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'

"I'm A Dumb Redneck": Jelly Roll's Cop Out and Nashville's Imagined Norm

Imagine if we could go two weeks in this newsletter without having to reckon with some country/politics foolishness. Imagine if people like Jelly Roll and Kid Rock would just shut up and sing!! I jest, of course, but naturally, in a week where we should only be talking about

DRTI Country & Americana Grammy Hopes, Fears & Predictions

Greetings from Nashville, Tennessee, where I start this post the same way I did last week: worried for my neighbors who still don't have power and worried for the world, which makes talking about a television show feel a little silly at times. But look - I love

Put A Record On: Prechoruses and Hooks and Bridges, Oh My

We love our hooks here at DRTI!

A Nurse Who Served Veterans Was Killed. Where You At, Country Music?

I'm not going to lie to you, newsletter readers: it's hard to newsletter "normally" today, though, to be fair, I could almost say that about any day for the last near decade. Outside my window, the town is frozen. Somehow we currently have power,

Converting the Skeptics: A Curated Guide to Dierks Bentley

Dierks Bentley has always been an enigma - he can bust out the most country radio-friendly tune you have probably ever heard in your life (see: "Drunk on a Plane") but then he will show up at the CMA's flanked by Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull, and

Third Stream Country, or Pop Country For Those Who Don't Listen to the Radio

Thinking about country music that doesn't fit (in a good way).