Just when you thought it was safe to listen to country music podcasts It Burns When I Pee comes back around to put the fear in ya! Episode #26 has Norma Jean and Blake discussing online dating, coming up with new terms for oral sex, and making a few phone calls including one to Blake’s mom.  For Pete’s sake leave that poor woman alone!

The crew also  interview with the talented singer/songwriter Kara Clark and be playing a couple of her songs along with songs from Highlonesome, Robbie Fulks, David Allan Coe, Misery Jackel, and a song from Wayne “The Train” Hancock’s new album Viper of Melody.

Norma Jean will even read some fan feedback…SOBER!

• Singer Vern Gosdin, who recorded country music hits like the award-winning “Chiseled in Stone” during a 30-year career, has died. He was 74. Gosdin reportedly had a history of strokes and suffered the latest one a few weeks ago and was under hospice care and died late Tuesday at a Nashville, Tenn. hospital. The 9513.com offers a fine tribute to the man.

• Birthday Boy Willie Nelson will join relative young’uns Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp on a U.S. summer tour of minor league baseball parks, beginning July 2 at the GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Ill., and wrapping Aug. 15 at the Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton, Calif.

• The 9513.com has posted a fine review of the new release by John Doe and the Sadies Country Club penned by the always enjoyable Juli Thanki.

• The San Francisco Chronicle has posted a review of the John Prine / John Ritter  Apr 25th Warfield performance.

• And in painful crossover news Def Leppard has been confirmed to perform on the CMT Music Awards on June 16. The Britsh pop-metal has-beens…er…band have recently been involved in the Music Row marketering wet dream collaborations with Tim McGraw earlier this year on the song “Nine Lives” and appearing with Taylor Swift on CMT Crossroads. What’s next? Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach doing coutry music…oh wait…

Happy birthday to Willie Nelson! I found this excellent classic video of  the 2nd Annual Willie Nelson 4th Of July Picnic at Bryan/College Station, TX. featuring Leon Russell.

Bobby Bare Jr. is one of these guys that fall off my radar for months and then I’m so glade to see him make his way back into my consciousness again.

I am briefly interrupting my New Mexico rehabilitation…er..vacation to ponder the rumor around the iterwebs that Shooter Jennings has given up country music to focus on his new band called Hierophant. An ancient Greek term the role of the hierophant in religion is to bring the congregants into the presence of that which is deemed holy. Hierophant has been described as John Lennon meets Radiohead.

Jenning’s website features a clock radio with the band name and the words “Wake Up!”

It is rumored that Jennings was “..tired of being something he’s not.” So based on this new band description what is he? A British experimental pop musician?

I don’t know if the abandoning country music rumor is true, but after listening to his latest studio release “The Wolf” and with the release this month of a Shooter Jennings Greatest Hits (after only three albums!) I have to acknowledge that his heart sure doesn’t see to be in it anymore.

Let’s just hope that Hierophant is better than Stargunn was.

Playboy.com’s Uncovered is a new video feature showcasing musicians performing covers of songs in some of the world’s most legendary music bars. Uncovered launches with Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Jamey Johnson sitting in Loser’s, just off Nashville’s Music Row, and singing Waylon Jennings’ “Dreaming My Dreams With You” which is featured on Johnson’s latest album, That Lonesome Song, which was just certified gold this week.

You might not want to watch this at work.

With “One To The Heart, One To The Head” Gretchen Peters and Tom Russell have made what I consider the album of the year so far. (Twang Nation review)

Here’s the video for Russell’s song Guadalupe which appears on the album as well as Russell’s own solo record dropping later this year. (hat tip to the 9513.com for bringing this to my attention.)

If you don’t get enough of me spouting off on this blog then follow me on my Twitter.

MSNBC’s 5 Top has a list of the top 5 lies about American Idol.  And although most are obvious (AI is a popularity contest not a singing competition…uh YEAH!) lie #4, “Country music is about telling stories,” is very interesting to me. The point made in the article is that all songs – except nonsensical or instructive – are stories. But Idol, like Nashville, perpetuates the popular myth that country msuic is simple stories that are about common experiences, family and traditional values.Of course this ignores the songs of boozing, adultary, murder, drug use, fighting, sloth and war that are just as much a part of the country music landscape. I’m sure Johnny Paycheck, Waylon Jennings, Porter Wagoner and David Allen Coe would have something to say about that.

• Chicago’s Joe Pug has been tapped to perform at the 2009 Lollapalooza.

• New releases by Texas singer/songwriters Slaid Cleaves (Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away), Wayne “The Train” Hancock (Vipers of Melody) and Dale Watson (The Truckin’ Sessions Vol. 2 ) are in stores and online today.

• HearYa.com gives thier view on Steve Earle new Townes Van Zandt covers album Townes.

• 77square.com posts a conversation with Wayne “The Train” Hancock about his latest album Vipers of Melody.

Introducing the new video by William Elliot Whitemore for his song Hell or High Water (thanks to ninebullets.net for bringing this to my attention.) Twang Nation Review of Whitmore’s newest release Animals in the Dark.

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=55794026