Sunny War: The DRTI Interview

I'm a broken record in this newsletter sometimes, but some things are worth repeating: as much as everything is on fire, people persist in making wonderful art that diverts, inspires and provokes — just as they continue to do work to push for better even when it feels overwhelmingly

Put A Record On: Ballads and Hooks Galore

Welcome back to Don’t Rock the Inbox. Here’s this week’s music recommendation post and playlist, which are for paying subscribers only. If you’re interested in paid content but not able to afford it, shoot us an email. The Good Blackbirding, Queen Esther: A fixture of the

Meet...The Cowgays

If there's one thing I have a weakness for, it's a country supergroup - so when I saw that Brooke Eden, Adam Mac and Chris Housman were teasing a new trio called The Cowgays, I was immediately sold. Eden, Mac and Housman all come to the

🗨 Don't Rock the Comments Section: What's One Weird Trick To Fix Country Music?

Big news: Mark your calendars for another edition of the Don't Rock The Inbox Book Club!! On Wednesday, April 8th at 7:30 p.m. CT, we'll be hosting a Zoom discussion of Alice Gerrard's memoir, Custom Made Woman: A Life In Traditional Music,

Is 2026 The Year of Disco Country?

More than every other year, I mean. 

Put A Record On: An Early Album Of The Year Contender

Welcome back to Don’t Rock the Inbox. Here’s this week’s music recommendation post and playlist, which are for paying subscribers only. If you’re interested in paid content but not able to afford it, shoot us an email. The Good “The Acrobat,” Tenille Townes featuring Lori McKenna:

Leah Blevins is Getting Me Through It

As fellow parents of kids who are school age know, winter is the bad place. I.e., the time of year when everyone is sick all of the time, despite vaccinations (still get them anyway though! Don't be swayed by men in jeans cold plunging into raw milk

Put A Record On: Waxacountree

I suppose it has been pretty well established by now that some of my favorite music from the past few years has been from artists like Waxahatchee (who was kind enough to grant us an interview in 2024!), Plains, Wednesday, now the new Ratboys record - in the wee olden

Country Cinema: 'Cowboy From Brooklyn', 'A Face In The Crowd' and The Long Tail of Imagined Authenticity

Every generation has its own ideas of what is real — yet every generation still seems to pin those ideas to country, folk and roots music. Right now, what feels the most real to most people, it would seem, are short form videos of white men standing in forests playing acoustic

Put A Record On: Everywhere Isn't Texas (or Tennessee)

Welcome back to Don’t Rock the Inbox. Here’s this week’s music recommendation post and playlist, which are for paying subscribers only. If you’re interested in paid content but not able to afford it, shoot us an email. The Good Everywhere Isn't Texas, August Ponthier:

Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” is a Phenomenon: Will It Change the Landscape for Women?

Today, Ella Langley made history - her single “Choosin’ Texas” made her the first woman to hit the Hot 100 (all genre), Hot Country and Country Airplay charts, all at the same time. To be honest, these days it’s a feat hitting any one of these alone as a

Put A Record On: Lowering My Blood Pressure, Musically

As a lot of you know, I recently joined Marissa in momland and about three months in, I'm coming to you on ~three hours of sleep (hey, an hour for every month!) after a night with a generally cheerful, very gassy, huge baby. To say that it'