Now & Then: John R. Miller’s The Great Unknowing and the reach of The Poet Game

John R. Miller’s The Great Unknowing expands his country-rooted songwriting without leaving its working-class concerns behind. The album moves between acoustic character studies, honky-tonk arrangements, and louder electric passages, but Miller’s focus stays on people dealing with disappointment, economic pressure, and their own bad habits. Greg Brown’s 1994 album The Poet Game offers a useful earlier model. Brown also built songs from ordinary lives and local details, then allowed broader social concerns to emerge without turning the writing into commentary first and music second.

Morgan Wallen Stares Down Fan Who Hit Him With A Cell Phone On Stage During Night One In Ann Arbor

Morgan Wallen Stares Down Fan Who Hit Him With A Cell Phone On Stage During Night One In Ann Arbor

You’d think they’d know better by now. Morgan Wallen is wrapping up his Still the Problem Tour, with only two dates left after this weekend’s two-night run at the Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan. And for some reason, people are still trying to throw their phones on stage in hopes of…getting a selfie, I guess? Spoiler alert: It never works. Throughout the tour, we’ve seen several instances of Morgan getting annoyed with fans throwing their phones on stage during the show […]

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Merle Haggard Thought Johnny Cash Was “Kind Of Corny” Until He Saw Him Play At San Quentin Prison

Merle Haggard Thought Johnny Cash Was “Kind Of Corny” Until He Saw Him Play At San Quentin Prison

Of all the country stars dubbed an “outlaw,” Merle Haggard is easily one of the most qualified for the title. Merle rebelled early and often after the death of his father, racking up a long rap sheet that included car theft, armed robbery, hopping trains, skipping school, and assault. Some of these crimes were serious and others were petty, but the repeated nature of the offenses was amplified by his ability to escape from many of the work camps and […]

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Morgan Wallen Explains Why He Chose “Up Down” Over “You Make It Easy” As His Second Radio Single

Morgan Wallen Explains Why He Chose “Up Down” Over “You Make It Easy” As His Second Radio Single

I’d say it all worked out for him… Morgan Wallen is the biggest act in music, has broken multiple records and released several hit albums, all while selling out stadiums all over the world… But back in 2017 he was just getting started and was an opener on FGL’s Dig Your Roots Tour. He would later release his first hit single “Up Down,” which also featured FGL, and with them being at the top of the charts at the time, […]

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