Some of country music’s chart toppers have been in the business for years, like Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney. Others are relative newcomers. All country chart toppers have something in common. Songs with real, meaningful lyrics, sung from the heart.

Today’s biggest country music artists include Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Eric Church and Lady Antebellum, a trio of Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood. Other successful bands include the Zac Brown Band Read the rest of this entry »

It’s a little ironic that the Gorillaz achieved such mainstream fame, given what their original objective and message was. If you look on any of the major music channels out there, it is highly likely that you have seen one of their music videos before. If you don’t have access to those stations, click here and do something about that. Don’t worry, we’ll wait.

Got it?

Good.

So yeah, the Gorillaz. Even in their early days, the Gorillaz were nothing more than punitive assault on the pop entertainment industry. Though their music was considered pop, it was eventually re-titled to dark pop – the antithesis of Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue and the general oversaturation of pop music flooding everyone’s ears at all hours of the day.

The creators of the Gorillaz sought to make their own interpretation of pop by taking something they thought was ugly and making it look ugly as well. This came in the formation of the various cartoon members that make up the Gorillaz.

Don’t be fooled, this wasn’t some Josie and Pussycats or Jabberjaw and the Neptunes – this was scary stuff. And as time went on, the cartoon band almost became self-aware to the point that it took on a very different life of its own compared to the music and that’s why Gorillaz not only deconstructed pop but redefined it, as well.

You have probably heard the saying, “Music soothes the savage beast.” This speaks well of the therapeutic value of music. Music has the power to calm the mind and rejuvenate the soul. It can help to wake you up or fall asleep. Amazing qualities, but can it bring a family closer together? Well, certainly.

There are many ways that music can bring a family together. One way is through participation. If your family members like to sing, why not sing together? This sort of family time can be even more fun if one or more members have the skills to Read the rest of this entry »

The folk music genre covers a wide range of musical styles and traditions, but it can best be described as “music of the people”. It tries to capture what life was like for ordinary people at a particular time and place.

Singer/songwriters such as Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger popularized folk music from the ’90′s onward. Artists from Paul Simon to Suzanne Vega have turned to folk music to express some of their greatest musical ideas.

Folk music also covers the traditional music Read the rest of this entry »

Mountain music, folk music and traditional music are all terms used to describe the bluegrass phenomenon. Like many other truly American art forms, the roots of bluegrass blend the talents and cultures of disparate immigrant groups to create something greater.

Modern country music, rhythm and blues and popular music are all influenced by the sounds and harmonies first brought to America in the 17th Century. African, Irish and English immigrants all contributed something fundamental to the high lonesome sound we call bluegrass.
Today’s country music continues this tradition of blending different types of musical influences and many of the Read the rest of this entry »

As we all know music has drastically changed over the years. The ones who hold the oldies dear to their heart are becoming frustrated with the new-aged bands remaking all the former number one hits of the 50′s, 60′s, 70′s and even 80′s. Despite their frustration with the remakes, it is seemingly a big hit to our younger generation. All their favorite oldies are now being sung by their favorite bands at concerts, causing the youth to sing the lyrics to a solid golden oldies song.Never heard of this before? Get up to speed