The Malec Minute: “Country Music” Isn’t For Me

Exceptional post Jim!

I have to say I agree with Matt C.’s take on this, which might sound odd coming from me since I’ve rarely agreed with him. That being said, this piece was an interesting, well-written read.

There are almost 7 billion people in the world. This happens to be one man’s opinion. Let’s treat it that way. His opinion is no more important than mine, but I respect his right to “It”.

Interesting piece, but as an observer of the scene for over 40 years, I can assure you that the country audience has never been terribly intellectual.

There have always been a number of urban and suburban types, such as myself, who look for a little bit more out of the music than the “endless ballads of booze and broads”, who appreciated cerebral writers such as To T Hall, but who also will admit to enjoying the “endless ballads of booze and broads” that was the staple of country music for so many years.

I agree that we are no longer a part of the mainstream country audience. So what? Every genre moves – Glenn Miller no longer represents the pop mainstream , either (and today’s songs are no dumber that “Three Little Fishies (Itty Pitty Poo)”. They may be more vulgar, but they aren’t any dumber.

Preach on! Great piece.

Well written, thought-provoking post. I agree with and second your conclusion. “Country music” as defined by my radio station isn’t for me. I can find at least as many songs I like in pop top 40 as country top 40. Maybe it’s that mainstream music in general isn’t for me.

Jim Malec: “As Yearwood’s weight (and age) increased, her chart success declined. True story.”

Yes, but she did have two Top 25 singles in the last couple years

Great article Jim. If I ever made it to Fan Fair I would ignore the big nightly stadium concerts and head for the clubs and other small stages set up around the city (like the Kasey/Shane & JTE show). Out here in LaLa land the Stagecoach Festival main (mane) stage caters to the Top 20 acts while the Bluegrass/Cowboy and Americana tents feature the real artists truly worth hearing and its a total disconnect between the two audience groups.

I sound like a skipping CD but I still hold fast to the idea that Top 40 mainstream country radio programmers set the agenda and are at least 80% responsible for the current state of country music. They targeted a certain demographic audience back in the mid-90’s and have been featuring music that caters to those listeners ever since. Once radio targeted an “AirHead” (music wise) audience the music soon followed that path and keeps sinking deeper in the mire. Former listeners who liked variety and more traditional styles abandoned ship and aren’t looking back (myself included). My interest in the current Top 40 country scene has become mostly academic as I do not care to listen to most of the music found in that format any longer. Its nice when a real talent like Jamey Johnson gets a little recognition there, but he’s a tiny life preserver on a sinking ship…..

PS – Its real nice the 9513 spends a lot of time focusing on real talents outside of the mainstream otherwise this blog would be as boring as the Top 40 country music itself!

I dont know which came first, were it the chicken, or the egg, but I think both “Nashville” and the audience are to blame, equally. My question would be, how did “Nashville” know that their audience wanted the same boring, bland thing? What made someone decide to make a product that is so generic that I have to pray the DJ will say who sang the song, because Ill never figure it out on my own? Surely they didnt say “Hey, you know, I’ve been noticing, the people I interact with on a regular basis are kinda dumb, lets throw this at ‘em, they’ll bite.” Or did they? I honestly don’t know. Maybe they did, and we just accepted it. I’m not sure either way.

I am sure, however, that society as a whole has dumbed itself down. Like Jim said, my grandfathers shadow may have never darkened the door of a college, but I think that led to his generations advanced intellect. He wasn’t reading the exact same thing as his neighbors and fellow welders, he actually had a choice in what he read, and the point is, he read. They weren’t force fed anything, be it literature or music, and that made them hunger for variety and for specifics that met their desires.

I disagree with blaming the audience. We also live in an era when music across the board has been posting losses for the past decade. What I encounter over and over are people who hate what country music has become and are starved for music like Kasey Chambers. (On MSN’s American Idol board I do an informal snarky live blog. People were actually happier to read my Neko Case concert review than to read about AI.) What I find in mainstream fans are people who have settled into the idea that they will never again have an album they purely love–each album will have two or three songs they love, two or three songs they hate and five to seven songs they like. And you can’t even really make an arguement that narrowing the target fan base made country music money, because country music was posting losses. And that was doing boom years.

You can see the reflection of this in the movie industry where you have all these “snobbish” low budget indie films that always win the Ocars but “nobody wants to see them.” Well, a few years back some theatres took a change with one of these “snobby” movies–Little Miss Sunshine. And what happened? Those people who “never want to see” a movie like that turned out to watch it. Juno and Slumdog Millionare are two more box office winners that “no one wanted to see.” Heck, even In Bruges, Martin McDonagh’s weird hitman dramedy satire did better on a theatre to theatre basis than Collin Farrell’s “blockbuster” Pride and Glory.

The point is, maybe the audience DOESN’T really want only the pap that is spoon fed to them. Maybe they just can’t find the access to anything else.

I agree. What is up with popular country music. I am a country music fan – make no mistake about. I grew up on a ranch, in the country. I listened to Reba, Chris Ledoux, Dwight Yoakum – real country music. Even though it was popular, it was real country music. I felt real and raw, and that is what I loved about it. Today, I have real trouble relating to pop country. I find myself escaping to more local musicians now. I live in Texas, so I listen to Floramay Holliday, Ryan Bingham, Doug Moreland – songwriters that most people didn’t even know existed, but I like it. I feel like it is real, non-polished music.

This is not the audiences fault – this is due to the industry trying to reach out to a broader audience, and it doesn’t work.

Jim – While I sympathize with your point, and it indeed was my main motivation for launching Twang Nation in the first place, placing the blame at the appropriate fiend’s feet is a tough nut. Working class empathy and what it means to be working class has virtually disappeared for most people’s daily life. So it’s not surprising that the great music – the real music – that spawned from it would be commandeered by te P,T, Barnum and Col. Parkers of our time and sold back to us like jeans and soda.

Thank god for the burgeoning Americana and roots scene that allows artists that are doing it from the heart, including Kasey Chambers, Shane Nicolson and Justin Townes Earle that you mention. Many of which a generation ago would be considered “country” – but not today.

But the Internet to a point is an equalizer, the artists don’t have to rely on radio and the big labels to get noticed. For many of the younger generation radio and big label support is a black mark against a musician.

Let the masses chase the crap, more people will always go to the drive through then the great steak joint in the hard to get part of town.

First off, I don’t post here often, but I thought this story was intriguing so I thought I’d chime in with my own opinions just based on observations.
I wouldn’t blame the audience…I’d blame the industry for the audience they market their product to…the same audience that watches American Idol.
First off, it didn’t happen overnight. But I would say over the last 8 to 10 years it has gotten progressively worse…and I do pin much of the blame on shows like American Idol.
It used to be that artists defined their own music and a whole generation…now the corporations do it for them, much like American Idol. Just a coincidence? You be the judge. Hence, all creativity is lost, and someone else determines what “we” like and don’t like. And much like American Idol the industry seems content to just give artists roles to play rather than let artists create their own roles. To me the whole industry is just a system of people following a bad business model. They tried to take the easy route by marketing their product to a select demographic (the AI audience), and have left out much of mainstream America in the process. It was the easy route to choose, since that audience lets their hormones speak for them over their brains, and will follow popular opinion just to fit in.
And don’t forget about technology. The industry as a whole did not do a good job of keeping up with new ideas that the Internet and the IPod brought with them. Instead they continued to go about doing business as usual.
So yeah, the music industry as a whole was worth $14 billion in 2001 (the year American Idol came on the air), and is now worth $10 billion (almost a 30 % drop). Just a coincidence? You be the judge.
But looking at the whole picture, it is hard to pin the blame on the audience. Only that the music industry as a whole (and Country Music especially it seems) has targeted the “wrong” audience, and left out much of it. I haven’t bought much “new” music in the last 10 years, I’ll tell you that. I think most guys have turned to video games for their source of entertainment these days anyway (not me, but guys now spend more money per month on gaming devices and games than music). And the quality of music that is being broadcast over the airwaves and being shoved down the masses throats has suffered because the industry as a whole is not looking at the big picture, and not marketing its product to both genders equally. And it’s not just Country Music.
I look at the music industry like politics. The artist (and the audience) is in the middle. On the right you have corporate control and on the left you have governmental control (ie. China, censorship). Sway the pendulum too far either direction and it’s a bad thing for the artist (and in turn the quality of music, and the audience). And right now the pendulem is leaning way too far to the right (corporations), so the artist has little control…and thus creativity and quality is lost because of it. Just my 2 cents.

I think people consume crap because it’s easy, whether it be music, tv or microwave dinners. Working people are called working people because they’re busy freakin’ working. They’re holding down jobs, raising kids and grandkids and may not have the time and energy to do research on the things they consume. I think they get their music on fm because it’s free and easy. I think they might appreciate artists with more depth as much as anyone else, but it has to be convenient.
I don’t think people as a whole have bad taste. People watch Jerry Springer because it’s entertaining, the same way they eat McDonald’s because it tastes good. Are either one going to make you a better person? No, but corporations aren’t in the business of making us better people. They’re in the business of appealing to our most basic instincts. Sex, violence and double bacon cheeseburgers. They know we’re all hustling and are all about one or two extra workdays away from exhaustion. That makes us easy targets for complacency. I think they’re counting on it.
I blame the huge record labels and conglomerate broadcasting companies for totally f’ing up music.

Phil you can blame shows like American Idol (which haven’t given anybody anything outside that ONE show), but Carrie Underwood did not go the way labels told her to go. She demanded (demanded) that she be a country artist because it was true to her self identity as an artist.

I’ve converted mainstream country music fans into Robert Earl Keen fans and Nickel Creek fans by playing their music for them or getting them to go to a concert. More people would give the “alt-country” artists a try if they knew who they were. But radio is very exclusionary and is aiming for the proven mass market rather than taking a chance on the unproven niche markets. Not to mention, major labels probably pay better than indie labels, so Sugar Hill is going to be hard-pressed to get Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson the same kind of airplay that a Taylor Swift or a Kenny Chesney gets.

If country radio won’t help country fans discover new music, who will? The Internet? Sure, it’s all out there, but the problem is that it’s ALL out there. Unless you come across a good blog like this or the Gobbler’s Knob or Twangville, you’re out there looking for new, good music with no direction on how to do it. That’s a daunting task for anyone.

I think radio is the problem. When a song makes it onto the playlist at my local country radio station it has already been decreed to be a hit. You don’t have to call in to request it if you like it, because you’re going to hear it 20 times in the next week regardless. There’s no variety and nothing new, because each “hit” is carefully crafted to sound like the last “hit.”

What sucks is that people who might like new and interesting country music have to work so hard to find it, and most of them (myself included) rarely make the effort to do so.

“I really think marketing fuels demand to a large extent. If people hear a song on the radio often enough, they’ll become conditioned to “like” it.”

There is truth in that, however, people arent mindless lemmings. Fans are making the deliberate decision to not only turn on that station (when they know it will be playing the format they desire), but they choose to download the song from Itunes and head to Wal-Mart to buy the disc enough time to make almost every single and/or release from Swift, Sugarland, Paisley, Urban, Underwood, Chesney, Rascall Flatts and Tim McGraw bonafide hits from a sales perspecitive as well as air-play. Fans making the choice as to what they will purchase and what tehy will listen to is driving the ascension for those artists and albums, regardless of the marketing methods employed by the corporation or industry at-large.

I was actually semi-heartened by what I experienced at CMA Music Festival and was inspired to embrace country music in all its fabulosity.

It has always been and will always be easier to sell product to the masses, especially those who are not discerning customers. Country music has been renowned for its down-to-earth plainspoken language, and not for its smarter-than-thou intellect (which Matt C also hinted at his in comment). The majority of individuals are not intellectual in the way that you and most of the bloggers in our/your community are. This will never change. Yes, the audience has undergone a facelift, but, 100 years ago, everyone embraced the familiar. We were a very structured society, which had its costs and benefits. To find that country in the 2000s is one of the last bastions of comforting, reaffirming messaging in popular music is not a big surprise. That’s just the mental makeup of the individuals who enjoy the genre. I’m confident that, with more and more followers accessing country music through different channels (social networking, satellite radio, etc.), that diversity of sound and concept will again be rewarded to some degree. My folks, fans of Little Big Town, Miranda, Sugarland and a handful of other mainstream acts, are in their late 40s and just installed high-speed internet. I can’t wait to see them explore the world of technology and uncover not only new music, but the cast-aside new music of their “old” faves like Tillis, Loveless, Randy Travis and Connie Smith. While we’re knee-deep in a sped-up society, people can still, if the motivation is there, devote time to the cause of country music, even if it’s easier to the settle for the Banquet TV dinners served by Lost Trailers and Kellie Pickler.

I imagine this piece has been percolating for a while, and it honestly seems only barely influenced by the events of the last week, but is primarily a tool to rail against an industry that wields its power in some unattractive ways. I just can’t find any constructive criticism here.

In this column, the country music audience is painted with one big, black brush, which really undermines the cross-section of fans that attended the event in one form or another. I had wonderful discussions with folks from Australia, Canada and Mexico who love a variety of musical styles (often found on the side stages) because they are unaccustomed to American mainstream radio and, during the nightly concerts, I was surrounded by a 29-year-old gay male (my date) who loves Taylor Swift for voicing her personal truth (and not, thankfully, because of an affinity for teenage boys), a trio of teenage girls who yelled every word of “Gunpowder and Lead,” a mid-50s married, white couple listening intently to Lee Ann Womack, the snarky music snob who snarked and snobbed the whole night, just to name a few. Not to mention the fans I surveyed at the Chevy tent (a step above porta-potty duty, but only just) who I had constructive conversations with—those wearing Tanya Tucker, Patty Loveless and Willie Nelson t-shirts–which gave me the opportunity to then express my appreciation for Emily West, Ashton Shepherd, and Hayes Carll, plus stars like Miranda, Jamey, Lee Ann, Sugarland and many others.

Every single spoken and written word is a chance to spread the gospel. The emphasis on sex and insubstantive product/materials is not relegated to just country music (this is an at-times disappointing reflection on society as a whole), but history will bear out what will truly last as great art. It’s disappointing that the genre has shifted away from its roots (to what degree I’ll leave to the rest of you discuss—What is country?) and I’m sure I’ll always lament the lack of traditional sounds, the dying of the rural focus in country music (and society), etc., but there’s great power in having the platform to inform. Country music critics, journalists, analysts, educated lover and the like will really set the tone. Sure, Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts and Kenny Chesney have sold a buttload of records, but will they be remembered, respected or adored like Eddy Arnold, Dolly Parton or even their contemporaries like the Chicks, Loveless, Yearwood, Randy Travis, etc.? No. The true messengers of the format (yourself included) have tremendous influence in parsing out art and determining its impact on the genre’s history. The average mainstream fan does not.

Here, you’ve established yourself as more of an oustpoken outsider than an intelligent, insistent ambassador. When you experienced these misinformed opinions about the worth of contemporary country last week, were you driven to educate someone about artists that you love, both as a critic and a fan? Driven to express your devotion to this beautiful art and show off your considerable knowledge of the subject? Driven to share the gift of good music to the fan who otherwise wouldn’t have found it? Or were you shoved in a corner pooh-poohing the demise of Nashville? I can’t answer these questions and this piece doesn’t seem to answer them either. At the very least, you’ve stimulated what could be an interesting discussion. To many readers, you’ll be preaching to the choir.

Signed,

A Country Music Fan/A “Country Music” Fan

P.S. Two other things (to all): A) The reason that Johnson, Womack, Turner etc. did not receive the screaming, lung-splitting tributes of others is because their music is generally not built to inspire screaming and lung-splitting. I thought all three were excellent, appreciated by the crowd, and I truly enjoyed their performances. B) Trisha Yearwood’s weight has, more often than not, been in a state flux during her career, so that seems like a poor excuse for her “mainstream” decline. She stopped having hits because radio programmers and the industry (just like in all forms of media) believes that women over 40 have little to say.

“Fans are making the deliberate decision to not only turn on that station (when they know it will be playing the format they desire), but they choose to download the song from Itunes and head to Wal-Mart to buy the disc enough time to make almost every single and/or release from Swift, Sugarland, Paisley, Urban, Underwood, Chesney, Rascall Flatts and Tim McGraw bonafide hits from a sales perspecitive as well as air-play.”

They’re doing that because they love country music, and no one’s ever shown them that there’s more to country music. They’re not unintelligent, they’re just not informed, and the country music machine that should be keeping them informed on new and exciting artists would rather bank on the sure things and give them more of the same instead of something different.

I can sadly understand Americana radio stations shutting down because of a lack of audience. Realistically, I can only think of a half-dozen or so Americana artists who have real name recognition outside of our niche. But I wonder what would happen if those country-pop stations tried to play a Hayes Carll song, and give it every bit of promotion they would give a Jason Aldean or a George Strait song. Maybe it would blow up in their face, and fans wouldn’t take to him. But Jamey Johnson’s “That Lonesome Song” is more of an Americana album than it is country, and he’s got a gold record and a #1 song to his name. If it worked once, I don’t see why it couldn’t work again.

This is more in the vein of an opinion piece than an actual journalistic summary, so I think it’s fair to expect more of the writer’s personal input than actual professional analysis.

Except for a token reference to fans having faves such as Luke Bryan and Josh Gracin, there is really no description of audience desires and their own individual stories, so yes, it’s disappointing that everyone is thrown into the same tub. I love statistics and trends and whatnot, but if you’re going to characterize the audience, I just think it would be appropriate to have a little more observation, maybe in the form of anecdotes/stories/comments that would humanize the attendees last week.

Thank you for re-using the word “fabulosity.” I think it’s a really fun word to say, both out loud and in my head. As I noted in my comments, my fest experience was not limited to LP Field. I served in a purely promotional slot for one of the sponsors and had no journalistic agenda during the course of events. I visited most of the tents, caught activities/concerts at all the stages and generally soaked up the experience, at least the events that I was able/was permitted to attend.

I understand the frustration with the mainstream but it’s such a tired argument to make without some sort of original point of view. The middle section about your father and the “lack of culture” in today’s society is interesting and definitely worth telling. By sharing a personal story about your father (which is a very vital, interesting anecdote and definitely worth sharing, IMO), but not sharing even one personal story about a fest-goer that you met or talked to, you’ve effectively shut out the voices of many who are generally marginalized anyway.

The prime focus of the article is on audience, but there is quite a bit of frustration at the industry that seeps through. Justified? Plenty of times, yes.

Adele is a rare, rare example. Have you seen/heard the recent hubbub about Kelly Clarkson’s weight? Appearance is still mighty important in all walks of media, even though there are exceptions. But I will agree that country music has limited itself in terms of seeking out purely hottie-fied singers. This is a trend that has also gone on for years. Again, your opinions on society, sex and the overall lack of discernment by most folks is completely accurate.

I am not a publicist, nor do I pretend to be one or fancy myself as one, which makes your “differences” statement idiotic at best. To make myself more clear, I handed out T-shirts and administered surveys for an outside corporate sponsor of the CMA and was paid to do so. This was in no relation to the actual musical programming. I was in no way expected to address (or endorse) country music or express my opinions about it. I was not hired to pimp Rascal Flatts’ new disc. I simply carried on these conversations because I was interested in some of the very nice people who visited my booth, and I enjoyed talking about my likes/dislikes about the music and learning more about other people’s opinions as well.

I never claimed that you had an “agenda,” a loaded word that may be. I can’t claim to know if you attended the festival as a fan or a critic, or a combination of both. A critic’s lot in life, IMO, is to do what you said in that 2nd-to-last paragraph (love-hate, etc.), but also to inform the audience and turn them on to music that you see as having artistic worth. I don’t feel a majority of critics (movies, music, etc.) go into their field because they want to yell and scream. They want to spread the word about something they see as really special while also alerting folks about the things that are not-so-special, essentially serving as a tour guide for your chosen media. Privatizing yourself in this experience and then complaining about it has done nothing but re-justify your belief that you know the difference between good art and bad art, without you ever citing the good art. How is that helping anybody?

Does country music (and CMA Music Fest in particular) target an audience? Absolutely. Every form of media and every major event has a targeted niche. But that doesn’t mean that that targeted niche isn’t treated personally, with a hint of humanity, on some level.

I never claimed that you should promote the event or country music as a whole, but I stand by my contention that I think it’s more noble to change the world than complain about it without constructive criticism. That may sound “larger” than I intend in terms of country music, but you get the gist. Imagine if you had highlighted the strong moments of the Fest, in person last week and in this article, along with the poorer performances/events/etc. Maybe a handful of people would’ve picked up an extra high-quality country album or two, or at least looked into the music that you hold in high esteem. People do, surprisingly, respect a critical opinion sometimes. But again, you’re right in that it was your decision how to center your summary of the festival. And you chose to focus squarely on the negative. That is par for your course.

Also, though I’m pretty sure your comments are centered around the women, there are notable men currently played on the radio that do not fit the traditional “beauty” mold.

As for the others, Blake, here’s the difference between you and me. I do not fancy myself as, or pretend to be, a publicist (although, if anyone out there is hiring…).

Word your feelings better next time.

You can have the last word—I’m out! Entertaining read! :)

If I was to back up Blake’s assessment about men not fitting the ‘pretty boy’ mold, Zac Brown of the Zac Brown Band and Gary LeVox would be front and center of that argument.

Also, while I agreed with Matt C. above, I have to add this to this whole discussion:

Everyone ‘involved’ in the world of music–from the producers, to labels, to songwriters to listeners–is ‘responsible’ for what people perceive as bad or ridiculous music or genre shifts.

Why is everyone talking about how fat people don’t get played in country music? Aside from maybe Trisha Yearwood, who in country even IS fat?

That’s precisely the point, Nicolas. If an artist doesn’t look good, their career never gets off the ground and most people never get to hear of them. Whatever happened to Melissa Lawson of “Nashville Star?”

If you’re looking for names to be named, though, Wynonna comes to mind as someone who could afford to shed a few pounds.

Initially, I thought your criticism of country fans was a little overboard, but then I watched the CMT Awards tonight and saw all of your criticisms confirmed. That was embarassing.

Andrew Lacy- my gosh that was a total waste of my life watching that show. But did you notice how many stars were NOT there? Reba, Kenny, Brooks and Dunn, Carrie, Lee Ann Womack, LeAnn Rimes, Miranda, etc.. Everyone who won was there tonight. Many of these people were nominated but just didn’t care? Or knew something ahead of time? But regardless, the CMT Award show has reached a all time low. Their MTV is showing..

@Whoever said this who’s name is not visible for some reason: “Whatever happened to Melissa Lawson of “Nashville Star?””

That’s not a very reasonable argument: Whatever happened to anyone (aside from Miranda Lambert – who didn’t even win) who won on that show?

And yes, Wynonna I suppose makes 2 “somewhat overweight” country ladies

Prior, WTF? By what definition is Natalie Maines fat?

True point Razor, but at her mainstream success’ peak, she wasn’t that big. At least, she didnt start out that big. If we look at the video for “Mama He’s Crazy”, Id classify that as skinny.

Yes, that is what I meant. I wasn’t trying to argue that succeeded in spite of her weight problem. However, I don’t blame her decline on her weight, either. I think that happened because she stopped making interesting music a long time ago.

^ Not really, seeing as the winner before her (Angel Hacker) never even got a single out and one winner’s (the much thinner Erika Jo) single got 10 positions lower than hers did… and Lawson’s single got to #79 because of digital downloads – thats pretty good for a not-too-successful country radio run

Nashville Star just stinks on ice when it comes to launching a successful country career … unless your name is Miranda Lambert and you got 3rd place

WHAT?! type on google. “natalie maines gets the runs”
now YOU get some glasses, nicolas!

Why would I type “natalie maines gets the runs” on Google? That has nothing to do with being fat, and its most likely a joke of some variety

@Razor: No its not, the conversation was why they haven’t been successful and you’re making it seem as though hers is to blame on her weight, which isn’t the case because the two previous females have done worse… proving that Nashville Star can’t launch a successful career, no matter what you weigh – because skinny blondes couldn’t make it either

ehm.. its not “a joke of some variety” its a picture of her running.
lets get one thing clear.
natalie has an amazing voice, but she’s got a few pounds.

What link are you looking at?? She’s wearing a tank top and very short shorts — nothing to hide behind.

natalie ’s an exception.

At 6′1″, 260 lbs I would be the last person to label anyone as fat, and I don’t really think anything is gained by labelling anyone in this manner.Yes,image is everything with today’s marketing but let’s move on

I attended CMA Fest, and I saw shows Monday through Sunday. I don’t know if it’s just my wife and I, but we were irritated that Joey & Rory performed “Cheater, Cheater” in the Family Zone area at the CMA Fest. Maybe we’re old-fashioned, but I don’t need my 4 year old singing that song.

On a positive note, I found several performances that I liked for entertainment value as well as the music. I thought the Zac Brown Band, Jamey Johnson, and Sugarland were excellent on the main stage. I also enjoyed Julie Roberts and Bomshel on the Chevy Stage and the Amber Leigh Band and Her & Kings County on the Hard Rock Stage.

Some of the performances I found incredibly painful were the LoCash Cowboys, Taylor Swift, and Jack Ingram. Most of the other acts were so-so.

I’m not sure that Jamey Johnson plays the type of music that can get an entire stadium pumped up, but I definitely think everyone was into the music. With his look now, he demands attention. He had an aura onstage that no one else did.

Booking Kid Rock for the CMA Festival was a joke! One crossover hit doesn’t make him a closing performer during CMA Fest!

Oh I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiments shown in this piece. Good read, though an argument could be made that the seems to be a lack of the progression of knowledge (or the want thereof) in ALL walks of entertainment. For example, There Will Be Blood or The Assassination of Jesse James were great movies, both thoughtful and intelligent…and made less than that years crap Movie spoof we’ve seen dozens of times (Epic Movie and whatnot). I personally believe its due to an adverse effect of The Information Age…when using ones noggin is literally effortless and a fingertip away, so many people seem loathe in digging deeper BECAUSE its so easy to do so now.

Wow…should I be at all suprised by the article that you you wrote on this blogging site?! NO! You continue to write articles that apply only to your taste, you are a bitter old man and you countinue to write your blogs in that manner.

You hardly ever write positive blogs, and if you do those are usually on the “older crowd” that Nashville once was! It is not that way any more.

I think that you should read the book “Who Moved My Cheese!” You don’t handle change well and that is obvious in your blogging.

The face of country has changed, the train is running and it is getting longer and longer, soon some “cars” may drop off or be cut, but the music and tastes of it are here to stay, you are living in the past, get over it! There are going to be 50 to 75 new artists in the next year and out of those I doubt you will like more then maybe one!

Quit writing poor reviews, and negative comments, that is all you do! The days of old are gone, with that the music has changed and the artists have changed, adapt to it or retire and go listen to your classic country in your home and enjoy but please stop your negative rude comments about the artists, music, and writers of the New Nashville!

MOVE ON Jim! Someone has moved your cheese, or this case YOUR “country!” Get on or stay off and keep your thoughts to yourself!

Wow. I am amazed at the amount of TRULY negative comments Jim provides those of us, unlucky enough to encounter his articles in a random “google” search. I was at CMA Fest this year to see (yes, One of my favorite bands) Trailer Choir, who I recently googled because I wanted to see what was new with them since their new video was out. And this is how I found your demeaning and often condescending articles about this particular band. (And I’ll spare you the “they are very nice when I met them, and seem to really appreciate their fans”…..yada yada – cause I can tell from Jim and his loyal allegiance, that kind of fan talk holds no value with you whatsoever)

So, to be fair, I decided to see your articles on several other newer, (meaning even Tim Mcgraw) contemporary artists… And here is my personal opion. (as you feel the need to share your’s, I feel I am entitled to mine- though I do see on this thread here that stating an opinion other than favorable to Jim might get me the threat to have my comments removed…hmmm)
Jim…I see a trend in your comments. You seem to have a particular “type” of country music that you are a fan of… Some might call it a more TRADITIONAL style. But this is why we have what they call “genres”… one commonly referred to now as “contemporary country”. New, fresh, entertaining music that even without the “bells and whistles” of sex, glamour, and “gimicks” of a live show or a video, the music itself is fun, and entertaining for people who like to have a good time, smile, and friggin live a little. Something I feel YOU know very little about.
Hey, it’s a free country – write whatever you want online… but don’t pretend to be a “New Country” fan, much less a “Country Expert”… when you dislike or possibly even hate everything about what New Country is… Why not focus on writing about the music YOU PERSONALLY LIKE… then, quite possibly the majority of your articles will stop reading like a, whiney, “I talk to hear myself speak”, bitter, “oh, the way it was”, sad man.
Why not focus on educating the “poor, uneducated masses” out here in “country world” solely on music you feel is worthy of the traditional glory as you see fit. Hey,there are a few artists that I follow that fall a bit more under your favor… but quite honestly I would NEVER pay to see them perform live anywhere outside of the Bluebird Cafe, and typically after 3 or 4 songs (even if it’s great writing)I need a couple of drinks or it will usually bore the crap out of me. Would I buy their record to listen to on a rainy day? Probably… But would I every pay to see them live in concert>.. VERY doubtful. So in a world of declining CD sales… who can blame artists for seeing the benefit of focusing on music that encourages something fun and entertaining that might brighten someones day… or, maybe, just maybe… spend some money on a concert ticket to actually go see a show! That’s where I’ll be… with the rest of “CMA FESTERS” – tailgating before the show, maybe having a drink and a good time- with the rest of us apparently “toothless, mindless, outhouse usin’ only lovin’ what we are told to love, country folk.
Who knows, maybe you could come hang out with us and write another truly negative revue on why you can’t relate to these new country fans?? Oh… that’s right… because your not one.

My advice. Lighten up Jim. Have a drink. Put in something fun to sing along to… get laid. You’d be amazed what it’ll do for you’re attitude.

Oh… and P.S… I love that you rip Trailer Choir in one article for having a funny, entertaining FAT GUY wearing bib overalls (probably because their the most comfortable thing for a 400 lb fat boy to wear) and then go on to whine about why there aren’t any successful FAT people in country music. It just goes to show how truly removed you are from what this group is and what New Country and what a new country fan is all about… Oh… and “Rockin’ The Beer Gut” is one of my favorite songs… not for any other reason than because I am that girl! And it’s a fun song…And I find it very interesting that YOU think it’s “borderline offensive” and I don’t… Oh…again… that’s right. Because I in fact, have a sense of humor.

Thanks Jim – I feel like people do when they’ve been to countless doctors – knowing that something is nagging at them – but never being correctly diagnosed.

Had my own little “hallelujah” moment reading your words – at last! – somebody gets it!

As a big Kasey Chambers fan ( and therefore by default, Julie Miller, Patty Griffin etc ) I am no longer a “mainstream fan” either it occurs to me. Everything changed while I wasn’t looking, I think.

“Mainstream” country / radio-ready blandness is to artistic integrity what MacDonald’s is to fine dining. I feel like an audio-snob just because I remember what it USED to be like…..or am I just getting old :(

Just to clarify 1 point that I made, that seems to have been misinterpreted… My comment about “The poor, uneducated masses” was a sarcastic comment referring to Jim’s constant reminders that he feels that apparantley anyone who enjoys these acts are fools who can’t think for themselves, and just listen to whatever record labels shove down their throat…

My point being, that Jim feels that anyone who enjoys current country must be blind and deaf, and too brainless to make their own decisions to like julianne hough, Trailer Choir,or Luke Bryan.

And to end it, my sarcasm was directed at the fact that I would happily hang out with that “toothless, mindless, fun loving” crowd, than listen to Jim whine about how much he just can’t enjoy himself with the rest of us at these shows…

And also, Yes, Little Boot, God and Country fans love a steel guitar… I LOVE a steel guitar and I miss hearing it more often… but,
I also really miss the days when AUTO-TUNE didn’t ruin the “REAL” sound of an artist, and once upon a time you really had to be able to sing to get a record deal, but guess what folks, times have changed, the business has changed… so get with the movement, and find something about it to enjoy… or just stop friggin listening to it. No one is forcing you to “be a fan” or to continue WHINING about how you hate it now either!