Saturday Morning Comment Corral & Forum Roundup

The 9513 is already the web’s most widely read independent (i.e. non network-controlled) country music blog and e-Zine. But why stop there? On Monday, we launched a new venture aimed at further building a sense of community–forums.

In no way a replacement of blog comments, the forums are simply an extension of this publication’s functionality–one that we’re very excited about. Because now, in addition to responding to our staff writers’ and editors’ articles (comments will always be a primary way we interact with our readers), you have the opportunity to share your own stories, ask your own questions, and explore a myriad of topics that, for various reasons, might never see the “front page” of The 9513.

And to go along with the rollout of the forums, we’re also introducing a new feature–the “Forum Roundup”–which will identify and highlight some of the most interesting, relevant, insightful, and otherwise-notable forum content from the past week. We want to make sure that your well-reasoned, well-written, original content is given a chance to shine.

In just six days, we’ve already seen 288 posts in 31 topics, and those are numbers we believe are going to pale in comparison to where we stand weeks from now. So go check it out, sign up, and make sure you upload an avatar, create a signature, and answer some questions for your forum profile.

And then get to posting. You never know–you might just end up here on the front page after all.

Forum Roundup for Saturday, August 9th.

• The “Introductions” thread illuminates some interesting details about certain members of The 9513 community: Brody, for instance, wants to be a semi-pro fisherman, and JHD (known as JarheadDad to comment readers) recently purchased a “mint condition still in the wrapper Allman Brothers Fillmore East album set.
• A number of topics have sprouted up asking you to weigh in with your favorites on a string of items, including your ten favorite Garth Brooks songs, your favorite tour T-shirt, and your favorite place to catch a live gig.
• Following that same trend, Rainbow asks you to list your ten favorite female artists. Some names that appear repeatedly so far are to be expected: Trisha Yearwood, Alison Krauss, and Emmylou Harris.
• In “Music Row Development,” JR Journey responds to Reba McEntire-husband/manager Narvel Blackstock’s letter to the editor of the Tennessean with his own commentary on the question of eminent domain and the redevelopment of Nashville’s famed Music Row, asking, “…is redevelopment of private property by private investors really constitutional when eminent domain is enforced? We all appreciate Music Row for what it is–the birthplace of country music as we know it today. Is preserving our heritage now grounds to enforce eminent domain?”
• C Eric Banister wants to know what bluegrass artists/albums you’re listening to right now. Check out this topic for a ton of sizzlin’ recommendations.
• Stormy’s thread “Women in Country Today” spurred a discussion about feminism, Carrie Underwood’s weight loss, and the expectations and perception of women in contemporary entertainment. “…you have a self fulfilling prophecy,” Stormy writes, “where a singer works to be hot and then people like her because she is hot and so she sings songs that show off how hot she is, rather than [songs] that posses any real meaning[--]and the girls who watch her think that being hot is the goal, until being asked to pose naked on the internet is an accomplishment rather than an insult.”

Comment Corral:

On The Malec Minute: Sugarland Lawsuit Sheds Light on Hall’s Departure:

• “Call me cold-hearted, but I wouldn’t care if Nettles & Bush or their management did indeed ask Hall to step aside for image reasons. The music business is cold and hard� and to make it, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.” — Drew
• “While we’re in the world of speculation, I wonder if there was going to be some sort of big deal made in the near future about Kristen’s sexuality. It was largely unknown during the first album, but I wonder if there was something about to come out in some publication about her, or if nothing else (this goes along with what Jim said) the label feared the reaction of the conservative base to an openly lesbian member of the trio.” — Stephen H
• “Maybe Kristen was making passes at Jennifer Nettles since Jennifer is such a hottie and the situation just got uncomfortable![...]” — Rick

On Josh Turner - “Everything is Fine” (Single Review):

• “…how can a singer, blessed with his vocal abilities, go on releasing nice sounding shallowness like this?…” — thomas
• “Hey, this guy could sing a chinese take out menu, and it would sound better on the radio than Kid Rock.” — Frozenphan
• “I wish Turner would follow Jamey Johnson’s lead, not in tone necessarily, but in honesty. They both have authentic country voices, but only Johnson an authentic presentation. Turner is content to be seen through the Nashville view of what is acceptable, and that’s boring�” — Trailer

On Album Review: Jamey Johnson - That Lonesome Song:

• “These are the kind of CDs I live for, but are so rare today. Lots of steel, great voice, great writing, traditional–thanks for turning me on to this. Not a bad song on the CD.” — Scooter
• “…Jamey’s take on “The Door Is Always Open” was a real revelation. …” — Paul W. Dennis
• “Somehow I felt like the whole was less than the sum of the parts. I enjoyed almost every song as I was listening to it, but in the end I felt like I had just waded through quicksand. This is one depressing piece of work. I have a feeling that with repeated listening, this will be among my best of 08, but I wanted some more musical variety. …” — Mike Parker

On Darryl Worley - “Tequila on Ice” (Single Review):

• “I need tequila to forget about him posing in playgirl…no, I haven’t forgotten�” — Kelly
• “If a Top 10 isn’t a hit, this town really is boned.” Chris N

Other stories, just in case you missed something this week:

• Carrie Hassler and Hard Rain Giveaway — Don’t forget to register for your chance to win an awesome prize package from this up-and-coming bluegrass act.
• After you register, go and read our review of Hassler’s new album.
• Q&A With Melissa Lawson, Nashville Star Winner — Our exclusive interview with Monday’s champion.
• Forgotten Artists: David Rogers — The latest installment in Paul W. Dennis’ continuing series on country stars who have faded from the spotlight.
• Live Blog: Nashville Star, Season Six Finale — Nashville Star may be over, but you can always go back to our series of live blogs and re-live all the wit and snark that made this season worthwhile.