Maverick Country Music Magazine

1 January 2022

Happy New Year to all our readers! This first issue of the year was written with cautious optimism, as on the surface, it focused around the live music that’s in store for us over the coming year. From the festival news from Country 2 Country and The Long Road to individual European tours that have been announced, things are looking more positive and our friends across the pond are itching to come over and entertain the UK crowd. However, when I explored deeper into the under lying theme in all of this issue’s interviews, I found that the majority of artists all referred to this one word, and that word was empathy. Gretchen Peters who is celebrating 25 years since her first UK tour and who recently won the ACM Poets award, spoke of how a good song and, therefore, a good songwriter, draws upon empathy to craft a hit and connect with an audience. As she accepted the Poets award recently, she reflected upon the songs she’s written over the years and looks to showcase them in their original form later this year as she plays a series of acoustic shows on her UK tour. I guess it’s this empathy that she drew upon whilst writing such songs as ‘Independence Day’ and ‘Cruel World’ that connected with and inspired the next generation of songwriters. Brandy Clark sits next to her in this issue and speaks of how she influenced her music. The conversations I have had with Clark over the years have been some of my very favourite, her knowledge and passion are to be marvelled at, much like the stories and characters she creates within her songs. It is empathy that allows Clark to put herself in another's shoes and write such vivid songs about their lives and experiences, a skill which has recently earned her a couple of GRAMMY nominations and allowed her to excel as she composes a musical alongside Shane McAnally. All of the above is tied to storytelling, the foundations that country music was built upon. One artist that keeps the legacy of this great genre alive on a daily basis is the great Marty Stuart who has recently been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The nicest man in music spoke to us about the importance of remembering the past whilst helping the future. Speaking of the future, our cover artists this issue are the rising stars of country music, Callista Clark and Tiera, who will step outside of the US for the very first time in March as they entertain us at Country 2 Country. For now, I hope you enjoy this first issue of 2022 and like us, feel that cautious optimism about the year ahead.