Alli Walker’s New Song “Nashville” (A Rant)
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If you’ve ever wondered who those zombies are whose idea of a good time is to frequent Lower Broadway and spend five hours hopping between corporate bars, this song is exclusively for them.
Album Review – Hellbound Glory’s “Scumbag Country”
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Old Highs and Hellbound came into my music world at the same time, so attention for their first major release from 2008, Scumbag Country, got pushed aside for the more up-to-date project. But having recently seen the band at South by Southwest, it spurned me to go back and really delve into the recorded versions of these songs. And I dare say, as much as I’ve showered Old Highs with praise, Scumbag Country might even be better…
The Johnny Cash Collaborative Video Project
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Though the Johnny Cash Project has been a darling of technology types since being launched in full on Sept. 30th, 2010, it seems to be virtually unknown within the music world. The best way to describe it is a collaborate art project with the goal of creating a living, breathing, evolving video for the great Johnny Cash’s song “Ain’t No Grave” that we can all contribute to.
The Colt Ford Collaboration Country Music Blacklist
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If you want to listen to a true, creative meld of hip hop and country, go listen to some Beck or some Paul’s Boutique-era Beastie Boys. But this Colt Ford stuff is garbage, despite a few catchy lines, and as far as I’m concerned, lending your name to a Colt Ford project lands you a card carrying membership to the “Colt Ford Collaboration Blacklist”. Here’s the names I’ve amassed so far…
Curb Records Continues to Dog Tim McGraw & Hank III
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The situation with Tim McGraw has gone from dysfunctional, to immoral, to ironically funny, to now outright insane. The country music star and part-time perfume magnate’s troubles started with Curb in 2008, when the label decided to release a Greatest Hits album instead of new music McGraw had sitting on the shelf. Now Curb is refusing to put out his last album on his record deal, called Emotional Traffic…
Interview – Whitey Morgan & Jeremy Mackinder
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Whitey Morgan and his bass player Jeremy Mackinder have a very similar symbiotic relationship that made the pairings of Waylon Jennings and his drummer Ritchie Albright, Willie Nelson and his drummer Paul English, into such successful, productive duos: a working relationship that just works, where creativity can flourish while nuts and bolts tasks still get done. During SXSW I sat down with the pair for a chat.
Marty Stuart Is Saving Country Music (live review)
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For all the harmonizing and gospel and good old-time vibes, the heart of the Marty Stuart show is still high-octane, Outlaw-era, rock n’ roll-inspired hard driving country music. This is what Marty Stuart is doing. He’s slinging guitars, he’s kicking ass, and he is doing it with class. If anybody, no matter what stripes they wear, walks out of a Marty Stuart show shrugging their shoulder with a “meh” attitude, they don’t deserve the right to have an opinion.
Johnny Cash Music Festival to Support Boyhood Museum
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Thursday, August 4, 2011 will be the inaugural run of the “Johnny Cash Music Festival”, put on by Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, with direct help and participation from members of the Cash family. The focus of the music festival is to raise funds for the “Johnny Cash Boyhood Home project” in Dryess, Arkansas. The lineup is star studded to say the least.
RSD Preview – Vinyl Review – Joe Buck / Flat Tires Split 7″
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I’m not one to chase every single limited-release 45 rpm put out by my favorite bands–that can get expensive quite quickly–but since we are nearing Record Store Day where the 7″ limited-release reigns supreme, and this little gem was thrown in my lap, I thought I would tell you about it’s virtues, and by proxy, the virtues of the single-sized vinyl format for those still perplexed why technology has regressed to move forward.
A Critical Response to Taylor Swift’s “Mean”
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“Mean” might be the worst track on her Speak Now album. It is the most “country” song on the album, but it is not catchy, or clever, or well-crafted. Calling someone “Mean” is just such a base accusation. This isn’t punditry, it’s name calling. Maybe this song would have worked if she delved into the psychology of why people are mean, or even created some sympathy and understanding for her bullies. But instead she descends into the same “Mean” mentality herself…
Louvin Film Previews / Pre-Order / Release of July 15
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Judd Films and Neltner Creative have just launched the website louvinfilm.com in support of the upcoming documentary Charlie Louvin / Still Rattlin’ The Devil’s Cage, now targeted for a July 15th release date. In breathtaking cinematic quality, the film covers the final concert, and final days of the Country Music Hall of Famer, and interviews with notables such as Marty Stuart, George Jones, John McCrea of Cake, and Emmylou Harris.
RSD Preview – Bloodshot Records 15th Anniversary Live
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Country music might ignore Record Store Day (RSD) this Saturday (April 16th), the worldwide event that has become an international holiday for audiofiles, but Saving Country Music won’t. Neither will Bloodshot Records, who has a number of releases and events planned for the day meant to prop up the ailing mom and pop record store.
Hellbound Glory Bootleg – Live From The Cracker Swamp
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On March 27th, 2011, Hellbound Glory made a tour stop at Will’s Pub in Orlando, FL. Down a man on the tour to begin with, then down their bass player a few nights before, with their fill-in steel player filling in on bass the day after getting beat up by a bunch of bikers, the remaining members rallied, reached down deep, and pulled out a remarkable, rememberable performance as a power trio that will forever be known as “The Concert in the Cracker Swamp”.