The Country Slut Song
Sirius XM gave me some free satellite radio today but only some of the channels so I can’t listen to my favorite, Outlaw Country. Had to listen to The Highway this morning cause that is what the teenagers love and managed to figure out the formula for a hit country song these days. You gotta write about the country sluts – the hell raising girls that party and dance in their tight jeans and shake it all over the place but they’re basically good girls. That way, every girl out there knows you are writing about her personally. Get you a good bass line from a solid classic rock hit (anything from AC/DC or Lynyrd Skynyrd works). add some stuff about drivin’ trucks and wearin’ boots and dirt roads, drinkin’ beer (PBR) or whiskey – so the guys know you are writing about them as well, throw in some God and some stuff about how great the USA is, preferably combining the two (“God Bless the USA”") and there ya go. And it works. Even I love those songs - see Luke Bryan’s “Country Girl”.
And if you don’t believe me, listen to Jason Aldean sing “She’s Country” and tell me which AC/DC song he used.
The Gourds – “Old Mad Joy”
The Gourds’ new disc “Old Mad Joy” comes out on this week. Here’s a preview from our friends at Vanguard Records. What do you think?
The Gourds at The Shed
The Shed as seen through the Gourds' van
July 16, 2011
Maryville, Tennessee
If you’ve been paying attention, you’d already know that there is no such thing as a bad Gourds show. Given that, I wasn’t going to bore you all with yet another Gourds rave review but I saw them Saturday night (7/16.11) at The Shed and the whole experience was too much fun not to share.
The Shed is an outdoor venue connected to the Smokey Mountain Harley Davidson dealership there in Maryville (correctly pronounced “MURR-ville”), Tennessee. It’s under a big tin roof and you bring your own chairs. I thought it was gonna be godawful hot but,miraculously, the temps had cooled off and we even had a breeze so, you know, perfect night to be outside, drinking beers (Shiner Bock!), eating barbecue, and dancing to the Gourds. Didn’t get a great picture of the venue (Shiner Bocks) but there are some here that are better than any I could have taken with my phone. Along with some fine video. Read the full article »
Rose’s Pawn Shop
Um, okay, so I found this email from Rose’s Pawn Shop way down deep in my inbox. Don’t know how I missed it. Glad I found it though ’cause these guys are really good! It’s that Appalachian/Bluegrass/Americana/Rock thing we like so well at SlackerCountry.com. Yeah, think Avett Brothers, Old Crow Medicine Show, like that.
I sampled most of the tunes on their second disc, Dancing On The Gallows, and I can see I have some catching up to do. I have to admit that I haven’t really sat down and heard all the tracks yet because I’m just streaming this – like I recommend YOU do but it’s grabbing me. More every time I hear it.
Love “Pine Box”, for example. See what you think.
But then I listened again and was really liking this one.
The Streakin’ Healys – “Booze Fighter”
They sign their correspondence “Your friend in whiskey.” You gotta like that.
And they are altruistic, claiming their debut album, Booze Fighter “is saving country music one shot of whiskey at a time.”
So, naturally, I was intrigued.
The first song “Honky Tonk Nights” got my attention. It starts with a mellow guitar chord, the sound of beer can popping open, and then busts into some Celtic punk-sounding hillbilly bluegrass with redneck/punk vocals and a manic fiddle. That’s the best I can describe it. Fun.
Ronnie Fauss’s “Mulligan”
Why the heck would Ronnie Fauss call his new album “Mulligan”? In golf, a mulligan means a do-over. It means you screwed up so bad people feel sorry for you. I don’t feel sorry for him and this ain’t no do-over.
Fauss’s first EP, New Songs for The Old Frontier, was damn good (see my review). But his new stuff is nothing like his old stuff was. It’s better. Rocks more. Rougher voice. I like that. Got a fiddle on some of it. I like that too.
I can’t get the first song, To Ease My Mind, out of my head. Very catchy tune. And It’s a Long Long Way is a funny talking blues song (think Todd Snider’s Talking Seattle Grunge Rock Blues) explaining the direction, or lack thereof, of a guy growing up in the post-Nixon era. I’m pretty sure that anyone who rhymes “riches” with “bitches” is headed in the right direction.
Wish had me fooled. I thought it was a sweet little love song but then I really listened to the lyrics. It’s more like a hate song. There’s a lot of bitterness packed in that one, with amusing lyrics to boot. And the mandolin and harmonica just make it that much better.
Ronnie Fauss: New EP and a Denver Show!
Ronnie Fauss is coming to Denver in August! He is slated to play Quixote’s True Blue on August 4.
His new CD, “Mulligan”, comes out around then so hopefully, we’ll be hearing some stuff from that. In the meantime, you can hear it here.
New Brent Best CD
Very exciting news! Brent Best, frontman and songwriter for The Drams and Slobberbone, is working on a solo CD. And for those of us who like to give our money directly to the artist, here’s our chance. Mr. Best is going to be his own record company – just needs a little (very little) cash up front to get the operation up and running. You can read about it here.
But let me summarize. The suggestion is that people who are interested send him $10 now and by the end of the summer, he will send a limited edition, personalized record with his solo material on it.
Here’s what he says about the music: “A few of these songs you might have heard me perform live the last few years, some I’ve never played outside my house and some have never left their hard drive. They’ve marinated long enough, methinks. With that in mind, I’ve decided they should be recorded all proper-like, in a real studio.”
That’s just like two grande cappuccinos from you-know-where but the buzz you get will be so much better and last so much longer. Pretty sure he’ll deliver too. He’s never let me down. And I can’t wait.
Spreading Christmas Cheer
Had to share with you my favorite Christmas song – “Gumdrop,” Brent Best’s sweet tale of Christmas joy and domestic violence. Also, a brilliant take on the classic Clement Moore poem “The Night Before Christmas.” I grabbed this years ago off a Slobberbone fan site (sorry, don’t remember who posted it) and I dust it off every year to remind me of what Christmas is really all about.
I can’t believe this has never been released on an album. . .
Click Gumdrop to download . . .
We Are The O’s
There is this Dallas band I’ve been hearing about. They’re called The O’s. And last week they came up here to Denver to play some fancy gig at the Brown Palace.
Turns out that gig was private and they felt bad that their other Denver fans wouldn’t be able to see them so they tacked on another gig after the fancy gig (thanks to Jay Bianchi of Owsley’s Golden Road for scheduling The O’s at the last minute).