Month: July 2022

Hey ya’ll !!!   I have been super busy and totally slacking on these concert reviews and getting them on YouTube and such so I am just going to just make blogs for them and maybe later on do a whole “End of Summer Shows” recap?  I don’t know yet, but this review is of Whiskey Myers on their Tornillo Tour.  Again, I know this is late, but they are on tour all year, so if you can see them.  See Them!!!

The show we saw was at the Worcester Pallidum on April 29^th, 2022.  This show had Goodbye June and Shane Smith & The Saints as opening acts.  Talk about a line up.  Holy shit!

First, I need to thank my good friend Dan and the Worcester Palladium for having us!  It’s a great honor for me to be working with local venues to bring good authentic country music to central Massachusetts and New England in general.  Thank you all for that, the graciousness is not lost on me.

Now to the show.  The night kicked off with Goodbye June.  Never heard of these guys before and honestly, wasn’t sure about them going in, I am sure you can see a trend on these reviews.  I always want to stay objective with these reviews as well and I have to say, their sound, sucked.  They didn’t suck.  The sound for their set was awful.  I was actually really bummed out because I love seeing bands I never have and seeing them with a fresh set of eyes and ears.  It was so muffled and loud that you couldn’t understand lyrics, which is a huge bummer.  The band sounded absolutely fantastic and I do hope we get to see them again.  Someone asked me at the show what I thought and how I would describe them and all I could think of was if Axle Rose fronted a country rock band.  I think that’s the perfect analogy for this band.  I really do hope to get a better sounding show from them in the near future.

Then we had Shane Smith & the Saints come out.  Honestly, the night could have ended right here.  No disrespect to Whiskey Myers, but Shane Smith stole the night.  Stole the whole fucking night.  We legit saw a robbery right before our eyes and have no idea it was happening.  If you’re not listening to Shane Smith yet, give it a listen, you’ll be hooked.  I promise.  If you’re not.  Get your head and ears examined and FAST.  These guys were, as you may know, featured on the TV show Yellowstone.  Maybe you’ve heard of it?  If not, another thing you need to watch.  But anyway, Shane Smith blew the roof off the Palladium, I couldn’t believe how many people knew every word to every song they sang and sang it back to them.  It’s not every day a full crowd knows all the words to the opener’s songs, it was quite the spectacle to see.  It’s a true testament to them and their talent for sure.  I shamelessly stopped and gave Shane Smith a sticker from the show and I hope he still has it, was a huge honor to meet him after their set.  From the sounds of it they did play all of their more well-known songs and they were great.  When they played ‘All I See is You’ the place went ape shit and it was awesome.  I honestly have to say I was bummed out when their set came to and end, but that just meant it was finally time to see a band I have been waiting years to see…

Now, it was time for Whiskey Myers.  Like I mentioned, been wanting to see them for years.  They have come around and played shows, but this show was Sold Out in a larger theater, it was absolutely incredible.  They came out and played every song you would think they would play.  I was actually surprised they kicked off the night with their latest single ‘John Wayne’, honestly, I love when a band comes out and plays their latest release first.  Like it’s a “fuck you, now you stay for the rest of the show.”  I am sure that’s not their intent, but that’s how I see it and love it.  I was surprised how short their actual set was with 12 songs, but their encore had 5 songs including a cover of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers classic tune ‘Refugee’ to close the night with 17 songs.  Overall, it was a killer high energy set with everything and more you would expect from one of the Top Tier Country Rock bands in the country.  Whiskey Myers can’t come back soon enough in my opinion and I can’t wait for them to do so.

Thank you again to Dan Millen and the Worcester Palladium and of course Whiskey Myers, Shane Smith & the Saints and Goodbye June! 

Till next time ya’ll Cheers! 

Thank you all for reading along and listening to the show.  Check us out on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, Twitter all of the above.  And check out our website at http://www.bootsandwhiskeyentertainment.com

Hey ya’ll !!!   I have been super busy and totally slacking on these concert reviews and getting them on YouTube and such so I am just going to just make blogs for them and maybe later on do a whole “End of Summer Shows” recap?  I don’t know yet, but this review is of the 101.7 The Bull Green Solo Cup Party at Big Night Live in Boston on April 25^th.

As always, a BIG thank you to 101.7 The Bull, Big Night Live, and really of course our biggest thank you to Annie Brobst for making this show even possible for us, it truly is greatly appreciated.

Now, full disclosure.  I wanted to go to this show for really the eyeballs it would bring seeing HARDY.  Oh for those of you who don’t know, this was a radio show that Annie Brobst Opened for and had Niko Moon and Hardy, all acoustic, all absolutely incredibly.

Back to HARDY, like I said, only wanted to go for the exposure to the Instagram and what not.  This is a business, it’s only fair to want to see and do things that will get eye balls right?  I mean obviously I love doing these or I wouldn’t but all exposure for myself, the venues and the artists is always great.  Anyway, I wasn’t sold or sure about Hardy going into this show.  I hadn’t heard much of his stuff, I knew his claim to fame was through Morgan Wallen and Blake Shelton and some others he’s written songs for, I just wasn’t sold on the appeal.  We will get to the appeal in a moment.

Annie Brobst started the night, played some originals and played some covers.  I say it all the time, I hate when original bands play covers.  It legit goes up my ass sideways.  BUT.  In this instance I get it.  I think Annie’s set well very well received and really helped pave the way for the rest of the night.  Like I said, I get it, but me personally I thought it was a moment for Annie to shine and play some more originals, but in a room where maybe not many people know those songs, you have to take the safe road and get the crowd really going.  It was perfect, the highlight of the set was her rendition of ‘Whiskey Glasses’ by Morgan Wallen.  I will say it to the day I die, Morgan Wallen is the absolute man.  Fight me.  It was perfect to tie in MW’s tune at a Hardy show, maybe cliché but fuck it, it worked!

Then we had Niko Moon.  Again, not going to lie, wasn’t sure about Niko either.  I had heard ‘Good Time’ and that was it, although catchy, and a great song, it was played to death.  Love it, but overplaying a song for me loses its luster.  I have to say though, Niko came out and absolutely CRUSHED.  I honestly couldn’t believe it.  That infectious “Good Vibes Only” mantra is really contagious and the crowd FELT that shit.  When you’re at a country show, that’s what you’re there for, a good damn time, and Niko’s set provided just that.  This is a guy I need on this show, I bet the stories he could tell are absolute fire.  I bet he’s funny as hell and just a good dude.  Love it.  And since then, I have pretty regularly listened to Niko Moon on my rides to and from work, can’t get enough.  Cheers man! 

Now, the headliner.  HARDY.  I wasn’t sure if this show was even going to happen because he was sick as shit the day before and the day of the show.  But this dude came out and absolutely slayed.  He played for well over an hour, and I was originally told by the people on the inside that we’d be lucky if we got 45 mins due to how he felt.  The crowd was electric and sang EVERY WORD back to him.  It was unlike anything I had ever seen before.  I have seen shows where there’s crowd participation right, but this crowd it seemed knew the words better than he did.  

He played his hit ‘Sold Out’ to start the show, and as the night went on, he played various song’s he’s written for/with Morgan Wallen including the original version of ‘Sand in My Boots’ which you can see on our Tik Tok.  He also played the song he wrote that Blake Shelton released ‘God’s Country’.  It was a set that I wasn’t sure I was going to like going in, and left being a die-hard fan.  Hardy has been a regular on my playlists since this show and I can’t wait to see him again.  Absolutely incredible.

When it comes to the venue choice with Big Night Live, I have to say, it’s very reminiscent of the old Showcase Live in Foxboro Massachusetts.  I worked at Showcase Live for a little bit of time and walking into Big Night Live brought back a lot of feels and memories of my time there.  This venue is located right at the TD Garden, home of the Bruins and Celtics and it’s a great location.  There are several bars and restaurants in the area to grab a bite or a drink before a show or event there.  If you’re making your way down to Causeway Street make sure to check out the local establishments.  This was my second time at BNL and I will continue to see shows there time after time, even after they didn’t hire me for a sales person role 😛 I tease…but seriously wonderful people and great hospitality.

Finally a big thank you to Amanda, Jess, Colton and the 101.7 The Bull crew, ya’ll have been incredible to me here at this show and I thank you for a successful night with Hardy, Niko Moon and Annie Brobst.

Till next time ya’ll Horns Up! Cheers! 

Thank you all for reading along and listening to the show.  Check us out on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, Twitter all of the above.  And check out our website at http://www.bootsandwhiskeyentertainment.com

Concert Review Time

Hey ya’ll !!!   I have been super busy and totally slacking on these concert reviews and getting them on YouTube and such so I am just going to just make blogs for them and maybe later on do a whole “End of Summer Shows” recap?  I don’t know yet, but this review is of the Lansdowne Street Country Crawl Music Festival.

First, I have to thank literally everyone involved including Beezlo Music, 101.7 The Bull, Bill’s Bar, Game On Fenway, Loretta’s Last Call, The Lansdowne Pub, and Bleacher Bar.  These bars and Lansdowne Street itself were absolutely fantastic on the day of the show!  This show was on April 24^th…I know I know, damn Jim, take your time why don’t ya with these reviews.  

In my defense, I posted it to YouTube and totally fucked up like most of it because I was in a hurry.  So, you’re welcome for making it right 😛 

But seriously, this day was incredible.  Music started at 9:30 am and went all the way to 11pm.  It was a full day of country music!  There were some highlights and low lights and we are going to get into those now.  I will say, this was year one, and like most things in the first year or years, we’re going to have some growing pains.  I am not damn expert and I am sure none of what I am going to say will shock those who put it on, but my job is to review.

I am going to start with the lowlights first: 

1. Sunday shows are brutal for us old people and even more brutal when it’s all day
2. Food Options were tough to be had.  Personally, I would have lined the streets with food trucks and called it a day.
3. Some of the acts shouldn’t have had the slots they had.  Mid-day was way busier then first thing and after like 7pm.  

Honestly – I don’t have much to critique here.  Overall, the day was handled absolutely great.  The stuff mentioned above is super minor.

Now, the highlights:

1. Highlighting Local Country Artists here in New England …. FUCK YES!!!  Love to see it.  There were so many, check out the listing we have attached here for the full lineup! 
2. The National Acts were absolutely amazing to my surprise.  The Swon Brothers and Craig Campbell absolutely stole the whole day.  They absolutely crushed and turned me into a life long fan.  Hoping to get both on the show real soon.  Maybe my buddy Ricky Lynn can help with the Craig Campbell one.  I had zero intention of seeing The Swon Brothers and my god am I glad I did.  It was like being in church listening to these guys sing and tell their stories.  Can not wait to see them again.  Craig Campbell just speaks for itself, right?  I mean come on. ‘Outskirts of Heaven’ is a top 5 song of all time.  OF ALL TIME!  The other National Acts I saw were Drew Baldridge and one song of David Nail’s.  Drew’s set was entertaining for sure.  Reminded me of Luke Bryan but on a smaller scale, so for me, the jury is still out on how I feel about Drew.  Would love to chat with him and get his story, I typically change my mind about people after a conversation.  I saw one David Nail song and I split.  I was beat after such a long day.  I’ve never been a big David Nail guy, but I was looking forward to seeing him and bummed I couldn’t muster the energy to stick around.  Hopefully next time he’s here we can do a proper review of his show so we can hopefully do it some justice.
3. The venue options were pretty cool.  I loved that small dive bar feeling with a lot of these acts.  I loved how it had that lower Broadway feel to it as well.  People coming and going from these bars to see who they wanted when they wanted was awesome.

I have talked to a lot of people about this show and the main consensus was “we can do better next year.”  I love that mindset!  Like I said, it wasn’t perfect, but it was still pretty damn good.  From the artists I talked too, they had a blast!  I think some should have been in different times and places, but that’s not my call just my 2 cents.  I think for next year, maybe get the House of Blues involved and do an even bigger National Act on their main stage a few times during the day.  I also think next year should be on a Saturday OR a shorter day on a Sunday, start at like 11am and have the Main Act Finish at 9pm.  I only say this because the crowd really died off after dinner time.  Overall, it was an incredible day and I can’t wait til next year!

Thank you so much Beezlo Music for having us!  Cheers! 

Thank you all for reading along and listening to the show.  Check us out on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, Twitter all of the above.  And check out our website at http://www.bootsandwhiskeyentertainment.com

Thursday Thoughts with the Boots & Whiskey Podcast

So this weeks Thursday Thoughts is going to be almost a follow up or rebuttal or whatever the hell you want to call it to myself from last week.  For those of you who listen to the show, you know that former MTV Executive Producer and Podcast Guru Vinnie Potestivo was on the show.  This show really had zero to do about country music and I am totally ok with it because it was media related.  For those of you reading this, and wondering, “oh I/we aren’t country music related can we be on the show seeing we’re in the music or media industry,” the answer is probably no, but if you send me a compelling pitch, I may consider it.  Unlikely, but maybe.  If it fits.  Possibly…. Anyway …. Probably …. 

Now that I am back on track, let’s talk about the affect of Media and its platforms on Country Music.  I think this may be a good juxtaposition to last week’s rant.

Last week we discussed “What the hell is wrong with Country Music?”  I think I figured it out.  It’s the media avenues we use to promote country music.  I am looking at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, etc.  This shit is pushing what’s sexy and what’s eye candy, not necessarily what’s any good.  It’s like everything else in this fucking world we live in.  Oh, he or she is good looking, we’ll just beat the world to death with them.  The Kardashians don’t have an ounce of talent amongst them, but you know who they are don’t you?

We have allowed the music to be a popularity contest.  I blame Tik Tok for this shit, and trust me, I am like you, I get into those Tik Tok rabbit holes too.  I know, it’s addicting.  But what do we see?  We see the same sounds over and over and over.  I have a lot of friends doing and pushing their stuff on Tik Tok and it works and it’s great that it does, but it doesn’t mean it’s award worthy.  It doesn’t mean it’s “country music.”  Do I enjoy it?  Yeah, sure.  But is it what I want to hear all the time?  Fuck no.

I have been thrown some shade and some off hand comments this week about what I think what is and what isn’t country.  I love it and it makes me giggle cause first, thanks for reading 😉 and second, it’s an opinion and a preference.  I still stand by that Sam Hunt isn’t country music.  Do I like some of his stuff, yes of course, but is click tracks “country”, no I don’t think it is.  That goes for everyone who uses click tracks.  Does it work? Does it sell records?  YES!!! Doesn’t mean I have to love it.

I have given country radio a lot of shit historically for what they decide to play and I am now thinking, it’s not really on them and it’s on us.  Damn that’s a big pill to swallow.  Again, I love my country radio family and friends, but it looks like they’re just doing a job.  They’re taking what they too see on these platforms and throwing it out there.  Genius.  Can’t be mad.  

I am giving us, the fans a new task.  PUSH THE INDEPENDENT ARTISTS!!!! I guarantee you if you go to Spotify or Apple or wherever you get your music and start listening to the stuff that’s not on the radio, you’re gonna love it and if we love it and push it, maybe we can get them on the radio and some spotlight they so much deserve.

But, with that being said, there is some wheeling and dealing as we heard from Vinnie in the episode and from my guy Bobby Bones.  Bobby Call Me.  Would love to have you on.  Now, doesn’t this idea of buying number ones make you rethink the whole thing?  I am a small fish in a big pond and I am sure this won’t sit well, but my purpose here is to push the envelope and shine light on those who deserve it.  Now, I am not saying some of these number ones don’t deserve it, on the contrary.  I am just not sure that a handful of artists always need a number one.

Again, and I think I need to stress this because I know this will be taken out of context. I don’t blame country radio for the push of what will make them money.  I blame the labels, some of them, for not going after the really good stuff.  

I love and respect the hell out of country radio.  I just think the industry folks could do better with who they pick to represent country music.  Maybe I am wrong…maybe Sam Hunt is the face of country …. God I hope not ….  😉 

Cheers ya’ll

Thank you all for reading along and listening to the show.  Check us out on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, Twitter all of the above.  And check out our website at http://www.bootsandwhiskeyentertainment.com

Thursday Thoughts with the Boots & Whiskey Podcast

Happy 4^th of July Week Everyone!  Thanks for checking out this week’s installment of Thursday Thoughts with the Boots & Whiskey Podcast.  

This idea has been weighing on my mind for some time and I wanted to throw it out to a wider audience other than the inner circle of country music journalists and podcasters and such.

Is country music ever coming back? 

Now, before you lose your minds, I know country music in some areas of the country is doing well and is strong.  But in the mainstream, country music only exists in the story telling aspect.  I know there’s people out there that will say “well country music is whatever you want it to be.” 

…Bullshit…

The majority of popular country music is pop music with a southern accent and that’s ok!  But let’s call it that.  When I think country music I think, Waylon, Merle, Cash, Willie, Dolly, Loretta, Charlie Daniels, most of what comes out of Texas currently, Chris Stapleton.  The list goes on, it doesn’t stop with these folks.  

With that being said I don’t think country music and think Sam Hunt, honestly if you do think Sam Hunt is country and you consider yourself a country music fan…let me know and I will give you real songs to listen too.

Now, we do have some country music artists out there currently that aren’t getting the push they deserve.  I am looking at you Justin Moore, Cody Johnson (minus his recent number one because he has much better songs), Randy Houser, Craig Campbell, Rodney Atkins, again the list goes on.  

I am just curious as what the hell has happened?  Why the hell is Luke Bryan always in the talk of country music but not a Josh Abbott?  Is it looks?  Is it sound?  Is it talent?  Am I missing something here?

The genre also has this really strange way of bringing talented country music artists and making them pop, or what could be considered pop.  Again, I am looking at you Thomas Rhett, Dierks Bentley (who I love and adore), Luke Bryan, Jake Owen, Chris Young, the list goes on again.

I remember Dierks’ first album or two and it was pure country and he did a blue grass album which was VERY underrated.  Now we have ‘Beers on Me’ …. Pass …. We went from ‘Free and Easy’ to ‘Beers on Me’.  We can’t make this up folks.  

So, it brings me to the question.  Do you like the current state of popular country music and artists or do you want to hear something a little more “authentic”?  I personally want to hear more steel guitar and fiddle.  I want those aspects to be more prominent on the radio.  

I am not trying to piss off anyone at country radio because I need you, but let’s get some of these guys and girls with more fiddle and steel on the radio!!!

Now, I know I didn’t mention many woman in this little rant, but Women in Country music is it’s own whole article, which will be coming soon, so stay tuned for that one! 

Cheers ya’ll  

Thank you all for reading along and listening to the show.  Check us out on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, Twitter all of the above.  And check out our website at http://www.bootsandwhiskeyentertainment.com