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You are here: Home / Music / Music and Postcards – Tonight It’s Country

Music and Postcards – Tonight It’s Country

by WaterGirl|  February 25, 20237:45 pm| 141 Comments

This post is in: Guest Posts, Music, Open Threads, Political Action

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I thought that Friday’s conversation in the threads about country music was interesting, so I asked brendancalling if he could put together a little something about country music to go along with our postcard thread.  He did a stellar job.  Just amazing!  Here’s his playlist:  Balloon Juice Country 

POSTCARDS / WISCONSIN ELECTION April 4

There’s going to be a lot of money flying around for these races because there’s so much at stake.  So this time around, postcards are where we can make a difference.  (Though we will likely put up a donation link for Wis*Dems because I imagine some of you will want to donate anyway.)

Just a few postcard things so postcard peeps can get started, and then we’ll get to the music.  We have all the addresses for the Wisconsin Senate race (SD-8), which is 1,000 addresses, and for the Wisconsin Supreme Court race we have addresses selected especially for us by Voces de la Frontera – Latino and African American folks who vote Democratic 80% of the time.

If you want to write postcards, or if you have an Indivisible or other group that writes postcards, please send me an email (my nym at balloon-juice.com) and I’ll get you set up with addresses to write.  You can start writing any time.  First date to MAIL the postcards is March 10.  More details in the post linked just below.

Wisconsin Election Returns Tonight & Postcard Effort for the Spring Election (Open Thread)

If you have any postcard questions, chime in with a comment, or send me email.  And if you have postcards pictures to help inspire the rest of us, send them to me by email, and I’ll add them in the comments!

MUSIC!

Hello fellow jackals. Longtime commenter brendancalling here. Yesterday, I got into a long subthread on country music in the TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: Slava Ukraini! Post. Big surprise—a lot of people hate country music, or at least THINK they do.

I can understand that sentiment. To make an imperfect analogy, if your only experience with beer is Budweiser, yeah—I can’t blame you for hating country music. There’s a lot of crap out there, especially if all you’ve been exposed to is modern country music. Heck, if modern country music was beer, it wouldn’t even come close to Bud—it’d be more like warm Hamms.

Budweiser, to continue the analogy, represents a certain kind of beer. But it doesn’t taste anything like, say, a Guinness, or a Flanders red ale, or a Belgian sour, or West Coast IPA or a Pennsylvania porter. It’s the same with modern country—sure, you’ve got your modern country (aka “bad rock with a fiddle” to quote Tom Petty) but you’ve also got western swing, the Bakersfield sound, straight up honky tonk, Texas country, zydeco, Cajun… the list just goes on and on and on. Just as there’s a lot of different beer out there that actually tastes good, there’s a LOT of good country music too. It just doesn’t get on the big stations that dominate the industry.

I’ve been playing music for a long time. As a teenager, I was obsessed with hardcore punk and metal. By the time the 1990s and “grunge” hit, I had already moved on other stuff—all those bands from the 1990s like Nirvana and Pearl Jam and the rest sounded like punk rock with better production. And good grief, the lyrics didn’t appeal to me at all. It was just so bummed out and sad and self-pitying. My hippy housemate had turned me on to Phish, another band people tend to love or hate. Whatever you might say about that band, they are truly eclectic, and incorporated a couple of jammed-out bluegrass songs into their sets—which is how I discovered Bill Monroe, and went down a rabbithole. I don’t think I listened to anything but bluegrass and old country music for… I wanna say five years at least. And then of course I lived and played music in Nashville (Music City USA, baby!) for about 4+ years until the pandemic ruined everything. So you could say I know a good bit about the genre.

Anyway, long story short, WaterGirl asked that I make a playlist for one of the regular postcard writing events, and I was happy to do so. In this list, I primarily chose country songs from my persona (and very long) Apple Music playlist. I have a thing for bands and artists that fly under the radar, although some of the artists I have here are not that. The vast majority, I suspect, are bands the average listener hasn’t heard, whether old or new. And I tried to choose songs that weren’t hits: I skipped Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5,” as great as that song is, and instead chose her version of Woody Guthrie’s “Deportee.” I guarantee it’ll make you weepy.

I also tried to include black, Latino, and LGTBQ artists—because the genre is seen (justifiably) as almost entirely white people. So please enjoy Yola, Howdy Glenn, Willi Carlisle, Johnny Rodriguez, and Mercy Bell. I wish I had a deeper knowledge of Black and Latino country, TBH: there’s a lot I’m still discovering. I also threw in some old weird stuff and country from places you wouldn’t expect (like Scruffy the Cat, a 1980s Boston band). I included both old songs and songs by newer bands. Some bands have more than one song in my list—The Royal Hounds, Scruffy the Cat, Charles Hager, Andrea and Mud, etc—mainly because I like them so much. Or, for real, they’re friends of mine who work really hard, and merit a larger audience. Also, I’m in at least two of these videos. I won’t tell you which though.

WaterGirl asked for 20 or so songs—I wound up with 82, and the only reason I stopped is because I have to go to a jam session. I hope you enjoy the tunes, and I apologize if I left a favorite artist out. There’s just so much! I’ll try to drop by the post tonight to engage in comments. Peace out y’all!

In case you missed it up top, here’s the playlist that brendancalling made for us: Balloon Juice Country 

Open thread.

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    141Comments

    1. 1.

      Omnes Omnibus

      February 25, 2023 at 7:50 pm

      Townes

      Reply
    2. 2.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 7:55 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus:

      Shake the dust off your wings.

      Reply
    3. 3.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 7:55 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: I meant to add him too. I love TVZ. Dangerous music. You get depressed, Townes will put you in your grave.

      Reply
    4. 4.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 7:57 pm

      @brendancalling: I had never head of him until Omnes posted that, but I like it a lot.  Too late to add it to the playlist?

      Reply
    5. 5.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 7:59 pm

      @brendancalling: I really like your song #4.  Pat Reedy.  I had never heard of him, either.  Not a big country fan, but there’s definitely stuff here I like.

      Reply
    6. 6.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 7:59 pm

      A couple others I didn’t remember to add include Carolina Chocolate Drops. Danny Paisley, the Supersuckers (who play mostly hard rock but put out 2 or 3 country albums), Resonant Rogues, and Goddam Gallows. Oh well…

      Reply
    7. 7.

      sab

      February 25, 2023 at 8:00 pm

      I listened to music a lot all through the 1980s and 1990s but it wasn’t main stream rock or country, and now I feel like I was living in a cave the whole time as far as relating to popular culture.

      Oh well. My 71 year old sister had never even heard of ABBA until about 5 years ago.

      Reply
    8. 8.

      Omnes Omnibus

      February 25, 2023 at 8:00 pm

      @WaterGirl: ​
        This is his most famous song.

      Reply
    9. 9.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 8:01 pm

      @brendancalling: Some things can never be finished.

      Reply
    10. 10.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 8:01 pm

      @WaterGirl: Pat’s best album is “That’s All There Is,” but it’s not on YouTube. Check your music platform of your choice for tunes like “Funny Little Thing About a Hammer,” Pennsylvania Hills,” and “Conversation With Jesus.”

      Pat is one of my best friends. Very left wing. Very working class. Solid dude.

      Reply
    11. 11.

      MagdaInBlack

      February 25, 2023 at 8:02 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: Now you’ve sent me down the youtube rabbit hole. Guy Clark does a nice version too.

      Reply
    12. 12.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 8:03 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: I like “Better Than Waiting around to Die.” That song kills me.

      Reply
    13. 13.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 8:03 pm

      Grassland Jam is so not for me. Guessing there are sort of sub-genres of country music?

      Reply
    14. 14.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 8:04 pm

      @WaterGirl: I will when I get home (add TVZ that is). In standard country fashion, I’m at a bar right now.

      Reply
    15. 15.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 8:06 pm

      BTW, anyone interested in the history of 20th century country music should listen to the first season of Cocaine and Rhinestones, a podcast hosted by Tyler Mahan Coe. His vocal style takes a little getting used to—he kind of talks like a robot for the first few episodes—but the history he shares is AMAZING. Trigger Warning for the Spade Cooley episode, though. Cooley brutally abused and murdered his wife. Coe shares the details (with the warning).

      Reply
    16. 16.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 8:07 pm

      @brendancalling: Thanks for putting this together for us.

      Reply
    17. 17.

      Mousebumples

      February 25, 2023 at 8:08 pm

      Late to the thread, as I just got home but I’ll be doing postcards after we get settled.

      Thread timing question – I think we’re planning on Tuesday nights around this time, and either Saturday afternoons or evenings. Any preference?

      Personally, my Saturdays are unpredictable, but I can try to at least be around for answering questions, if needed.

      Reply
    18. 18.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 8:09 pm

      I haven’t listened to #13 yet, but just based on the name, I think “Try Not to Be a Dick” should be the BJ theme song.

      Reply
    19. 19.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 8:10 pm

      @Mousebumples: I was just about to add the comment “no one doing postcards here yet?”

      Reply
    20. 20.

      delphinium

      February 25, 2023 at 8:11 pm

      @brendancalling: Thanks for putting this playlist together! Rarely listen to country music but when I do, prefer the more “traditional” music. Really liked the Leo Rondeau song-will continue listening to the list.

      Reply
    21. 21.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 8:11 pm

      I threw on Hank Thompson’s “Honky Tonk Town” because if you listen to the band, it’s basically jazz players. HT is a good example of (very polished) Western swing. That whole album is heavy on the jazz. Bob Wills (did I include Bob) is the King of Western Swing, and equally (if not more) jazzy, but nowhere near as polished. Bob, especially, takes his cues from Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller. So does Hank, but w/more slick and less improv.

      Reply
    22. 22.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 8:12 pm

      @delphinium: Leo is awesome. Check out his “Here’s a Heart” album. It’s one of his best.

      Reply
    23. 23.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 8:13 pm

      @WaterGirl: Remember the veteran woman beaten up by the National Park Police in Philly several years ago, for protesting the Iraq War?

      That’s her singing. She’s great.

      Reply
    24. 24.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 8:15 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: He has a beautiful smile.  He died so young!

      Reply
    25. 25.

      Mousebumples

      February 25, 2023 at 8:16 pm

      @WaterGirl: Might be a sign that Saturday nights aren’t great for postcards… If no one else comes by to postcard, we can always just ask about timing again on Tuesday?

      Reply
    26. 26.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 8:16 pm

      @delphinium: Curious…  is this the more traditional country, or is the stuff they play on the radio what you mean by traditional country?

      Reply
    27. 27.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 8:17 pm

      @brendancalling: I did not remember that.  Police need to get it tougher and remember their job is “to serve and protect”.

      Reply
    28. 28.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 8:18 pm

      @Mousebumples: Sounds good.

      Reply
    29. 29.

      delphinium

      February 25, 2023 at 8:18 pm

      @WaterGirl: I liked that song too by Pat. As for postcard writing, I need to order more and then will get started on the WI races and any of the other ones coming up.

      Reply
    30. 30.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 8:21 pm

      @delphinium: We need you for Wisconsin!  Get those cards ordered. :-)

      Reply
    31. 31.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 8:26 pm

      I like the politics of the song at #17.  Wave that flag.

      Reply
    32. 32.

      schrodingers_cat

      February 25, 2023 at 8:31 pm

      Which country?

      * Yeah I know what country music is,  couldn’t resist the pun.

      Reply
    33. 33.

      CarolPW

      February 25, 2023 at 8:32 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: ​
       flying shoes

      Reply
    34. 34.

      delphinium

      February 25, 2023 at 8:32 pm

      @WaterGirl: Maybe that isn’t the right term, like I said I don’t listen to a lot of country, but songs from the playlist by Lou, Pat, and The Daiquiri Queens (listening now) seem more straight up country to me and not so much the “bad rock with a fiddle” that Brendan noted. Also thinking along the likes of Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn type of country. Does that make sense?

      Reply
    35. 35.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 8:36 pm

      @delphinium: It does!

      Reply
    36. 36.

      kalakal

      February 25, 2023 at 8:39 pm

      @brendancalling: Thank you so much for putting this together. As I said in the previous thread I know zip about country and the bits I’ve heard mostly disliked intensely, I suspect it’s the stuff you’d describe as

      it’d be more like warm Hamms.

      I’ve heard of hardly any of the artists listed, don’t think I know any of the songs.

      This is great! I’m so looking forward to going through the list, it’s all new to me! Don’t expect I’ll like it all but I’m sure I’ll like some.

      Once again, thanks

      ETA basically I share Tom Petty’s ( who I loved) opinion

      Reply
    37. 37.

      schrodingers_cat

      February 25, 2023 at 8:41 pm

      @kalakal: Try Bitter Tears,

      Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian

      Album by Johnny Cash

      Reply
    38. 38.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 8:42 pm

      I really liked #23 Arm’s Length Away.  I had never heard of Izaak Optaz.

      Reply
    39. 39.

      kalakal

      February 25, 2023 at 8:42 pm

      @schrodingers_cat:  will do thanks.

      All suggestions gratefully accepted.

      Reply
    40. 40.

      MattF

      February 25, 2023 at 8:42 pm

      OT. Because of an openly racist YouTube rant by Scott Adams, the Dilbert comic strip has been cancelled in nearly all newspapers. Gift WaPo link to story. Pity, the strip used to be funny.

      Reply
    41. 41.

      Anoniminous

      February 25, 2023 at 8:43 pm

      First Aid Kit – Emmylou

      Good ol’ country music from good ol’ …………… Sweden.

      Reply
    42. 42.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 8:44 pm

      @kalakal: It’s a really nice way to be introduced to music, I think.

      Hear the first little bit, doesn’t grab you, go on to the next one.  I have really liked some of them.

      Reply
    43. 43.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 8:45 pm

      @MattF: Oh, ugh.  Off to read.  I knew he had turned into a right-wing guy, but openly racist?  In his comics or in real life?

      I guess I’ll find out as soon as I click the link.

      edit: All that was missing was “young bucks buying steaks”… and the n-word.

      Reply
    44. 44.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 8:49 pm

      @Anoniminous: Lovely!

      Reply
    45. 45.

      Anoniminous

      February 25, 2023 at 8:51 pm

      @WaterGirl: ​
       
      They sang it in front of Emmy Lou Harris and brought her to tears.

      Reply
    46. 46.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 8:53 pm

      Holy shit, Yola!  Wow, beautiful voice. #27

      Reply
    47. 47.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 8:53 pm

      I added two Townes songs

      Reply
    48. 48.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 8:54 pm

      @brendancalling: thank you!

      Reply
    49. 49.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 8:55 pm

      @Anoniminous: Swedish country: The Country Side of Harmonica Sam

      Reply
    50. 50.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 8:56 pm

      @WaterGirl: He is SO SO SO good. I discovered him by accident. “Hot and Heavy Handed” is him doing 90s country, but stripped down and all of sudden they’re not cheesy songs.

      Reply
    51. 51.

      Kristine

      February 25, 2023 at 8:56 pm

      I cleaned my office today and found the postcard stamps I thought I’d lost. I’ve emailed WG for addresses and would be here for a Tuesday night write-a-thon.

      Reply
    52. 52.

      Mousebumples

      February 25, 2023 at 8:57 pm

      @Kristine: Yay! Glad to have you on the postcarding team! 🤩

      Reply
    53. 53.

      SpaceUnit

      February 25, 2023 at 8:58 pm

      Okay, this thread is gonna be a challenge for me.  I’m mostly into the alt, punk, post-punk kinda stuff.

      Here’s some mid 80’s post-punk country.  Lone Justice:

      Shelter

      Reply
    54. 54.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 9:00 pm

      @WaterGirl: Yes, just like rock or jazz. Jazz: big band; bepop; post bop; hard bop; fusion; and so on. Rock: blues-rock; metal; pop; prog-rock; folk-rock; hardcore and punk; yacht rock; funk; soul; r&B.

      Same thing with country. It’s a big genre, and it’s unlikely you can’t find something to like for either lyrical and musical reasons.

      If all you heard of jazz was Kenny G, you’d think jazz sucks! If all you heard of rock was Nickleback, you’d never come back! Same with country.

      Reply
    55. 55.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 9:01 pm

      BTW, y’all better be writing postcards…

      Reply
    56. 56.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 9:02 pm

      @SpaceUnit: I grew up on that stuff. I’m a still a punk rocker at heart.

      Reply
    57. 57.

      Kristine

      February 25, 2023 at 9:02 pm

      @Mousebumples: I dropped the ball for the WI primary, so I have some catching up to do.

      Reply
    58. 58.

      SpaceUnit

      February 25, 2023 at 9:04 pm

      And here’s The Jayhawks, circa 2003:

      Save It For A Rainy Day

      Reply
    59. 59.

      dmsilev

      February 25, 2023 at 9:04 pm

      @MattF: The strip got pretty repetitive years ago in my opinion. But that’s hardly a cardinal sin for newspaper comics; how many times has Garfield eaten some lasagna? This week’s meltdown and (appropriate) cancelation was something quite different to be sure.

      Reply
    60. 60.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 9:06 pm

      @SpaceUnit: A lifetime ago, I played bass for a bluegrass/speed metal crossover band called Uncle Fucker. We had a troupe of dancing girls called the Fuckerettes.

      Here’s a video of our version of Bill Monroe’s instrumental Wheel Hoss.

      Reply
    61. 61.

      hervevillechaizelounge

      February 25, 2023 at 9:07 pm

      Since the other thread is dead I thought I’d put this here: unfortunately valued commentator Mnemosyne is no longer with us.  Am I allowed to post a link?

      Mnemosyne Dailykos death notice (no doxxing)

      edit; NOT THE SAME MNEM. ~WaterGirl

      Reply
    62. 62.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 9:08 pm

      @hervevillechaizelounge: Oh man. That’s sad to hear.

      Reply
    63. 63.

      SpaceUnit

      February 25, 2023 at 9:09 pm

      @brendancalling:

      Me too!

      Reply
    64. 64.

      kalakal

      February 25, 2023 at 9:09 pm

      my wife was playing some music one day on Pandora and had gone out the room. I listened to a track and when she came back I said “never heard of the guy that was just on but he’s one hell of a guitar player ”

      Doc Watson – Windy and Warm

      Reply
    65. 65.

      MattF

      February 25, 2023 at 9:10 pm

      @hervevillechaizelounge: Oh dear. Mnem was one of the smart ones, she will be missed.

      Reply
    66. 66.

      Jager

      February 25, 2023 at 9:10 pm

      40-plus year career in radio, part of the generation who put rock on FM. helped redefine what adult music radio is. Did news and talk stations on the local and corporate levels. I never did a country station until I got my first job as a VP/GM. The company handed me a dead in the water AM (fixed it with a solid news and local talk format) and a 100KW FM. The FM was running a syndicated oldies format. The number 2 station in the market was a sloppy old line country station. Hmm, I talked to a friend of mine who owned a successful “‘cowboy station” and went to work. We blew up the oldies format, put a country station on with a modern attitude and formatics. It worked! The station went from a 1.6 share to 12.9 in 3 months. I was going through a nasty divorce at the time and Garth got me through it. https://youtu.be/nIHWhUVxJh8 (Much Too Young to Feel this Damn Old”)

      Reply
    67. 67.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 9:11 pm

      I plumb forgot Doug Kershaw!

      Reply
    68. 68.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 9:13 pm

      @Anoniminous: I can see why.

      Reply
    69. 69.

      SpaceUnit

      February 25, 2023 at 9:13 pm

      @brendancalling:

      Goddamn that is some wild shit.  Whoop!

      Reply
    70. 70.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 9:21 pm

      @Kristine: Just sent you the addresses.  See you on Tuesday!

      Reply
    71. 71.

      Kelly

      February 25, 2023 at 9:21 pm

      @WaterGirl: “Shake the dust off of your wings and the sleep out of your eyes” has been in my email signature since I retired.

      Reply
    72. 72.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 9:22 pm

      @SpaceUnit: Then you’ll have a lot to say if we do a thread like this on those!

      Reply
    73. 73.

      NotMax

      February 25, 2023 at 9:23 pm

      Kickass Orange Blossom Special.

      And just across the border from country, strictly for funsies,

      Them Hillbillies Are Mountain Williams Now

      Old Man Mose.

      Reply
    74. 74.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 9:24 pm

      @brendancalling: I’m not sure there’s any postcard-writing going on tonight. :-)

      Reply
    75. 75.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 9:25 pm

      @Kristine:  Janet P won, no harm, no foul!  :-)

      Reply
    76. 76.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 9:25 pm

      @WaterGirl: If I have any say, we totally will.

      Reply
    77. 77.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 9:27 pm

      @SpaceUnit: I like it!  (Never heard of them.)

      Reply
    78. 78.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 9:27 pm

      Personally, I think that Merle cut I posted is a real banger. I’d love to hear a woman do it as “A Workin’ Mom Can’t Get Nowhere Today.” That one steel line—you’ll know it when you hear it— is just… chef’s kiss. Its so good.

      Reply
    79. 79.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 9:28 pm

      @hervevillechaizelounge: I believe I said this last time you posted that, but I don’t believe that is the same person.

      Old Kossacks may remember a lovely woman who used to post here under the alias of “Mnemosyne”.  I just found out that Marie-Grace (her real name) passed away from cancer-related issues on October 11 at age 82. She had come to visit and stay with us here in the South of France in the Aude in the early ‘10s and her dream had been to come back and live here permanently. Alas that was not to be. She was a brave and delightful woman and is greatly missed by all her friends.

      Reply
    80. 80.

      Steeplejack

      February 25, 2023 at 9:30 pm

      @brendancalling:

      Haven’t checked out the playlist yet—it looks good—but you misspelled “balloon” in the title.

      Reply
    81. 81.

      James E Powell

      February 25, 2023 at 9:31 pm

      @hervevillechaizelounge:

      Are you sure that’s the same person?

      Reply
    82. 82.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 9:31 pm

      @brendancalling: Pretty sure the person who does the work gets a say. :-)

      Reply
    83. 83.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 9:32 pm

      @James E Powell: I am certain that is NOT the same person.

      Reply
    84. 84.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 9:33 pm

      @Jager: Holy cow-ski!

      Reply
    85. 85.

      CarolPW

      February 25, 2023 at 9:33 pm

      @hervevillechaizelounge: Pretty sure that is the wrong Mnem. Ours is not that old, does not live in North Carolina, did not pine to live in France and would not be described as a kind gentle person (particularly in respect to trolls).

      Reply
    86. 86.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 9:33 pm

      @Kelly: Nice!

      Reply
    87. 87.

      zhena gogolia

      February 25, 2023 at 9:34 pm

      @WaterGirl: Yeah, no way that’s our Mnemosyne. She is about half that age.

      Reply
    88. 88.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 9:35 pm

      @WaterGirl: I promise I won’t subject anyone here to Slayer.

      Reply
    89. 89.

      kalakal

      February 25, 2023 at 9:36 pm

      @brendancalling: That was fun!

      Reply
    90. 90.

      NotMax

      February 25, 2023 at 9:38 pm

      @zhena gogolia

      Sounds more like it’s the late MaryG, except IIRC she was a mite younger.

      Reply
    91. 91.

      zhena gogolia

      February 25, 2023 at 9:39 pm

      @NotMax: Yes, she was younger, in her 60s I think.

      Reply
    92. 92.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 9:41 pm

      @brendancalling: I don’t listen to that music at all, so that flew right over my head.

      Reply
    93. 93.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 9:44 pm

      @NotMax:

      Kickass Orange Blossom Special.

      That was fun.

      Reply
    94. 94.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 9:45 pm

      @kalakal: Your wife is correct!

      Reply
    95. 95.

      raven

      February 25, 2023 at 9:48 pm

      Not much mention of “Ya’llternative” so I’ll point you to this book

      ”
      “Cosmic Cowboys and New Hicks: The Countercultural Sounds of Austin’s Progressive Country Music Scene”
       

      Country music of late 1960s and early 1970s was a powerful symbol of staunch conservative resistance to the flowering hippie counterculture. But in 1972, the city of Austin, Texas became host to a growing community of musicians, entrepreneurs, journalists, and fans who saw country music as a part of their collective heritage and sought to reclaim it for their own progressive scene. These children of the Cold War, post-World War II suburban migration, and the Baby Boom escaped the socially conservative world their parents had created, to instead create for themselves an idyllic rural Texan utopia. Progressive country music–a hybrid of country music and rock–played out the contradictions at work among the residents of the growing Austin community: at once firmly grounded in the conservative Texan culture in which they had been raised and profoundly affected by the current hippie counterculture.

      In Cosmic Cowboys and New Hicks: The Countercultural Sounds of Austin’s Progressive Country Music Scene, Travis Stimeling connects the local Austin culture and the progressive music that became its trademark. He presents a colorful range of evidence, from behavior and dress, to newspaper articles, to personal interviews of musicians as diverse as Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Doug Sahm. Along the way, Stimeling uncovers parodies of the cosmic cowboy image that reinforce the longing for a more peaceful way of life, but that also recognize an awareness of the muddled, conflicted nature of this counterculture identity. Cosmic Cowboys and New Hicks brings new insight into the inner workings of Austin’s progressive country music scene — by bringing the music and musicians brilliantly to life.

      Reply
    96. 96.

      Steeplejack

      February 25, 2023 at 9:49 pm

      @hervevillechaizelounge:

      That’s not our Mnemosyne. That woman was 82. Ours is in her early 50s.

      ETA: In fact, Mnemosyne once said that her birthday was June 15, 1969. (Checked the BJ Stasi files.)

      Reply
    97. 97.

      Jackie

      February 25, 2023 at 9:50 pm

      Since this was the morning post today, here’s the update:

      ”Former agriculture secretary Nikki Fried will be in charge of the state party as Florida Democrats attempt to pull themselves out of their worst political position in years.”

      “Fried, 45, rebounded from her Democratic primary loss to Charlie Crist in the governor’s race last year to become state party’s new chair, taking in 52% of the vote in what had become a heated campaign to succeed former chair Manny Diaz.
      Fried, of Fort Lauderdale, was a late entry to the race, announcing her bid less than two weeks ago.”
      https://nordot.app/1002360326858571776

      Reply
    98. 98.

      raven

      February 25, 2023 at 9:51 pm

      In Champaign-Urbana most of my crew turned away from rock in the early 70’s and went to music like Commander Cody, Asleep at the Wheel, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, Old and in the Way and the Dead. Jerry Garcia loved to play bluegrass and the “Pizza Tapes” with David “Dawg” Grisman and Tony Rice is phenomenal.

      Reply
    99. 99.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 9:54 pm

      @Jackie: I don’t know enough to know if that’s good news or not?

      Reply
    100. 100.

      Steve in the ATL

      February 25, 2023 at 9:55 pm

      1. That is not the same Mnemosyne, as others have noted.

      2. Love Scruffy the Cat.  Also check out “you dirty rat” though “mybabyshesalright” was their best song.

      3. How about Jason and the Scorchers?  Their cover of Dylan’s “absolutely sweet Marie” was the best it was ever done.  Great originals include “harvest moon”.

      4. Maybe a little love for Billy Strings?  Dude can pick the ol’ gitfiddle.

      Reply
    101. 101.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 9:56 pm

      @Steve in the ATL: I love the first two, but as talented as Billy is, he’s just not my taste. Highly recommended though!

      Reply
    102. 102.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 9:57 pm

      @raven: I love Asleep at the Wheel. My current band does one of their tunes. Genuinely nice people too. Their drummer used to hang at my local in Nashville.

      Reply
    103. 103.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 9:57 pm

      @raven: I’m sure I have asked you before.  Did you used to go to Panama Red’s?

      Reply
    104. 104.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 9:59 pm

      @raven: “Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Doug Sahm”

      Absolute legends. Jerry Jeff’s “Viva Terlingua” is a masterpiece.

      Reply
    105. 105.

      Steve in the ATL

      February 25, 2023 at 10:01 pm

      @brendancalling: how about Todd Snider covering  a song co-written by every songwriter in Nashville, including my old friend George Lucas?

      Reply
    106. 106.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 10:02 pm

      @WaterGirl: One of the early giants of speed metal. Even the slow songs are fast. One of my favorite bands even today, but as someone who prides himself on reading the room, it’s nothing I’m posting here. Ever.

      Reply
    107. 107.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 10:03 pm

      @Steve in the ATL: ​
      That one’s good. So is “Alright Guy,” which I think Todd wrote. Todd is so fun. He was hanging with Prine til the end, i believe.

      Reply
    108. 108.

      Jackie

      February 25, 2023 at 10:05 pm

      @WaterGirl: BettyCracker was sorta rooting for her.

      I’m impressed she won so handedly after only jumping into the race two weeks earlier. That doesn’t say much good about her competitor, I’m thinking.

      Reply
    109. 109.

      NotMax

      February 25, 2023 at 10:05 pm

      One more blast from the past.
      .
      Spade Cooley.

      Reply
    110. 110.

      Steve in the ATL

      February 25, 2023 at 10:08 pm

      @brendancalling: From a high school friend:

      Todd snider forced his way on stage at 616 [venue in Memphis ] when my band Martini Age was playing. We opened for cracker and he snuck in a 5 song set. He was artfully sneaky. He’s good but what a goob.

      Reply
    111. 111.

      wonkie

      February 25, 2023 at 10:08 pm

      Thanks for the list of songs! I have been browsing through it and found Leo Rondeau. I got curious about him and googled him. He has a website, FB, instagram etc—nothing posted since 2020. No shows. No FB postings, Nothing. I hope he didn’t die of covid. Or maybe the shut down just ruined his career. It/s a shame. I like his unpretentious thoughtful songs.

      Reply
    112. 112.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 10:09 pm

      @NotMax: Spade.

      Great fiddle player. Legitimately one of the worst human beings to ever walk the face of this earth. He brutally abused and later murdered his wife in front of their children. I will not go into the full details, which sadly I know thanks to the Cocaine and Rhinestones podcast. He was sentenced to life in prison. Reagan pardoned him, and Spade died the very next day.

      Reply
    113. 113.

      WaterGirl

      February 25, 2023 at 10:09 pm

      @Jackie: If Betty Cracker was for her, then that’s a win for the good guys.  The Democratic Party in FL needs all the help it can get.

      Reply
    114. 114.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 10:11 pm

      @wonkie: I’m seeing shows from December 2022, but yeah: it’s been a minute.

      heh, he did a gig with my old pal Jennie Parrot. She’s good too.

      Reply
    115. 115.

      James E Powell

      February 25, 2023 at 10:15 pm

      @Steve in the ATL:

      One the bar bands I was in did Absolutely Sweet Maries & White Lies. Warner Hodges is one of my under-appreciated guitar heroes

      Another band that never really got noticed that fits in tonight is The Gear Daddies.

      Reply
    116. 116.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 10:20 pm

      @James E Powell: Those guys are new to me, gonna look them up now.

      Reply
    117. 117.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 10:23 pm

      @James E Powell: ​
        This reminds me, I don’t know how I forgot the Beat Farmers, who were so so good.

      Reply
    118. 118.

      NotMax

      February 25, 2023 at 10:23 pm

      @brendancalling

      All too true but chose to focus only on music in this case and not despoil the listening with his sordid history.

      Reply
    119. 119.

      Steve in the ATL

      February 25, 2023 at 10:25 pm

      How about this one from DBT?  Reminds me if Steve Earle (who named his son after Townes Van Zandt).

      Reply
    120. 120.

      Steve in the ATL

      February 25, 2023 at 10:26 pm

      @James E Powell: agree completely

      Reply
    121. 121.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 10:31 pm

      @NotMax: ​
        After learning about it, I can’t listen to him anymore. I just can’t. Kinda like w/Clapton, once I learned what a truly shitty person he is with the racism, it just ruined him for me.

      Reply
    122. 122.

      NotMax

      February 25, 2023 at 10:32 pm

      @brendancalling

      How about some Texas Jim Lewis then?
      :)

      Reply
    123. 123.

      Jim, Foolish Literalist

      February 25, 2023 at 10:45 pm

      Nevermind

      Reply
    124. 124.

      Another Scott

      February 25, 2023 at 10:56 pm

      @Steeplejack: Since she’s being talked about, but not so much downstairs, I’ll repeat that our Mnemo posted a pointer to a site with links to her books and other projects in July 2022.  It’s still live.

      Cheers,
      Scott.

      Reply
    125. 125.

      SuzieC

      February 25, 2023 at 10:56 pm

      This is the all time best version of Pancho and Lefty:  Willie and EmmyLou.

      (57) Emmylou Harris “Pancho and Lefty” – YouTube

      Reply
    126. 126.

      brendancalling

      February 25, 2023 at 11:10 pm

      Good night kids, I’m melting into classic Doctor Who on Pluto and drifting off to sleep.

      Reply
    127. 127.

      prostratedragon

      February 25, 2023 at 11:30 pm

      I’ll be diving into this list for a while! Another from that album back in the 00s of soul/country duets: “Since I Fell for You,” Reba McEntire and Nayalie Cole.

      Reply
    128. 128.

      gwangung

      February 25, 2023 at 11:49 pm

      @prostratedragon: Holy crap. What a cut. And the rest of that album looks great, too.

      Reply
    129. 129.

      H.E.Wolf

      February 25, 2023 at 11:49 pm

      @Mousebumples:”@WaterGirl: Might be a sign that Saturday nights aren’t great for postcards… If no one else comes by to postcard, we can always just ask about timing again on Tuesday?”

       I vote for Tuesday. Saturday evening took me by surprise. :-)
      Postcards To Voters is also providing addresses for Judge Janet – here’s the link from their Twitter account.​
        https://twitter.com/DemocratWit/status/1629173794764992512

      ETA: Gorrammit, the link didn’t post the first time. My apologies.

      Reply
    130. 130.

      Omnes Omnibus

      February 26, 2023 at 12:04 am

      @SpaceUnit: Ah, Maria McKee.  Lovely woman, lovely voice.

      Reply
    131. 131.

      lgerard

      February 26, 2023 at 12:15 am

      @SpaceUnit:

      Not the Jayhawks!

      The last time I listened to them I had that song Tampa to Tulsa stuck in my head for a week

      Reply
    132. 132.

      HumboldtBlue

      February 26, 2023 at 12:52 am

      That’s a damn fine music list.

      Thank you, Brendan!

      Also, there are few better things than threads that get into the weeds on the music folks have to share. That and books (other than sic fi) have me jotting down names and albums, always leads to gems.

      Reply
    133. 133.

      jackson

      February 26, 2023 at 3:05 am

      @brendancalling: Love it!

      And thanks much for the compilation. Some old favorites and some new folks to explore.

      Reply
    134. 134.

      oatler

      February 26, 2023 at 4:35 am

      Nice list but needs more Garfunkel And Oates.

      Reply
    135. 135.

      sab

      February 26, 2023 at 4:48 am

      @HumboldtBlue: Yes!

      Reply
    136. 136.

      raven

      February 26, 2023 at 6:49 am

      @WaterGirl: Our softball team “The High n Mighty” was the first long haired team in C-U and most of the teams hated us. It started as a goof and we ended up being really good. Many of the guys on the team were part of the Record Service and eventually we had really nice uniforms and Reds was one of our sponsors.

      We’d go there, the Red Lion and Ruby Gulch for music but we were mostly housed in the House of Chin. George Chin was a madman and fit right in. Here’s George and a Champaign cop one 4th!

      Reply
    137. 137.

      WaterGirl

      February 26, 2023 at 8:49 am

      @raven: What a great name.  High and mighty turned out to be a pretty accurate description!

      I was on a volleyball team with a bunch of people who worked for the city of urbana, and we called ourselves the BureauCats.  The Cats, for short.

      Reply
    138. 138.

      Xavier

      February 26, 2023 at 10:37 am

      I was just listening to Radney Foster’s “Del Rio Revisited: Unplugged and Lonesome”. Now that there’s some real honky-tonk music. You got cheatin’ and somebody done wrong and drinkin’ to ferget, and that’s just the first three songs. You also got lost love and bad hombres and singin’ Folsom Prison Blues along with Johnny Cash on the AM radio. 5 stars on Amazon, check it out.

      But seriously, great list, for people whose hatred of country music as heard on iHeartRadio is mostly justified.

      Reply
    139. 139.

      UncleEbeneezer

      February 26, 2023 at 10:44 am

      @brendancalling: Totally missed this thread last night, but thanks for sharing the playlist.  I’ll check it out today.  One thing I love about streaming is playlists.

      Reply
    140. 140.

      Xavier

      February 26, 2023 at 10:58 am

      Gotta have a shout out for Waylon Jennings’ record of songs by Billy Joe Shaver, “Honky-Tonk Heroes Like Me”

      Reply
    141. 141.

      UncleEbeneezer

      February 26, 2023 at 11:08 am

      @brendancalling: Same is also true for rap and hip-hop.

      Reply

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