Tag Archives: Barack Obama

David Browne on the Future of Country Music in Politics

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David Browne writes an interesting article on the New Republic site about country music’s seeming total allegiance to the GOP, and how the lost election may cause the industry to do some back-room hashing out of the future of country music. I like how the article ends up, but doesn’t Brown know that Ralph Stanley, in many ways the living embodiment of traditional country music, endorsed Obama?

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A few dates are upcoming for country music legend Dwight Yoakam, since he’s not officially “on tour” they are scarce as hen’s teeth:

  • Terrible’s Casino – Star of the Desert Arena in Primm, NV on November, 22nd 2008
  • The Crystal Palace (Buck Owens Joint) New Year’s Eve December 31, 2008
  • Jackpot Junction Casino Hotel – Morton, MN January, 23rd, 2009

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If you’re in my old neck of the woods, New York City, get your holidays started right and head to The Rockwood Music Hall on November 25th to catch Mr. Joe Whyte live, in concert. Whyte will be debuting so new tunes and the show is free so get on out, you’ll be glade you did.

Joe Whyte
Tuesday, November 25
Rockwood Music Hall
196 Allen St., NYC
8pm
FREE
*take the F or V to the LES/2nd Ave stop and its right across the street

Politics in Country Music

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It’s that time in America again. We as a nation are generally disinterested in exercising our civil duty as citizens of this great Democracy by voting, but every four years we move from general disinterest to the mild annoyance that moves a third of us to vote for president.

It always sort of makes me cringe when a celebrity speaks out about politics. Sure if they have the right to speak out about the issues that concern them, but their fame is not based on their adept understanding of foreign policy or economic issues so they typically come off looking goofy and damaging their brand. So why is country music different?

I tuned into the news today to see Hank Williams Jr. warming up a crowd in Virginia for Republican candidate for president John McCain (actually he warmed them up for GOP vice-president candidate Sarah Palin who then warmed them up for McCain) (edit: you can hear his campaign song “McCain-Palin Tradition here), John Rich (the shorter, darker half of Big and Rich) penned McCain a song “Raisin’ McCain”, Merle Haggard wrote ‘Let’s Put a Woman in Charge” for the Hillary Clinton campaign, Ralph Stanley recently endorsed Democratic candidate for president Barack Obama and Obama used Brooks & Dunn’s “Only In America” played after his acceptance speech at the DNC convention in Mile High Stadium.

Personally I’m glade that country/roots music is taking more of bipartisan approach to politics and no longer just seen as the birthright to either party. How about you reader? What do you think of country music in politics?

Kris Kristofferson – In The News

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKLeJEFvPQw[/youtube]

Country Music Hearts Obama!

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I remember the comedian Chris Rock on a cable filmed stand-up special saying something like what is the world coming to when the top  rapper in the world is white (Eminem) and the top golfer in the world is black (Tiger Woods)?

I felt sort of like that the other night when Sen. Barack Obama’s historic speech at Mile High Stadium was capped off by  ”Only in America” by the NashVegas version of Hall and Oates, Brooks & Dunn. This is the same song George Bush used at the Republican Convention last election. One half of the duo, Ronnie Dunn is a staunch Republican but the song’s co-writer, Don Cook, is a founder of the Music Row Democrats so I guess it’s a Nashville pop-country equivalent of bi-partisanship.

Here’s a note to the DNC and Democratic candidates everywhere, there are great artists that make country music that actually LIKE you and stand for at least some of what you advocate. Ever hear of Steve Earle or the Dixie Chicks?

If that wasn’t enough I read that Mr.”Boot in the ass” Toby Keith has thrown his support behind Obama (though it seems it’s only because Obama is able to act white.) Keith states that he’s a life-long Democrat but he appears to be more like the right-wing Dixie-crats I remember when I was growing up in Dallas. Mr. Keith apparently gets peeved when people accuse him of being a GOP fan. I wonder where they might have gotten that idea?!

Thank goodness there’s some things you can still count on with Nashville pop-country music and uased as a backdrop for patiotic symbolism- John Rich. the shorter half of the insipid duo Big and Rich, and raging homophobic weasel, penned a love song to John McCain cleverly entitled “Raisin’ McCain,” The song will be featured at the GOP convention and it predictably sucks.

Toby Keith’s Pro-Obama Anthem (a parody)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsm-wI5PGBE[/youtube]

Blue Mountin Releases “Midnight in Mississippi”

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  • One of the original alt.country bands (they appeared on the cover of No Depression’s second issue), Blue Mountain, are back together after trials and tribulations and have just released their sixth studio album “Midnight in Mississippi” (Produced by Grammy winner Stuart Sikes) along with a re-recorded greatest hits album, “Omnibus.” I saw these guys for the first time about two years ago in Nashville and they are great live.
  • It seems that Toby Keith is an Barack Obama fan and John Rich can hear Johnny Cash’s vioce from the grave (if that were rues I’m sure The Man In Black would have adviced Rich not to release his dreadful love song to John McCain. Not because it supports a Republican, but because it, well, sucks.
  • The good folks over at the 9513 think the new George Jone’s release of duets “George Jones – Burn Your Playhouse Down: The Unreleased Duets” doesn’t live up the the Possum’s legacy.
  • Pitchfork.com has a Q&A with David Berman of the band the Silver Jews.