The Music Universe Podcast

Country superstar Cole Swindell is spending his Fourth of July Weekend with Mountain Dew and fans at the lake. Swindell will be at Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri, this weekend to keep fans' coolers full of Mountain Dew with on-demand deliveries. The Mountain Dew Thirst Guards program tackles summer's biggest party emergency – the empty cooler – by deploying Mountain Dew-branded Sea-Doos to bring bold, thirst-crushing refreshment directly to boaters and lake-goers at Lake of the Ozarks. On July 5-6, fans with empty coolers can text (803)-MTN-DEWS and send their location for an emergency delivery of ice-cold Mountain Dew, while supplies last. The program ensures Mountain Dew enthusiasts never miss a moment of summer fun, providing the refreshment needed for long days on the water. Swindell, a long-time Mountain Dew fan, will lead the Thirst Guards, making surprise deliveries to fans near MarineMax Osage Beach at Lake of the Ozarks on Sunday, July 6th. This authentic partnership comes on the heels of Swindell's new studio album, Spanish Moss, and showcases the natural connection between the country star's carefree and energetic lifestyle and the adventurous brand ethos Mountain Dew is known for. "I've always been a big fan of Mountain Dew, so I'm hyped to lead the Mountain Dew Thirst Guards and help keep the party going July 4th weekend," Swindell says. "Catch me at Lake of the Ozarks filling up coolers, passing out Pit Vipers and blasting my new music -- an ideal summer day!" Beyond Lake of the Ozarks, the Thirst Guards (sans Swindell) will also take over Lake Travis, Texas; Miller Beach, Indiana; and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with on-land beach stations packed with ice-cold Mountain Dew, creating an unmatched refreshment experience and keeping legendary summer excitement going all weekend long. In this podcast episode, Swindell talks to us about the partnership, his new 21-track fifth album, upcoming fall tour, and more.

Building on the soundtrack of his life, diamond-selling superstar Brian Kelley drops his latest solo offering, Sunshine State of Mind Season Two, Chapter One, today (Fri, June 20th). The full-length independent project features 14 tracks co-written by Kelley, as he returns to his personal mantra, and the feel-good foundation of his acclaimed solo career. Kelley’s new songs were penned alongside his 2021 release, Sunshine State of Mind Season One, and saved for another day. Much has changed in the years since – including delivering two more albums (Tennessee Truth and Ed & Mary Margaret’s Son) – but its sing-along themes remain relevant, with creative passion and country-born pride expressed through Kelley’s laid-back beach town vibe. Kelley’s expansive creativity was recently showcased on Fox's The Masked Singer season 13, where he made it to the show’s final round. Unmasked as the Mad Scientist Monster, judge Robin Thicke applauded his closing performance as the “best vocal of the season.” Starting July 24th in Savannah, Georgia, Kelley will hit the road to headline his Sunshine State of Mind Tour with dates continuing through September 7th in Raleigh, North Carolina. In this episode, Kelley speaks to us about the fun he had on The Masked Singer, his new album, the tour, and more.

Hootie & The Blowfish co-founding guitarist Mark Bryan has a new solo project called Popped. Showcasing his multi-faceted talents, Bryan played all instruments while also enlisting a band of Charleston musicians, including skilled horn players, to round out the project with additional depth and dimension. "I made the record before the tour, in the fall of '23, I guess it was," Bryan tells us. "It just where I was at musically. I just had a bunch of songs and I have a home studio, and got with my engineer and cranked them out. Most of the noises you hear on the album are me, including drums. I played a lot of drums this time for the first time, which is cool. I had a band in on other tracks, and some horns. I kinda really stretched the direction that I'm going on this one. I went many directions. I kinda let the songs dictate the style, and just followed that. I have a Latin pop song on there, and ska song, and a reggae song, and some stuff that's a bit more folky and a big rock song. It's just all over the place." Bryan is on tour supporting the project. The multi-instrumentalist, who's from Silver Spring, Maryland, will play a hometown show at The Atlantis in Washington, DC on June 20th featuring Hootie's Gary Greene, and other area musicians. This episode also sees Bryan discuss his and Darius Rucker's solo projects, and what he hopes the future holds for his longtime band.

This weekend, hard rock and heavy metal fans will flock to Columbia, Maryland for the 16th edition of the M3 Rock Festival. Tonight (Fri, May 2nd), Sebastian Bach kicks off the three-day event with Snake Oil. David Lee Roth headlines tomorrow (Sat, May 3rd) with appearances by Accept, Winger, Slaughter, Steven Adler, Child’s Play, Red Voodoo, and more. The festival closes on Sunday with a long-awaited reunion of Stephen Pearcy and Warren DeMartini performing Ratt, Ace Frehley, Warrant, Great White, Lita Ford, Vixen, Spread Eagle, and Soundcheck Rock. Ahead of the festivities, we had a chance to chat with Great White founder and guitarist Michael Lardie about their performance. “It’s always great to play. We’ve been pretty lucky of late. We’ve been [playing M3] pretty much every other year, which is great for us. We’re doing a show up in Flint, Michigan. Got a travel day and then we’re over in [the Maryland, DC, Virginia area],” he tells us. “Obviously the fan base is, pretty perfect for our genre of music… And it’s cool to see everybody still doing it. I mean, that’s another thing that warms your heart, when you’re there and you’re doing the show with all the different bands that are there. it’s kind of like, wow, we’re still doing it. This is awesome.” Lardie also discusses new music and more with us. Check back for exclusive M3 coverage with reviews, interviews, and photos from the weekend. California-based Great White is Lardie on guitar and keys, Mark Kendall on guitar, Audie Desbrow on drums, Scott Snyder on bass, and Brett Carlisle on vocals. Since 1982, the Great White sound has captivated audiences worldwide with crushing, blues-based guitar riffs and swagger that invokes an emotional high for anyone that listens. The band’s core writing team of Lardie and Kendall forged numerous hits over the years, and when Desbrow joined in ’85, the grooves hooked an amazing stride. Four decades in and Great White enlists Brett Carlisle to take over vocal duties and lead the charge on hit after hit. That arsenal of songs include the Grammy nominated Best Hard Rock Performance hit, “Once Bitten, Twice Shy,” Great White has sold over ten million albums worldwide, has six Top 100 Billboard hits, nine Top 200 Billboard albums, two platinum albums, and clocked the top of MTV four times.

Last month, UMG Nashville released the original series soundtrack for the Paramount+ hit show Landman, featuring an original score by Andrew Lockington (San Andreas, Rampage). The music flawlessly matches the drama and the intensity of the series as well as the expanse of the landscape. Set in the boomtowns of west Texas, Landman is a modern tale of fortune seeking amongst roughnecks and billionaires in the world of oil starring Billy Bob Thornton, Ali Larter, Michael Peña, Jon Hamm, and Demi Moore. The series was co-crated by Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace. Lockington is best-known for his epic scores to such Warner Bros. blockbusters San Andreas, Rampage and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, which together have surpassed over $1 billion in box office revenues. "I have been working with Taylor Sheridan for four years now," Lockington tells us. "I believe I started out, he hired me to do a show called Mayor of Kingtown with Jeremy Renner. And then after that went pretty well. We worked on Lioness together, which is Nicole Kidman and Zoe Salana and Morgan Freeman, another great show. and he'd been working on Landman for a while and he approached me and said, 'What are your thoughts on it and what would you do musically?' And as per our process, I threw together a few ideas and texted them to him and we went back and forth a little bit and I was really fortunate to get the gig." Paramount+ has renewed the 2024 breakout hit Landman for season two with Lockington confirming he's already working on the score. The series scored in the Top 10 SVOD Original Series for quarter four across all SVOD, alongside Paramount+’s Tulsa King and Lioness, marking only the second time since Nielsen began tracking SVODs that a service had three of the Top 10 series, outside of Netflix. Landman had 35 million global streaming viewers for the premiere episode and set new records for Paramount+. It was the most watched global premiere and finale of any series in Paramount+ history. It has placed as the top Paramount+ Original ever on the service with the top engagement driver and No. 1 on households. Season one is available to stream exclusively on Paramount+ with a Blu-ray and DVD release scheduled for May.

Rising singer/songwriter Annie Bosko proves country music isn’t just about where you’re from, but who you are with her latest single “California Cowgirl,” available now via Stone Country Records. Bosko embraces her California and farming roots with the neotraditional song that declares country girls can be found all over the map. "I'd say that even though I'm from California, I had a pretty, rural upbringing and my uncle was in the rodeo world," Bosko tells us. "We had five quarter horses and an arena and they did the team roping events and barrel racing and I would go take a horse on horseback and go trail ride and sing. That was like, I would just love to be out in nature on trail ride. That was my jam. I never got into the rodeo events. I just sing a lot of national anthems up but never actually competed. My uncle's a grape grower in Delano, so I'm very familiar with that area. And I've always really had a love for the Bakersfield country sound -- Buck Owens. Dwight Yoakam is a friend of mine which is very strange to say that, to be like Dwight Yoakam is a friend. We text him and he and his wife have just been awesome so supportive of, and he actually gave me the idea for 'California Cowgirl,' my latest song that came out. I was doing his podcast and he said, 'California Cowgirl, Annie Bosow.' And so that's sort of really what inspired it." "California Cowgirl" was released last week and is a taste of her forthcoming debut album. The song follows “Better Than You,” her top five duet with multi-platinum country star Joe Nichols. Following her RodeoHouston debut last month, where she kicked off opening night with a performance of the National Anthem, Bosko will perform at Stagecoach on the Mane Stage on Saturday, April 26th.

Last fall, Poison drummer Rikki Rockett introduced his new band, The Rockett Mafia! Featuring Rockett on drums, Brandon Gibbs on guitar and vocals, Bulletboys guitarist Mick Sweda, and Bryan Kimes on bass and backing vocals, the group celebrates the best music of the 70s through the 90s classic rock era. Rockett, who is the co-founder of Poison, and remains the band’s only drummer throughout their storied 40-year career, says the band stemmed from the annual Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride he hosts in Los Angeles. “I’m a city host for a motorcycle ride every year called the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride. And it’s a worldwide ride,” he tells us. “[B]ut they never had entertainment at the Los Angeles one. And they’re like, ‘Hey, why don’t you do something?’ I’m like, ‘What are you doing? You just go out and do a solo.’ I mean, And I thought to myself, maybe I can put a little something together, do a bunch of cover songs and see how that goes. Just have fun, have people enjoy, the day, so I put it together and I just used the players from Chevy Metal and cuz I had done a fill in for them. And I got Brandon from Devil City Angels who we’ve been friends forever. And I just called up The Rocket Mafia and we did that one-off show and I thought to myself, ‘This is pretty cool. This could be a fun thing to just do cover songs, enjoy some of the stuff that I loved growing up with and just have a great time with it. Maybe reinvent a few little things.’ And then Brandon mentioned to me after looking at a poll about Poison where people were saying, ‘Man, I wish Poison would do more of these deep cuts.’ and I just know we’re not going to do more of these deep cuts. So, guess what? I will.” Rockett talks more about the new band, what’s ahead for Poison’s 40th anniversary in 2026, his cancer battle, evacuating from the recent Los Angeles widlfires, his memoir, and more. This year’s Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride takes place on Sunday, May 18th. Those who want to sponsor him can via the event’s website. “On Sunday the 18th of May 2025, I’m riding in The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride with fellow men and women across the globe to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer and men’s mental health on behalf of Movember,” he shares. “Men die on average six years earlier than women and for largely preventable reasons. The number of men that are suffering is growing, and we need to do something about that. So, before I press my tweed and polish my boots, I’m asking you to join me in raising funds and awareness for these causes by donating what you can for this meaningful cause and to help the men we love, live happier and healthier lives.” Poison has sold over 50 million records worldwide behind the hits “Talk Dirty To Me,” “Nothin’ But A Good Time,” “Something To Believe In,” “Ride The Wind,” “Unskinny Bop,” and the Hot 100 No. 1 single, “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn.”

Last week, Dugger Band took the internet by storm after brothers Seth and Jordan Dugger shared a video reading an email that WSMV-TV in Nashville sent about their new patriotic song "True Colors." The brothers were set to perform the self-penned and John Rich-produced track on Today in Nashville, but were told by station management that the lyrics were deemed too "politically biased" and recanted their offer for that song. Blindsided, the brothers contacted Rich who advised they should not appear on the station at all. Instead, Dugger Band and Rich shared messages on social media that went viral and shot their song to No. 1 on the independent download charts. "I think WSMV probably had no idea that I had produced this record because if they would have known that my name was attached to that, they would have known all hell was about to rain down if they made the move that they made," Rich tells us in an interview. "But I'm glad they made it. Know why? Because it pulled the curtain back on that television station, WSMV. They're total cowards. They will not answer an email. I have friends in conservative media who have called them multiple times. Guess what they do? They hang up the phone the second they ask the question. So, They're weak. They thought they could kick the Duggars around because the Duggars aren't a big act yet. They thought they could get away with bullying somebody and shoving them around. And they didn't get away with it. And the result of it was these guys go number one on the country download chart. So, hell yeah." The Duggers said the song was written to unite, not ignite, people. "We wrote the song trying to bring people together," they share. "We didn't see it as a political issue at all. We saw it as a patriotism type and so we wrote the song with that in mind. And whenever they scheduled us to come perform it on the show and we were excited about doing it. We told our fans, 'Hey, we're going to be able to go on this news network in Nashville and perform this full band on the news.' And it was just about a day and a half, about 36 hours or so before we were supposed to perform, whenever we received the email that they had determined that it was too politically, divisive, I guess, to be able to play it. And we still don't know what lyrics they were talking about, because we wrote the song with patriotism in mind." The Music Universe has reached out to WSMV for comment, but still has not heard back a week later.

Legendary artist Bill Medley releases his debut solo country album, Straight From the Heart, via Curb Records. The album sees the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s unmistakable baritone voice covering mega country music ballads alongside some of the industry’s biggest stars including Michael McDonald, Vince Gill, Keb’ Mo’ and Shawn Colvin. Previous tracks include "These Days" featuring Vince Gill, which offers a taste of the singer-songwriter’s blues roots; "(Since You’ve) Gone" featuring Keb’ Mo’, which delivers a doleful version of remorse and regret; "Crying Time" featuring Michael McDonald, a powerful blend of soul and harmony; and a cover of George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today," that blends country and soul, adding a new layer of emotional resonance to the country classic. In the interview, Medley tells us why he chose ballads over a mix of slow and uptempo songs. "I'm really a blues singer, and so the ballads just are, like (singing) 'Born to lose.' 'I live my life in vain.' That's what I want to say," he says. "They asked me to do a couple of fast songs, but I said, 'I just want to keep it soulful,' and that's what I do best." In support of the album, Medley will make his Grand Ole Opry debut on Saturday, February 22nd. The singer-songwriter and his new partner Bucky Heard are also currently performing a residency at the South Point Casino, Las Vegas, and will be hitting the road on tour, taking fans on a nostalgic journey through the catalog of one of the greatest duos of all time.

Quartz Hill Records’ Runaway June is working on new music. Last year, the trio featuring Jennifer Wayne, Natalie Stovall, and Stevie Woodward, released the intoxicating "New Kind of Emotion" and "He Ain't My Problem," which had over a million streams in its first week in November. The ladies co-wrote each track and teamed with Sugarland's Kristian Bush for producing duties. Each is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. Wayne is a California native who started on a path as a tennis pro before forming her first band, then began writing for artists like Eric Paslay soon after her post-college move to Nashville. Stovall took up classical violin at age four in Central Tennessee launched her music career by playing the fiddle in the Opryland Kids Club, attended Berklee College of Music, and eventually linked up with Wayne while on tour with her former band. Woodward got her start playing solo gigs all over South Carolina at 14, studied songwriting and music business at Middle Tennessee State University, and later embarked on a solo career as a singer-songwriter. Woodward joined the band in April 2022 after Wayne and Stovall discovered her online. Wayne, Stovall, and Woodward made their first public performance together at Nashville’s historic Grand Ole Opry and are constantly on the road, hitting stages in cities across the U.S. The trio joins us to discuss their new music and what fans can expect in 2025.

Last month, Cincinnati-based singer, songwriter and storyteller Michael Marcagi shared a raw and reflective new single entitled “Good Enough” via Warner Records. Marcagi co-wrote the tune with The Lumineers’ Wesley Schultz, while David Baron produced. The track’s breezy acoustic guitar and propulsive beat underline this modern troubadour’s unfiltered storytelling as nostalgia and bare emotion collide. In between the melodically buoyant harmony, the song culminates on an anthemic yet heartbreaking chant, “You said I wasn’t good…You said I wasn’t good enough.” As always, feeling bleeds through his delivery. Marcagi chats with us to discuss the track, working with Schultz, and a big year of touring with more on the way. "I record in upstate New York and it's with the same producer, the Lumineers have you been using for the past couple albums," he tells us. "And it was just one of those things where, you know, we, the producer had always been talking about like, 'Oh, I think you guys would get along. I think you guys would be a good fit to do a song together.' And it's just never really worked out or whatever. Finally, we had time in our schedules and [recorded] a song together. We spent a week, me and Wes, the lead singer of Lumineers spent a week together up in upstate New York and just wrote a song from scratch and recorded it and it was a really, really cool experience." Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Select episodes now streaming on Canyon Star TV. Become a supporter and support this podcast with a small monthly donation to help sustain future episodes. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/themusicuni/support

Mark Farner will release Closer to My Home, his long-awaited new studio album, on November 8th via Righteous Rock Records with distribution by MVD Entertainment Group. Bridging past and present, the grit of industry, and the calloused hard work of a rural man, the project champions Farner’s multi-faceted artistry. Celebrating the 55th anniversary of the iconic Grand Funk Railroad hit “(I’m Your Captain) Closer To My Home,” the album is highlighted with a re-record, finding Farner in exactly the same form as 1970. "There was no such thing as a click track back then. We played to the drummer. All of those hits back then, all of that music, it was all played to a real person, a drummer in a bone suit," Farner tells us about recreating the song. "So we did a tempo map. Josh Egan, who played drums on this particular cut, [Egen] did a tempo map of Brewer's original tempo, how it went up and down. I mean, if you looked at that map, you're going, 'What the hell?' You know, I mean, it was all over the place, but it doesn't sound like it. It's just naturally in and out. If the drummer does a fill, a lot of times, he's gonna make it to one before you do a pure tapping. (Laughing) He gets excited about what he's doing. So we wanted to capture that, and Josh certainly did. And he played Ludwig drums, just like Brewer played on the original track." Farner talks to us more about the project and whether a reunion with the original Grand Funk Railroad is in the works or not. Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Select episodes now streaming on Canyon Star TV. Become a supporter and support this podcast with a small monthly donation to help sustain future episodes. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/themusicuni/support

Award-winning artist and songwriter Brad Tursi of multi-platinum-selling band Old Dominion releases his first-ever solo project, Parallel Love, on July 19th. Parallel Love is a collection of songs that have been written over the past ten years that are reflective of where the accomplished artist, guitarist, and writer is in the present moment. Created and released with the band's full support, the project features co-writes with Stephen Wilson Jr., Dan Isbell, Jessi Alexander, and Matt Jenkins. Tursi produced the entire project as well, with Ben West and Marc Scibilia co-producing select tracks. In addition to his role with the reigning CMA and ACM Vocal Group of the Year, Tursi is a Grammy-nominated songwriter, has earned multiple CMA Triple Play Awards for writing three No. 1 songs in 12 months, been named AIMP Artist Writer of the Year, and co-written hits for Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan, Tyler Hubbard, Josh Turner, Darius Rucker, and Cole Swindell, among others. Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Select episodes now streaming on Canyon Star TV. Become a supporter and support this podcast with a small monthly donation to help sustain future episodes. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/themusicuni/support

The musician discusses his new spoken-word solo album Country, bluegrass, and Americana legend John McEuen release his long-awaited album, The Newsman: A Man Of Record, in April via Compass Records. In this project for McEuen, the album has ten spoken word tracks and one instrumental piece. Each one tells a special story in a way that's like a play, with John's style of music in the background. The album starts with a story about a newspaper seller who had a big impact on John when he was getting started in Los Angeles and ends with "Jules' Theme," a song inspired by Jules Verne talking about his wife, who passed away in a French cemetery. Every part of the album is carefully put together to make it unforgettable. The collection spans various literary themes from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Civil War-era poem "Killed at the Ford" (which we premiered) to Robert Service's "The Cremation of Sam McGee" about a Yukon prospector. Other tracks include Stephen Vincent Benét's "The Mountain Whippoorwill," Hank Williams Sr.'s "Fly Trouble," and Walter Brennan's "Old Rivers." Thomas Monroe's Vietnam War reflection "Nui Ba Den" contrasts with more recent compositions like John Carter Cash's "The Guitar Of Pineapple John," Hans Olson's "I'll Be Glad (When They Run Out Of Gas)," and Thaddeus Bryant's "Red Clay." McEuen was set to support the project, but underwent an unexpected medical procedure around the time of the album's release, forcing him to be sidelined for several months. We recently chatted with the country legend to discuss the project, his latest book, and his history with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Select episodes now streaming on Canyon Star TV. Become a supporter and support this podcast with a small monthly donation to help sustain future episodes. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/themusicuni/support

Rising country star Kassi Ashton is a week away from releasing her major debut album, Made From The Dirt, via MCA Records on September 20th. The project features her top 40 country radio hit, "Called Crazy," "I Don't Wanna Dance," her chilling new ballad "The Straw," and others. She holds nothing back on the ten tracks. Spiking her brand of country with rock ‘n’ roll spirit and unabashed vulnerability, she proudly wears her heart on her sleeve. Ashton tells us the album title describes who she is. "I was watching a live feed of a couture fashion show. And these models were wearing the most gorgeous, handmade, textured, metallic gowns trudging through mud. The stage in which the show was presented was like a pitch black, high spotlight beamed, motocross field, basically," she says. "The puddles, the hills, the obstacles. And I thought 'I wonder if everyone realizes that the gowns are all the more beautiful because they're being dragged through the mud because the models are having to climb and claw and really put their back into it.' And I just related so heavily to that imagery because all of my favorite things about myself if I could make a list have come from struggle or overcoming obstacles. I wasn't born with any of my favorite things. That's like, congrats, you were born with it, no one cares. But the things that have given me scars and that have shaped me are my favorite things. So yeah, I'm 'Made From Dirt.' And I tell everybody, I love the get back up. Please push me down, because I'm all the more interesting afterward." In the episode, Ashton also explains the idea behind "Called Crazy," her stage presence, and more. Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Select episodes now streaming on Canyon Star TV. Become a supporter and support this podcast with a small monthly donation to help sustain future episodes. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/themusicuni/support

McBride & The Ride celebrates its 35th anniversary with a new live EP this fall. The album's first single, "Amarillo Sky," is available now and may be familiar to country fans as it was made famous by Jason Aldean although Terry McBride & Co had recorded it years before Aldean. "We've never recorded a live album, record or anything," McBride shares with us. "A lot of people have always asked us about live music. Our live show has a lot of energy that wasn't always captured in the studio, especially way back in the day when we were cutting a lot of ballads for radio. We just thought it was a great way for people who are fans or maybe never heard us to maybe get an idea of who we are live." 2024 also marks the 30th anniversary of the blockbuster film 8 Seconds, starring Luke Perry as bull rider Lane Frost. The band appeared in the film and contributed "No More Cryin'" to its soundtrack. When they first began releasing music in 1989, McBride & The Ride released three acclaimed albums Burnin’ Up The Road, Sacred Ground, and Hurry Sundown, with hit singles like "Love on the Loose, Heart on the Run," “Sacred Ground,” "Going Out of My Mind," and many more. In the spring of 2021, they announced they were reuniting and going back in the studio to record new music. Though the band has been on and off over the past 30 years, its members have thrived through their careers. Ray Herndon has been Lyle Lovett’s lead guitarist since 1985 and has had songs cut by Kenny Chesney, Aaron Tippin, Lee Greenwood, Linda Davis, and more, he continues to operate his family’s historic club, Handlebar J, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Terry McBride has had quite a fruitful career, writing major hits for Brooks & Dunn, Reba McEntire, Easton Corbin, Cody Johnson, and more. He toured with Brooks & Dunn through most of their biggest years playing bass and writing songs. Billy Thomas moved to Nashville from Los Angeles in 1987 and immediately started working with Vince Gill along with many other country stars, including Emmylou Harris, Patty Loveless, Steve Wariner & Earl Scruggs. He’s been Gill’s drummer on the road and in the studio ever since, adding background vocals to his many hits, as well as joining him as a member of The Time Jumpers, one of Nashville’s favorite bands. The trio’s previous EP, Marlboros & Avon, produced by all three members, was released in 2023. Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Select episodes now streaming on Canyon Star TV. Become a supporter and support this podcast with a small monthly donation to help sustain future episodes. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/themusicuni/support

Australian indie pop group Sheppard has returned with Zora, its fourth studio album, available now via Universal Music Group. The highly-anticipated project sees siblings Amy, Emma, and George Sheppard sharing their thoughts during uncertain times. "We started writing it pretty much the day after we released Kaleidoscope Eyes," George says of the group's third album released during COVID. "We sorta started channeling those frustrations into a new album. We just kinda got back to work and a lot of this album was out of trying to give ourselves some hope of what was to come." The album was written in Brisbane, LA, and Stockholm and is dedicated to their grandmother Zora. The project is available on CD, and a limited edition double yellow vinyl and cassette. The trio recently relocated to Nashville from their native Australia. They chat with Matt Bailey at a recent tour stop in Washington, DC about the project and how the move has affected their career. Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Select episodes now streaming on Canyon Star TV. Become a supporter and support this podcast with a small monthly donation to help sustain future episodes. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/themusicuni/support

Capitol Nashville's Caylee Hammack has released her newest single, “The Hill,” laying the groundwork for her next creative chapter, pairing her with Celtic influences. The song opens a new spin sonically that pays homage to her transformative time in Scotland and Ireland as well as her sad surrender to a love that can no longer survive. Known as a deeply personal artist, Hammock vulnerably shares the internal battle of when to wave the white flag in a relationship. Hammack co-wrote the song with singer/songwriter Tenille Townes, and songwriter Logan Wall, with John Osborne (of the country music duo Brothers Osborne) serving as a producer. Hammack has carved a place for herself in country music, releasing her debut record If It Wasn't For You in 2020 with writer and producer credits for the entire project. She tapped Chris Stapleton, Alan Jackson, and Reba McEntire for collaborations on the project. In this episode, the rising country star talks to us about her new music and what gave her the courage to ask three country superstars to guest on her debut which was recorded largely independently before signing with UMG Nashville. Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Select episodes now streaming on Canyon Star TV. Become a supporter and support this podcast with a small monthly donation to help sustain future episodes. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/themusicuni/support

Grammy Award honoree, Songwriters Hall of Fame member, and BBC Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Don McLean released his most recent album, American Boys, earlier this month via BFD/Audium Nashville and distributed exclusively through The Orchard. Paying tribute to his rock and roll heroes, McLean's new single honors those who paved the way. "American boys invented rock and roll. That's the idea," McLean tells us. "It's really the high school version of 'American Pie' which is the college version, but it's not complicated at all, it's just a simple homage, but they invented rock and roll. That's the thing I want to get across to people that America has invented a lot of different kinds of music. It comes from the soil. It comes from the south. It comes from Memphis, and Nashville, the Texas Panhandle, Louisiana, Arkansas, all over. It doesn't come from New England. It does not come from the West. It comes from these places." Last week, McLean was a guest at The White House State Dinner for President Ruto of Kenya. The legendary and still active singer/songwriter has had a significant career, selling over 50 million albums worldwide. Among other things, Don McLean received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2021, was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2022, received a star on the Las Vegas Walk of Fame in 2019 and the Music City Walk of Fame in 2023, and was recently the focus of a Paramount+ documentary The Day The Music Died. Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Select episodes now streaming on Canyon Star TV. Become a supporter and support this podcast with a small monthly donation to help sustain future episodes. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/themusicuni/support

Texas country singer-songwriter Wade Bowen recently released his new album, Flyin, through his Bowen Sounds via Thirty Tigers/The Orchard. The 12-track record features a curated track listing with diverse songs ranging from old-fashioned honky-tonk country to gut-wrenching ballads, classic rock and even a love song to his home state for shaping him who he is today. As the second project that Bowen has produced fully himself, Flyin came together over a year and provides listeners with an unexpected array of songs that will keep them on their toes and take them through a unique, musical journey. With this album, Bowen explores the individuality of each song and takes a deep dive into his creativity through songwriting and storytelling. "Having a new album is always fun. It's always exciting. I really believe in this record and like I've been telling people, an artist, you know, a songwriter always says their most recent song they wrote is always their favorite and the artist always says their most recent album is always their favorite. So I'm trying really hard not to say that this time because I know that's the most cliche answer, but even though I do believe it's my favorite, but I do believe there's an energy to this record that I've never had before," Bowen tells us. He continues, "This is the second record that I produced on my own of mine. And I believe that as I listen through to it, I think there's an energy to this thing that I've never had. Something that I could carry over into my live shows and something that we have carried over into my live show that has really amped things up and really given like, spirit to things that I've never had something that this really crank things up a little bit and just shown and it really is not it's not just about the tempo it's just this this energy this spirit this this this this this this fun and and happiness and just showing that that I'm having more fun than I've ever had and I feel like I'm at the top of my game right now this far into my career that feels really good to hear all of that in this record and I hope people hear that when they hear this record." We chat about the new album, teaming up with good friend Miranda Lambert for the first time for a limited Texas run May 24-26 in his hometown of New Braunfels, his Bowen Family Foundation, and performing the National Anthem for the 2024 Texas Rangers Opening Day game. Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Select episodes now streaming on Canyon Star TV. Become a supporter and support this podcast with a small monthly donation to help sustain future episodes. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/themusicuni/support