Steve Horowitz

The Hours: High Noon Concord Cautious Clay’s The Hours: High Noon is the third part of his conceptual trilogy of songs about one day in a life. As the Beatles might say, “Oh boy”. Cautious Clay has tackled the concept of “a day in the life”, but he’s done so completely out of order. One does not need to have heard the first two volumes before this one. In fact, he released part three (Night) back in October 2025 and part one. The Hours: Morning. in May 2025.

Sophie Gault (Facebook @ SophieGaultMusic) Critics routinely label East Nashville-based singer-songwriter Sophie Gault an Americana artist because of the way she blends rock and roll with  country music. She, however, does not see herself that way. Even though Gault begins her latest album, Unhinged, with a Buck Owens song (“Love’s Gonna Live Here”), she eschews her country identity. “I’m a rocker,” she said proudly.

Bronwyn performs August 8 in Ames. (Photo: Browyn @ Facebook) Bluegrass does not have the fan base of other music genres such as pop, rock, hip-hop, or mainstream country, but it has always had a coterie of devoted fans in the Midwest. Some of its most esteemed contemporary practitioners, such as Alison Krauss (Illinois), Billy Strings (Michigan), and Sam Bush (Indiana), come from the Heartland.