“From the moment I was able to comprehend the fact that the words in songs carried meaning, it was something I was super fascinated by. I’ve always loved writing stories and plays and singing, so I guess all of that being said, writing songs was a natural progression." - Rhyan Sinclair
 
​When she was 11 years old, Rhyan Sinclair decided to put together a band called All the Little Pieces that would combine elements of roots country, jazz, and blues. Over the course of five years, the group transformed into an award-winning rock band that performed frequently in Lexington, Kentucky, and beyond. After their last tour, Sinclair decided to organize a tribute to the classic 1987 album, Trio [Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt]. By rehearsing the album and researching the catalogs of its three principals, new songs began pouring out and paved the way for Sinclair's first solo release, Barnstormer, due June 22nd.

Today, TDC is incredibly proud to premiere one of the album's tracks, "Skeleton Sam."  With standout performances by Eliza Mary Doyle on banjo and Sherri McGee on the spoons, as well as BoDiddley breakdowns and jovial group vocals, "Skeleton Sam" is a a bluegrass-gospelesque barn burner where Sinclair's classic and commanding vocals project a tone that merges the playful with the cautious...just like Halloween itself. 

Sinclair, who always finds herself enthralled by the Halloween season, shares the story behind the song, "Halloween is always really inspiring for me. Skeleton Sam is definitely one that was inspired by that time of year. I was on the way back home from playing a show late one night, riding along dark twisty roads, and the idea came to me kind of all at once."

Enjoy, and share, "Skeleton Sam" above. Then read on to learn more about Barnstormer.

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May 22, 2018 (Nashville, TN Press Release) – May 1st saw Nashville's Chicks With Hits celebrating a monumental achievement, its 20th anniversary. Held at BMI on Music Row in Nashville, this all-female publishing collective celebrated alongside colleagues, friends and family that had all gathered to commemorate and reflect upon the accomplishments of this trailblazing group. 

Eighteen current Chicks With Hits members have been integral catalysts in the careers of many of Nashville’s hit songwriters, artists, and award winning singles. Collectively, they represent 75 active songwriters and recording artists, and have had songs recorded by more than 150 artists including: Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Cyndi Lauper, Dolly Parton, Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean, Jimmy Buffett, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Little Big Town, Jo Dee Messina, Luke Bryan, Reba McEntire, Taylor Swift, Old Dominion, Sara Evans, Lady Antebellum, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Sam Hunt, Chris Stapleton, Kacey Musgraves and many more.   ​

Rolling Stone Country premiered a track: https://rol.st/2IAYBPI

AUSTIN, Texas (Press Release)— At long last, Kinky Friedman's second musical act begins. With the proclamation that here “is what music was, before it came homogenized, trivialized and sanitized,” Kinky is dropping his first all-new CD of original tunes in four decades. Called Circus of Life, it presents a side of Kinky that few would have suspected in the halcyon days of his Texas Jewboys, laying perhaps legit claim to the title “The Leonard Cohen of Texas.” On July 3, 2018, he will release it on his own terms and on his own Echo Hill Records.
 
A monster summer tour will follow in June, July, and August.  Yep, Kinky is finally doing it his way. Harking to his early years, he has chosen to ignore the Nashville ethos that all must be concertedly “radio friendly,” sweetened, and over-produced. What he and producer Brian Molnar have delivered is simply one of the most beautiful albums of this year or any other. The first single, “Autographs in the Rain (Song to Willie)”is already in heavy rotation on SiriusXM Outlaw Country, and there are at least four more top-shelf A sides.

Stream "Something To Say" HERE

On June 22, the forward-thinking folk rocker Reuben Bidez will release his second EP Something To Say. Today, Bidez released the title track to the forthcoming EP, with Glide Magazine stating, "Bidez is able to soar as he shows off his skills as a poignant songwriter and a confident rock and roller."

"'Something To Say' is a tongue-in-cheek social critique that in turn also praises the power of the voice both individually and collectively," explains Bidez. "While writing the song, I began to find my own voice. I no longer wanted to say what I thought others wanted me to say. I had a voice of my own, I had something to say."

Listen HERE

(Edinburg, Texas) -- Matt & The Herdsmen is pleased to announce today's release of their fifth single, "Hello Heartache," to Texas radio. Following the band's first Top 40 single, "Miss My Chance," this is the second song from the CD, STILL SANE,  which was produced by Dave Percefull at yellow DOG Studios in Wimberely, Texas. "Hello Heartache" is being promoted to radio by Dillon Steen of Steen Entertainment.

Penned by Matt Castillo and Jordan Daughtery, this classic Honky-Tonk two-stepper is driven by pedal steel, guitar and fiddle and tells the story of running into an ex at a local dance hall. We all know that coming off a fresh break-up isn't easy, especially if you were the one on the receiving end. Just when you think you have your life back together, "Hello Heartache" sums up what its like when that ex walks right in with their friends and no amount of liquid courage can prepare you for fighting the urge to not wake up in their bed. 

Read her interview in The Tennessean HERE

Singer/songwriter Gretchen Peters has released her new album Dancing With The Beast. A collection of songs which give voice to powerful stories of personal struggle, loss, doubt and redemption, the record has already generated acclaim from publications such as Rolling Stone Country, Taste of Country, Digital Journal, and more. "I admire characters that are heroic in a very quiet, kind of stoic way," says Peters. "They don't do overtly heroic things, but just the act of persisting in a life for a long time to me is very heroic and very human... They're persisting and in their persistence there's a heroism that may be quiet and easily overlooked. I find it really inspiring."
 
Dancing with the Beast puts female characters at the fore, from teenage girls to old women, and intentionally so. With the 2017 Women's March and #MeToo Movement as bookends to her writing, Peters knew that a feminist perspective would be the critical core of the record. “Those two events just put everything -- as so many things in 2017 -- in really stark relief,” she admits. “You can trace the feminist DNA in my songwriting back to 'Independence Day' and probably before. The thing that 2017 did is just put it front and center. It was very easy to kind of go to sleep for a while and just not think about that stuff because we were lulled into complacency for eight years.”

TULSA, OK | MAY 18TH, 2018 - Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, rock band NeoRomantics blend well-structured indie rock with emo elements on their brand new EP “Homecoming,” out TODAY on all streaming platforms. The 5-track collection acts as a beautiful contrast of sorts; while arranged much like a pop record, it is far from one. The record’s lyricism delves into an array of personal topics about relationships, including abandoning those that are toxic, growth, and parental influence on trust. “Homecoming” is the perfect display of the band’s eclecticism, particularly the lead single “Concentrated,” initially released in January. A well-produced and sleek combination of 2000’s emo and mainstream indie rock elements, “Homecoming” is sonically pleasing to the ear, heavy on the heart, and simultaneously thought provoking. ​

(Press Release) Cut Throat Finches. An ironic name for a tiny bird, and conversely, for a Texas band with a giant sound. Singer-songwriter Sean Russell, a proud resident of the Ft Worth music scene, formed the band mid-2015 with a group of much-lauded players from the area. Cut Throat Finches lay out a songs that bring to mind a soundtrack to an epic film in a style inspired by their heroes in the British rock scene and American roots music. The band, signed to the critically acclaimed Hand Drawn Records, a cutting edge pressing plant and record label in Dallas, will release Polite Conversations (their 2nd album) on May 25th, celebrating with local area release parties and summer touring. Russell tells us the tale of the making of the record for the first time.
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“When I was a kid and I broke a neighbor's bird feeder, then lied about it to my mom even though she already knew I had done it. She delivered the soul crushing words to me that I will never forget, the classic “I expect more from you”. Well, I expect more from this country. I love this country, and I served in it’s Army. I refuse to believe that my friends who gave their lives, did so for this broken, paranoid State. It would be a disgrace to believe that the country we have become is the best we can do and not to expect more. Just as my mom expected me to behave better than I had, it would be insulting to believe that our behavior as a nation should not be better, and we cannot rise to a higher standard. This rotten feeling, the discontent, the consternation rose late in recording our first record, Reality. Sometimes literal hours would be lost where Taylor Tatsch and I would be reeling from the shock of what we were not only seeing from our panel of presidential candidates, but from the conversations around the politics.