The Music Universe Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Last month, genre-defying artist Lily Rose released her long-awaited first full-length album, I Know What I Want, independently via Lily Rose Music. The project marks a defining moment in Rose's career, a project shaped by persistence, creative freedom, and a deep love for the songs themselves.

Over the last four years, Rose has written nearly 800 songs, thoughtfully curating the 13-track collection. Some songs are newer additions to her catalog, while others have long held a place in her heart, waiting for the right moment to be heard.

The album reflects an important shift. For the first time in years, Rose felt she had true creative control, and the result is a project that represents her refusal to stay down, her commitment to get back up, and her clarity of vision.

"I signed my first record deal just shy of five years ago. I think I really needed to find myself as part of the Music Row community," Rose tells us exclusively. "I had been in Nashville plenty of years beforehand, and going after this career, but we took a lot of time making sure that I had the correct songwriters in the room with me and all of that to make some magic happen. We wrote a lot of songs. I would've loved to have an album out a little bit sooner, but I couldn't be happier that it happened the timing that it did because all 13 of these songs are exactly what I want on an album."

The new record follows her 2024 Runnin' Outta Time EP and 2021 debut Stronger Than I Am, capturing a new level of confidence and perspective in her sound.

Lily is currently on the road, bringing her powerhouse live show to stages across North America. Dates are scheduled through November 22nd in Phoenix, Arizona.

After her breakout 2020 viral hit “Villain” was released, the Atlanta native went from local favorite to national name practically overnight – landing a record deal, joining tours with Sam Hunt, Luke Bryan, and Shania Twain, national TV performances, and racking up accolades including an ACM Best New Female Artist nomination and GLAAD’s Outstanding Breakthrough Artist Award.

The Boxmasters, featuring Billy Bob Thornton (or Bud as he's known in the band) and JD Andrew, recently released their latest album, Pepper Tree Hill, marking the group's 19th release. The project showcases their love of the Sixties and the inspiration of their studio, also named Pepper Tree Hill.

The song "Pepper Tree Hill" features legendary trumpeter and bandleader Herb Alpert and longtime collaborator and Boxmaster alum Brad Davis. The title track is "a salute to the creative atmosphere that The Boxmasters thrive in."

"Pepper Tree Hill is the property where my family and I live, and it’s also where our studio is, and we call the studio Pepper Tree Hill. The studio is at the bottom of the hill, and the house is at the top of the hill. It’s a very steep climb up the driveway, and it's lined with pepper trees. And so we thought that was just a natural name, you know, you got a little little Beatle reference in there," Thornton tells us from the group's tour bus before Andrew interjects, "Sergeant Pepper Tree Hill."

Thornton continues, "This album really is, more so than a lot of our records, even though all of our songs that we write are based on the 70s and the British invasion and all that. This one really has some touches that are more evident than usual and, of course, we had Herb Alpert on the song 'Pepper Tree Hill' which harkens back to the 60s."

The rest of the album contains jangly guitars, a Mellotron, and solid backbeats that drive the songs about nostalgia, hope, and happiness.

The group is on its 2025 Pepper Tree Hill Tour, which wraps in Los Angeles on October 19th. Some familiar stops, like in Kansas City at Knuckleheads, and Tomball, TX at Main Street Crossing, are joined by five nights at the Bourbon and Bonfire weekends in Livingston, Montana, and many other new towns and venues across the country.

They recently opened for The Who in Newark, New Jersey, where the show didn't go as planned. Thornton and Andrew discuss the performance along with the album, tour, and more, including a Landman soundtrack album that's in the works, featuring original songs co-written with Landman co-star and country singer/songwriter Mark Collie, Ronnie Dunn, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Parker McCollum, and Dwight Yoakam, to name a few.

Last fall, Poison drummer Rikki Rockett introduced his new band, The Rockett Mafia! Featuring Rockett on drums, Brandon Gibbs on guitar and vocals, Bulletboys guitarist Mick Sweda, and Bryan Kimes on bass and backing vocals, the group celebrates the best music of the 70s through the 90s classic rock era.

Rockett, who is the co-founder of Poison, and remains the band’s only drummer throughout their storied 40-year career, says the band stemmed from the annual Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride he hosts in Los Angeles.

“I’m a city host for a motorcycle ride every year called the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride. And it’s a worldwide ride,” he tells us. “[B]ut they never had entertainment at the Los Angeles one. And they’re like, ‘Hey, why don’t you do something?’ I’m like, ‘What are you doing? You just go out and do a solo.’ I mean, And I thought to myself, maybe I can put a little something together, do a bunch of cover songs and see how that goes. Just have fun, have people enjoy, the day, so I put it together and I just used the players from Chevy Metal and cuz I had done a fill in for them. And I got Brandon from Devil City Angels who we’ve been friends forever. And I just called up The Rocket Mafia and we did that one-off show and I thought to myself, ‘This is pretty cool. This could be a fun thing to just do cover songs, enjoy some of the stuff that I loved growing up with and just have a great time with it. Maybe reinvent a few little things.’ And then Brandon mentioned to me after looking at a poll about Poison where people were saying, ‘Man, I wish Poison would do more of these deep cuts.’ and I just know we’re not going to do more of these deep cuts. So, guess what? I will.”

Rockett talks more about the new band, what’s ahead for Poison’s 40th anniversary in 2026, his cancer battle, evacuating from the recent Los Angeles widlfires, his memoir, and more.

This year’s Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride takes place on Sunday, May 18th. Those who want to sponsor him can via the event’s website.

“On Sunday the 18th of May 2025, I’m riding in The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride with fellow men and women across the globe to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer and men’s mental health on behalf of Movember,” he shares. “Men die on average six years earlier than women and for largely preventable reasons. The number of men that are suffering is growing, and we need to do something about that. So, before I press my tweed and polish my boots, I’m asking you to join me in raising funds and awareness for these causes by donating what you can for this meaningful cause and to help the men we love, live happier and healthier lives.”

Poison has sold over 50 million records worldwide behind the hits “Talk Dirty To Me,” “Nothin’ But A Good Time,” “Something To Believe In,” “Ride The Wind,” “Unskinny Bop,” and the Hot 100 No. 1 single, “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn.”

Group releases new Dylan cover album
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is celebrating its 56th anniversary with a second album of Bob Dylan cover songs called Dirt Does Dylan. The project is available today (Fri, May 20th) and features 10 gems from Dylan's vast catalog.

The album introduces three new members, including fiddler Ross Holmes, bassist Jim Photoglo (who also wrote the group's "Fishin' In The Dark") and Dirt Band's founder Jeff Hanna's son Jaime Hanna.

The elder Hanna chats with Matt Bailey about the project, the group's legacy and return to the road. He also clarifies a myth surrounding the group's "appearance" backing Steve Martin on Saturday Night Live in 1978.

Full audio is streaming below. Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Matt Bailey is back in Nashville a month after we covered the 2022 CMT Music Awards. This time, he's in attendance at a Music Memorial for Jeff Carson, who passed away from a heart attack in March at the age of 58.

Michael Ray, Wade Hayes, Ty Herndon, Lee Greenwood, Heath Wright of Ricochet, Craig Campbell, Rhett Akins, Tracy Lawrence, John Berry, Halfway to Hazard, Danielle Peck, T. Graham Brown and War Hippies performed at the Nashville Palace. Don McLean made a surprise appearance to perform "American Pie."

After retiring from country music in the mid 2000's, Carson pursued his other lifelong dream and joined the Franklin Police Department where he remained a dedicated officer until his untimely passing. Carson had begin to revive his music career as he was working on new music at the time of his death. Last year,

 about his latest single, "God Save The World," which we

in early 2021.

The concert was a charity event to benefit the Law Enforcement Assistance Partnership (LEAP), a nonprofit organization that assists sworn officers of the FPD during unexpected life events.

Matt chatted with Ray, Herndon, Greenwood, Wright, Lawrence, Berry, Peck, Brown, and McLean on the red carpet.

Before the interviews, Matt and I discuss other aspects of our joint trip in April 2022. We had the honor to cover the Grand Ole Opry our first night in town which included performances by Sara Evans, Tenille Townes, Riders in the Sky and Nate Smith making his Opry debut. Our last day in town included an afternoon ride on the world famous General Jackson showboat where we enjoyed a concert from the Tennessee Legends, where some of Nashville's finest musicians and singers shared the stories and songs from the pride of Tennessee.

The Power of Women in Country Music highlights the past 100 years
This month, the GRAMMY Museum’s The Power Of Women In Country Music opens for a summer run in Los Angeles. The event highlights the past, present and future of country music’s greatest female trailblazers by exploring the rich history of women as a driving force in country music.

The Power Of Women In Country Music will take visitors on a journey through the history of women in country music, from the early years and post-World War II, to the emergence of Nashville as a country music mecca, and to female country artists becoming international pop sensations. The exhibit will feature artifacts or special content from a diverse roster of 70 female country artists.

The exhibit launches on Friday, May 27th and will run through Sunday, October 2nd. LeAnn Rimes is scheduled for a special Public Program moderated by Marissa R. Moss, author of Her Country: How the Women of Country Music Became the Success They Were Never Supposed to Be, to celebrate the new exhibit on Tuesday, May 31st. Tickets are available now via the GRAMMY Museum's website.

Kelsey Goelz, GRAMMY Museum's Associate Coordinator and curator of the exhibit, chats with us about what artifacts fans can expect to see. She also explains why it's important that the traveling exhibit continues to grow.

Stick around after the interview where Matt and I chat about Naomi Judd, who passed away last week at 76, and Dolly Parton being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this fall.

Full audio and video can be streamed below. Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

https://youtu.be/XKf7FEG4ViI

Townes chats about her latest EP, performances and more
Last week, Tenille Townes dropped her highly anticipated new EP Masquerades via Columbia Nashville/Sony Music Nashville in partnership with RCA Records. The EP is the first soul-baring collection Townes plans to release, where she fully pulls her own mask down. The project features tracks with Breland and Wrabel.

The Canadian country star recently hosted her 12th annual Big Hearts for Big Kids event in Alberta, CA, raising over $450k. At just 15, she started the concert fundraiser in her hometown to benefit her local youth shelter, The Sunrise House, raising over $2 million thus far. She's set to launch a mini tour next week that continues the charity's contributions into the States.

Townes chats with us about Masquerades, the charity, what it's like performing on the Opry and opening for some of country's biggest stars, and more.

Full audio and video can be streamed below. Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

https://youtu.be/deZr-jmJH8w

We are in Nashville for a big week of fun
Last week was a big week for us as we trekked to Nashville to cover the 2022 CMT Music Awards on the Red (Pink) Carpet. We spoke to several country newcomers who are making waves, as well as some well known celebs who were in attendance to present such as Joel McHale and Gayle King.

While in town, we covered Breland & Friends at the Ryman and John Mayer at Bridgestone Arena.

Mid-week, we were the first outlet to officially unveil the name of Garth Brooks entertainment complex on Nashville's Lower Broadway. We were on the scene as his team assembled the retail store and scrim that graces the three-story complex.

Before attending both of his Nissan Stadium concerts, we had the pleasure of chatting with the G-Man himself. During the 20 minute press conference, Matt Bailey asked him a question about future touring plans as the Stadium Tour winds down with five sold out shows in Dublin, Ireland in September. We followed with a personal interview with Brooks.

All of our interviews from the CMT Awards and with Brooks are available on this episode of The Music Universe Podcast. We will have more from Nashville soon. Special thanks to everyone who made this unforgettable week possible! We can't thank you enough!

Full audio and video can be streamed below. Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

https://youtu.be/HTKnv1FoNfo

Hay chats about his latest album
Men at Work frontman Colin Hay recently released his 14th solo studio album, Now And The Evermore. The set comprises a collection of ten tracks that celebrate life and love, one that insists on finding silver linings and reasons to smile at every turn. Hay is supporting the album by trekking across the country with an acoustic solo show.

Last week, Matt Bailey chatted with Hay in person before his performance at Washington, DC’s Lincoln Theatre. Throughout the two hour, 17-song set, Hay told stories and showed off a dry wit to rival any comedian. In fact, the crowd reacted just as well to his humor and self-effacing nature as they did his music.

During their chat, Hay talks about the origins of the album and what's it like to be back on the road since the pandemic began.

Hay will also be involved in Men at Work's forthcoming 18 date tour with Rick Springfield and John Waite. He's also a touring member of Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band who are due to restart touring soon.

The back half of this hour long episode features us chatting about our upcoming Nashville trip where we are covering the CMT Music Awards and both Garth Brooks shows. We also talk about some recent music news involving Brooks opening an entertainment concept bar, Eric Church canceling a gig to see a NCAA championship game, and the passing of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.

Full audio can be streamed below. Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Golden releases a three album project with his sons
Country and Gospel Music Hall of Fame, Grand Ole Opry and The Oak Ridge Boys member William Lee Golden and his sons The Goldens have set Golden Classics, a three album covers project that is now available. The set features 34 songs that were originally recorded by other artists including Tom Petty, Eagles, Janis Joplin, John Denver, Johnny Cash, Bob Seger, and others.

On Thursday (Mar 24th), we had an exclusive premiere of their version of the Kris Kristofferson-penned "Me And Bobby McGee" that was originally recorded by Janis Joplin in 1971.

Earlier this week, we chatted with Golden while he was home briefly during tour stops with the Oaks. Golden tells us how the project came about and how he and his sons, grandchildren and some friends were inspired to record during the dark days of the pandemic.

Full audio can be streamed below. Be sure to subscribe to The Music Universe Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.