Austin City Limits Producer Named Lifetime Achievment Recipient

I always love reading Chet Flippo’s articles. This one was no exception.

I try to never miss Chet Flippo’s “Nashville Skyline” and Hazel Smith’s “Hot Dish” on the CMT news section. Both have musical tastes similar to my own so I pay attention to artists they praise. I actually mailed Chet a copy of a Catherine Britt demo CD to an address I found online and he sent me a personal thank you note on CMT stationery. Chet is a class act all the way…..

I am so glad to see Scott Borchetta likes The Coppola Sisters as much as I do! The first single sounds kind of hokey and is likely a mistake, but Big Machine is making so much money off Taylor Swift and Jewel (through sister label Valory) that Scotty will be able to support them for quite awhile….

As for great killer songs, I nominate Aussie Beccy Cole’s song “Rest In Pieces” from her self titled debut CD. A man who is cheating on every gal in town is found out and the wronged gals all conspire to blow him up with dynamite in his RV. At the murder trial the female judge admits to being one of the cheater’s victims as well and declares the gals innocent! (lol) Murder has never sounded so good….

Good for Terry Lickona. My first exposure to music beyond the commercial radio market came from watching the O’Kanes perform on Austin City Limits when I was a kid. More recently, I watched Sufjan Stevens while visiting the family and tried to explain to my mom why the guy playing the banjo and wearing butterfly wings was so special. Good times.

I remember an article she wrote about artists who weren’t treating their fans well. I particularly recall her mentioning Billy Currington because she said that people had reported to her that he refused to sign autographs at a festival and some other stuff. I related to it because some friends and I went to a small show of his in Michigan (when I lived there) and the concert was bad and he refused to sign autographs, though it was a small theater (not that anyone from our group wanted any). His opener, Brice Long, was much better than he was.

Then again, it’s hard for me to swallow when she sings the high praises of Rascal Flatts and Kenny Chesney, which she does often.

Sorry, but pointing out that John Rich has an ego isn’t stepping out very far.

I’ve never been much of a Hazel fan. Her gushy writing style usually annoys me. I disagree with Chet about half the time, but he always writes well.

Paula, you had a bad experience with Dierks? That is surprising to me. I am sure everyone has an off day every once in a while though. I have met him twice and he has been nothing but sweet as can be. I thought he was the most friendly star I ever met and I have met quite a few. He’s not even my favorite, but I think he treats his fans really well.

I really wish CMT would post regular articles and album reviews by Robert K. Oerman! I’m interested pretty much in anything Robert has to say about anything! (lol)

Alison Bonaguro and Whitney Self are CMT bloggers that are tuned into the Top 40 Airhead Country scene and relate directly to that demographic in their writings. Personally I find most of what they write as shallow and mediocre as the Top 20 artists and music they love, but apart from that they both seem like really nice gals. After reading their blogs at CMT I rush back to the 9513 to wash the cotton candy taste from my musical palate…..

My favorite one of all times was Tracy Byrd. Getting the chance to talk to him one night almost six years ago was just a fluke … one that I’m dang happy that happened. We just chatted like any two friends would for about a half hour. He was funny, and charming, and polite … you know … a real gentleman.

I went to a Dierks Concert last year and had the chance to go to a meet and greet with him. He seemed really down-to-earth to me. Most of the artists I’ve met basically say “Hi! What’s Your Name?” You pose for a picture, maybe get them to sign something, and you’re out the door. But he chatted with all of us for a while and seemed like he really cared about his fans.

Lanibug, bless you for being the first person here to adopt my “Airhead Country” label! I think it concisely describes so much of the pop-rock fluff country that is such a large part of the mainstream Top 40 country radio scene these days. Now if I can only get the reviewers here at The 9513 to add an “AAF – Airhead Appeal Factor” rating to all of their single and album reviews! Songs like Rascal Flatt’s “Bob That Head” and Toby Keith’s “She’s a Hottie” got thumbs down reviews here for their musical quality (or lack thereof) but notch top scores on the Airhead Appeal Factor! And lets face it a crappy song song from a big name artist with a really high AAF (I include Sugarland’s current single in this group) will usually do far better on radio than a high quality song with low AAF factor from lesser known artists (such as Jamey Johnson’s “In Color” and Ashton Shepherd’s “Sounds So Good”).

For example:
New country artists with high pop culture AAF’s:
Julianne Hough, Jessica Simpson, Kristy Lee Cook

Newer artists with musical integrity and low AAFs:
Ashton Shepherd, Jamey Johnson, Emily West, Crystal Shawanda, etc..

Which group is more likely to be embraced by Top 40 Airhead Country radio? When I use the term Airhead I’m directing it far more at the demographically driven radio station programmers than their listeners who get brainwashed by the sonic drivel they hear over and over again….

Rick,
As shallow and mediocre as I may be, I’m with you on Ashton Shepherd, as you can see from my so-called cotton candy blogs here. And if you’d pay to get into the Chicago Tribune archives, you’d see that I’ve given her some very classy ink on her album and her live shows. As I’m sure you know, any press is good press. So wouldn’t it be ironic if the very blog you hate is one of the things that helps propel artists onto country radio?

http://blog.cmt.com/2008-01-17/ashton-shepherd%e2%80%99s-music-has-a-nice-raaainggg-to-it/

http://blog.cmt.com/2008-03-05/ashton-shepherds-new-album-is-here-finally/

http://blog.cmt.com/2008-05-02/ashton-shepherd-a-tale-of-two-videos/

I love when that happens.

Daaaaamn, I figured Alison Bonaguro was far too busy writing her CMT blogs, album reviews, and concert reviews to drop in at The 9513! At least I closed my bag session by saying I figure she’s a nice gal! (lol) Sheesh, I think I may have a little egg on my face here, in fact I think it might be an ostrich egg! I shouldn’t have let the bagging on CMT bloggers in this thread inspire me like that! Alison, if you read this I’m admitting to being a first class loud mouthed idiot at certain times…..(dang, I need one of those emoticons with my face turning red)

random link
http://www.kfrog.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=2740946

its the new kristy lee cook song “15 mins of shame”
it starts out kinda catchy, but she completly loses me by the end…the “shame shame shame” part is just weird

“Man, everybody reads this damn blog.”

Yep, actually, that’s pretty much true.