The name Pistol Annies evokes a gang of six-gun toting bad women from the days of Deadwood, which isn’t entirely off the mark. Despite their angelic harmonies, the trio of hotshot country singer-songwriters Ashley Monroe, Miranda Lambert and Angaleena Presley bring desperado attitude to their music. “When we started co-writing,… Read more...
Charlie Louvin passed away early Wednesday morning at his home in Wartrace, Tennessee. He was 83 years old. With his brother Ira, he began his career as one half of the Louvin Brothers. The legendary duo’s harmonies were as complex as they were haunting, delivering many of hillbilly country’s most… Read more...
BMI has promoted Tracie Verlinde to Executive Director, Writer/Publisher Relations, Los Angeles. The announcement was made by Barbara Cane, Vice President & General Manager, Writer/Publisher Relations, Los Angeles. Verlinde will continue to report to Cane, and will share oversight of the Los Angeles Writer/Publishers Relations department with her. She was… Read more...
The Kicks are salted with the South but still pop like soda. Go ahead and slap a MySpace tag on them like rock/indie/alternative. They’ll only peel it off and reinvent the genre. For full-length debut The Rise of King Richie, the band called upon Grammy-winning producers Mitch Dane (Jars of… Read more...
The Austin City Limits Music Festival is October 8-10 in Austin’s Zilker Park, and once again, BMI will join the fest in offering raw proof that roots music is more than alive and well—it’s rocking, kicking, and swinging. Tucked in its signature shady corner near the entrance of the festival,… Read more...
When Minus the Bear’s contract with indie rock label Suicide Squeeze expired, the Seattle-based five-some had two options: find a new home and record the project the label wanted, or create their dream project, then find a label as excited about it as they were. Not surprisingly, they chose the… Read more...
The Kicks are salted with the South but still pop like soda. Go ahead and slap a MySpace tag on them like rock/indie/alternative. They’ll only peel it off and reinvent the genre. For full-length debutThe Rise of King Richie, the band called upon Grammy-winning producers Mitch Dane (Jars of Clay)… Read more...
There are some questions about Jack White that will probably never be answered: why, for instance, he wanted everyone thinking of his White Stripes bandmate Meg White as his sister, when she’s actually his ex-wife. Chalk that one up to perverse humor and brilliant mythologizing. The mystique kept people interested.… Read more...
Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Jamey Johnson and the Zac Brown Band lead the BMI list of nominees for the 2009 CMA Awards. With four nominations each, the four distinct artists will vie for their respective prizes alongside a slew of additional BMI contenders at the association’s annual ceremony, slated Wednesday,… Read more...
Webster’s defines a “raconteur” as “one who excels at telling anecdotes.” Or in other words, a storyteller. Anyone who knows Jack White’s prodigious talents as a songwriter with The White Stripes would agree that he’s one of contemporary rock’s mightiest musical storytellers (as well… Read more...
