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Jerrod Niemann – “One More Drinking Song”
Nobody can accuse Jerrod Niemann of false advertising: “One More Drinking Song” is exactly what its title promises, and not a scosh more. Although it’s a bit tempting to reward anything country-sounding in light of the debacle that was last Wednesday’s CMA Awards show, the truth is that if the neotrad generica represented by Niemann’s [...]
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2009 CMA Awards Predictions
Depending on your point of view, the Country Music Association may be the organization responsible for broadening the reach of country music and its artists throughout the nation and around the world, the organization responsible for transforming the genre into a musically homogeneous mass-market commodity, or both. Either way, there’s no denying that both the [...]
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Honky Tonky Happy Hour: Why I Won’t Be Watching The CMA Awards
I haven’t watched the CMA awards in years. Sometimes I’ve had a gig, but most of the time, there wasn’t anything there to interest me. I would flip channels and land on the awards show, but wouldn’t stay long. In the 80s, I didn’t miss a show. All my favorite artists were on. Country [...]
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Keith Urban Ticket Scalping; SEASAC Music Awards; New Releases, Reissues, & Free Downloads
NewsChannel 5 chief investigative reporter Phil Williams published the results of a seven month investigation into ticket scalping for Keith Urban concerts and more specifically, the recent “We’re All For the Hall” benefit.
[...] our investigation discovered, this year Keith Urban struck a deal with Ticketmaster to, in essence, scalp tickets to his own shows.
Internal documents [...] -
Miss Leslie’s Honky Tonk Happy Hour: Because I’m A Fan
I’m a music fan. Sure, I’m a musician, but I’m also a fan. I understand the need for publicists and viral marketing. It’s an attempt to use business strategies to try to grow a business. But I’m not a fan of business. I’m a fan of music. I find out about new artists from friends. [...]
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Joe Nichols Video Premiere; Free MP3s From Miss Leslie and James McMurtry
The Boot has the exclusive video premiere of Joe Nichol’s new song “An Old Friend of Mine” along with a brief Q&A in which Nichols discloses his feelings about the song and video.
Robert Earl Keen discussed laziness, labels, and his new record in an interview with The Boot’s Beville Darden. You can watch Keen talk [...]Continue reading "Joe Nichols Video Premiere; Free MP3s From Miss Leslie and James McMurtry"
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Steel Guitar: Underground or Under The Ground
A recent debate with a friend has me wondering: Has the steel guitar gone underground, or is the steel guitar dead and gone from country music altogether, buried “under the ground?”
Since Webb Pierce came out with “Slowly” in 1954, the pedal steel guitar has been the signature instrument of country music. Virtually non-existent in all [...]Continue reading "Steel Guitar: Underground or Under The Ground"
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Trace Adkins To Honor United 93 Passengers; Exclusive Miranda Lambert EP; Tribute to Silverstein
Trace Adkins is scheduled to perform the national anthem at this year’s ceremony honoring the passengers who died on United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001.
Best Buy has an exclusive EP from Miranda Lambert today that includes “Dead Flowers” and three bonus tracks from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend that were offered by different retailers. [...] -
30 Songs About Angels
Whether real or imaginary, the figure of the angel has wormed its way into all facets of country music. From church pews to bar stools, you just can’t escape these heavenly helpers…or the real life folks who may just look angelic.
The list of potential songs for this month’s playlist was quite lengthy, but after shedding [...] -
Honky Tonk Happy Hour: Sharing Music
I am drawn towards two things–vocalists and steel guitar players. I keep my ears out for both. But especially the former. Contemporary country music has drowned out the latter. But that’s another column.
So, when someone said that Holly Williams is their new favorite female vocalist, I thought I’d check her out.
You should know that [...]
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- Ron: Too many possibilities...Johnny Cash and Bruce Springsteen would be great.
- Paul W Dennis: Merle Haggard, Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton & Willie Nelson
- Vicki: Or Alison Krauss and Union Station, Ricky Skaggs, Patty Loveless and Vince Gill
- Vicki: The Beatles, Carrie Underwood, Jamey Johnson and Josh Groban.
- Matt: I'm glad you chose to review this as opposed to the new Joe Nichols album. Instead of complaining about bad ...
- Terry Ridont: I think its cool. Thats what I like about indy rock artists, everything isn't the same high budget packaging and ...
- Stormy: Jon: The problem is that the progressive country music is now being called Americana. And why is it ...
- Razor X: Maybe his brother did talk him into it but what’s to say he hasn’t ‘always loved’ and ‘wanted’ to ...
- Brian: Josh Kelley will be fine. At the very least it means Katherine Heigl may show up on country award shows regularly. ...
- Razor X: Change may be inevitable but we aren't required to support it and if enough people boycott it, it doesn't last ...

Is Dave Haywood going solo? This and many other of country music's most pressing questions answered in the September edition of The 9513's world famous Mailbag!
Caroline Herring likes to sing songs about life in the South. No, not exactly like Justin Moore and Jason Aldean...
The 9513's resident historian Paul W. Dennis sits down for a chat with country music legend Gene Watson.
As much as we love girl singers, we love songs about girl singers even more. Here's just a few of the many tribute songs out there.
Step away from the river and up to a jukebox, because heartbreak is only temporary, but a good song about drowning yourself—like a diamond—lasts forever.
What do you think about music labels "testing the waters" with a single before providing access to an artist's entire album?
What country artist, young or old, would you recommend as a must-listen artist to a newcomer on his/her journey through country music, and what would your essential song picks be?

