Where rhythm is life, and life is rhythm…

Mount up.

A few years ago, I pointed out that country music had an all-of-the-sudden fascination with singing about babies. Then… it was kids. The new trend in country music is singing about other country artists. You can pass your own judgment on the issue (or not care about it either way) - but I think it’s friggin’ lame.

First -> Taylor Swift sang a song called, “Tim McGraw.” It’s a well-written song (especially since Swift was only like 16 when she wrote it).

Next -> Jason Aldean sang, “Johnny Cash.” Okay, Mr. Name Dropper, I’ll give you a pass, but only because Mr. Cash passed away not too long ago.

Then -> Just last week I added, “Kristofferson” (meaning Kris Kristofferson) by Tim McGraw to our station’s music rotation.

Today -> In the mail I received a new single from Heidi Newfield (formerly of the group, Trick Pony) called, “Johnny and June.” Hey, I don’t know if you got the memo, Heidi, but there was a) already a song about Johnny Cash and b) singing about other country artists has already been done.

This isn’t, of course, the first time that country music has played the name-dropping game. Here are some other titles:

• “Are You Sure Hank Done it This Way” - Waylon Jennings
• “Bob Wills is Still the King” - Waylon Jennings
• “Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life” - Moe Bandy
• “Willie, Waylon, and Me” - David Allan Coe
• “Weed With Willie” - Toby Keith

And I’m sure there are more that I couldn’t think of off the top of my head.

Kenny Chesney: Outta Here

Lyrics after the jump: (more…)

On the way home this afternoon, I got the urge to hear “Gimme Back My Bullets” from Lynyrd Skynyrd. My buddy, Brad, and I used to listen to Skynyrd and the redneckin’-friggin’-time back “in the day” (it was a Wednesday*). When I got home this afternoon, I downloaded the “Gimme Back My Bullets” CD via iTunes. Man alive - I forgot how excellent that CD is. At one point, Toutant and I had every LS CD between the two of us… but by the time I left college (the second time), they were all pretty much on their last legs.

Unfortunately only one song was on seeqpod:

It’s not even that redneck. And for the record, I was never really a fan of “Freebird” or “Sweet Home Alabama.” Both of them are just so damn cliche.

I have no idea what this is… but I’m going to give it a shot.

UPDATE: Apparently you can add music to my wall (it’s free) by searching for it and basically just clicking “add.” How cool is that?

Do you use iTunes?  Maybe you have the same issue I do…For the past year +, in my shopping cart on iTunes, I have had 3 of the same albums recommended to me.  Now, maybe The Arctic Monkeys, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Beck’s Guero albums are AWESOME…but I AIN’T BUYIN’ EM’!  Recommend something else.  Go back to the programming and set up some kind of timer that eliminates recommendations that haven’t been purchased within, oh, I don’t know…a YEAR?!?  PS.  Check out the new album from System of a Down singer Serj Tankian, Elect the Dead. 

Some of you may remember a post I made saying Rocco DeLuca’s album “I Trust You To Kill Me” was the best album I had bought in over a year.

Well, it is/was.  And here are some songs via Seeqpod to let you hear for yourself.  *Hat tip to Fuzz for this great service which is WAY easier to navigate than Project Playlist.

Seeqpod.com is much cooler than Project Playlist. It is SO much easier to navigate, and you don’t have to have an account to embed music on your website.

Thanks to Jed @ B&S for the tip!

“I don’t highlight my hair, and I’ve still got a pair…”

Brad Paisley continues to write quality music:

Lyrics below the fold: (more…)

I’ve been in the radio industry since 1996. I’ve seen my fair share of concerts cancelled. Here are the real reasons behind the cancellations:

Reason:
“Due to a scheduling conflict…”

Actual Reason:
“Ticket sales are slow.”

—

Reason:
“Due to Laryngitis…” (or even more telling: “illness”)

Actual Reason:
“Ticket sales are slow.”

—

Reason:
“Due to a miscommunication…”

Actual Reason:
Usually means that there was an argument between the venue and the tour manager. - i.e., the venue won’t pick the blue marshmallows out of the singer’s Lucky Charms.

—

Reason:
“Due to weather…”

Actual Reason:
This one’s usually correct. The band is getting paid either way. Yeah, it sucks, but that’s what insurance is for.

—

Reason:
“Due to security issues…”

Actual Reason:
This usually happens at rap concerts where the venue hasn’t secured ample security for the crowd that the local police department expects. It also shows up when death threats are made against the artist. (sometimes that one is actually written as, “cancelled due to death threat.”)

—

Reason:
“Due to lackluster sales…”

Actual Reason:
Holy shit… they actually told the truth. It’s about the money, not the fans.

—

For the record, the Brooks & Dunn concert that was scheduled for Friday, May 30th at the Marcus Amphitheater in Milwaukee has been cancelled “due to a scheduling conflict.” Trust me… these guys’ schedules are well accounted for, and they would have known that something else was going on before booking a gig at an amphitheater. George Strait cancelled a show at the Bradley Center due to “laryngitis” a few years ago. This was right after his promotion company called me 20 times the week before the show to convince me to get more people to buy tickets to the show. It’s a business… it’s a game… and the only people who get the shaft are the fans.

Refunds are available. However, Ticketmaster doesn’t refund per-ticket fees - only the face value of the ticket. What a racket.

I heard a song from Bow Wow and Omarion today that rips off the music from LL Cool J’s “Going Back to Cali.” Had they done a remake, that would have been cool, but it was some stupid love song. Anyway… I was on a mission to find the video from the original … and here it is:

The only funny thing Colin Quinn ever did (save for Remote Control):

Holy crap this MTV commercial is old…but I remember it like yesterday.  Dennis Leary from 1992.  If you don’t know any of the bands he’s talking about, you are REALLY REALLY young.  (”Who are the Pogues and Jethro Tull?”) This video IS SAFE for work.

Yeah, as a person Amy Winehouse is a complete mess…but her Back to Black album is really REALLY good.

Let’s hope she can get it together and crank out some more music before she implodes.

If you haven’t heard Back to Black, check this.

Society has just gone off the deep end.  Seriously.

People need to just unplug and read a book, talk with neighbors and just get out.  What the hell is going on?!?  A 16 year old wants to hijack a plane and smash it into a Hannah Montana concert?

From CNN.com

Authorities have charged a teenage boy who said he planned to hijack a commercial jetliner in an attempt to commit suicide, an FBI spokesman told CNN late Thursday.

The 16-year-old was taken into custody by airport police without incident on Tuesday evening after flying from Los Angeles, California, to Nashville, Tennessee, on Southwest Airlines Flight 284.

The teen wanted to crash the plane into a Hannah Montana concert in Lafayette, Louisiana, two CNN television affiliates in Nashville, WSMV and WTVF, reported, citing unnamed sources. The concert is scheduled for Friday night at the Lafayette Cajundome.

Thanks to showbuzz.cbsnews.com image.

Yesterday, I purchased a bottle of “Formula 50″ Vitamin Water. For those of you who don’t know, one of Vitamin Water’s top investors is rapper 50 Cent. On the bottle of “Formula 50,” it reads,

who wouldn’t want to live large like 50? that’s just how he rolls.  he doesn’t just make albums… he makes them multi-platinum. he doesn’t just make movies… he makes them with award winning actors. he doesn’t just “work out”… he works out 7 days a week. those guns (we mean biceps) don’t come easy so it only makes sense that 50’s drink is large too. it’s packed with the key nutrients he needs to get through his day. that’s why it’s called formula 50 - genius, right? now you too can live large like 50… or at least drink like him. hey, you gotta start somewhere.

First… I was putting “[sic]” all over the place, but then quickly realized that the entire paragraph should just have a large [sic] after it. I mean, the whole thing is a mess.

Grammar aside, the real reason for this post is the sentence that reads, “those guns (we mean biceps) don’t come easy so it only makes sense that 50’s drink is large too.” That sentence kinda lost it’s punch after the reports came out inferring that 50 Cent is an avid steroid user.

From Newsday:

For many people, yesterday’s news that allegations of steroid and growth hormone use had spread from the sports world to the entertainment industry came as a surprise. According to reports, the Albany County district attorney’s office has named not only Blige but 50 Cent, Wyclef Jean, and the record producer Timbaland in an investigation into a possible steroid-peddling business.

Maybe he got hooked after he was recovering from his gunshot wounds back in the day? Nah…

Miranda Lambert’s latest song, “Gunpowder and Lead,” proves that the Dixie Chicks were very replaceable. It’s a great song - here are the lyrics:

County Road 233, under my feet
Nothin’ on this white rock but little ol’ me
I’ve got two miles ’til, he makes bail
And if I’m right we’re headed straight for hell

CHORUS:
I’m goin’ home, gonna load my shotgun
Wait by the door and light a cigarette
He wants a fight well now he’s got one
And he ain’t seen me crazy yet
He slapped my face and he shook me like a rag doll
Don’t that sound like a real man
I’m going to show him what a little girl’s made of
Gunpowder and Lead

It’s half past ten, another six pack in
And I can feel the rumble like a cold black wind
He pulls in the drive, the gravel flies
He dont know what’s waiting here this time

I’m goin’ home, gonna load my shotgun
Wait by the door and light a cigarette
If he wants a fight well now he’s got one
And he ain’t seen me crazy yet
He slapped my face and he shook me like a rag doll
Don’t that sound like a real man
I’m going to show him what a little girl’s made of
Gunpowder and Lead

His fist is big but my gun’s bigger
He’ll find out when I pull the trigger

I’m goin’ home, gonna load my shotgun
Wait by the door and light a cigarette
He wants a fight well now he’s got one
And he ain’t seen me crazy yet
He slapped my face and he shook me like a rag doll
Don’t that sound like a real man
I’m going to show him what a little girls made of
Gunpowder and Lead

Almost 2 years later…it’s still hilarious 

And, for the record… yes, I will have some turkey next Thursday.

Holy crap! Kanye West’s mom died from “complications of surgery” after going in for a tummy tuck! Note to self and loved ones… live with what the good Lord gave you. Especially if you’re having second thoughts.

From CNN:

 A plastic surgeon who claimed to have operated on Kanye West’s mother before she died said he did nothing wrong, and that her death could have been caused by other medical problems.

Dr. Jan Adams told celebrity Web site TMZ that he performed a tummy tuck and breast reduction on Donda West, but that she might have died from a heart attack, pulmonary embolism, or massive vomiting.

Adams said West consulted with him over a period of four months, often changing her mind about the surgery, according to the article posted late Monday.