Oh and Mags, I’m just jealous that you get to travel again
Say hi to Jim!

TT, Peter, Mags, Stacy, Hank, Penny and all of you, it’s good to see the blog come alive.

After reading TT’s link I thought about the current state of affairs in Country music (and other popular music genres).

In my opinion, the commercialization of popular music in any genre is in full swing. Music and craft hasn’t been in the center of attention for a long time. Music has become a business and marketing, image and formulas dictate what is produced by big record companies and played on the radio. There is a big divide between the independents that gather in communities like broadjam and others to hone and perfect their craft on their instruments and songwriting and on the other side people that are only in it for the money. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that every major artist is a sellout or has no talent/skills. But the majority of the music filling the airwaves has been tailored to and compressed into a mold that appeals to new listening habits developed within our consumer society.

There’s nothing wrong with someone playing traditional music as much as there is nothing wrong with someone taking traditional music and trying to evolve it. Both are
crafts(wo)men with talent that learned skills and have a vision. Should the same label apply to both of their music? Personally, I couldn’t tell you. Labels should be descriptive. I used to get worked up about our local radio station that played “alternative” music and all you heard all day long were million sellers in the rock, emo and metal genres. I really had a hard time connecting millions of dollars in sales with alternative in my head.

Maybe we can coin the phrase Bubblegum Country for the new Country generation of music. It definitely has nothing to do with people living a hard life struggling to survive with music as their only hope expressing feelings that were shared by so many.

Anybody agree or disagree that Blues survived the commercialization trend (so far)?

no. . . but, I will invite hugs from you and penny and felice and well you know. . . just good digital blog exchanges of gratitude and such. . . Hank: the saddest thing for me about Nashville is I lived there for seven years, hosted a writer’s night, owned a small (and I mean small) demo studio, witnessed (and wished I had been the writer) of so many great songs. . .

maybe that’s why the record biz and redundant radio has been replaced by internet and video games. just a guess. . .

yep ! that hank is a thinker… the scary thing is he’s always right too !
and yes i will hug jimbo for you penny .no problem..(although he is kind of tall)..liz wants me to hug him too…… anyone else?

Great to see the blog come alive, right on Peter!You have captured the picture completely. Now Tech don’t ya be hatin cuz Mags gets to hang with Jim…;)Have a great time Mags and give a hug from me please…Hank you are a sight for sore eyes and I have heard some great songs from you recently and when I hear them I say proudly to myself “I know this wonderful writer and singer!”

TT,

I hear it every day on “country” radio. The same 7 songs. The names have been changed to protect the guilty. The only thing missing is my stuff-LOL

Stacy:
Don’t forget Little Jimmy Dickens and Ahhhh Billy Byrd… lovin’ it

Hank:
you’ve thought about this a lot… haven’t you?? I must admit you have something there.
TT

There are only 8 country songs nowadays:
1) (Hot lookin’ young Male singer) “I’m a stupid man, I’m Lucky she loves me”.

2) (Hot looking very young Female singer) “You’re a stupid man, you’re lucky I love you”.

3) (Male or female singer) “America/my hometown/any small town is a great place, thank God that’s where I’m from”.

4) (Older male singer) “I miss the old days, some day you’ll miss them, too”.

5) (Hot looking very young Female singer) “You’re a cheating Bastard, I’m burning down the house/shooting you”.

6) (Male singer) “I love my tractor/truck”. Though I do think “Big Green Tractor” is a great song, it’s the only one of these that I like.

7) Thankfully, the story song, written with wit/cleverness/tenderness. Re: George Strait, Brad Paisley, Trace Atkins, Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks and a few others.

All the others (the first 6) tell the same story, with fewer words, more chorus repetitions each year (”radio friendly”).

Any Hank Thomas song. (these are your best choice for story/wit/variety and honest songwriting and artistic interpretation)

Sorry, had to throw that in.

Hank

I was born and raised on George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Hank jr, Conway Twitty, Emmylou, Johnny Cash, …..I could go on and on and on! Not offended by your post at all TT. I am Offended by what I hear on “country” radio stations most of the time these days though haha!

Stacy

And Peter…
Spot on
TT

Thanx Mags…
crickets make a lonely sound

sometimes I… well you know…
I feel better now
TT

dont be hatin’ (cause i get to hang with jim)

hey tt …no worries here…i think they do need to come up with a new word for that style of music….. and anybody who quotes “tom petty” (or even mentions his name in a semi positive light) is a friend of mine…

im looking forward to hanging out with jim ferrie this coming week…

hope everyone is having a great night !
xo
mags

we are the grand ol’ opry.

we are the seventh can.

we are diverse and tunnel visioned.

we are radio. . . and, radio is dead.

we are record labels. . . and, streaming is how we distribute.

we are pirates. . . we steal pads, loops, sound beds and such because they are licensed. . . and, who cares?

a musician, a woman or man possessing an actual instrument, a single microphone and a message. . . how novel, how passe.

the recording industry as we once knew it. . . is dead.
even CD’s are soon to be extinct. . . what’s next?

the on air broadcast industry, radio as we once knew it, dead.

yes, pieces large and small show up everywhere. and, those who hang onto that sinking ship shall also perish in the end. let me invite you to look around your presence and see the brave new world that has grown all about.

there is not a corner of the world that is immune to our musical message. reach out; play to the world that exists; create new audiences. invite challenge to your worth and musical beliefs.

be dangerous (to yourself).

if it works, I just might try it, too. . .

sorry if I offended anyone with my previous post
TT