New Album, Redemption, From Halfway to Hazard

Halfway to Hazard on Country Music News Blog

HALFWAY TO HAZARD RETURNS WITH FIRST NEW ALBUM IN NEARLY 10 YEARS, REDEMPTION New 10-track Compilation Available for Purchase Now at Amazon, iTunes and All Digital Retailers. For the first time in nearly a decade, country music duo Halfway to Hazard is back with new material. The album, appropriately titled, REDemptiOn, is available for purchase now. Upon their debut to the country music scene in 2007, Halfway to Hazard hit with a rapid cannon fire. Suddenly the duo was opening for superstars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill and were making major label records with big time producers and engineers in famous studios. David Tolliver and Chad Warrix struggled to find balance between artistry and life, and the rigors of breaking through as a new artist. Tolliver especially struggled with the newfound success and celebrity status. Eventually, Halfway to Hazard hit a breaking point. “We had to take a several year break from each other and the business to save our friendship,” says Warrix. “The stop in momentum definitely damaged our rise to the top. But we are repairing the broken pieces of the puzzle and finding new ways because of our experience and knowledge to find success.” Following the duo’s last album release in 2009, the two Kentuckians chose to take a break from their country music career. During that time, Tolliver focused on his career as a songwriter, while Warrix also kept writing songs and continued to perform on the road as a guitarist for various artists. When Tolliver and Warrix reunited and made the decision to record new music, they didn’t rush the process. Both are now in different places in their lives and wanted to draw from that. They wanted quality music that accurately reflected their current whereabouts in life. “This new project means a lot to me,” says Tolliver. “We took some time off, we had success before and we also had some heartache. Making this new album helped heal wounds and also brought back great memories of why we started doing this in the first place, to make music and play music.” Warrix adds, “The REDemptiOn album was a long time coming, I felt like we were just meant to make more music years ago but because of certain circumstances, we didn’t get that chance. So, for me, it’s been really important to get new music out that represents David and I not just as songwriters but also as artists.” The album’s first single, “Heaven on Down The Highway” is especially important to the duo because of its message of redemption. “It’s about looking forward to the future and not dwelling on a past that you can’t change. This life is short and we need to ‘rip off that rearview’ and enjoy what is in front of us,” Tolliver says. “I’m in love with the whole concept of this album, REDemptiOn, because to me each one of these songs represents our growth as writers and artists in a town of so many gifted people,” Warrix explains. The project contains 10 Continue reading New Album, Redemption, From Halfway to Hazard

Watch Now: Tim McGraw & Faith Hill “The Rest Of Our Life”

Rest Of Our Life

There was a time when the love story between Faith Hill and Tim McGraw was one that had every teenage country fangirl’s heart all a-flutter. Somehow the pair have captured that basket of butterflies again with the help of songwriter-extraordinaire Ed Sheeran in their new release “Rest of Our Life”     Watch the pair talk about why performing this song made them so nervous, and what made it all better…  

Listen Now: Alex Williams – Old Tattoo

Alex Williams news on Country Music News Blog

It seems that the resurgence of so-called outlaw country artists like Chris Stapleton and Sturgill Simpson have put the pressure on the major labels to answer with an artist of their own that fits the bill. Enter Big Machine Label Group’s soulful and spirited contender Alex Williams. With a major press push behind his debut release “Better Than Myself”, Big Machine is betting big dollars that at least a good portion of country music fans are ready to let go of the bros and go back to the roots of our genre’s sound. No more “sweet lil’ thang get up in my truck and pass me a bottle of that good stuff” here! Here’s to hoping that traditional streak in signed artists continues! Central Indiana’s native son Alex Williams is currently slugging it out on the road as the show opener for Aaron Lewis and Blackberry Smoke [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMXlOt7HM6c[/embedyt] Find out more about Alex Williams at alexwilliamsofficial.com.

Listen Now: Jennifer Nettles “King of the City”

It’s certainly been a while since we’ve heard new music from Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles, but as it turns out, the wait has paid off. New this week, Jennifer released a track that pays tribute to the often forgotten fallen victims of the 2001 destruction at The World Trade Center. The track, “King of the City” is a heartwrenching emotional number and truly showcases the ability of a song to express something so raw in such a beautiful way.

Introducing Billy Shaw Jr., The Tucson Troubadour

Billy Shaw Jr News on Country Music News Blog

When you think “country fiddle player”, the hills and valleys of Southern Arizona aren’t really the first place you’d expect to stumble across one, but that’s exactly where our good friend Jessica Northey found Billy Shaw Jr competing for and winning the local Cumulus Radio contest “Nash Next Country Star“. The band went on to place in the top ten in the national finals, and is quickly making a name for themselves in the Southwest. The Billy Shaw Jr Band is currently promoting their first major single “Cowboy At Heart” which tells the story of what it’s like to be a working musician coming up outside of the stereotypical country fields and off Music Row. He took to Twitter this Labor Day weekend to answer a few questions in the running #CMChat series about his influences and what keeps him fighting for his chance in the spotlight. When asked what inspired this first single, his answer was a simple one… his mom, who encouraged him to be anything he wanted to be in life. Sadly she passed away earlier this year. It does warm our hearts though here at Country Music News Blog to see him working so hard to reach his dreams the way his mamma inspired him to do. A3: I wanted to be a cowboy when I was a kid, but it wasn’t in the cards. My mom said I could be anything, it was about the heart. #CMchat https://t.co/0RTMv4W6kf — Billy Shaw Jr (@BillyShawJr) September 5, 2017 Billy Shaw Jr Band – “Cowboy At Heart” [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrWzmoSp3xg[/embedyt] Of course it’s not all hard work and serious songs. Billy Shaw Jr. showed his funny side this spring when he decided to poke a little fun at one of our favorite songstresses, Miranda Lambert with a parody cover of “Little Red Wagon“. Billy Shaw Jr Band – “Little Red Wagon (parody)” [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj-ZNpgUJAU[/embedyt] It’s clear that he understands where he falls in the flashy pop and pompous marketing machine of Music Row as he is the first to call himself a “Country Music Superman”, calling out his own Clark Kent style during the day, but blowing away fans from the stage by night. For now you can find Billy and the band playing bars and clubs across the southwest, but they have plans to first hit the studio and track a full-length album, then hit the road for a hell of a tour! Billy Shaw Jr is joined by an all-star cast of bandmates: Laki Skouras – Guitar/Vocals, AJ Gonzales – Bass/Vocals and Carlos Solorzano – Drums/Vocals. You can learn more about Billy Shaw Jr Band on Facebook. Save

Zac Brown Band “Roots” Official Video

Zac Brown Band on Country Music News Blog

A personal favorite of ours here at Country Music News Blog, Zac Brown Band is doing a little looking back as they share a live recorded video for their latest single “Roots”. The video was shot during their Welcome Home tour. As he said himself, “This is in memory of every dive bar that I’ve played in this town.” [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW75vz11K98[/embedyt]

Video Debut: Sandra Lynn – Hey California

Sandra Lynn News on Country Music News Blog

In a playful splash into mainstream country music, Sandra Lynn may seem like a newcomer to the Nashville scene, but this California gal has been slugging away since her 2014 self-titled EP. Now it seems like that hard work is paying off as her brand new video for “Hey California” picks up steam and is getting picked up by tv stations and blogs all over the country! Enjoy this playful take on a cute crush and tell us what you think. Do you want to hear more from Sandra Lynn? [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PUcqm8bpEA[/embedyt]