now than ever, igniting hope for the future in a world longing for change and healing.
We premiered the video digitally earlier this year, which truly captures each word of the poignant track.
Carson chats with us about the two things that he loves – music and police work. In the mid-90's to 00's, he had several hits that include "Not On Your Love," "Holdin' Onto Something" and "The Car," the latter being his only No. 1 hit. Before that, he sang demos for songs that became big hits for superstars such as Reba McEntire, Tracy Byrd, Faith Hill, Tracy Lawrence and others. He left the music industry 20 years ago to become a police officer in Franklin, TN, but felt like the world needed to hear "God Save The World."
Sam Grow is one of country's new voices that everyone is buzzing about. Before his new album, This Town, was released in September, he had earned more than 55 million streams on the tracks. Produced by Colt Ford and Noah Gordon, Grow wrote all of the tracks except for one.
His latest single, "You Ain't Gone" had scored nearly 100k streams within its first week of release in August and was featured on a variety of Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora and Amazon Music playlists.
Grow is our guest this week in which we discuss the new project, his career and the often elusive business side to the music industry.
Christmas is underway and Lifetime is celebrating with 35 original movies for 2021. Among those is Reba McEntire's Christmas in Tune, premiering on Friday, November 26th at 8 pm ET/PT. John Schneider co-stars alongside Reba and Candice King (TV's The Vampire Diaries).
Years after their personal and professional breakup, the singing duo of Georgia (Reba) and Joe Winter (Schneider) agree to reunite after their daughter, Belle (King), asks them to participate in a Christmas charity concert, only to find themselves getting back in tune on stage and off.
Schneider talks to us about the film and what it was like working with Reba and Candice. We discuss everything from the production in Nashville to how Reba and John's real life chemistry makes the film a new holiday classic.
Branson, Missouri was once a mecca for world-famous live entertainment. Nestled away in the beautiful rugged Ozarks in Southwest Missouri, it once attracted millions of visitors each year with shows covering every genre and variety.
Throughout the 80's and 90's, stars such as Mickey Gilley, Barbara Mandrell, Roy Clark, Glen Campbell, The Oak Ridge Boys, Mel Tillis and others called Branson home. By the mid-90's, the city boasted more than one hundred performances each day, allowing stars to make millions of dollars by headlining residencies at their own theaters on a strip much like Las Vegas. Branson was seen as a great alternative to touring while still performing regularly.
By 2015, Branson's theater shows became less attractive with many high profile and longtime entertainers leaving town. Jim Stafford sold his lavish theater in 2014 and moved to Florida. A year later, he returned and performed regularly at the theater through 2019 under new ownership. However, a new demographic and change in the touring industry has forever altered the landscape of the city that was once flourishing with high profile celebrities. Many of Branson's iconic theaters are being demolished to pave the way for new attractions, but some musicians are still finding success, such as Mickey Gilley.
Matt Bailey is in town working on a special project, and is catching some shows. In this guestless episode, Matt talks about seeing Gilley and Johnny Lee, two of country's most prominent singers who gained famed during the Urban Cowboy movement in the 80's. We also discuss Branson's impact on the industry and tease Matt's project.
The Tragically Hip have released a special version of their sophomore album, Road Apples 30th Anniversary Deluxe. The set was released digitally worldwide on November 5th with physical versions on 4 CD/Blu-ray Pure Audio and 5 LP/Blu-ray Pure Audio staggered for Friday, November 12th in Canada, Friday, November 19th in the US and Friday, November 26th for the rest of the world.
The expansive deluxe editions are jam-packed with rare and previously unreleased and never heard before pieces of music chronicling the Road Apples era, including the original album remastered in 2021 by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound in Nashville.
Bassist Gord Sinclair and drummer Johnny Fay join us to discuss the projects and how they thought much of the vault songs were lost in the Universal Studios Lot fire from 2018. The pair relive many moments from the recording sessions, and share why a show at The Roxy in Los Angeles was included in the physical variations.
Stick around after the interview for a discussion Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey have about Branson and a special project Matt is involved with in the Branson community.
Deana Carter is celebrating the 25th anniversary of her 5X Platinum debut album Did I Shave My Legs for This?with a newly remastered and expanded edition today (Fri, Nov 5th) via Capitol Nashville/UMe. The project includes two new tracks with Carter performing and producing 2021 versions of "Strawberry Wine," featuring Lauren Alaina, Martina McBride, Ashley McBryde, Kylie Morgan, and Vince Gill on guitar, as well as the title track, featuring Terri Clark, Sara Evans, Ashley McBryde, and Vince Gill.
In addition, Carter will headline her first-ever concert at the historic Ryman Auditorium on November 18th with special guests Charles Esten and Breland, with other surprises as well.
Carter joins Buddy Iahn to discuss the iconic album's silver anniversary, the Ryman show and her career.
The Police drummer Stewart Copeland is teaming with an orchestra to reimagine some of the band's biggest hits. On November 4th, Copeland will take the stage a 28 piece orchestra, guitarist, bassist and three vocalists for Stewart Copeland: Police Deranged for Orchestra at The Soraya in Northridge, CA.
The event focuses on the epic rise of Copeland’s career in music that has spanned over four decades, and includes more than 60 million records sold worldwide, six Grammy awards, and induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Copeland joins us from his home studio to discuss the show and what fans can expect. He also talks to us about his legendary career and what's head.
The Temptations founding and sole surviving member, Otis Williams, is celebrating his 80th birthday this week and 60th anniversary of the legendary R&B group that's inspired generations of musicians. On November 1st, City College Center for the Arts will host a virtual event that will feature a conversation with Williams with several special celebrity guests.
The “Evolution of The Temptations’ Music, 1961-2021” will be simulcast from the Aaron Davis Hall’s renowned Marian Anderson Theatre, named after the distinguished African American singer who broke racial barriers and inspired new generations of singers of all colors. Distinguished musician, composer and entertainment entrepreneur K. Sparks will conduct the online event, which begins at 7:30 pm EDT and will feature other special guests.
Williams joins us to discuss the event as well as his legendary career including new Temptations music, Ain't Too Proudmusical and more.
Lee Greenwood was recently celebrated in Huntsville, Alabama for 40 years of hits in the music industry. Stars from multiple genres of music came out to honor America’s well-known patriot ranging from non-country hitmakers Gavin DeGraw, Debby Boone, Sam Moore, Michael W. Smith, Scott Stapp (of Creed) to today’s hot country hitmakers Lee Brice, Michael Ray, Jamey Johnson, Dustin Lynch to country legends The Oak Ridge Boys, Crystal Gayle, The Gatlin Brothers, Janie Fricke, and more.Matt Bailey was in attendance and spoke to many red carpet attendees, including Neal McCoy, Rhonda Vincent, Alex Miller, T Graham Brown, John Berry, Crystal Gayle, John Conlee, Billy Dean, Debby Boone, Frontmen of Country, Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn and hosts Paula Deen and Mike Huckabee.Saddle up because this is a long one. Clocking in just over an hour, hear all of the interviews and a recap of Greenwood's big night.
Steve Wariner has released a new Christmas album, Feels Like Christmas Time. The album, available now, features newly imagined arrangements of Christmas classics including “Silent Night,” “The First Noel” and “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” as well as six original holiday tunes, all written by Wariner.
Christmas songs hold a special place in Wariner's heart as his birthday falls on Christmas Day, and we got the chance to speak to him about the project. He tells us what inspired it and how it became a family affair. He also talks about his legendary career, and who he wants to work with but hasn't yet.
Matt Bailey is traveling once again and this time, he's in Nashville where he saw his first-ever show at the famous Ryman Auditorium -- Boz Scaggs. Instead of trying to convey the experience in writing, we decided to record a podcast episode while Matt made his way back to his hotel -- across the Cumberland River in downtown -- on foot.
From somewhere in Nashville, Matt discusses his experience at the venue and why everyone who loves music should see a show there. He also discusses why he's in Nashville and what listeners can expect coming soon to the show.
Special thanks to the Ryman's hospitality for allowing Matt to report on the show.
Legendary rappers Goodie Mob have teamed with Curio for the “Dirty South Soul Food Truck” NFT collection. The collection celebrates Goodie Mob’s debut album, Soul Food, and consists of artwork showcasing food, beverage, tin chefs and Goodie Chefs that all represent different rarity values. Proceeds from the collection will be allocated to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.
Goodie Mob members T-Mo, Khujo and Big Gipp, along with Curio co-founder & CRO Ben Arnon, joins us to discuss the new partnership and what fans can expect from the new groundbreaking digital collection that has launched with 2,500 packs that will be distributed blindly. Arnon also explains NFTs and how they've become more widely embraced in recent years.
On this episode, we take rock fans backstage at one of Ireland's most iconic venues. Alex Conyngham chats with Buddy Iahn giving a first hand account of 40 years of shows from the man who, as a child, snuck into the room where U2 stored its instruments during the recording of The Unforgettable Fire, and did a little “practicing” of his own. As Ireland has been locked down for much of the past two years due to the pandemic, we discuss the possibility of shows returning in 2022, and, of course, Slane Irish Whiskey and how fans can tour the facilities.
Entertainment attorney Owen Sloane has more than 45 years of experience representing some of music's most prominent artists and leading corporations in entertainment, internet and music publishing. He regularly handles complex and sophisticated transactions for music industry and other entertainment clients and handles all forms of contract, agreement, and licensing negotiation for clients in the music, film, television and digital media industries.
Over the course of his career, Sloane has represented Elton John, Barry Manilow, Steve Winwood, Chris Daughtry, Rob Thomas, Matchbox Twenty, Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, Kenny Rogers, ABBA, Lindsay Buckingham and more. He has also represented major companies in entertainment such as Playboy, Lorimar, HBO, Coca Cola and Mary Tyler Moore.
We chat with him about how the pandemic has affected the concert industry with last minute cancelations, precautions, and a hopeful return to normal. We also discuss the pending Nirvana lawsuit by the man appearing naked as a four month old on the cover of Nevermind, music talent search shows having predetermined winners, artists selling their catalogues and more.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Chicago became the first non-classical group to perform six nights in a row at Carnegie Hall 50 years ago, and is prepping to release the complete eight show run in its entirety for the first time ever. Founding member and trumpeter Lee Loughnane and engineer Tim Jessup spent nearly a year meticulously going through more than 40 concert tapes at Loughnane’s new studio in Arizona to remaster each concert.
Loughnane chats with Buddy Iahn & Matt Bailey about the process involved in putting this project together the box set. Chicago at Carnegie Hall Complete will be available on September 10th exclusively at Rhino.com. There may even be a separate vinyl project involving one of the shows in the future.
We also discuss Chicago's return to the road after spending time off due to the pandemic and the band's legacy.
KISS founder Gene Simmons has quietly held a passion for art for more than five decades. The rocker has created a broad variety of artwork from sketches to drawings to small and large format paintings, and is ready to show them off as Gene Simmons ArtWorks.
Simmons has joined forces with Nicholas Leone of Animazing Gallery at Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas for the debut of Gene Simmons ArtWorks October 14th through 16th. The event kicks off with a private VIP event for art collectors and celebrities on October 14th, followed by two days of public showings with personal appearances by Simmons from 3-5 pm and 7-9 pm on October 15th and 16th.
Simmons chats with Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey about his artwork, as well as what KISS fans can expect on the last run of dates of the End of the Road final tour and beyond.
AXS TV puts the spotlight on an eclectic array of passionate collectors and the incredible music items they hold dear in the all-new music memorabilia series Rock My Collection — premiering Sunday, August 15th at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT. Hosted and executive produced by Ahmet Zappa — the best-selling author, producer, musician, and head of the iconic Frank Zappa Estate — Rock My Collection is a celebration of some of the world’s most legendary music artifacts connected to an impressive roster of industry trailblazers.Joining Zappa on this entertaining musical odyssey is Stephen MH Braitman of MusicAppraisals.com, an accredited senior appraiser affiliated with the American Society of Appraisers, who specializes in music archives and memorabilia and has worked directly with many notable artists and estates. Using his encyclopedic knowledge and unparalleled expertise, Braitman delivers a unique perspective on the origins of each item and is on-hand to provide a detailed estimate. After appraisal, collectors will have the opportunity to keep their items or put them up for auction where viewers can bid on select rare and often one-of-a-kind items featured.Ahmet Zappa joins us Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey to discuss how he became involved with the series and tease what fans will see on the show. We also ask Zappa about his father's estate and show off a couple of our own collectibles, per his request.https://themusicuniverse.com/episode-95-ahmet-zappa
Morgan Wallen has given ABC's Good Morning America (GMA) his first interview since his racial slur controversy in February. The disgraced country star chatted with host Michael Strahan, who is black, about the use of the N-word that instantly halted his career earlier this year.
Wallen was blacklisted by the industry hours after TMZ released the video in early February. His label -- Big Loud Records in partnership with Republic Records -- "made the decision to suspend Morgan Wallen's recording contract indefinitely" and swiftly removed his likeness from their website rosters. Most media outlets pulled his music from their playlists by midnight, and he was deemed ineligible by the major award organizations.
Despite the boycott, Wallen's sophomore Dangerous: The Double Album broke nearly every record. His music surged by more than 500% and the album spent its first ten consecutive weeks atop of the Billboard 200 chart, breaking a 34 year old record. At least six of the ten chart-topping weeks were without the help of any promotion. The album is now in its 24th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Album Charts.
Brittany Vance -- who has two half black sons and is engaged to a black man -- joins Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey for a roundtable discussion about the interview and what it has felt like in her household as fans of Wallen.
We talk about the big #GARTHinVEGAS concert at Allegiant Stadium and Dwight Yoakam and Randy Houser playing at a beachside pool.
We celebrate this 4th of July with a true patriot and former Army vet Rob Dietrich, Master Distiller & Blender of Blackened American Whiskey, who took joined the fold after the passing of original distiller Dave Pickerell in 2019. Dietrich has more than 13 years of experience and oversees the sourcing, blending, and cask finishing of barrels for each batch of Blackened American Whiskey. Dietrich is responsible for every aspect of production and is committed to maintaining the original recipe, artisanal methods, and handcrafted approach to creating world-class whiskey.
Nashvillains is an incredibly talented group made up of Nashville songwriters and producers Brett Boyett, Troy Johnson and Scott Lindsey. Last month, the band released “Who Don’t,” which is written by the late Andrew Dorff, Old Dominion’s Brad Tursi, and Corey Crowder, and is produced by Andrew’s father, Steve Dorff.
Vincent returns to the podcast to chat about her recent Opry induction that was delayed by a year due to COVID. We also discuss her new album and what she's looking forward to when she returns to the road later this summer.
Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey visit Las Vegas ahead of Garth in Vegas to help fans navigate to Allegiant Stadium from the Vegas Strip.
Cooper Alan chats about his TikTok adventures and his career. He discusses his reluctancy (like many of us) to joining the viral odyssey and how he hopes to further his career.
Eddie Trunk is one of the most respected radio and TV personalities in the rock, hard rock and heavy metal worlds. His hosting career spans nearly 40 years. He can be heard weekly hosting six live "Trunk Nation" shows on SiriusXM, a syndicated FM radio show and his own podcast that compiles interviews from his shows.
Trunk is recognized as a scholar of the rock genre due to his immense knowledge of past and current events. That knowledge is often challenged in fun "Stump the Trunk" quiz-like segments. He's an advocate for rock and roll who's passion is to bring it back to the forefront of the world.
Trunk joined us last week via Zoom to chat about his career and the return of concerts this summer, including the fate of The Stadium Tour with Mötley Crüe, Poison and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, which was ultimately postponed by a year following our conversation.
Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen joins us to discuss the art project, his career, future Def Leppard music, and the fate of The Stadium Tour with Motley Crue, Poison and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts that's slated to kick off June 19th in Nashville.
The group — Duane Allen, Joe Bonsall, William Lee Golden, and Richard Sterban — chatted with Buddy Iahn this week via Zoom from a studio at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. Among the topics are the new album, touring, and a return to Gaylord Opryland this Christmas for a residency that everyone must see! Plus, we discuss the 40th anniversary of their iconic and multi-platinum hit "Elvira" and more.
Matt Bailey chats with country singer and comedian Ray Stevens about his new four album project, the reopening of his Nashville club CabaRay, and four additional albums he has in the works.
Anita Rivaroli chats with Buddy Iahn via her home in Rome, Italy, where she's been on lockdown since the pandemic began last spring. We get a little more insight into the making of the film and how Fabio Zaffagnini's idea brought the Foo Fighters to perform a three hour private concert for the band and crew in Cesena.
Dropkick Murphys will release its 10th full-length studio album, Turn Up That Dial, on April 30th via band-owned Born & Bred Records. The album was produced by Ted Hutt with the new single “Middle Finger” out now. Vocalist, guitarist and lead songwriter Tim Brennan joins us to discuss the album, their pioneering of livestreaming and more.
Doug Brod, author of They Just Seem a Little Weird: How KISS, Cheap Trick, Aerosmith, and Starz Remade Rock and Roll, joins us to chat about his new book that dives into the history of KISS, Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, and Starz -- a criminally neglected band whose fate may have been sealed by a shocking act of violence.
Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock discuss their new book “Nothin But A Good Time: The Uncensored History of the 80s Hard Rock Explosion.”
Wheat speaks to us about his new memoir, but it's the back half of the interview where he really opens up about his frustration with the music industry of today. It's an interview you don't want to miss.
Jamie O'Neal is an award winning country singer/songwriter with multiple No. 1 hits, including chart topping "There Is No Arizona" and "When I Think About Angels." Her latest album "Sometimes" is available now and fans can hear newly recorded versions of those and two more hits on the project.
She chats with Buddy Iahn & Matt Bailey about the project, her songwriting career and what she hopes is ahead for 2021. She also gives us an exclusive acoustic performance video of her latest single "Wreck Me," so be sure to listen to the full episode and watch the full video on our socials.
Johnny Lee has a new album out tomorrow (Fri, Feb 12th) called Everything’s Gonna Be Alright, and we have an exclusive world premiere of “Sawin’ On The Fiddle” on The Music Universe Podcast. You’ll also hear from Johnny himself about the new album and what’s ahead in 2021.
The 80s was the decade that rocked and photographer Mark “Weissguy” Weiss was there with a camera to photograph all of the action! From Van Halen to Ozzy Osbourne, Aerosmith, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi and more, Weissguy has it all laid out in his book The Decade That Rocked. He’s our guest this week on The Music Universe Podcast to give us verbal accounts on how it all went down including the many covers of Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet.
In the past 18 hours, two big stories from Nashville have made headlines: Morgan Wallen using a racial slur and TJ Osborne coming out. As you know, Wallen has had his record contract suspended by his label and distributor while Osborne is getting support from the country music community.
Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey discuss these hot topic issues with our social media guru Brittany Vance, who has personally hung out with Wallen.
We also have an exclusive statement on Osborne's decision by fellow gay country artist Ty Herndon.
Actor/Singer/Songwriter Rob Mayes -- who's best known for his role in ABC's Mistresses and the film John Dies At The End, chats with Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey about the mountain of new music he's released since the pandemic began, the star-studded Make It Up As We Go podcast series that's executive produced by Miranda Lambert, and his most recent LIfetime holiday movie, The Christmas Edition, with Marie Osmond.
Last fall, author Christopher McKittrick published Somewhere You Feel Free: Tom Petty and Los Angeles, a book that explores the artistic life of Tom Petty through his career-long relationship with Los Angeles and the many colorful characters and venues that inspired him and his music — including his work with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, Johnny Cash, Roger McGuinn, Leon Russell, Rick Rubin, and Del Shannon. Post Hill Press published it on November 17th.
McKittrick joined us before the book was released to chat about what fans can expect and the many locations they can visit -- safely, of course -- to relive some of those historical Petty moments.
Iconic country singer BJ Thomas is celebrating the 50th anniversary of "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" and joins us as our first-ever video episode. The song landed at No. 1 on January 3, 1970, after being featured in Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman, the previous month. The song was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame in 2014.
Thomas joins Buddy Iahn & Matt Bailey to discuss the track's lasting impact and what he plans for the future.
2021 is definitely off to a weird start, but Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey discuss music release predictions (and some that are confirmed) as well as the future of live-streaming as we hope live shows start back regularly later this year.
It's a short episode for this occasional mid-week drop, but very insightful of what could be ahead for live entertainment.
Join us for a guestless edition of The Music Universe Podcast.
We kick off 2021 with our first superstar guest... Aloe Blacc, who was Mushroom and runner-up on the latest season of Fox's The Masked Singer.Blacc chats with us about his experience filming the strange reality series during the pandemic, his latest album, All Love Everything, and what he's planning for the future.
Blacc is known for beloved hits like “I Need a Dollar,” “The Man,” and “Wake Me Up” with Avicii, but he talks about how he's still able to keep anonymity when he's out in public. Blacc also shares his hopefulness for returning to touring soon.
In our first-ever Year in Review wrap, we discuss COVID's impact on the industry, the musicians we lost, and more.
Our final guest of the year is with country singer Jessie James Decker. We discuss her role in Dick Clark's New Year's Roc
TMU took. Nashville by Storm!
We had a blast in Nashville in mid November 2020. We visited the Country Music Hall of Fame, Grand Ole Opry, saw the Oak Ridge Boys kick off their Christmas residency, and more. We fit it all into just two and a half jam-packed days.
It was a thrill to host a week of episodes from Nashville Coffees, located across from the Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Resort. Our guests were Tim & Roxane Atwood, JD Shelburne, Chapel Hart (who also performed exclusively for us), Flo (who performed as well) and singer/songwriter Kent Blazy.
In this chat, Matt and I recap the entire trip with our thoughts on the sights, emotional experiences, and fun stories -- including how we met famed fashion designer Manuel -- and more.
We even went live on Instagram from Love Circle, which is a popular hotspot high above the city (and you can let your imagination figure out how it got its name).
Our Live From Nashville series concludes with singer/songwriter Kent Blazy, who needs no introduction. His songwriting credits include Garth Brooks' “If Tomorrow Never Comes” & “Ain’t Goin’ Down (’Til The Sun Comes Up)” and Chris Young's “Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress Song)," among many others. He's one of five inductees to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame for 2020 for a "50-51" edition in November 2021.
Due to a COVID scare, we chatted with Blazy via phone from Nashville Coffees across from the Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Resort. We talk about his induction, working with Garth Brooks, his Authenticalbum that was released earlier this fall and future music.
We continue our Live From Nashville series on The Music Universe Podcast with Flo, a multi-cultural artist who dives deep into her Latin heritage. By the time she was 14, she had lived in Chili, Canada and Singapore, and now splits her time between Nashville and Miami. The singer cites Carrie Underwood and Maren Morris as influences, along with singer/songwriter Alec Benjamin and Shakira.
The singer joined us for what became a double interview. The first half of the episode features a phone interview that was recorded before the Nashville trip was planned. We chat about her heritage, music and dogs. The second half features an in person chat about her life, music and dogs (again). She also gave us an exclusive performance of a new song.
Our Live From Nashville series continues with New Orleans-based female trio Chapel Hart. Consisting of Grammy-nominated Danica Hart, her cousin Trea and sister Devynn, the ladies of Chapel Hart have been singing together since they were toddlers in their hometown of Poplarville, MI and their musical chemistry clearly shows.
The three singers recently teamed with ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons for their debut single, "Jesus & Alochol." The three met with us while in Nashville to chat about the collaboration and give us an exclusive performance of a new track they wrote, which is an homage to Dolly Parton's "Jolene."
The performance video is on our socials, so be sure to follow us for more exclusives!
Our Live From Nashville series continues with Kentucky native JD Shelburne, an independent country artist who finances his own records and has a loyal fanbase. Typically, Shelburne finds himself performing more than 200 dates per year in venues ra
We kick off our Live From Nashville series with Tim and Roxane Atwood, two of country music's most sought-after people. Tim has had an amazing career as an entertainer, solo artist, and racking up more than 8500 performances at the Grand Ole Opry
Last month, country music power couple T.G. Sheppard and Kelly Lang released a new holiday single called “Christmas in Mexico.” The duet is a sweet and romantic trip to sandy beaches and warm sunny days, buoyed by the sounds of mariachi trumpets and steel drums. An accompanying music video premiered exclusively on Music Crowns, featuring footage of the duo in the studio recording the song. “Christmas in Mexico” marks the first release from Sheppard’s new licensing deal with Time Life Retail, which encompasses nine albums from the country music icon’s career.
Both artists chatted with Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey from their Nashville are home about the track and how this Christmas will be different from any other. They also discuss future touring plans and what they're doing to stay safe during this tumultuous time.
Phil Vassar is one of country music's most prominent singer/songwriters and was racking up hits on the radio before he began his own recording career. Vassar’s reign of signature songs include 10 No. 1 singles and 26 Top 40 hits, including "Carlene," "Just Another Day in Paradise," "Six-Pack Summer," "When I Love You," and many more. Vassar’s songwriting career blossomed in the mid-’90s when he landed a publishing contract with EMI and penned hits for Collin Raye ("Little Red Rodeo"), Alan Jackson ("Right on the Money"), Tim McGraw ("For a Little While"), Jo Dee Messina ("Bye Bye," "Alright"), and Blackhawk ("Postmarked Birmingham").
The interview was conducted by Buddy Iahn the same day Vassar was nominated for the 2020 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Vassar and I discuss the honor of being nominated -- although it wasn't until early November that others were chosen for this induction this year -- his career, both livestream and TV series' and his daughter's foray into the music industry.
Full of autobiographical storytelling, guitar-driven anthems, drinking songs, and breakup ballads, Cory Marks’ songs are rooted in the influence of his hometown, where he grew up surrounded by the salt-of-the-earth residents of North Bay, Ontario. The rising star and his new music have already earned placements in film. “Outlaws & Outsiders” is included in the Sno Babies movie soundtrack, a powerful film that deals with the topic of substance use disorder in the places you would least expect – middle-class suburbia. Marks’ song, “Blame It on The Double,” will appear on another soundtrack, Better Noise Films release, horror spectacular, The Retaliators. Marks recently released his rendition of The Tractor’s popular '90s holiday hit, “Jingle My Bells.”
Cory Marks chats with Buddy Iahn about his debut album Who I Am, the success of "Outlaws & Outsiders," and what's ahead.
Black Stone Cherry releases its seventh studio album, The Human Condition, on October 30th via Mascot Records. The four members were nestled deep in the woods of Kentucky, scrambling to complete the project, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. There, they could feel the disease closing in as they watched the news daily, and it became apparent the album they were finishing featured lyrics that were eerily prescient. The resulting 13-track record is broadly emotive, and anthemic. It was finished just before the global lockdown was imposed.
We celebrate the album's release with a 20 minute chat with frontman Chris Robertson who talks about how the band made it through the sessions, what it's been like being off the road for more than eight months, and what's ahead for the southern rockers. Robertson also discusses the recording process and the importance of mental health.
During the quarantine lockdown, Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey spoke with Ana Cristina Cash about her career, including her dream recording project. Unbeknownst to us, we are airing the interview as she releases two singles: a reissue of "Brand New Pair of Shoes" and the Christmas track "Mele Kalikimaka."
Vonn Kiss has genuine grit, hard work and lightning-like passion that takes his career to the next level. He began singing in a small church as a hobby, which grew into a dream that lets fans inside his personal life through encrypted lyrics.
He pays homage to country music's past by writing and recording music that's raw and real, like his life. He has extensively toured with David Allan Coe for nearly two years and has shared the stage with numerous other big acts.
He's produced by Greg Archilla, who's worked with Matchbox 20, Collective Soul, Doug Stone and GRAMMY-nominated albums by Neil Young and Albert Collins. He has nearly three million views on social media with over 100k followers across all platforms.
During the COVID-19 quarantine, Kiss chatted with Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey to discuss his career, personal life and what's ahead for the budding superstar.
Kaylee Rutland’s music makes an unmistakable connection with listeners as evidenced by her tremendous social media following. She has been named a Country Living Magazine “Artist to Watch,” a Billboard Magazine “Top 10 Artists to Watch,” and was a finalist in the inaugural Nash Next competition. Additionally, Rutland had the opportunity to tour with Warner Music Nashville artist, RaeLynn.
Growing up in Texas, country music made a lasting impact on her style, learning from the greats of Reba, Carrie Underwood, and Sara Evans. She was eight when she first fell in love with singing, performing her first solo for a Christmas musical at her church, and by her teens, she was fully committed to writing her own songs.
During the COVID-19 quarantine, Buddy Iahn & Matt Bailey spoke with Kaylee Rutland about her music, her (and Buddy's) love for Reba, and more.
It's been nearly 25 years since Ricochet released its debut single and album. "What Do I Know" was the highest charting debut single of 1996, rising to No. 3 in Radio & Records chart and No. 5 in Billboard. The group's follow up, “Daddy’s Money” scored the group its only No. 1 hit that lasted two weeks atop of Billboard's country charts.
The quintet is the only country artist to ever chart the National Anthem and is in constant demand to perform it live. They have performed the anthem for our men and women in uniform, at NASCAR Sprint Cup Events, at Major League Baseball Events, at National Football League Events, at National Hockey League Events, at PBR and PRCA Professional Rodeo Events and other national events.
Known as “The Hardest Working Band In Country Music," the band continues to log thousands of miles on the road each year thrilling audiences of all ages across the United States and abroad. The band’s distinctive musical style and intricate harmonies earned them the recognition as one of the most popular vocal groups in country music, a mantle they still wear today.
Mark Farner is a rock and roll American icon. As one of the founding members, lead singer, lead guitarist, and wrote ninety percent of the Grand Funk Railroad (GFR) music catalog, Farner has always been known as the energetic driving force on stage, the engine that pulled the original Grand Funk Railroad to the top of the charts. From his soulful voice and power rock riffs, to fueling the Funk with his atomic stage presence. His story and his imprint on music starts with Flint, MI and since 1969 from his humble beginnings and a blue-collar outlook, Farner has captained a global crusade for love and freedom.
This June marked the 50th anniversary of GFR's "I'm Your Captain (Closer To Home)," a song that sits alongside massive hits such as, "Some Kind Of Wonderful," "Foot Stompin' Music," "Heartbreaker," "Locomotion," "We're An American Band," and others. Farner talks to Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey about the impact of "I'm Your Captain," his legacy, and Mark Farner's American Band, the banner he's now touring as. He also gives us his strong opinions on a Grand Funk reunion.
Singer-songwriter Kelly Lang has had a stellar career in the music industry with cuts by artists such as Ricky Skaggs, Lorrie Morgan, The Oak Ridge Boys, Crystal Gayle, George Jones, B.J. Thomas, Jimmy Fortune, TG Sheppard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Lee, just to name a few. She has recorded duets with iconic artists, Dame Olivia Newton-John, Paul Shaffer and Lee Greenwood.
As an artist, she has released several albums including Iconic Duets with husband, TG Sheppard. In the spring of 2020, Lang re-released her classic children’s album Lullaby Country, which was originally sold at Cracker Barrel. As part of a regional campaign, her voice and writing skills can be heard on television throughout Tennessee and the surrounding areas as the official song for Ascension St. Thomas Hospital’s commercial titled, “I’m Not Going Anywhere.”
September 18th marks the delivery of her new album Old Soul, featuring her latest single "Drive," which was originally made famous by 70’s rock legends The Cars. Lang joins Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey to discuss the covers album which also includes her renditions of The Police's "Every Breath You Take" and Celine Dion's "All By Myself," which is pretty fitting for a nationwide quarantine.
Two decades ago, Kristian Bush (Sugarland, Dark Water) and Andrew Hyra shared some moderate success as Billy Pilgrim with songs featured in Melrose Place, My So-Called Life, and many more. They had recorded a third album that was thought to be lost after the master tapes burned in a fire at the studio near Decatur, GA. Fortunately, one copy remained and nearly 500 CDs were pressed and sold at their final concert together in Atlanta in 2001. Both artists went their separate ways, and didn't speak for 15 years, but never officially disbanded either.
Fast forward to 2020 and a worldwide pandemic where Bush had more time on his hands. It's when he discovered a lone copy of In The Time Machine, after cleaning out his home. The album was released on September 4th and Bush and Hyra spoke with us from a Nashville studio -- you'll have to listen to hear why they're in the studio. We not only talk about the album, but we also discuss Sugarland's new music and upcoming tour plans.
Janie Fricke is a three-time CMA & ACM Female Vocalist of the Year winner. She's topped the country charts 18 times with several gold and platinum albums. She was the named Billboard Magazine Top Female Vocalist, was the First Female Voice on the Moon, and was named the UK’s Country Music Round Up’s Most Popular International Female Solo Act.
The Indiana native has recorded numerous jingles for Coca-Cola, Pizza Hut and United Airlines. Fricke has released 25 albums and 36 hit singles, and she remains one of the most-beloved entertainers in the country field.
During the COVID-19 lockdown orders, Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey spoke to Fricke about her legendary career and how she was staying busy during the quarantine.
Moe Bandy is a country music legend of the traditionalist variety who has accomplished a lot during his 40+ year career. He's had ten No. 1 songs, 40 Top Ten hits, five gold records and numerous ACM and CMA Awards.
Bandy started his recording career while he was a sheet metal worker in San Antonio, Texas, but traded sheet metal for gold albums after a decade of hard labor. His traditional sound came along during the mid-70's when the country pop sound of Kenny Rogers and John Denver, and the outlaw sound of Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson were all the rage.
Bandy is back with A Love Like That today (Fri, August 28th) that delivers true-to-the-bone traditional country music that fans expect from “Bandy the Rodeo Clown.” The eleven track project was produced by acclaimed Grand Ole Opry musician, the late Jimmy Capps, who's worked with George Jones, George Strait, Ray Charles and Tammy Wynette. Capps and Bandy completed the album prior to his passing earlier this year.
Dallas Remington is a no-nonsense rising country artist and songwriter who knows who she is and what she wants. The Kentucky-born, eighteen-year-old thrives with a passion for life, her music, and her faith. Her vocal talents are marked by her striking lyrics and textured phrasing; her fiery verve and vigor comes to life in every performance -- intimate or live.
She began performing at 11 and moved to Nashville with her family at age 15 to pursue her country music dreams. Her Nashville career began with the Nashville Spotlight at the World Famous Nashville Palace, located near Opry Mills. Her success has led her to opening for Montgomery Gentry, Buddy Jewell, Tyler Barham, Ben Haggard, Dillon Carmichael, and Denny Strickland.
Her latest single, “Uncommon Man,” was released to radio at the end of May 2020, and is dedicated to her father and all essential workers battling the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the start of the COVID-19 quarantine, Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey chatted with Remington in which we discussed her career including writing songs with bestie Allie Colleen, who we've also chatted with.
Tracy Lawerence was a staple on country radio throughout the 90's. Known for monster hits such as "Alibis," "If The Good Die Young," "Time Marches On," and many others, Lawrence has sold more than 13 million albums and has charted 18 No. 1 songs. He has garnered numerous CMA and ACM awards and nominations, as well as a Grammy nomination.
Most recently, Lawrence released his latest album, Made In America. The album is a milestone for Lawrence – penning eight of the 12 songs featured on the album, including his latest single "When The Cowboy's Gone."
Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey had the honor to chat with Lawerence in the midst of quarantine orders in April. We chatted about the situation, his career, his radio show Honky Tonkin' With Tracy Lawrence, as well as his Stormin' Heaven: The Musical play he co-created, among other topics.
Lucas Hoge was born to communicate via music. His new album Dirty South ascended to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Country Album Sales chart during its debut week. Whether he’s performing for troops overseas, sharing his love for the great outdoors with fellow sportsmen at a Bass Pro/Cabela’s gathering or writing another song for a hit TV show, Hoge has that rare ability to find common ground with just about anyone and draw them into his world.
A passionate supporter of the U.S. military, Hoge has traveled the globe extensively performing for the troops visited numerous countries throughout the Middle East and beyond for the past ten years as part of the Wrangler National Patriot Tour. Hoge is also the celebrity spokesperson for Guardian Angels For Soldier’s Pet. Combine all of that with his Midwestern charm and a work ethic that won’t slow him down, it looks like the best is yet to come.
Lucas Hoge spoke with Buddy Iahn & Matt Bailey during the start of the COVID-19 quarantine in late March about his career. Since the chat, he's landed at No. 8 on Pollstar's Weekly Livestream Chart, along side BTS, H.E.R., Grace Potter and others for entertaining and engaging with fans during a weekly livestream.
Kent Blazy is a name synonymous with country music. He's written or co-written hit songs for Garth Brooks, Gary Morris, Diamond Rio, Kenny Chesney, Patty Loveless and Chris Young. The Forester Sisters, T. Graham Brown, Donna Fargo and Moe Bandy are among the other acts who have recorded his tunes.
Blazy has seven No. 1 hits with Brooks to his credit, including "If Tomorrow Never Comes." He and Brooks co-wrote the song, which became the first No. 1 for both in 1989.
Blazy has released several solo albums, including Me And Garth, featuring songs the pair have co-written together over the years, including tracks Brooks has never recorded or released himself.
The singer/songwriter chatted with Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey during the COVID-19 quarantine this spring. While the chat features a lot of "Garth talk," including some behind-the-scenes discussions of songwriting sessions, we also discuss Blazy's interest in country music and his philanthropic Alive Hospice, in honor of his wife who passed away from cancer.
Pacific Northwest, Lady of Blues, Soul, Funk & Gospel, Anita White -- known professionally as Lady A -- has been hurled into a whirlwind of public controversy following Lady Antebellum's decision to change its name last month. The white country trio -- featuring Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and David Haywood -- dropped Antebellum from its name during the height of racial inequality in America, citing the term "antebellum" as a slave reference. Ironically, they've essentially taken the name from a black woman who's been performing and releasing music under the moniker for more than 30 years.
White says she was "blindsided" and upset by the name change with the two artists and their teams connecting for a private Zoom meeting a week after the news made headlines. The country trio shared, "Transparent, honest, and authentic conversations were had. We are excited to share we are moving forward with positive solutions and common ground. The hurt is turning into hope. More to come."
The group, which has used both Lady Antebellum and Lady A interchangeably since its inception, has held a trademark on the name for more than a decade. After negotiations fell apart, White's team requested a $10 million buyout for the use of the name. In return, the band filed a lawsuit in a Nashville courtroom asking for a declaration that the trio lawfully use the Lady A trademark, while White also shares the name and retaining her own rights within federal and state laws. The band is not asking for a monetary reward.
We reached out to White and offered our podcast as a platform for her to share her candid story. She and her producer, John Oliver III, reveal to Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey about what really happened during their many talks, why the blues singer refuses to co-exist, and how she was cornered into asking for $10 million.
This is the Lady A interview everyone needs to hear!
Lynn Anderson and Crystal Gayle are two of country's top female artists. Anderson charted 12 No. 1 singles and a total of 18 Top 10 hits, with more than 50 Top 40 hit singles total, during her six decade career. Gayle has achieved 35 Top 10 country hits to date with 13 becoming sizable pop and/or adult contemporary crossover hits since releasing her first single in 1970.
Anderson passed away on July 30, 2015, of a heart attack while battling pneumonia at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Her daughter, Lisa Sutton, has taken on the responsibility of her mother's legacy and has released a 50th anniversary edition of Anderson's seminal album Rose Garden on limited edition color vinyl.
In September 2019, Gayle released her first album in 16 years, You Don’t Know Me which includes the first ever recording with sister, the legendary Loretta Lynn. In 2017, Gayle was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry by Lynn.
During the quarantine, we chatted with Sutton about her mom's legacy the day she picked up the special vinyl records. We also chatted with Gayle about her legendary career and how it feels to be an Opry member. We are featuring both ladies together in this special double episode called "Girl Power."
Taylon Hope is a singer, songwriter, musician from West Jefferson, NC, located in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and now makes her home in Music City, Nashville, TN. She began singing at four years old. With musical influences such as Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, and others, she sought after the big city lights of Nashville to make a career in country music. The 15 year old flamed hair singer/songwriter mixes traditional roots with her playful, light-hearted personality to create a rare and compelling sound.
During the quarantine, Hope chatted with Buddy Iahn & Matt Bailey about her career, influences and sharing the stage with her biggest influence, Dolly Parton, on the world famous Ryman stage.
The music world is still in shock following the death of Country Music Hall of Famer and southern rock pioneer Charlie Daniels on July 6th. Daniels died following a hemorrhagic stroke at the age of 83 with stars from all facets of entertainment sharing their thoughts.
A star-studded public patriotic-themed visitation was held July 9th at Sellars Funeral Home in Mt. Juliet, TN with the funeral on July 10th at World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro, TN. Travis Tritt, Vince Gill, Gretchen Wilson and Trace Adkins performed to honor the life of Daniels.
On this special edition of The Music Universe Podcast, Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey reflect on their encounters with Daniels and discuss the gentle giant's legacy. Our tribute continues with two interviews Bailey conducted with Daniels over the past decade.
We were set to book Daniels on this show around the time of Volunteer Jam 2020, set for this fall, until COVID-19 postponed it to February 2021.
Fans wanting to send their condolences can via memorial contributions to The Journey Home Project, which Daniels and his manager David Corley founded in 2014. Fans may donate via web or by mail at 17060 Central Pike, Lebanon, TN 37090.
Independent country artist Austin Merrill has a rich, distinctive voice and knack for writing powerful songs with catchy melodies. His unique sound is both traditional and modern, a seamless blend with mass appeal that feels just as much at home on stage as it does on the farm.
Last year, Merrill released his debut EP, Whiskey & Water, with GRAMMY Award-winning producer Mark Bright at the helm. Together, they have crafted an impressive five track project that embraces Merrill's 90’s country upbringing while showcasing his contemporary songwriting and Bright’s musical vision that will effortlessly transition to the ears of today’s country listener.
During the COVID-19 quarantine, Merrill chatted with Buddy Iahn & Matt Bailey about his influences, career and his military background.
International country singer Lee Greenwood is an American icon and may be best known for his patriotic hit "God Bless The U.S.A," a track that's been in the top five on the country singles chart three times: 1991, 2001 and 2003. It has the distinction of being the only song in any genre of music to achieve that feat, and topped the pop charts following 9/11.
Greenwood has earned multiple CMA and ACM Awards, a GRAMMY Award for Top Male Vocal Performance on “I.O.U,” in 1985, and a multitude of other prestigious award nominations. His discography includes 22 studio albums, seven compilation albums, seven No. 1 hits and 38 singles, including songs like “It Turns Me Inside Out,” “Ring On Her Finger Time on Her Hand,” “She’s Lyin,” “I Don’t Mind the Thorns if You’re the Rose,” “Dixie Road,” “Somebody’s Gonna Love You,” “Going Going Gone,” “You Got A Good Love Comin,” among others.
Greenwood spent time during the COVID-19 quarantine to chat with Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey about his legendary career and the impact "U.S.A." has today as it did when he wrote it on the back of a tour bus in 1983. We also discuss Beyonce's charitable version released in 2011 and more during a 30 minute interview.
Live Nation's apparent memo "leak" about 2021 conditions for artists appearing at its festivals has sparked a lot of controversy throughout the industry. The memo mostly puts the burden on the artists themselves and not the promoter when it comes to cancelations from either side. Live Nation is also demanding artists take a 20% pay cut with their advance payment and charging the artist double should they cancel a performance. This seems unfair, right?
Jack Forman, who serves as the President of BiCoastal Productions, a New York City-based concerts and theatrical booking agency, chats with us about these terms and gets more in depth on how the concert industry operates. Forman answers all of your COVID-19 concert questions in this episode that every concertgoer should hear.
Forman's current clients include Lee Rocker of Stray Cats, Naturally 7, Colin Mochrie’s HYPROV of Whose Line is it Anyway?, legendary rock supergroup The Hit Men, Scotland’s Red Hot Chilli Pipers, Vegas-Strip favorites The Bronx Wanderers and The Daily Show Writers Comedy Tour. Originally spearheading the agency’s coverage of the Western United States, Forman now oversees the core agency staff and global touring strategy. He remains actively involved with industry organizations like the Western Arts Alliance (WAA), North American Performing Arts Managers and Artists (NAPAMA), and the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP).
Don McLean is a GRAMMY Award honoree, a Songwriter Hall of Fame member, a BBC Lifetime Achievement award recipient, and soon a 2021 member of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His smash hit “American Pie” resides in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry and was named a Top 5 song of the 20th Century by the Recording Industry of America (RIAA).
A New York native, McLean is one of the most revered and respected songwriters in American history. After paying his dues in the New York club scene in the late ‘60s, he went on to score mega-hits like “Vincent (Starry, Starry Night),” “Castles in the Air” and many more. His catalog of songs have been recorded by Madonna, Garth Brooks, Josh Groban, Drake, Weird “Al” Yankovic, and countless others.
In May 2020, McLean released 173 songs from 11 of his classic albums through a partnership with Time Life and Warner Music Group that will also see a new album entitled Still Playin' Favorites released this fall. “American Pie” will be featured in the Avenger’s "Black Widow" and the Tom Hanks movie "BIOS," and more to be announced.
Next year marks the 50th anniversary of "American Pie" in which the legendary entertainer will embark on a world tour in support.
McLean recently chatted with Matt Bailey in a candid interview that talks about his legendary career, his future plans and how he plans to never retire.
JD Shelburne grew up on a tobacco farm in Taylorsville, KY and began learning guitar following the death of his grandmother. Typically, the indie country act finds himself performing more than 200 dates per year in venues ranging from packed clubs to huge festivals. Shelburne has opened for Miranda Lambert, Craig Morgan, Chris Young, Marty Stuart, Jamey Johnson, and Montgomery Gentry. He finances his own records and has a loyal fanbase who can't wait to see him perform in person again.
Tracy Byrd has cemented himself as one of country music's traditionalists. Byrd became a household name in 1993 with "Holdin' Heaven," the third single from his self titled album. However, it was the release of Byrd's follow up, 1994's No Ordinary Man that shot Byrd to superstar status with the No. 1 hits "Watermelon Crawl" and "The Keeper Of The Stars."
Byrd is a Beaumont native through and through. During the quarantine, Byrd chatted with hosts Buddy Iahn & Matt Bailey about his legendary career, some hits and misses, being a Texas native, and his new live album, Live at Billy Bob's, which is his first ever live and vinyl release.
Somerset, Kentucky native Will Muse is a teenage prodigy singer/songwriter who has quite the career ahead of him. He's accomplished a lot in his short career with his debut single, "I Can Change," reaching nearly two million YouTube views. His sophomore single, "Spend," was featured prominently on Radio Disney. His latest single, "World In The Way" -- recorded after this interview -- features Steevie Steeves and is timely due to all of the worldly events taking place.
As the world began to quarantine, Will Muse chatted with Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey about his endeavors including how Radio Disney featured him as an independent artist.
It was during country music's rise in the 80's when T Graham Brown came onto the scene. Brown has recorded 15 studio albums and charted more than 20 singles on the Billboard charts which started with the sad and soulful “Drowning In Memories” which was a Top 40 single that helped him to establish himself. By the winter of 1986, he had warmed up to audiences with the bluesy hit “I Tell It Like It Used To Be.” Other hits quickly followed, with his first self-penned release “Hell And High Water,” which became his first No. 1 song. “I Wish That I Could Hurt That Way Again” and “Don’t Go To Strangers” were the next releases, which all became chart-toppers.
Brown has become one of the most recognizable voices on TV from singing in advertising campaigns for McDonald’s, Disneyland, Almond Joy, Coca Cola, Dodge Truck, Ford, Hardee’s and many others including the Taco Bell “Run For The Border” television spots.
Brown currently hosts Live Wire on SiriusXM Prime Country where he picks his favorite live tracks from some of his favorite artists and friends, including himself.
During the quarantine, Brown conducted a country music history lesson with Buddy Iahn & Matt Bailey as he reflects on the stories that have made his career and beyond. Brown also chats about the passing of his good friend Joe Diffie, who died from COVID-19 shortly before this interview.
The interview could be dubbed part one as there are more stories to tell beyond this episode with T Graham Brown.
Independent country artist Paige King Johnson moved from her native North Carolina to Nashville to pursue her songwriting and singing dreams. She has hung out at the famous Bluebird Café and has opened for chart topping artists like Scotty McCreery, Neal McCoy, Luke Pell, and James Otto. Her current single, “Water Down the Whiskey” channels the sensitivity of Kacey Musgraves while dishing out the unapologetic nerve of Miranda Lambert. Johnson’s confident ownership of her craft is a direct result of the compelling female staples she grew up on — females who have at times strayed from the mainstream path to carve their own. With a heartfelt conviction to write genuine songs she can be proud of for years to come, Johnson is ready to go down any path that calls her name – as long as she can walk it in her favorite pair of boots.
Paige King Johnson chats with Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey about her career, aspirations and what she's been doing back home to pass the time during the COVID-19 quarantine.
Ty Herndon is a force to be reckoned with. His now three-decade career has spanned 20 Billboard-charted singles and five million albums sold. And Herndon shows no signs of slowing down.
Between 1995 and 2002, Herndon charted 17 singles, including his three No. 1's and numerous Top 10 hits, such as “I Want My Goodbye Back,” “Loved Too Much,” “A Man Holding On,” and “Hands of a Working Man.” He topped the charts in 1996 with the single “Living in a Moment” and again in 1998 with “It Must Be Love.”
Herndon’s biggest single, “What Mattered Most” was reissued with his preferred pronouns. Originally recorded as a man singing about his ex-girlfriend, Ty re-recorded the song to reflect having come out as gay in 2014.
Herndon reflects on his career before and after coming out with Buddy Iahn & Matt Bailey.
Allie Colleen is an independent country singer/songwriter who has amassed an impressive strong following. One of her original songs, “Close Enough," gained more than 750k views on YouTube and her organic social media following has continued to increase. Her debut single, “Work In Progress” defines the life that’s shaped her with personal lyrics and transparency in both the vocals and delivery. The making of video for that song is nearing the 500k mark.
Buddy Iahn & Matt Bailey chat with Allie about her career, songwriting and new music, including a song we may have a hand in titling.
Affectionally known as the "Queen of Bluegrass," Rhonda Vincent is no stranger to anyone in the music industry. You may be quite surprised who she's worked with and who she calls friends. She is the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry and is a GRAMMY Award winner.
Vincent chats with Buddy Iahn & Matt Bailey about her life during the quarantine, her career, her collaborations and friendships, and being the newest Opry member.
Independent new country duo, Joe and Martina, have taken the world by storm with their debut single "Give Me Back The 90's" that features GRAMMY Award-winning 90's country star John Berry. The single debuted on Music Row Country Breakout Chart at No. 70 and has climbed to No. 53, and currently sits at 51 on Billboard's Country Indicator Chart, a huge feat for an indie act.
The husband and wife act are currently working with producer Johnny Garcia (touring guitarist for Trisha Yearwood and formerly with Garth Brooks) for their debut album. The duo chat with Buddy Iahn & Matt Bailey about the fiery new track, working with both Berry and Garcia, and more during the quarantine life.
CeeLo Green is back after five years with a soulful new album called CeeLo Green Is... Thomas Callaway. The album is available on June 26th and was recorded in Nashville with a live band and produced by The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach. So far, two tracks have been released, and fans can have a chance to be apart of the music video for "Doing It All Together."
Green chats with Buddy Iahn about the project, his massive "Forget You" single, reality TV, and what's ahead for Goodie Mob, among other topics.
Roxane Atwood has a rich history in country music as a DJ and music journalist from Texas to The Nashville Network (TNN) in Nashville. She has interviewed everyone from Minnie Pearl (who was her first interview in Nashville) to k.d. lang (conducting Lang's first interview in Canada) to George Jones and Garth Brooks. She has managed and booked her husband, Grand Ole Opry veteran Tim Atwood. She still writes for many publications and behind the scenes on charity boards including Country For A Cause and The Dottie West Birthday Bash.
Buddy Iahn & Matt Bailey chat with Roxane about her extraordinary career and how she thinks the concert industry will change when it returns from COVID-19 restrictions.
Mickey Gilley pioneered the "Urban Cowboy" phase of country music in the 80's following a string of No. 1 hits including "City Lights," "I Overlooked An Orchard" and "Don't The Girls All Get Prettier At Closing Time." Gilley's popularity spawned the film "Urban Cowboy," starring John Travolta and Debra Winger, which was filmed at Gilley's Dance Hall & Night Club in Pasadena, TX. The movie was a success and Gilley became a household name after "Stand By Me" was included on the soundtrack. Gilley has been a staple in Branson, MO since the 90's. Now in his 80's, Gilley continues to tour the country with his band.
Matt Bailey chats with Gilley about his career and what's ahead for the singer.
Styx drummer Todd Sucherman has just released his debut solo album, Last Flight Home, via Aqua Pulse Records. Each of the project's ten compositions features Sucherman's vocals and deep pocket drumming. The album was co-produced by Sucherman and J.K. Harrison.
Recording sessions mainly took place between July 2019 and January 2020 at various locales in California and Texas, with Sucherman handling all lead vocal and principal drumming duties in addition to co-writing nine of the album’s ten songs.
Country newcomer Stephanie Quayle has partnered with Harley-Davidson for a new video series From Horses to Horsepower with help from her mom Eileen Wallin. The mother/daughter duo express their love of freedom and the open road through the series as Stephanie embraces and emulates her mother’s fearlessness and confidence in this new and exciting pursuit.
Stephanie and Eileen join Buddy Iahn & Matt Bailey for their first-ever interview together while social distancing in this special Mother's Day episode of The Music Universe Podcast. Stephanie called from her farm in North Caroline while her mom chatted from hers in Montana, where Stephanie grew up. We discuss the Harley partnership, life on the farm and Stephanie's budding music career.
Nineties country hitmaker Sammy Kershaw is back with a brand new heartfelt single called "My Friend Fred," based on a true story about a man who battles substance abuse. The single was released in January 2020, but it's the recently released video that has everyone talking.
Kershaw has more than 25 top 40 singles with 11 Top 10's, including No. 1 hits with “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful” and “Love Of My Life." Kershaw joins Buddy Iahn for a solo interview to chat about the single, his future plans and more.
The Oak Ridge Boys have sold over 41 million units worldwide and are synonymous with “America, apple pie, baseball, and country music.” The group — Joe Bonsall, Duane Allen, William Lee Golden, and Richard Sterban — were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2011 and the prestigious Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015. They have 30 Top 10 hits including the No. 1's “Elvira,” “Bobbie Sue,” “Thank God For Kids,” “American Made,” and “Y’All Come Back Saloon" throughout their 40+ year career and they aren't letting COVID-19 slow them down.
Joe Bonsall joins Buddy Iahn & Matt Bailey for a 30 minute conversation discussing the legacy of the group and what's ahead following the quarantine.
“Maybe It Was Memphis,” “Spilled Perfume,” “Shake the Sugar Tree,” “Cleopatra, Queen of Denial,” “Let That Pony Run,” and “Mi Vida Loca" are among the songs that define Pam Tillis' hitmaking career that began nearly 30 years ago. She's one of 90's country's leading ladies, and is celebrating the release of her 11th studio album, Looking for a Feeling, that drops today (Fri, April 24th) on her own Stellar Cat Records via OneRPM Distribution.
Tillis chats with Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey about the new project, what's she's doing during the quarantine, her career and more on this edition of The Music Universe Podcast.
Dr. Zeke Emanuel, one of the key architects of the Affordable Care Act and a special adviser to the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), suggests that all mass gatherings, including concerts, be on hold for 18 months while biologists work on a vaccine for COVID-19.
The music industry typically has a "The Show Must Go On" attitude, but with uncertainty surrounding the pandemic and a vaccine a year or more away, many major artists, including Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi and Zac Brown Band, have canceled their 2020 tour dates, leaving the future of live music up in the air for the imminent future.
We are guestless on this special edition of The Music Universe Podcast as Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey debate their thoughts on the 2020 concert series.
Wade Hayes was a country radio staple in the 90's with hits like "Old Enough To Know Better," "I'm Still Dancing with You," "On a Good Night" and "What I Meant to Say" and others. He was in his early 20's when he hit the road with country hitmakers Tracy Lawrence and Brooks & Dunn, just to name a few.
In 2011, he was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer, which he beat twice. He's since released "Go Live Your Life," which was advised by his doctor, and "Who Saved Who," which is dedicated to the longtime dog he saved.
Hayes joins Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey on this edition of The Music Universe Podcast to chat about his career, including his most recent two projects, and beating cancer twice, among other topics.
Rich Redmond is a top call and highly influential touring/recording drummer/percussionist based in Nashville and Los Angeles. Redmond is versatile, dynamic, and rock solid drumming is the sound behind many of today's top talents. As a twenty year veteran of the Nashville music scene, Redmond has toured/recorded/performed with the “who’s who” of the music world, most notably for backing Jason Aldean on each of his nine studio albums and every live performance since day one.
Redmond has played drums and percussion on 27 No. 1 singles with sales well over the 20 million mark. As a high-energy live showman, Redmond plays sold out shows nightly in amphitheaters, arenas and stadiums across the world, reaching over two million fans per year.
Along the way, Redmond has added motivational speaker, clinician, author, actor and podcast host to his resume. He chats with Buddy Iahn about all of his endeavors, including a special offer drummers will want to take advantage of (just like I did) for his "Drumming in the Modern World" five hour educational course that he's offering through April 30th.
Spend 30 minutes with Rich and Buddy as they chat about drums and the industry!
In the 1990's and early 2000's, Grammy Award-winning country hitmaker John Berry placed 20 singles on the charts, six of which went Top 5, with "Your Love Amazes Me," scoring a No. 1 on the Billboard and Radio & Records Country Chart as well as "Standing on the Edge of Goodbye" and "She’s Taken a Shine" earning the No. 1 slot in Radio & Records. Berry took time during the quarantine to chat with Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey about how he's staying busy during the COVID-19 pandemic, his career, surviving cancer, his good friend Joe Diffie, and new music, including the Joe and Martina song "Give Me Back The 90's," among other topics.
Carrington MacDuffie is an independent singer/songwriter who has many talents. She is also a voice actor who splits her time between Austin, Seattle and Glasgow -- where she has a five-piece Scottish band -- and has narrated over 200 audiobooks, including bios of Pussy Riot and Joni Mitchell. She also voiced a shamanic Scottish Dwarf in the World of Warcraft video game series.
Shane Owens is about as traditional as country can get, but adds a contemporary edge to his Southern storytelling and twang baritone songs. He's an independent singer that has some world recognition. He's been produced by country legend Randy Travis and had a song featured on the Netflix series The Ranch. Owens took some time during the quarantine to chat with Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey about his career and how he's not going stir crazy during this time.
Tim Atwood has had an amazing career. He's an entertainer, solo artist, and has racked up more than 8500 performances at the Grand Ole Opry as a member of their house band. He's also a highly sought-after musician in Nashville who's performed with Mel Street, Lynn Anderson, Jeannie Seely, Jim Ed Brown and others. Listen as Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey chat with the legendary pianist about his life and career during the coronavirus quarantine.
Buddy Iahn & Matt Bailey talk about Matt's weekend of concert reviews as he sees Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry and Celine Dion in the New York area the weekend of March 6th & 7th. Since then, and this recording, the coronavirus pandemic has shut down the entire world.
Buddy Iahn & Matt Bailey discuss the impact the coronavirus has had on the entertainment industry. Tours and festivals have been canceled all throughout the world due to the health concern issued by the World Health Organization that has seen nearly 5k people die but 70k survive.
Richie Kotzen joins Buddy Iahn as our guest talking about his new "50 For 50" project in celebration of his 50th birthday on February 3, 2020. Richie joins us from the Caribbean where he gives more incite into the project, his upcoming tour and what's ahead for The Winery Dogs.
The Music Universe is celebrating its 7th anniversary on January 24, 2020. Buddy Iahn and Matt Bailey chat about our history and what's to come in the future at themusicuniverse.com.
Neil Peart is long considered one of the greatest drummers in the world due to his style, precision and extravagant kit. He was also Rush's main lyricist, often writing about science fiction, fantasy, and philosophy, inspired by his love of literature. He authored multiple memoirs about his travels, including collaborating with Kevin J. Anderson on the novelization of Rush’s album Clockwork Angels. The world was shocked when it was announced he passed away last week from brain cancer at the age of 67. Peart left a strong legacy that non musicians can relate. RIP Neil.
We discuss Mötley Crüe return after a five year breakup, CMA Awards "Entertainer of the Year" controversy, Trisha Yearwood in concert and more in this Kitchen Sink episode.
Buddy Iahn sees a hot new country artist and blues rock legend in concert while Matt Bailey sees a country queen and pop royalty. We discuss Garth Brooks' "Legacy" vinyl collections.
We discuss some of our favorite live albums and which artists have yet to release an official one.
A discussion about Jon Pardi's album release in New York City. As well as a mention of the 20th Anniversary of the Chris Gaines album released by Garth Brooks in 1999