Wagonmaster Is “The Past Of Hank Williams And Early Nudie Suits”

Brody Vercher | June 15th, 2007 Email Share

  • In October of 2005 Jason Boland checked himself into rehab after trying to kick his alcohol habit for a few years. He said it was a scary prospect coming back to music sober, he didn’t know whether was going to like it or not.

    “Our strengths are always our weaknesses. Music was one of the things that was a catalyst for what was killing me, and it was a catalyst to bring me back, too. I found out it was something I still really do care about,” Boland says.

    “When I’m playing now, people are like, ‘You smile a lot more.’ Really, it was just because I was so happy that I knew that I loved to play. I was relieved.”

  • Chet Flippo took a look at the Nielsen SoundScan chart and saw country music’s future and past taking their places on opposite ends of the spectrum. Big & Rich occupy the No. 1 spot while the tribute to June Carter fills in at No. 75. Flippo calls John Rich a walking archive of country music as he remembers an interview where he threw out a relatively obscure Roger Miller song title and Rich began to play it on his guitar. He also writes about the new Porter Wagoner album, describing it as:

    This is the past of Hank Williams and early Nudie suits and 25-cents-a-gallon gasoline and 1953 Cadillacs as touring cars and the raucous barroom sounds of Faron Young and Lefty Frizzell and gospel camp meetings and of .38 specials as essential touring tools and of rawboned country gigs in the “skull orchards” — as the early knock-down-and-drag-out honky-tonks were called.

    If that doesn’t make you want to go out and buy the album, you don’t have a pulse…or else you just don’t like country music.

  • Speaking of Porter Wagoner, he’s slated to perform on the Late Show with David Letterman Wednesday, July 25.
  • Two Tons of Steel posted a video of a live performance of “Two Tons of Steel” they did for KSYM Radio. Good stuff.
  • Set to release his second record for Lost Highway in September, Free Times takes a look at Lyle Lovett’s awry career path and wonders what comes next.
  • Interesting sidenote: On this day in 1937 Waylon Jennings was born.
  • UPDATE: We just ran the random comment generator to choose the winner for the Summer Time T-Shirt Giveaway and Dgold was chosen for his comment about Adam Hood. Congratulate Dgold and then go check out his blog and podcasts. For everyone else, it only takes one comment to be entered and the shirts are high-quality American Apparel, so you’re definitely getting your comment’s worth.
  1. Baron Lane
    June 15, 2007 at 8:10 am Permalink

    Big & Rich may know their country heritage but when they walk into the studio it’s all about the green.

    They better invest well now because they will be as relevant as Milli Vinilli in a few short years.

  2. Matt C.
    June 15, 2007 at 8:54 am Permalink

    Look for a review of Porter Wagoner’s excellent disc sometime this weekend – I promise!

  3. Brody Vercher
    June 15, 2007 at 8:56 am Permalink

    I second the “excellent” label!

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