Welcome Y'all!

Country music tells a story. There is a saying that country music is three chords and the truth. The roots of country music are deep, rich. Country music had humble beginnings but has exploded into one of the most diverse and popular genres of music today. Country Music News Today is dedicated to bringing you only the latest in country music news and reviews. Ideas for this site are always welcome!

My name is Sarah Wyland. I'm a Journalism and Electronic Media student at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville with a Media Management concentration. I have hopes of working in the music business once I complete my degree.

I started this site to share my love of music and gain experience. What started as a humble MySpace site has grown into this website which is growing in popularity with each passing day. I do my best to keep this site as up to date with current country music news, the latest music videos, album reviews, and interviews with the hottest new artists, but I am also a college student which means there are times when school takes up my day, keeping me from posting an update, so I ask for your understanding when those days - sometimes more than one in a row - happen.

Thank you for taking the time to check out my site. Please check back daily for latest in news! Feel free to e-mail me at countrymusicnews@gmail.com with any suggestions or news you would like me to pass along or use.

Sarah Wyland
Country Music News Today

Sarah's Resume available HERE

I get a lot of questions about myself in both my email and through MySpace and so I have decided that, from time to time, I will pull them all together and answer them here. So if you have a question, send it to countrymusicnews@gmail.com - it just might get answered one of these days!

What is your favorite song?
    "I Go Back" by Kenny Chesney. The line "We all have a song that's somehow stamped our lives, takes us to another place and time" is so profound to me. Because it's true - we all have those songs that reach out and grab us, take us back in time to singing in your daddy's truck or dancing in an empty classroom before a high school football game. Songs have that power over us, it's just whether or not we realize it that makes a difference. 

Who’s your favorite artist?
    This is impossible to answer. Country music is so diverse and so many talented people bring something to the plate that I can’t narrow it down to just one. This is a great time to be a country music fan!

What’s on your iPod?
    Everything! I have the newest albums from the likes of Taylor Swift and Kenny Chesney. I have demos from everyone from unheard of artists to Halfway to Hazard and Lee Brice. I have songs from up and coming artists like Sons of Bill and Jason Mitchell. I have songs from the legends. But I also have a hefty collection of non-country music. I’m a big fan of rock, especially of Nickleback and Lifehouse. I have hip hop, pop, folk, southern rock, you name it. Oh, and lots of Canadian indie bands. Check out the Canadian music scene if you’re in the market for new music. I highly recommend it!

What’s the most listened to song on your iPod? Most listened to artist?
    "Rocky Top," played by the Pride of the Southland Marching Band. As a Tennessee Volunteer, I will always sing this song as loud as I can with the kind of pride that you can only feel when you bleed orange. GO VOLS!

What’s your favorite album?
    This may shock some people but my favorite album is Kenny Chesney’s Be As You Are: Songs From An Old Blue Chair. Every song on that album contains a powerful lyric and when I need to mellow out, that album comes through in spades time after time. Kenny’s Lucky Old Sun is the only album I’ve come across that has even come close to replacing it as a favorite.

What’s the best concert you’ve ever seen?
    I’ve had the chance to see many of today’s hottest acts on tour and I’ve enjoyed them all. The most fun I’ve had at a concert was at Kenny Chesney’s 2007 stop in Virginia Beach, Virginia on his Flip Flop Summer Tour. It was Kenny Chesney, on the beach, and I had VIP tickets. However, I took my mom to see George Strait in 2006 when some blonde by the name of Taylor Swift that me and about two other people in the audience had heard of and Ronnie Milsap were opening for him. Seeing Taylor charm the audience before anyone knew she who she was and Ronnie rock the crowd before George took the stage are two memories I hold dear. But seeing George Strait, live and up close… He’s a legend and his presence is one you do not easily forget. Another good concert memory was the recent Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban Love, Pain, and the Whole Crazy Carnival Ride tour. Carrie covered Guns ’N’ Roses and well, Keith was there with a guitar which made every woman in the room happy. It was a good time.

What exactly do you want to do when you graduate?
    I get asked this a lot. If someone told me I could have any job I wanted, I would go for Katie Cook’s at CMT or Nan Kelley's at GAC. That’s what I ultimately want to do. However I love working in publicity and marketing, something I discovered I have a knack for after working as part of John Paul Jones Arena’s ’street team,’ so I’ve considered taking that route as well as working at a record label. As long as I’m involved with country music, I’m pretty sure I’ll be happy!

Why do you sometimes not update your site for a couple or days or more?
    I get asked this one a lot too and simply put, I’m a full-time student at one of the top universities in the country. The University of Tennessee is demanding and I’m a perfectionist (some say ‘overachiever’) which means I devote a lot of time to my homework. It pays off - I’m a honor student - but it sometimes means having to let things go. Often, my social life and my website time have to take hits to accommodate for writing papers and studying for tests.  I’m also a very active member of my sorority, Gamma Sigma Sigma, and I'm a Resident Assistant in a freshman dorm as well. I’m happiest when I’m busy but sometimes, I’m just too busy. But know that my heart is in this website and I appreciate each and every one of you who visit.

Who do you think are the ‘next big stars’?
    Hmmm… I’d put my money on Miranda Lambert, Jake Owen, and Lady Antebellum. Miranda is an original, Jake has more talent in his right pinkie than should be legal, and Lady A is just incredible. Halfway to Hazard is another act I’m fond of. They don’t ‘fit’ the mold exactly but my goodness are they talented. Lee Brice is another underestimated act out there. Heidi Newfield, too, is one to keep an eye on. And these are just the ones that are already signed to a label!