Roots, Toots n' Hoots
Jeffrey Remz | January 26, 2012
Another day of country music awards nominations. Today was the turn of the Academy of Country Music following the Country Music Association, which held its awards in the fall, and the American Country Awards, which were in December.
Instead of the glitz and glamour of early morning TV to [...]
Continue reading "ACMs takes its turn"
Jeffrey Remz | January 23, 2012
I've never understood the need of artists to put down another, especially in concert. Is it an ego thing or are they really feeling inadequate and need to try and pummel the defenseless?
I witnessed this a number of years ago in Boston when some band - I can't remember (and I would [...]
Continue reading "Hey Robert Earl Keen: keep the cheap shots out"
Jeffrey Remz | January 22, 2012
Kathy Mattea could be taking the easy way out these days and just rest on her considerable laurels. After all, she hasn't been on the charts - let alone have a hit - since 2000 when the cute BFD hit the lower depths of the charts.
Mattea was one of those singers who did not quite fit in as [...]
Continue reading "Kathy Mattea stays true"
Jeffrey Remz | January 17, 2012
Yet one more singer is trying the country route. This time, it's young singer Jessie James. She has one disc under her belt - a self-titled 2009 release.
James released a few singles, but was not particularly a hit out of the box. In fact, only one song - Wanted - even made the charts, and [...]
Continue reading "With Jessie James and country, everything goes"
Jeffrey Remz | January 9, 2012
Jeffrey Remz | December 28, 2011
As if the Sugarland concert tragedy at the Indiana State Fair did not provide heartache, the wind-created deadly disaster that killed seven also apparently lent itself to stupidity.
Two women were arrested by Indiana authorities on Tuesday and charged with fraud among other charges. Stephanie [...]
Continue reading "Sugarland tragedy breeds stupidity"
Jeffrey Remz | December 23, 2011
I'm beginning to feel very very popular these days. I mean, Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts, Randy Travis, Kix Brooks, Steve Aar and a few others have seen fit to send me Christmas greetings. It's always great to hear from strangers at the holidays, right?
Fortunately, these folks [...]
Continue reading "Thanks for the greetings"
Jeffrey Remz | December 20, 2011
The future of Tim McGraw could rest with a major label. At least that's what the Tennessean is indicating.
McGraw, of course, won a court victory in November against his one-and-only label, Curb, freeing him to sign with another label. Interestingly, his long delayed CD, "Emotional [...]
Continue reading "Does Tim McGraw have faith?"
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When people ask, "How did you get into country music?" I tell them my version of the truth. "I grew up in eastern Long Island (NY)." Now, for the uninitiated, that used to be farm country. So, of course, it'd be natural for a farm kind of boy to love country, right? Isn't it obvious?
Yeah, right.
I think of my love of country music as an interest that got out of control. It started for me in the late 1980's with folks like Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam, Lyle Lovett and Nanci Griffith and mushroomed from there to learning about artists from the past to the up-and-coming. Eventually, that led to learning about bluegrass and later Americana/rootsy music.
With "free time" on my hand as a reporter at the Salem, Massschusetts Evening News, in 1993, I started Country Standard Time magazine, which was distributed in record stores and live music clubs throughout the U.S. We're now only on the web covering everything from major label to true independent artists. My posts will cover the facets of what countrystandardtime.com is about, which means all kinds of country, bluegrass and roots/Americana music.
Feel free to email me directly with your thoughts at
countryst@aol.com. Thanks a lot for reading.
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