If You're Gonna Play in TEXAS...

Randy Owens of the legendary country group, Alabama, said it best..."If you're gonna play in Texas, you gotta have a fiddle in the band."  Even though these lyrics were introduced in the mid-1980s, I don't think Mr. Owens had any inkling as to the ultimate direction country music was headed and where it would inevitably end up some thirty years later.

Country music has unquestionably morphed and changed over the years from its down-home, backwoods roots--featuring "raw," heartfelt vocals and fiddle-heavy background music--to the polished, over-produced, pop-like radio "ear candy," as my dad likes to call it.  The likes of Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, and various other legends are now only a faded memory for those of us who were raised on traditional country music.  Even the superstars of yesteryear were heavily influenced by these old-time greats.  George Strait,  Randy Travis and Alan Jackson were  influenced by the likes of Lefty Frizzell, Merle Haggard and George Jones, who were themselves influenced by those older ghosts of country music past.  But with each generation comes new influence.  The stars of today, who were raised on George Strait and other singers of the 1980s, have begun to crank out albums that hardly reflect a true country music sound.  With each passing decade, country music sadly deviates further and further from its roots.

Now I'm not saying that all country music of today is bad--I'm simply stating that it has changed.  The long-lost haunting fiddle solo and soul-soothing twang of a steel guitar has been replaced by modern, computer-generated sounds.  You can catch me driving down the highway with my radio set to 99.5 or 96.3, and I'm most likely tapping my hands on the steering wheel, singing along with Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, but that's not to say that I don't miss the "old" country music of my past.  What KLUV's "oldies" are to rock 'n roll, I fear true country music will eventually become to today's "young country"...and that makes me a little sad.  While I find today's radio music to be lacking, I'm glad to know I can always pop in an old CD and sing along with my childhood heroes, tapping my foot along to the beat of a hearty fiddle solo with a smile on my face.  It just brings back good memories.

So say what you will, but I wholeheartedly agree with the lyrics of Alabama's 1984 mega hit.   It's hard to argue with a band declared "artist of the decade," (in the 1980s) who also happens to have over 30 number one hits to their name.  And each time I hear that old song come on the radio, I'm gonna crank up the volume and declare my rights as a true southern girl...that if you're gonna play in Texas, by God, you gotta have a fiddle in the band.

Willie Nelson--a Living Legend

I'm currently sitting here listening to an eclectic span of music as it shuffles randomly from song to song on my ipod.  Just now, when the song Old Friends (a duet with the legendary Willie Nelson, late Roger Miller and also legendary Ray Price) popped up, I was inspired to give a shout out to my old friend, Willie. 

Having grown up on the songs (both those written and sung) by the Red-Headed Stranger, I feel it's my duty as a fellow musician to pay homage to such a living legend in our time--especially since it's been mere weeks since Willie celebrated his 80th birthday.

I really have my dad to thank for introducing me to Willie's music at such an early age.  In fact, I still laugh about the time Dad took my brother to a soccer game on picture day, and they were asked to fill out Cody's player information on the back of his photo trading card.  They put his team name, number and player position, but neither Dad nor Cody knew of any famous soccer pros to list under the "favorite soccer hero" category.  To this day, every time I see that trading card with Cody's goofy grin and his favorite soccer pro, Willie Nelson, it makes me laugh out loud. While Willie may not be a soccer pro, he's certainly a hero to many musicians spanning all genres of music--and rightly so.

I think one of the reasons Willie is so well respected by his peers and adored by his fans is because of his realness.  With Willie, what you see is what you get.  When he started his early music career as a struggling young musician in Nashville with a clean-cut appearance, he wasn't getting to produce the kind of music he wanted.  So Willie decided the Nashville scene just wasn't for him, and he moved to Texas, grew out his famous braids and decided he just didn't give a shit about what others thought about him.  He wrote and played the kind of music that satisfied the true artist within--and perhaps by accident, started a whole new musical movement in the late 70s (alongside Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Johnny Cash) called the Outlaw movement.

Not only is Willie recognized for that unmistakably twangy voice, he's also known and nearly worshiped by songwriters everywhere. I know how difficult it is to write a song, and the fact that Willie has hundreds of songs--and amazing ones at that--under his belt, leads me to respect him even that much more.  If it weren't for Willie, Patsy Cline's rendition of Crazy would be nonexistent--as would the sentimental value that song still holds for me this very day.

I don't honestly know of a single country musician who would claim they hadn't been influenced by the famous twang, heartfelt lyrics and undying passion of Willie Nelson in one way or another.  The man is truly a living legend indeed, and I'm humbled that I received the chance to meet him and open a concert for him when I was only a 20-year-old college student with big dreams of making it in the music business.

Though I only got to meet Willie for a mere several minutes, it was a life-altering opportunity for me.  He seemed a tad bit quiet, but incredibly nice as his fans eagerly waited for a handshake and a photo opp.  I was absolutely flabbergasted when Willie even asked me for my autograph, and I thanked him profusely for the opportunity to open the show for him.  I got him to sign the first print ad I had written for Martin Guitars in college, which pictured Willie with his old pal, Trigger (his well-worn guitar), and it still hangs proudly on the wall as part of my ongoing autograph collection.

When I kissed Willie on the cheek and caught a slight taste of weed lingering on his beard, it made me smile a bit.  Willie is a genuine person to whom God has granted a boatload of talent and perhaps even more magnificent life experiences, which he effortlessly weaves into the lines of his songs.  If you ever get a chance to see Willie up close and personal--and witness the lines on his face, symbolic of a full, well-lived life, and see the gentleness in his knowing eyes--I hope you realize you're standing in the presence of greatness. 

So Willie, I wish you the happiest of birthdays and hope for many more years to come...and I look forward to seeing you somewhere on the road again.

                  

Pistol Annies...Smoking Guns

This morning, I've been rocking out to the catchy tunes of the Pistol Annies, Miranda Lambert's side project, an all-girl band.  I have to admit, simply listening to their girl-power anthems on my ipod makes me feel like a badass.  Maybe because it's Friday or maybe because I'm just in one of those don't-mess-with-me moods today, I'm totally digging the in-your-face lyrics and haunting background music of Hell on Heels and edgy toe-tapping Trailer for Rent.  I'm grooving to the beat and nodding my head like a gangsta rapper. 

Ever since the Pistol Annies made their live television debut, I was obsessed with their 3-part harmony and raw, emotion-filled lyrics.  There's just nothing cooler than a feisty girl with a guitar and a willingness to say what she has to say, no holds barred.  The more I listen to Miranda's unique, twangy voice, the more I enjoy her music and her message.  I think perhaps it's because I see a bit of myself in her. 

A born and raised Texas girl, I grew up on real country music and cut my musical teeth on the records of Patsy Cline, Randy Travis, George Strait and Willie Nelson.  Growing up with an older brother who beat me up on a regular basis (only some of it was well deserved), I  quickly learned how to fend for myself.  Once my parents saw right through my Oscar-worthy fake-crying performances, I was on my own.  So I guess you could say I was full of piss and vinegar at an early age.  My innate stubbornness also played a factor in my unwillingness to take any $#&^ off of anyone.

Combine that hard headedness with my passion for music and you get the kind of tunes Miranda and her Pistol Annie cohorts effortlessly produce, quickly shooting them to fame, fortune and yielding sold-out concerts and millions of album sales.  If you haven't had the opportunity to listen to their stuff, check out their debut album, Hell on Heels and download their newly released Annie Up. You'll soon be tapping your foot, bobbing your head to the beat.  After a drink or two, you may get to feeling invincible and perhaps even have the urge to start a bar fight.