Fiddle Master, Grammy Winner, Bluegrass Legend Bobby Hicks Dies
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It’s tough to know where to start enumerating the many contributions of fiddle legend Bobby Hicks, and impossible to encapsulate them all in a few sentences and paragraphs. He was also one of the oldest country legends at 91.
Who Is Taylor Swift’s Song “Mean” About?
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To say the song “Mean” by Taylor Swift has legs is a the grossest of all understatements. Since Saving Country Music’s coverage of the song has been limited to the context of criticism and conjecture, I though I would lay out all the facts about the song once and for all to see if we can discern who “Mean” is about.
Review – Turnpike Troubadours “Goodbye Normal Street”
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The Turnpike Troubadours make songs about love cool to listen to again. This is also their ace-in-the-hole, what makes them a band that could break out. They were also very patient with this release, waiting well over 2 years since their last album to let the songs come to them and the groove to materialize before heading into the studio.
Official Saving Country Music Pop Country Nicknames
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As frequent readers of Saving Country Music will attest, over the years we’ve christened fun little nicknames for some our favorite pals of pop country. If you ever wondered where these names came from and why, here’s the explanation behind some of our favorite terms of antipathy. Tim McGraw – The Perfume Magnate, Kid Rock – The Wet Cigarette . . .
Lionel Richie’s “Tuskegee” is Big Country Embarrassment
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This album is not the worst album ever put out in country music. With the advent of country rap, “New Outlaw” country, and the laundry list approach to country music in general, pop country now finds itself in a bit of a haven from the harshest of criticisms. What Lionel Ritchie’s Tuskegee album does hold the distinction of being is country music’s most embarrassing album put out to date.
Vintage Album Review – Roger Wallace’s ‘Hillbilly Heights’
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Amongst all the bustle and big names in 1999, another superlative Austin talent released a debut album a little more quietly. The idea that there’s an amazing, world-class music talent on every corner of Austin, TX is not a myth, and Roger Wallace is a testament to that. But what many of Austin’s legendary local artists don’t have that Roger Wallace does is that one album that withstands the test of time.
The Founding Principles & Charter of Saving Country Music
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With just as much purpose as to lay these principles out once and for all for the rest of the world as to reinforce these principle and make them more accountable to Saving Country Music, the founding principles of Saving Country Music are being communicated below, along with the Saving Country Music charter.
Stacy Kranitz: “CNN chose the most extreme photographs”
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Yesterday Saving Country Music took exception to a photo blog posted by CNN depicting “the everyday lives of Appalachian people” with photos of KKK members, burning crosses, snake preachers, and other subversive subjects taken by photographer Stacy Kranitz. After learning that Kranitz was distancing from CNN’s take on her photos, we reached out to her and she provided us with the statement below.
Rant – CNN’s Photo Blog Depicts Subversive View of South
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A nice hearty “Fuck You!” is due CNN today for posting a photo montage that depicts “everyday” people from The South as Klansman, snake preachers, and inbred fuckwits driving their clunkers through the mud. CNN should be absolutely ashamed of itself for its short-sighted attempt to create interest and awareness with such a shallow approach.
Live Review – Justin Townes Earle – Antone’s Austin, TX
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On Friday night (5-4-12) we attended a show of reigning Saving Country Music Artist of the Year Justin Townes Earle at Antone’s in Austin, TX’s increasingly-crowded west downtown district. The Bloodshot Records-signed son of Steve Earle was in town in support of his latest record Nothing’s Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now, with a full band behind him for one of the first times on tour.
Beastie Boys ‘Paul’s Boutique’ Broke Ground w/ Country Influence
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Where the country world comes in is in the heavy-handed and stark use of country and Southern influences in Paul’s Boutique, made by hip-hop pioneers from New York City. In many ways, country and Southern sounds and themes are the foundation for Paul’s Boutique. The problem with Paul’s Boutique was that it was not very popular in its time, and was considered a flop compared to License to Ill.
The Timing Is Good For Alabama Shakes’ “Boys & Girls”
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The current landscape of hip American music is like a lyric out of a classic Bob Dylan song about the changing times. Old is new, and nerdy is cool. It is in this environment that the Alabama Shakes have flourished like the imperceptible germs on the tips of your fingers when rubbed into a Petri dish and left to fester. The Alabama Shakes are not for everyone, but I struggle to find a wart to point at.
Eric Church Caught w/ Foot In Mouth Over Outlaw Image
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American Songwriter: People have been calling you an outlaw. Is that an image you’ve tried to create for yourself? Eric Church: Oh god. No! Not at all. Yet a quick check of Eric Church’s website finds a whole page dedicated to “Outlaw” branding, with “a brand new “Outlaw T-Shirt” now available for sale in the online store.