Check out the brand new video for Derek Hoke’s “Sweetheart Letter,” from the Nashville-based Americana artist’s acclaimed album Waiting All Night. The video features auditions for East Nashville Talented Idol, a fictional reality show we’d pay good money to see. Check it out below.

We’re proud to announce the winners of our September/October 2012 Lyric Contest, with “Blue Line,” written by Matthew Francis Anderson, taking 1st place. We recently talked with Anderson about his inspiration for “Blue Line” and his influences. Read the interview here. Also, be sure to enter the November/December 2012 contest for your chance to win [...]

1st Place “Blue Line” Matthew Francis Andersen Forest Park, Illinois Lyrics 2nd Place “Time Well Wasted” Marc Christian & John Schweers Franklin, Tennessee Lyrics 3rd Place “Carolina, Too” Chase Hatla Dimmitt, Texas Lyrics 4th Place “Across The Sea” Stewart Eastham Nashville, Tennessee Lyrics Honorable Mentions “I’m Not Done” Bernard Costello Allenhurst, New Jersey “The Gypsy [...]

4th Place “Across The Sea” Stewart Eastham Nashville, Tennessee With jet black hair and big brown eyes Such a sweetness beneath that hard-bitten disguise She does what she wants, and she does it so well She’s got secrets, she’ll never tell Her scars will cut you deep like a knife The most beautiful thing, you’ll [...]

3rd Place “Carolina, Too” Chase Hatla Dimmitt, Texas Leaving Georgia on a freight train With a bible covered in dust I can see you on the porch swing The frame is starting to rust You know that I could find you Yeah I know just where you are You’re coked up on a memory In [...]

2nd Place “Time Well Wasted” Marc Christian & John Schweers Franklin, Tennessee That Kentucky moon said “go on” And we headed for the great unknown Two crazy kids having a crazy time We got lost in Texas, wound up in Arizona Found the Grand Canyon, broke down in Sedona And I took your picture next [...]

1st Place “Blue Line” Matthew Francis Andersen Forest Park, Illinois I can’t remember the month of December But I know your favorite song And the charcoal scarf wrapped around your neck That you wore all season long I can’t remember the sound of your voice But I remember your laugh like I remember the rain [...]

“Writing songs is a profession; so it’s not an attempt to take things from my interactions with other people and for some reason give them to a total stranger to listen to. I find it offensive to hear other people do that. I basically use other things that have touched me as examples, which I [...]

Things just got easier for the touring singer-songwriter. Earlier this week, Mackie unveiled a new line of ultra-compact, powered loudspeakers – the DLM Series – which are 1/3 smaller in size than anything in its class. (Click here to watch a video demonstration.) Additionally, the speakers boast 2000 watts of power, proprietary Mackie TruSource™ technology [...]

"Waiting 4 The World 2 End" by Amy Cook This apocalyptic pop/rocker is the first track from Summer Skin, Amy Cook’s followup to Let The Light In. Like an early Kathleen Edwards song, “Waiting For The World” mixes upbeat pop/rock with heartland rock & roll, rolling the best parts of each into a four-minute blast [...]

"Middle Brother" (Live at American Songwriter) by Daniel Romano Recorded live at the American Songwriter office, this country heartbreaker tells the story of an unloved son. His mother saves all her love for his two brothers, and when she dies during the song’s second verse, he realizes he never had the chance to ask her [...]

"Let The Meter Run" by Charlie Mars A mix of acoustic funk and blue-eyed soul, “Let The Meter Run” finds Charlie Mars singing about love and lust over a rhythmic guitar groove. “Maybe we can make up with that voice in your head,” he tells his girlfriend. “Take it out for a drink … maybe [...]