- Here’s Carrie Underwood singing “Smoke Break” on Jimmy Fallon’s show last week.
- Here’s unofficial video of Kacey Musgraves singing “Dime Store Cowgirl” on Jimmy Kimmel’s show last night. I’ll update the link when official video becomes available.
- NPR posted an intimate Tiny Desk Concert with Chris and Morgane Stapleton, featuring “More of You,” “When the Stars Come Out,” and “Whiskey and You.”
- Speaking of Stapleton, a quick query via Twitter revealed that the Traveller song recorded outside was “Might As Well Get Stoned.”
- David Allan Coe, who reportedly owes the IRS at least $466,564.86, pleaded guilty to one count of impeding and obstructing the due administration of internal revenue laws. He may face prison time.
- Country Universe’s Jonathan Keefe reviewed “Lonely” by Tami Neilson, a New Zealand singer who combines “the rich, full-bodied tone of Patsy Cline with the pitch-perfect clarity and power of Connie Smith.”
- According to Farce the Music, Jason Gilbert Aldean’s new song “Truck, Beer, Jeans, Creek” is now on iTunes.
- Director Marc Abraham’s Hank Williams biopic I Saw the Light, starring Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen, is not getting great reviews.
- This National Post article by Sarah Boesveld finds Thomas Rhett facing off, in an indirect way, with Saving Country Music’s Kyle Coroneos.
- Ashley Monroe’s The Blade is still attracting positive notice from people who know what they’re talking about, like Washington Post writer Chris Richards.
- American Songwriter chose Evan Felker (Turnpike Troubadours) as its Writer of the Week.
- Gary Allan just turned in a new record, but is already thinking ahead to the one after that: “But I do feel like it’s gonna drag a little bit more back towards traditional. I feel like my writing right now forward for the next album after this one, I feel like it’ll be geared more towards Waylon and Willie and then after that towards new people that I write with.”
- Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally got some New York Times ink for their work on “Moonshine: That Hee Haw Musical.”
- Alabama’s Teddy Gentry: “We were progressive. People ask about the music today and they forget we were as ‘outlaw’ then as anybody coming along today. We were T-shirts and tennis shoes and playing loud, capturing the excitement of a rock show live.”
- Nashville’s Country Music Marathon has been renamed the St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon, naturally.
- Barry Mazor in the Wall Street Journal: “Americana at 20: The Music’s Evolution Continues.” Also, Lee Ann Womack spoke to The Tennessean’s Juli Thanki about finding a home in Americana. As you might have guessed, the Americana Music Festival is happening this week in Nashville.