Wyatt Flores Announces Debut Album “Welcome To The Plains”
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Enough messing around. Wyatt Flores is now ready to release a legitimate 14-song LP under the name Welcome To The Plains on October 18th, and with all new songs as opposed to repackaging songs already out there.
Kacey Musgraves BEYOND “Merry Go ‘Round”
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In recent weeks and months, it’s been hard not to look at Kacey Musgraves and her song “Merry Go ‘Round” and wonder if this isn’t the girl and song that has the mustard to crack the Music Row cartel’s iron grip on mainstream country. “Merry Go ‘Round” just keeps chugging away like the little single that could. But what does Kacey Musgraves have beyond “Merry Go Round”?
Album Review – Daniel Romano “Come Cry With Me”
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Daniel Romano is not a neo-traditionalist in the traditional sense. He’s not trying to regale the modern ear with a new take on the classic country sound. Instead Daniel Romano is like the method actor of classic country, carving his niche by offering a strict interpretation of classic country’s modes with striking accuracy. It’s not a retro sound, it is a strict, methodical re-enactment.
ANTI-Nashville / Music Row / Pop Country Song Compendium
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Anti-Nashville, anti-Music Row, and anti-pop country songs have a long and proud tradition in country music that stretches almost all the way back to the beginning of the genre. As long as there’s been country music, there’s been folks arguing about how to define it, what it should sound like, and speaking out when they think it’s going in the wrong direction.
Review – Josh Abbott Band’s “I’ll Sing About Mine”
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Bare midriffs, buxom gyrations, and badass cars are no match for the curves and character of a real country face served cold. Neither is the caricaturish, shallow, and materialistic portrayal of rural life in pop country compared to the sense of family and community, and the fulfillment of hard work that accompanies true country living. Now that is something to be envious of.
Hunter Hayes’ “Wanted” (Review & Rant)
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Leaping off the pages of the latest issue of Tiger Beat, Hunter Hayes and his prepubescent, non-gender-specific style have gripped the nation’s middle schools with Hunter mania, spearheaded by his smash hit “Wanted”– a saccharine, ultra-diluted white boy R&B B-side at best, only finding commercial traction in country because legions of affluent, glitter-faced suburban girls in training bras want to see Hunter’s penis.
Review – Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit’s “Old Excuses”
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The artists worth your time are so often aloof when it comes to self-promotion, so the music will never just fall into your lap. You have to work for it. You have to seek it out, or it must seek you out, and in many respects this imparts an even greater value to it than the already elevated value of the music itself compared to the music you encounter inadvertently through most popular media.
Bob Wayne Recruits Red Simpson for Muddy Roots
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The annual Muddy Roots Festival held over Labor Day weekend announced their initial lineup last week (see below) and at the top of the list was the name of legendary Bakersfield Sound songwriter Red Simpson. In a strange turn of events, Bob Wayne found himself sitting in Red Simpson’s trailer at 6 AM, swapping songs and stories with a man he considered a hero.
So Really, What’s Up With All These Truck Songs in Country?
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So what’s behind all of these truck songs? The simple, easy answer is that Music Row is a copycat world, and when one song works, the idea is run over and over again until a new frontier for the word “cliche” is found. But I’m not sure if Music Row is the genesis of this. Instead, it might be Madison Avenue. Trucks are the most profitable vehicles, by both profit margin, and by sales volume.
The Erosion of Taylor Swift as a Role Model – UPDATED
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For years as a reactionary Taylor Swift hater, one of the main arguments that was made against my stance was that Taylor Swift was a good role model. My rebuttal was that being a role model was not a sonic element, so it could in no way refract the fact that Taylor Swift wasn’t country, and couldn’t sing. Is it too much to ask that our role models at least be able to fulfill their roles to even some average level of competency?
UPDATED – Hank3 & David Allan Coe Collaboration “The Outlaw Ways”
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The long-rumored, long-awaited collaboration between Hank Williams III and David Allan Coe may finally be in the offing. The song called “The Outlaw Way” was recorded early last year at Hank3’s home studio in east Nashville when David Allan Coe was in town. Hank3 first spoke about the collaboration in a live chat last February.
The Official Mike Curb Rap Sheet of Transgressions
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Mike Curb’s repressive stance towards artists and his sharky dealings with other labels is a given amongst the informed country music community, with his latest ploy being the release of a duets album from Tim McGraw two weeks before the former Curb artist is slated to make his debut on Big Machine Records. But Hank3 and Tim McGraw are just the tip of the iceberg.
Death of Mutual Friend Reunites Musical Talent
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The Farmageddon Records family suffered a grave loss last week when Richard Laferte II unexpectedly passed away Saturday, January 5th while visiting family and friends in Maine. Following a formal time of remembrance, the gathering turned to celebrating Richard’s life through music. The celebration included the reunification of 3 original members of the .357 String Band, Jayke Orvis, Derek Dunn, and Joseph Huber.