Watch Special performances and interviews with your favorite artists
Check out all the pics from Sheryl's Unplugged Concert
While writing and recording his new album, Jerrod Niemann immersed himself in the history of country music. A student of music theory and production—he majored in Performance Art Technology at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas—Jerrod pondered a question that is heard more and more frequently these days: Just what exactly constitutes country?His answer to that query can be found in the musically and technically groundbreaking Free The Music. “This album is my interpretation of how I feel about country right now,” Jerrod says.
The Lost Trailers is a country music duo of songwriter/producer Stokes Nielson and collaborator Jason Wyatt. Nielson’s first record using the name The Lost Trailers was an album entitled, “The Story of the New Age Cowboy”, which was discovered by Willie Nelson in the spring of 2000. Nelson was so impressed with the album that he invited The Lost Trailers to perform at his legendary 4th of July Picnic.
Newcomer Katie Armiger's powerful vocals and skillful songwriting are clearly showcased on her new music. At the ripe age of 20, Katie does not hold back and has an inspiring combination of determination and passion that shines through in her music.
The voice is straight-forward and powerful. The songs are down-to-earth portraits of real people from the American heartland. The sound is traditional, unapologetic country.
Craig Campbell is a proud reminder of one of country's strongest creative periods, building on the early-'90s legacy established by some of the genre's most successful figures: Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Clint Black and Travis Tritt.
“I’ve always been a big believer in tradition,” declares James Wesley. “A lot of the old ways are the best ways: family, God, treating people right, doing what you’re supposed to do. I think it’s time to come back to what’s real. That’s what country music is about.”
James Wesley puts those core values into his music with a whiskey-smooth voice and a timelessly winning way with a great country song. Wesley sings directly to real people about real things that profoundly affect real lives—and from his small-town upbringing to his blue-collar work ethic, he has a deep understanding of what those folks are longing to hear.
When Jason Sturgeon sings about the simple life, he’s not just painting a picture of small town America. He’s describing who he is. Born and raised in Petersburg, IN, (pop. 3500) Sturgeon grew up in a family of coal miners, oilmen and farmers who literally made their living off the land, and still do to this day. Running wild and free as the quarter horses he learned to ride and compete on from the time he was 14, he grew up listening to country music artists such as Kenny Rogers, Alabama, George Strait and the outlaws but indulged his rowdier side through acts like Pantera, Rage Against The Machine, and Godsmack, and all of those influences collide on his latest CD, the aptly titled, “That’s Me.”
People believe in Kristen Kelly. Candid and down to earth, with a room-filling smile and a voice that echoes the heart of what she sings, Kristen laughs as she describes her music as “a little more grease than polish.” And that grease is an exciting mix, distilled from her country, blues, and classic rock influences into a passionate, playful, often sexy, and always heartfelt reflection of real life as she knows it.
If any artist can marry the right lyrics with the right melody in three minutes flat and connect with an audience, it’s Greg Bates. Full of energy and ambition, he’s always ready to write, forever in search of that perfect song.
His songs don’t just tell relatable tales, they tell them in a fresh way. Grooving first single “Did It for the Girl” details the extra effort a guy puts into a particularly promising date with phrases that crackle with description: I got the Chevy all shined up, paid a little more for a haircut, ironed up a pearl-snap, left that ol’ ballcap, gave myself a little extra smell-good splash.
Newcomer Dustin Lynch spent the last few years writing, writing and writing some more. He’s written over 200 songs, including his debut single on Broken Bow Records. ‘Cowboys and Angels’ feels as if he recorded it with the perfume of the song’s inspiration still fresh on his shirt collar. Purchase his new single "Cowboys and Angels" on Itunes
Check out the photos from Dustin's visit and performance at our studios
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