asking for some 'modern' artist and song recommendations.
I'm about to start giving guitar lessons to younger folks, and I'd like to find some new artists so I don't feel like a relic.
Ha ha! You are missing a good portion of your student base then. There are some really good guitarists in country right now.
I can name a few, but to me it sounds like you are stuck in an era. It's sort of like saying you want to teach guitar to a bunch of kids who like 80's metal bands, but you are looking for something more like the Beach Boys. There's nothing wrong with either era, but I've always felt you can teach kids about the beach boys by first helping them learn what got them to want to take lessons in the first place. Just a thought.
Is your goal to teach guitar, or to help someone learn guitar?