Author: Kyla Pearson

REVIEW: Kashus Culpepper Releases Vulnerable Sophomore Single, “Who Hurt You”

Alabama-born country crooner Kashus Culpepper continues to demonstrate his rightfully earned place in country music.

Earlier this summer, Culpepper made his Big Loud debut with his career-first release, “After Me?”. Within the first week after its release, the emotionally raw track surpassed 246K digital streams on Spotify and now is just shy of 1M streams, with it currently sitting at 914K streams on the platform (at the time of writing). Now Culpepper is back with his vulnerable sophomore single, “Who Hurt You”

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INTERVIEW: Hunter Jordan Discusses His New Country Summer Anthems and Announces Opening for Platinum-Selling Artist Tyler Farr at Buffalo River Jam

Nashville-based country artist & songwriter Hunter Jordan is a name you should know.⁠

Hunter Jordan is an example of an artist who is determined to make his dream a reality and doesn’t shy away from investing the time in developing his craft required to make it happen. Earlier this year, he hit the ground running with his solo project with the very successful release of “Dark,” which he then followed up with “Something To Pray About,” just in time for Mother’s Day. On June 28th, the rapidly rising artist released his “surprise 3-pack” of summer singles consisting of “REDNECK WHITE & BLUE,” “THROWIN’ SHADE” and “DOWN FOR THE GET DOWN” –with the 3rd track marking his 5th release this year.

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Q & A: SirLockeHolmes Discusses His Artistry & His Latest Single, “Outlaw”

Hailing from Evans, GA is independent artist SirLockeHolmes.

In a niche all his own, his music tastefully blends country, pop, folk and hip-hop. On July 5th, he released his latest summer banger, “Outlaw”. Within the first two weeks since its release, the track has been spun over 58K times on Spotify alone– adding to the collective 5M+ digital streams within his discography on the platform–which is an impressive feat for an unsigned artist this early in his career.

Recently, I spoke with SirLockeHolmes about his artistry, his latest single and more.

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INTERVIEW: Music PEI’s “Entertainer of the Year” Lawrence Maxwell Discusses His Artistry, Benefit Fund for Touring PEI Musicians and Upcoming Ontario Tour

Calling the small province of PEI home is award-winning singer-songwriter, Lawrence Maxwell.

For those who are unfamiliar with Maxwell and his artistry, his lyrical style is self-described as “blue-collar poetry,” paired with an instrumental blend and sound that draws upon bluegrass, folk, Canadiana and neotraditional country. His latest album, Ballad of the Miles, earned 7 nominations at the 2023 Music PEI Awards. This year, he took home the title of Music PEI’s “Entertainer of the Year”. In addition, his music has received support from both Canadian and UK country radio.

His pursuit of music began in high school, where he would write raps. After graduating, he served in the Canadian Royal Navy, which led to his first public performances.

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INTERVIEW: Bar Jay Bar Discusses Brand-New Single, “Ain’t No Friend Of Mine” and Summer Tour

Calling Sheridan, WY home is adventurous touring musician and vegetable farmer, Joey Berglund (AKA Bar Jay Bar).

Known for his wild acrobatic routines, fiddle sawing skills and high-energy live shows, Berglund is quickly making a name for himself in the neotraditional country, roots/Americana scene.

Today (July 1st), the musician is following up his poignant track, “The Leather Man,” with his brand-new single, “Ain’t No Friend Of Mine”.

While he was out in the middle of Trout Lake, WA, I caught up with Berglund to discuss his new single and his summer tour.

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REVIEW: Kashus Culpepper Makes Big Loud Debut with “After Me?”

For those who are unfamilar with Culpepper and his artistry, he began performing in 2020, frequently playing at “barrack bonfires in Rota, Spain during his deployment with the Navy” (PR team). Upon returning home, he began playing originals and covers to live audiences in southern bars.

After sharing originals on his socials, such as “Break Me Like,” “Moonlight” and “Talk To Me”– he quickly caught the attention of country fans and Nashville industry professionals alike. His consistent efforts helped him build a dedicated online fanbase and eventually led to inking a deal with Big Loud. Earlier this year, the emerging talent embarked on his debut headling tour, playing sold-out shows in the American South prior to releasing a single track. He’s also toured nationwide as a direct opener for fellow labelmate Charles Wesley Godwin and will be touring this summer alongside “$10 Cowboy” Charley Crockett and GRAMMY-nominated rock band NEEDTOBREATHE. More recently, Culpepper was invited onstage by none other than Zach Bryan.

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LIVE IN CONCERT: Ben Chase Takes to the Beanfield Stage as Part of Brett Kissel’s The Compass Tour

Anticipation built an hour before the show, as country fans lined up to the end of the sidewalk outside the Beanfield Theatre in Montreal, QC. They paid no mind to the cold, as they patiently waited to see Brett Kissel perform live as part of The Compass Tour.

Blue & pink lighting cast over the entire theatre, as country fans in plaid, jeans, western-styled boots and cowboy hats began filling the smoky room. Country songs from Jade Eagleson to Charlie Worsham played through the stage speakers. Concert-goers were happily singing and dancing along with their friends as they waited for the show to commence. Despite it being the middle of the work week, they came to party and they weren’t wasting a minute to do so (many pre-show beers were passed around).

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Q & A: Neotraditional Country Singer-Songwriter Taylor Glasheen Discusses Her Brand-New Single, “When She Drinks” and Her Upcoming Sophomore Album

Today, Phoenix-born neotraditional country singer-songwriter Taylor Glasheen has released her brand-new single, “When She Drinks” in honour of Pride Month. The single also comes ahead of her upcoming sophomore album, which will be out later this year.

Recently, I spoke with Glasheen about her artistry, her latest single, her upcoming album and more.

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Q & A: Vinnie Paolizzi Discusses his Debut Self-Titled Album, The Vinnie Paolizzi LP, the Importance of Honest Storytelling and Embracing Community

Calling Nashville, TN home is Italian-American singer-songwriter, Vinnie Paolizzi.

For those unfamiliar with the singer-songwriter, he has over a decade of songwriting experience to his name, has been the guitarist for American country star, Brittney Spencer and has shared a songwriting round with none other than Dean Dillon. In November of last year, the singer-songwriter released his self-titled, debut full-length album, The Vinnie Paolizzi LP– a 10-track project that introduces him and pays homage to the old Music Row.

Recently, I spoke with Paolizzi about how he got his start in music, his debut record and more.

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