INDIGO GIRLS LAUNCH NEW ALBUM "LOOK LONG" ON APRIL 24

“We’re still a bar band at heart,” says Emily Saliers, ahead of Indigo Girls’ 16thalbum, Look Long(April 24 / Rounder Records). “Today, we joke about being old, but what is old when it comes to music? We’re just as inspired by younger artists, and the passion feels the same as it did when we were 25 years old.”

Listen to "Sh*t Kickin"

And with that spirit, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers told themselves they “weren’t going to put boundaries on what an Indigo Girls song should be.” Check out the first single, “Shit Kickin’” on all streaming services and Youtube.

Produced by John Reynolds at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in Bath, England, Look Long was born from a need to sing songs and bolster each other. “People can feel lost in these times,” Saliers explains. "Let’s lament our limitations, but let’s also look beyond what’s right in front of us, take the long view of things, and strive to do better.”

In 1999, Reynolds produced Indigo Girls’ beloved album, Come On Now Social, a time described by Ray as “one of the most important moments in our musical growth.” They’ve reunited with that same band: Reynolds on drums, bassist Clare Kenny, keyboardist Carole Isaacs, cellist Caroline Dalea, and guitarist Justin Adams, joined by their longtime violinist, Lyris Hung and vocalists Lucy Wainwright Roche and Lucy Jules (George Michael). Before flying to England, the two had agreed, “Whatever happens in the studio will happen,” says Saliers. “A lot of magic unfolded because of that decision.”

Among the many highlights are “Country Radio” (hear a great full-band version on Live From Here with Chris Thile) and Reynolds’ arrangement of a recent live staple, “Howl At the Moon.” “It’s something I always do with my daughter when we’re out in the woods,” says Amy. “I did it with my friends when we were kids.  It means you’re happy, you’re free. Explore the irreverent, but also honor the things that you should. Don’t be afraid.” In the song “Feel This Way,” Emily is singing to her younger self. She adds, “Enjoy everything, suck it all up now.”

The power of unity has always been an Indigo Girls calling card, and maybe because of it, they’ve been having a resurgence: Their audience has become more expansive and diverse, and they have a new generation of devoted peers, like Brandi Carlile and Justin Vernon, who recently said on the Broken Record podcast how he, “…adored them more and more—the more they had strength in the face of their adversity,” says Vernon. “They’re my favorite group ever.”

Since their 1989 self-titled, breakout album, the Grammy award-winning duo has racked up a slew of gold and platinum certifications and sold-out tours around the world, all while engaging in committed and uncompromising social and political activism, including immigration reform (El Refugio), LGBTQ rights, education (Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library), death penalty reform, and sustainability in Native communities. They are co-founders of Honor the Earth, a non-profit dedicated to Indigenous environmental justice and green energy solutions. They have granted over three million dollars to Native-led grassroots groups and campaigns fighting against bad energy projects but also funding sustainable ones.

Look Long

Look Long tracklisting

Shit Kickin’

Look Long

Howl At the Moon

When We Were Writers

Change My Heart

KC Girl

Country Radio

Muster

Feel This Way Again

Favorite Flavor

Sorrow and Joy

Look Long Tour Dates
March 1 Rocky Mount, VA Harvester Performance Center
March 2 Nelsonville, OH Stuart’s Opera House
March 3 Dayton, OH Victoria Theatre
March 5 Knoxville, TN Tennessee Theatre
March 6 Charleston, SC Charleston Music Hall
March 7 Greensboro, SC Piedmont Hall
March 17 Red Bank, NJ Count Basie Center for the Arts
March 20 Stamford, CT The Palace Theatre
March 21 Morristown, NJ Mayo Performing Arts Center
March 22 Huntington, NY The Paramount
March 25 Collingswood, NJ Scottish Rite Auditorium
March 27 Mashantucket, CT Foxwoods Casino
March 28 Medford, MA Chevalier Theatre
May 1 Morgantown, WV Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre
May 2 Rehoboth Beach, DE Women’s Fest
May 4 Virginia Beach, VA Sandler Center
June 19 Concord, MA Umbrella Community Arts Center
June 20 Northampton, MA The Pines
June 23 Vienna, VA Filene Center at Wolf Trap (w/ Ani DiFranco)
June 26 Highland Park, IL, Ravinia
July 2 Grand Rapids, MI, Meijer Gardens
July 4 Toronto, ON, Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage
July 6 Calgary, AB The Wildhorse Saloon
July 20 Minneapolis, MN, Music in the Zoo
July 23 Denver, CO , Botanical Gardens
July 25 Boulder, CO, Chautauqua Auditorium
July 26 Park City, UT, Deer Valley Snow Park Amphitheater
July 31 Saratoga, CA, Mountain Winery
Aug 4 Portland OR, Keller Auditorium
Aug 18-19 London, UK Islington Assembly Hall
Aug 21 Bath, UK Komedia
Aug 22 Devon, UK Beautiful Days Festival
Sept 12 Chattanooga, TN Moon River Music Festival

Ticket and show information can be found here.

www.indigogirls.com                                retrokimmer@gmail.com           

COUNTRY'S KAREN WALDRUP TO PERFORM NATIONAL ANTHEM AT SAINTS GAME!

KAREN WALDRUP CAPS YEAR WITH NATIONAL ANTHEM PERFORMANCE AT HOMETOWN NEW ORLEANS SAINTS GAME ON DECEMBER 30

CURRENT SINGLE “SOMETIMES HE DOES” GAINING CRITICAL ACCLAIM

Nashville, TN (December 13, 2018) - 2018 has been an amazing year professionally for viral sensation, innovative entrepreneur and country singer/songwriter Karen Waldrup and she’s capping it with a hometown performance of the National Anthem at the New Orleans Saints verses Carolina Panthers game on Sunday, December 30 in New Orleans at noon. Check local listing for channel and times.

“It is an unbelievable honor to be invited to sing the National Anthem for an exceptional organization like the New Orleans Saints. The SuperDome is an iconic stadium that symbolizes unity and hope,” says Waldrup. “Since I was a little girl, I’ve visited that stadium, now to be able to stand in the middle of that energy and sing our Nation’s song shortly before we ring in a New Year…pinch me or I’ll think I’m dreaming.”

Waldrup’s current single, the Lori McKenna penned “Sometimes He Does,” has recently gained critical acclaim. Rolling Stone Country included the song in their "10 Best Country and Americana songs of the week" and Music Row magazine named the tune “Disc of the Day” saying “this gal is a real deal country singer.” The music video is one of the most viewed videos on CMT.com two weeks after the premiere. Watch the video here.

Rewind to July, Waldrup's debut full length project, JUSTIFIED, produced by award-winning icon Garth Fundis and completely funded by fans via Indiegogo, debuted on four Billboard charts including the Top Country album chart.

This year, Waldrup toured the world playing sold out shows from the little dive bar in Dahlonega, made famous by Ashley McBryde’s smas, MadLife Stage and Studios in Woodstock, GA and many others. Her Waldrup Worldwide Family continues to grow daily with half a million followers and her fan engagement averages around 55% weekly. Waldrup continues her weekly web series “Waldrup Wednesday” with lifestyle brand Country Rebel and has had 16 videos go viral. Waldrup has partnered with Binge Networks, WeatherGuard, FabFitFun and others to expand her musical reach.

Waldrup wrote or co-wrote 9 of the 11 tracks on JUSTIFIED with Nashville friends and fellow songwriters including Julia Cole, Anthony Smith, Donnie Skaggs, Ed Hill, Brian Kolb, and others. The album features title track “Justified,” that Music Row magazine calls "a soul-rock tune that showcases a potent, wailing and penetrating vocalist with moxie and fire,” the catchy party anthem “What Goes On In This Bar (Stays In This Bar),” Waldrup’s viral version of “I Hope You Dance,” the Lori McKenna penned love song “Sometimes He Does” and the vibey and sultry “Slow and Easy.”

A throwback to November 2016, Waldrup launched an Indiegogo campaign to fund a new project that , producer Garth Fundis agreed to produce. The life of the campaign was a roller coaster ride, with very low lows and even higher highs for independent artist Waldrup. During the campaign, she heard a preacher say “the moment you take the burden off of yourself to be important is the moment you start living your true potential,” and she committed to living that mindset.

Shortly after, by request from a 16 year old fan, Waldrup recorded an unedited, one-take cover of Lee Ann Womack’s massive hit “I Hope You Dance” in her living room. After sending it to that fan, she also shared the video with her friends at lifestyle brand Country Rebel.

They were blown away by the heartfelt cover and posted it immediately on their socials. After millions of views and thousands of interactions on social media, her Indiegogo campaign was over 100% funded and she began recording that dream album. To date, the video has been viewed over 29 million times.

About Karen Waldrup

New Orleans native Karen Waldrup is a triple threat musician, songwriter and recording artist known for her thrilling performances and nostalgically new style of country music.

Waldrup has spent the last few years touring the world performing thousands of shows everywhere from Long Beach, CA to Dublin, Ireland and is now a true viral sensation with her social media videos gaining mass appeal and more than 220 million views. Waldrup is the subject of “Waldrup Wednesdays,” the hugely popular weekly video series on Country Rebel’s Facebook page.

Waldrup recently won four Nashville Industry Music Awards (NIMA) for Artist of the Year, Song of the Year for "Warm in Your Sunshine," Best Live Country Performer and Best Country Solo Artist Female. In 2017, she won 3 NIMA awards for Best Live Country Performer, Best Video and Best Country Solo Artist Female and she also landed an original song in the motion picture 'Scales: Mermaids are Real'.

Waldrup is a 2018 / 2019 Weather Guard Nation Brand Ambassador as well as a brand partner with BingeNetworks, Epiphone Guitars, FabFitFun, MAC Makeup and many others.

Waldrup has been featured on Hallmark Channel, Bravo TV’s Platinum Hit, NASCAR ESPN LIVE, the NFL Experience Superbowl XLVII and hundreds of other outlets world wide.

Waldrup’s new album JUSTIFIED is available everywhere now.

DWIGHT YOAKAM LSD TOUR LIVE AT MEADOWBROOK AUG 17 AND NEW RELEASE!

LSD Tour: Lucinda Williams/Steve Earle/Dwight Yoakam

Dwight Yoakam has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide, and he is a 21 TIME!!  nominated, multiple GRAMMY Award winner. 

In addition to his musical career, Yoakam is a respected film and television actor, whose films include Sling Blade, Panic Room, David E. Kelley's Amazon series Goliath, and director Steven Soderbergh's feature Logan Lucky with Channing Tatum and Daniel Craig.

DWIGHT YOAKAM: 

TWITTER-FACEBOOK-WEBSITE

Three-time GRAMMY Award-winning folk leader Lucinda Williams recently re-recorded her 1992 classic Sweet Old World for it's 25th anniversary, and three-time GRAMMY Award recipient and Americana legend Steve Earle is also touring this year in support of Copperhead Road's 30th anniversary.

Friday, August 17 at 6:30 PM

Meadow Brook Music Festival
3554 Walton Blvd, Rochester Hills, Michigan 48309

DIRECTIONS  TICKETS

Bluegrass greats join Dwight Yoakam for this rip-roaring take on his back catalog.The renditions of “Guitars, Cadillacs” and “What I Don’t Know” are done with grit, spit, and swing, while a stunningly convincing rendition of “Purple Rain” turns Prince’s showstopper into a gliding bluegrass ballad.

Swimmin' Pools, Movie Stars…

Here is one of my favorite tracks on Swimming Pools and Movie Stars (though I love them all)  Listen to all tracks HERE

Just had to share this video of Keith Urban, Brothers Osborne and Dwight at the Stagecoach Festival it's GREAT!

Here are my very favorites of Dwight's LPs

Purchase in my Amazon Store

click an icon:

 

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST COUNTRY BAND FOR YOUR EVENT

How to Choose the Best Country Band for Your Event

Are you planning an event this coming Saturday and one of the things on your list is finding a country band for performance? Different country band performers provide these services, and therefore, it is upon you as the customer to choose the right group to work with. You need a band that will deliver the best performance and wow your crowd too.

So, use the following tips to guide you in choosing the best country band for your event.

• Focus on the Event
What event are you planning for? Is it a wedding, a birthday party or even a funeral. Focusing on the event helps you make the right decision when choosing the band to perform at the event. Although some groups perform in all events, it is always good to work with a band that offers their services in specific events since it will be more comfortable coordinating with them regarding the songs to play.

• Know your Crowd
Another tip to guide you in choosing a performance band is by thoroughly understanding your crowd. If they are young, get a band that will provide energetic and vibey songs, but if they are elderly, slow performances will be the best choice since they can easily enjoy and dance to the music. Also, if the crowd is a mixture of the two, ensure the band that you chose will be able to entertain and engage all the invitees.

• The Budget
The amount of money that you have set aside to spend on hiring a band will profoundly determine the kind of group to get. This is because all bands have different charging rates depending on various factors with experience being the first one.

So, set aside enough money to find a competent and experienced group that will give a good performance, and also choose a band that will not lead you to overspend. Research on the internet since some country music bands have websites where their customers can contact them from. For example, visit greenlightbooking.com to see some of the leading country music bands that you can work with.

• The Type of Songs to Play
The kind of music that is played communicates the type of event that is going on. For example, a wedding performance is different from a funeral performance. Therefore before the due date, go through all the music that the band has set to perform in your event to see if it will blend well with the theme of the event or not.

• The Services
Choose a band that has an excellent communication and relation skills such that if you require asking them anything at any time, they will gladly assist you. They should also be flexible such that if you need them to change their songs or style of performance, they should be willing to compromise or even advice you where necessary.

Use the above great tips to help you choose the best country music band to work with. Working with a group that you can relate to makes your event run smoothly and be fun. So, to make your event stand out, choose a band that has a good experience, and that has an excellent selection of music as well. You can ask for help from a friend about the best band to hire to save time.

WOMAN WALK THE LINE: NEW BOOK ABOUT THE WOMEN OF COUNTRY

I'm excited to share this new book of Woman Walk the Line: How the Women in Country Music Changed Our Lives by veteran music critic, Holly Gleason, with you all.

In this collection of personal essays, a diverse group of women music writers pay tribute to the female country artists who have inspired them, including Taylor Swift on Brenda Lee, Ronni Lundy on Hazel Dickens, Rosanne Cash on June Carter Cash, and Grace Potter on Linda Ronstadt. Other musicians highlighted include Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, and Tanya Tucker.

Full-tilt, hardcore, down-home, and groundbreaking, the women of country music speak volumes with every song. From Maybelle Carter to Dolly Parton, k.d. lang to Taylor Swift—these artists provided pivot points, truths, and doses of courage for women writers at every stage of their lives. Whether it's Rosanne Cash eulogizing June Carter Cash or a seventeen-year-old Taylor Swift considering the golden glimmer of another precocious superstar, Brenda Lee, it's the humanity beneath the music that resonates.

Woman Walk the Line: How the Women in Country Music Changed Our Lives

Here are deeply personal essays from award-winning writers on femme fatales, feminists, groundbreakers, and truth tellers. Acclaimed historian Holly George Warren captures the spark of the rockabilly sensation Wanda Jackson; Entertainment Weekly's Madison Vain considers Loretta Lynn's girl-power anthem "The Pill"; and rocker Grace Potter embraces Linda Ronstadt's unabashed visual and musical influence. Patty Griffin acts like a balm on a post-9/11 survivor on the run; Emmylou Harris offers a gateway through paralyzing grief; and Lucinda Williams proves that greatness is where you find it.

Part history, part confessional, and part celebration of country, Americana, and bluegrass and the women who make them, Woman Walk the Line is a very personal collection of essays from some of America's most intriguing women writers. It speaks to the ways in which artists mark our lives at different ages and in various states of grace and imperfection—and ultimately how music transforms not just the person making it, but also the listener.

FREE RYMAN AUDITORIUM TOURS FOR TENNESSEE RESIDENTS MAR 26!

Heads up Tennessee Locals!! On March 26, the Ryman Auditorium will offer FREE self-guided tours for Tennessee residents! I have been there twice and it is a must see landmark! Click Here for Tour Info



If you’ve ever tapped your toes, appreciated a great story or hummed along with a favorite tune, you owe it to yourself to tour the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville, Tennessee.

Known as the Mother Church of Country Music, and it’s one of American music’s most treasured landmarks for a reason: visitors often say they can just feel the musical magic and the deep history in this place, and that’s before the tour even begins.

GET TICKETS

Questions? Call 615-889-3060

THE BIGGEST MYTHS MUSICIANS ARE TOLD

The Biggest Myths musicians are told?

Oscar Wilde once said ‘man is not himself when he is his own person. Give him a mask, and he’ll tell you the truth’, though this particular theory doesn’t seem to always apply to musicians; the idea of the stage persona is familiar to most music fans. But in music, past and present, the music industry has gifted us with a number of characters that contain certain myths in addition to being told myth themselves. This piece will investigate the certain myths that these musicians are told throughout their career:

Like any myth, whether it be in gambling, sports or indeed the music industry, we never know if they are deemed true, hence it being a myth, yet some are more realistic than others and let’s have a look at these certain myths:

Getting a record deal means you will be instantly successful within the music industry

When you see artists/bands getting their record deals, you automatically think that they’re going to make it big in the music scene; at the end of the day, they have been signed and now have a massive record deal. However, did you know that 98% of all acts that sign to major labels indeed fail, so simplifying this a whole lot more, this means that 98 out of the 100 artists who actually get the deal don’t actually recoup enough money to pay for their advances and end up getting dropped before their second album; sometimes their first!

Windowing is an effective strategy 
 
You must be thinking, what the heck does ‘windowing’ mean? Well in the music industry, windowing means holding off putting your album on streaming services for a window of time to maximise sales. It was known to be a rather effective strategy in 2012. But that was then, were now in 2017 and most things are digital now days and if people can’t get your music on iTunes or YouTube they will just move on.

Streaming is bad for music

This leads onto my next section. A CD or Download sale is treated equally no matter how great the album is. It’s a one-time payment to never be earned again. Now the problem with streaming, if a song is great and will played over and OVER again leads to earning more than just a single sale ever could, streaming pays less initially, but much more in the long run, only if the music is good and addictive of course.

Major record labels are leading the music industry 

Okay so there’s load money to be made working with major record labels, but leaders they are not, their album creation and marketing strategies are paint by number compared to the old school music industry. Look at Chance the rapper for example, unsigned, yet making a massive name for himself across the globe.

The problem with record labels, once you have signed to them, 80% of you work becomes their property, you lose most of the rights to your creation which can seem rather daunting for artists and this is why Chance right now refuses to sign any deals.       

NEW BOOK! HOUSE OF CASH: THE LEGACIES OF MY FATHER JOHNNY CASH

Just saw that Johnny and June's son John Carter Cash a new book about his father's more personal side. I ordered the book today and cannot wait to read it! I visted their home in Hendersonville, TN in the late 1980s and loved every second that we were there...Now you can catch a glimpse of the House of CASH...

House of Cash (Limited Edition): The Legacies of my Father

A record of a deep and ongoing conversations between father and son about what matters in life, House of Cash limited edition explores Johnny Cash’s quest to live deliberately as he worked to determine his values, share them with those close to him, and reaffirm them on a daily basis.

Topics covered include the nature of creativity, the responsibilities that come with fatherhood and friendship, the need for humility and morality, the value of reading, and the obligation we all have to sympathize with the downtrodden. An intimate exploration of the personality and legacy of Johnny Cash, this is a unique portrait of a deeply spiritual, creative, and passionate soul whose music sprang from the way he lived.

The House of Cash Limited Edition 

Features an exclusive version of the book bound in an elegant mock black leather material. Housed in a cloth-wrapped clamshell case, the book is accompanied by a notebook that contains facsimile reproductions of handwritten song lists, lyrics, and liner notes Johnny Cash drafted while recording American IV: The Man Comes Around, the last album released during his lifetime.

Also included are a specially pressed 180 gsm LP record and corresponding CD that feature twelve songs written and recorded by Cash at the House of Cash recording studio in Hendersonville, Tennessee, eight of which have never been released. Limited to 1,500 copies, each edition comes with a numbered certificate of authenticity signed by John Carter Cash.