Big Sigh. My cold evil, black heart is heavy today. I am not sure I can even muster up anything snide or snarky. I am just going to write about what I feel like writing. Suck it.
I heard this really sad news yesterday and it literally made my guts wrench…
May 2, 2010 3:36 p.m.
A Harris County man upset about loud music from neighbor’s party has been arrested on a murder charge in a triple shooting that left one man dead and two others injured.
Raul Rodriguez remained in Harris County jail Sunday with no bond. A jail official had no attorney information for the 44-year-old.
The man hosting his wife’s birthday party, 36-year-old Kelly Danaher, was killed in the shooting early Sunday morning.
The injured included a Houston fire captain — Senior Capt. Ricky Johnson, who was attending the gathering. A fire official says Johnson was shot in the stomach.
The Houston Chronicle reports that he was in critical condition Sunday at Ben Taub General Hospital.
A third man who was shot in the leg was treated and released.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
I guess the news that one of the victims was Ben and Brett Danaher’s brother has been spread. I will never understand senseless acts of violence. I just don’t understand. I wish I had a strong enough faith to just say things like this are God’s will…but I don’t.
This comment was posted yesterday and I think it says everything that I can’t:
It’s times like this where this music community needs to remember what we do share, a love of music, and use that commonality to reach out to someone who really needs it. I can’t even imagine what his family is dealing with right now, and, believe it or not, every prayer and well wish counts.
In other sad news to go with my melancholy mood, how devastating is all the flooding in Nashville? Its just awful.
This is the inside of the Opry House.
Oh….I know this isn’t “Red Dirt” but I have a story…and I loves me some story telling! Chely Wright is a lesbian! Yes, a real life lesbian…not one of those Panty Row faux lesbianic hump dancing lesbians that do it for attention…
(PEOPLE.com) — Country singer Chely Wright’s reasoning was sound. “There had never, ever been a country music artist who had acknowledged his or her homosexuality,” she tells PEOPLE. “I wasn’t going to be the first.”
But now Wright is changing her tune. “Nothing in my life has been more magical than the moment I decided to come out,” she says.
Wright, 39, recalls of her youth in the South: “I don’t have a memory in my life that doesn’t include the dream of making music.” But during her childhood and rapid ascent to fame in the county world, she also experienced a community in which homosexuality was shunned. “I hid everything for my music,” says Wright.
The singer-songwriter, who has won both an Academy of Country Music and a Country Music award, will later this week release her memoir, “Like Me,” as well as her first album in five years, “Lifted off the Ground.”
She’ll also appear on the Today Show Wednesday to discuss her personal journey.
I say good for her. I hope she finds the right woman and gets married and adopts 14 Haitian babies. I personally think gays should be able to be married…Momma Ballou always said everyone has the right to be miserable. That crazy Momma!
Story time…a few years back I went with my Posse to see Gary Allan in Brownwood and Chely was opening. You think Panty Row is rough at a Stoney show? You should try Panty Row at a Gary Allan show…its more dangerous than being on stage at the Calf Fry! Those Diesel Sniffing whores are HARD CORE and that night they met their match with the Chely Wright fans. Oh yeah, big time She-Mullet wearing, chain belt having, steel toed boot wearing Rosie O’ Donnell look alikes. There was a big batch of them that traveled from out of state to see her show and I knew that their gaydars couldn’t all be wrong. Those 85 pound girls didn’t have a shot at getting close to the stage that night. You go you lesbians!
One thing Chely, I am glad you “came out” to the world…but you came out to the world the day before your first new album in five years came out. Hey, I ain’t hatin on you, but hellllloooo…come on! You didn’t even get the cover of People…at least Doogie Howser got the cover! Don’t sweat it sister, be who you are. And maybe you can get booked on the Lilithfair Tour.
I am just going to call it right now…the next one out of the closet is Natalie Maines.
Just kiddin’.
I just had to share this…it made me totally smile. As a reader of the Mother Hubbard’s for a long time I squealed out loud when I saw this in the Summer 2010 copy of Music Fest Magazine…and yes, call me out bitches, because I am name dropping!
Dear MH
I am from Oklahoma and have been a fan of both Texas Music and the music coming out of Oklahoma for years. More and more though I am noticing that the terms Red Dirt and Texas Music are used together or Texas artists are called Red Dirt and Oklahoma artists are called Texas artists. What gives?
Confused
Tulsa, OK
Dear What Gives,
You are not the only one confused and I will be glad to set the record straight once and for all. I trotted over to www.ritaballou.blogspot.com(brilliantly funny so do check it out.) as lovely Rita digs all things Red Dirt and Ms. Rita when asked didn’t seem to know the difference either. So I have some splainin’ to do.
Around the time the Red Dirt Rangers then Ragweed, Wade Bowen, Stoney LaRue, Jason Boland etc. started playing in Texas quit a bit then ultimately several of them moved down here the term which originated in OK long beforehand became the term used to distinguish these new bands from being thrown into the “Texas Music” pool. I mean after all Okies don’t want to be called Texan anything even if it is where most of their money was being made. Can’t say that I blame them either.
There is no distinction in the sound as far as “what does Red Dirt or Texas Music sound like as they both have the too country for rock and too rock for country, a little bit of folk, blues, bluegrass, roots sound. If you read Billboard Magazine from 1973 to about 79 while the Progressive Outlaw Country Scene was developing in Texas you will see the exact same description for Texas Music as the Red Dirt musicians are using to describe their sound. So it’s all good original roots music just born from different states.
Mr. Hubbard was doing an interview recently with a radio personality and was asked “How does it feel to be one of the founding fathers of the Red Dirt Scene”? He was speechless and rightly so. He was not one of the founders of the Red Dirt Scene, he was one of the founders of the Texas Music Scene. A week later he was approached at SXSW by a journalist from the Netherlands who was visiting Texas for the first time. The first question he was asked was “where is all the red dirt? I thought the ground was going to be all red dirt!”. Therein lies the problem in throwing terms around without knowing what the hell they even mean. The Okies started a movement of new bands moving to Texas and they have every right to be proud of the music and the scene they brought here. But make no mistake, Texans had their own music scene and unique sound as well so unless you Texans are willing to give up your musical heritage to the Red Dirt flag forever you might just want to pay attention and remain proud to call yourselves Texans and leave it at that.
Xxx
MH
I thought that could be a fun discussion for today’s blog, but I am not sure you vultures can behave. Can we try? I just always called it Red Dirt…hell, what do I know?
Two last things before I head out….
#1. I have to send out a SERIOUS Thank You to Mrs. Ren Sky for actually paying $150 bucks for my silent action item at the Wade Bowen Classic! I couldn’t believe it! $150 bucks goes to an awesome charity for a bucket of Dollar Tree junk, a Bump it, and a bottle of Tito’s Vodka! From what I heard the Concert/Golf Tourny made over $100,000 dollars! That’s great…and Mrs. Sky, you rock that Bump it and that ugly ass cross necklace! AND…I want you to put that Bedazzler to good use! Do me proud sister. (And don’t try to run DNA and fingerprint tests on things, I used gloves.)
#2. I got a disturbing email from Facebook. Apparently “someone” tried to access the Rita Ballou account from a 3rd party computer that they did not recognize. I had to go back in and change all the passwords, ect. Really guys? COME ON…I rarely use that Facebook account but that is just dumb. Why waste your time and energy? I am pretty sure it was only Brandon Jenkins’s trying to get my phone number to ask me out for coffee, but really…shame shame shame on you.
Enjoy your day!
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Red Dirt = shitty rock n roll bands
Texas Music = shitty country bands
Country Music = shitty pop-rock bands w/ steel or fiddle
combine them "Texas-Red Dirt Country Music" = Shitty music.
(And don't try to run DNA and fingerprint tests on things, I used gloves.)
I LOVE YOUR WIT!
And the comments start off with a bang. Hopefully the comment area will not implode from someone tossing out the bait
Some of you might find interest in this.
http://reddirtdoc.wordpress.com/trailer/
Oh, and to add, the flooding is at the Grand Old Opry house, NOT the Ryman. The Opry was in the Ryman from 1943 until 1974, when it moved to the Opry House. Still a sad situation in many parts of Tenn.
So sad for the Danahers, so sad for Nashville… and for whatever the Ballou clan is going through, sending prayers and good thoughts to all of you.
My first concert in Texas was Pat Green, opened up for by Gary Allan, at Concrete Street in Corpus. I was just a wee little music fan then, but let me tell you … I think I got contact diesel high. I agree, they're a rare breed of DSers.
Being from Chicago, when someone asks me what I listen to, I say "Alt Country"… no one knows what the hell "red dirt" or "Texas Country" means. So it's a safe generalization. And it means I can secretly listen to Wade Bowen but lump it in with Jason Isbell and Ryan Adams as a cover (all of which I'm in love with… so it works).
Thanks for the Tuesday Tastiness… DEFINITELY needed some of that today!
I realize the response in italics was reprinted from the MusicFest Magazine, and far be it from me to correct Mother Hubbard…. But, since when is Wade from Oklahoma??
Its the place where all our boys have played. Wade, Randy, ect. That means alot to me and the flooding is just devistating. Not to mention their is no coverage of it on the news. It upsets me that people seems more concerned about helping Haiti than helping our own.
OH! And for the record, I don't think Natalie Maines is a flannel-wearer. I think she had to pull a Britney Spears-esque "No, I don't do coke, I just dropped 10 pounds because it'd help me pull off the buzz cut" kind of deal.
The real question is how to classify a musician who grows up in Oklahoma's red dirt, goes to college in Texas, and then goes to Nashville to make a record… hmmm…
I've snarkily remarked before that you will only find waltzes in Texas Country because they can't count to 3 in Oklahoma… but there is some truth to this.
"Its the place where all our boys have played. Wade, Randy, ect. That means alot to me and the flooding is just devistating. Not to mention their is no coverage of it on the news. It upsets me that people seems more concerned about helping Haiti than helping our own. "
RIGHT? I heard about this from Twitter. I had no idea since I worked all day yesterday that any of this was going on. Sad for music… regardless of how much some of that music might suck.
Anon #1: if you feel that way … then why are you even here?
I always give Red Dirt more geographical weight than genre/sound relevance. Point being, you wouldn't say Ragweed and Boland *really* sound anything alike, but you'd still call them both Red Dirt in context.
Red Dirt = originated in Stillwater (or NE OK) with a lean towards a "rootsy/country sound"; Childers, Skinner, Crouch, Red Dirt Rangers, LaFave … on into the Great Divide and Medicine Show … and holding water these days with Ragweed, McClure, Stragglers, Stoney, Jenkins, No Justice, Turnpike Troubadours, etc, etc, etc.
Texas Music = well, that's pretty obvious. The first time I heard the Texas Music label it was in the context of Stevie Ray Vaughn – so it may be more geographical as well. Besides, most "Texas Music" artists aren't from Texas … even the above mention Mr. Hubbard, a "founding father of the Texas Music scene" is from Oklahoma.
RyinNotRyan … That was an astounding analysis of the Red Dirt/Texas Country Debacle…
Maybe they need to teach a college course on the subject. Because I'm still confused.
Hubbard moved to Dallas when he was in elementary school though. It's not like he grew up in Oklahoma…
And my comment about Hubbard being from Oklahoma wasn't an "OK vs TX" stab – I equally like my Texan transplants from all states; like Idaho, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi …
I only have one beef with Oklahoma in general. They recruit all their football talent from Texas. :)
I just call it OKOM now, that way it covers it all. I'm not sure if the Ranch started that term or not, but I know that is where I first heard it many years ago.
Just in case you haven't heard the term OKOM = Our Kind of Music
Please don't open the football debates. The comments will never make it back to music.
I use the term Red Dirt because people ask me "what kind of music do you play" if you reply "Texas Country" they think all you play is songs about floating the river, drinking beer and listening to Jerry Jeff. I know it is much more then that, but there is a big stereotype about "Texas Country" out there, and it is bad right now. If you say Red Dirt, they either don't know what it is and you can explain, or they usually have a good stereotype about it.
I'd just like to say that the Opry and other music venues should be Nashville's least of concern. There are people without homes right now and need our help. Why donate to the opry when people are in need of dry clothes and food…. If you are gonna donate, give to those in need. You can hear music on the radio but not the cries of those that need it most.
I don't think anyone was asking for donations for the Opry. Those Gaylords have plenty of money to rebuild. I am sickened by the fact that right here in America a major city was flooded but because it didn't cause the number of deaths you can't even find it on the home page of Yahoo. Here's hoping all the "john riches" in Nashville with give back. We can have star studded telethons for Haiti but we can't even get coverage for one of our cities.
RIP – Kelly Danaher! Prayers for Ben and the Danaher family!!!
I am from Texas so I keep the term Texas Country. We have had this scene and industry far before you were hearing anything referred to as "Red Dirt". Red Dirt is in OK, not as much in Texas. Texas is where the money is made for these artists. You have several OK transplants in the scene but they are far out-numbered by the Texas guys so I see no reason to change the term to Red Dirt and I honestly think it sounds stupid anyway. They make their money and their careers here in an industry that was here and already famous far before them and their red dirt label. Assimilate or go home. Just like if you come here from Mexico, learn the language and assimilate.
We could change the whole damn thing to something that isn't region specific like OKOM or Alt Country or Americana. That's fine. I just want to pop people for calling it Red Dirt. Especially people from Texas.
bob schneider is my favorite red dirt musician
Sometimes I call it Red Dirt, sometimes Texas country or alt country. Whatever I call it, I have to explain myself because most people around here don't know what the heck I'm talking about. And I'm not from Texas or Oklahoma.
Country rock is what I call it but I believe it is really just ameiricana
92.1 kicks ass
Hey anon 1:09, really? Violence over a music genre label?
Wow.
Gary P Nunn is from Oklahoma and all he sings about is Texas.
Wade is most definitely not from OK.
East Texas is all red dirt… And pine trees.
Would Texas Music involve all music from Texas? (Willie, Gary P, Stevie Ray, The Toadies, ZZ Top, Pantera, etc.)
Yeah t-shirt guy. I'm really SO serious that I would really hit someone for saying red dirt. Really really. Violence. Whatever.
I could just kill people sometimes. Ever say that but not mean it literally? Like I just did?
I know a kid who was arrested for "just saying that" like you just did. I don't really think he deserved to go to jail, but just sayin…
Semantics. There's only good music and bad music. And we got plenty of one side.
I don't care what you call it, but turn it up!
I live in Lubbock and I agree Natalie Is a lesbian. One time I was drunker than shit on the front row and she didn't even pick me.
There seems to be a lot of lesbians out there. I wonder if its my chiapet back hair. I can't wait to break out that new speedo. It's a smedium.
ohhh speedos that is scary!!!
I realize the response in italics was reprinted from the MusicFest Magazine, and far be it from me to correct Mother Hubbard…. But, since when is Wade from Oklahoma??
Anonymous 10:05
My bad, I copied my rough draft and sent it to Rita but the final copy which is in the magazine this month does not have Wade in the bunch. Sorry about that Rita…
By the way sister, it's Mother Hubbard. Let's drop the "Old" shall we dear.
I use the term Red Dirt because people ask me "what kind of music do you play" if you reply "Texas Country" they think all you play is songs about floating the river, drinking beer and listening to Jerry Jeff. I know it is much more then that, but there is a big stereotype about "Texas Country" out there, and it is bad right now. If you say Red Dirt, they either don't know what it is and you can explain, or they usually have a good stereotype about it.
May 4, 2010 12:19 PM
Ok, now this strikes me as funny. So what you are saying is that if you call shitty Texas Music "Red Dirt" then you can play it without anyone figurin' it out? Oh…I see, mmmm… (scratch head and scrunch nose).
Mother
OUCH…my bad MH! That one slipped through…I was thinking nursery rhymes!
*Note to self, NO OLD*
If I wasn't really OLD I wouldn't care but you will see one day….once you get there it's a sensitive subject!
OKOM has been used by those that listen to Jazz music for years. But like anything, we Texans want to claim it as our own term, exclusive to us. ;-)
MH had the origins and distinctions right.
or we could go with Texas poet laureate Steve Fromholz's description: "free-form, country-folk rock, science-fiction, gospel-gum, bluegrass opera, cowjazz music." The natural outflow of the Great Texas Progressive Music Scare of the 1970's.
Calling Texas music "Red Dirt" is like calling Al Capone a cheesehead.
I am honoured that some of you still remember me.LOL.
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