Over his career Kid Rock has done quite a remarkable thing. No, I’m not talking about bridging the genres of rock, rap, and country. I’m talking about being able to make a successful career out of being a glorified trailer park king, while at the same time besmirching the image of trailer park kings all […]
What, you thought I was kidding when I said Taylor Swift was now #1 in my crosshairs, didn’t you? DIDN’T YOU? And them some criticized me when I wrote about how the Kanye/Taylor MTV Incident might have been staged, because the issue was “so yesterday.” And others worried that Saving Country Music was going to […]
Yeah, I heard about Taylor Swift being “dissed” by “Kanye” at some contrived MTV awards show. The fact that anyone capable of growing pubic hair would watch that garbage is beyond me. I rolled up to CNN.com this morning, and even though we have two wars going on, are in the midst of one of […]
So the pop star/actor to “go country” this week, is …drum roll please … 80’s bubblegum synth-pop teen idol “Tiffany.” Thanks to Declared Ungovernable for sniffing this story out on The Boot. The first thing I though of when I heard “Tiffany” was this stupid head/hand thing I do in a mocking way whenever I […]
This is the first in a series in support of Record Store Day’s Vinyl Saturday this Sep. 5th. This is in response to this CMT blog called “Sugarland, Wal-Mart Are Not the Bad Guys,” which admits that Wal-Mart is running local record stores out of business but asserts it is not a bad guy for […]
Last week the pop country world was rocked when the duo Brooks and Dunn announced they were breaking up. Though the duo has never had any particular reason to be in my crosshairs, information that came out in the various stories about the breakup painted a clear picture of the overly commercial approach that the […]
I normally try to answer questions here not ask them, and you’d think that after running a website called “Saving Country Music” for as long as I have I would have asked this question before. And I’m not asking this question rhetorically either. I really want to know, is country music dead? I began to […]
CMT.com is reporting that perennial cash cow Hank Williams Jr. is planning to 86 Curb Records as his label. Hank Jr., who has been close personal friends with Mike Curb in the past and has been on the label for over 25 years, is leaving because he feels he is not being given the promotional […]
When Newsweek published an article calling out pop country a while back, I declared this was an important moment: a mainstream news outlet shining a big light on the sham of Nashville. Another reason I knew it was important was because Nashville took it like a shot right across the bow and came out swinging. […]
Yeah I know, Jennifer Love Hewitt is hot, but so is the scat as it leaves the bear’s hind quarters. But eventually it grows cold, just like Jessica Simpson’s country music junket did, and I’m predicting a similar fate if Hewitt actually does “go country” like the info the rumor mill is spitting out alludes […]
When I think about a good way to personify pop country, I think of a pig; a big, bloated, lazy, garish and gluttonous pig laying around in its own filth and slops. And this pig recently had piglets, with swollen nipples dotting its underbelly. And fighting for a chance with the sweet, sweet nectar of […]
When it was first announced that the 80’s British Invasion’s excuse for a hair band Def Leppard would be performing at the CMT Awards in June, my first question was, “You mean there is yet ANOTHER stinking awards show for mainstream country?” These awards show have me purging more than Taylor Swift the night before […]
Apparently Tuesday (4-14-09) on the Oprah Winfrey Show there was a “Country Music Special.” Guests included Darius Rucker, Carrie Underwood, Sugarland, and Kenny Chesney. If you’re wondering where the COUNTRY music artists in that list are, so am I. Upper-middle class housewives screeched as fashion-plate stars sang songs written by other people through pitch benders, […]
I get a lot of questions from people. I think that questions are a really interesting way to judge the mood or the interest of people at any given time. Its funny, because I rarely get the a question just once. It seems like the same things are racing through people’s minds at the same […]
OK people, you might want to perch a paper bag on your knee for this one, ’cause it could get nasty. This week the great cultural deconstructionist and mind-numbing indoctrinator American Idol is going to have “country week.” No, songs by Willie and Waylon will not be featured. Try Sailor Twift, Timberly McGraw, and whatever […]
Down in Houston the Annual Livestock Show and Rodeo has been raging for a little over a week now, and pop country acts have been running through there spewing their plastic form of ear vomit all over the masses. Luckily the forces for REAL country have found an ally down there in the form of […]
On March 3rd, Merle Haggard was receiving a career achievement award from “Country Radio Broadcasters.” At the ceremony the beautiful and talented Emmylou Harris performed a Haggard tune from 1985 called “Kern River,” which ignited Haggard’s memory and his contempt for the corrupt ways of corporate Nashville, and specifically a feud Haggard had over the […]
According to Curb Record’s New Releases page, all three of Hank III’s albums prior to Damn Right, Rebel Proud are going to be released on vinyl on April 18! There are also a couple of Hank Jr. albums to be released on vinyl. We first heard about this on an interview Hank III did with […]
Yes its true, we piss and moan about pop country a lot around here. Maybe too much. I get emails for people upon occasion saying “Yeah, I hate pop country too, but who cares? Just don’t listen to it if you don’t like it. No need to make such a big deal about it.” Artists […]
Just a few quick things: Drive By Truckers on Austin City Limits: In an attempt to conceal the fact that they have completely sold out and abandoned their roots of supporting local Texas music and other great independent country artists, Austin City Limits upon occasion will still put on a decent act, and this Saturday […]
Pop country has corrupted the airwaves of our country, and everyday like a bad rash it spreads out across the landscape poisoning the minds of would-be country music fans. Perch a cowboy hat on top of pop, take some glamor shots, and with a pretty face and a passable voice you too may be able […]
I’ve seen this theme hashed out many times, in my blogs and blogs of others, on message boards, etc. etc. : How am I supposed to feel when one of my country heroes hooks up with a country zero of the modern pop country era? Whether you’re talking about the love fest between Hank Jr. […]
The King of Juke Joint Swing and now a wily veteran of the underground country circuit, Wayne “The Train” Hancock will be releasing a new album this April, called Viper of Melody. According to waynehancock.com the album will feature his current touring lineup of Izzy Zaidman on lead guitar, Huck Johnson on slap bass, and […]
TONIGHT (Tue 1/13) on Outlaw Radio at punkandbeansradio.com , the great Roger Alan Wade will be interviewed LIVE, 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 Pacific. If you don’t know, Roger Allan Wade is the cousin of “Jackass” nut Johnny Knoxville, and has written songs for Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, George Jones, Hank Williams Jr, and others. He also […]