JUST SAY NO…TO COVERING THESE SONGS

JUST SAY NO…TO COVERING THESE SONGS

Go to any honky tonk, open mic night, “soon to be famous” bands garage, and you’re bound to hear covers that you’ve heard a 1000 other times. That’s cool ya know? Give tribute to the songs that got you into music. Play that song that you first learned on the guitar and really perfected. However, some of these cover songs just need to die. These are the ones that you just hear every single time you go out by dang near every single band trying to fill 60 minutes.

Now this is going to get touchy, because I know I have some great friends who may cover these songs, remember, no offense, just trying to help diversify the playlists.

The song that I think gets the MOST play, at least in my neck of the woods is:

OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW “Wagon Wheel”

Man, that’s a cool tune. Don’t hear much music like that anymore! Bluegrass, banjo, fiddle, stand-up bass. Not many people can even name another song from OCMS, but I’ll be if every single band in the state of Texas doesn’t know this one. I’ve heard some great covers of it, I’ve head some atrocious covers of it, but the fact remains, this song needs to be retired from being covered.

THE BAND “The Weight”

Another cool Americana groove that pretty much everyone can just get lost in. It strikes the debate about is the lyric “Take a load of FANNIE” or “ANNIE”? I don’t think anyone will ever know for sure. But I am sure that this is one of those songs that would benefit being retired from the set of every jam band.

JOHNNY CASH “Folsom Prison Blues”

Folsom is the most often covered song from Johnny Cash, but this could also be a host of other songs. Johnny Cash is an absolute legend, an American Icon, with an unmistakable voice. It’s cool that you want to pay respects to him, but I don’t think most bands realize that he had literally 100′s of other great songs to choose from. If you DO cover Cash, keep in mind that you will never, EVER do it as well as he did. So if you must, choose a song that not everyone & their mama knows and do it your way. Make it your own.

STEVE MILLER BAND “The Joker”

Yes, we all want to be called a Space Cowboy and Gangsta of Love, but enough is enough. The song came out in 1973, and by my rough estimates, that’s about how many bands have covered this song, 1,973.

LYNYRD SKYNYRD “Free Bird”

This is the song that generally starts a riot from a band. Always some dude in the back of the bar screaming “FREE BIRD!” What an awesome song. It’s really 4 songs all in one with all the different sounds. This was my class song and I’ve always loved it, but to hear Generic Band X at open mic night do it, is just a travesty. Same thing goes with “Sweet Home Alabama.”

BOB DYLAN “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”

Yes, that’s right I said Dylan, not Guns & Roses. GnR’s version may be the most famous, but they covered it from the amazing Bob Dylan. This is the song that bands pull out when they want to show their bad-boy soft side.

Look, I’m not saying not to do cover songs, just be smart about the cover songs that you do. Don’t be that cliche band who plays the same thing everyone else plays. As with what music should be in general, be yourself. If you pay homage to a hero, a legend, or just a cool song you fell in love with, try to make it your own, don’t just do it like everyone else has heard a thousand times.

If you’re a band looking for cool cover songs to do, let me know, I’ll be glad to help you out!

What a tough day…

I like to be open and honest. Lots of DJ’s put on personas that mask who they really are. I can’t do that. If you follow my Facebook or Twitter, you’ll see that I’m pretty blunt on a lot of things. Social Media followers and listeners aren’t dumb, so I’m not going to treat them that way. I say all that to say this, I’m man enough to admit that I spent most of the day in tears.

I get to work and find out that a really good friend of mine lost his cousin to cancer. Cancer sucks, I hate cancer. So that had me emotionally off a little to start out. Then I just couldn’t pass up watching the funeral for George Jones.

Seeing all of these legendary country music icons in one place honoring the Possum was amazing. Perhaps my favorie part of the service was Charlie Daniels speaking his mind:

He never strayed from his roots, never tried to go with trends or fads or sound like the next big thing coming off Music Row. He just kept on being George Jones and in this modern day of follow-the-leader, cookie cutter, “whatever radio will play” sameness. George stood head and shoulders above the fray, kept right on doing it his way and we all loved him for it.

WOW! To me, he spoke truth. This is something that a lot of people are afraid to say, but it was dead on true. I kept looking for the audio of it to post so you could hear the applause that recieved, but was mysteriously absent from any show prep stuff I looked at. There were quotes from just about everyone else, but that quote wasn’t there. Is it a conspiracy? Let’s just start the rumor and say yes.

Now that I’m off the rumor tree, here’s what may be the most touching tribute song that was done. Vince Gill and Patty Loveless got up to sing a song that’s probably played at half of the funerals I’ve gone to. They sang “Go Rest High On The Mountain.” There was a video circulating around the internet earlier, but it has been removed. Hopefully they’ll officially release most of the performances of the day, as they were all amazing. The thing that made Vince and Patty’s so good was the emotion shown by Vince. He broke down crying a number of times. You know when you see people get emotional at tributes, and you question if they’re just doing it for the camera? Well this was the exact opposite. It was obvious that he was singing to a man he loved and one that he will miss dearly. This world needs more Vince Gill

If you are able to find video of the ceremony, please take the time to watch the whole thing. It’s moving and touching. Hopefully the “Powers That Be” will recognize that so many stood up and applauded genuine country music. Maybe they’ll say to themselves “You know, there’s still a place for traditional country music. Let’s add more twang, fiddle, and steel guitar to the songs we’re putting out!” Well, that’s my prayer at least, haha.

Songwriting, appreciate the good stuff! Call-out the crap!

I love a well written song. There’s nothing like a song that hits on so many different types of emotions that you can relate to your everyday life. Off the top of my head Radney Foster, Josh Grider, Brandon Rhyder, Granger Smith, Cody Canada, Cody Johnson, and Kyle Park are all artists that can craft a song that hits my soul.

When you first hear that great song, it’s almost a religious experience. It’s as if God Himself reached down and told the songwriter what to write to help you out.

As usual, there’s an opposite side to greatness. Crapness. Is that a term? Should I coin it now? Opposite of greatness comes crapness that you can’t believe gets the accolades that it does. Case in point, this afternoon I was looking through show prep and ran across this:

Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley recalls writing “Get Your Shine On. –

“I think we wrote it in like an hour-and-a-half and started drinking beer after it and enjoying it, man. It’s just one of those songs, I mean, just like ‘Cruise,’ I mean, that came together really quick. And every songwriter will tell you, it doesn’t always happen like that. You’ve really got to count your lucky stars and thank the songwriting gods when it does happen quick.”

 

An hour and a half?! It took that long to write that junk? Then he brings up how “Cruise” came together quickly too. I’d hope that it wouldn’t take more than an hour to put together something so cliche.

Ladies and gentlemen of the human race who love music. I beg you, I implore you to strive to listen to songs that have an actual meaning. Even if it is a goofy, having fun song, it shouldn’t come across like it was written by a dude throwing darts at a board that says “Things Country People Like.”

End of a Crazy Week

This has been an incredibly difficult week for so many people around the world. Starting with the Boston Marathon bombing on Monday and the West, Texas fertilizer plant explosion on Wednesday. The thing I love most about Aggieland is the love that surrounds this community.

In a matter of hours, after the Boston Marathon bombings, our community gathered together to show our support for those who are hurting by organizing runs, taking pictures with “#PrayForBoston” signs and sending it out to the world via social media. There is no more caring community that I’ve ever been a part of than here in the Brazos Valley.

Days later when tragedy hits closer to home, again the community rallies to fill up semi-trucks with goods for the people of West, Texas. I stopped by Post Oak Mall during my lunch hour on Thursday to take pictures and see what was going on. There was a steady stream of good Samaritans donating money, blankets, clothes, and food. In the 20 minutes I was there, there was always a car or truck there to drop stuff off. Later in the afternoon, I broadcasted the first 2 hours of my show from the donation drop-off sight and it was the exact same scene. People filling up their SUV’s, trucks, and lowboys down with donations to send up for other people. College students donating their time because they were so moved by what they saw on the news and on social media outlets.

As I type this, thinking about all of the generous people I’ve head the pleasure to tweet with and meet face to face this week, my heart is filled with joy, and my eyes are swelling up with tears. Whenever someone asks me “Why’d you move back here from Fort Worth? You were in a top 5 market!” The answer is simple. If everyone could see the love this community has for our neighbors, whether an hour and a half to the north or  thousands of miles away in Boston, they wouldn’t have to ask that question. Aggieland, Brazos Valley, Bryan, College Station, thank you for being the best community I could ever hope to be a part of.

I also thank God for the First Responders who put their lives on the line everyday. You truly are angels here on Earth. Here is a song going out to all of you, thank you, we love you.

 

Hot Picks 4/19/13

This world is crazy. So many unfathomable actions are perpetrated by people in this world. I will never understand the things that bad people do. At times of distress, one of the things that keeps me going and helps me stay sane (well as sane as I can be) is music. Hopefully these HOT PICKS this week will help get your mind off of the tragedies of the world and maybe start to heal. This week will be a little different. Instead of giving you new songs that I’ve been playing or that have just hit my desk, I’m going to give you songs that help me through tough times.

HOT PICKS

Radney Foster “Half of My Mistakes”

Radney is a songwriter that gets down in your soul and puts what he finds in his songs. I asked him one time how he got inside of my head to write a song, like this, that speaks to me on so many levels. His answer was simple. He said that he writes what he knows and what he’s feeling, and often times, what he’s feeling, isn’t at all different from what we all feel. I could probably give you a dozen other Radney Foster songs that calm me and make me reflective on the world we live in. Probably my all time favorite songwriter.

Reckless Kelly “Wicked Twisted Road”

Something about this song just puts me in a very calming mood. It’s melodic, the lyrics are thought provoking, but not enough to worry you into getting a headache. These guys are such rockers that when they do a song like this, it perks my attention to listen up a little harder to hear what they are trying to say.

Kyle Park “Yours And Mine”

Few things put this world into perspective, to me, than love. When the whole world seems like it’s going to hell or I’m as mad as can be, the thing that keeps me level is love. The love I have for my wife. The love I have for my son. I can hear this song and almost immediately be relaxed.

No NOT PICK this week. There’s been so much negativity in the world this week, I think we should focus on healing and love. Hopefully these three songs can help you as much as they’ve helped me and continue to help me through stress and tough times.

Hot Picks 4/10/13

Holy hell, it’s been a month since I’ve done one of these?! My sincerest apologies to both people who look at this on a regular basis. Spring Break, Chilifest, life happened, so yeah. The good news on waiting so long is that there’s a ton of great new stuff out there!

Ashley Monroe “Like A Rose”

Yup folks, true blue country music right there! You don’t hear a sexy twang like that much anymore, especially not out of the national music scene. Ashley released a new CD last month that is top notch. One song in particular I hope that gets release to radio is called “Weed Instead of Roses.” That song is hilarious and something that 90% of the people wouldn’t have the balls to release. Ashley does though! Metaphorically speaking of course. Check out “Like A Rose” as Ashley’s introduction as a solo act. She’s also a mamber of the Pistol Annies with the amazing Miranda Lambert.

Granger Smith “Silverado Bench Seat”

Fightin’ Texas Aggie Granger Smith has a new CD out 4/16. The entire CD is full of great songs to crank up on a Texas road trip. This is a song to get you ready for summer with the girl you want in your truck! I have brought up to him a number of times though to make a song about my F-150, but hey, to each their own!

William Clark Green “She Likes The Beatles”

No matter how many differences there are between you and the person you love, that love is going to conquer them all! Doesn’t matter if one prefers the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, if one prefers Italian over seafood. That’s kinda what this song is all about. Personally, I’m more of a Beatles guy and my wife digs the Stones more. This song has been stuck in my head since I first heard co-writer Brian Keane sing it late last year. Be on the lookout for Will’s new record Rose Queen due out 4/30.

NOT PICK

Florida Georgia Line w/Nelly “Cruise (Remix)”

If ANY country station is playing that song, I hope that someone gives the person running that station a swift kick to the junk. All due respect to Nelly, this doesn’t belong anywhere NEAR a country station’s playlist. I actually like this version more than the original because I think it fits Nelly more so than country music. But it is songs like this that continue to bastardize the greatness that is country music. I may be old fashioned (actually, I’m certain of it), but I’m all about having stuff sound more like George Strait instead of Limp Bizkit on my country radio.

Hot Picks 3/8/13

So I’m like a week and a half late for posting my Hot Picks. No excuses, but here’s what I like for the week:

HOT PICKS

Blackberry Smoke “Pretty Little Lie” –

I’ve been waiting for mainstream country to really breakthrough with guys that aren’t the pretty boys they’ve been pushing. Blackberry Smoke may just be country music’s saving grace! Okay, so they’re more southern rock than country, but man I love it! I say enough boy bands in sparkly jeans, let’s have guys like this kick ass in country music!

Cody Johnson Band “I Don’t Care About You” -

Again, this is where country music needs to go IMO. Cody is a real cowboy, he knows what he’s singing about when he does a song about hard work, riding horses, and country nights with the girl he loves. Cody continues to impress me time after time. A++ live show, great songs. Reminds me a lot of Chris LeDoux. If you don’t know LeDoux, do your homework!

Lady Antebellum “Downtown” -

Okay, here’s where you can feel free to call me a hypocrite. The first two songs I give you are raw, gritty, country, southern rock songs, and the last one I give you is Lady A? We all have our guilty pleasures, and they are mine. In my defense, I met them one time, and I’m pretty sure that Hillary Scott wanted to have sex with me. So you can understand if I’m a little biased.

Also, this song is just kinda silly fun that doesn’t grate on my nerves too bad. Too often there are crappy, silly songs that just make me wanna suffocate baby chickens, this one though, I find myself head bobbing. Miranda Lambert was originally supposed to cut the song, but she ended up passing on it.

NOT PICK

Luke Bryan “Buzzkill” -

More of the same from Luke. He’s on a good song, bad song, good song, bad song swing. I don’t place the blame on Luke, but more of the Luke Bryan machine behind him. I’m sure he understands this song is subpar, but there’s not much you can do when the label has you by the balls. And by have him by the balls, I mean the ones on the shelf at his labels office, because there’s no way testicles can fit inside those skinny jeans he wears.

Luke has done this sad song thing before, but he did it much much better. Remember “Do I?” I mean that was a great song that brought up some great emotions. This one just kind of phones it in with cliches.