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Post by Johnkenn on May 15, 2014 17:42:48 GMT -6
www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/05/15/is-country-music-dead/?fb_action_ids=10153102681125656&fb_action_types=og.likesAs a platinum-selling country music artist and, more importantly, a lifelong fan of the genre, I’d like to send out this heartfelt plea to the gatekeepers of the industry: Enough already. I’d like to think that I am expressing what nearly every artist, musician and songwriter (with perhaps a few exceptions) is thinking when I contend that the Bro’ Country phenomenon must cease. It has had its run for better or worse and it’s time for Nashville to get back to producing, and more importantly promoting, good singers singing real songs. It’s time for country music to find its identity again before it is lost forever. Disposable, forgettable music has been the order of the day for quite a while now and it’s time for that to stop. I know, I run the risk of being labeled as a “has-been, carrying sour grapes” by speaking out. Nothing could be further from the truth. I had my run from 1991 until 2002 and I’m quite thankful for that. I have more hits than I can possibly play in a single concert. I had my day and I do not begrudge anyone having theirs. But as someone who grew up loving and being forever affected by the true greats of country music, I simply have to offer up this plea to the Nashville country music industry to reclaim the identity and poetic greatness that once was our format. The well-written poetic word of the country song has disappeared. There appears to be not even the slightest attempt to “say” anything other than to repeat the tired, overused mantra of redneck party boy in his truck, partying in said truck, hoping to get lucky in the cab of said truck, and his greatest possible achievement in life is to continue to be physically and emotionally attached to the aforementioned truck as all things in life should and must take place in his, you guessed it...truck. I didn’t mind the first two or three hundred versions of these gems but I think we can all agree by now that everything’s been said about a redneck and his truck, that can possibly be said. It is time to move on to the next subject. Any subject, anything at all. Willie Nelson once wrote in his early song, "Shotgun Willie," that “you can’t make a record if you ain’t got nothing to say.” Apparently, that’s not the case anymore. Disposable, forgettable music has been the order of the day for quite a while now and it’s time for that to stop. Our beautiful, time-honored genre, has devolved from lines like, “I’d trade all of my tomorrows for one single yesterday ... holding Bobby’s body next to mine,” and “a canvas covered cabin, in a crowded labor camp stand out in this memory I revive. Cause my Daddy raised a family there with two hard working hands….and tried to feed my Momma’s hungry eyes,” down to “Can I get a Yee Haw?” And the aforementioned Truck! “Come on slide them jeans on up in my truck! Let’s get down and dirty in muh truck, doggone it I just get off riding in muh truck, I love ya honey, but not as much as muh truck!” Oh and we can’t leave out the beautiful prose about partying in a field or pasture. Now I’m not saying all songs should be somber ballads or about heavy, profound emotional subject matter. On the contrary, great fun, rockin’, party songs, describing the lifestyle of blue collar country folk have always been a staple of the genre. But compare for a minute the poetic, “middle American Shakespeare” infused lyrical prose of classics like Hank Williams’ “Jambalaya” or Hank Jr’s “All My Rowdy friends are coming over tonight” or Garth Brooks’ “I’ve got friends in Low Places” or his “Ain’t going down till the sun comes up” to the likes of contemporary offerings like “That’s My Kinda Night,” or any of the other 300 plus songs from recent years that say the exact same thing in pretty much the exact same way. It’s like comparing a Rolls Royce to a ten speed. Finally, I’m not pointing a finger at the artists and especially not the songwriters. They’re simply doing what they have to do to make a living. It’s the major label execs, the movers and shakers, the folks who control what is shoved down radio’s throat, that I am calling out. They have the power and ability to make a commitment to make records that keep the legacy of country music alive, and reclaim a great genre’s identity. Who knows? Some of these Bro’ Country guys could actually be awesome singers with potential to be great artists! But we‘ll never know, as long as they’re encouraged by the industry to continue being redneck flavors of the day. It’s not fair to them or to anyone. Thankfully there are a handful of artists out there currently who are trying to keep integrity in the mainstream. Miranda Lambert is one of them. There are a few others but not nearly enough to rescue the terminally ill format. It must start with the gatekeepers. The true fans of country music deserve nothing less. The artists of my era knew we weren’t as cool or great as the true greats of the past but we did try to hold to a standard that they had set, which built and sustained the Nashville industry and truly made country music an American art form. It needs to be that way once again. God Bless Hank Williams. God Bless George Jones.
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Post by cowboycoalminer on May 15, 2014 18:27:30 GMT -6
Well said Collin!
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Post by Martin John Butler on May 16, 2014 6:48:07 GMT -6
Like sending jobs overseas, that cat's out of the bag, and it ain't going back in. My hope is the current state of affairs in popular country music is in time, seen the same way the "hair bands" of the 80's are seen now, as a nostalgic chuckle at how silly it all was. The industry will ride this bubble out until it bursts. Many great country artists have shown the way to be modern and vital and true, Emmylou Harris, ( listen to Red Dirt Girl, and see if it doesn't take your breath away), Lucinda Williams, Lyle Lovett, even the Civil Wars ain't too shabby. Crossover artists like Tom Petty and Jack White have also shown how much value a country influence can bring to modern music. My friend James Willis, ( the fine artist and craftsman) is based in Nashville now, and he's told me there's a huge underground music scene there.
Also, the business has changed. The young artist signed to a major label who developed their talent has given way to quickie fads, much like the fame of a viral internet star. Will people want real again, I hope so, meanwhile, I'll keep on doing my best to create some country influenced music made with heart and soul, and let it be.
Change can happen, and it can happen quickly. Remember when Nirvana's "Smells like Teen Spirit" reset the bar overnight. Every fake and shallow rock band became irrelevant instantly. This can happen in any genre, hopefully sooner than later. I grew up hearing my father play Hank Williams, Hank Snow, Patti Page, Eddy Arnold, Roy Orbison, Pat Boone, and so many others on my his console stereo, and though I'm a New York rocker, there's always a touch of Hank in there somewhere, it's in my musical DNA, so this matters to me.
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Post by tonycamphd on May 16, 2014 7:16:37 GMT -6
It may be high time for a good ole bro country record burning(or an effigy of flash drives in the back of toy trucks 8), and "bro country sucks" T-shirts? Don't laugh, It worked in bringing the Disco era to an end, which in retrospect, sounded prodigal as compared to the dunk nursery rhyme, happy horse shit known as bro country
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Post by Johnkenn on May 16, 2014 7:18:48 GMT -6
I totally agree, Martin John Butler...the Hair band analogy is a great one. Someone is going to come along and bring a couple songs that expose the bro stuff for what it is: inane. I'm 40 and lived through the hair metal days...and honestly, I never liked any of it. Couldn't stand Poison, Cinderella, RATT, etc...(Although Poison was the worst offender). I swear to you - a lot of this Bro Country stuff is from the same people that brought us THAT shit. The same kids that loved that stuff are writing this stuff now. |
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Post by jcoutu1 on May 16, 2014 7:19:00 GMT -6
Hey Johnkenn and other Nashville guys, do people like the bro country down there? I'm not talking musicians and such, but the regular people that go to the bars and stuff? Are they into it? I live in a woodsy/farm town in Mass. and people eat this stuff up. There is a pool hall down the road from me with a jukebox, and very tune played is either older metal, dick rock, or this bro country stuff. Every summer there is a big "country fest" at Gillette stadium (where the Pats play) and it's a huge deal. Everyone is talking about it. All the chicks buy cowboy boots, hats, and short skirts and go party with their boyfriends in the parking lot drinking Bud Lights out of red Solo cups while sitting in the back of trucks. This crap is huge up here. |
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Post by Johnkenn on May 16, 2014 7:40:18 GMT -6
It may be high time for a good ole bro country record burning(or an effigy of flash drives in the back of toy trucks 8), and "bro country sucks" T-shirts? Don't laugh, It worked in bringing the Disco era to an end, which in retrospect, sounded prodigal as compared to the dunk nursery rhyme, happy horse shit known as bro country Wow - I really never thought about that - but that might be an INCREDIBLY good idea. The problem with opening my mouth around here in Nashville is that I get labeled a malcontent. It sounds like sour grapes...I've stuck to my guns writing the same stuff I always have - and it hasn't translated into radio play in a while...So - you know - self doubt creeps in. I honestly try and ask myself whether I'm just out of touch and inflexible...and it always comes back to, "I have to do what I do"...Hey - I've tried to ride the train - I write the occasional "knuckle-dragger" - but it's NOT why I wanted to do this. I know a lot of writers approach it as a job - you punch in, look at the pitch list, pick out an artist and then write what you think they want to hear and add the words truck, rain, grandpa, jeans, night, moonlight, dirt road, six pack, party, lake, river, sticks, bonfire, etc...But I can't do that. That's SOUL DRAINING. That's the direct opposite of why I started doing this. I think you have to really evaluate yourself occasionally - and believe me - I'm tougher on myself than ANYONE...If I didn't think there was SOME hope - that my stuff just wasn't good enough - I would do something else. But I'm still holding on - by a thread - but I'm holding on. I'm not typing this for sympathy - just stating the truth of what's going on in this industry for people NOT writing Bro Country... |
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Post by Johnkenn on May 16, 2014 7:47:09 GMT -6
Hey Johnkenn and other Nashville guys, do people like the bro country down there? I'm not talking musicians and such, but the regular people that go to the bars and stuff? Are they into it? I live in a woodsy/farm town in Mass. and people eat this stuff up. There is a pool hall down the road from me with a jukebox, and very tune played is either older metal, dick rock, or this bro country stuff. Every summer there is a big "country fest" at Gillette stadium (where the Pats play) and it's a huge deal. Everyone is talking about it. All the chicks buy cowboy boots, hats, and short skirts and go party with their boyfriends in the parking lot drinking Bud Lights out of red Solo cups while sitting in the back of trucks. This crap is huge up here. Everybody SAYS they hate it...but then it just keeps coming out. You know - I probably wouldn't have that much problem with it if there was room for other stuff on the radio. I'm not made of wood - that FL/GA Line song "Round Here" is hooky as shit. It's just that EVERY song on the radio is the same thing. Maybe I shouldn't be calling for the death of Bro Country, just more variety...I'm producing a kid right now (He's 25), and we started off writing songs that had some depth. Now he's writing with other people and we just went in and cut a song of his called, "Hey Mr. DJ"...I mean, WTF? That being said, the production is huge and it sounds like the radio. It'll probably be a number one. |
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Post by Johnkenn on May 16, 2014 7:51:04 GMT -6
There has ALWAYS been "Bro" Music...(Don't mean to offend anyone, because I liked some of this too) - KISS, DISCO, Warrant, Poison, - the list goes on and on. But for every KISS, there was a Jackson Browne. There just seemed to be more variety...There was a place for BOTH. Now there isn't.
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Post by jcoutu1 on May 16, 2014 8:11:26 GMT -6
Hey Johnkenn and other Nashville guys, do people like the bro country down there? I'm not talking musicians and such, but the regular people that go to the bars and stuff? Are they into it? I live in a woodsy/farm town in Mass. and people eat this stuff up. There is a pool hall down the road from me with a jukebox, and very tune played is either older metal, dick rock, or this bro country stuff. Every summer there is a big "country fest" at Gillette stadium (where the Pats play) and it's a huge deal. Everyone is talking about it. All the chicks buy cowboy boots, hats, and short skirts and go party with their boyfriends in the parking lot drinking Bud Lights out of red Solo cups while sitting in the back of trucks. This crap is huge up here. Everybody SAYS they hate it...but then it just keeps coming out. You know - I probably wouldn't have that much problem with it if there was room for other stuff on the radio. I'm not made of wood - that FL/GA Line song "Round Here" is hooky as shit. It's just that EVERY song on the radio is the same thing. Maybe I shouldn't be calling for the death of Bro Country, just more variety...I'm producing a kid right now (He's 25), and we started off writing songs that had some depth. Now he's writing with other people and we just went in and cut a song of his called, "Hey Mr. DJ"...I mean, WTF? That being said, the production is huge and it sounds like the radio. It'll probably be a number one. I would imagine that places where Country music is/was real, people would hate the bro country. But, up here, where real country was never very big, people are eating up this bro country. I expect that we're the reason that it's still going strong. This FL/GA Line song "Cruise" with Nelly was HUGE. I would hear it every morning on my shower radio on the "Mix" pop station. I think that all the "wannabe" country people are what's keeping it alive. P.S. my dog's name is Jackson Browne. What a musician. |
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Post by adogg4629 on May 16, 2014 10:32:22 GMT -6
What you have to do is kidnapp all the brosicians who are busy farting in the ears of country fans, take them into the hills and teach them how to fish, build a shelter and live off the land for a month or two. Let them have a guitar, but break their fingers if they play anything written after 1973. That'll lean'em right!  |
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Post by geoff738 on May 16, 2014 10:36:37 GMT -6
At the risk of repeating myself I post this again:
But at the end of the day if this kinda stuff stopped selling, we wouldn't keep hearing it. So it obviously sells.
Listen, I'm basically a rock guy, but I used to make a point of picking up a country (and punk) record every year. I eventually stopped because if Roseanne Cash didn't release a record (and by that time she wasn't really country anyways) I couldn't find anything I felt was worth buying.
There is good stuff out there - I like what I've heard from Sturgill Simpson for example, but being forced to listen to commercial country radio is probably a contravention of the Geneva convention at this point.
Cheers,
Geoff
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2014 7:33:34 GMT -6
You guys sound like elitist, purists who expect nothing should change.
Seems they are writing music that is resonating with folks, albeit, shallow, party animals who only think about chicks and cars (never heard that before).
Write a few bro songs JK and make the money. Country is not a religion, it is just a genre and a splintered on at that. Change was sure to come and wasn't the first time. I'm sure purists hated Garth when he came out too. I believe the trend will continue. Change always does.
I'm saying all this with humor. Maybe they got tired of all the sad music. That seems to be what defined the country music of old,,, thinking bout the old joke about what happens when you play country records backwards... Your dog comes home, the truck starts, and your wife tells you she loves you.
Grain of salt here pls. I realize I am talking sacrilege.
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Post by Martin John Butler on May 17, 2014 11:37:25 GMT -6
I'm reminded of the time before FM radio. AM stations played nothing but commercial songs under 2:30 seconds long. Eventually FM came around and was the first place "alternative" music was made available, and it sounded great in stereo. Think of today's CMT as AM radio. Some of it's fun, some cotton candy, much is silly, but on occasion, great, just like it was then. So, sooner or later, the "FM' version of country radio/TV will catch on, and bro country will be an occasional throwback, not the main thing.
Give it time. It's the financial climate that truly sucks now. Good music is out there.
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Post by Johnkenn on May 17, 2014 12:14:35 GMT -6
You guys sound like elitist, purists who expect nothing should change. Seems they are writing music that is resonating with folks, albeit, shallow, party animals who only think about chicks and cars (never heard that before). Write a few bro songs JK and make the money. Country is not a religion, it is just a genre and a splintered on at that. Change was sure to come and wasn't the first time. I'm sure purists hated Garth when he came out too. I believe the trend will continue. Change always does. I'm saying all this with humor. Maybe they got tired of all the sad music. That seems to be what defined the country music of old,,, thinking bout the old joke about what happens when you play country records backwards... Your dog comes home, the truck starts, and your wife tells you she loves you. Grain of salt here pls. I realize I am talking sacrilege. Brother, if you can't tell this is vapid songwriting, I can't help you. You are also absolutely missing the point...it's the SAME song over and over and over and over and over. It's ALL that is being played. There is no variety. If some douchebag wants to sing about bonfires and six packs for the one millionth time, then so be it...but not EVERY song on the radio. You are also confusing what I'm saying. I'm not saying there shouldn't be uptempo music. I'm not saying there shouldn't be novelty songs. I'm not pining for traditional country - I love pop and production...But the large majority of the music coming out is just inane - and it's killing our genre and industry. |
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2014 12:21:31 GMT -6
I follow you and I did confuse your point for being against the variety. I was poking at you a bit in fun, too.
I hear the same prob with CCM, as well, and have said some of the exact same stuff "there's really good music out there - why are they playing this bubblegum".
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Post by donr on Jun 9, 2014 15:22:50 GMT -6
I'm getting into the new Eric Church record. Yeah he deals in Bro Country idiom and metaphors, but he's not afraid to stretch and experiment. And the music and production is top quality.
What's the best truck reference in Bro Country? I'd have to say F/GA Line's "Cruise." The truck is in the chorus, it's about half the song, and you've gotta sing along. That song's probably responsible for most of the 'truck' lyrics written since.
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Post by jeromemason on Jun 10, 2014 8:23:57 GMT -6
The real problem isn't the fact that bro country exist.... it's the fact that it's all they will allow to come out. I don't mind some of it, like John said, "Round Here" is hooky as shit, and some of it sounds pretty damn cool. But I cannot stand listening to that over and over and over again. Back in the good ole days songs about these sorts of things would come out on records..... but it wasn't in every single song, on every single artist's record. Go back and look at the album that Country Boy Can survive is on.... there are some pretty damn good songs on that record a long with it.
All this is, truthfully, the heads of Nashville are not really the heads of Nashville anymore. It's not the same people, cut from the same cloth. Colin is disappointed in these people, rightfully so, but they are not the same people that were the Gatekeepers when he was rocking out hits. And the sad part about Colin and that interview, is that with his age, just like everyone else that's wise who tries to say something about it, they'll get labeled as an old fogey and told to go home and pull out their old vinyl and leave the record selling to the up an coming.
Also, it used to be that songs about the summer and what most country songs are about now, would come out around mid- late Feb, and gave everyone who was out fishing or whatever something to drink to and party to, nothing wrong with that, it's been going on sense back in the time Colin talks about. But the problem now is that these are the only songs that EVER get released. To me, it's embarrassing. I feel like the artist of country music think the nation is looking at them like hero's when in fact is kind of like a bunch of spectators watching a freak swallow a sword. The freak thinks the people are looking on him with a sense of respect, but it's reverse, they are looking on him as a freak, but are still paying him. Bro Country is a lot like that. A friend of mine that sings BGV's on just about every single one that comes out told me the last time I talked to him that we've got more people listening to Country than ever. I believe him, but I think it's the same thing, the people are just onlookers, gazing at the freaks, but paying them.
Really similar to the hair metal and pop degrading days of late. People did the same thing then as well, it's just Country music has always been untouchable, and safely guarded. But now with the world we live in it got penetrated, and it's going to have to run it's course like a vicious case of the measles, you can bitch about over and over again, but until it's dead, just keep bitching.
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Post by cowboycoalminer on Jun 18, 2014 15:48:50 GMT -6
Exactly. I don't mind the occasional mindless tune. Got nothing against a tail gate or a beer. Dixie cups are fine. Blond girls in tight shorts are extremely fine with me. I've even been known to build the occasional camp fire near a body of water and partake in all the above mentioned nouns.
But every single song that comes on the radio about that shit is too much. It's to the point where it's beyond aggravating, it's comically sad as if the screws at big machine records are complete morons and clueless to the fact that they are portraying themselves as clowns.
Country Music has always been a genre that had something to say. The seriousness of the material is it's backbone. When that is taken away, all that's left is what we have, nothing.
Release the occasional party song I say. But for Gods sake, get back to making real music because there are those who need it. I am one of those who does.
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Post by sceneofdarhyme on Jun 19, 2014 11:21:08 GMT -6
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Post by Johnkenn on Jun 19, 2014 12:12:18 GMT -6
Yeah, that's more Dave Cobb. He's on a roll...Lindi Ortega, Jason Isbell (which I thought was Album of the Year), Rival Sons and Sturgill Simpson. I haven't listened to a ton of SS, but it certainly sounds cool.
To me, this isn't about traditional vs. pop, etc. It's just about creativity vs. mediocrity. So - who sits in judgement of that? I don't know. I'd love to hear someone come out with a SERIOUS song right now. Doesn't have to be DIRT country like SS. Some hit you in the face, real-life, moving, life changing song. Something that means something and doesn't insult the listener by spoon-feeding them the same rhymes, etc.
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Post by swurveman on Jun 20, 2014 12:23:44 GMT -6
My personal view from living in Nashville and trying to get a publishing deal is that the current state of the industry is what you get when a few major corporations own the publishing houses and the songs are written by committee. Add in the insularity of Belmont grads and you get a very generic, insular industry producing generic insular songs.
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Post by jeromemason on Jun 20, 2014 13:39:04 GMT -6
There is no doubt that there are a handful of writers that are doing this music. But, some of them are the same guys that have been writing since the good ole days, and every once in a while they'll write something that really is a good song. For instance, "Fly Over States" PERFORMED by Jason Aldean to me is a great song, along with "Tattoos on This Town", but then you have all the other crap that the labels say must be on there, the truck,dirt road, beer couzie, short shorts, tan lines, booty in my truck, songs. You also get a good one like "Drink Another Beer" PERFORMED by Luke Bryan, then follows the rest of the crap thats on the record.
To me, I think the industry is confused, now they are trying to create a "Country Legends" I guess sub Genre, when that's actually Country! I don't get any of it, and I'm just treating it like a bad dream that we will all eventually wake up from.
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Post by Johnkenn on Jun 20, 2014 17:01:41 GMT -6
I've had a deal for 11 years now - and the game has changed dramatically. I mean dramatically. You know, it's always been "who you know" to a large extent, but as late as about four years ago, there was always the chance that the "best song wins." I always had the hope that I could write my way past the politics - and that usually meant writing a serious song that had meaning. But - with the lack of record sales and the conglomeration of labels, publishers and radio - things have changed. Radio rarely plays slow songs. Publishers don't want songs, they want vehicles to get their songs cut ie, "artists" and "artists' buddies". It is all about camps now. Sure - there are still outside cuts, but look at the publishing trail. If it's being cut, I guarantee you there is a connection there somewhere (friends, giving away pub, etc.)
Honestly, after producing two records in the last year - I'm kind of forced into doing the same thing. Why would I go out and cut outside songs after I've slaved with this guy for two years? Why would I let the rich get richer. It's a self fulfilling cycle that probably won't ever end. Unless everybody starts making money hand over fist again and the greed subsides.
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Post by Rock Kennedy on Jun 20, 2014 17:20:08 GMT -6
Sounds like Waylon. Which to me sounds better than anything I have heard on country radio in a while. Nice to hear something that didn't sound like it was sung with a fake hick accent. |
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