This is a new feature designed to highlight notable quotes from people in the country world – artists, songwriters, label heads, critics, fans, you name it. Click the asterisk after each quote to visit the original source.
I think the coolest thing about being a songwriter is you can call out anyone you want to… Sometimes I feel bad for the guys I’ve written songs about. They are permanently branded. *
–Swift’s songwriting approach is apparently based on the venerable middle school rumor mill model.
It most definitely probably will be [a single]… And it’s a song about her ex-boyfriend, ’cause that’s the only kind of song I know how to write. *
–Kellie Pickler on the song she cowrote with Taylor Swift. Maybe I’m not reading this right: Pickler only knows how to write songs about Swift’s ex-boyfriend? If I were Taylor, I would most definitely probably be concerned.
Their show featured video screens and a cage filled with dancers as well as additional lights placed out on the Bethel Woods lawn. *
–An easily-impressed reviewer tackles a Rascal Flatts concert in The Weekly Almanac. Video screens and additional lights? Wow, sounds like they really went all out. Way better than that one geriatric bluegrass trio I saw four years ago at the Elks Lodge.
“We Run,” another unremarkable track, devolves into a “na, na, na, na” chorus. Again with the nonsensical filler! Exactly what do Nettles and Bush think they’re do-be-do-be-doing? *
–Plain Dealer critic John Soeder reviewing Sugarland’s new album.
I’m always listening to lots of Merle. On the bus I’m also enjoying a bluegrass musician named Bradley Walker and I’ve really gotten into early ’70s Hank Williams Jr. *
–Joe Nichols is officially in the club.
It’s definitely going to shock some people. We made a record that’s totally different (from “Sinners”). It’s brighter, not as gritty, more melodic. I’ve been listening to a lot of rock ‘n’ roll … I can’t wait for people to get it and see the contrast. *
–Eric Church on his forthcoming second album, Carolina. Brighter, less gritty, more melodic. Uh oh. Sounds like he’s moving away from the things I found most promising about his debut.
I don’t know that I think war is wrong. I don’t even know that I think fighting is wrong. I just know that I was trying to sing out that I don’t like to be punched. *
–Todd Snider on his forthcoming political EP, Peace Queer. The release date has reportedly been pushed back to October. By the way, I had trouble choosing between this and two or three other quotes in the short article, so consider it recommended reading.
So country has a lot of different lines from all different faces and that may be the knock but America loves what I do and they love my heart and they’ve backed me up this far and they’re going to do the same thing on record sales. *
–Booted Nashville Star contestant Coffey obviously doesn’t read his own press. He does know he was voted off, right?
What gives that spawn of the devil, Howard Stern, the belief that he can denigrate a Christian woman and American icon like Dolly Parton without legal repercussions?
–A livid Texan letter-writer in the August 11 issue of Country Weekly.
Well, you know, if you wanna get a haircut, or you think you need a haircut, you gotta walk into the barbershop! You stand out in the middle of the street, you’ll get run over. So, what’s that old saying? The lazy foot gathers no moss? Or corns. Yeah, man, I gotta cut my corns. You ever had corns? *
–Malcolm Holcombe in response to a question about his songwriting process. The whole interview is… interesting. Check it out.
The early Hank Jr stuff that Joe Nichols references is indeed excellent. Hank Jr. was on his way to becoming an excellent mainstream Nashville artist. The problem for Hank Jr in doing that is that it invited direct comparisons to the music of his famous father, a “no-win” situation as being seen as either better or worse would have damaged his psyche.
By going the direction he did, He was able to sidestep the direct comparisons
I have most of the Hank Jr MGM albums – I actually prefer that version of Hank Jr
I love this blog.
This stuff is cool–any chance you could link to all the articles? A couple of times you said “check it out,” but there’s no link!
Jim:
There should be an asterisk after each quote that you can click on to go to the original article. Is it not showing up for you? I tried to find an unobtrusive way of linking back to the sources that wouldn’t distract too much from what I’m doing with the quotes/commentaries… perhaps I need to make the links more prominent?
Also: I found your blog via a Trackback at The 9513 and added it to my blogroll. Hope you don’t mind.