I've probably told this story here before, but the man that really drew us to Nashville was Justin Townes Earle. We'd come to visit during a now-defunct music festival called Soundland, and Justin was playing in a small room off the Korean Veterans Boulevard roundabout, mostly
Earlier this week, we paid a slightly belated homage to the gone-too-soon songwriter Don Schlitz. In spite of the fact that he wrote one of the most widely beloved pop songs of the last century (it was even turned into series of TV movies), he was hardly a household name
At the far-too-young age of 73, we've lost one of the people whose work defined the very best of what it meant to be a Nashville songwriter. "The Gambler" will be in all the headlines — understandably, given its place in the American pop canon and countless
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 "Long Con," Creekbed Carter Hogan:
Don't Rock The Inbox Book Club
Hello friends!! Tonight we will finally be hosting our Alice Gerrard edition of the Don't Rock The Inbox Book Club at 7:30 p.m. CT — all paying subscribers are welcome to join our Zoom discussion of Alice Gerrard's memoir, Custom Made Woman: A Life In
Another day, another stupidly hateful action in my beautiful state of Tennessee: namely, the news that our Governor signed a resolution last week that June - aka Pride Month - will now be designated as "Nuclear Family Month," celebrating households that consist of "one husband, one wife,
Welcome back to Don’t Rock the Inbox. Here’s this week’s playlist, which is for paying subscribers only. If you’re interested in paid content but not able to afford it, shoot us an email. If you're anything like me, you spent last week absolutely riveted
A country music newsletter.
Some outtakes from my 2024 conversation with Miranda Lambert.
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 "Country & Midwestern," Tigirlily Gold:
It’s hard to believe (oh no, that’s not a pun I swear), but somehow, Kacey Musgraves’ song about not getting laid received 24 adds at country radio since its release a few weeks ago. For a white dude singing about trucks or dadlife, that wouldn’t be a
Moving day playlist!
Get to know Austin's "class conscious honky tonk" band, Croy and the Boys.
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. Reminder to mark your calendars for another edition of
As I've watched Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" break record after record - now topping Taylor Swift for most weeks by a country woman at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 - I've started to get a little angry. Not at
If you follow this newsletter, you know that we love when country music gets a little dirty, especially as a genre that has a reputation for keeping things sterile when it comes to singing about sex (there's like 5,000 songs written by popular men in the genre
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
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
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
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,