Interviews | Country California

Five Questions with Brandy Clark

February 25, 2013 by C.M. Wilcox 7 Comments

As sometimes happens with good songwriters breaking through, I was a Brandy Clark fan before I even realized it. "The Day She Got Divorced" by Reba McEntire. "Crazy Women" by LeAnn Rimes. More recently, I've singled out Joanna Smith's "We Can't Be Friends," Miranda Lambert's "Mama's Broken Heart," and The Band Perry's "Better Dig Two" as worthwhile songs on mainstream country radio. When the name Brandy Clark finally crossed my desk and I glanced through her credits to find that she had … [Read more...]

Five Questions with Brent Cobb

January 30, 2013 by C.M. Wilcox 3 Comments

With a down-home EP ranked among the best of 2012 and a burgeoning reputation as one of Nashville's sharpest up-and-coming songwriters, Brent Cobb might be just the guy to bring some rural reality back to country radio. As a writer of standout album tracks like "Rockaway (The Rockin' Chair Song)" for Kellie Pickler and "Tailgate Blues" for Luke Bryan, the 26-year-old from Georgia seems poised for a big breakout radio hit or two sometime in the near future. Regardless of what fortunes might … [Read more...]

Five Questions with Jerrod Niemann

September 17, 2012 by C.M. Wilcox 9 Comments

When Jerrod Niemann burst onto the mainstream country scene with his fetching cover of Sonia Dada's "You Don't Treat Me No Good" in 2010, it was the culmination of a decade of struggle that saw a few hard-won cuts (including Garth Brooks' "Good Ride Cowboy") and a couple of aborted record deals. Now, the singer-songwriter is looking to lock down his spot on radio playlists with a still-rising Top 20 single in "Shinin' on Me" and a sophomore Sea Gayle/Arista Nashville release called Free the … [Read more...]

Jesse Dayton Offers One for the Dance Halls

July 27, 2012 by C.M. Wilcox 1 Comment

With The 9513 having closed its virtual doors last year, the management has kindly agreed to let me republish some of my better contributions here for posterity. This article was originally published at The 9513 in January 2011. You might know him as the former rockabilly Road King with a standing gig at Austin's Broken Spoke. Or as a Cajun crime lord in the upcoming film The Sinner. Perhaps you've heard his guitar work on albums by Waylon Jennings, Ray Price or The Supersuckers. Over the … [Read more...]

Five Questions with Darrell Scott

June 12, 2012 by C.M. Wilcox 2 Comments

When Steve Earle and Robert Plant need a talented, versatile player for a touring roots band, they call him. When Brad Paisley and the Dixie Chicks need a new song with some lyrical meat on its bones, they dip into his songbook. But it's hard to appreciate the full measure of Darrell Scott's gifts without hearing his original music for yourself. In his discography, you'll find the versions of "It's a Great Day to Be Alive" and "Family Tree" that made Travis Tritt and Darryl Worley take … [Read more...]

Five Questions with Etta Britt

May 23, 2012 by C.M. Wilcox 4 Comments

Guest contribution by Hallie Pritts, on behalf of Wrinkled Records. Nashville is teeming with ludicrously talented, hard-working musicians. Of course, you know the usual suspects – the pop country stars, the classic country heroes. But there's a whole other set of musicians who work quietly in the background. Their job – adding the finishing touches to the records of their more famous counterparts – is a holy pursuit. Often it is their talent that provides the je ne sais quoi that … [Read more...]

Five Questions with Jason Eady

April 17, 2012 by C.M. Wilcox 4 Comments

If you've heard any of Jason Eady's past albums, you already know that he can be a devastatingly good writer and performer in styles ranging from narrative country-folk to propulsive, rhythmic gospel and blues. With stylistic fusion seemingly so central to his musical approach - only natural for a Mississippi-born singer-songwriter in Texas - you wouldn't expect to see him settle down in any one genre long enough to, say, create one of the best honest-to-god country albums in recent … [Read more...]