The rise of the independent country megafestival with support from ’90s country stars has been one of the biggest illustrations for how significant, sustainable, and broad-based the resurgence of roots in country music has been.
After 2023 sold out, you knew Two Step Inn would be returning for 2024. Returning it is, and with just as mouthwatering of a lineup as it had in 2023, but sans as many of the hip-hop wild cards.
Bingham’s still out there packing venues and headlining festivals as one of the premier acts in the independent country scene. That’s why it’s pretty disappointing that “Watch Out For The Wolf” is so low effort.
The appeal for independent country has become so robust, we now have megafestivals sprouting up all across the country to cater to the fans of this music. But the first, and still the biggest of these events is Under The Big Sky Festival.
One of the reasons independent acts have been rising in popularity to rival and even surpass their mainstream counterparts in popularity is due in part to events like the Jackalope Jamboree.
Ryan Bingham had a big Friday (6-23), releasing a new song, announcing his first new album in four years, and headlining the Jackalope Jamboree in Pendleton, Oregon, backed by The Texas Gentlemen.
Over the last few years, Born & Raised Fest in Pryor, Oklahoma has distinguished itself as one of the leading festivals in the independent country music space with an emphasis on the Texas and Red Dirt artists that were born and raised in the region. The 2023 installment will be no different.
We’ve seen the hit TV show series Yellowstone help wing a dozen or so worthy independent country artists into the stratosphere through the show’s soundtrack. Now we’re seeing a reversal of roles as one of the primary cast members of Yellowstone has just signed a major label record deal.
Once again, Under The Big Sky Festival outside of Whitefish, Montana has wowed us all with their lineup announcement, and it underscores once again why this is arguably the premier event in independent country and Americana. With two stages, some 20,000 fans, and a curiously excellent curation of headliners…
Yeah yeah, we get these tribute albums to country legends coming down the pipeline every few weeks or so it seems. But when you can get “King” George Strait to show up and participate in one of them, now you’re making some serious news. This song was really the linchpin to Billy Joe Shaver’s entire career.
“Not a lot moves the needle these days. But this show moves the needle.” That was Hayes Carll, putting it out there as succinctly as possible about the impact the Paramount TV series Yellowstone has had on independent country music now for four seasons, with the fifth set to commence.
August 16th, 2022 would have been Billy Joe Shaver’s 83rd birthday, but unfortunately, he passed away on October 28th, 2020 at the age of 81, leaving a legacy of songwriting that set the very foundation for Outlaw country music that is still just as influential and resonant today.
When the finals transpired at the 2022 San Antonio Rodeo Saturday, February 26th, Ryan Bingham wasn’t there to compete, but to cap off the 2022 season with a performance on the big stage at the center of the AT&T Arena, and who better…
If you need an illustration to help put into perspective how the shifting dynamics in entertainment are causing a tectonic-level reorganization of media, and how this is all weighing upon already deepening trends in country music, this might be one of the best.
The fourth season of the Paramount Network’s neo-Western Yellowstone starring Kevin Costner and created by Taylor Sheridan is finally set to premier on November 7th. And along with it, you can also expect a big boost for the independent country artists and songs…
One thing was clearly evident after traveling to Whitefish, Montana to experience the massive Under The Big Sky Festival with its incredible lineup and expansive grounds: the independent country and roots music we all enjoy has officially arrived. This is no longer a boutique subgenre.
Maybe you heard the news, or maybe you didn’t. Maybe you recognize the name, or if you’re not dialed into the country radio scene in Dallas/Fort Worth, likely you don’t. But most anyone who considers themselves a fan of Texas and Red Dirt music, or country music in general, will likely recognize the famous names […]
The season finale for the Paramount Network’s signature summer series Yellowstone ended in a cliffhanger Sunday night (8-23), and it also ended another successful run for the series in both the ratings department, and in featuring all manner of cool country and roots artists and songs throughout the season.
For the last two summers, The Paramount Network’s Western series Yellowstone starring Kevin Costner has become the hottest show on television, pulling in huge ratings, and finding favor with critics. It’s also become a big bonanza for many independent country and roots artists.
“Yellowstone” provided a ton of music and artists for fans of the show to explore, especially throughout the country and roots realm, and especially artists that the mainstream often ignores. And the success of the show has also resulted in deserved attention for the songs and artists featured.
The Paramount Western series Yellowstone starring Kevin Costner doesn’t just make for compelling television, it also works as a great discovery mechanism for good country and roots music that much of the rest of popular culture ignores. Season 2 of the series that started in June has been no different.
“As fans of Yellowstone, we have been engaged with the storyline since the show began,” Blackberry Smoke frontman, singer, guitarist, and songwriter Charlie Starr says. “What Taylor Sheridan, Kevin Costner and their whole team have created is fantastic and we’re humbled to have Blackberry Smoke’s music be such a big part of season 2.
There was a time when we looked upon the drunken poet Hayes Carll, and the rugged cowboy Ryan Bingham, and saw the future of alt-country laid out right there before our very eyes. Both were outstanding as writers and performers. Both carried such promising futures. Both were signed to Lost Highway Records, which had the […]
2019 is here ladies and gentlemen, and soon your ears will have a fresh new bounty of new releases in the country, roots, and Americana world to feast upon. In such a crowded landscape and with so many releases to choose from, having a road map certainly helps. So in that spirit, here are Saving Country Music’s top picks.