Willie Nelson - Band of Brothers (2014)

The much-anticipated successor To All The Girls... (which became Willie's first Top 10 album in more than three decades when it was released in October 2013) Band of Brothers is the artist's first album of predominately new original material in nearly two decades, debuting the master tunesmith's first major batch of newly-penned songs since his Spirit album in 1996. "I got on kind of a writing kick," Willie Nelson said recently, "it's good to be writing again."

The influential songwriter--whose early successes brought pop and country together with unforgettable standards like "Crazy" (Patsy Cline), "Hello Walls" (Faron Young), "Funny How Time Slips Away" (Billy Walker), "Night Life" (Ray Price) and many others--has added nine new essential songs to his classic catalog. One of Willie's most personal albums to-date, the songs on Band of Brothers range from the introspective ("The Wall" and "Send Me a Picture") to the rollicking ("Wives and Girlfriends" and "Used To Her").

Rounding out the album are five songs, penned by others, which compliment and unite the album's sonic textures and lyric themes. Included are Willie's interpretations of Vince Gill's "Whenever You Come Around", Billy Joe Shaver's "The Git Go" (a duet with Jamey Johnson) and the appropriately-titled "Songwriter," written by Gordie Sampson and Bill Anderson.

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Jon Wolfe "It All Happened Live in a Honky Tonk from Floore's Country Store Year Of Release: 2013

Country singer and songwriter Jon Wolfe favors traditional country with just enough contemporary kick to sound both timeless and current, not unlike George Strait or Alan Jackson, and, at his best, he makes it all seem easy and natural. Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Wolfe grew up listening to church music and vocal pop artists like Frank Sinatra, but once he heard the hybrid country of Garth Brooks, he realized his dream was to sing country music. He completely reorganized his life to take a shot at it, leaving his successful job as a trader at the Chicago commodities exchange (where he states he was "the only guy on the trading floor in cowboy boots") to sing country. Against large odds, Wolfe actually pulled it off, going on to open for national acts like Dwight Yoakam, Merle Haggard, and Asleep at the Wheel, among others. He independently released an album, Almost Gone, in 2005, before signing with Midas Records a year later in 2006. Wolfe's first nationally released album, It All Happened in a Honky Tonk, appeared in 2010.

Tobacco Rd Band"Rock This Truck" 2014

The Tobacco Rd Band (TRB) is an American musical group that specializes in country-rock. The band, which is based in Tallahassee, Florida, consists of lead singer and songwriter Eric Durrance, lead guitarist Lex Vance, bass player Aaron Halford and drummer Joe Markham.

The Tobacco Rd Band was founded in 2010 by Eric Durrance, who had previously been the lead singer with the acclaimed Christian rock band Big Dismal, which Rolling Stone once named one of “Five Christian Bands on the Rise.”

After Big Dismal broke up, Durrance began performing solo, and was selected to tour with Jason Aldean and Lady Antebellum as part of Country Music Television's “CMT on Tour” in 2008. Durrance later formed TRB with his friend, lead guitarist Lex Vance. With its hard-driving sound coupled with Durrance’s reputation from his years with Big Dismal, TRB quickly amassed a large fan base throughout the South.

In early 2012, TRB released its debut EP titled “Where the Girls Are,” which consisted of six tracks: “Where the Girls Are,” “Jesus & Guns,” “All About Me Today,” “There’s No Such Thing as Goodbye” and “Dear Life.” Shortly thereafter, the band released the single “That’s Country,” featuring a guest performance by Colt Ford, who also appears in the accompanying music video.

In the summer of 2013, Durrance became the first artist to sign with Silvercreek Records, a new label in Nashville, which was founded by two Nashville music industry veterans—songwriter Stafond Seago and songwriter, producer and plugger Steve Pope. The Tobacco Rd Band is currently working on its first album under the Silvercreek banner.

Eric Huff - American Boy (2014)

Eric Huff's music is often described as modernized, traditional country music. His new album, "American Boy," reflects the style of country music adopted and loved by the Baby Boomer generation, both through the music and the artwork. The album will be released physically on June 21st and digitally on June 17th. The album release party is June 21st at the Leesburg Music Festival in Ohio.

Eric Huff was born in Ohio, where he began playing the guitar at the age of thirteen. In the beginning, he concentrated on Rock and Roll, later becoming interested in Country, which he has performed exclusively since. Huff began, and continues, his touring career in Clean Cut Country Concerts as well as many festival and charity events. Huff has also entertained at several Nashville clubs, Shotgun Red Show, and the General Jackson Show Boat.

"American Boy" was produced by Perry Music Group, which is run by the sons of legendary Nashville songwriter Wayne Perry. Bryan Wayne Perry, Wayne's oldest son, serves as Project Manager on the release. Justin Wayne Jones, Wayne Perry's protégé, produced the album at the famous Dark Horse Recording Studio in Franklin, Tennessee, while Dave Hagen served as engineer and Cecil Meade, Huff's manager, served an instrumental role to bring the production group together.

The new album features three Wayne Perry songs as well as original Huff material and a few crowd-pleasing contributions by other writers. Many people feel the Baby Boomer generation's biggest contribution to both American and World culture is music – notably through the genres Country, Rhythm and Blues, and Rock and Roll. These styles have stood the test of time, becoming established in people's lives over decades. Today's rapidly changing technology has flooded the music world with new niches that often don't see the success of these more established genres. Huff is well known for delivering the best by traditional Country music standards.

Texas Twister "Natural Disaster"

History
Don't let the name Texas Twister fool ya. Texas Twister is based out of Spokane Washington.
And are a local favorite when it comes down to Honky Tonking country music.
Started in 2010 by Frontman and bass player Rusty Brown.The band started playing pretty
much on call week to week at the Wagon Wheel in Medical Lake Washington. In 2011
they started playing more of the local honky tonks but The Buckhorn would become their home
for the next 4 years on Thursdays. Rusty declared it Honky Tonk Thursdays and the name stuck.
The band placed 6th in the Best of Spokane local bands in 2012 and played the Cheney Rodeo and a outdoor music fest and the Rodeo grounds that same year. The Twisters blew all the way to the Stateline to play for the crowd @ Big Al's Grand ol' Opry and then pushed into Post Falls,Idaho where they were in the Slab Inns Country Jamboree rotation. 2013 they were voted best Wedding band by Spokane's A list and were featured on KPTQ 1280 AM SPOKANE SALOON. 2014 has arrived and in February Texas Twister released its first CD self titled, Natural Disaster and were featured in the Inlander Events local newspaper.
If that ain't enough for a quote,"Local Band", how bout the fans. Called the Storm Chasers these folks are honest, hard working,fun loving, red blooded Americans loyal to the cause. Proudly displaying their Storm Wear T shirts.
They are easy to spot with the F5 on the front and the State of Texas on back. If your Storm Chasing best get some coverage.Storm Wear T Shirts got ya covered. Wanna get yer Chase on?

Matt Woods"With Love From Brushy Mountain"2014

 

The first thing you'll notice is the voice. Matt Woods has a robust, vibrato-heavy baritone that is unmistakably country. His drawl is neither muted nor faked, and it's twangy as hell. He sounds good singing smooth and steady or letting it rip, his timbre becoming ragged and strained. His is an unforgettable set of pipes.
The next thing that sticks out is the songwriting. Or maybe that's the first thing. They are both more than notable, so you're right either way.
Matt's writing is truth. Period. Exclamation point. "It ain't no living, it's my life" he sings on With Love from Brushy Mountain's opener, a treatise on the road life of a singer. "I'll trade you a song for a beer" and there's no doubt some nights that's all he got paid and in the grand scheme of things, he didn't mind too much.
"Tiny Anchors" is a showcase of Woods' songwriting abilities. It's a subtle, insightful look into what are possibly last days of a relationship. But there's still some hope. "Hang on with me" he pleads.

Vernon Oxford (b. June 8, 1941, (Rogers, Arkansas)

                                            Vernon Oxford (b. June 8, 1941, (Rogers, Arkansas)


 Oxford was raised in Wichita, Kansas, where his father played old-time fiddle. He began playing professionally in Utah in 1960, mostly playing in the Kansas area in the early 1960s, then relocated to Nashville in 1964. In 1965 he met Harlan Howard, who got him signed to RCA Victor and helped him find material to record. He then released seven singles and one LP, Woman Let Me Sing You a Song; none of them charted, and he was soon dropped from RCA.

His career saw a resurgence in Britain, where he was first rediscovered in the middle of the 1970s. A best-of was issued there in 1974, and RCA signed him again to tour there. His hit singles "Shadows of My Mind", "Redneck (The Redneck National Anthem)", and "A Good Old Fashioned Saturday Night Honky Tonk Barroom Brawl" (U.S. Country No. 55, 1977) reinvigorated his career in America; in Britain, he was well known for "I've Got to Get Peter Off Your Mind" and "Field of Flowers" After a break of several years, he began a career as a gospel singer in 1981.

Eric Heatherly

 

Singer/songwriter Eric Heatherly grew up listening to country, rockabilly, and classic rock artists like Creedence Clearwater Revival, Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty, and Roy Orbison, whose influences shaped his music while he was still a child. Heatherly began writing songs at eight and was performing by the time he reached his early teens, the Chattanooga native played with numerous bands through his high school and college years. After moving to Nashville, Heatherly made himself a fixture of the local music scene, which led to endorsements with Fender and Takamine guitars, as well as a gig in Shania Twain's band for her appearance on the 1997 CMA Awards Show. He recorded his 2000 debut album, Swimming in Champagne, with famed Nashville producer Keith Stegall. While the album spawned a hit single, "Flowers On The Wall", the album was released just as his label, Mercury Records, underwent a regime change while their parent company was in the midst of a merger. Mercury didn't promote Swimming in Champagne into a commercial success, and the label opted not to release his follow-up album. After leaving Mercury, Dreamworks signed Heatherly in 2003, and scheduled the release of his third album, Sometimes It's Just Your Time, for the fall of that year. However, while promotional copies of the disc were sent out to the press, Dreamworks pulled the album from release at the last moment, and it never received commercial distribution. Frustrated with the major label scene, Heatherly struck out on his own, and recorded his next release, 2005's The Lower East Side of Life, for his own NashVegas label, with distribution through Koch Nashville.

: Kelly Pettit - Every Sunrise 2014

 

How does this west coast Canada born musician wind up in Japan doing national shows, festivals, theme parks and shows for the Canadian Embassy? Kelly Pettit's life as a musician has taken him to over 4 countries. On his 6th and latest album titled “Every Sunrise”, Kelly showcases exactly what makes him so alluring.
Dual citizenship with Australia, Kelly started busking there at age 19 to support him on his backpack travels and quickly learned that entertaining and playing well got him more success. So he practiced hard with everyone he could to learn from.
Later while attending university in Vancouver Canada, his 3 piece band got one of 15 licenses to legally busk at BC transit stations where transients would gather around the trio watching their show, often missing their rides to continue listening. From there, Kelly's trio picked up a heap of gigs from passer-by's including political functions, TV series parties, venues and more. It also led to a free trip to Japan where Kelly fell in love with the laughs and crazy adventures the foreign country provided.
Pettit's newest release “Every Sunrise” was recorded in Nashville Tennessee and produced by Aussie 90's icon Greg Arnold. After recording his 5th solo album "These Days" in Australia Kelly embarked to the States to explore the Nashville scene. The outcome is a jackpot of catchy tunes with a strong nostalgic ache of real life. A couple listens and one finds themselves in an emotional roller-coaster ride of happiness and loss in 11 songs and 38 minutes.
Kelly's past success from his 4th album FUEL launched him a large fan base by winning a $200,000 contest, song of the month awards, radio play and more. Guest appearances from old band member Cory Churko (Shania Twain, Kelly Clarkson musician) added a familiar sound their 3 piece had back in the day. This time, Kelly wanted to challenge himself more and thought Nashville might just be that key ingredient. Competitive in nature, Kelly always feels an urge to do what he can to up-the-game. On Every Sunrise, producer and award winning songwriter Greg Arnold seemed to know exactly how to unleash Kelly's ideas and polish them into well-crafted radio ready songs.
Influenced largely by Australian bands like Crowded House, Things of Stone and Wood, and Paul Kelly, along with North American counterparts The Jayhawks, Barenaked Ladies, and the Counting Crows, Kelly works to define a sound all his own and a dedication to each detail of the songwriting process. “My influences are quite diverse and that seems to show on the album. What’s constant is my attempt to find catchy melodies and happy instruments”, says Kelly.
The CD starts of with the song "Perfectly Beautiful" which is just that. With lines like, "There ain't no formula or sum, no recipe or rule of thumb to explain how I feel" is part of why this song oozes with charm. The following song "Follow Me" is a more pop rock vibe with catchy hooks laced throughout. One of those songs that you find yourself singing later in the day away from the album. Then there is the title track "Every Sunrise" which as one fan put it, "...the perfect song for a Vampire love movie". The chorus is as catchy as they come. "It Could Be Yours" just might be the first single off this album. "Tears Carved in Stone" introduces the Turkish guitar called the "Cumpus" which adds a very cool vibe to an already feel good tune. The last song "Road to London" is a Celtic spice of story telling that has made the hairs stand up on some listeners.
"Every Sunrise" could fit into several genres making it a great album for both Country and rock fans. This is undoubtedly Kelly Pettit's best effort so far. His last album "These Days" was strong and so it's pleasing to say that this album surprising surpasses expectations. It clearly puts Kelly in an elite league of genuine songwriters and it is a must listen - even as early as every sunrise.

Ben & Carmen Steneker - Remember Me

 One of the most captivating acts doing American style country music in Europe, is without a doubt Ben & Carmen Steneker, a father-daughter duo that has captured the hearts and minds of just about everyone that hears them sing. Ben has been a mind-catcher on both sides of the Atlantic for many many years, captivating American fans as well as European. Daughter Carmen grew up listening to her father sing, as well as his many friends that performed with and for him in his own club in Holland. Yes, Holland. That's where Ben and Carmen are from. It's continually amazing to hear this delightful duo sing songs that have an immediate 'connect' to what real traditional and classic country music is all about. You hear it instantly when the accordion breaks out the beautiful song "Come Back To Ireland." The harmony by father-daughter just simply cannot be topped. Dutch country music songwriter Dick van Altena contributes three amazing songs to this CD project. It continually amazes me that this combination of Dutch songwriter and Dutch singers can capture the spirit and soul of what country music is all about. Ben's voice is better than ever, and the incredible 'touch' Carmen adds to it is amazing. Backing music is also incredibly good throughout this entire project. The title song "Remember Me" starts softly with a harp-sounding intro, letting simplicity take the listener to the ultimate of sophistication. My favorite song of all the great songs on this album is "My Dixie Darling," without a doubt. Done to perfection, the harmony is exactly as it should be by Appalachian standards, or Alabama, or Georgia, or Mississippi, or Florida, or wherever you might be in the southern United States. Perfect guitar pickin' and a stunning background Dobro. The whole CD speaks loudly of the professionalism and devotion this pair of country singers has for this genre of music. Holland should be very proud of these excellent vocalists and performers of a musical genre that rings and sings around the world. I also like the closing song "Victorie In View" which was written by Ben and Carmen and has some great honky-tonk piano in it