country music

Saddle up for a wonderfully scattershot edition of NO POPCORN with all of the wild energy of Robert Altman's dizzying ensemble Nashville. An epic episode in honour of a truly epic film that captures the madness of the American country…

In 1918 a campaign song was written by an anonymous author for the General Election of that year. 'The Sinn Feiners Election Song' appeared on a ballad sheet which sold for a penny on the streets of Dublin. With the same air as 'The Boys of…

Cross-genre experimentation has been a big part of this year in music. Lil Nas X broke the record for the longest charting number 1 record on Billboard. He actively created a trap-country fusion song in 'Old Town Road'. He picked the right…

It’s hard to imagine how Liam Torres pitched the concept for Alien Country’s Like My Life Depends on It. But after listening through the finished product, it’s a bit easier to comprehend – this sci-fi country project isn’t as dangerous or…

Kanye West’s interruption of Taylor Swift mid-speech at the 2009 VMA’s is one of the most iconic cultural moments of the 21st century thus far. This may appear to some as a complete over exaggeration yet there’s so much more to this…

In 2010 Chely Wright became the first major country music star to come out as gay. In this episode Gearoid talks to Chely Wright about the struggle to be authentic and the price you pay when you are not. Since the age of 4 Chely has…

In November 1973 country music was rocked by the murders of two of its stars in Nashville. Banjo supremo David Akeman and guitar slinger James Phillip Widener died in similar violent circumstances just weeks apart and it put a whole new…