Category Archives: contest

News Round Up: Country for Our Country Supports the Troops

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  • The Country for Our Country benefit concert will occur  in Tyler, Texas this Saturday night (10/24). The event will celebrate the troops and benefit wounded soldiers by providing them with counseling and support during a difficult transitional period in their lives. The benefit will feature performances by Joe Nichols, Heidi Newfield, Derek Sholl, and Kacey Musgraves and The Big D & Bubba Show will emcee the event.
  • Check out Ryan Bingham’s new video for his song Country Roads.
  • Paste magazine’s Andy Whitman gives his view of the landscape of country (really Americana) music of the aughts (’00.)
  • Find Lighten’ (the opposum) over at georgejones.com and get entered to win prizes like: Cracker Barrel Gift Cards, Autographed CD’s, and concert tickets.

News Round Up: Willie Twitters & A New Langhorne Slim Download

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  • Check out the “twitterview”  – a cute way of describing an interview conducted on twitter –  between TheBoot.com and Willie Nelson as was gearing up for his MySpace free secret concert in Maui, Hawaii.
  • Speaking of the twitterverse (yeah, I’m gonna get mileage out of this), Charlie Robison won’t have to travel far to play a private living room concert for the winner of his twitter concert. The winner lives in Austin.
  • The Grand Ole Opry will bring back it’s special Opry Country Classics program this fall for an eight-week run beginning Thurs., Sept. 10. Already scheduled to perform are Moe Bandy, Terri Clark, Jimmy Dickens, Larry Gatlin, Vince Gill, Jamey Johnson, George Jones, Ray Price, Joe Stampley, Marty Stuart, Mel Tillis, Pam Tillis, and Tanya Tucker.
  • Rosanne Cash will be the subject of the Americana Music Association’s Festival and Conference 2009 Keynote Interview. The interview will be conducted by author/journalist Michael Streissguth – who has written books on Rosanne as well as her father Johnny, Eddy Arnold and others – will take place Thursday, September 17 from 10:45 until noon at the Nashville Convention Center.
  • Jack Ingram established a new Guinness World Record – most radio interviews in a 24-hour period. Ingram was  promoting his new disc “Big Dreams & High Hopes.” Ingram recorded 215 radio interviews within 24 hours, hitting most of the 50 states, Canada, Ireland and Australia. The previous record was 96.

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band to Release First New Album in Five Years

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  • The legendary Nitty Gritty Dirt Band will release their first studio album in five years. The influential California country-rock  will release Speed of Life on September 22 on their own NGDB Records.
  • SheKnows.com features an exclusive interview with Holly Williams. Holly is the Granddaughter of Hank Williams, daughter of Bocephus and half-sister of Hank Williams III. Nashville Scene also has a nice article on Ms. Williams.
  • Holly Williams will also be will be performing, interviewing and signing autographs Friday, July 3 at 1:30pm at the Country Music Hall of Fame in downtown Nashville, which is included with museum admission and free to members. At 7pm she will make her Grand Ole Opry debut, which can be heard live on Nashville’s WSM,  and Sirius XM.
  • Charlie Robison is offering a chance to win a private concert that will take place in the winner’s very own living room. You can also invite up to 25 of your friends! the contest is taking place through Robison’s twitter feed.

Elvis Costello Secret, Profane and Sugarcane Contest

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Ranch Twang has a CD of the new roots/Americana release by Elvis Costello Secret, Profane and Sugarcane (Twang Nation Review here)to give to one lucky poster.

Secret, Profane and Sugarcane (Hear Music) was produced by T. Bone Burnett and features Grammy winning singer/songwriter Jim Lauderdale on backing vocal and guitar. The record highlights Costello’s love and respect for for the music and artists of the South and Southwest and his skill in crossing genres.

Entering the contest is easy. Post a message below naming a performer you believe has also successfully crossed from their home genre into the roots/Americana side of the tracks.

Remember when you comment to use a valid email address becuase it will be the one we use to contact you if you have won. Your info is safe with us and won’t be used for anything but this contest.

Eligible comments must be posted by 11:59 pm EST on Friday, June 26th. The winner will be randomly chosen and announced after the contest has ended.

Charlie Robison Beautiful Day Contest (Signed CD)

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Charlie Robison (along with his brother Bruce Robison) are Texas songwriting royalty. Nobody can make you feel so good about feeling bad and his new release Beautiful Day (Dualtone records) is some of his best work yet.

Ranch Twang has a signed copy of the release and will gladly fork it over to some lucky winner.  Just leave a comment telling us who your favorite Texas singer/songwriter is. Yes, it’s that easy. Thanks to Robison and Dualtone records for their participation.

Remember when you comment to use a valid email address becuase it will be the one we use to contact you if you have won. Your info is safe with us and won’t be used for anything but this contest.

Eligible comments must be posted by 11:59 pm EST on Monday, June 22nd. The winner will be randomly chosen and announced after the contest has ended.

We got a winner. Thanks for posting and check back to Twang Nation for more contests and up to date news and reviews.

Record Store Day April 18

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This Saturday April 18this National Record Store Day. You remember, those musty places stacked with tons of records and CDs and a staff that sneered at you when you asked for the new Fine Young Cannibals. Good times.  There will be contests, specials and concerts Nationwide to support this endangered cultural artifact of the digital age and increasingly passive musical consumption. Think of it as Civil War reenactment but with a better soundtrack. Check the official site to find an event near you.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgcAz50jsKU[/youtube]

Naked Willie Contest

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It’s been quite a while since we held a contest here at Ranch Twang and today we have a doozy. I have one copy of the newly released Naked Willie (Sony Legacy) to give away to one lucky commenter. Naked Willie was produced by Willie’s long time harmonica player extraordinaire Mickey Raphael and features stripped down collection of 17 vintage RCA cuts that span 1966-1970.

Naked Willie Track List:

1. “Bring Me Sunshine”
2. “Following Me Around”
3. “The Ghost”
4. “Happiness Lives Next Door”
5. “I Just Dropped By”
6. “Jimmy’s Road”
7. “I Let My Mind Wander”
8. “If You Could See What’s Going Through My Mind”
9. “Johnny One Time”
10. “The Local Memory”
11. “The Party’s Over”
12. “Where Do You Stand”
13. “When We Live Again”
14. “What Can You Do To Me Now”
15. “I’m A Memory”
16. “Sunday Morning Coming Down”
17. “Laying My Burdens Down”

Just leave a comment recollecting your favorite Willie Nelson memory below. The winner will be chose at random on April 15th (tax day, Willie…get it?) from all the posts and I will email the winner for a physical address to ship the CD.

Good luck!

Paste Magazine Reviews The Flatlanders Newest

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  • Remember when Paste Magazine was more Americana and roots music focused, in other words, good? They harken back to those  halcion days by reviewing the Lloyd Maines produced release by Americana super group The Flatlanders (Joe Ely, Butch Hancock and Jimmie Dale Gilmore.)
  • Over at the 9513 Juli Thaki reviews what sounds like a spectacular show by country music legend Kris Kristofferson in Washington, DC.
  • CMT. COM is holding a Dolly Parton contest that offers a grand prize is which is a trip for two to NYC, air and hotel included, with tickets to Dolly’s 9 to 5: The Musical.
  • Comedy Central will be roasting Larry the Cable Guy  (aka Daniel Whitney) on Sunday March 15th. I hope they feature this early version of this douche on the program.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIWO5LgUZ28[/youtube]

Or, The Whale at Hotel Utah

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  • For one week only you can download honeyhoney‘s song “Brahm’s Lullaby” for FREE! honeyhoney’s “Brahm’s Lullaby” was featured in an Anti-Smoking campaign commercial in California (titled Grim Reapers.) Beginning Tuesday, February 3rd – honeyhoney’s “Brahm’s Lullaby” will be available for purchase on iTunes.
  • ACountry.com is giving away tickets to the city to your choice of Robert Earl Keen’s scheduled stops between February 11th to April 4th. 2009 marks the 20th Anniversary of Robert Earl Keen’s “The Road Goes on Forever” and will be the subject of a live tribute album to be released on Jan. 6, 2009 as well as a new book The Road Goes On Forever The Music Never Ends… which will be released in March, 2009.

Yallwire Hank III Contest

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  • Yallwire, Sidewalk Records, and Epiphone are giving fans a chance to win the Damn Right Rebel Proud Prize pack featuring an Epiphone Guitar, Custom III Sector 9 Skate Deck, New Album from Hank III Damn Right Rebel Proud on limited edition Vinyl & CD.
  • No Depression reports a March 24 release of Keep Your Soul: A Tribute To Doug Sahm on Vanguard Records. Some of the artists coerting the legendary Texas musician is Los Lobos, Alejandro Escovedo, Dave Alvin, Delbert McClinton, Charlie Sexton, the Gourds, Jimmie Vaughan, Terry Allen (with Joe Ely), Greg Dulli, Freda & the Firedogs, Joe “King” Carrasco with the Texas Tornados, and Doug’s son Shawn Sahm (teaming with Doug’s longtime bandmate Augie Meyers). The disc’s tracks cover all periods of Sahm’s career, from the heyday of the Sir Douglas Quartet to Sahm’s solo outings and up through his later tenure in the Texas Tornados.
  • The Americana Music Association now has an Amazon storefront featuring lots of alt.country, roots and yes, Americana goodies just in time for Christmas. stock up kids, those CDs won’t buy themselves!