Tag: "alternative country"

Americana alt-rock band The Gaslight Anthem have premiered a new video for their song “Here Comes My Man” from their latest album, Handwritten, released this past summer by Mercury Recordings. The video stars actress Elisha Cuthbert (The Girl Next Door) daydreaming about finally meeting a man who will treat her right, matching the theme of the song. While she’s off on imaginary dates, the band is playing back at a barn show rigged up with dim lights. Slow-mo shots and good vibes abound. Check it out below:

If you like The Gaslight Anthem, then you might also like OurStage’s own Bradley Wik.

More Like This:

• Record Store Day Announces Black Friday Releases
• Q&A With The Gaslight Anthem
• Q&A with Murder By Death

Put on your boots and get ready to rock. This month, Ernie Ball is asking music fans everywhere to help them find the best alt. country act on the rise. In order to decide who will be crowned this month’s victor, we need YOU to help us by judging in the channel to ensure the best music makes it to the top. What’s at stake? A year’s supply of Ernie Ball strings and accessories, of course. Hurry over to the Alternative Country Channel now to judge before it’s too late.

Are you an aspiring country star whose not afraid to add little rock and roll to the mix? Do you compose whiskey-soaked jams about endless summers and times with friends, but know there is always room for a good ballad? If so, OurStage and Ernie Ball have an opportunity for you.

Submit your best track to our ““Ernie Ball Alternative Country” Competition by June 22 and you could win a year’s supply of Ernie Ball strings and accessories to help you further chase the dream. Just upload your track, tell your fans to sign on and judge for you, and we’ll let our fans and the judges at Ernie Ball decide who has the chops to be alt-country’s next heartbreaker.

What are you waiting for? Click here and enter now!

Admit it. You’re a sucker for a good piano melody. No matter what genre of music we’re listening to, the sound of a piano is always nice to hear. Well, guess what? It’s National Piano Month, so we recently asked all of you OurStage artists to submit your awesome songs (featuring the piano, of course) to our “Kick Up The Keys” Competition, and now it’s time for all you piano lovers to judge!

Head over to the “Kick Up the Keys” Channel to discover some new favorites and judge the music you love! There’s something for everyone, from R&B to indie pop to traditional country. You can start right now, but remember that judging ends on September 30th. So to all of you who love the keys, show us what you like—your picks could end up on our “Kick Up The Keys” Playlist which will be available to download for free!

September is National Piano Month, and frankly, we’re all in the mood for a melody. If you’ve got a track that shows off your prowess of the eighty-eight keys, then enter the “Kick Up The Keys” Competition by September 22nd.

Talent that catches the ear of the OurStage Editor at Large could be featured in our “Kick Up The Keys” Playlist, which will be promoted and offered for free download to the entire OurStage community. So what are you waiting for? Step up and sing us a song.

Eligible submissions are limited to those featuring piano as the primary instrument throughout the composition.

Accepted genres: r&b, soul, pop, indie pop, modern rock, soft rock, singer songwriter (male), singer songwriter (female), indie rock, rock, alternative, southern rock,  traditional country, country, alternative country and acoustic

Strings are the oil that keeps the alternative country engine running. Whether in the studio, on the road or on stage, shiny new strings keep the music blasting well into the night. In February, Ernie Ball lent a helping hand to artists in the Alternative Country Channel, offering one Grand Prize Winner a chance to earn a year’s supply of free strings and accessories.

Coles Whalen, a songstress hailing from Denver, Colorado took home the cake with her song “Go Child.” One look through Whalen’s OurStage profile is all you need to know that she has alternative country in her blood. Whalen spent her early days touring the country in her pick up and camper, spreading her voice and music across the country. In 2007, she parked the camper permanently in Denver, and has been cranking out the tunes ever since, opening for artists the likes of Rufus Wainwright, The John Butler Trio and Paula Cole. Join us in congratulating Coles Whalen on her win, and stay tuned to the OurStage Magazine for our upcoming interview with her.

Artists in the Hard Rock Channel are currently competing for this month’s Ernie Ball prize. Head over to the channel now and show those artists some love!

Do you find yourself rocking out to Wilco on a daily basis? Does Ryan Adams frequent your iTunes top-played list more than you’d like to admit? Well OurStage may just have a channel that’s right up your alley. This month, artists in the Alternative Country Channel are competing for a year’s supply of free strings and accessories from Ernie Ball. In case you were wondering, a prize like that is a huge benefit to any up-and-coming musician, especially those who aspire to hold rank with artists the likes of Neil Young, My Morning Jacket and Son Volt. Your musical expertise is needed to help filter the best artists to the top of the channel, and in return you can discover some truly awesome new music along the way. So what are you waiting for? You can take part in discovering the next big thing in alternative country music. Head to the channel now and let your voice be heard. But hurry, judging closes February 26^th!

Ernie Ball is kicking off another month of string giveaways on OurStage, this time setting their sights on the Alternative Country Channel. Want to know how AWESOME this prize truly is? Any artist who enters their song into the Alternative Country Channel by February 20th has a shot at winning 52 sets of guitar strings, 12 sets of bass strings and accessories  from Ernie Ball. Do the math, folks—that’s an estimated $500 worth of FREE stuff! You could use that extra money to cover your studio bills, repair the tour bus or contribute to the band pizza fund.  All you have to do is enter your song, and encourage your friends and fans to come and judge in the channel. But tell them to hurry. Judging ends on February 26th, so time is of the essence. For official rules and competition information, click HERE. Be sure to stay tuned to the OurStage magazine to find out who won January’s Ernie Ball competition in the Indie Rock Channel.

Ever wondered what it would be like to head over to Nashville to pursue the dream of becoming the next big thing in country music? Are you talented enough to be the next great country superstar? Can you picture yourself receiving a CMA New Artist of the Year award? A major cable television network is now casting the most amazing undiscovered vocal talent for an exciting new musical competition series. If you have the voice, the passion and the edge to out-sing the competition, we want to hear from you! All solo artists whose music falls into the country, alternative country and traditional country genre’s are invited to enter their best original song in the competition for a chance to win a trip to Nashville, Tennessee to audition in front of a panel of the show’s producers.  If this sounds like your kind of party, click HERE for official rules and competition information.

During Punk Rock’s first mid-’70s era there was much dismissal of Country Rock in New Wave music circles.  By 1995,  the genre of  New Country,  an infusion of mainstream Country with Rock influence, had gone so on the nerves that prejudice against its predecessor, the  psychedelic sounds of Space-Age Country, seemed to automatically lift.  It was that same year I heard Beachwood Sparks, and then, Alternative Country ‘zine No Depression made its debut indicating a resurgence of the popularity of Country.

I See Hawks In LA (L-R) Shawn Nourse, Paul Lacques, Paul Marshall, Rob Waller

Since, Country Rock has evolved to include elements of nearly every genre. Los Angeles, for example, in the new century has spawned local nature-themed bands I See Hawks In L.A. and Old Californio.  I See Hawks In L.A. features rich, deep vocals complimented by gritty but pure-in-instrumentation sound on their five CDs (Shoulda Been Gold, being their latest). Old Californio on the other hand, offers psychedelic bounce and in-the-pocket, ethereal jams such as those heard on their 2009 album Westerning Again and songs  from their forthcoming album, which they’ve recently debuted at their live shows.  “The geography and environment in which we live,” said Californio’s Justin Smith, “is as much of an influence as the music itself, and that follows with our releases; we don’t rely on people from the outside to make this a visible thing.”

Old Californio (L-R) Paul Lacques: Lap Steel, Woody Aplanalp: Guitar, Jason Chesney: Bass, Justin Smith: Drums, Rich Dembowski: Guitar & Mustache, Levi Nunez: Keys

Austin, Texas  Country artist, producer and songwriter Jesse Dayton‘s sound embodies a post-Cramps roots-country garage tone with a thankfully greasy edge. On his forthcoming album One For The Dancehalls Dayton is branching out, writing with songwriter’s like Universal’s Trent Summar, Damon Bramblett and recording a song by Nick Lowe.

Laura Cantrell

Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, Laura Cantrell chose New York City to cultivate her own brand of  folk rock-infused Country music  to compliment her clear, angelic voice – best heard above sparse instrumentation.   Cantrell is currently completing her fifth album, this one to be based on the music of Kitty Wells, now 91.  Cantrell said,  “It was a real thrill to think that I could pay some tribute  in a way that might bring it honor.  It also helped work through the realities of having a music career, family and interest in the history and continuity of Country music during this post-digital music environment.”

By Domenic Priore