Willie Nelson as Gandalf the Grey? What a great idea. Watch the country music legend, who turns 80 today, in this web exclusive from Conan. In the video, the wizened, pipe-weed loving author of “On The Road Again” auditions for the role of Gandalf in The Hobbit 2, with the help of his son, Micah. As [...]

After last year’s bountiful two-day outing, Zac Brown Band will be coming back for more with their second Southern Ground Music & Food Festival, to be held September 27 and 28 in downtown Nashville. The festival and lineup received nothing but praise in 2012, and this one looks to be just as good, if not [...]

This year at South By Southwest, head on out to “Luck, Texas” for the second annual Heartbreaker Banquet at Willie Nelson’s ranch on March 14, 2013. This year’s event brings together a stunning roster of talent including rock and roll mystic Jim James, London soul phenom Michael Kiwanuka, Brooklyn country-psych guru Phosphorescent, and the only [...]

  An incredible treasure trove of Bob Dylan photos recently surfaced online. Here’s some of our favorite shots of Dylan with other famous musicians, taken over a period of 40 years.  

Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson stopped by the Bluebird Cafe last night to swap stories, trade songs, and receive a pair of awards from the Nashville Songwriters Association International. “I’m really proud to be giving you this,” said Kristofferson, who — as the namesake of the NSAI’s new “lifetime achievement” award — had personally chosen Nelson [...]

Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die: Musings From the Road Willie Nelson (Morrow) Rating: 3.5 stars With a twinkle in his eyes, a laugh in his belly, a sagacious nod, and a deep love for life, Nelson takes us for a rollicking ride along the highways and byways of his long life [...]

Provided you like country music, the CMAs are the best awards show on TV, beating the Grammys by a good country mile. They’re fast paced and heavy on the music, the jokes are actually funny, and the focus on one genre means more cohesion all around. We were lucky enough to score tickets to this [...]

Jamey Johnson was joined by Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris and Ronnie Dunn last night at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, where he performed songs from his new Hank Cochran tribute album, Living For A Song. Also on hand was country legend Willie Nelson, who received his first publishing deal from Cochran back in 1960. The men with [...]

Dave Matthews, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Jack Johnson, Grace Potter Kenny Chesney banded together for Farm Aid 2012 in Hersey Park in Hersey, Pa. Saturday, September 22.

FARM AID 2012 Hershey Park, Hershey, Pa. Saturday, September 22, 2012 VIEW THE PHOTO GALLERY Some came for the farmers. Some came for the parking lot tailgate of micro-brews, Mickey’s Malt Liquor cap riddles and “car bomb” shots. Some came from Canada; some drove from California. Still others came only for a favorite artist such [...]

“Willie ain’t here — or if he is, he’s very sneaky,” said Billy Joe Shaver before launching into “Wacko From Waco” on Thursday night at the Mercy Lounge. The song, a duet Shaver recorded with Willie Nelson last year, touches on his recent acquittal in a four-year aggravated assault saga. “I’m a wacko from Waco, [...]