Eric Church Targets Taylor Swift in Outsiders Teaser (An Uber Rant)
***UPDATE*** (12-4-13 1:35 AM CST): After posting this rant at roughly 9 PM on 12/3, the Eric Church video was made “private” on YouTube at roughly 11:45 PM on 12/3. If the video was pulled and stays pulled, Saving Country Music commends Eric Church and/or his management/marketing team for making the right decision about this video. ***UPDATE***
***UPDATE*** (12-4-13 4:50 PM CST): The Eric Church camp has posted another video saying in part “Eric adores Taylor, for who she is and what she’s done.”
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WARNING: Language
In the latest installment in a series of cryptic teaser videos Eric Church has released ahead of his new album The Outsiders, Church culls footage from the recent CMA Awards, and specifically Taylor Swift’s speech accepting the Pinnacle Award in a creepy, if not downright disturbing video full of obtuse connotations and veiled threats. During her speech, Taylor Swift referenced her big break in country music that came in 2006 when Eric Church was booted off a tour with Rascal Flatts because he was playing too loud, and too long, after being repeatedly warned by concert promoters to follow the rules he signed on to when he was selected for the tour. Church was replaced by Taylor Swift.
Apparently this is either still a sore spot for Church, or simply a marketing angle for his on again/off again country music “Outlaw” image. But either way, it is the theme for the 70-second video called “One Will Rise, One Will Fall” released today.
I’ll tell you folks, and I know people are going to say that I am way over-reacting or being way too sensitive, but I think this video is despicable, sickening, and downright dangerous. I think it should be pulled from YouTube by the Eric Church camp, an apology should be issued, and if I had the arrogance to believe that I had any such power or authority to do so, I would outright demand that this video be pulled from public consumption.
I don’t give a shit what Eric Church, or anybody else thinks about Taylor Swift’s music. This isn’t about music at all. Take music out of the picture, and Taylor Swift is a 23-year-old girl who has hundreds, if not thousands of people in this celebrity-obsessed and morally-corrupt world who would wish to do all manner of harm and evil things to her; people who happen to live the same shadowy, disturbed lives that come eerily similar to the scene Eric Church portrays in this stupid ass teaser.
If you think I’m taking this too seriously, try telling that to the fans and family of Selena, Dimebag Darrell, and John Lennon. As s a society we have an imperative to protect individuals from these types of threats and images: Bulletin boards and cluttered desks with psychopathic, stalker-style tools and artifacts, and post-it notes with dark, belligerent plans peppered with threatening verbiage. Look at the title of the video, “One Will Rise, One Will Fall.” What exactly are you’re getting at here Eric Church? Because I don’t have to stretch my imagination very far to reach all manner of disturbing conclusions. Of course Eric’s threats won’t go any farther than releasing a stupid ass video, I’m no fool, but who’s to say one of his sycophantic toadies won’t? Besides, it’s the thought that counts. And what is this all for, to promote Eric Church’s shitty rock record?
Eric Church isn’t an “Outsider,” he’s a fucking conformist. He’s a marketeer with a marketing degree who has svengalied a bunch of disenfranchised country fans into believing he’s offering any type of alternative to pop country when in truth he is more of a tool of the mainstream pop country industrial complex than anyone. At least Taylor is who she is—a glittery pop star who doesn’t try to veil her marketing to the masses as anything else. “Outsiders” don’t win Album of the Year from both the CMA and ACM Awards. “Outsiders” don’t get invited to play primetime, industry events. “Outsiders” don’t score #1 songs on mainstream pop country radio. And “Outsiders” don’t piss off Rascal Flatts for playing too long, they don’t play in front of Rascal Flatts, period.
Oh poor, downtrodden Eric Church, his last album only sold 1 1/2 million copies. Now it’s time to hatch a plan to take down the superstar of the genre for revenge. What the fuck is wrong with this guy? The country music industry should kick him to the curb and spit on his album. Let Metallica drag his overplaying ass around US. I’m sick of it. I’m sick of Eric Church’s bullshit drama and acting like the world owes him. Talent or not, country music doesn’t need this asshole any longer.
Pull the video Eric.
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Leave you comment about how I’m overreacting below. And find the stupid video yourself.
December 3, 2013 @ 8:39 pm
You’re going to rant and fucking rave and not even post a link to the video? LOL! You da man! Eric Church is a disgrace to “COUNTRY” music.
December 3, 2013 @ 9:07 pm
I know this rant will stimulate people to watch it, but I don’t have to endorse it or make it easy for them by posting it here.
December 3, 2013 @ 8:48 pm
Eric has a right to his opinion and expression. He certainly meant no physical harm to Taylor. I for one, am tired of everyone acting like she is this innocent little lamb, when she is a manipulative, aggressive, calculating business savvy 24 (next week) year old woman. She is not a little girl. She is not sweet. And she is not innocent. She lambasts every man that does her wrong (in her mind she is NEVER wrong)- even if they only date 2 weeks. Then she uses that story for album sales and buzz. She is about as ruthless as Juliette Barnes on Nashville. It is high time someone called her out for who she really is. If she can trash every man that alleges does not bow down to her in her songs- it is high time the men dish it back to her. What’s good for the goose, is good for the gander. Do not apologize Eric. I never bought the sweet act, and I never will.
December 3, 2013 @ 9:15 pm
“It is high time someone called her out for who she really is.”
Is that what Eric Church is doing here? It looks to me like he’s being jealous and spiteful and won’t let something go that happened 7 years ago and was in no way Taylor Swift’s fault.
The argument can be made that Eric Church being a rude asshole to Rascal Flatts (who were only trying to give him a hand up in the industry) led to the meteoric success of Taylor Swift, so who does Eric Church have to be mad at except himself? An “Outsider” wouldn’t care what Taylor Swift does at all, and if you think Eric Church cares about the men Taylor wronged and this is some battle in the sex war, you’re crazy.
June 13, 2014 @ 3:05 pm
Apparently Alex doesn’t come here often or she would know the doyenne between calling someone like Taylor Swift out, which happens here occasionally, and being abusive. I saw 25 seconds of the video and didn’t care to watch the rest. It is wrong. It’s not about his right to voice his opinion. Ley him voice or. In any other arena, were he not a “celebrity” they would probably all be on a bullying rant.
June 13, 2014 @ 3:08 pm
*know the difference. Sorry for the tipi typo. The comment box is hard to read on my phone.
December 3, 2013 @ 9:25 pm
I never bought the sweet act, and I never will.
So how is Taylor Swift’s “sweet act” any less genuine than Eric Church’s loudmouth, self-aggrandizing faux-outlaw bullshit? Don’t get me wrong, I think TS writing songs about what seems like every man she’s been with is a bit off, but that doesn’t mean Eric Church is speaking any kind of truth to any kind of power. He’s just as much of a poseur as she is. He’s just a different kind of poseur. Whether this video is going to push anyone over the edge is anyone’s guess, but it is a pretty asshole thing to do.
Which would explain everything about its existence, come to think of it.
December 4, 2013 @ 10:05 am
Guys, if you know anything about Eric Church, you would not be making foolish comments about him. He is not going after TS. He is simply pissed at Rascal Flatts for kicking him off their tour in 2005 which made TS join their tour. TS and Eric have a good relationship. She gave Eric her first Gold Album which he has in studio today…People read before you speak….
December 4, 2013 @ 4:10 pm
Triggerman is just a douche. He doesn’t care about facts or knowing what he is talking about. Eric meant nothing by this but because of Nancy’s like trig he pulls it so they don’t get their panties in a bunch.
December 3, 2013 @ 9:37 pm
EC wants publicity, that’s it, Taylor is the biggest name in the industry right now, plain and simple, he saw the opportunity and went for it.
December 3, 2013 @ 9:57 pm
I don’t know Taylor Swift, and I doubt anyone reading this blog does either. I have no clue whether she’s a “sweet” person in real life. She may well be, but that’s not the point. The fact is that she’s a very petite young woman and Eric Church is a grown ass man. There are obvious differences there. That makes the (fake) implied physical threat of this video creepy in a similar way that Tyler Farr’s “Redneck Crazy” video is creepy.
*Obviously* there is no actual physical threat toward Taylor on Eric Church’s part, and maybe at some point this will all be revealed to be one big joke, but at this point there’s no evidence that Taylor Swift is actually IN on the joke. It’s just lame, and low class.
December 3, 2013 @ 10:09 pm
I realize the video is ambiguous, and it’s not necessarily even clear that he’s targeting Taylor Swift directly. But the title makes it seem that way, and that’s how I interpreted it. And for what it’s worth, I would have no problem whatsoever with one of Taylor Swift’s ex-boyfriends cutting a response song proportionally dissing her for one of her boy-bashing anthems, as long it wasn’t actually violent or whatever… maybe that has already happened, but I don’t keep up with such things.
December 4, 2013 @ 1:24 pm
Fair point about Taylor’s height. “Petite” was meant to imply “skinny,” which is how she usually comes across, at least to me.
The title “One Will Rise, One Will Fall” set me up from the beginning to think the clip was going to be some kind of staged threat, then I watched it and it seemed to be against Taylor Swift, strangely. That’s why I thought it was important to emphasize that it was the physical/gender/age differences between them that made that creepy for me, not whether Taylor was “sweet” or “innocent” or deserving of scorn. However, I watched the clip again later before it was made private, and it became less clear to me what Church was actually trying to say, and struck me more as just corny and heavy-handed as others have said.
December 4, 2013 @ 3:22 pm
She may seem skinny, but if you look at her stage performances you will find that she is quite athletic. She has a very high lean mass percentage, and her height makes her look skinnier than she actually is. I was also somewhat unsettled about the idea of contrasting Taylor with a “grown ass man”, even though Taylor herself is a grown woman.
In any case, Eric Church’s video was probably just about him boasting that he will outcompete Taylor musically. I am sure that there was nothing even remotely resembling a physical threat there.
December 3, 2013 @ 11:41 pm
I appreciate your defense of Taylor Swift, but not calling her “very petite”. She is also a grown woman.
December 4, 2013 @ 12:36 am
Well and she’s like six feet tall. Way bigger than Justin Moore, for instance.
December 4, 2013 @ 7:13 pm
Yeah, I jumped the gun on interpreting the video the way I did because of the title.
FWIW, I never thought there was a literal threat involved any more than I thought Sarah Palin wanted to literally shoot House Democrats when she released a map with gun sights targeting them a few years ago. I just don’t cotton to he frivilous use of violent imagery, that’s all.
December 3, 2013 @ 10:36 pm
No…she does not attack every man and takes lots of responsibility for her relationship failures. Stop living in your gossip fiction World.
December 4, 2013 @ 2:08 pm
Why are you debating whether or not she’s sweet? That’s irrelevant here.
In the last year alone, she’s had a number of serious security threats. A man was arrested on the grounds of her Belle Meade, TN property after midnight with a knife, after getting a bus across the country to help Taylor celebrate her birthday. Two men have been arrested trying to gain access to her house in Rhode Island, with one of them swimming two miles in the dark to get access to her house from a private beach. Just a couple of weeks ago, a Canadian man flew across an international border without permission and crashed his private plane at Nashville airport; it later transpired he had listed Taylor as his next-of-kin.
December 3, 2013 @ 8:50 pm
From ericchurch.com:
“Every Outsider lives to fight the good fight. We do it for the shock factor, we do it to express ourselves, it’s who we are. We’re the bad news, and if we don’t rebel, we conform. Now these past few months have been fun, so let’s talk about some New Year’s resolutions. Since a new album is due February 11, 2014, Eric will give the masses what they need, not what they want in 2014.”
This is BS. Just because you don’t want to conform that doesn’t mean you have to be a rebel, at least not in the way Eric Church is trying to portray. And no one who truly fights the good fight does it for the “shock factor”, they do it because they put others above themselves.
December 4, 2013 @ 9:48 am
Shocking?
My gym clothes from last week are a hell of a lot more shocking than that guy. Gimme a break.
December 3, 2013 @ 8:53 pm
Way overreacting here. I get that you think he’s a hypocrite for pretending to e an “Outsider”. But I’m sure in a few weeks his video will make sense, and show he isn’ targeting taylor Swift. People from his camp already said that. Comparing his to John Lennon is ridiculous, no one is going to hurt taylor, it’s just a marketing scheme.
I honestly is jus a video ha he thinks is funny because people will e really worked up about and promote his alum. Dirty? Yes, ut nothing to get worked up about
December 3, 2013 @ 9:28 pm
“People from his camp already said that.”
Did you get that communique with your monthly dose of Eric Church Kool-Aid? Eric Church fans are becoming the Juggalos of country music, buying into a lock step culture that has nothing to do with the music, with Eric Church as their leader with his fist in the air, commanding their attention. Yes! The world is so fake and polished. But Eric Church, he’s real. He’s an Outsider like us. All hail!
December 3, 2013 @ 10:10 pm
I agree that Eric is a fake outsider and that this is a pretty stupid movement/marketing plea by him. I don’t buy any of it, and people realize, merely by the fact that he’s all over the radio. But this video is 1% about Taylor. He’s not targeting her to be killed, and he probably doesn’t even care about getting kicked off the tour. It’s just a marketing play to draw attention, and it’s clearly working. But don’t make Taylor seem like a victim here.
December 3, 2013 @ 10:25 pm
Just to clarify, I am not saying that he is targeting her to be killed, or implying that, or even condoning that, even though that extreme viewpoint has been, and will likely continue to be used against me as if it is my stance on this video. What I am saying is that it crosses a line that I’m not comfortable with, and could be misinterpreted. And when you’re Eric Church and can gain the attention of millions, you can’t be putting stuff like this out for mass consumption.
December 4, 2013 @ 9:52 am
Church is the “country” equivalent of Buckcherry or Nickelback.
yes, I said it
December 4, 2013 @ 8:18 pm
ROFL!
Agreed.
December 4, 2013 @ 12:26 pm
“Church fans are becoming the Juggalos of country music, buying into a lock step culture that has nothing to do with the music, with Eric Church as their leader with his fist in the air, commanding their attention.”
Game, set, match! Excellent comparison of two groups of fans who buy into essentially the same nonsense, albeit with a different label.
So, does that mean that Church’s fans should now be called “Churchalos”? It fits!
December 11, 2013 @ 11:10 am
How about ‘Churchs’ Chickens’
December 3, 2013 @ 9:12 pm
Alex, I couldn’t have said it any better.
Trigger, you still seem to be attached to your vision of sweet little Taylor Swift sitting on her mama’s front porch in a white dress crying on her guitar because Prince Charming didn’t ask her out. She sure is good at marketing, because she knows how to sell an illusion that many people, like you, want to buy into. Some people wish that, in an ideal world, there are still girls with those supposedly ideal attributes, and they project those idealized attributes onto Taylor, because she provides just enough imagery to make them believe it for a moment. I didn’t expect that one of those people would publish a blog titled “Saving Country Music”.
December 3, 2013 @ 9:21 pm
You’re right. Taylor Swift is good at marketing. But Eric Church is better.
And go ahead and characterize me as thinking that Taylor Swift is sweet and innocent and that I’ve bought into her marketing image. I can post links to about two dozen blogs that would refute that charge.
December 3, 2013 @ 10:07 pm
Trigger, I gotta ask, would you have written the same article and made the same points if Eric’s video had been about Toby Keith or Jason Aldean or even Miranda Lambert, instead of about Taylor?
December 3, 2013 @ 10:31 pm
I don’t know, that’s a good question. But part of the dynamic here is that Taylor Swift is a 23-year-old female, and Eric Church is a 36-year-old man. What the hell happened to respecting women in country music? (wait I think I wrote an article about that) To me, this is just par for the course of the booty-shaking anthems of Luke Bryan or the crazy stalking song and video of Tyler Farr where the respect for women is replaced for objectification and adolescent spite. If you want to depose Taylor Swift at the top of country, hey, I’m all for it. But strap on your guitar, write a good song, and go after her on the charts. This is just shameful. Sure, maybe Taylor Swift isn’t the innocent little girl she’s marketed to appear like. But she’s still a woman, and Eric Church is still an older man, and more respect needed to be paid than what showed up in this video.
December 3, 2013 @ 10:49 pm
Eric is 36.
Bryan, Aldean, Church, Shelton are all within one year of each other apparently.
December 4, 2013 @ 7:11 am
You hit the nail on the head Trig, true country values opening doors and tipping your hat not bad mouthing the fairer sex. Course this come out a generation that asks of woman to “Shake it for the young bucks”.
December 4, 2013 @ 7:42 am
I don’t think he would have the balls to go after Keith or Lambert. They’d both be ripping him a new one by now. And Aldean? That’s his bro. Why would he ever do that?
December 3, 2013 @ 9:22 pm
I don’t think this is something against Taylor, they have a great relationship, a harmless joke and probably he’s not aware that Taylor has several problems with stalkers.
December 3, 2013 @ 10:35 pm
An “Outsider” would never have a great relationship with Taylor Swift. An “Outsider” would never cut a duet with Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan either, but that’s another topic.
December 3, 2013 @ 10:39 pm
Hah! Yes! That Aldean and Bryan song he did is what pops in my mind every time I hear or see anything about his whole “Outsider” status.
You record a song with Jason Aldean, or especially Luke Bryan ”¦ you are not outside of ANYTHING.
December 3, 2013 @ 9:23 pm
Trigger, you are way over-reacting and being way too sensitive.
I think this rant is completely off base.
1) Swift gains millions of adulators and tens of millions of dollars by being famous and in the public eye. There are downsides. You lose privacy, people say mean things about you, and you run the risk of getting stalked by crazy people. That sucks, but if you don’t want it, don’t try to become a celebrity.
2) I’m sure if you look at celebrities who were raped or killed by some crazy person–the vast majority of the stalkers were probably killed by someone who adulated them, not hated them. On that note, Selena was killed by the president of her Fan Club, after she fired her for embezzling money. It wasn’t because Shakira sent some cryptic anti-Selena message to her fans. John Lennon is a bit more complicated. Chapman obviously didn’t like Lennon, but he said he wanted to kill a celebrity and considered many others and chose Lennon b/c he was accessible.
3) Yes, I’m sure there are some things that may cross the line, such as talking about violence, publishing private information etc. But I did not see that at all in Church’s video. It wasn’t even “creepy” When I watched it I thought the idea to create the impression of saying: “Taylor Swift is saying she got her big break at my expense, but we’ll see who comes out on top in the long run.” Quite frankly, it’s much more likely that a crazy Swift fan would kill Conor Kennedy over We Are Never Getting Back Together than a Church fan killing Swift over this.
4) 23 year old girl is an oxymoron
All this said, I agree that Swift is an easy target for pseudo-Outlaw country artists, and Church’s video was stupid.
December 3, 2013 @ 9:28 pm
A) Think you might be over-reacting a hair, Trig, but it’s a rant so what else does one expect.
B) I am sick to fucking death of Eric Church’s “Outsider” shtick. It’s so ridiculous. He’s not an outsider, he’s not an outlaw. His music is better than 90% of Music Row but his personality is so off putting.
December 4, 2013 @ 9:03 am
Saying that Eric Church’s music is better than 90% of the music coming off of music row is really not saying much because that is a task that is not hard to achieve. His music is neither country or metal. Those that think he is country have not had the exposure to real country music and those that think he is anything close to metal have surely never exposed themselves to real metal at all as well. An outlaw? Whatever. This guy is a marketing puppet with a tinny voice, a pair of shades, a cap, and a store bought attitude that makes him look cool to those that walk in the show with m’s on their hands. Real music fans from any genre shy away from pocketbook buzzards like this cat.
December 3, 2013 @ 9:29 pm
Eh at some people generalise Taylor fans. Maybe that’s how you look from an angle I guess. Some though, see her for what she actually is: an insecure mess, but also one to stand for herself. Probably for many of her fans, that’s exactly why they love her. I know I’m part of that group.
And that video is bloody creepy. Eric Church, wat u doin?
December 3, 2013 @ 9:32 pm
I’m sorry, but I have very little sympathy for Taylor Swift. I’m no major fan of Eric Church (really he’s pretty average), but he has every right to be mad at her for airing out that little bit of information, just like all her boyfriends have the right to be mad about how she presents them. As far as I’m concerned this is just as much about his image as it is about hers. He’s built an image around being an ‘outsider’ (something relatively accurate when you consider that he’s only recently gotten major airplay), while hers is built around an army of teenage fangirls. That’s about as conformist as you can get, because literally everything she does is catered around pleasing that demographic. Period. She doesn’t write songs to write good songs, she writes songs to sell copies and make money. The reason she ‘went pop’ is because that’s where her market buys the most from.
Similarly, what Church is targeting is the opposite – people who don’t like the pop-country she produces and how it has influenced country today. That’s why he’s gone literally the opposite direction by releasing a heavy rock lead single in comparison to Swift’s bubblegum-pop lead single. It’s all marketing, and it’s aimed at establishing himself as a challenger brand. Think Coke vs. Pepsi – what did Pepsi try to do to get ahead? It tried to prove that they were better, and did so by making the ‘Pepsi Challenge’, a test that supposedly proved people liked Pepsi better – in addition, they targeted the youth demographic, establishing themselves as the ‘drink of a new generation’. Both were aimed at harming Coke’s market share, and both were pretty successful.
So what does ‘One Will Rise, One Will Fall’ mean? It’s a marketing push to establish Church as the ‘anti-Taylor Swift’, opening him to anyone that isn’t a fan of her in hopes of uniting that base around himself. It’s a smart idea, because say what you will about him, Eric Church has not tried to cross over to other formats. This isn’t Biggie vs. Tupac, it is smart marketing.
December 3, 2013 @ 9:37 pm
That”™s why he”™s gone literally the opposite direction by releasing a heavy rock lead single in comparison to Swift”™s bubblegum-pop lead single.
Which, again, makes him only a different part of the problem, as opposed to any kind of solution. The country genre is being choked to death right before our eyes. And you and your kind will sit there and cheer Eric Church merely because his hand, figuratively speaking, is over the mouth instead of clamping the throat.
December 3, 2013 @ 9:39 pm
I’m not cheering him on, there isn’t anything remotely country about “The Outsiders”. This is marketing and if it works it wouldn’t make anything more country, At the same time I’ll take a shitty rock song over a shitty bubblegum pop song any day of the week.
December 4, 2013 @ 5:27 am
I”™ll take a shitty rock song over a shitty bubblegum pop song any day of the week.
Well, neither of them should be taken, at least not as country music. I know very well why Eric Church couldn’t do a straight country song if his life depended on it, but that still doesn’t excuse what he does. Yes, Church may have tried to do something musically with “The Outsiders,” but just because he tried doesn’t mean he deserves any sort of positive recognition. Of course he’s going to try to justify it by talking this “no more genres” bullshit, but as has been said before, that is nothing more than Church trying to further his own ends.
December 3, 2013 @ 10:00 pm
“he has every right to be mad at her for airing out that little bit of information.”
If this is truly what this is about, if Eric feels like he needed to get back at Taylor Swift bringing that up innocently in a speech, this this video is even more sadistic than I thought. If Eric Church doesn’t want that fact out there, then why would he promote it yet again in a new video? The fact is Eric LOVES that he was kicked off of the Rascal Flatts tour, and he brings it up at every opportunity he can as part of his marketing as an “Outsider.”
As for the difference between Eric Church’s music and Taylor Swift’s, in my opinion this is completely irrelevant to this issue. I completely understand why some fans like his music. I’ve been complimentary of Eric Church’s music over the years, and very harsh to Taylor’s. But you just can’t be making these types of videos when your name can reach millions of people, I’m sorry. I know people are laughing at me that I’ve overblown this thing, but I’m telling you, when I saw that video, I was in shock. It’s a stalker video, put out by a major American music star with millions of fans.
December 3, 2013 @ 9:35 pm
She called the guy out.. aired his dirty laundry. It’s a country beef. You thinking people are gonna turn this into a 2Pac Biggie thing?? Haha.
John Lennon was killed over 30 years ago by a very mentally ill Mark David Chapman who was not influenced in the least little bit by a marketing campaign. He was harboring years and years of resentment at the guy. He also hated Lennon because he was rich. I mean really, you are seriously grasping by excoriating Church and then using John Fucking Lennon as a basis to back your resentment up.
Disturbing? Sickening? Good God man, grow up. Any looney (a term used by Lennon) who wants to do harm to Taylor Swift isn’t suddenly going to hatch some nefarious plan just because he saw a 1 minute video from Eric Church.
December 3, 2013 @ 9:39 pm
Oh, and one more thing.. there is NOTHING conformist about that video… a conformist would never put that video out.
December 3, 2013 @ 10:07 pm
“She called the guy out.. aired his dirty laundry” I guess you don’t know the history
After only three shows with the trio, he wanted an out. So, at the prestigious Madison Square Garden, the singer broke all the rules an opening act should follow. He played too loudly, performed in off-limits areas of the stage, and went over his time limit by ten whole minutes. As soon as he stepped offstage, Flatts”™ manager fired him and hired a known rule-follower ”” Swift.
In country music, Church was ostracized. “We ended up banished to the wilderness,” he recalls. “Nobody would touch us. It”™s like we were nuclear.” However, he eventually dug himself a niche in the rock and roll side of country. “We”™re further into rock and roll than anyone else, and that”™s why a lot of traditionalists have a major problem with me,” he says ”” not that it particularly bothers him.
“Actually, she called me after I got fired. I read in the paper that we were fired. She called and said ”˜I want you to know that I love what you do.”™ I joked with her, ”˜This is your crowd; they”™re going to love you. You”™re going to owe me your first gold record.”™ I was kidding, but when she got her first gold record she gave me one. It came with a note: ”˜Thanks for playing too long and too loud on the Flatts tour. I sincerely appreciate it. Taylor”™
December 3, 2013 @ 10:39 pm
“She called the guy out.. aired his dirty laundry”
I can’t see how in any way that is true. Since Eric Church was kicked off the Rascal Flatts tour, he hasn’t shut the hell up about it, and this video is further proof. At every turn he uses it for marketing. 7 years later, and here it is again.
December 3, 2013 @ 9:43 pm
Taylor orchestrated what were in my opinion three of the most manipulative examples of mass media in the history of “country music”.
1) Taylor’s song “Teardrops On My Guitar”: I have never heard or seen a piece of mass media that more effectively aroused the protective parental instincts of the American people (with the possible exception of the daisy ad that Lyndon Johnson used to demolish Barry Goldwater’s presidential campaign in 1964). I don’t think Procter & Gamble could come up with a more manipulative marketing campaign than this. I know several soccer moms who didn’t care for her first single “Tim McGraw” who changed their mind about her after hearing this song, because they couldn’t bear the thought of watching the sweet little girl cry.
2) Taylor’s song “Mean”: This was classic Swift boating in reverse. She took a major weakness and turned it to her advantage. This is an example of marketing jujitsu flawlessly executed, i.e. it would be a good case study for business school students.
3) Taylor’s interview on “60 Minutes”: The idea that every singer with songs on the radio is raising the next generation sounded good to millions of stressed out parents. But they forget that the underlying premise, that parents should look to pop singers to be good role models for their children, is fundamentally flawed.
Trigger, I know from reading your articles about Taylor over the past 2-3 years that you bought into at least 2) and 3).
December 3, 2013 @ 10:06 pm
And that justifies Eric Church putting out a creepy stalker video about her. Gotcha.
December 3, 2013 @ 9:44 pm
Well at least you are consistent. If you are going to rant against Tyler Farr’s Redneck Crazy you definitely need to put this Eric Church thing in the same category.
December 3, 2013 @ 9:44 pm
And you know what? “The Outsiders” isn’t terrible, it’s an average rock song. I’m not buying it, but if it were released to rock nobody would be complaining. On the other hand “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” is utter crap regardless of what format you throw it at – there’s nothing musically or lyrically inventive about it at all. “The Outsiders” at least TRIES to do something musically. Yes, it’s easily the worst part of the song, but at least they TRIED.
December 3, 2013 @ 9:50 pm
I’m not sure what the hell this video means. I didn’t necessarily view it as any kind of attack on Taylor Swift. I saw the video’s goal was more about highlighting the fact that Eric Church got “fired for playing too long” and he is an outlaw that makes his own rules and “rises” from it.
Then again, maybe I’m completely wrong…who knows what the hell this video is really trying to achieve.
I will say this…all this Eric Church video promos/outlaw pushing is goofy and corny. At the end of the day, it’s only music. Do we really need these nonsense, propaganda videos? just shut up and release your album and go about your business. They are trying way too hard…
I know, I know..it’s all marketing and trying to create a buzz…but still, these videos just come off as more desperate, phony, and ridiculous to me.
December 3, 2013 @ 9:53 pm
To the “columnist”, you sir are so off base with this rant it’s laughable. I am going to bed now, but I plan on ripping you a new one tomorrow in debunking all of your facts. Would really like to know how much research you’ve done on Eric Church, especially in regards to Taylor Swift, outside of Wikipedia.
December 3, 2013 @ 10:11 pm
Facts? What facts were presented here to refute? This was a stupid-assed rant.
Nite nite.
December 3, 2013 @ 9:53 pm
I don’t really agree with Trig’s viewpoint here but I think most of you are kinda missing the point. I don’t think it really matters what kind of person Taylor Swift is. I think the point being made here is that this video could fuel a warped person’s mental illness and encourage them to harm her. She could be a massive bitch and a stain on the legacy of country music but she doesn’t deserve to be murdered for it.
December 3, 2013 @ 9:55 pm
Yeah, I’m gonna have to say that you’re overreacting. Was this video unnecessary and a little pointless. Yes. It definitely was. But there was no actual threat in this video. He didn’t say that he was going to cut her to pieces. I will agree with you that Taylor Swift is still a very good role model. For being 23 in the business she is in, it is amazing how she carries herself. And even though she can’t sing for shit and her songs are pretty unimpressive, she did work hard for what she has. She got her fame with her own songs, playing her own guitar.
But seriously, she is not some innocent little girl. Eric is a tool for sure, but he is entitled to his opinion. I can understand why that would be a sore spot for him. He’s definitely taking the outlaw act a little far, but whatever. That’s no different than what taylor is doing with the good girl image. I can tell that you are not a huge fan of Eric Church, but I don’t think that the 1:13 video is the end of the world
December 3, 2013 @ 10:43 pm
“He didn”™t say that he was going to cut her to pieces.”
Never said that he was.
“she is not some innocent little girl
Never said that either. And I even question her role as a role model after she solicited the pop world to make super hits instead of being true to herself.
December 3, 2013 @ 9:57 pm
That’s funny, only 2 years ago or so Eric was on an episode of CMT Cribs showing off a gold record on his wall (with great joy and a good attitude, I might add) that Taylor had sent him with a message written on it that said something to the effect of “Thanks for the tour”, referencing the Rascal Flatts tour. And now he does this. I could say they had some sort of falling out but it seems strictly about publicity in this one. And this seems to be yet another instance of country turning in to rap, with petty feuds and artists starting “beef” with and threatening other artists all in the name of getting ahead. Maybe it’s because their music can’t stand alone without drama so people will ignore the fact that it isn’t very good.
December 3, 2013 @ 10:06 pm
They had a falling out? I’ve never heard about the feud in the first place. If I remember correctly, they hugged when he was about to pick an AOTY trophy either at CMAs or ACMs I forgot.
I can’t help but laugh at this corny video.
December 4, 2013 @ 5:29 am
his seems to be yet another instance of country turning in to rap, with petty feuds and artists starting “beef” with and threatening other artists all in the name of getting ahead. Maybe it”™s because their music can”™t stand alone without drama so people will ignore the fact that it isn”™t very good.
Interesting observation, and spot-on, IMO. I had never thought about it like that before.
December 4, 2013 @ 1:41 pm
Pistolero, that’s how I see it good observation.
December 3, 2013 @ 10:05 pm
Trig’s rant was scarier than the video and it could be interpreted as his fall and her rise and he erased it back probably meaning he did fine in spite of her. Pretty crappy and low class of her trashing him in her little speech.
December 3, 2013 @ 11:49 pm
She was not “trashing” Eric Church in her speech. She was just joking about how Church quitting the Rascal Flatts tour gave her an opening. Taylor and Eric Church have actually joked about this incident with each other in the past (as reported by country music media).
December 4, 2013 @ 8:51 am
If Swift and Church are such great buddies and the whole country world knows it’s all good, then why was Trigger all bent about this? I don’t really care because I wouldn’t buy either of their music with a black Sharpie pointed at my head.
December 3, 2013 @ 10:07 pm
I never thought I would say thi, I i really didn’t but Not only is Eric church officially a scumbag, But I actually have sympathy for Swift, Ughh, I feel like I need to take a shower after that.
December 3, 2013 @ 10:09 pm
All I know is that for the last year or so every time I have flipped through the car radio for more than a couple minutes I have heard “Drink In My Hand” or “Springsteen” and now the guy who did those songs is calling himself and his fans “outsiders” and making promo videos that look to me like they are supposed to show some stalker type guy in a basement.
”¦ okay then.
December 3, 2013 @ 10:09 pm
I think the point may have been missed her. I don’t think this is a threat :/. This is a marketing attempt that themes with “the outsiders”. He was booted from that particular tour for not following the “rules”. I’m pretty sure he isn’t going to take Swifty out and curb stomp her. Marketing. Simple as that. No matter if you like it or despise it comparing this to what happened to Selena made me laugh so hard I almost pissed myself.
December 3, 2013 @ 10:30 pm
He is a pu$$y not a rebel. Lmao. Fighting with girls and being mad over something that was his own damn fault. Plus every person with a brain can tall you Taylor is 100 times better/more talented artist than he is. Red>>>Outsiders.
Hilarious to see Carrie fans jumping in co-signing his creepy actions. That hate is strong.
December 5, 2013 @ 1:53 am
I’m Carrie fan but would never condone violence against Taylor. I’ve seen comments from Taylor fans that had violent words for Carrie. Every fan base has its loons. Lets not pretend Taylor doesn’t have hers. I think you have hate obsession with Carrie. Why else would you mention her in article that has nothing to do with her. I can guarantee you everybody, with the exception of couple people who comment here hate Carrie.
December 3, 2013 @ 10:43 pm
Extra cowardly move to do this when he knew she has no time to pay attention to it. Being busy with her stadium tour yaknow.
Being the pu$$y that he is i expect clarification the moment he starts getting heat.
December 3, 2013 @ 11:01 pm
I like this site for the album reviews. It’s turned me on to a lot of great music, but I’m getting sick of all the Eric church rants. I know you’ve given him good reviews in the past. And I’ll admit that the outsiders wasn’t his greatest song, but not every song is great no matter what artist it comes from. It’s marketing that’s it. I’m a huge Eric church fan, I don’t buy the outlaw thing, but I love his music. You seem to just hate the guy. Honestly your starting to act more creepy than him. And as stupid as the video was it’s creating a buzz. And this rant is just helping that. I just picture him reading this right now laughing. Like I said I’m not here to tell everybody that Eric church is saving country music. I’m not even saying that he is country, all I’m saying is that I enjoy his music, and you just get too worked up about the guy
December 4, 2013 @ 10:11 am
Hunter,
I hear your concerns. I do. And it was not my intention last night to write a Eric Church rant. I just sat down at my computer, got authentically worked up about it, and next thing I know I’m clicking “post.” I am committed to keeping the main focus of Saving Country Music positive, and trying to bring great music to hungry ears. At the same time, this is my reaction to Eric Church’s action. I’m not the only music journalist being critical of Eric Church. He is a polarizing guy, rife to do polarizing things. And as a fan, you have to understand this about him. If he hadn’t said “genres are dead” or posted this video, the rants would have never been posted. I remain committed to reviewing his music objectively.
December 4, 2013 @ 10:18 am
I do realize that his act is bullshit but when it comes down to it 90% of his music is well written, good music. Regardless of whether it’s rock or not. I do with he would drop the act though
December 3, 2013 @ 11:27 pm
First of all, Eric Church is not an “outlaw” or an “outsider.” Outlaws don’t need to declare themselves outlaws nor do they need marketing campaigns to develop their image.
Outlaws turn down invitations to preform on award shows because accepting to do so would conform with the industry holding them back artistically.
Outlaws don’t attack woman (of any age). I’m not 100% sure what Church’s intentions are with this video, but it’s creepy and in my opinion portrays (intentionally or unintentionally) Swift as a target.
All of this has nothing to do with music. It’s shock rock that appeals to the lowest denominator of society. An ignorant society that remains hidden behind message boards, twitter and Eminem albums to vent their hate for people who are more successful or different than them. The most easiest and common target? Women.
To prove he’s an outsider, Church could have targeted conformist Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan or Justin Moore to prove he’s rebelling against the Nashville industry, but he can’t because those are his industry puppet ‘bros.’ Furthermore, one of them might fight back!
So just like Eminem, this rebranded self-proclaimed outlaw Eric Church will target women, gays and minorities and take refuge behind the angry underbelly of society which will be his new fan base.
But I’ll always remember him as the man who sang as song about pregnancy test.
December 4, 2013 @ 1:01 am
REALLY!!!!! because Waylon never called himself the “Nashville Rebel”, and Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter and Tompall Glasser never put out an album CALLED “The Outlaws”, which at some point caught on with marketing and sold the first million in the country music industry? hell I’m 21 years old, I majored in marketing and I can see how it was used as a marketing tactic
If you guys wanna talk about the term “conformist”, how about we talk about Johnny Cash (my favorite artist rest in peace), the man who had a nation-wide broadcasted television show called “The Johnny Cash Show”, or collaborated with some very off-genre and mainstream artists over the years and still was labeled as an “outlaw”. Maybe the fact that Willie Nelson collaborated with Snoop D-O-G-G and nobody said a peep about it?
I think Eric Church is one of the most real artists in mainstream radio right now, the guy played in clubs for 15 years because a lot of labels didn’t like his stuff and he gets a good break and now everyone hates him? Someone who doesn’t care about the music doesn’t sit in a cabin and write 120 songs for an album and cut it down to a mere 10 or 12.
By the way this video was taken a little too seriously as him and Taylor are friends and have been for a long time
December 4, 2013 @ 1:30 am
Nobody considered Johnny Cash and Outlaw in his time, and he was barely considered an Outlaw even during his Highwaymen era. He is inappropriately labeled and Outlaw by Outlaw country fans whose knowledge of the genre is only skin deep. Certainly he may have had some Outlaw elements to his career, but he was not cut from the same cloth.
“Willie Nelson collaborated with Snoop D-O-G-G and nobody said a peep about it?
I did, and I saw many others as well. But the difference between Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Waylon Jennings is they truly had to fight the system, even after they “arrived.” Did Erich Church pay dues? Yes he did, and I’m not taking anything away from him for that. But right now, he’s working with a major label, employing a massive marketing plan that this video (which is now taken down, which speaks to 1. how quickly this “Outsider” folds 2. That they must have thought the content was questionable as well) was a part of.
If Church wants to be considered in the same breath as Cash and Waylon, ditch the marketing and the the music speak entirely for itself. We’re not talking about deciding what to name an album. We’re talking about a multi-million dollar rollout that started months before the release.
December 4, 2013 @ 10:39 am
Don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story….
Is this the history of country music you Church fans talk about at the “hardcore bars” he plays? Maybe you can’t read history to well with your sunglasses on.
This kind of post really pisses me off.
Where do we start?
1. “REALLY!!!!! because Waylon never called himself the “Nashville Rebel”
– This was a movie. He stared in it. He didn’t go around calling himself a Nashville Rebel. It was all part of a movie he starred in. It’s called acting. Like Eric Church does daily, acting like an outsider.
2. “Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter and Tompall Glasser never put out an album CALLED “The Outlaws”, which at some point caught on with marketing and sold the first million in the country music industry? hell I”™m 21 years old, I majored in marketing and I can see how it was used as a marketing tactic”
– Ok Mr. Marketing. Classic to give us your resume run down…no shit your 21. FACT, the media called those guys outlaws before the album do to the way they were making/producing music. Nothing to do with being kicked off of tours or playing hardass bars.
They put out the album as joke to being called that term. So, Mr. 21 year old marketing genius, yes, they played off the name, but they didn’t call themselves Outlaws first. Take a history class between marketing classes.
3. “If you guys wanna talk about the term “conformist”, how about we talk about Johnny Cash (my favorite artist rest in peace), the man who had a nation-wide broadcasted television show called “The Johnny Cash Show”, or collaborated with some very off-genre and mainstream artists over the years and still was labeled as an “outlaw”.
– He was LABELED an outlaw, he never called himself one, nor did he pretend to be the next Hank (as Church has done). And oh yea, he did everything he did before it was the trendy/conformist thing to do.
4. “Maybe the fact that Willie Nelson collaborated with Snoop D-O-G-G and nobody said a peep about it?”
What is there to peep about? Willie can do whatever the F he wants and he doesn’t do it for any reason but the music.
Eric Church can’t pretend to do what he wants, when he is clearly doing it for marketing.
5. “I think Eric Church is one of the most real artists in mainstream radio right now, the guy played in clubs for 15 years”
– Yawn…. 15 years of clubs. Well, welcome to the club Eric. You’re not special for doing that.
Only people that think he is genuine with his “persona” are young naïve fans. Like a 21yr. old marketing major. Sorry.
6. “because a lot of labels didn”™t like his stuff and he gets a good break and now everyone hates him?”
– Labels didn’t like his stuff, eh? So he all of sudden became Mr.Outlaw flag wavier. Right around the time labels were wanting that image. Hmmmmm???
7. “Someone who doesn”™t care about the music doesn”™t sit in a cabin and write 120 songs for an album and cut it down to a mere 10 or 12.”
– Why didn’t he put out 20+songs on an album? Or 30, a 3 disc set? 10-12 songs is your standard industry album. Appears conformist to me.
8. “By the way this video was taken a little too seriously as him and Taylor are friends and have been for a long time”
– Yea Trigger can get a little to literal, but the bigger deal here is how fake Eric Church is.
December 4, 2013 @ 11:37 am
Tim I swear you have got to be the most ignorant person on this damn website. It turns into a pissing contest about who can be more “underground” and who can know the most about how big of shoes waylon wore and what his favorite meal on Sunday was. So eric church isn’t an outlaw, even if he pretends to be, I wouldn’t give a damn if he had a friggin tail and a horn growing out of his head!! He still is an incredible songwriter that does give a shit about the music. Who cares how many songs are on the next album? Who cares if he isn’t as much as a badass as you are? Making a living playing music isn’t easy, I know this because I do it and while its probably fun to sit behind a computer and trash people like this, why not go have a listen to all his older songs (especially the ballads) then come back and tell me if the good can outweigh a couple below average radio songs
December 5, 2013 @ 8:51 am
If you are the Michael (Michael Bubbly) who wrote what I replied to above, can you please explain how I’m ignorant with my statements vs. what you said? If you are not, please explain how I’m ignorant with my statements vs. what he said?
To assume I don’t know the difficulties of a career choice in music, remember, you have no idea who I am or what I do for a living. I guess now we know you make music for a living so that makes you an expert over me right?
I have listened to Eric Church. He has some decent songs, but I don’t hear a level of depth to the lyrics that get my attention. That is a matter of opinion, but wasn’t a matter of opinion is that most Church fans have an inaccurate account of musical history and where he fits into it.
I know the guy cares about music, but he cares about image more. PERIOD
An regarding your comments that I turn this into “a pissing contest about who can be more “underground” and who can know the most about how big of shoes waylon wore and what his favorite meal on Sunday was.”
1. The artists I support most in blogs here are hardly that underground.
2. I don’t bring up facts about Waylon that aren’t fairly common knowledge to his fans or fans of country music. In this particular reply, the accusations were he called himself a Nashville Rebel and made up the term “Outlaws” for an album. Grossly inaccurate, but someone somewhere is sharing that with their friends as fact.
December 3, 2013 @ 11:54 pm
It appears that the video has been pulled. In the other websites where they originally posted the video, the Youtube link is showing a “this video is private” message.
December 4, 2013 @ 12:37 am
This is the moment when we do the happy dance, exchange high fives, and do a happy dance…provided it stays down.
Good work ladies and gentlemen, now back to the music.
December 4, 2013 @ 12:52 am
Look, getting booted off a Rascal Flatts tour for playing too long and loud is like the equivalent of being thrown out a library for talking too loud. It’s the least rock n’ roll and outlaw thing imaginable.
I remember reading books of The Highwaymen’s after gig antics, and frankly it shows Chruch for being the pop-country pawn pussy for what he is. He isn’t an outlaw, he’s a manufactured country loud mouth, just like a WWE villain. Lots of talk, no substance.
Okay, the video is a little creepy, and I think there has been a slight over-reaction. But it’s Church’s hypocrisy that gets me more than anything! If that video had come from Hank 3 or Bob Wayne, fair enough, but Church?
December 4, 2013 @ 4:46 am
“Haters gonna Hate” Do you just flat out hate Eric? Sounds like it most of the time. Swearing like you did in the article makes you lose credibility. I say you keep your mouth seated tight about Eric until the Album comes out.
December 4, 2013 @ 10:14 am
Credibility? I’m the black sheep of the country music blogsphere, and this rant won’t change any of that. And I like to keep it that way so that I can be honest about my opinions, and not have to play the political correctness game. My honesty is my credibility.
December 4, 2013 @ 6:20 am
The Taylor Swift thing in not dirty laundry……it’s been publicized over and over in the media and by Eric himself. Whomever wrote this column is going to feel like an idiot when all is said and done. Do you honestly think it was pulled because YOU asked them to???? Maybe, just maybe, this was planned before the video was even aired….and maybe just maybe your interpretation of the video is out in left field….and maybe just maybe you are not giving Eric the credit he deserves for being as smart as he is!! SO….we’ll see!!!!
December 4, 2013 @ 10:19 am
I don’t know if the video was pulled because I asked them to or not, and I’m not claiming that it was. All I know is that I posted this, and in 2 1/2 hours it was pulled. Either way, it was a victory.
“maybe, this was planned before the video was even aired.
Yes, this was all part of the plan with this teaser video campaign…except that Taylor gave her Pinnacle Award speech well after this teaser campaign had already started. They heard Taylor Swift say that, decided to make a video of it, and thought better of it after seeing people’s reaction. And also, don’t think I was the only one making a stink about this.
December 4, 2013 @ 12:51 pm
Trigger, the pulling of this video reminds me of an incident a few months back when the Swifties pressured Abercrombie to pull a T-shirt they didn’t like, if I recall I think it said “More boyfriends than t.s.” Never mind that there are lots of people with the initials “T.S.” who have never been nominated for a CMA award for releasing a pop song. Probably many of the teenagers who wore Abercrombie t-shirts also have Taylor Swift songs on their iPods, that likely had something to do with the shirt getting pulled. In the case of this video I’m sure “Swiftie Nation” has more than enough foot soldiers to fight this public relations battle, and didn’t need a reinforcement from Saving Country Music (:
December 4, 2013 @ 1:02 pm
You might be right. I’m not trying to brag that I got the video taken down, because I don’t have any specific info that is what happened. I’m just happy it was.
December 4, 2013 @ 1:52 pm
None of us know when each video was mapped out and content decided or what the intent or message is because we are not mind readers….Eric is brilliant and I am sure he is on plan and when it’s time to tell us, he will. Some will say “I knew it” and others will say ” I sure had this one wrong” but all of us will say how brilliant the plan was….we are all hooked….waiting for the next clue….LOL
December 4, 2013 @ 6:23 am
…i would love to be a the subject of a Taylor Swift “Revenge Song”.
Triggerman- i know you probably have a lot of shit on your plate but are you gonna throw in your two cents on that Jamey Johnson,Shooter Jennings and Twiggy Ramirez song and it’s $13 cassingle?…love to hear your thoughts on it.
December 4, 2013 @ 7:41 am
The “You Are My Sunshine” is on .99
They played it to end Sons of Anarchy last night. I think it is done well, but probably should have been released after the show or with a little context of the show. Standing alone it seemed odd. But I do think it is a great version…quite different.
Side B, the $9.99. I heard really has nothing to it.
December 4, 2013 @ 10:29 am
I would love to give my thoughts on it, and on “The Other Life” before the end of the year. But seeing how any time I mention Shooter, it descends into childish name calling and me fielding death threats, I’m just not sure if I can go there anymore. Even if I say something positive, it’s taken as sandbagging by the Shooter camp, and then it opens up a whole other can of worms because of all the Shooter haters out there that will say I’m bias the other way (ironically). And trust me, I’m not the only journalist and outlet that is plagued by the Shooter polarization. The dude has really painted himself into a corner, and the same reason I and others can’t cover his music is the same reason his crowds have been slashed by 1/2 to 2/3 rds over the past few years.
Maybe I’ll try another review and see how it goes. But don’t hold your breath.
One thing I will say though, I think that Shooter Jennings is the real victim in all of this. This “Outsiders” teaser runup is in lock step almost exactly with how Shooter teased “The Other Life.” Same mood and lighting in the videos, same shots of words and images that tease the content and events leading up to the album. And doesn’t Shooter have a song called “The Outsider”? Not that Shooter was the originator of all of this either, but once again Eric Church is stealing ideas from the underground, just like he did Hank3 a few years back. Once again, I would love to cover this story, but I’m not sure Shooter fans could handle it, and seeing some of the comments here, Eric Church fans either.
December 4, 2013 @ 10:46 am
Tigger,
We’ve had our run ins over the years on your site, but I would really be interested in your take on the version of “You Are My Sunshine”. If you want to email me privately to avoid the shit storm, if you have a chance, feel free. Don’t even have to explain it, maybe just shoot me a thumbs up or down.
If you haven’t heard the version, you can find it on Youtube. I know Jamey has played it with his band and there is a video of that on Youtube.
Again, as a stand alone, through Shooters site, it seemed odd. For Jamey to cut the song, it fits his style. And it fit really well in the SONS episode last night.
December 4, 2013 @ 7:31 am
If we are getting back to the music, lets focus on what Jake Owen just released today. I will use the term hypocrite. It is the only way I can describe it. His album couldnt be further from his comments.
December 4, 2013 @ 7:37 am
Eric Church is laughable at best.
I would rather go to a Rascal Flatts concert than see Church and his affliction wearing fanbase pretending they are at the Double Duce to take on Dalton.
This guy is like the retarded adopted step-cousin of Shelton. That might be a insult to mentally challenged people and Shelton… but, the more I think about Church’s direction, it seems to me he is trying to take a natural/genuine/authentic idea that has made HankIII who he is, and manufacture it to fit Church’s mainstream tool box.
Everything this guy does is like a collision between Hellbilly and Blake Shelton. The guy is a complete fool, that flip flops. How the hell did the song “Drink in my hand” get cut by a guy that can cut a song like “It Aint Killed Me Yet”? A 3rd grader could have wrote Drink in my hand. And “Springsteen” … yawn. Another song about teenage memories. See also, Kenny Chesney.
One will rise, One will fall??? Maybe Eric is talking about himself. Which Eric will rise and which will fall?
Should be careful too, Taylor, and I mean this, could write a song about you in response and it probably would be pretty clever.
December 10, 2013 @ 7:17 pm
Really!?!? nice rant but just chill have a beer and some single barrel. You went rascall Flatts….too what is next….? For me laughing at people like you and another smoke.
December 4, 2013 @ 9:40 am
I didn’t get a chance to watch the video before it became private, but to point out any lack of journalistic integrity in a blog entitled “An Uber Rant” is just as uneducated and irresponsible as if the author tried to pass this off as objective (which he didn’t).
And comparing Swift’s music to Church’s is like voting in any presidential election in my recent memory- the lesser of two evils is still evil! Both are marketing masterminds with two considerably different PR campaigns. Once we can all recognize that Church is no more of an “outlaw” than Swift is “an innocent girl,” then we begin talking about how to steer this thing in the right direction.
December 4, 2013 @ 10:34 am
I’ll worry about my journalistic integrity. The point of this was to attempt to get the video taken down, and that was the result, whether directly from my pressure or someone elses. If I sacrificed some of my journalistic integrity in the process, so be it. I wear many caps here. One is journalist. One is editorialist. And one is soldier.
December 4, 2013 @ 10:49 am
I think you misunderstood me. All I meant to say was that you responsibly labeled this as a rant instead of trying to pass it off as news. Someone was confused about that earlier and this post was directed towards them.
December 4, 2013 @ 9:43 am
I’m not sure if you write about Eric Church so much because you secretly fantasize about him or because you realize how much more traffic your website gets when you publish any article about him. Don’t get me wrong, I read your site all the time but when is this going to stop with your bi-polar approach to Eric Church? One article your saying he is super creative and talented, the next you are saying you don’t care about his shitty rock album. I mean this guy takes a piss and you write an article about it.
I appreciate your informative articles about Eric Church, but damn man….take a deep breath.
December 4, 2013 @ 10:44 am
I understand why some would see my approach to Eric Church as “bi-polar.” All I can try to do is explain that I do my best to separate the man from his music, and not let my opinions of the two influence each other. You may laugh at this, but I’m honestly trying to be objective with Eric, and that is why the result is what appear to be varying opinions. If you’re an Eric Church fan, you must at least realize that he does, and has done many controversial things. Maybe you don’t think they’re wrong, but it is undeniable they’re controversial. Though I may call him out for doing something like making a weird video targeting Taylor Swift, that doesn’t mean I’m also going to trash his performance with Valerie June on the ACM’s.
As for the “shitty rock record quote,” I admit that is solely based off of “The Outsiders” song. When the entire album comes out, I’m committed to reviewing it objectively.
December 4, 2013 @ 1:33 pm
Personally Trigger that’s all I can really ask for.
Even though I disagree with most if not all of this article. I respect the fact that you have your own personal viewpoint. However I hate how you are being applauded for that second paragraph. If I was playing music and i truly believed it was real and valuable and had the ability to move people and then I had an opportunity to play that music opening up for someone COMPLETELY fake like say Justin Bieber on an arena tour. You bet your fucking ass I’d take that gig. Because even though that might not be the proper audience or the type of artist I’d associate with my IMAGE. I wouldn’t give a shit because that means a larger amount of people are hearing MY MUSIC and there’s a greater chance that someone might be moved by it in that bigass fucking arena even though everyone could be covering their ears because its not the rehashed, generic, synth bullshit they are used to. There might be one person in that enormous sample size that enjoyed my music and that would be more than enough motivation for me. People can give me shit for touring with a sellout corporate designed twat but I would not give a single FUCK as long as my music was real and I was given the god given opportunity to play it in front of an audience that grand.
The bands that play in bars and underground clubs and claim they are the REAL outsiders, the ones that piss on the image of a record label or an arena tour, at heart would literrally JUMP at the chance to get their music to a larger audience. They just havn’t been offered or taking the steps as an independent artist to make their music more widely recognised or accessible or it just plain and simple isn’t good enough/ their music sounds completely similar to an older and much more accomplished artist. In most cases at least. There may be the artists that turn down larger gigs and not want to publicise their music because they are content with the tiny little following they have and that’s cool but that isn’t the case with most underground starving artists so they try to hide their butthurt by shitting on anyone commercially well off or large fanbases.
I hope the album comes out and its just mindblowingly creative. I hope it being rooted in the sounds of old while expanding on it to be a completely fresh and unique flavor and you review it accordingly if it is so.
Will it be? I don’t know.. maybe/maybe not. But that should always be the bottom line is the music that he is making. Fuck the video, fuck the Rascal Flatts tour, fuck the sunglasses, fuck what he said in an interview three years ago after drinking for a little bit, fuck the outlaw marketing campaign, fuck everything else that bugs you about his IMAGE.
Just give me the MUSIC.
December 4, 2013 @ 10:52 am
the best rant of the year if you ask me !!
December 4, 2013 @ 10:57 am
Just a question big fan of thiss site by the way… but do any of us really no eric church you keep calling him this poser but how do you not know this is just really who he is?
December 4, 2013 @ 11:19 am
Eric,
I think this is who Church is, and to me, it appears he is clearly a poser and a fake and a marketer.
His music, some songs are okay (but I also think even his best songs are pretty elementary), but he gets in his own way with the “images” he lusts after.
He wants to be such a “hellrasier” but he is just a pain in the ass to record companies, but not in a “outlaw musician” good way. Since he dawned the sunglasses I guess he found his niche, but jesus, if wearing sunglasses everywhere doesn’t scream poser… what does?
December 4, 2013 @ 11:34 am
No, I don’t really know who Eric Church is, and the same could be said for Taylor Swift. These people are more machine than man. They’re “franchises,” big corporations with physical and intellectual assets generating millions of dollars, with every move calculated to maximize revue and return on investment.
And not to get off on a tangent, but this is what was cool about Waylon and Cash. No matter how big they got, they were still themselves.
December 4, 2013 @ 11:05 am
1. No need to try and prove you wrong-wait a few years. You’ll find out for yourself.
2. Go listen to Rascall Flatts and whine some more.
3. If this stuff makes you so upset, I suggest you get some perspective on what is ACTUALLY upsetting in this world.
4. “They’re the in crowd. We’re the other ones. It’s a different kind of cloth that we’re cut from. We let our colors show where the numbers ain’t. We’re the paint where there ain’t supposed to be paint. That’s who we are.”
December 4, 2013 @ 11:36 am
I don’t know, getting mindless fans to chant slogans and create personal identity through music is pretty upsetting.
All these people complaining there’s been too many Eric Church rants. I honestly don’t think there’s been enough.
December 5, 2013 @ 11:21 am
“They”™re the in crowd. We”™re the other ones. It”™s a different kind of cloth that we”™re cut from. We let our colors show where the numbers ain”™t. We”™re the paint where there ain”™t supposed to be paint. That”™s who we are.”
“I exploit you, still you love me. I told you one and one make three. I’m the cult of personality.”
December 4, 2013 @ 11:09 am
Oh I see…yeah this did get posted to get traffic on the web site no one has ever heard of. ALMOST a genius of marketing as Eric’s latest campaign! 🙂 NICE!
December 4, 2013 @ 11:10 am
Trigger, I saw the video and I think you overreacted. I saw it a second time to try to figure out what was the big issue with it, and honestly it was no big deal. The video was quite abstract and there was nothing explicit. I suppose if you’re a Toby Keith fan the message of the video might appear similar to “How D’ya Like Me Now”. Or it could just be about how people sometimes keep replaying a scene in their heads, like a football player recalling the time when he threw an interception and cost his team a big game they should have won.
December 4, 2013 @ 12:13 pm
I think its the gloves that give it such a creepy undertone
December 4, 2013 @ 12:36 pm
I totally agree. Why do people wear gloves? To conceal a crime. Tie that in with watching Taylor Swift obsessively on a television, where the video at the end is rewound over and over, with other references to premeditation like bulletin board scribbles and pieces of thread connecting dates, events, and other artifacts, put that together with the title “One Will Rise, One Will Fall” and this is a full-blown creep fest. Do I think Eric Church was plotting to kill Taylor Swift? Of course not. But these type of sicko images should not be put out there for mass consumption to promote a stupid record.
December 4, 2013 @ 2:08 pm
“Why do people wear gloves?”
To keep their hands warm,obviously
December 4, 2013 @ 11:23 am
eric church is jealous and wants to be the next dubstep queen
December 4, 2013 @ 11:36 am
Second to last paragraph
*slow clap*
December 4, 2013 @ 12:08 pm
Back to how ridiculous this video is….not about slamming Taylor Swift….but how HARD the Eric Church camp is TRYING to make him appear as an “outlaw savior” to country music….Do you all think, would Eric Church ever release a video like this when he first started with his “Sinners Like Me” album(Still his best IMO….Carolina was a close 2nd…and Chief to me was good but far below those first 2)? If he did release a video like that, he would be a laughing stock…my point being, who else thinks that the success has changed Eric Church and DARE I SAY, GONE to his head way too much…
Can you imagine if George Strait released a video like this? He never would….you know why? Because he goes about his business, plays his music, releases a CD, and calls it a day….He doesn’t try to paint a picture of what/who he is…he just goes about his business and lets you come up with a conclusion of who he is. I wish Eric Church was more like that….
December 4, 2013 @ 1:43 pm
Clearly you dont know anything about eric church. He doesn’t give a fuck about what anyone else thinks. And that is why he can release that video. Didn’t mean any harm but he doesn’t give a fuck about what you and anyone else thinks. That is why he is so amazing.
December 5, 2013 @ 8:58 am
Did Church just pull the video and offer an explanation/apology? Thought he didn’t give a fuck what other people think?
December 5, 2013 @ 12:10 pm
He doesn”™t give a fuck about what anyone else thinks.
I keep seeing this or something to this effect used as a selling point for Eric Church, and I have yet to figure out what exactly it has to do with how good his music is or anything else.
December 4, 2013 @ 12:10 pm
I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Taylor Swift played a part in this whole thing. With what Church is doing right now, he could have easily known what she was going to say or even discussed it with her and then played this whole thing off of that. You do a search online, both of them are getting a lot of attention off of this.
December 4, 2013 @ 12:24 pm
Dictionary states ” Eric Church, Latin for Poser Dirtbag”
Well, now it makes total sense!
But seriously, as with so much of the current state of shit country, he fits in just fine.
Country is in the toilet.If your looking for anything traditional or old school sounding, your not going to find it on mainstream radio or tv.
You dig for it and ask around you will find it…it exists, it’s just not on the FM radio. If you have Sirius, put it to channel 60 and leave it there.
Eric Church on the last awards show… You kidding me, that’s country how???
Pyro show, wall of distortion that would make 80’s rock bands envious…it’s so laughable you would think it’s a joke. Joke is on country fans unfortunately.
Trying to sell himself as an Outlaw.. Rebel … Ya right. Only assholes wear shades indoors attempting to be soooo Cool.
Outsider???? No..Idiot?? YES!!!
Eric & his Rock fans can go pound sand & continue listening to Nickelback.
December 4, 2013 @ 1:29 pm
Take the video for what it is… a hint at what’s to come from eric church in 2014, not some subliminal message to take out taylor swift. That’s what all of these video’s are… clues! Wait until they all come out then make your self-admitted uneducated rant about how you think eric church is a poser! You act like he or one of his fans are going to try to hurt poor little taylor swift! Get real! He admitted when he got “fired” that it was for the best, and he still has the gold record that taylor swift signed for him with a note that basically read “thank you for the opportunity”. That being said she probably shouldn’t have referenced that during her speech on national television. If anything his beef IS with 3 GROWN ASS MEN called rascall flatts for caring too much about a stupid schedule than giving the fans their money’s worth (which eric always does)! Besides, when you get fired are you more mad at the person who fired you or the person who took your place? The man is still pissing red about that and that’s what drove him to make the video. I think its a message to HIS FANS that his concerts this summer will be loud, will be long, and he will sell a hell of a lot more tickets than his former “bosses” will sell this year and rightfully so. Although that’s not much of a reach for any fan of real music, country or not!
December 4, 2013 @ 1:44 pm
You seem pretty opinionated about Eric. Too bad you know nothing about him, or Taylor Swift, or how either of them feel about that video. So I”™m not sure why you decided to come off as an ass hole.
Eric is an amazing singer/songwriter. He writes all his own music and loves what he does. It”™s hard to find artists who work as hard as him and who cares about the music as much as he does. Hell its even hard to find an artist these days who even writes their own songs anymore. His “teaser videos” are put out about every two weeks and they are hints towards what he has coming for his fans. HIS FANS. If you don”™t like him, don”™t watch the video and don”™t write ignorant statements about him.
He wanted to get fired from Rascall Flatt”™s tour. And frankly I don”™t blame him. He is way too rock/hard core compared to them.
He”™s an amazing artist and you are missing out.
December 4, 2013 @ 2:16 pm
fuck him..he sucks..if he was an outlaw why would he be on a Rascle Flatts tour…they are the kings of suck..
December 4, 2013 @ 2:45 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_hAJW1G8gA&feature=youtu.be
Here you go “Trigger” might clear some things up.
December 4, 2013 @ 3:38 pm
I accept Eric Church’s video apology, and applaud him for taking down his disturbing video with Taylor Swift as the centerpiece. My next question is, do we put, “Eric Adores Taylor For Who She Is And What She’s Done” on the front of the T-shirt, and “The Outsiders” on the back, or vice versa?
December 4, 2013 @ 3:49 pm
It wasnt an appology. He was clearing up the clouded minds of clueless people like you
December 4, 2013 @ 4:51 pm
Ok, let’s call this rant for what it really is: a cheap ploy to create controversy and drive website traffic. Come on, trigger! You’re so much better than this! Let this Church stuff go, most of us don’t give a shit about the guy!! I just want to read some real content!
December 4, 2013 @ 2:50 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_hAJW1G8gA
Make of it what you will………
I don’t think he has a personal vendetta against Swift or anything like that cause in this he says he likes her…
http://www.cmt.com/videos/cmt-cribs-302-tanya-tucker-eric-church-glen-campbell/1629503/full-episode.jhtmlhttp://www.cmt.com/videos/cmt-cribs-302-tanya-tucker-eric-church-glen-campbell/1629503/full-episode.jhtml
On another note, I never realized how polarizing Eric was and how passionately people hate/love him but every time he is the topic of an article you see 100+ comments on the matter……that is interesting.
December 4, 2013 @ 3:05 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_hAJW1G8gA&feature=youtu.be
Shove that up your article’s ass.
December 4, 2013 @ 3:49 pm
Your man just backpedaled.
December 4, 2013 @ 3:50 pm
The only people whose opinion that video needs to be shoved up the ass of are the legions of Eric Church toadies who said his original video was an attack on Taylor because she’s so terrible for country music, and she “called him out” by mentioning the Rascal Flatts incident during her acceptance speech of The Pinnacle Award.
The fact that they pulled the video, the video remains pulled, and they have posted this in its stead I think proves that the alarmist attitude I took towards it was valid.
It also proves, once again, that Eric Church is no “Outsider” if he’s going to say he adores Taylor and everything she’s done.
I never said the video itself was an attack towards Taylor. I said it could be misinterpreted and took a disturbing vibe, and was inappropriate for mass consumption—an opinion I stand behind.
December 4, 2013 @ 9:03 pm
So he’s not an “Outsider” for clarifying what intended messages were when they are misinterpreted and having respect for your peers and their craft while at the same time trying to do something different with your music?
So to be an Outsider I have to talk shit about people who, in the end, are just making music just like I am and allow other people to put words in my mouth when they can’t comprehend what I’m saying because they just ran into the situation like a chicken with their head cut off?
If that’s your definition of your Outsider then they sound like cunts. I don’t want to listen to a cunt Trigger.
Also, I don’t know why Eric should be blamed for some of his fans seeing the video as attacking Taylor. I certainly didn’t see it that way.
A lot of your criticisms of artists get taken to the next idiotic, incorrect, and oftentimes violent level by some of the commenters on your blog and I don’t blame you for that. Should I? By your logic I should. You are a douche Trigger because a percentage of your fans are thick! COUNTRY MUSIC DOESN’T NEED THE POSITIVES YOU GIVE TO IT’S COMMUNITY GET THE FUCK OUT!
See? That didn’t feel very nice. Because it isn’t true. I’m sick of your double standards on these god damn rant pieces.
Seriously, just delete all these half-baked/misinformed/one sided articles and just focus on promoting artists that don’t have the means or the reach to promote their music themselves to the potential they want.
And if you are just putting the hate rants up for traffic then I don’t believe you have any right AT ALL to be calling artists out for their marketing schemes because in the end you’re doing the same fucking things.
There’s few things I hate more than hypocrites. I pray you are not one and are simply having trouble comprehending all the facts and statements and not just picking which ones are the most convenient for your opinionated rants Fox News style.
Also on a positive note hopefully The Mavericks get your album of the year award. I really enjoyed that CD. Stick to the positive pieces like that and we’ll be golden. Keep doing this shit, and people who know what they’re talking about and have actually had conversations with these artists about topics you’ve only seen on the internet are going to keep lighting a fire under your ass.
December 4, 2013 @ 10:55 pm
Never said that the misinterpretation of this video by Eric Church fans as an attack on Taylor Swift was Eric Church’s fault. I find it ironic, but in the end, it is their own faults. What IS Eric’s fault is making a video that was ripe for misinterpretation by a wide swath of the population, and seeing how many Eric Church fans took it as either a shot or revenge against Taylor proves this point.
The point of this article was not to create traffic, it was to get the video taken down, and I stated that objective expressly in the article. And that goal was accomplished. If some folks lent their eyeballs and opinions to the cause, great. But I am one of those helpless music nerds that would be squiggling my ramblings in piles of disorganized spiral notebooks even if nobody was reading just to save my own sanity from madness such as Eric Church’s teaser.
I see this “traffic” accusation all the time, but I’m not sure what it is founded in. It is my job as a writer to try and create appealing content and then deliver that content to as many people as possible. But there also has to be a compass and a code, and one of those codes is “people first, then music,” and this is the code Eric Church broke, and I rose up to defend. Trust me when I say, with the type of search engine presence I have tirelessly worked at achieving over the years, if I wanted to be a traffic whore, I could increase my traffic 10 fold in a matter of weeks by solely covering pop country gossip. I choose instead to attack Eric Church, despite how unpopular, based on principle. If it draws a crowd, even better, but the point is the fight on principle, not the web hits. Otherwise you’d never see album reviews or interviews on this site, because virtually nobody reads them.
December 4, 2013 @ 11:53 pm
Trigger, based on reading your articles over the past two years, I think you do like Taylor Swift at some level. You wrote in 2011 that you were wrong about Taylor when you criticized her work earlier in her career. You seem to believe that she is an unusually talented songwriter, so you are disappointed when she records other people’s songs. You have referred to her as one of America’s most important role models. You wanted to believe what she said on 60 Minutes about how every singer with songs on the radio is raising the next generation. Later you were disappointed when she did not fit your idea of a role model, and you wrote an article about the erosion of her role as a role model.
I’m not talking specifically about whether Eric’s video was good or not. What I’ve noticed is that you seem to want to find opportunities to be an apologist for Taylor. Perhaps you subconsciously want to believe that somewhere in the celebrity world is a sweet, kind, authentic girl who is a brilliant songwriter, who can be the voice of America’s young girls and help lead them out of the cultural wasteland that today’s popular culture has become. Frankly I don’t think such a person exists in the entertainment business. But you want to find a reason to believe, because you think it would make the world a simpler and happier place if were true.
December 5, 2013 @ 12:59 am
Adrian,
This assessment is not all accurate. I wouldn’t characterize my feelings about Taylor’s songwriting as “brilliant” or “unusually talented.” I think she’s an average songwriter with unusually widespread appeal, however much being average puts you ahead of the competition these days in the pop country realm.
But overall, you assessment probably isn’t too far off.
December 4, 2013 @ 4:22 pm
Being a performer is the funnest job in the world. I live for getting up in front of a crowd of people and playing songs that I’ve written and connecting with the crowd. The most on-point comment I’ve seen in this discussion stated that all these “underground outlaws” that are worshipped so highly on this site would 9/10 take the chance to get up in front of 20,000 and perform their music, it’s the starving musicians that piss all over people that have huge success. There is a lot of jealousy in the music industry and if everyone commenting saying how bad Eric Church is, please record a couple songs, make a YouTube account and post it on here so we can see what “real country” should sound like!!
I love Eric Church, I love Johnny Cash, I love Waylon, Merle, Hank (all 3 of them), Garth, George Jones & Strait, Willie Nelson, The Fray, Snoop Dogg, Metallica, AC/DC and a billion other artists. Do I like them cause they’re real outlaws or fake outlaws or underground or cross-dressers or whatever else you can think of? No I like them because their songs alter my mood and I enjoy their MUSIC
December 5, 2013 @ 12:20 am
they make a medication for dyslexia…just a thought for “mood swing” consideration.
December 5, 2013 @ 9:03 am
The poster is pretty consistently passionate throughout this post. Not sure why he would need mood swing or dyslexia medication when you are the one who can’t read or type or even organize a coherent thought.
December 6, 2013 @ 2:15 am
” You are a douche Trigger because a percentage of your fans are thick! ” FOLLOWED BY “Also on a positive note hopefully The Mavericks get your album of the year award. I really enjoyed that CD. Stick to the positive pieces like that and we”™ll be golden”. Golly gee MARK M, let’s be “golden”. ALSO: on your assumption of HANK3’s “silver Spoon”. Obviously you are to sure of your own perceptions to need to do research. Hey Mark M…they make a medication for dyslexia”¦just a thought for “mood swing” consideration.
December 6, 2013 @ 8:44 am
1. I did do research, I’ve been listening to him for a few years as well. I was saying however that any moron knows who Hank 1 and 2 are and would check out his music without him putting barely any effort to promote it.
2. You obviously don’t know what sarcasm means because I was trying to prove a point about the statement Trigger made that since a portion of EC fans took the video to another level he should be removed from country music scene in general. I made a paralllel to the SCM community how some (like you) take things too far when it comes to criticisms of a certain artist. Although I do think he”s a hypocrite for worrying about the way creepy fanboys would react to EC’s video when he made it much more clear that he thinks Eric is a problem and that country doesn’t need him anymore. Its on a culty site like this where someone could take that to the next level and think they are “saving country music” by assaulting him or something. Pots and kettles.
3. “Dyslexia” is a condition where the sufferer has trouble reading things and has nothing to do with mood swings. You look pretty mad in your post and your grammar also makes your tantrum near illegible so maybe you suffer from both. But I assure
4. So what if I use the term “golden”? Sorry I grew up with different terminology than you (and apparently completely different definitions for mental illnesses) so go ahead to resulting to petty insults its pretty funny to me.
December 6, 2013 @ 9:51 am
1. I did do research, I”™ve been listening to him for a few years as well. I was saying however that any moron knows who Hank 1 and 2 are and would check out his music without him putting barely any effort to promote it.
Listening to an artist is not researching them.
Funny too, a lot of country fans (mainstream fans) have no idea there is a Hank3. Mostly cause they don’t care or know about Hank or Hank Jr.
Church should bring Hank3 on tour with him? You know, break the rules a bit and bring an “outsider” onboard. Would love to see Hank3 open for him…god would that be funny to the Church crowd. I have a feeling Church would find himself in a Rascall Flatts position.
December 7, 2013 @ 12:52 am
I think it would be more appropriate if Eric Church opened for “3”…but that would probably just empty the building before the talent started…um, Never mind.
December 4, 2013 @ 4:36 pm
Seriously Trigger, you’re making yourself look like a fucking fool by constantly hanging on and ranting about every little thing Church does. I used to enjoy this website, but not so much now that I have to read about Eric Church very time I swing by. Give it up, bro. I’m not sure why you’re still so butt hurt over this guy selling ‘outlaw country’ shirts in his merch store. Honestly, I got to say you’re looking more like an over opinionated asshole than someone with actual credible commentary and knowledge about the genre. This rant isn’t one of your finer moments here.
December 4, 2013 @ 6:09 pm
Seth,
First off, you don’t “have” to read about anything. Just like any newspaper, magazine, or website, it is taken as a given that not all articles are going to appeal to everyone. If you don’t want to read the Erich Church articles, then by all means, don’t read them. I’m working very hard to provide as much content as I possibly can, while always focusing on quality over quantity, and being a one man operation. There are plenty of alternatives to Eric Church articles if you so choose to read them.
As for there being an Eric Church article on this site “every time” you swing by, with all due respect, this just isn’t true. I always welcome feedback and criticism from readers, and I always take it to heart. But I also have to balance that between the specifics of the situation.
I have run a total of 3 articles on Eric Church this entire year. That is 3 out of roughly 425+ articles that have been posted on this site in 2013, 4 if you count the Valerie June article from the ACM Awards that includes Eric Church, but he was only part of the focus, and that was a positive article. Zooming out even further, aside from the Valerie June article in April, I didn’t run any Eric Church articles on the site for around a period of 18 months prior. So that makes roughly 3 or 4 Eric Church articles in close to 700 total articles posted on the site. So in no way can you say that Eric Church is a focus, or is being featured here too much.
However, those 3 articles have all come in the last 6 weeks. But still, this is one every other week, still no way to be characterized as a focus or an obsession. Even further, as I explained on my review of “The Outsiders,” which was the first of these three articles, I didn’t want to write it, but I had more requests to review that song than I’ve ever had for anything in the history of Saving Country Music.
The reason I’m taking the time to explain all of this is to try to illustrate how the news cycle and album releases it make it where it seems like one artist can dominate the covering of my site or anyone elses, because as it should be, when an artist is releasing, or getting ready to release an album, the focus shifts to them. I want to write articles that are relevant and topical, and that is why I have been writing about Eric Church. I’ve seen this same criticism about Hank3, Kacey Musgraves, Taylor Swift, Shooter Jennings etc., then they release their album, and I don’t talk about them again for 18 months until they release the next one.
All that said, I am mindful that not everyone wants to read about topics like Eric Church. Truth be known, I’ve got two Eric Church articles I’d love to post right now. But out of respect of reader’s wishes, I’ll try to pace them and make sure I offer other coverage.
Thanks for your feedback.
December 5, 2013 @ 12:54 am
Thank you Triggerman for your less than “finer moments”! If I only came here to agree with you I would prolly not look forward to your reviews as much as I do. Nobody said I “has ta likes it”…therefore I do! Thanks.
December 4, 2013 @ 5:53 pm
Isn’t this just a case of the current cut-throat attitude that the music business has in Nashville. It is no longer enough to release records, but now you have to be a media shock-artist, always looking for the next risky stunt to get yourself some media attention?
The simple fact is this: my favourite country music era, was the era of gentlemen. The greats like George Hamilton IV, Don Williams and Conway Twitty. Even Cash and Nelson kept themselves to themselves and concentrated on their music, without resorting to marketing gimmicks like this. Country music has been full of outlaws through the years, but despite this, they were still gentlemen. Church may see himself as an outlaw, but he’s also a complete wankshaft.
December 4, 2013 @ 6:35 pm
Yep, let’s all remember this is Trigger’s opinion. Keep it in perspective and fer gawd’s sake don’t read this blog if ya don’t wanna read his opinions.
As fer myself, I read this for the reviews and insights AND his opinion. Don’t always agree, but usually a good read nonetheless.
December 4, 2013 @ 6:50 pm
YOU ARE A JOKE!!!!! I am a HUGE Eric Church fan he is the best thing that happened to country music. Obv. you don’t know the story behind EC & Taylor she gave him her first gold album….I am pretty sure they respect each other as artist! She actually thanked him publically for playing to loud & to long on the Flatts tour because she got an opportunity to become a megastar!!! Trigger I think you need to get your facts straight. Eric Church is a country music Jesus PERIOD!!! And you will NEVER have the following he has got.
http://tasteofcountry.com/remember-when-taylor-swift-eric-church-gold-record/
December 4, 2013 @ 7:03 pm
I like Church’s music for what it is. Not quite country, maybe rock with a hint of twang and some more country-esque leanings in the ballads. That being said.. these series of promo videos are beyond corny!
December 4, 2013 @ 7:46 pm
From the moment I watched the video I knew he wasn’t taking a shot at Swift. He thinks what she said at the CMA’s is funny. He’s getting ready to promote his 2014 tour, and she was referencing how he got fired for rocking too hard. People need to stop being so damn over sensitive to everything. Eric is one of, if not the most, creative artists in all of Nashville. If you don’t like his music that’s fine, but get your panties out of a bunch and stop freaking out because someone might get their feelings hurt. Eric is the man.
December 4, 2013 @ 8:53 pm
Its no different than Hellbound Glory opening for Kid Rock and Kasey Musgraves opening for Lady A next year. Its about getting in front of the people to play their music.
December 4, 2013 @ 11:37 pm
Trigger, your rant’s tone and content promotes far more violence than Eric Church’s video. I almost feel like you are fueled by stories like this to release an inner sense of anger and aggression. You talk about ethics in country music and yet you come out with rants not only bashing the musical quality of songs but also digging into personal attacks. A true country musician or music fan doesn’t self righteously proclaim themselves as a soldier. A person with morals and ethics doesn’t continuously attack new country artists on a personal level while hiding behind a keyboard.
I’m almost positive, if you reply to this, it will be a conceited post proclaiming why I am wrong and you are right.
December 5, 2013 @ 1:05 am
…or, If he doesn’t reply to your bias but self appreciating opinion, who is right…?
December 5, 2013 @ 12:03 pm
Kyle,
I’ll say this. As I have admitted, I may be overreacting. But over the last two weeks, I have had my nose buried deep in a story abut an artist getting shot three times, including in the back of the head. A while back I had to report on a 16-year-old artist and her mom getting held at gunpoint, carjacked, having everything stolen from them including their ID’s and phones, and then left on the side of the road in the dead of night. JUST IN THE LAST MONTH, Taylor Swift has had one person arrested for swimming 2 miles through the ocean to sneak up on her house, and had another incident where a man from Canada flew a private jet to Nashville, circling the airport of several hours before crash landing, with the next-of-kin listed as “Taylor Swift.”
This is a sicko world we live in, and you just can’t make the types of videos Eric Church made, and post them for mass consumption. Maybe I’m overreacting. But I’d rather overreact, then have to post another unfortunate story because somebody else overreacted to what Eric Church posted, took it the wrong way, and did something stupid. There’s plenty of other ways to promote an album.
December 5, 2013 @ 12:17 am
Kyle, I think Trigger likes Taylor to some degree, in spite of his criticism of her music.
It reminds me of when I was in my teens, over 20 years ago. I knew a girl who was a sweet young thing in high school. I’d spent a lot of time with her during our senior year. At that time my she looked like a very pretty 14 year old. And she was much prettier without makeup than Taylor. I was captured by the charm and grace that she seemed to project. And I wanted to believe that she was the ideal. When she went through a rebellious stage and did some things she shouldn’t have done, I rationalized to myself that it wasn’t the real her. And if anyone had dared to strongly criticize her or make a video that portrayed her in less than an admiring way, I’m sure I would have been instinctively protective of her and hostile towards him. Sure, I criticized her for being a ditzy cheerleader and a C student, just as Trigger criticizes Taylor for not being country enough, but in my heart I was smitten and wanted to believe she was special. I don’t know if that captures how he feels about Taylor, it’s just a hunch.
December 5, 2013 @ 1:34 am
I think it is slightly ironic(at my expense) that my tv took a crap on me at the very end of S.O.A. last night…right after Jameys latest butcher of a classic song. Case in point: http://youtu.be/SoECozT6IuU
December 5, 2013 @ 9:11 am
Your right… that version didn’t fit the context of the show at all.
Suter, the writer of SOA, named the episode “Your Are My Sunshine”, and wanted that version for the obvious reasons in the show.
You’ll probably argue something about Jamey doing the song long before the show. But they write the show long before it airs.
Great version. Fit the show perfect. Jamey is about the only artist that could pull that song off in that “non-conformist outsider” way. Take notes.
December 5, 2013 @ 2:06 am
If this site is all about “Saving Country Music” how about instead of sitting behind a screen and bashing artists for whatever image they put out, how about you grab your six string, write some songs, and go save this precious genre yourself!! Sitting on the computer bashing artists who have earned a following in the world isn’t “saving country music”. I would love for just one person to reply to this and post a link to one of their own songs so we can all review it
December 5, 2013 @ 10:10 am
Well, you got me, I can’t post a link to a song. I go pick on the guitar a bit and write some stuff.
However, I have seen JB Beverly, Bob Wayne, Shooter Jennings, Jayke Orvis, Ray Lawrence Jr., Whitey Morgan post on here. I’m sure others can offer up names of artists that post on here and take the heat and the praise. And they are all doing a hell of a lot more to Save Country Music than Eric Church is.
You have a link to a song cowboy?
December 5, 2013 @ 11:22 pm
O Tim Where Art Thou
December 5, 2013 @ 11:38 am
The reason I’m “bashing” Eric Church is because he’s taking attention away from artists and content that is more worthy of people’s ears, and that is why it is “Saving Country Music.”
Nobody is hiding behind a screen. The logistics of running a website is that you have to sit in front of a computer to do it. But I’m out and about all the time, going to shows, seeing and meeting people. I don’t live in a bunker.
And your assumption that I somehow am not contributing personally to making music that is helping to “save” the genre is just that, an assumption.
December 5, 2013 @ 9:35 am
Ummm…sitting behind a computer screen…we’re all here.
We’re here reading “Saving Country Music” and for some of us, it’s become part of our daily habit. If you didn’t have this site to rant and rave, where would you go?
They’re not going to post any of these comments on the milktoast sites. They would all be flagged and removed. Dang, if you weren’t interested in every word like I am…where would you take your opinions?
December 5, 2013 @ 10:16 am
It’s a shame you didn’t do more research before you posted your thoughts.
If you saw the previous teaser videos, he’s building up his album and (what I think) is his next tour. He put Taylor Swift on repeat saying, “Eric Church played too long” because he wants to put on another tour where he can play as long as he likes.
I don’t think he’s mad at Rascal Flatts or Taylor Swift. As plenty have mentioned above, Taylor gave Eric her first gold album. On CMT’s version of “Cribs”, he has it hanging in his man cave on his wall and mentioned it specifically as one of his favorite pieces.
He’s just getting all of his fans excited for his album and another headlining tour. Do more research before subjectively judging someone you obviously hate.
December 5, 2013 @ 11:45 am
I keep seeing these comments about “research” and “facts.” The above rant was based solely on my opinion that the video Eric Church posted was disturbing and could be misunderstood, which was validated by 1) the dozens of comments posted by Eric Church fans saying the video was revenge against Taylor Swift and she deserved it 2) The fact that he pulled the video and offered a clarification.
I’ve been aware of all the videos Eric Church has posted, and all the other content in the runup to this album release. I’m here. I’m paying attention. I’ve been posting lengthy commentary on all of it. Thinking I just showed up, saw this one video and freaked out is a gross assumption that could be refuted by simply doing a search on this site for Eric Church coverage. I understand what Eric Church is trying to do. It still doesn’t mean the video didn’t cross a big line and deserved to be condemned.
And as for how this will all be resolved at some point, whatever. I’ve been through these idiotic buzz campaigns many times, and they always resolve with the album release, maybe a video or two, whatever. This is not going to be the next “Dark Side of the Moon.” It’s going to be an album with some good songs, some bad songs, and some in between. This is the penultimate dick tease.
December 5, 2013 @ 12:14 pm
” On CMT”™s version of “Cribs”, he has it hanging in his man cave”
CMT’s version of Cribs had Eric Church on at his very posh home. What an outsider. Really bucking the system there Eric.
That is a prime example of why many of us have a problem with the guy. He claims to be something that many other artists truly are, but he stealing that image and passing it off as himself through his marketing machine. Then he shows up on Cribs??
ZERO authenticity and even less respect for the artists he is stealing his image ideas from. How can’t some of you see how wrong the guy is? It is smacking you right in the face.
December 5, 2013 @ 1:32 pm
All hail Tim the outsider
December 5, 2013 @ 2:04 pm
You got the link to your songs? You know, you told everyone else that “hides behind the keyboard” to put up a song…so where is yours?
You Church fans can walk around all you want in your little world thinking you’re fighting the system like true modern day Robin Hoods, but when you walk into a world of people that actually know music and artists and a little about the business, well, you’re fantasy world of excuses starts to come undone so you resort to the classic name calling when Robin Hood is out of arrows.
I’m not claiming to be any outsider or insider…but you can hail to me when it comes to discussing facts. Find a fact that I lay out in my responses that isn’t true and has support? I’ll do some name calling too, but it is well deserved when you go around talking shit the way Church fans do. No respect for the artists that are giving Church all his ideas. He actually has some of you believing he is a victim of the industry and trying to fight the power. Holy shit….take off the sunglasses and open your eyes.
December 5, 2013 @ 4:34 pm
Ha!
Hail to you for what facts? All you’ve posted are arrogant generalizations of his fanbase, your personal opinions on his music, and what other artists would probably (but havn’t and never will because most artists have class and respect others that make music) say about Eric’s direction.
The only fact you posted is that he has a cribs episode and has a pretty sizable house. The man has worked hard to get where he is and has able to make the right moves and choices to get as successful as he is. Hell I hope my music can help me live comfortably too. You don’t think Shooter Jennings or Hank III grew up without a silver spoon and are any more outlaws than Eric is than you are smoking some real good shit and should hook me up.
All you’ve posted are “Eric probably… Shooter Jennings would.. Eric fans are always..”
But you know what? I don’t do any of the shit you said Eric fans do, no artists have come out publicly to criticize Eric for his new direction musically, and I like Eric’s music not because I want to be part of some clique-y movement, but because his music was relatable for me in the highs and lows in my life. When I’ve lost loved ones close to me, when I’ve fallen in and out of love, and even when I’m with my buddies just trying to have a good time and forget all of the shit that each of us are dealing with individually Eric usually has a song that captured each of those moments to a fucking T for me.
Those are facts if you needed a clarification of what one is.
He might be fake to you and that is an opinion of yours, but after everything I’ve heard from him on records, on stage, and even in interviews there’s no way I can agree with you.
My eyes are open. I’m not some brainwashed zombie. I listen to Eric’s music because I can listen to whatever the hell I damn well please and I feel his music above literally thousands of artists I’ve listened to throughout my time on this earth. How about you pull the stick out of your ass and let the music do the talking?
December 5, 2013 @ 6:20 pm
Hi Tim, sorry I was just playing an acoustic show for my grandma and her friends at their retirement center. thanks for calling me out on that yes my name is Jordan Dean you can find me on YouTube or Reverbnation.com or purchase my first single from iTunes in the new year. The term “you eric church fans” make it seem like it’s the only music I listen to and that I follow him like he’s the next Ghandi…I like the guys music!! That’s it!! Bringing Hank 3 and Shooter into this isn’t a great argument, I saw Shooter at Watershed Festival (not a very outlaw-ish venue but who wouldn’t want to play there) and he was my favorite act the whole day, even though he has a lot of rock and metal influence I’m okay with that because its called being open minded. Hank 3 is also good, and he had put out some music that was straight metal! Just gonna take off my sunglasses and listen to some good music now
December 5, 2013 @ 6:53 pm
Hey man checked out your youtube channel. Cheers to have the balls and be proud enough of your musical ability to share it to some of these fire-breathers.
Liking your originals. And those gigs looked like they were nice relaxed fun. Just keep looking at improving on every new song you write and you should get your shirt.
Wish you the best of luck!
December 5, 2013 @ 7:01 pm
Get your shot**
December 5, 2013 @ 7:01 pm
Get your shot** sorry haha
December 5, 2013 @ 4:39 pm
“SHE NEVER THINKS ITS HER FAULT?!”
ARE YOU RETARDED!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?
DONT YOU DARE make assumptions like that about people you have never met.
just please, go and listen to ‘Back To Decmeber’, just ONCE, so you feel a little bit of shame and guilt inside youre cold heart. YOU are the reason she strives to make HATERS happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and dont say BTD is ‘the only song she apologizes’ in, its not but im just TOO MAD TO THINK ABOUT ANY OTHERS RIGHT NOW OH MY GOD. GO BACK TO YOUR SELFISH LITTLE LIFE AND HATE ON YOURSELF, CAUSE THATS THE ONLY PERSON WHO DESERVES IT.
GGshdf’GHTFDSIUEHGWIEUTHGELAKJFI;GIEJ~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>:(
December 5, 2013 @ 4:46 pm
The superstar of the genre?
That in itself makes this whole situation sad.
Take a breath Trigger. You’re going to implode.
December 5, 2013 @ 5:04 pm
Ah????? Hanklll had a silverspoon? You sure?
Might want to check Eric’s background growing up and compare.
December 5, 2013 @ 6:39 pm
What research? Any moron who looks at the name can realize what a huge leg up that is for him.
He is the son of son of the one of the most successful country acts WHO WAS ALSO given more career opportunities because he was also the son of one of country musics most legendary breakthrough acts.
He could put out an album of fart noises and traditionalists would still check it out because of his bloodline.
I’m not saying Eric made his career from bloody knuckles and assault charges but success wasn’t given to him out of the fucking womb. He still worked at it to get his music out there like everybody else.
Even then Hank III wouldn’t talk shit about Eric Church either because he’s said many times that he’s a musician not a politician. He knows as well as everyone else knows that he should be focused on making your own craft and not bashing down others.
December 6, 2013 @ 8:16 am
Mark,
I won’t disagree that having a namesake like Jennings, Williams or Nelson doesn’t give some advantage to Shooter, Shelton or Lukas but a namesake is a lot different than a silver spoon. Also, a namesake can be a curse as much as a blessing.
Furthermore- Shooter, Shelton and Lukas even though they have that “sliver spoon” as you say, have taken directions in their careers to steer clear of Music Row and the insider deals and fake personas. Does their namesake allow them to do that? I don’t think so, I think their namesake hurts them because music row would want them to be their fathers and not themselves. See also Hank Jr. for that in his early career.
But for Church, he has taken the music row direction. Claim to be of the same ilk as artists that don’t play into music rows hands, is a disgrace and disrespectful. That is my opinion, but the FACTS remain, Church is no outsider, no fighting the system guy. He’s a guy that fills a spot on a labels roster and does what marketing dictates.
There are countless artists not named Jennings, Williams or Nelson that could get the “break” Church has in Nashville, but they don’t follow Music Row rules and promises of fame. They truly stay on the outside and do their own thing.
December 7, 2013 @ 9:14 am
“He could put out an album of fart noises and traditionalists would still check it out because of his bloodline. He could put out an album of fart noises and traditionalists would still check it out because of his bloodline. ”
Mark, even leaving the intended hyperbole (e.g., fart noises) aside, I think the spirit of that statement is untrue. It might be true that the most hardcore Hank3 fans are willing to check out anything he does. However, there are lot of us who are largely just willing to check out his country stuff . I for one did not check out his doom rock, cattle calling and punk releases, nor were they reviewed on this site. Also, I was hesitant about his latest country offering, but went for it after a somewhat favorable review here (previous release Ghost to a Ghost was OK but disappointing. It got panned here). I’ve not seen Hank3 yet (want to), but I’d probably be one of those who would leave after he did the country set or at least wouldn’t stick around for the whole hardcore/punk/metal set. I believe he knows that not everyone of his fans are into all of his stuff and that’s why he does a country set first and then a hardcore set. I think he might understand that genres aren’t quite dead.
December 5, 2013 @ 6:32 pm
After reading most of these posts, I think far too many people are living vicariously though these pop “idols.” Trigger, no matter what you say or do, it is up to T.S. and her people to protect her. You can’t do it. She has chosen to live this very public life and reaps the monetary rewards. She could drop out of the limelight if she really wanted to. (But the big marketing machine calls cha ching, cha ching)….. It’s not like the music world would dry up like a raisin without her “stellar” contributions. Maybe lots of teen aged girls and their moms.could start nurturing their own talents and skills and get lives instead of tweeting all day about “Swifty haters” nah nah nah………….
A few years ago I was a big fan of Josh Groban, a guy with a big baritone voice produced by David Foster. Mainly I was a fan because he is the same age as my daughter and she was pursuing music education and career at that time and there seemed to be no market for highly skilled singers with big operatic voices, real singers who could project without microphones and technology. Josh validated that real singing was still wanted and needed. (I say this because in 2001 it seemed all there was was pop junk, pop country and broadway). I went to a couple of concerts and found myself on a couple of forums. I saw grown women following him around the country making fools of themselves. Some practically gave up their lives and some were issued restraining orders.
Sad that some people have such an emptiness in their own life that someone they don’t know becomes the center of their life. They defend and get raving mad. You see it in politics now too, a cult of personality and almost zombie like following with no independent thinking. Very sad that we’ve become rabid followers of the pop culture. I’ve said from the beginning that reality shows would do nothing positive for our culture; they divide us and we fight over compete strangers.
Some would say it is just another form of free speech and that is right, but where is our humanity? How can we care so much about someone who basically wouldn’t give us the time of day if we didn’t call ourselves fans with fat wallets.
December 5, 2013 @ 7:33 pm
Hey Mark thank you so much I appreciate it. Most of those videos were from before I ever saw a vocal coach or actually pursued a career in music. Thanks for your support
December 5, 2013 @ 9:37 pm
I can tell man your RN tracks sound so much clearer and on key. I’ll keep my ear to the wall on your stuff!
December 5, 2013 @ 7:59 pm
J – Found some of your stuff. Good on you! Most people have no idea what it takes to get up in front of a crowd of any size and perform live. It is rough because too many prefer ‘canned’ stuff that they’ve heard a million times or if they haven’t heard of you, they expect you to sound like someone else. Keep on honing your craft; best of luck.
December 5, 2013 @ 8:44 pm
Thank you very much!!
December 6, 2013 @ 8:05 am
J,
I tip my cap to you. For making your music and backing up what you say.
Your opinion of liking his music is not what I have a problem with, it is the problem between what Church claims to be vs. what he actually is.
In my opinion, it is disrespectful. However, it is a fact that he is not an outsider, not bucking the system, not fighting the system and not taking country music in a different direction than pop-country.
December 6, 2013 @ 7:38 am
J,
I tip my cap to you. For the music you play and backing up what you said.
There are still major problems with what Eric portrays himself as and who he really is.
Simply liking his music is an opinion and isn’t a problem.
December 6, 2013 @ 3:37 pm
Thank you. That’s all music is is opinion based, to some people FGL is their idea of good music, some people it’s Beethoven, some people it’s Slayer….if everyone liked the same stuff it would be a very boring place
December 31, 2013 @ 10:44 am
Tim-I like how you posted this comment as if you are his brother or childhood friend who knows who ‘he really is.’ We’re all just speculating. Bring it back to reality, man.
December 9, 2013 @ 12:22 pm
Did you ever think that maybe that’s all Church meant? Maybe it wasn’t even Church who will rise and Swift who will fall, but a perception of pop-country falling while rock-country will rise. Regardless, they are both abominations to country music.
December 11, 2013 @ 7:52 am
Church will pretend to be an outlaw, and he will make a lot of money, but he will never be a country singer, just a marketing expert who sings.
December 11, 2013 @ 10:30 am
On the other hand, Hank jr. And shooter, both tried the rock thing, when it didnt work so well the fans of country music welcomed them with open arms and wallets.
The last names sure did not hurt.
December 11, 2013 @ 10:58 am
Hank Jr. was always just as much country as rock though. This is pure rock. As for Shooter, “Black Ribbons” cut his fan base by half, and he’s yet to come anywhere close to the success, support, and sales he had before it.
December 15, 2013 @ 9:32 am
Luke Bryan and Eric Church will be the headliners at the 2014 multi-genre Rock the Ocean”™s Tortuga Music Festival held at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park in Florida April 12 and 13, 2014.
December 15, 2013 @ 9:35 am
http://www.tortugamusicfestival.com/lineup2014/
There’s the link for the lineup…Eric Church, Luke Bryan, Billy Currington, Sheryl Crow…Ziggy Marley, others.
December 28, 2013 @ 10:11 am
Only an idiot would think this video is blasting Taylor Swift. Has anyone ever listened to her voice? Ugh. Like fingernails on a chalkboard. I’ll take Eric Church any day of the pathetic voice of Taylor Swift. He is a million more times talented.
December 28, 2013 @ 10:32 am
“Only an idiot would think this video is blasting Taylor Swift.”
…and then you blast her yourself. Only a million times more talented? Why not a billion?
January 15, 2014 @ 11:43 am
How about taylor swift play real country or just stick to pop music
January 15, 2014 @ 10:39 pm
All I want to say is that we are all individuals, we are all entitled to our opinion. That IS what makes us who we are.
Taylor Swift is a great singer, I don’t think anybody can take that away from her.
Eric Church……… I can’t say enough. If you really listen to his songs and the story behind them, so many of us have lived his songs …….. I have LMFAO, sometimes I have simply smiled at his words or his story in the song, other times I have cried because I can relate to what he is saying and feel what his heart has to say.
Eric Church has an amazing soul, an amazing heart, a sense of humour, an INCREDIBLE true ( and I mean true) voice….. It does not have to be alternated in studio….. He simply sings what the rest of us would like to say.
Note to self……. And i may be wrong, but……….. Wasn’t it Taylor that brought up Eric’s name first at the CMA Awards……. So why can she bring him into the picture except to make herself feel better, look better? She could have easily shared the moment instead of trying to gratify herself. I see Eric being better than that….. He is NOT vane.
I guess I just want to say ” I want to hear more of Eric Church “. I want to hear what he &/or his songwriters have to say or sing…….. I want to hear what his band members feel in the music they play (that is what is in their hearts……. Oh ya….. And they are also INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!)
And to Eric and ALL the fans……. NEVER, NEVER stop being true to yourself! Sometimes because we are not the conformists…….. WE ARE THE OUTSIDERS!!!!!!
Oh well ….. Wouldn’t have it any other way. Can’t wait to hear the rest of the album!
January 20, 2014 @ 9:29 pm
Since when do someone elses opinions on MUSIC matter so much to anyone else. Thats what makes music great”¦its art. You may look at picasso’s work like that of a jittery 2nd grader”¦others have made it famous. One thing I can promise is NO ONE on this page (filled with really dumb comments) knows a damn thing about any of the artists that they feel compelled to write about. You don’t know whats at the heart of these people any more than I know about the heart in you. If music speaks to you and moves you then embrace it and don’t apologize for it. Certainly don’t criticize someone else because it doesn’t move you”¦.unless of course you really want to be a “POSER”.
January 30, 2014 @ 6:17 pm
haha, this is just a ploy to get people to read your dumbass rant? Seems childish to me and your opinions are less than. how many albums did you sale? Don’t dare defend rascial flats, wash up beach boys where all they ever where, and can’t even write one song themselves.
January 30, 2014 @ 6:20 pm
I’ve saled many albums! And rascial flats would TOTALLY kick Eric Church ass! RASCIAL FLATS FOREVER!
May 7, 2014 @ 12:46 pm
You’ve “saled many albums”? You’re an idiot. And as all flats couldn’t beat anyone up. Also, they don’t have a problem with Church so why do you? Rascal Flatts was never as country as Eric Church
August 11, 2014 @ 12:37 pm
You’re not that great at recognizing sarcasm, are you? I do believe that Trigger is mocking all the fanboys and fangirls who come out of the woodwork when one of their precious idols gets anything except unadulterated, non-objective, adoring praise, both for their work and their selves.
March 27, 2014 @ 4:30 pm
You all need to open your ears and grow up. I don’t know what youre listening to but Eric Church is country music.
April 8, 2014 @ 4:20 pm
This is all opinion arguing, if you are all honest with yourselves. This is the problem with the media, okay? Call me a jerk and whatever else for saying this, but the media shows off every single thing of people’s lives and, personally, tries to over-analyze *everything* about *everything.* Do any of us really know Eric *or* Taylor in real life? If the answer is no, what kind of right do you have to judge them? None of us know exactly what was meant on either side, and we’ll all have our opinions. We are humans, after all, and we’ve all got our own ways to reason with things. I’ve never watched the video, so I won’t speak on if it was or wasn’t a threat or creepy, but I will say that I’m not sure why we’re all trying to point fingers at artists. Why are we? Can we just lay this off and enjoy the music and leave them alone? Maybe if we didn’t judge each other so fast, we wouldn’t have so many problems like this!
May 7, 2014 @ 12:44 pm
Are you retarded? Eric church has absolutely no problem with Taylor, and she no problem with him. He got fired on purpose and told her “you owe me your first gold record for this, the fans are going to love you”. She did give him her first gold record with a note that said “thanks for playing too long and too loud”
June 16, 2014 @ 7:35 am
I grew up with Eric and he has always been a fucktardiot. Lenoir is the middle of no fucking where and for some unknown reason he thought he was God’s gift to creation. Not surprised at all. After all, his parents (who are very nice people) paid for him to go to Nashville and try to be a star after he went to Appalachian. When it is all handed to you what do you expect?
July 24, 2014 @ 2:09 am
Let me put it this way Taylor Swift is more popular than Eric Church. Heck Taylor Swift looks like a woman that could kick his Mother[BLEEP]ing @$$. She’s like 5 ft 11 , and Eric Church is more of a wimpy wwe wrestler the ways less than her because from stage she looks very tall and has some muscle (Her arms, legs, B sized chest, etc.) and Eric Church he’s just a dork.
August 16, 2022 @ 7:19 pm
This remains one of the more overreacting moments in SCM history.
For some reason, men love to joust for Lady Taylor’s honor.