Aaron Lewis Backpedals / Bobby Bones Disses Saving Country Music
See, this is the reason we didn’t need Aaron Lewis twisting off on Sam Hunt and Luke Bryan. It’s funny that when Texas country artist Aaron Watson had the #1 album in all of country music and was standing in the foyer of the Bobby Bones studio while Bobby was one the air, Bones did everything but invite Lewis into the studio for even one quick segment. But what happens when Staind frontman turned traditional country artist Aaron Lewis artist calls Dan + Shay and Cole Swindell ‘motherfuckers’? Well he gets an 8-minute segment with the biggest audience in country radio. That’s the power of Big Machine Records boys and girls.
READ: Aaron Lewis Calls Luke Bryan, Sam Hunt “Mother$%ckers.”
On the Bobby Bones Show Thursday (9-15) morning (listen at the bottom), Bobby spoke to Aaron Lewis after his recent blowup at pop country artists, and what did he do? Aaron backpeddled and admitted he was playing to the crowd when he said on September 3rd, “I’d like to thank Sam Hunt – oh, I know, he’s so pretty to look at. I’d like to thank Luke Bryan, for most of his stuff – he surprises me every once in a while. I would like to thank Dan + Shay. I’d like to thank Cole Swindell. And every other motherfucker that is just choking all the life out of country music.”
What did Saving Country Music say after the incident?
He’s pandering to the crowd no different than when Florida Georgia Line raps about drinking beer on a dirt road—which is only appropriate seeing how Aaron Lewis is now signed to the same label as Florida Georgia Line, Brantley Gilbert, Thomas Rhett, Taylor Swift, and half a dozen other perpetrators of the erosion of authentic country music in Scott Borchetta’s Big Machine barn.
And that’s pretty much what Aaron Lewis admitted to Bobby Bones during the Thursday interview.
“I’ve actually sat and gotten quite drunk with Dan + Shay,” Lewis says to Bones. “I don’t hate them at all. This was not an attack on their character in any way shape or form. You have to put it into context. This was a motorcycle rally in Colorado where everybody was on their way to Sturgis. This was a bunch of black leather-clad wearing, older folks. I was playing to the crowd. I was just trying to play to the crowd I was playing in front of and make a statement. Maybe I didn’t need to call out anybody’s name … [I wasn’t] trying to piss in anyone’s Corn Flakes.”
But that’s what we need. We need some Corn Flake pissin’, not someone that’s going to flip flop just because he gets on the national airwaves and he wants to play nice, but will serve red meat to a crowd if he thinks it’s what they want to hear. It doesn’t have to get personal, but traditional country fans are looking for someone to draw hard lines and not cross them. Lewis does go on to say, “but I stand by my statement,” but it feels a little bit hollow after all of his other clarifications.
And as was emphasized when Lewis’s comments first came out, they weren’t meant to be published to the masses like WhiskeyRiff and Rolling Stone did, they were meant for that specific crowd, as Aaron Lewis confirmed to Bobby Bones. This should have never been a big deal, and the media is at least partly to blame.
You have to connect the dots of what’s going on behind-the-scenes though. Even more so now that Lewis has appeared on the Bobby Bones Show, and specifically because of the things he said, it is it patently clear now that Aaron Lewis is Big Machine’s answer to all the anti-Nashville sentiment out there in the country music population. Aaron Lewis is Big Machine’s Sturgill Simpson. But unlike Sturgill Simpson, Aaron Lewis didn’t tell Bobby Bones to kiss off when Bones tried to get him on the air. Aaron Lewis went on and made nice.
Bobby Bones finished his segment with Aaron Lewis on Thursday by bringing up Saving Country Music in a strange context.
“Freaking Saving Country whatever that stupid website is that goes after everyone that has more than three teeth,” says Bones, “they can stop bagging on everyone because Aaron Lewis said his point there.”
Not exactly sure where I fit in here, or why the dental hygiene (or lack thereof) of the artists I cover needs to be brought up. Didn’t Bobby Bones just make the point of not getting personal? Yes, I did broach the subject of Aaron Lewis’s comment, but attempted to see the issue both ways. In fact I mostly agreed with Bobby Bones, whose biggest beef with Lewis had to do with Lewis making his attacks too personal instead of focusing on the music. But I didn’t really bag on Aaron Lewis either. I’m glad he’s sticking up for traditional country, especially with his new music. So how was I bagging on “everyone”?
– – – – – – –
Believe it or not, I think Bobby Bones continues to show some signs of maturity, and is beginning to understand the responsibility the bully pulpit he commands calls for. He initially had no business being on the country airwaves at all, and probably still doesn’t, but at least he’s beginning to understand that his audience is so massive, his words have impact.
Like Bobby Bones said in his segment and interview with Aaron Lewis, there is no need to get personal with anyone over music disputes, whether that’s someone attacking pop country, or someone defending it. It’s just music. Yes, we should argue our points and push hard for where we feel country music should go, and hopefully there is still some room for satire. But making it personal only sets us back and creates negative stereotypes about traditional and independent country fans.
Much progress has been made in the effort to save country music in the last 18 months, and believe it or not, Bobby Bones probably deserves a tiny bit of credit for championing some independent and unsigned artists like Chris Stapleton early on, and other artists like Caitlyn Smith. Undoubtedly, Bones is still doing more harm than good, but even he’s coming around to understanding the idiocy of certain elements of the country music format, and the need for substance in country. How can’t you if you’re paying attention?
But whether it’s Bobby Bones or Aaron Lewis, they both come to country music from the outside looking in. And when that’s the case, it’s imperative that they try to understand the culture they’re entering, the responsibility they have to the music, and adapt to the traditions and customs as opposed to hoping everybody bends to their mode of business.
Aaron Lewis’ new album Sinner out Friday (9-16) via Big Machine Records is pretty damn country. It’s the most country record Big Machine has ever released, including Hank Jr.’s latest, and the presence of Aaron Lewis in country is a sum positive for the genre. He just needs to keep it that way by letting his music, not his stage banter or Bobby Bones interviews, do the talking.
September 16, 2016 @ 8:21 am
The fact that this website gets under somebody like Bobby Bones skin makes me happier than a pig in shit. SCM is doing something right.
September 16, 2016 @ 8:23 am
Bobby BROnes.
September 16, 2016 @ 8:32 am
Still have never heard Bobby Bones on the radio. I live in Atlanta, one of the biggest markets in the country. This fool isn’t near as powerful as he thinks he is.
September 16, 2016 @ 8:42 am
I had never heard him until recently, when his station replaced one of the local stations. He may not belong in country, and he may say stupid things, but that station’s selection of songs is way better than the old one. I was surprised when I heard Travis Tritt and Dwight Yoakam back to back. That doesn’t mean I like him, though.
September 16, 2016 @ 8:37 am
Saving Country Music is on the radar! That means Trigger has done some great PR for our music!
Merle said it best, “when you’re running down my country(music) Hoss, you’re walkin’ on the fightin side of me”!
September 16, 2016 @ 8:37 am
I think Bones was trying to say you only like old people. These idiots think we want all country music to sound like Hank Williams. They don’t understand that we all agree country music needs to evolve, but it can’t turn into something completely different. It’s not that we’re old fashioned, it’s that we realize there is a point where music can’t be considered country anymore, and we wish people could learn what country music actually is.
September 16, 2016 @ 8:43 am
I question whether he really believes that. He is fully willing to paint that picture if it serves his purposes, though. He should run for office.
September 16, 2016 @ 8:58 am
I took it as Bobby Bones calling us a bunch of toothless, backwoods cousin fuckers.
September 16, 2016 @ 9:57 am
Nope, those are Bro-Country fans.
September 16, 2016 @ 9:08 am
I often told my son , when he was younger , if ‘ policy ‘ or customer satisfaction is in question when you are dissatisfied with the response of an employee at a store , at a fast food restaurant , at a service station…wherever always ask to see their supervisor or the store manager . The employees are usually just doing their job according to store policy . And they can’t change or bend that policy every time someone has an issue with it . They are hired to uphold it .
I think most of us recognize that ‘ store policy ‘ at major country music record labels is to market what they think the target demographic wants. That happens to be very heavily pop/ rock-influenced , lyrically- immature and watered- down no-name brand ‘ music ‘….. BIG on packaging and little else when it comes to nutritional content. The employees ( artists signed to work for that ‘ store ‘ ) adhere to and uphold store policy or they don’t have a job . You can walk away very upset from an employee who didn’t resolve your issue to your liking and you can curse and call him/her out as you throw a tantrum leaving the store …you can write a letter to your local newspaper editor or post to your favourite blog about your experience with that employee , and you can bitch to your friends etc . Fact is , you should be asking to see the store manger , supervisor or owner . THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO CAN CHANGE STORE POLICY .
Can we really expect Joe Nichol , Luke Bryan , the Kruze Kids , Kelsea Ballerini or any of 20 of the most popular music store ‘ employees ‘ to resolve the bigger issue when they have little to no say over policy . They are , for the most-part , upholding it in order to keep their jobs . Yes , perhaps calling them out for it puts some pressure on them to carry the message to upper management , but the pressure should really ALL be on upper management ( label heads ) if we REALLY want so see a change in policies. The store’s minions are at the mercy of their ‘ deal ‘ . If my local hardware store ,after discussions with the manager , wouldn’t allow me to return my lawnmower 4 days out of warranty, that would be time for me to boycott the store and let everyone know why . I think we need to focus as much on the ‘ bottom-liners’ in the top positions at the label end of the biz in our efforts to SAVE country music . THEY are the only ones who can really do anything about store policy . If you are an act signed with a major , you’ve already sold your soul and conceded to representing the store and it’s and directives ….and as we’ve seen , many respected country acts have spoken out ( Allan Jackson , Merle , Zak , Joe Nichol and also many many writers , ) about the direction the genre has taken but their views haven’t really changed store policy . I think you have to to the source to even hope to make that happen . There are just too many people looking for jobs in this business who will happily tow the line when it comes to store policy .
September 16, 2016 @ 11:19 am
“There are just too many people looking for jobs in this business who will happily tow the line when it comes to store policy”
yup, if you reward it, you’ll get more of it
the converse is also true: if you don’t reward it, you won’t get more of it
seems to me that lovers of country music should just vote with the pocketbook and, for good measure, tell the people who advertise on country music radio that you won’t be buying from them, either
and then turn around and give your praise and financial attention to the people making the good stuff
September 19, 2016 @ 7:57 pm
The problem with this is that the customers HAVE spoken to management, the majority of customers seem to want to buy bro country, or its current replacement metro country or whatever pop crap is the flavor of the moment. This ties in with the recent article about Jason Aldean saying that he’s got to dumb down the music down. Once again, The masses have spoken. They want it dumb, simple and melodic, something they can hum Or chant along to. And it’s not just in country that this happens, there’s plenty a good pop and rock bands, and yet look at the garbage they play on the stations. It doesn’t matter the genre, the masses are always in a look for something simple, and the connoisseurs, like the people on this website, we’re going to have to dig for the quality music. As a long time rock ‘n’ roll fan, I could never understand the crap they played on the radio. Sure, every once in a while a great band might slip through (hello Guns ‘n’ roses), but by and large it was the wingers in the warrants that seem to get played well the good bands had to struggle to get on the radio. In the end, quality often shines through. The rival sons, Blackstone cherry, temperance movement and the wild feathers never get played on rock radio, but they’re gathering an audience in rock circles. stergil Simpson may never get on the radio either, but he’s obviously developed his fans. Radio is always going to suck because the masses are always going to control what gets played on there, I don’t think there’s any point in speaking to management about it. I’d rather dig deep and find the good music myself than let somebody else tell me what to listen to.
September 16, 2016 @ 9:12 am
Bobby Bonehead needs to shut the fuck up. If he likes bro-country, Sam Hunt, Kelsea Ballerini, and the like, that’s fine. However, just because he likes that kind of music doesn’t mean everyone else does. Bobby is just too much of a dumb, narrow-minded bonehead to understand that.
September 16, 2016 @ 9:19 am
Bobby Bones is no Bob Kingsley. Or Lon Helton for that matter
September 16, 2016 @ 2:32 pm
Or Cousin Carl
September 16, 2016 @ 9:53 am
Thank you for this response! Glad you called it out.
September 16, 2016 @ 10:04 am
You’re a weird little shit bobby. And I don’t get you
September 16, 2016 @ 10:19 am
I would pay literally any amount of money, just to punch that weird little fucker right in his face. Hobby bones can eat shit and die. No offense
September 16, 2016 @ 10:35 am
Man, I feel the same way about him. Hell, I’d punch him in the face for free! I wonder how Bobby Bonehead would feel if he got his ass kicked by a girl? 😉 I haven’t liked Bobby Bones after the way he treated Kacey Musgraves and Aaron Watson. His treatment of those two, REAL COUNTRY musicians proves that Bobby Bones sorely lacks in good musical taste.
September 16, 2016 @ 3:24 pm
You know, I’m glad that Sturgill didn’t go on the Bobby Bones show. I have a feeling Bones would have tried to pull some sort of crap on Sturgill like he did with Aaron Watson and Kacey Musgraves.
January 14, 2017 @ 6:51 am
Feeling passionate about something is one thing, but doesn’t cussing & name calling play right into the hands of those who don’t feel the same way? This is
someone’s son, grandson, cousin, boyfriend, friend, etc. It amazes me when
people do that..Agree to disagree & show your feelings by buying the music you love & supporting your favorite artists….
September 16, 2016 @ 11:08 am
Bobby Bones is a Major Dipshit!! As far as Aaron Lewis I don’t see what he did as backpedling hes just taking the personal edge off his coments……
September 16, 2016 @ 11:10 am
Aaron Lewis is from Massachusetts. That’s all you really need to know.
September 16, 2016 @ 1:46 pm
So?
What does it matter which state you’re from? It’s about one’s emotional connection to the music and experience, not geography.
I do agree that he has exaggerated his backstory in a hilariously desperate way, and I LOATHE “Northern Redneck” because of how poorly written it is. But that’s one thing, and disqualifying someone just because one resides outside certain geographic regions of the country is a whole other thing and I consider a disservice to those who may not live the Southern or Midwestern lifestyle but genuinely grew up appreciating and respecting country music.
September 17, 2016 @ 7:21 am
I saw George Jones twice at a place called Indian Ranch on the Mass/CT border. I can assure you that rural New England has just as many authentic toothless hillbilly country music fans as anywhere else in the Appalachian mountains.
September 17, 2016 @ 11:32 am
People forget that Country is everywhere, sure it may be a different flavor, but people are the same. Growing up in Kansas I could tell that the people there were much different than the people from Oklahoma, but still country. Living in Indiana, I see the same thing that I saw in Kansas, lots of people that love country music, and live a rural life style. No matter where you come from, people raised in small towns and rural areas are similar. Heck, I saw more ghetto white boys from Missouri than I do here up north.
September 20, 2016 @ 4:20 am
I agree. Country MUST BE COUNTRYWIDE!!!
September 17, 2016 @ 1:03 pm
I completely agree with Nadia Lockheart;s comment and may I remind you that the great country music legend Merle Haggard was born in *le gasp* California!
By what you implied with your comment there since California is not in the geographical region that makes up the South then Merle can’t possibly be a real country singer *rolls eyes*
Seriously who cares if a country singer not from the region that constitutes the Southern region of the US.
September 17, 2016 @ 4:16 pm
I live in buffalo/Niagara Falls. We get lumped in with New York City. When I’m about 400 miles from there. Vastly different landscape. Going south to Nashville I can get to the Kentucky line driving in the same amount it takes me to get to New York City.
September 16, 2016 @ 11:36 am
Looks like Bobby Bones’s cornflakes have officially been pissed in.
September 16, 2016 @ 11:57 am
Got two country stations in my city and one of them has this show but I’m very happy to say I listen to neither station.
September 16, 2016 @ 12:26 pm
If it weren’t for Saving Country Music, I would have no idea who Bobby Bones is.
September 16, 2016 @ 3:26 pm
Me too. I live just north of Birmingham and we don’t have his show on any stations here.
September 16, 2016 @ 1:26 pm
Bobby BROnes’ disses are even dumbed down.
September 16, 2016 @ 1:39 pm
You’re obviously doing something right when you’re getting under the skin of the radio personality with the most widely-circulated syndicated radio program on country/”country” radio. Kudos to you!
*
As for “Sinner”………………yeah, I’ll admit it. It’s a better-than-decent album from Aaron Lewis.
I do still sense that his lyricism can be a bit calculating in terms of how he broaches the most tried-and-true themes to the extent even the song titles are clear giveaways. And his voice still lacks the emotional range and personality to sell more poignant songs as well as some of his peers. And then, finally, there’s that…………………(sigh)………………..horrendous “Northern Redneck” song. =X
But “Northern Redneck” is really the only bad song on the album. Everything else ranges from competent to occasionally very enjoyable. The instrumentation is great throughout, its well-produced for the most apart aside from the occasional distracting loud drum, and there is maturity in the majority of his lyrics. “Stuck In These Shoes”, his cover of “Travellin’ Soldier” and “Sunday Every Saturday Night” would be the standout tracks to my ears.
September 16, 2016 @ 1:41 pm
can we get a SCM/Bobby Bones interview already, please?
September 17, 2016 @ 11:46 am
I could see Bobby and Trigger having a good talk. I see bias on both sides, but I see both promoting the traditional Radio hits alongside their bias. I listen to Bobby Bones because the station that plays his show here is 100% better than the other country station, so there are many things he says that I do not like, but there are also many things Trigger posts here that I am not a fan of. But I checkout both because they both have some opinions that I agree with.
Bobby’s Friday Dance party, may have issues, but you have to agree that he plays some classic hits on it that most DJ’s probably dont even remember. We have to remember that Bobby’s job is to Push new artists, He may pull some strings on the radio, but I’m sure he answers to people above him. All Trigger has above him are the advertisers on the site looking for clicks. Neither are wrong, but both have separate levels of freedom of speech.
I may not like all the stuff bobby plays, but I have to admit that Trigger promotes several artists that I just see as Hipster folk rock. Both sides have to include artists that aren’t 100% country. I would love to see Bobby play more Red Dirt stuff, and I would love to see less hipster stuff lumped into SCM’s playlist. At the end of the day, I just love county and will switch to my christian rock CD’s when Bobby plays something I don’t like.
September 18, 2016 @ 11:34 pm
im just trying to stir the pot. if Triggerman never made another comment about him again, i’d probably forget he existed.
September 16, 2016 @ 3:17 pm
If you have to delete this fine, but Aaron Lewis is taking the Donald Trump approach to his comments.
Say what you believe in front of your crowd to get them riled up, but when you get called out on a national stage, backtrack and say it’s not what you really meant so the other side doesn’t hate you.
September 16, 2016 @ 4:06 pm
Or the Clinton approach; say what the most popular sect of folks want to hear at the time, change your stance when convenience dictates, and murder those who stand in the way of your political success.
September 16, 2016 @ 7:44 pm
Wait! I thought Bobby Bones claimed credit for all the music he plays. So then why did he tweet this https://twitter.com/mrBobbyBones/status/776377448745152512?
September 16, 2016 @ 10:00 pm
Forget Bones. The REAL story here is that Aaron just showed himself to be a total fraud and true carpetbagger. He admitted he shit-talked cos he was ‘playin to the crowd’, so he was faking it. Aaron just wants to be liked. Which is why he’s glad to go blow Bones, get drunk with Dan + Shay & back slap his new label mates…til he’s behind their back. Then he slags em off to gain favor. Yikes…THAT AINT COUNTRY
September 17, 2016 @ 2:47 am
HEY I love country music and i’m from Rome,Italy!!!!
Does this makes an ITALIAN REDNECK out of me??? Fine.
September 17, 2016 @ 9:09 am
Sometimes I think that Europeans appreciate real country music more than Americans do
September 17, 2016 @ 11:51 am
Trigger, I think it’s great that you can say good stuff about Bobby after he called the site out on the radio. I admit that he does have some room to talk trash after some of the things you have said here, but It was not necessary. Differing opinions can lead to hate, but seeing the good in someone you are opposed to is a great quality to have.
September 17, 2016 @ 5:38 pm
Your just as fake as both of them, attention whores the lot of you. In same article you criticized aaron lewis for backpedaling you backpedal on bobby bones. I have been reading this site for 4 yrs and you are as big a hypocrite as anyone you have lampooned trigger. You are a hipster transplant from up north that figures “here’s a way I can be cool”.
You backslide on nearly every thing you say, sell ad space to ones you talk down, support pop country independent acts, can’t play drums for shit, bash my hometown, play both sides on various artists (sturgill, Stapleton), put out tabloid like headline about Evan Feller from turnpike troubadours til his next release was good, did the same to other artist, and basically you are just a POSER judging everyone else to standards that don’t apply cause YOU AINT ONE OF US.
” Guys, guys, did you hear Bobby freakin’ Bones mentioned me”
September 17, 2016 @ 6:28 pm
You, Jacob Ware, don’t understand that not everything in life is black and white. So I’m supposed to trash the Turnpike Trubadours CD because Evan Felker got drunk on stage once?
“You are a hipster transplant from up north that figures “here’s a way I can be cool”.”
Ha!
You’re not ready for Saving Country Music. Maybe someday.
September 17, 2016 @ 6:44 pm
Its the fact that your the same low life scum that would air the dirty laundry of an artist you claim to support, same as boibby bones just not as popular. I believed and supported this site for a long time, but after reading so much I stepped back and while I had a bias to support you I realized who you really are. Kyle, your as fake as the nickname you gave yourself.
You knew I didn’t mean “so I’m supposed to trash the turnpike troubadours CD because Evan felker got drunk”, I meant that you trash artists you claim to support and pretend to hold yourself to a higher standard than just a gossip mill or tabloid fodder, but that is all fallacy. “You’re not ready for saving country music. Maybe someday”. Actually your not ready you don’t have the moral fortitude, stone cold principals, or backbone to speak for the independent/country music community. Suck ass….
September 22, 2016 @ 7:58 am
Lol man. Aaron Lewis and Bobby Bones. A “country” artist who made his career in rock by whining about his dad and being the most depressing son of a bitch possible and A DJ with a superiority complex who I’m willing to bet stalks his old high school bullies on facebook.
September 25, 2016 @ 8:33 pm
As Nate said, Aaron taking his cues from his fellow charlatan, Donald Trump. He hates pop country yet is sorry for his critique??? Aaron is irrelevant and trying to stay in the news.
Also, a conservative such as Mr. Lewis should understand that the market tolerates and is gravitating towards pop country/bro country and as a conservative who believes in the free market should be accepting of such.