PREMIERE: Mac Cornish Is Too Close to the “Belle of the Bar”

PREMIERE: Mac Cornish Is Too Close to the “Belle of the Bar”

ByRachel CholstFeb 8, 2024

Portland’s Mac Cornish is the uncomfortable protagonist of her bracing trad country single “Belle of the Bar.” Cornish’s deep affection for Laurel Canyon is obvious in her painterly lyrics and earthy rasp, but the twang in her rich voice is…

HEY! LISTEN: Forrest VanTuyl Ventures Through “The County”

HEY! LISTEN: Forrest VanTuyl Ventures Through “The County”

ByRachel CholstFeb 7, 2024

It’s been a minute since we’ve heard from Forrest VanTuyl (also known as An American Forrest) — and “The County” gives us a clue as to where he’s been: out in the back country, also called “The County.” VanTuyl helped…

HEY! LISTEN: Shay Martin Lovette Mourns the Loss of a “Lionhearted Woman”

HEY! LISTEN: Shay Martin Lovette Mourns the Loss of a “Lionhearted Woman”

ByRachel CholstFeb 6, 2024

You won’t find Shay Martin Lovette far from a body of water. His love for his North Carolina roots is clear on his gentle folk songs, brimming with a clarity and tenderness that seems to be infused into the landscape.…

HEY! LISTEN: Brei Carter Kicks Off Black History Month With Country Disco “Boots Get to Talking”

HEY! LISTEN: Brei Carter Kicks Off Black History Month With Country Disco “Boots Get to Talking”

ByRachel CholstFeb 1, 2024

We can talk about authenticity and country music ’til the cows come home (ha) but there’s no debate that “authenticity” is always used as a means of defining who’s in and who’s out of the genre — and for far…

HEY! LISTEN: CHUCK Goes Maximal Nihilism on “Nothing Matters To Me Now”

HEY! LISTEN: CHUCK Goes Maximal Nihilism on “Nothing Matters To Me Now”

ByRachel CholstJan 31, 2024

CHUCK gives us all something tasty to chew on while we ponder the endless, meaningless expanse of the universe. I dunno, maybe we should all just have fun with the fact that we’re all going to do and that perhaps…