Country music is all about place. Songs and locale, joined together. It’s a relationship so ubiquitous within the music we often lose sight of it, forest for the trees. But there would be no country music without… well, the country – or without rural places and their communities; without farms and ranches; without Texas or California; without Appalachia or the Southeast. Country also wouldn’t exist without urban centers, and the country folks who migrated to cities to find work, or reunite with their families, or build a better life. Even in concrete jungles seemingly divorced from country ideals, whether drawn by homesickness or nostalgia or longing for home – real or imagined or aspirational – country music and place always go hand-in-hand.
Lucky for all of us, this is a genre well-suited for a variety of places, from honky-tonks to front porches to internationally appealing festivals. Or even Napa Valley, California, vineyards.
Last month, we attended Live in the Vineyard Goes Country, a production of Austin, Texas’s Forefront Networks, an intimate three-day event that effortlessly denoted and celebrated that relationship between country and place. Guests, industry professionals, and country artists – from festival headliners to fresh discoveries – gathered at gorgeous locations on April 21, 22, and 23, throughout Napa and Napa Valley to enjoy stripped-down and essential performances, gourmet farm-to-table meals, delicious organic and biodynamic wines, and the lovely weather, views, and settings of California’s wine country. The eighth installment of the country edition of Live in the Vineyard, it showcased the genre with an elite yet still approachable level of quality, care, and intention.
Guests enjoyed a welcome reception featuring Jackson Dean, Lauren Watkins, and Chandler Walters on day one, sipping bubbles at Chandon in Yountville during golden hour. From there, separate groups of attendees were sorted into waiting coaches to be swept off to dinner for delicious food paired exquisitely with local wines – and still more small, up-close-and-personal musical performances. Our green group dinner, for instance, were treated to hilarious and touching stories and songs shared by Lauren Watkins and her husband, hit songwriter Will Bundy, at Cakebread Cellars over jaw-droppingly delicious chardonnay and perfectly lacquered short ribs.
The sun shines on Raymond Vineyards on day three of Live in the Vineyard Goes Country.
Though days one and two were punctuated with bursts of spring rain, throwing a logistical wrench into the works, the Forefront and LITV teams reacted with grace and ease, allowing attendees to relish the rarity of rainfall in Napa Valley without a second thought, and increasing the magical feeling of country music and country people basking in such a space. Day two began with the Texas Music SceneTailgate, featuring performances by Sunny Sweeney, the Braun Brothers, and a songwriter round including Wade Bowen, Shelby Stone, and Cody Canada. During the live taping for Texas Music Scene’s long-running TV series, guests relaxed between sets by strolling the grounds, eating fresh Napa-grown produce, enjoying complimentary wines and sweets, and ducking in and out of the Frog’s Leap Winery barn to catch country songs sung amid the bright brass vats.
The Braun Brothers (L to R: Micky, Gary, Willy, and Cody)– known from Micky & the Motorcars and Reckless Kelly – swap songs and stories while performing at Frog’s Leap Winery for the ‘Texas Music Scene’ Tailgate.
On the evening of day two, the entire Live in the Vineyard Goes Country entourage traveled together to the Uptown Theatre in gorgeous downtown Napa for the headline show of the event, featuring sets by Abbie Callahan, Alex Lambert, and Marcus King. Once again performing in pared-down, intimate setups for the around 800-seat venue, the crowd was nevertheless animated and engaged, hooting and hollering as if they were polishing the floorboards for rowdy, full-band sets on a stage wrapped in chicken wire, rather than a gilded theatre in wine country. Even in as manicured and lovely a location as Napa Valley, the old saying holds: You can take the folks out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the folks!
Marcus King performs for the Uptown Theatre audience at Live in the Vineyard Goes Country.
On day three, already feeling like Live in the Vineyard was much too short, attendees gathered at Raymond Vineyards in St. Helena, California, for one final hoorah, a lovely send-off brunch featuring a mimosa bar, lemon-blueberry pancakes, JCB Wines, and performances by Frankie Ballard and Zach John King. In the shade of palm trees and snacking on scratch-made frittatas, it was clear – from start to finish – that Live in the Vineyard Goes Country gives this genre, the folks who make it, and the fans who love it the treatment they all deserve. Yes, country is made for barn dances and radio shows and flatbed trailers in pastures, but isn’t it made for Napa Valley, too? For barns aging fine wine, for farms growing gourmet salads, luxurious wines, and handmade breads?
Country is a music for everyone, for every setting, and for every place imaginable. The GC team was excited to be on hand for Live in the Vineyard Goes Country 2026, capturing lo-fi photos with our trusty Camp Snap camera and reflecting on how delicious country music can be when it’s made with this level of intention and care in a beautiful setting such as this. Scroll to enjoy even more photos and dispatch notes from our trip with LITV to Napa Valley.
A little rain and a few puddles won't deter Live in the Vineyard! The clouds cleared just in time for the fun to begin.
Attendees were accommodated at the beautiful Westin Verasa Napa, a short walk from downtown and steps away from the Napa Valley Wine Train, Oxbow Public Market, the riverwalk, and more.
A view of the Westin Verasa Napa and the Napa River from Oxbow Commons.
The Napa River, lovely under overcast skies.
Oxbow Public Market, which features many excellent food and beverage vendors.
The Napa Valley Wine Train, a huge attraction for tourists and visitors exploring this fertile country.
The Napa Valley Wine Train waits to depart, on a bridge overlooking Oxbow Commons.
Vineyards beneath gray skies at Frogs Leap Winery in Rutherford, CA.
The stellar lineup for 'Texas Music Scene' Tailgate to kick-off day two of Live in the Vineyard.
Calendula and sweet alyssum in bloom, California spring in full force. The gardens at each location and winery were stunning.
Some of the culinary offerings at Frogs Leap Winery, showcasing fresh, local produce alongside cheeses, breads, sweets, and snacks.
A zen and relaxing water feature at Frogs Leap Winery, perfect for a restful break from the action.
The ever-famous California poppies, in full bloom.
Wade Bowen, Shelby Stone, and Cody Canada give the Napa audience a taste of a Nashville writer's round. The crowd – and her comrades on stage – were all blown away by Shelby Stone's voice and lyrics.
On a picturesque walk to the Uptown Theatre, enjoy views of beautiful downtown Napa and the Napa River.
The clouds clear fully away in time for the biggest show of the event.
First Presbyterian Church of Napa looking gorgeous in the waning sunlight.
LITVGC on the marquee for Marcus King, Alex Lambert, and Abbie Callahan at the Uptown Theatre.
The crowd waits in excited anticipation for Abbie Callahan. (Stay tuned for our LITV interview with Abbie coming soon to Good Country!)
Alex Lambert's soulful country vocals filled the room and then some.
Frankie Ballard elicits cheers, laughs, and singin' along during his set of hits, favorites, and new material.
Sun filters through the sycamore trees as guests enjoy the Send-Off Brunch at Raymond Vineyards.
A mimosa and coffee bar wait to re-energize LITV attendees for the Send-Off Brunch.
The JCB Eye greets visitors at Raymond Vineyards. A sculpture by artist, vintner, and proprietor of JCB, Jean-Charles Boisset (modeled after his own right eye), who himself greeted attendees and sabered a 1969 bottle of bubbly to serve to guests to open the LITV brunch.
Zach John King was the perfect final performance with which we bid adieu.
Ameripolitan music can be best defined as original music with prominent roots influence, and it has four categories: honky tonk, Western swing, rockabilly, and outlaw. My Mixtape features a song by an artist that represents the roots and then I’ll play a new artist that directly was influenced by them. You can hear the natural growth of country music when you listen to Lefty Frizzell and Merle Haggard or Kitty Wells and Loretta Lynn back to back. (Many of the roots artists had nicknames, I miss that.)
While some may hear an artist’s influence and say they are copying them, I’m of the opinion that John Lennon shared when asked about The Beatles’ influences. He said, and I paraphrase here, “One’s originality comes out in their inability to imitate their influences.” Very well said. – Dale Watson
“Who’s Gonna Take The Garbage Out” – Loretta Lynn, Ernest Tubb
Ernest Tubb had a distinctive voice as you hear on this song he sings with Loretta Lynn. Here’s the Texas Troubadour with the Coal Miner’s Daughter.
“My Wife Thinks You’re Dead” –Junior Brown
And no one is more evidently influenced by him than Junior Brown.
“Undo the Right” – Johnny Bush
Johnny Bush, otherwise known as the “Country Caruso,” was a drummer for Ray Price, the Cherokee Cowboy, before going out on his own. You would definitely hear that influence if you back-to-back Ray Price to Johnny Bush. Both are huge influences to every singer that grew up in Texas.
“Texas Honky Tonk” – Justin Trevino
This young man from Texas is carrying the Bush torch.
“D-I-V-O-R-C-E” – Tammy Wynette
The First Lady of Country Music, Tammy Wynette was married to the Possum, George Jones. She is easily at the top of women that influenced the newer singers.
“Houston Belongs To Me” – Sunny Sweeney
Singing her own divorce song, here’s Sunny Sweeney!
“Big Balls in Cowtown” – Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
In the Western swing category this is the master, Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys.
“Riding High in Texas” – Asleep at the Wheel, Billy Strings
Though they’ve been around a while, they still burn up the road and proudly wear Bob Wills as their biggest influence. Ian Stewart sings as guest picker Billy Strings shines.
“Here in Frisco” – Merle Haggard
The Hag has influenced generations and even in death he still does. He once told me he forgot he wrote this song and was glad I brought it up so he can add it to his playlist again.
“This Highway” – Zephaniah OHora
Zephaniah OHora is now based in Nashville and he’s got a lot of great original songs. On this song you can hear the Hag in him.
“Bob Wills Is Still the King” – Waylon Jennings
In the outlaw world there is none more influential than Waylon, and in Texas we were all influenced by Bob Wills.
“Long White Line” – Sturgill Simpson
This particular song draws heavily on Waylon’s influence. And I like it.
“Ramblin’ Man” – Hank Williams
Hank Williams’ voice is one of the most recognizable in music. His songs are timeless and still inspire singers and songwriters alike.
“Thunderstorms and Neon Signs” – Wayne Hancock
You can definitely hear Hank in Wayne Hancock, but his own voice is definitely original, too – as well as his great songwriting.
“Guitars, Cadillacs” – Dwight Yoakam
Dwight Yoakam has influenced many a newcomer. Just as he was obviously influenced by Buck Owens. He came along when Nashville needed reminded of its roots.
“Lost in the City Lights” – Johnny Falstaff
Though not well known as of yet, Johnny Falstaff is picking up Dwight’s hat.
“Blue Kentucky Girl” – Loretta Lynn
The Coal Miner’s Daughter definitely left big shoes to fill, but her sassy songs inspired many women artists.
“Don’t You Ever Give Up On Love” – Brennen Leigh
That inspiration can be traced right to Brennen Leigh.
“Good Hearted Woman” – Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson
Here’s the quintessential outlaw song by the most famously influential artists, the Red Headed Stranger, Willie Nelson, and Waymore, sometimes called Wautawsha, Waylon Jennings.
“Willie Waylon and Whiskey” – Dale Watson
The last song I’ll put in here’s is mine, because with pride I will state, yes, I am heavily influenced by Willie and Waylon. And sometimes whiskey.
Self-producing an album wasn’t something that Sunny Sweeney spent much time pondering – until it happened.
Rhinestone Requiem is the pinnacle of her taking charge, hoeing her own bean row, and flexing her self-determining vigor. It’s just the latest from an artist committed to exploring her imaginative energies on her terms.
“I’m happy with what we ended up with on this project,” said Sweeney. “We could just pay ourselves. Plus we only had to have two opinions [hers and co-producer Harley Husbands’] versus more opinions.”
“Our mentality going in was, ‘We know how to do this and we are going to try it and see what happens.’”
Rhinestone Requiem, released August 1, is pure Sweeney, sharing tales of figures who win hearts readily and whose outlaw lifestyles embody freedom from responsibility. There are songs devoted to romantic quests, the forever keeping on and the forever searching, like such richly rendered titles as “Traveling On” and “Diamonds and Divorce Decrees.”
Most of the album’s tracks are the result of Sweeney’s collaborations with several musicians she has been working with for a number of years. There are also two covers, “Find It Where I Can,” popularized by Jerry Lee Lewis, and “Last Hard Bible” by Sweeney’s friend and mentor Kasey Chambers.
Though she once saw the sharing of songwriting duties from a tentative and even negative point of view, Sweeney wholly embraced the notion of teamwork on Rhinestone Requiem.
“Songs were written with the rest of the people that I have known for a long, long time … I know what I’m going to get when I write with those people. They know their strengths and I know my strengths, and that’s why we continue to write together.
“I used to never collaborate,” she continued. “But now I’m co-writing and thinking this is awesome. I was petrified at first. Songwriting with others forces you to put down all of your worries. A lot of people worry about co-writing. But I see it as a double bonus thing. You hang out with friends and you get to work.”
Rhinestone Requiem is a throwback to Sweeney’s upbringing and all of the earliest things that have had a colossal effect on her: Her father’s records, which she had open access to; listening to Jerry Reed; watching The Dukes of Hazzard; processing the initial songs that jiggled her plaster loose.
Sweeney vividly recalls at age 8 hearing Jessi Colter’s “I’m Not Lisa,” a great example of one of her songwriting paradigms of setting mood and meaning.
“I sat and watched the record play,” said Sweeney, “I remember thinking she sounded really sad, but now I know what she’s talking about. I also remember hearing Jerry Reed’s ‘Amos Moses.’ I thought, man, what type of noise is this? I knew I needed to hear more of it in my life. Waylon Jennings’ ‘Good Ol’ Boys’ theme and I loved The Dukes of Hazzard. I told my mom that I wanted a son and was going to name him Bo and Luke Duke. I loved them both, those Duke boys, and I loved that Telecaster sound.”
The whole fictional gang of rural Hazzard County folks, Bo and Luke and Daisy Duke, mechanic Cooter Davenport, accident-prone though incorruptible deputy sheriff Enos Strate, and others, resembled the classmates, pals, and neighbors who Sweeney was raised with in the Texas countryside.
“Those were the kinds of people that existed in my life,” said Sweeney. “Country boys were dressed like that and they’d drive too fast down the street. I saw Daisy Duke and I wanted heels like that. Daisy Duke. Dolly Parton. Grease. Heels and lipstick. I had seen my future!”
Sweeney was born in Houston, but after her father decided that he no longer wanted to work in the family insurance business, he quit the agency and packed everyone and everything up and drove more than 200 miles north to Longview, where he’d grown up.
“I’m grateful for that small town,” said Sweeney. “I don’t know if I would have ended up in the music business if I wasn’t raised there. There were opportunities for small-town people and small-town interactions, which have shaped the way I feel musically.”
Indeed, the move to Longview would play a decisive role in Sweeney’s relationship with music. There was a low-watt country music station in the town of about 60,000 people featuring a succession of howling DJs who routinely tried to break the songs of lesser-known artists, allowed for call-ins, and welcomed conversations. Sweeney started listening in the third grade and calling in to request Conway Twitty.
After her parents’ divorce, Longview was also where her mother met Paul, the person who would become her stepfather – and, in hindsight, her biggest career influence. Paul and one of his brothers liked to twang the guitar. Nurturing and never hardhearted, Paul slowly and caringly taught Sweeney how to play the instrument. The first guitar that he gave to her was a black composite Martin, “a cheap, old, sentimental thing,” she said. She learned that her grandfather was a member of a big band orchestra. He played the trumpet, drank scotch, and chain-smoked cigarettes. She thought that he was the apex of cool. But the notion of becoming a musician as an occupation seemed, in her words, “far-fetched.” She asked Paul what he thought – and he merely grinned.
Years later, Sweeney, thinking about her stepdad’s tenderness, her grandfather’s stark sense of flair, and some of the songs and musical moments that touched her as a child, she re-examined her intentions.
“I had a college degree and I didn’t want to use it. I wanted to work for myself and wear jeans everyday and be my own boss. That was 20 years ago.”
Sweeney, now 48, lived in Austin for approximately 25 years, going through some precariously bony times, financially. She juggled other jobs while making barely enough to cover bills. At one point, strapped for cash, she pawned the original Martin that her stepdad had given to her. The Chaparral Lounge in South Austin was the very first place that Sweeney performed and several months elapsed before she would muster the courage to return to the stage a second time. That second performance took place in August 2004 at the Carousel Lounge on East 51st Street.
“There was a halfway house across the street and I was not that good,” she said. “My mom said that there were two or three minutes in between each song and lots of discussing how we were going to play it.”
Swiftly, however, Sweeney improved. “I threw myself into it 150 percent.”
She began hustling seven nights a week, performing wherever there was the potential of a free meal or the likelihood of even a single pair of listening ears. At grocery stores, perched on hay bales, in the rutted corners of falling apart parking lots. If the spot had electricity, she would play there. And if it didn’t, she would still sing, at any rate.
“Many nights I played outdoors without lights,” said Sweeney. “We had lights on a stick, two canister lights, before LED lights. At Poodle Dog Lounge, which was a staple in Austin – now Aristocrat Lounge – there was no stage. No credit card machine. No dance floor. There were some chairs, and you were three feet in front of that, standing there. I missed one or two Sundays in three years.”
At Poodle Dog Lounge, Sweeney played her set between 8 and 11 p.m., plenty of shuffles and polkas to satisfy the dancers. Her act was mostly covers, with the occasional original thrown in, hoping that the audience was too sauced or too ebullient to even notice.
Her rewards and incentives, she said, were comparatively picayune. “Eating for free was pretty cool. Not having to get up early. Maybe play at a couple of other nearby towns.”
Things were moving along satisfactorily, if not spectacularly, when she received a message on MySpace from a record producer who told her that he liked what he had heard out of her in a club in Austin one night. He was based in Nashville, and once he learned that Sweeney would be performing there, he showed up. Without delay he offered her a recording contract.
Since then, she has won over a sizable group of listeners with a repertoire of songs that are frank, discerning, and occasionally grief-stricken, teasing, provocative, and ultimately convincing.
Co-producer Harley Husbands has worked with Sweeney for about 10 years, his guitar licks always craftily and reliably adding richness to their musical portraits. The pair are so joined at the hip that his contributions to Rhinestone Requiem are virtually indistinguishable from Sweeney’s, their palettes bleeding into a single piece of artistry.
“We live together and work and travel and play together,” said Sweeney. “That forces you to work well together in the studio. We’ve got no time to not work well together. Having a bad day? Too bad.”
Sweeney said that the vocals on the record are about as close to the authentic article as she could deliver, done without any polishing or cleansing or much enhancing. She credits Harley with being the ultimate arbiter, the most prized of assayers. He knows her voice better than anyone. If she didn’t sound right at a particular moment, he made sure to tell her so.
“I’d be in the vocal booth running through songs and he would be in the control room, knowing what I do like hearing out of myself… He knows what I like to hear. If he was not hearing me sing that way, he would know it perfectly. It’s as close to me knowing it on my own as possible.”
Her vocals on Rhinestone Requiem are firm, authoritative, and insightful enough to be considered some of her best work.
“It is not smushed down and compressed,” said Sweeney. “It is as close to sounding as they’ve sounded at the show. I don’t like it when you buy a record and put it on the turntable and it doesn’t sound like what you’ve just heard at a show. I like reaching the high end. It can be shrill. Either people love it or hate it. Harley’s job was mixing me and pulling out my significant sound and frequency, but without squishing what people are already used to hearing.”
By the way, a requiem, by definition, is an action or token of remembrance. It is a word that has generated a bit of droll reaction, Sweeney said. “Some guy just wrote on my page that we need to pick a word that we can pronounce. I laughed my ass off out loud. My sister said that we need to get those boys a dictionary!”
Nevertheless, it is a pleasing and easily engaging listen, whether to devotees or casual fans of clear-cut country. Out of the new songs, “Traveling On” and “Diamonds and Divorce Decrees” are receiving the largest number of spins.
“I hate having to pick songs to release as singles,” said Sweeney. “I think we should release all of the songs and let people pick themselves. There are a couple of deeper ones, like ‘Half Lit in 3/4 Time’ that I’m really liking. ‘As Long as There’s a Honky Tonk’ is going over well at gigs and live is getting a really good response.”
Indeed, the formula of Rhinestone Requiem is the same modus operandi of loving labor, mischievous candor, bittersweet humor, and resolute truthfulness. And it seems to be paying Sweeney impressive dividends.
“Years of wearing myself out and gigs and travel,” said Sweeney. “I’ve started to see people now at every single gig. It’s all starting to feel real now. We’ve been living with these songs for a year, and now other people are now hearing them. The excitement is building.”
Somehow we’ve already arrived at August!? How did that happen? At any rate, there’s no better way to kick off the month than another brand new edition of You Gotta Hear This.
This week, we have a small but mighty collection of country and folk. Just a couple of days ago husband-and-wife duo Alyssa & Wayne Brewer announced an upcoming album, Lonesome & Blue, slated for release in September. To celebrate the announcement, they dropped the title track and lead single and for our roundup they’re sharing its accompanying music video for the first time. Watch below.
Plus, singer-songwriter Hannah Delynn gives a sneak preview of “Jealousy,” her third and final single from her upcoming September release, Trust Fall. Out next Friday, the number was produced by Maya de Vitry and is anchored by emotive piano, exploring the depths and catacombs of often squashed emotions.
To wrap things up, Texan country veteran Sunny Sweeney releases her new album Rhinestone Requiem today, so we’re spotlighting an as-yet-unreleased track, “Find It Where I Can,” that’s twangy, honky-tonkin’, and rocking and rolling, too. Congrats on the new LP, Sunny!
It’s all right here on BGS – and You Gotta Hear This!
Alyssa & Wayne Brewer, “Lonesome & Blue”
Artist:Alyssa & Wayne Brewer Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Song: “Lonesome & Blue” Album:Lonesome & Blue Release Date: July 31, 2025 (single); September 12, 2025 (album) Label: Sony/Orchard
In Their Words: “‘Lonesome & Blue’ is our first original offering as A&W Brewer. This song is our interpretation of a classic country tune written in our modern-day time. It’s a forbidden love, sad country song that was written to closely mirror the tumultuous relationship of George Jones and Tammy Wynette. In the video, we not only act out the tune as the characters, ‘Lonesome’ & ‘Blue,’ but also act out the characters’ daydream fantasy of being together as shiny country music stars. In the end, because of life, it doesn’t work out.” – Alyssa & Wayne Brewer
Track Credits: Alyssa Brewer – Vocals Wayne Brewer – Acoustic guitar, vocals Gary Brewer – Electric guitar Tom Killen – Pedal steel Mason Brewer – Drums
Video Credits: Director of Photography: Kevin Bryan, Visual Poet Studios Dave Santiago – Bartender Alyssa Brewer – Video editing, production Wayne Brewer – Executive producer
Hannah Delynn, “Jealousy”
Artist:Hannah Delynn Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Song: “Jealousy” Album:Trust Fall Release Date: August 8, 2025 (single); September 5, 2025 (album)
In Their Words: “‘Jealousy’ is a journey through emotional alchemy, I’d say. It’s certainly a vulnerable one and when Maya suggested we put it on the record, I was admittedly a little scared!
“So often, I think we shy away from difficult emotions because they feel shameful. They’re hard to look at, definitely – but I believe that beneath any feeling, even those which are seemingly abhorrent or benign, is an innocent desire. There is a deep chasm of pain with gold waiting within it. If we can just push past the discomfort, we can find what we’re really looking for. It’s a freeing reframe.
“Perhaps the feeling of jealousy, deep down, is a desire to be seen and recognized, to feel we belong. Who doesn’t want that? Instead of getting curious, however, we often bury or project these things in unhelpful ways, creating distance instead of closeness with ourselves and with others. Jealousy isn’t about what anyone else has; it’s about what we already have inside –we’ve simply lost sight of it.
“Following it as a sort of internal compass can connect us with that desire underneath, to recognize ourselves instead of seeking it elsewhere. It can free us from comparison and allow us to embrace our own light and celebrate the light of the other luminous creative beings all around us. (That’s everyone). Besides, the glory of a night sky is billions of stars beaming back at us… What fun would there be in seeing only one single light shining up there all by its lonesome?
“I’m so grateful to my dear, brilliant friends Alex Wilder and Lizzy Ross for sharing their bright light with us all. Alex created the beautiful piano parts within the song. I love, so very much, that the harmonies were a spontaneous unfolding between us three friends who love singing together. Also, it says quite a lot about Clare that we could write a song about jealousy together. The trust, the openheartedness, the non-judgment… may we all be that kind of friend and collaborator to one another. This whole team is bursting at the seams with bright, beautiful stars. Making this with them feels like I made a wish and it’s coming true.” – Hannah Delynn
Artist:Sunny Sweeney Hometown: Houston, Texas Song: “Find It Where I Can” Album:Rhinestone Requiem Release Date: August 1, 2025 Label: Aunt Daddy Records
In Their Words: “‘Find It Where I Can’ is about that ache you get when love turns cold and you start looking for warmth anywhere you can find it. It’s not about being reckless… it’s about being human. I heard Jerry Lee Lewis’ version of this song at a time when I had just gotten out of a long relationship filled with lonely nights – not single, just lonely. There’s a specific kind of ache that comes from loving someone who stopped reaching for you a long time ago. This song doesn’t point fingers. It just says, ‘Hey, I’m still here, and I still need something real. If you can’t give it to me, I’ll find someone who will.’ It’s really just a line in the sand.” – Sunny Sweeney
Photo Credit: Sunny Sweeney by Nash Nouveau; Hannah Delynn by Betsy Phillips.
In Their Words: “My manager sent me this song in April of 2019. I immediately knew I connected with it, as I was coming out of a sticky divorce, and all the feelings were still so raw. I FELT the words, not just heard them. As I’ve lived with this song for now a couple years, I see a lot of relationships like this. My initial instinct was to have a male feature, and my mind immediately went to Vince. I then committed to him in my mind, and thought if he was unavailable, then I would just do it alone. I am eternally grateful to him lending his gorgeous voice to this, as I feel like it pushed it to another level.” — Sunny Sweeney
Last summer, Team BGS noticed that Facebook was really pushing their Live videos. We also saw that our friends Ann Powers and Jewly Hight were doing some casual sessions on Ann’s porch here in Nashville for NPR Music using that medium. So we decided we should give it a whirl. Ani DiFranco was coming to town, and we asked if she’d be our first. We didn’t have a name for it or much of a plan at all, but Ani said yes and City Winery said we could use their lounge. On June 30, 2016, what would become Hangin’ & Sangin’ was born.
Since then, we’ve had Sam Bush, Lori McKenna, Uncle Earl, Indigo Girls, Chely Wright, Colin Hay, Natalie Hemby, Ruby Amanfu, Special Consensus, the Revivalists, Marc Broussard, the McCrary Sisters, Whiskey Myers, Glen Phillips, Mary Gauthier, and a slew of other fantastic artists on the show.
And we’re just getting started.
In the weeks ahead, we’ll be hangin’ with Johnnyswim, Angaleena Presley, Drew Holcomb, John Paul White, Rodney Crowell, Sunny Sweeney, Keb’ Mo’, Gaby Moreno, and so many more of your favorite artists at Hillbilly Central, right off Music Row, in the heart of Nashville. Join us every Friday at 2:30 pm CT on Facebook Live, catch us every Sunday at 6:30 am and Tuesday at 9 pm on WMOT Roots Radio, or listen to the podcast via iTunes any time you like. We’d love to have you hang with us.
Special thanks to Alison Brown, Garry West, Gordon Hammond, and everyone at Compass Records for lending us their historic studio. Additional thanks to Jessie Scott, Val Hoeppner, John Walker, Craig Havighurst, and the whole team at WMOT Roots Radio for giving us some air time. And an extra shout out to Josephine Wood for helping get this thing off the ground to begin with. We couldn’t be happier to partner with all of you.
When we think of SXSW, we’re reminded of that old saying, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” Because if ever there were a festival akin to running a marathon, it’s the massive, 10-day festival/conference/gigantic party that descends upon Austin, Texas, like a badge-wearing plague every March. (This year, it’s March 10 – 19, to be exact.) Although we’d head South to see Vice President Joe Biden alone, this year’s massive music lineup is quite the draw, too.
With pages and pages of showcasing artists to sift through, choosing just who you want to see may be more exhausting than four back-to-back day parties. We’ve done some of the legwork for you and found a few BGS favorites who are slated to perform.
Nicole Atkins
Nicole Atkins is one of the newest signees to Single Lock Records — the Florence, Alabama-based label run by John Paul White and the Alabama Shakes’ Ben Tanner. Her forthcoming album, Goodnight Rhonda Lee, marries ’50s girl group vibes and vintage soul with modern production a a little bit of twang.
Sammy Brue
Sammy Brue is only 15 years old, but the Ogden, Utah, songwriter has already earned a lot more live experience than a good chunk of his older contemporaries. Now signed to New West Records, the precocious folk singer/songwriter and Justin Townes Earle protégé is prepping a new album for release this summer.
The Kernal
Another Single Lock-er, the Kernal cut his teeth as a sideman for left-of-center country arists like Andrew Combs and Jonny Fritz. His recently released album, Light Country, considers his family legacy — his father played the Grand Ole Opry — as well as how it shaped his identity as a musician.
Andrew Combs
We’re always excited to catch Andrew Combs live, but we’re especially stoked on the heels of his announcement of Canyons of Mind, a new album coming out April 7. Combs’s poetic lyrics and haunting vocals make him one of our favorite songwriters around today.
Max Gomez
Taos, New Mexico, songwiter Max Gomez first got attention when he released his debut album, Rule the World, to critical acclaim in 2013. Now, fresh off a run of dates with the inimitiable Chuck Prophet, he’s preparing to release Me & Joe, a new collection that builds on the Western-tinged storytelling of his first.
Sunny Sweeney
Sunny Sweeney is one of our finest working songwriters, country or otherwise. Her new album, Trophy, is her best work yet, a stunning collection of deeply human songs that reminds us just affecting good music can be. She’s an Austinite, too, so don’t miss this chance to catch her on her home turf.
Valerie June
If psych-soul rocker Valerie June’s singular voice isn’t enough of a draw (and it should be), her nine-piece band ought to get your attention. When June hits SX, she’ll be fresh off the release of her new album, The Order of Time, so keep an ear out for new tunes.
Artist: Sunny Sweeney Hometown: Longview, TX Song: “I Feel Like Hank Williams Tonight” Album: Trophy Release Date: March 10, 2017 Label: Thirty Tigers
In Their Words: “I’m so excited that I finally recorded this song. It’s my favorite country song ever, written by the one and only Chris Wall. The melody has gotten me since the first time I heard it years and years ago. I chose not to change the gender, because that’s the way he wrote it. Also, I’ve always loved when a title makes you think the song is going to be about something else.” — Sunny Sweeney
For most of his career, such as it was, Ted Hawkins was a street performer in Southern California, entertaining tourists and locals alike on the Venice Beach Boardwalk and the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica — his sandpaper voice a perfect companion for his poignant tunes. Many musical types tried to “discover” him over the years, so Hawkins ended up with a handful of releases on different labels, big and small, before he passed away in 1995. His debut, 1982's Watch Your Step, even won a five-star review in Rolling Stone.
On October 23, the first-ever tribute album to Hawkins will find its way into the world. Cold and Bitter Tears: The Songs of Ted Hawkins features a host of superb singer/songwriters — including James McMurtry, Kasey Chambers, Mary Gauthier, Tim Easton, and Sunny Sweeney — paying their respects to the largely unknown great. As his Los Angeles Times obituary read, “At the time of his death, Hawkins remained the greatest singer you’ve never heard. Hawkins clearly was transported somewhere else as he sang, and when he became aware of the audience, he seemed dazed: [Everyone] applauding wildly, some in tears from the sheer, sad beauty of his songs.”
The first track to emerge from Cold and Bitter Tears is Gauthier’s rendering of “Sorry You're Sick.” She says of the pairing, "I knew I could find the center of that song because I'm an alcoholic. I'm in recovery and sober a long time, but I know that feeling of being in a room with someone who's dope sick or booze sick and what you need to get them is dope or booze. Having experienced it, it touched me and brought me back to a time in my life that was truly difficult. [Hawkins'] songs are timeless. What matters is that people get to hear them and this project will increase the opportunity to discover these songs.”
Cold and Bitter Tears: The Songs of Ted Hawkins drops on October 23 via Austin's Eight 30 Records.
Track listing: “Big Things” • James McMurtry “Cold and Bitter Tears” • Kasey Chambers and Bill Chambers “One Hundred Miles” • Tim Easton “Sorry You’re Sick” • Mary Gauthier “Strange Conversation” • Jon Dee Graham “Happy Hour” • Sunny Sweeney “I Got What I Wanted” • Randy Weeks “Baby” • Tina-Marie Hawkins Fowler with Elizabeth Hawkins “I Gave Up All I Had” • Gurf Morlix “Bad Dog” • Danny Barnes “Bring It on Home Daddy” • The Damnations “My Last Goodbye” • Ramsay Midwood “Who Got My Natural Comb” • Shinyribs “Whole Lotta Women” • Steve James “Peace and Happiness” • Even Felker
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