The Ballad of Charley Crockett and Satanic Band Twin Temple

Random Notes 198 Comments


You can tell it’s a slow news week when it’s a nothing burger with cheese like this that creates the biggest nontroversy in all of music. Editors have been approving multiple stories about Charley Crockett ditching one of his openers, and influencers are feeling like they must chime in on the hot topic. And despite the silliness of this entire situation, it has turned into something that probably is worth commenting on, if only due to the secondary fallout that has created some unfortunate misconceptions and collateral damage.

For those who are unaware, earlier this week the supposed “Satanic” doo-wop band Twin Temple took to social media to complain they’d been kicked off the Charley Crockett tour due to their demonic ties. They previously had been scheduled to open shows for Crockett on July 14th and July 18th.

“Today we were informed that Charley Crockett has decided to remove Twin Temple from his upcoming shows next week due to our Satanic imagery,” the duo said in a statement. “Unfortunately, that means we will not be able to perform for you next week as planned. We are really disappointed as we were looking forward to getting back out and seeing you, and also what it means as far as bringing different types of people and music lovers together. We are sorry to everyone who was planning to see us. We’re grateful for your support, not only of Twin Temple, but more importantly of artistic freedom. HAIL SATAN! 93/93″

Charley Crockett responded about a day later with a picture of Johnny Cash standing in front of a cross and the caption, “If they did it to Jesus, imagine what they’ll do to you.” Subsequently, he’s responded even more as he seems to be the one getting the brunt of the backlash, not the husband and wife due who profess they’re advocates for sacrificing children to Satan, and literally get audiences to pledge their allegiance to Satan at shows.

For the record, Crockett has never really professed any religious leanings previously. But you don’t necessarily have to be a hardcore Christian to be turned off by Satanism. He’s also most certainly not “a MAGA country star” as many online trolls are attacking him for being.

First and foremost, despite the imagery and the cosplay marketing, let’s establish that Twin Temple is not an actual “Satanic” band. The true Satanists in society would never come out and say such in public, beyond the people who promote things like the Satanic Church. The actual Satanists are the oligarchs that run tech/AI companies, sitting politicians in positions of power, business titans and top intellectuals that are part of secret societies that profess being Christian on the surface, but otherwise participate in Jeffrey Epstein-style social circles.

Actual Satanism is not just being “anti Christian.” To be an actual Satanist, you first have to believe in God, believe in The Bible, believe Jesus is the Lord and Savior, and then believe that Lucifer is a fallen angel that you then worship for worldly gain and pleasure. Any true Satanist would not take to social media to complain about getting kicked off a tour, or say it’s their mission to bring “different types of people and music lovers together.” That’s some pansy shit to an actual Satanist.

Of course husband and wife Alexandra and Zachary James of Twin Temple are not “Satanists,” even if they think they are. They’re art class dorks from Los Angeles who try to eat a socially conscious diet and have a cat named Salem. They literally try to use the banner of Satanism to “battle against sexism,” when actual Satanism professes the slavish servitude of all flesh. Their “Satanism” is equivalent to a 14-year-old boy throwing eggs at the bedroom window of a girl he likes before smoking a joint with his friends behind the local Dollar General.

The music of Twin Temple is simply a form of performance art. For all the folks who want to accuse Charley Crockett of being a cosplay cowboy, Twin Temple are cosplay Satanists of the highest order, unless they’re actually sacrificing babies to Satan, and then they should be prosecuted for infanticide.

For the record, Saving Country Music had heard Twin Temple’s music in the past, and was familiar with the band before the recent imbroglio. As an outlet that covers Gothic roots music, they came onto the radar via suggestions from readers. The most concise way to describe the band is doo-wop with Satanic lyricism that tries to draw contrast between the innocent ’50s era and demonic ideas.

As a musical project, Twin Temple is good at what they do. Their recording technique to make their songs sound like they’re from the ’50s is impressive, and Zachary James is a good guitar player and composer. But if you listen to one or two of the band’s songs, you’ve pretty much heard them all. There’s a very “one note” aspect to the music since most all the songs work the same.

Should the fact that they’re not actual “Satanists” mean that Charley Crockett is being too uptight? No. It’s a weird band that never should have been booked opening for Charley Crockett anyway. Twin Temple works better on the punk and metal circuit, which is where they commonly perform. But this leads us to the actual problem with this whole thing.

Right now, the Charley Crockett camp is kind of a mess. Crockett getting stopped at the Canadian border and not being able to fulfill his tour there felt like something that could have been resolved beforehand. His potential improper vetting of Island Records and/or his contract that he later complained about also seems like an unforced error for an independent artist. He released the album Clovis as an act of protest against Island, but in a way that put him in legal jeopardy and had the album taken down due to violating his Island contract.

These unforced errors on Charley Crockett’s part that have become distractions to what’s supposed to be the primary focus: the music. And it’s a shame since Crockett’s current album Clovis might be his best.

Then there’s the dozen plus managers Crockett’s run through over the last few years, his unnecessary veering into politics that have made an already polarizing performer even more polarizing. Sure, if he wants to speak out on specific issues, he should have the right and the latitude to do so. But one of his statements about the firing of Twin Temple started off “F–K Trump,” though in part, this was to fend off online trolls that were basically painting him as an equivalent to Jason Aldean.

Why isn’t Charley Crockett hand selecting his openers for every one of his shows, and fully knowledgeable of them? He’s had some great openers in the past, and his career very much started opening for the Turnpike Troubadours and others. Twin Temple should have never been booked in the first place, and if someone else did it and put Crockett in this precarious position, they should have to answer for it too. But ultimately, Charley should be in charge of these decisions.

Nonetheless, the folks trying to couch Twin Temple as victims are being a bit over-the-top too. Jack White sent the whole issue into the stratosphere when he piped up and offered to put Twin Temple on the bill of his September 29th show in L.A at the Palladium. Now all of a sudden these supposed Satanists and their fans are crying about persecution? That’s in part because they’ve co-opted Satanism into some weird progressive political stance that actual Satanism doesn’t actually profess.

This whole thing just feels incredibly stupid. Yes, Crockett should have avoided this issue by properly vetting Twin Temple. But Twin Temple trying to pander for sympathy, and getting it from the “they deserve artistic freedom” crowd and claiming Crockett’s MAGA are just as insufferable. Yeah, you start saying things like “Satan Loves All The Children” in the post Epstein Files world, and people are smart to distance.

Nonetheless, this has been the best publicity boost Twin Temple and their music could ever ask for—much better than opening for Crockett, which was a poor pairing anyway—while Crockett will recover just like he does from all of these silly and mild controversies.

If there’s anything this episode should underscore for everyone, it’s how important choosing the right openers is. So often it’s left to booking agents that seem to have no clue how to curate a good night of music, or is subject to industry politics where labels or managers have some band they need to pay off, or are trying to push on a certain market.

Charley Crockett was right to recognize Twin Temple wouldn’t be a good opener for him. He was wrong to rubber stamp them in the first place.

Now, let’s all move on to more important matters.

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