Tom's Country View

"We recorded this album trying to encapsulate the classic Christmas sounds I’ve always loved and put my own soulful and jazz-like spin on it. If you need a place to rest your soul and a group of magical humans to share it with, then just put this album on play, lay back, and take a breath." (Brett Eldredge / tasteofcountry.com, September 18, 2024) "After I finished the Glow Tour last year, I immediately dove into writing an album full of original Christmas songs that will hopefully become classics in your hearts and minds," Eldredge writes on social media. "We recorded this album trying to encapsulate the classic Christmas sounds I’ve always loved and put my own soulful and jazz-like spin on it." "Whatever you want to call it, just know it’s a reflection of the most important themes of the holidays — love, togetherness, family, and community," he continues. "If you need a place to rest your soul and a group of magical humans to...

"Often we need to be reminded how beyond capable we are of doing hard things. as the daughter of a force of a mom & a steady rock of a dad, i was raised to believe i could do it all in the face of uncertainty & adversity. i hope u know that u can 2." (Alana Springsteen / X, Oktober 11, 2024)

"What was even more impressive was to sit down with this bunch and turn them loose to do the songs in whatever way fit their artistic vision. The fun part was we weren’t chasing the original recordings or arrangements or our versions." (Ronnie Dunn [Brooks & Dunn] / billboard.com, September 16, 2024)

"Both the actual book as well as the saying I’m OK – You’re OK have been featured in popular culture in the decades since the book was released, starting with a [1972] New Yorker Magazine cartoon about a phone conversation: 'Oh - we're reading "I'm O.K. - you are O.K.," and I guess we are O.K.. But I think it's because of the martinis, not the book." (Nicholas Berne Calcaterra / drthomasharris.com/im-ok-youre-ok-book-thomas-harris/)

"[Studio Two is] our most famous recording space. The scene of landmark recordings by The Beatles, Shirley Bassey, Kate Bush, Massive Attack, Oasis, Adele and so many more, Studio Two has been at the heart of popular music since it first opened its doors back in 1932." (abbeyroad.com/studio-two)

"What makes a song a banger? The most important is the hook, that sticks in your head, after you hear the song just once. In addition it will also have a solid beat, that you can't help but move to. And recognizability is also key." (DJ Rinehart / deepinthemix.com, July 23 2023)

"Open your mind to it! Listen in a calm environment. Listen from top to bottom. I hope you can learn a little more about me or maybe learn a little more about you. We're all either trying to figure this thing out together or just need a break from it all, so let me help you." (Lanie Gardner / sweetyhigh.com, 25. Oktober 2024)

"Sometimes I don't know if it's me or it's him doing the teaching, but I've been thinking maybe he's here for a reason." (Here For A Reason / Connie Harrington, Tim Nichols, Ryan Larkins)

"... between recklessly raw country and unapologetic rock ‘n’ roll spiked with just the right amount of metallic unpredictability and a righteous sense of humor. Think of it like putting Waylon Jennings, System of a Down, and Led Zeppelin in a saloon blender on high, soaking it in whiskey, and lighting it on fire after the first swig." ( DBLBLK Records/Elektra / Press Release, August 18, 2023)

"['Another Century']  is about the heartbreaking realization that, regardless of how relentless you are about pursuing it, it's impossible to witness every single thing that life has to offer during your time here on Earth." (Marcus K. Dowling /  The Tennessean, 10. Oktober 2024)

"It is with a heavy heart that we share the news our husband/father/grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 28 at home. We're all so blessed for our time with him. Thank you for loving him all these many years, and when you see a rainbow, know he's smiling down at us all." (Ehefrau, 8 Kinder, 7 Enkel von Kris Kristofferson / September 29, 2024)

"To get a sense of how big Kenny Chesney really is, it’s really only necessary to note that he can take an act like the Zac Brown Band – capable of headlining multi-night stints at Fenway Park all on their own – and slot them in as an opener." (Marc Hirsh / boston.com, August 26, 2024)   

"We were in a write and he was like, 'So how's your relationship life going?' and I said, 'Honestly, I'm at the point where if they look like they love me, I just got to get out of there.' And he was like, 'That's a great song title.'" (Ella Langley / billboard.com, August 6, 2024)

"'Whirlwind' is another superior example of Wilson's ongoing collaboration with producer Jay Joyce, and how it generates grabbags of songs that sound completely diverse from track to track and yet all authentically country and certainly all utterly her." (Chris Willman / variety.com, 23. August 2024)

"With a sound as rich and diverse as the Southern landscape itself, this dynamic band weaves together elements of country, rock, blues, and Americana to create a sound that is unmistakably their own." (Colin Campbell / bluesmatters.com, June 2024)

"Louis Chevrolet was born in 1878 as the second of 8 children in French-speaking Switzerland. From Paris, where he worked in a car factory, he emigrated to Canada (Montreal) in 1900. The following year he took a job in New York City before starting to race cars for Fiat. In 1911 he founded the Chevrolet Motor Car Company in Detroit with William Durant (founder of General Motors)." (Wikipedia)

"Time speeds up, and your parents slow down. Yeah, they always took care of you. But it's your turn now." (Never Ready / Austin Goodloe, Corey Kent, Joybeth Taylor, Lydia Vaughan)

"Hewlett Packard Enterprise Frontier, or OLCF-5, is the world's first exascale supercomputer. It is hosted at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) in Tennessee, United States and became operational in 2022. As of December 2023, Frontier is the world's fastest supercomputer." (Frontier [Supercomputer] / wikipedia)

"I want fans to know that there's a different side of me, not just the sex, drugs, and rock & roll Koe that they may have heard about online. I've grown up a little bit. I'm no longer the 20-year-old kid that's partying down and getting thrown in jail all the time." (Koe Wetzel / musicrow.com, April 29, 2024)

"Santa Fe dining cars are known the country over for that famous Fred Harvey food ... courteous service ... shining silver ... linens as white as the snow of the Rockies. Whether it's beefsteak or brook trout or pheasant á la Périgueux, you'll have a meal to remember. In fact, it's almost worth taking a trip just to eat a Fred Harvey meal on a Santa Fe diner!" (The Saturday Evening Post / ca. 1958)

"What makes a song a banger? The most important is the hook, that sticks in your head, after you hear the song just once. In addition it will also have a solid beat, that you can't help but move to. And recognizability is also key." (DJ Rinehart / deepinthemix.com, July 23 2023)

"The Beetle reached its highest stage of development in its evolution as model 1303 in August of 1972. Interested buyers could choose between six models of the 1303. [...] The sixth model was added in 1973 with the VW 1303 A as an additional economy Beetle with the small 34 hp engine, plain black bumpers and a simple interior." (Hans-Georg Steffens / kaeferwissen.de/modellentwicklung/vw-1303)

"On February 18, 2001, Dale Earnhardt Sr., considered one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history, dies at the age of 49 in a last-lap crash at the 43rd Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Florida. After being cut from his car, Earnhardt, whose tough, aggressive driving style earned him the nickname “The Intimidator,” was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead of head injuries." (history.com / A&E Television, November 13, 2009)

"Somebody asked me this one time... If there was a song, one song you could show somebody that never heard of you before and you were like, 'Hey, this is a song that represents my whole life and artistic career and what I do,' it'd be 'Your Place.' That's what I thought about." (Ashley Cooke / popculture.com, May 28, 2024)

"When I was working on Top Gun, [Tom] Cruise brought up a really interesting thing, where he’s like, “If you want to make movies of a certain size and scope and scale, you have to figure out what can connect with everyone around the world in every territory.” And humans versus weather is a very universal idea—how powerless we really are in the face of these cataclysmic forces." (Glen Powell / vogue.com, 23. Dezember 2023)

"To be honest, I often have to remind myself that this isn’t just a Morgan Wallen song. Which isn’t to say that it doesn’t feel like a Post song too, or that his contributions are negligible, but this song is so firmly in the sonic lane that Wallen established with the title tracks of his Dangerous and One Thing at a Time albums." (Andrew Unterberger / billboard.com, May 21, 2024)

"For a second, it was hard to tell what silhouetted angel was killing the beginning of Chris Stapleton’s 'Think I’m in Love With You.' [...] Her voice fit the bluesy, sultry song well, and Stapleton, a true pro at big-time duets, knew how to cede the stage." (Justin Curto / vulture.com, May 17, 2024)

"When you're making music you hope that the listener doesn't have any preconceived notions about you and what you do, or the style of music, or the genre of music, or anything. You hope that they just clear their mind, put the music on, listen to it with an open mind." (Sam Hunt / thefader.com, November 23, 2014)

"What makes a song a banger? The most important is the hook, that sticks in your head, after you hear the song just once. In addition it will also have a solid beat, that you can't help but move to. And recognizability is also key." (DJ Rinehart / deepinthemix.com, July 23 2023)

"That’s what good music does, it puts into words and melodies what people maybe can’t say on their own. But, when they hear the right song, they feel understood. I think that’s really important." (Zach Top / americansongwriter.com, April 5, 2024)

"If I sing about opioid addiction, there’s not ever going to be a time where I’m going to tell you it was a good experience, because it never was even when I thought it was. I’ve always been one of those kind of guys that tell you about it, but you have to choose your own path. I just hope that it helps one person that is where I was at." (Bryan Martin / upncountry.com, March 14, 2023)

"We wear holes in all our highways until they keep us up at night. Eyes wide open, dreaming 'til the darkness turns to light. And we run from those who love us, yet their prayers continue on and we'll pass up a sure thing just to gamble on a song." (Desperado Troubadours / Mark Miller, Cody Jinks, Thomas James McFarland)

"BREAKING NEWS: New York journalist discovers new genre of music called "country" due to the release of Beyonce's new record "Cowboy Carter"." (Colby Acuff / X [former Twitter], March 30, 2024)

"We can't wait to work with you, but that song you're giving to Jason Aldean, that's going to be your debut single. You need to ask for it back." (Barry Weiss [CEO for RECORDS] / billboard.com, 5. Jänner 2024)

"[In the 90s] country music had to sound a certain way and had to look a certain way. If people weren't wearing a cowboy hat you might as well pack it up and go back home. And now, what it is, what does it look like, how do you describe it? It is so many different varieties. And we have clearly seen that this has helped us." (John Osborne / BBC, The Country Show with Bob Harris, March 11, 2024)

"That’s blood and hair in that picture from castrating bulls and giving them shots that day. We didn’t stage any of that. We got started at 5:00 a.m. and worked all day and he ended up getting some incredible photos while we were working." (Cody Johnson / Billboard.com,  October 13, 2023)

"The gentle ballad “I Hope You Do” is a letter to himself as a child that begins with a voice recording of him as a six-year-old. Like all of Summerville, it bears the subtle imprint of his wife. 'She told me, 'When you get down on yourself, just understand that that kid is who you're living for. You’re trying to make that kid proud.'" (chasebryant.com/bio / January 2024)

"What makes a song a banger? The most important is the hook, that sticks in your head, after you hear the song just once. In addition it will also have a solid beat, that you can't help but move to. And recognizability is also key." (DJ Rinehart / deepinthemix.com, July 23 2023)

" It’s tempting, as an artist trying to make a name for himself, to lean into what is working in the industry - to chase the trends I hear on the radio and try to change my sound and my style to better ‘fit in’ to the Nashville game." (Matt Jordan / facebook.com, February 15, 2024)

"Everybody wanna know, where did all the cowboys go? Musta been the whiskey, maybe it was all the Marlboros. But it ain't none of that, that laid 'em all low, yeah, believe me, I know." (Killed The Cowboy / Jordan Reynolds, Anderson East, Devin Dawson)

"The idea that graves should always be 6 feet deep has been around for a long time. There is no agreement about where this idea came from. For some it comes from London in 1665, where the Lord Mayor ordered that all "graves shall be at least 6-foot deep" under the presumption that doing so would prevent the spread of the Black Death." (Chris Raymong / verywellhealth.com, 14. Oktober 2023)

"I wrote [this song] after my wife left me. Genesis had done a tour that was far too long. ...  I wrote the lyrics spontaneously. I’m not quite sure what the song is about, but there’s a lot of anger, a lot of despair and a lot of frustration. ... Nobody knows what the song is about, and I kind of like the mystery." (Phil Collins / rollingstone.com, February 29, 2016)

"... and then The Mocking Bird & The Crow, the one song where it transitions, he's playing the first half of that song and then he just walks off stage, gets to an SUV, rockstars over to the Roxy and then starts the Crow-portion. It's just gonna be epic." (Tracker Johnson, Manager Big Loud Records / via YouTube, January 12, 2024)

"Horses evolved in the Americas around four million years ago, but by about 10,000 years ago, they had mostly disappeared from the fossil record. Spanish settlers likely first brought horses back to the Americas in 1519, when Hernán Cortés arrived on the continent in Mexico. [Subsequently], Indigenous peoples then transported horses north along trade networks."   (Will Sullivan / www.smithsonianmag.com, April 3, 2023)

"' World on Fire' is a series that shows us just what humanity is capable of — both good and evil — and reminds us that those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it." (Jace Lacob / www.pbs.org, September 17, 2023)

"There’s something poetic about a 39-year-old man winning new artist of the year. I don’t know where you’re at in your life or what you’re going through, but I want to tell you to keep going, baby. I want to tell you, success is on the other side." (Jelly Roll /  CMA Awards, November 8, 2023)