Under Pressure. ZZ Top Brought The Blues Through Cincinnati Like A Texas Tornado
Before we get into this article, I want to take a moment to express my sincere condolences to the family, friends and ZZ Top team over the loss of bassist Dusty Hill. His loss and influence is immeasurable.
**A special thanks to Mike Howard for use of his photo for this article. The photo was also taken at Riverbend for my old website Unsung Melody.
On Sunday evening, I began the process of writing an article that has taken me a lifetime to craft. I was given the opportunity to review and photograph ZZ Top in Cincinnati at the PNC Pavillion, which is a part of the Riverbend Entertainment Complex.
This article will be a bit different, as most of my articles have a tendency to do. See, my earliest musical memories are of ZZ Top. They have been a huge chunk of the soundtrack of my life, and I know I’m not alone in that regard. So let’s get this party started.
Campton’s Tyler Booth Releases EP Titled ‘Grab The Reins’ Through Sony Music Nashville
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Sony Music Nashville/Villa 40 recording artist Tyler Booth released his new EP, Grab The Reins, on Friday. Listen here.
“Grab the Reins is me having the confidence to say, ‘this is who I am,’” said Booth. “These songs reflect where I’m from, how I was raised, and are at the core my interpretation of Country Music as a songwriter and an artist.”
The project includes “Already Got One,” released early this year along with the “enchanting” (American Songwriter) “Palomino Princess,” which Billboard commented “perfectly suit his deep, ranging voice.”
Grab The Reins EP Track Listing:
1. Drink It Up (Ashley Gorley/Wade Kirby/Phil O’Donnell)
2. Ghost Town (Tyler Booth/Wade Kirby/Shane Minor/Phil O’Donnell)
3. Stone Cold High and Dry (Tyler Booth/Jason McCoy/Shane Minor/Phil O’Donnell)
4. Gone Done Did (Tyler Booth/Brandon Hood/Phil O’Donnell)
5. Already Got One (Tyler Booth/Shane Minor/Phil O’Donnell/Justin Wilson)
6. Palomino Princess (Tyler Booth)
Downtown Hazard Danced The Night Away As They Hosted The North Fork Music Festival
Well, I finished off June at Festival Of The Red just up the road in Slade, so it only seems fitting to close out July with another Kentucky music festival right here in downtown Hazard! Let me ask you, how many music festivals have you been to where someone (Tim Parks) was made an honorary Duke Of Hazard? Zero? Yeah, me too. But that’s just one of the many very cool things that happened at this year’s North Fork Music Festival. You really missed out if you didn’t make either day of this one!
Friday evening started with Ben Fugate and I need to apologize to Ben. I missed his set, didn’t make it to the festival area in time to catch him… heard him as I was parking. I did catch Luke Trimble, Waylon Nelson, Dark Moon Hollow and Rye Davis (with a couple of members of Bourbon Branch) closed out the North Fork Festivals Friday night. (more…)
Our Sunday Guide To The Must-See Artists At The 2021 Railbird Festival In Lexington!
Back in 2019, the grounds at Keeneland were invaded by music lovers from all over the United States. Their pilgrimage led them to the heart of the Bluegrass where Lexington finally hosted the music festival it deserves. You can read our recap and view our photos here. There were many highlights that year, and the momentum heading into 2020 was obvious and mighty. Unfortunately, a pandemic interrupted all of our lives, but I’m happy to say that the Railbird Festival at Keeneland is back! After a year off due to the pandemic, live music is finally returning to the beautiful grounds at Keeneland and we’ve put together a list of the artists that you just have to see.
Now onto Sunday! I hate to break the news, but you’ll be forced to make some hard decisions once again on Sunday, but not as many as Saturday. For what it’s worth, having an amazing lineup is always a plus, but missing favorites will always hurt. We’ll try to help you make some sense of it all, and guide you through the final day at Railbird.
Our Saturday Guide To The Must-See Artists At The 2021 Railbird Festival In Lexington!
Back in 2019, the grounds at Keeneland were invaded by music lovers from all over the United States. Their pilgrimage led them to the heart of the Bluegrass where Lexington finally hosted the music festival it deserves. You can read our recap and view our photos here. There were many highlights that year, and the momentum heading into 2020 was obvious and mighty. Unfortunately, a pandemic interrupted all of our lives, but I’m happy to say that the Railbird Festival at Keeneland is back! After a year off due to the pandemic, live music is finally returning to the beautiful grounds at Keeneland and we’ve put together a list of the artists that you just have to see.
Some tough decisions will definitely have to be made over the two-day festival. There’s just simply too much real estate to cover to see every act on all three stages, but hopefully we can help you sift and sort through the list and help you maximize your dollar.
Railbird is booked and managed by the same production company that is behind The Bonnaroo Festival and the Forecastle Festival in Louisville. AC Entertainment doesn’t have their finger on the pulse of music, they are the pulse. You can trust that any festival or venue that AC Entertainment runs, is worth your efforts to attend. (more…)
Sydney Adams Finally Achieves The Stage She Deserves In Her Hometown Of Corbin!!
Corbin, Kentucky is the hometown of Sydney Adams. If you aren’t familiar with Sydney, allow me to introduce her to ya. I first became aware of Sydney back in 2019. A friend casually dropped her name and said she’d be releasing an EP soon after. I did a little digging and I immediately found a show to attend. In a tiny little bar in Pineville, my gut confirmed what my ears were screaming about. Sydney Adams is indeed, the real deal. I would even go so far as to say that this young lady has the goods to put Corbin on the map for something other than their famous fried chicken.
Black Stone Cherry’s Kentucky Pride Was On Full Display At The Paramount In Ashland
For a nice warm Friday night, the Paramount Arts Center was the place to be, and for the number of people that showed up, they knew it was going to be a good time! It was a night full of some good ol’ Southern Rock music! The first band to get on stage was none other than Northeastern Kentucky’s very own Devil’s Creek Special! They opened up for The Georgia Thunderbolts and Black Stone Cherry, but with the amount of energy that they had you would’ve thought they were headlining. And they had a killer cover of “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash, and the Paramount was in a full swing sing-a-long with the band!
A Laid Back Celebration! The Kentucky Headhunters Invade Whitesburg For Their Levitt Amp Series
Wow! If you missed Thursday’s kickoff event for this year’s Levitt Amp Whitesburg series you missed an absolutely stellar good time in Whitesburg, KY! If you weren’t there, you missed the return of live music to the Mountain Heritage Stage and the return of free weekly concerts from the Levitt Amp Concert Series. But don’t worry because for the next 9 Thursday’s there will be free music from national and regional acts. All different styles of music, so there should be something for almost everyone’s tastes.
Have I mentioned the huge crowd? I’ve not? Well shame on me! This is the start of my third year covering the Levitt Amp Whitesburg Series and last night was by far the biggest crowd I’ve seen for one event! I’ve seen some big crowds at the Mountain Heritage stage but they are generally during the annual Mountain Heritage Festival (Goose Creek Symphony comes to mind) so when you combine the year that was 2020 with Laid Back Country Picker and The Kentucky Headhunters that is going to equal a huge enthusiastic crowd! After the terrible, terrible year that was 2020, it seems a lot of people were ready to get outside to celebrate some Kentucky music.
Album Review: Grayson Jenkins Is ‘Turning Tides’ With A Brand New Album And Tour In 2021
With several Kentuckians currently occupying spots on most any music chart you look at, one would have to agree that Kentucky holds an embarrassment of riches within her musical arms. The love and support of her music family finds a new way to impress me on a daily basis.
So I want to re-introduce you to a young man that is about to make his own push and hopefully climbs his way up a few of those charts himself. Grayson Jenkins may or may not be a new name to you, either way you’re gonna find something you’ll like on ‘Turning Tides.’ That’s the brand new album from Mr. Jenkins, which drops everywhere on August 27th. (more…)
Steve Earle Brought His Dukes To The Mountain Arts Center In Prestonsburg!
**Article by James Stamper / Photos by Thomas R. Biggs**
Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Guitar Town himself, Steve Earle, made his presence known at the Mountain Arts Center in Prestonsburg, KY! I was ecstatic to see Steve Earle and The Dukes perform so close to home! I want to give a special shoutout to the Mountain Arts Center and the Mayor of Prestonsburg, Les Stapleton, for bringing these amazing shows into the eastern part of Kentucky. This brings me so much joy to know that I don’t have to drive 100 miles to see an incredible show. I’ve heard people around this area say, “There’s nothing to do” or “It’s boring around here”. Open your eyes!! The local music scene is booming, the MAC along with the Appalachian Wireless Arena is bringing in tremendous shows, so if you’re “bored”, get out and see what amazing talent we truly have coming in this area! With that being said, let’s explain the show in detail!
Now, with all the concerts I’ve been to in my life, I’ve seen a lot of openers, but nothing like this opener for Steve Earle. To my surprise, 2 members of The Dukes opened the show with their side project “The Mastersons”. Relatives of “Bat Masterson”? Who knows? But all kidding aside, these guys did a fabulous performance. The stunning duo of Chris Masterson and Eleanor Whitmore showed the Mountain Arts Center what they were all about! What’s even more impressive is they’re husband and wife! In my mind, when two musicians are together romantically, I believe there is more of a special connection shared on stage. I picked up on it quickly when watching these two. They had a love for what they were doing, and they weren’t going to let up! Performing songs such as “King of the Castle”, “Eyes Open Wide”, “The Devil You Know?” among others! King of the Castle had deep meaning behind it. Eleanor told the story of someone she knew who lost a loved one and that person said the one they lost was the “King of the Castle” and that stuck, so they wrote a song about it. Overall, it was a phenomenal performance, and I was excited I got to witness The Mastersons in person! If you haven’t checked them out, I would fix that in a hurry! (more…)