The Music Universe Podcast

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 Bi...

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 uncl...

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 ba...

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.

Blindside...

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...

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-instrumentalis...

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 buo...

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 albu...

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 wit...

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...

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 vulnerabil...

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...

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 channe...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Parker McCollum knows how to “Burn it Down,” but does he know the secret sauce for creating the perfect Raising Cane’s Box Combo? Award-winning country music singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist McCollum, the “Gold Chain Cowboy,” avoided the “Young Man's Blues” with a tour of the brand’s Dallas-Area Restaurant Support Office on Thursday (May 16th) with founder and owner Todd Graves.

McCollum – who won New Male Artist of ...

Acclaimed musical duo Bowen * Young has released their debut album, Us via Snakefarm/Pias, a London extension of Universal Music Group. The duo, consisting of husband and wife Claire Bowen (TV's Nashville) and Brandon Robert Young, draws inspiration from their personal experiences and musical influences and effortlessly blend elements of folk, Americana, and country to create a sound that is distinctly their own.

"When you...

BBR Music Group/Wheelhouse Records singer/songwriter Elvie Shane delivers his most daring work yet with his sophomore album Damascus, available now. Full of unflinching honesty rooted in compassionate clarity, Shane takes pieces of each character he’s met on his path, melding them into one beautifully woven work. The road to Damascus isn't a journey one takes lightly, yet the album tells the stories of those often untold, givin...