Dierks Bentley, Lainey Wilson Team for Hilarious Hot Country Knights Song
What’s even better than the unexpected return of the Dierks Bentley comedic side project Doug Douglason and Hot Country Knights? How about pairing up with the hottest woman in mainstream country music at the moment, one Lainey Wilson—a.k.a Darla McFarland—for some hilarious hijinks. That’s what we have in the form of the new Hot Country Knights single “Herassmeant,” which is sure to split sides, bust denim seams, and send the prudish Twitter crowd screeching.
Just about perfectly written by Dierks and Lainey with help from Jim Beavers and Luke Dick, not only does the song play off of semi current events, it also finds a muse in Lainey’s notorious “assets” that have been the butt of quite a few jokes in country music over the last few months. And just like the selections from the Hot Country Knights’ debut project The ‘K’ Is Silent from 2020, “Herassmeant” is Country with a capital ‘C.’
“Yeah, seems like everybody is talking about harassment these days and the Knights do not tolerate that stuff,” says Douglason. “You gotta treat your lady right, tell her how you feel about her, respect her, love on her. My old flame Darla McFarland, who most people will remember from Teazers down in Murfreesboro, was itching to sing on this one. She knew she was the inspiration, so how could we say no? Darla is the best damn country singer of the last three decades, in my opinion. Everybody better get down to Tower Records before the CDs are sold out.”
And that’s not all. “Herassmeant” is paired up with another song called “MidKnight Rodeo.” It is a pretty darn perfect parody of 90s-era Garth Brooks that explores the beauty of innuendo and metaphor in the lyricism, written by Jim Beavers. The real irony here is that either of these songs would be an improvement from virtually any slot they may steal from a current mainstream country radio single, despite their silliness.
It’s not 100% clear at the moment if the new singles are part of a bigger upcoming Hot Country Knights project, or just something to seed a couple of new songs into the band’s repertoire ahead of appearances this summer. Hot Country Knights also consists of the Dierks backing band, including bass player Trevor Travis, lead guitarist Marty Ray (“Rayro”) Roburn, keytar/fiddle player Terotej (“Terry”) Dvoraczekynski, steel guitarist Barry Van Ricky and percussionist Monte Montgomery.
Once again Dierks Bentley proves that he’s one of the most unique and self-aware artists in mainstream country. Even if his solo output can be hit and miss, whether it’s his bluegrass forays with his band Long Jon, or Hot Country Knights, he carves out space to something different, and it’s often a breath of fresh air in the stuffy mainstream. These two new songs are no different.
May 26, 2023 @ 10:15 am
Good Lord. This is one of them single entendres. LOL
May 26, 2023 @ 10:18 am
Yes yes and more yes, I love their music, their last album was fantastic, and the song they did with Travis Tritt was so fun, I am really excited for a new album I hope, thank goodness this was not a one time thing like Garth did, I am a huge fan of Dierks, and his alter ego. I hope this becomes a full fledged album, it’s got my money.
May 26, 2023 @ 10:53 am
Jesus H Christ. They just can’t miss.
I don’t know what I love more, the fact they did back to back albums with singles about ass, or the fact that they’ve tastefully lampooned Garth on back to back albums.
May 26, 2023 @ 11:23 am
Hot Country Knights were supposed to play 2 nights here before the Pandemic hit and I loved that record. This song is great as well. Lainey is everywhere and I have no problem with that………..well everywhere except headlining a Chicago show of course???
May 26, 2023 @ 11:26 am
Goddamn that’s a hoot!
Good stuff.
May 26, 2023 @ 11:58 am
Damn, they really captured the feel and spirit of early 90s country. Besides the humor, that’s a a good sounding song.
May 26, 2023 @ 12:08 pm
so he puts real country out as a joke, but then goes back to releasing pop garbage under his own name. what is this guys problem
May 26, 2023 @ 2:29 pm
You are not wrong with that assessment.
I guess he has bills to pay.
June 1, 2023 @ 3:03 pm
Give me a break…Dierks is awesome and most of his stuff is country, and even if he sways into the “pop-country” lane for a few, it’s still good music. Not everything has to be country of the 70’s to be considered good or real country. Some of you on this blog need to quit being such “country” snobs and be a little better at picking your targets. Dierks is not a target.
May 26, 2023 @ 1:11 pm
People make jokes about Lainey’s assets?
I think her assets are fine.
May 26, 2023 @ 1:29 pm
There hasn’t been much ‘T’ in country since their last album. Glad to see them back, and with another ode to ass!
May 26, 2023 @ 1:30 pm
Nothing wrong with that! Except Doug Douglason‘s shirt…
June 1, 2023 @ 3:08 pm
Are you not a fan of Florida or Palm Trees? Or are you trying to read something into it that’s not there. Have you seen those gaudy tourist shirts at every beach shop in Florida? They have lots of colors and lots of neon.
May 26, 2023 @ 2:27 pm
That was chuckle worthy, harassment. Hah.
Damn, that midknight rodeo, haha, I can totally hear Garth singing that… if he didn’t take himself so seriously.
May 26, 2023 @ 3:26 pm
Goddamn that’s a hoot!
Good times!
Thanks Trig.
May 26, 2023 @ 4:25 pm
Hate to be cavalier about throwing the word brilliant around, but doggone sometimes you just have to give credit where credit is due.
Jim Beavers hit a Bullseye with MIDKNIGHT RODEO.
And, like Lainey’s shirt, in the duet.
May 27, 2023 @ 6:45 pm
This song is brilliant. I’ve listened to it 20 times at least.
May 26, 2023 @ 6:20 pm
Hits me like a fart joke.
It doesn’t offend me, I just think it’s lame.
The 90s were a horrible time for fashion and music.
May 26, 2023 @ 8:29 pm
In what aspect were the 90s a bad decade for music? So many genres, country included, are still considered to have been at their best in the 90s.
May 27, 2023 @ 5:01 am
I really hate 90s country, mostly because of the production. They were going from analog to digital and not doing it well.
When I started hearing the songs in writer’s rounds, I actually became more of a fan of the music because some of the songs are great but I never got through them because the production was so weird.
“One More Day” is a great example of that. Bobby Tomberlin doing that live is way better than the recording Diamond Rio did.
I’m not saying no great music happened in the 90s. Johnny Cash was great then.
Of all the country eras to be emulating, the 90s are the most annoying to me. The snare sounds are the worst.
Just my opinions lol.
May 30, 2023 @ 7:03 am
You mean Rubin Cash.
Because those albums didn’t contain any of Cash’s trademark and enjoyable cornball humor. But they sure tried to push the grim and edgy Johnny Cash.
May 26, 2023 @ 9:53 pm
Hey Conrad, I’m curious if the “wonder years” deal hasn’t caught up with you yet. As an “X” generation guy I’ve gotta think that history probably frowns more on the Z Cavaricci and Hypercolor clothes of my teens than what the 90’s offered. Those garish and probably terrible styles have a “sepia” colored memory effect on me nonetheless. In a good way. For me, more than the innuendo of this song is how good Dierks and Lainey sound in duet….but I will admit that I laughed out loud at the lyrics and will also admit that I love a good fart joke. To each their own I guess. End of day, keep doing what you’re doing. All the respect in the world man, you’re making the world a better place.
May 27, 2023 @ 8:25 am
Thanks, NorCalTrees.
Man, they definitely sound great together. I hope they do more stuff.
I wonder where the line is, though. At what point does harassment stop being funny? It feels like we want o have our cake and eat it too.
Could Tony Jackson, or hey-o, Jimmie Allen get away with singing this?
Sexual innuendo in music isn’t funny to me like drinking and alcohol in music isn’t edgy. We’re over it. It’s very possible that I’m taking it all too seriously. lol.
May 26, 2023 @ 11:43 pm
Counterpoint: grunge
Jpr (jeremy pinnell ripz) (unrelated)
May 26, 2023 @ 11:03 pm
HCK is the Steel Panther of country music, but less vulgar and more implicating. We need more faux 90s country i tell you. All i want for christmas now, is a full length HCK movie, where they are sucked intothe modern era by mistake when doc and marty paases by in the delorian, and how they have to enter a battle of the bands in order to win a spellbook that belonged to Merlin in order to get home.
May 27, 2023 @ 1:25 am
I laughed out loud multiple times during this. This is pure gold. And Lainey leans into the jokes well enough. Her interview with Theo Von shows how likeable she is. (To heck with Wheeler Walker Junior. Most of his shit is edgy middle school boy humor)
May 27, 2023 @ 6:39 pm
Wheeler Walker Jr is a character played by a diehard leftist named Ben Hoffman that hates country people, country music, and country life. Everything he does is mocking country music. Its why his songs are so over the top. He wants to prove how dumb people are for liking them.
May 27, 2023 @ 6:45 pm
He is def in that smaller fraction of leftists that are simply intolerable. He pisses me off how terrible his music is and how he just deleted his socials and disappeared after his “Covington kids” incident and his dumbass conservative listeners just forgot a year later.
May 27, 2023 @ 3:01 am
I loved this. So much fun. Gave me a Tenacious D feel, but real country and less x-rated! Love their intro/outro riffing and Darla’s vocals. Doug’s cutoff top is hot and Darla’s hair is just perfect.
Side technical note: I can’t like or comment on mobile safari, have to use M Edge mobile browser. Did I get banned? Ha!
May 27, 2023 @ 7:06 am
You’re not banned. Sometimes if you switch devices or something it will send comments to moderation first like you are a new commenter.
May 28, 2023 @ 8:13 am
…good sounding fun this little number. but what’s most striking is the fact that ms. wilson is undoubtedly lifting another collaborative effort to a higher level. she’s already the collaborator of the year in nashville. just ask hardy or jelly roll. moreover, she is on the way to become country’s most heard female voice on the radio this year. most likely the next cma “female vocalist of the year”. could be just a matter of time and a big solo hit before she’ will rise up to superstar status. there’s a plan and a twang working out perfectly right in front of our eyes and ears, watch out.
May 28, 2023 @ 10:07 am
His sexuality has always been a “blur”.
May 28, 2023 @ 12:42 pm
I personally find the song offensive, as a great-grandfather of several great-grandchildren (I’m an 87-yea old who identifies as male), I definitely don’t see the song doing well “chartwise”.
Also, I think it would be “fun” if we start displaying our pronouns in our “name tags”. That way we can avoid potentially misgendering someone.
May 28, 2023 @ 12:44 pm
I personally like it.
May 28, 2023 @ 12:49 pm
I personally find it interesting that Richard Jones (he/him) and Adolph Tomlinson have the same IP addresses.
May 28, 2023 @ 4:03 pm
We live in the same apartment complex.
May 29, 2023 @ 10:00 pm
Is that true?