Jason Carter has always loved country music. From when he was little, his dad introduced him to guys like Merl Haggard, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings and thats a sound that has never left his ears. Jason shoots straight on the country music scene and hopes to bringtheedgeonair.com listeners REAL country music! Three chords and the truth is what he always says and he is on a mission through his social media pages to “Make Country Music Great Again”

A Weekend Full of Bull Riding, Cold Beers, and Country Music  

Me and my Beautiful Wife hanging out with
PBR Announcer, Matt West. 
I can honestly say I had a fantastic time this past weekend at PBR Chicago but it wasn't because of the Top 35 rider and the toughest bulls that graced the All State Arena for three days. No, it was because all the great country music acts and catching up I did with old friends. While I gotta thank Heather Croze and the entire PBR Staff for making it a enjoying weekend of shooting, I had a lot of fun at the after party. Watching guys like Zane Williams, Aaron Watson, Mike Ryan, Stoney LaRue, and Casey Donahew perform were definitely the highlights for me no matter how many times I see them and being able to connect with them on a more personal level are the things I enjoy. Also got to give a shout out to PBR Announcer and I can honestly say dear friend, Matt West, for letting me and my wife hang out in their after party suite at Joe's LIVE on Saturday. So until my next blog post, I encourage each and every one of you to give those guys a listen and be on the look out for them to come visit your town! 

Make sure you tune in to theedgeonair.com every Thursday from 2 - 4PM CST to hear the best music from the Red Dirt Country Music Scene. 

Follow me on twitter: @JasonCarter03


PBR Week is Here! 


Howdy ladies and gentleman, I hope y'all had a great weekend. If you live in Chicago like me, you had a cold weekend and you are preparing for snow this weekend but have no fear, the PBR is here. 

And no, I'm not talking about that terrible beer that every "wannabe country boy" drinks for some god awful reason. Im talking about the Professional Bull Riders of the Built Ford Tough Series who will be taking over the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL for three full events this weekend. 

The Top 35 Cowboys converge here in Chi-Town for three full events. Action starts at 745 PM on Friday, 645 PM on Saturday, and concludes at 145 PM on Sunday. So head on out there for a family fun evening or afternoon. 

Also, FIVE amazing and extremely talented country singers will be in town this weekend turning Rosemont, IL into a true "Cowboy Town" this weekend. 

So where are these badass country singers at this weekend? The will all be playing on the stage at Joe's LIVE in Rosemont, IL at the official after-party of the PBR Chicago Invitational. Friday will be headlined by Aaron Watson with the extremely talented, Zane Williams opening for him. 

Then on Saturday, it will be Casey Donahew closing out the night but the opening acts are two you don't want to miss. Not only does Mike Ryan start the night off but you also get Stoney LaRue sandwiched in between!  What more could a cowboy ask for? 

So please come out, hit me up on twitter if your going to be out and about this weekend cause I would love to meet up with some of you. So make sure you tune in this Thursday to Roadhouse on theedgeonair.com from 2 - 4 PM, cause you don't know what kind of surprises I may have in store for you this week.
Follow Jason on Twitter: @JasonCarter03

Follow his show: @RoadhouseIMS

Follow the station: @TheEdgeOnAir



New Year New Country Radio 

Happy New Year everybody and welcome to 2017. I was thinking of resolutions and lets see... I already go to the gym, I have a beautiful wife and a amazing son and I think Im a pretty awesome dad so starting a family wouldn't be one, I could probably stand to not order so much fast food, but that doesn't please anybody but myself and wallet. I have decided that in 2017, I will educate not just my loyal listeners but also the new ones. 

I see all too often, a Facebook post about some "Top 40 Country Pop" guy coming to a town near you. There are two reactions from this and it depends on your sex. 
Females: "OMG (Tag Friend) we are soooo going to have a BFF night!" 
MALE: "Country music sucks because Waylon, Willie, and Merle aren't writing and singing songs anymore."  
My reaction to both of these? UGH (FACE PALM) 

Now guys, I have to agree with you that what you hear on your local "Top 40" station isn't the country music we grew up on but to say country music in general sucks is just plain wrong. It's not country music that has changed. Its country radio that has changed and the reason why you ladies think these guys are hot is because they pander to you and you only.

When a guy like George Jones is told he is "Too country for country radio" makes me want to puke but thats country radio.  



Growing up in the 90s, I loved guys like Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, and George Strait and I still do to this day because GUESS WHAT? They are still making music and they are telling radio stations to take their "Bro-Country" and stick it up their ass! 

Did you know that Alan Jackson came out with a new album in 2015 which is amazing top to bottom and I believe it's one of his better works. Judging by the sales, I bet you didn't and it really is a damn shame. 

So where my fellas at? Cause BOOM! Alan Jackson has a CD that I bet you haven't heard. George Strait has a brand new song he just did with Jamey Johnson that I bet you haven't heard. Im also gonna tell you that there are our artist who travel the country right now playing honky-tonks every night who write and sing their own songs that I bet you haven't heard.

The problem isn't country music, its country radio and thats something Im trying to change and over the course of this year, I will do just that!

Be sure to tune in every Thursday to "Roadhouse" hosted by yours truly from 2-4PM CST only on theedgeonair.com. 

Follow the Show on Twitter: @ROADHOUSEIMS

Wrangler NFR  

My beautiful wife wanted to grab a pic of me
and the 1990 Turquoise Circuit "All Around"
 Rookie of the Year.  
First off, Happy Holidays to everybody and no i didn't chose not to say Merry Christmas because of the PC Millennials. Christmas is one day and that is the 25th of December but the "Holidays" last all month long. Speaking of things that feel like they last all month long, how about the ten day Wrangler NFR?!? We saw some of the biggest and baddest Cowboys and Cowgirls light up the Thomas and Mack Center for ten straight nights in Las Vegas and I sure am glad I picked the first weekend to go. If you have never been to NFR, you are missing a hell of a party. Las Vegas turns into "Cowboy Town" with a little bit of Christmas flare. We met plenty of participants and families throughout the four days we were there and saw some great country music concerts at the NFR after parties. So make sure you grab your tickets, mark your calendars, and book your rooms for next year cause December 7th - 16th of 2017 will be here before you know it!

Country Artist Spotlight: Cody Jinks 



Many country artist take different paths to getting on air. Some start out at local bars playing in cover bands, some try their hand at popular contest shows like The Voice or American Idol. For Haltom City, Texas native Cody Jinks, it all started in 1997 when he was the lead singer for a thrash metal band, Unchecked Aggression.

"You don't think about it right of the bat, but there's some pretty dark stuff both in metal and in country music" Jinks said. "Subject matter is subject matter, whether it's pop, blues, country, or metal. It gets dark for everyone now and again, and country music is certainly noted for being able to go to dark spots"

After his band split in 2004, Jinks took a year off and then started playing the other music he grew up with. 

"When I was younger, back when you actually had to stand in line, I remember buying George Strait tickets the same day I bought Metallica tickets and believe me, I wasn't the only one in line doing that"

If you ask Jinks, the songs he writes and sings weren't even meant to be country songs.

"It was just coming out country songs. I wasn't trying to write them. I didn't even know how to sing country, so I had to figure it out"

And figure it out is exactly what he did. His fourth album titled, I'm Not The Devil, made it's debut last month and soared to number 4 on the Top Country Albumn chart, selling 11,300 copies its first week.

"We look like a dirty-ass rock & roll band, but whenever people ask what kind of music we play, I just tell them 'country.' I don't use any other adjectives. I'm one of those guys where one of the best compliments anyone can give me is, 'I don't like country music, but I really dig your stuff.' I just want it to be good music."

Good music is exactly what you hear when you go to a show that Jinks and his band, The Tone Deaf Hippies, play at weather in it's at a honky tonk, a BBQ festival, or music halls, Jinks puts on a show that all fans can enjoy. It's his edge, his look, and his tributes to greats like Merle Haggard that make Cody Jinks this weeks country artist spotlight. 

For more information on Cody Jinks, including tour dates, check out his website at codyjinks.com. 

Follow Jinks on twitter @CodyJinksMusic.

Follow me @JasonCarter03 and follow Roadhouse @RoadhouseIMS.






Country Artist Spotlight: Casey Donahew 

Photo I took of Casey Donahew at NFR
A lot of fans of country music can see the decline. No longer do our favorite singers sing about country living or rodeos. It seems to be more about trucks and snapbacks these days. Long gone are the days when country music was three-chords and the truth. Im here to show you that's not the case at all. This weeks Roadhouse Country Artist Spotlight is Casey Donahew. 

"I still team rope. I've been team roping for decades now and just grew up in a sale barn and been around cowboys and horses my whole life," Says Casey. "We end up playing a lot of rodeos every year. It's just something that I just kept writing songs about and they just kept coming out, so we've kept recording them"  

And the bands new album "All Night Party" is no different from albums of years past, except you can hear a few more rodeo and cowboy tunes. 

"I don't try to get too far away from what got us here, but you know, there's kind of a rodeo them to the new stuff. It seems like we've got several songs about rodeos, cowboys, and country living, and I think it's gonna be a big deal with our fans."

And that hold true for there one of the songs on the album, "What Cowboys Do" is sure to be a hit with the rodeo fans and the cowboys who still believe in real country music.

"People that don't rodeo, don't get it. There's no guaranteed contracts in rodeo. They travel up and down the road on their own dollar. It's kind of similar to what we do as musicians. It's a hard life. Up and down the highway. It's one of those songs I love. The arrangement is really fantastic. I'd love for that to be a single, but they tell me cowboy music is a tough sell in the radio universe these days"

It may be a tough sell for the ones who like to pander to a "Bro" demographic but people who love country music for the sound and the truth is sure to fall in love with Casey's sound and stage performance while he's traveling the road with his band.

For more information on Casey Donahew and tour information, check out caseydonahew.com or follow him on twitter @caseydband.

You can also follow me @JasonCarter03 and the Roudhouse Country Show @RoadhouseIMS.






Country Artist Spotlight: Aaron Watson 



From his cowboy hat, to his belt buckle, and all the way down to his starched jeans; Aaron Watson is a true underdog story. Born in Amarillo, Texas in 1977, Watson graduated from Randall High School there and went on to attend college at Abilene Christian. Thats where he began learning guitar and started chasing a dream that ever young boy has. His first two albums, A Texas Cafe and Shut Up And Dance, gained regional success in Texas. 


He had many more albums through out the years, with each one gaining more listeners and more fans. It wasn't until 2015 when Aaron Watson made history by releasing his latest album, The Underdog. With that album he became the first solo male artist to debut at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart with a self-released, independently distributed, and prompted album. 

"I've always like the idea of the underdog," says Watson. "I've always liked the idea that the guy who's not supposed to win could still beat all the odds through hard work and perseverance. A lot of people are always telling us that what we're achieving in the music business is just next to impossible. I don't really consider it that way. We're just out there working hard"

And working hard is what Aaron and his band "The Orphans of the Brazos" continue to do. 

"The idea of the underdog really describes where I'm at right now in my career and what we're trying to achieve with this record," he says. "I'm not one of these guys that can put on a pair of skinny jeans and turn my hat around backwards and sing those pop country radio songs. Nothing against those guys, but if I played that role, it wouldn't be me. When I'm singing these dongs hundreds of times a year, they need to be things I personally believe in"

You can definitely hear all that, included his faith in God and the love for his wife, Kimberly when you see Watson and his band preform live. It's through hard work and determination that makes the man nicknamed "The Honky Tonk Kid" this weeks Roadhouse Country Music spotlight. 

To hear Aaron Watson and other great independent artist. Tune into The Roadhouse on theedgeonair.com every Thursday from 2PM to 4PM CST. 

For more information on Aaron Watson, check out aaronwatson.com and follow him on twitter @aaron_watson