An impressive assembly of blues music masters, ranging from Blues Hall of Famers to rising stars, will gather in Memphis on Thursday May 7, for the 41st annual Blues Music Awards. Presented by The Blues Foundation, the BMAs honor the past year’s exceptional achievements in blues music recording, performance, and songwriting, as well as supporting the blues’ rich cultural traditions. This celebratory evening, recognized internationally as the blues world’s premier event, not only attracts nearly all the nominees, but also presents them in performance.

On June 21st, Diana Rein released her new studio album, Queen Of My Castle, the follow-up to her 2016 release Long Road. Queen of My Castle was co-produced by Michael Leasure (drummer Walter Trout Band) and mixed by Lincoln Clapp (who previously mixed Texas Flood by Stevie Ray Vaughan, one of Diana’s biggest influences). The new album is a collection of fifteen songs, one of which is a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Nicholas David is excited to bring his original music to listeners. The pull of the American South has been ever increasing in recent years, bringing this gifted pianist/singer/songwriter to the point where he can deliver, as he likes to say, “music from the heart for the heart.”

Theo Katzman reminds me of that kid in my junior high art class that was so charming, interesting and easy to talk to.  His music is crazy catchy. His voice is out of this world. He is like the Robin Williams of musical ingénue with vocal characters and complimentary insightful lyrics.  When not touring with Vulfpeck, he is doing his own solo material including his latest EP, Modern Johnny Tackles The Issues.

The Saturn Cinema, Philly psych outfit Them Jones' fourth effort, takes the band's classic rock sound to a new corner of the genre. Leaving behind much of the bluesier rock and shoegaze-y drones that informed their last three albums, The Saturn Cinema trades in guitar rhythms for pianos, electric solos for Mellotron riffs, and themes of death and transience for personal reflection and catharsis.

The Coolies, which combined the late Kim Shattuck (frontwoman of The Muffs and longtime bassist of The Pandoras) with Melanie Vammen (also of The Pandoras and formerly of The Muffs) and Palmyra Delran (solo artist and The Friggs guitarist), raised over $15,000 for ALS research, selling out three pressings of their debut EP, Uh Oh! It's... The Coolies. PRESS HERE to order the digital record and PRESS HERE to listen.

New York-based non-profit leaders, Women In Music, announces their Diversity & Inclusion Council today, which includes top executives such as Chissy Nkemere (Concord), Nikisha Bailey (Atlantic Records), Mayna Nevarez (Nevarez PR), and Sonja Kim (Pandora). The council will also include male members in an effort to create an inclusive and more equitable music community overall. Executives include Jeff Hammer (Northwestern Mutual), Michael Adams Jr., (Asylum Records) and Nick Maiale (Music Business Association).

Mental health in the music industry is vitally important. When we think of our favorite musicians in the limelight, we feel that their life is “perfect.” Sometimes these musicians are going through some of the same struggles that “normal people” go through daily. Being a touring musician is difficult. One of the resources that are available to help alleviate some pressure is Backline.

Mission:

“To connect music industry professional and their families with a trusted network of mental health and wellness care providers.”

Music icon Jerry Lee Lewis received a marker on the Mississippi Country Music Trail Thursday afternoon at The Lewis Ranch, his longtime home in Nesbit, Miss. The event was his first public appearance since a minor stroke in March of 2019 and signals a productive 2020 for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member.

“Most of my life,” says Will Sexton, “I’ve complicated things musically. But, nowadays, I have a different approach: it’s less cerebral, and more about gut and soul.”  

It’s been an evolution years in the making for revered guitarist/vocalist Sexton, who launched his career when he still in grade school. Now the towering Texan, nearing age 50, has brought this new philosophy to bear on his first solo record in a decade, Don’t Walk the Darkness, due from Big Legal Mess on March 6, 2020.