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The upcoming full-length self-titled release from Dallas singer-songwriter John Pedigo's new outfit, Pedigo's Magic Pilsner, may feature characters whose situations seem bleak; yet it ultimately emanates hope, focusing on embracing the varied parts of life, both the unsavory and the sweet, with a welcome dose of realism and wit. From the story of the stand-up comic ("The Comedian") to the surprisingly sing-along-able tale of divorce ("Garage Sale"), Pedigo's tunes blend astutely crafted, detailed lyrics with accents of bright horns, banjo, and driving drums all of which are held anchored by the classic coupling of acoustic guitar and keys.
Today, TDC is incredibly excited to premiere the project's opening track, "Orion." Launching with the call of a siren, and slightly ominous banjo, the piano-led "Orion" is all at once complex, ethereal, elegant, and substantive; provoking thought about the choices and situations in daily life, and accepting the fact you have to accept difficulties and carry on, perhaps even with a newfound sense of optimism. Pedigo had this to say about the track, "Orion is a thematic overture. It questions quandaries like the futility and repetition of daily life, fate vs. chance, loneliness, faith, faithlessness, and abandonment. There are a few pieces of ‘furniture’ throughout the song: The constellation Orion is a sad reminder of things that seemingly never change. You have a gypsy who relies on cards to determine her future, but isn’t that just chance? There’s a stranded man who is lost and calling out for help. In the end, you need to let go of the negative and move forward, but it’s not easy. Again, these themes are returned to throughout the album. This is, of course, what it means to me. I’m sure that everyone who listens to it will interpret it in their own way, and that is what’s really important. It’s a heavy song to me that’s obscured in a way." Listen to, and share, the track above, then read on as John answers the rest of the Essential 8 and shares the inspiration behind the song, what he considers his biggest struggle thus far, and more!
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 Courtesy of Columbia Records Nashville, Tenn. (December 6, 2017 Press Release) – Country music’s top a cappella group HOME FREE is celebrating the most wonderful time of the year with their peaceful version of “Silent Night,” released today (12/6).
“Of course like most people, Christmas is our favorite time of year. The music, the food, spending time with friends and family, and getting to entertain so many fans on the A COUNTRY CHRISTMAS Tour are just a few reasons why,” says bassist Tim Foust. “Recording ‘Silent Night’ and shooting the video at such a beautiful location really got us all in the holiday spirit.” Watch Home Free’s captivating take on “Silent Night” here. The clip was filmed at the stunning, century-old Cathedral of Saint Paul in Saint Paul, MN on a chilly November evening. “Silent Night” is just one holiday classic the group is bringing to life for capacity crowds on their A COUNTRY CHRISTMAS Tour, along with festive favorites featured on their 2016 Christmas album FULL OF (EVEN MORE) CHEER. The yuletide spectacle continues tonight (12/6) in Kansas City, MO. They are also set to ring in the New Year with a special December 31 performance in Morton, MN. A limited number of tickets remain. For more information on Home Free, visit www.homefreemusic.com. Follow Home Free on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.  Listen: "Walk Between the Raindrops"
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A sense of place has long permeated the music of J.D. Wilkes. He’s a native of Paducah, Kentucky, a city located at the confluence of various rivers and cultures — an area where musical variety is in the air and in the blood memory of its people. “Of course, there’s bluegrass and hillbilly songs, but also blues, jazz, old time fiddle music, jug band music, even swamp rock,” says Wilkes. “It’s a great intersection there. I think I epitomize that in the way that I write and perform.” Wilkes’ solo debut, Fire Dream, represents the apotheoses of that vision: a hillbilly-gypsy epic, it’s an album of art damaged cabaret music, leavened by Latin rhythms and high lonesome hollers. Call it boho bluegrass — maybe what Tom Waits would sound like if he were a Kentucky Colonel (a title that Wilkes happens to hold).  WILKESBORO, N.C. (December 5, 2017 Press Release) – MerleFest, presented by Window World, is proud to announce new artist additions to the lineup for MerleFest 2018, which will be held April 26 - 29, 2018: Elephant Revival, Rhiannon Giddens, Rodney Crowell, and Shinyribs. The annual homecoming of musicians and music fans returns to the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. The newest additions to the lineup join over 75 artists that have already been announced, including Kris Kristofferson, Jamey Johnson, Robert Earl Keen, The Devil Makes Three, Balsam Range and the Atlanta Pops Orchestra Ensemble, Mission Temple Fireworks Revival featuring Paul Thorn & Band, The Blind Boys of Alabama, and the McCrary Sisters, a Midnight Jam hosted by Town Mountain and Jim Lauderdale, and many more.
Elephant Revival – Elephant Revival is a unique collection of multi-instrumentalists blending elements of gypsy, Celtic, Americana, and folk. Brought together by a unified sense of purpose, Elephant Revival communicates the importance of harmony among all living things and uses music to unite us in ways that no other medium can. Elephant Revival is scheduled to play the Hillside Stage on Friday. Rhiannon Giddens – Singer-songwriter Rhiannon Giddens is the co-founder of the GRAMMY award-winning string band Carolina Chocolate Drops, playing banjo and fiddle. Giddens’ 2014 Grammy nominated solo debut, Tomorrow Is My Turn, blends gospel, jazz, blues, and country, and showcases her dazzling vocal prowess. Giddens follow-up album Freedom Highway, largely comprised of original songs, was released to widespread critical acclaim in February. She performed at the Obama White House and duets with country star Eric Church on his powerful anti-racism hit "Kill a Word." Last year she received the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Singer of the Year and the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Bluegrass and Banjo and in 2017 won the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” award. In 2018, Giddens will be the guest curator for the Cambridge Folk Festival. Giddens also has a recurring role on the recently revived television drama Nashville. Rhiannon Giddens is scheduled to playSaturday on the Watson Stage.  PopMatters premiered the new video for "Let Me In Again": http://bit.ly/2jgKqQS
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- “Let Me In Again,” which is coupled with “A Fine Surprise” on the latest offering inLouise Goffin’s ongoing digital singles project, might seem like a plea to an old lover, but it is really a plea to our tech-centric world. The song was inspired by Goffin noticing we spend so much of our time online that we “miss out at being present to what’s available around us.” She delivers this highly relevant message for our time in a beguiling ballad that deftly balances a raw simplicity with a subtly sweeping arrangement. The song’s opening line “No one has time” is actually what Goffin first said when she met with Marvin Etzioni (Counting Crows/Peter Case producer) to try to write together. The phrase instantly sparked with them. Goffin recalls “knowing it was great” just listening to an early version and now feels the song reveals even more poignancy in its finished version, which she co-produced with Dave Way and, as Goffin describes them, a “to-die-for band.”  Courtesy: Q Prime (Press Release) This morning, alternative singer/songwriter Declan McKenna announces his 40-date U.S. headlining tour, the most extensive tour the 18-year-old Brit has undertaken yet. McKenna will perform in cities including Austin, Nashville, Philadelphia, and Seattle (full dates below) following rapturously received performances at Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, Reading and Leeds Festivals, and the release of his debut album What DoYou Think About The Car? via Columbia Records. Tickets for this tour will go on sale on Saturday, December 9th at 10AM Local Time and will be available here.
Alongside his headlining dates, Declan McKenna will appear at area high schools in cities on this tour, for an intimate performance and Q&A with local students. McKenna will perform 3-4 songs acoustically, and talk about his journey as a young songwriter and how music and performing have shaped his life. A common theme in McKenna’s music is the role young people play in creating a more equitable society, and through these performances he hopes to empower fellow teenagers and help them realize that their voice matters and that they can create positive change, even if it can feel confusing or hopeless at first. As Declan says in a recent Billboard interview: “Quite a big part of the album is about change and being confused… a lot of the headspace I was in was trying to make sense of growing up in a world with loads of crazy things happening.”  Courtesy of Average Joes Entertainment Nashville, Tenn. (December 4, 2017 Press Release) – Average Joes Entertainment's PLATINUM-selling MONTGOMERY GENTRY is taking the band’s long-awaited studio album, HERE’S TO YOU, on the road with the HERE’S TO YOU TOUR this winter. This emotional return to the stage is the first time member Eddie Montgomery will be touring without the late Troy Gentry.
“I’m anxious to get back out on the road and play some new music for our friends and fans,” reveals Montgomery. “Next year marks the 20th anniversary of our band – we’ve got lots to celebrate and look forward to in 2018.”  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (December 4, 2017 Press Release) – Country Music Hall of Famer and legendary Grand Ole Opry member Whisperin’ Bill Anderson is a 2018 Nominee for the Songwriter Hall of Fame. The Songwriters Hall of Fame announced nominees to be elected for induction at its Annual Induction & Awards Gala on June 14, 2018, in New York City.
"I came to Nashville to be a songwriter, and to be considered for membership in the Songwriters Hall of Fame is about as fulfilling as it gets. My thanks to everyone who has been a part of my incredible journey," Anderson said.  Help Us Honor Veterans and Deployed Service Men and Women this Holiday Season by Sharing a Card or Letter in Appreciation of their Service and Sacrifices.
CARE LETTERS WILL BE ACCEPTED THROUGH 18 DECEMBER 2017 WASHINGTON, D.C. – 2017 marks the seventh year that America’s Adopt A Soldier ® will reach out to America to ask for cards of thanks to share with our nation’s Service Members who are deployed and Veterans who are in State Veterans Homes and Hospitals. According to Mary Keeser, America’s Adopt A Soldier® Founder, “In 2016, over 120,000 care letters, were shared. This year, the goal is to reach over 300,000, which would allow us to send at least four letters to every Veteran in a Veterans Home or Veterans Hospital as well as to our deployed Service Members.” Mary adds, “The cards and letters we receive are drawn or written by a diverse group of individuals, from 3 years-old to the over 100 years- old. From kitchen tables to classrooms, to businesses, to college dorms to faith-based establishments, the pens, pencils, crayons and pieces of paper used to create messages of hope, appreciation, unity and support will have a positive impact. The letters of care are truly the caring pulse of America towards our Service men and women.” To participate in the 2017 National Care Letter Campaign, mail your personal written and designed letter or greeting card to America’s Adopt A Soldier, 5400 Shawnee Rd. Ste #300, Alexandria, Va. 22312. For more information visit: www.americasadoptasoldier.org or call 703-278-3718. Enigmatic Gothic Anatomist, Jim White, Returns with New Album 'Waffles, Triangles & Jesus' Feb. 912/4/2017  PopMatters premiered a track: http://bit.ly/2BtnfJM
ATHENS, Ga. (Press Release) — Jim White gets around. When he’s not releasing his own critically acclaimed solo albums he splits time producing records for other songwriters, exhibiting his visual art in galleries and museums across the U.S. and Europe and publishing award winning fiction. Prior to Waffles, Triangles & Jesus (due out in the U.S. on February 9, 2018 on People In A Place to Know label through Joyful Noise, White released five eclectic, uncategorizable albums, plus six even-stranger side projects. Numerous songs from his back catalog have appeared both in film and television, including his Primus-esque “Word-Mule” in Breaking Bad and more recently his cautionary rocker “Crash Into the Sun” appearing in Ray McKinnon’s highly praised Sundance Channel series Rectify. |
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