The Crud Report: January '21

Country TwitterWINs: October '19

 Foul language warning

The Melancholy Sounds of Chris King and The Darkness

By Robert Dean

There’s “Texas Country,” and then there’s Texas Country. The Lone Star State pumps out an impressive number of bands and artists, that absolutely change the game, but there’s a lot of stuff that sucks beyond words, too. We’ve got the red dirt and the outlaw thing down to a science, but ho-lee-shit, the pop stuff people try to pass off as legit ain’t exactly what someone would call a “good time.” Texas is a prominent place in the country music lore. There are a lot of conflicting ideas of what the state should sound like - we’re overrun with dorks in an oversized dress shirt and a bad cowboy hat try to get people excited about tailgating in a field. Because we’ve not heard that scenario in song form over a bazillion time. 

Thankfully, we’ve got a healthy center of gravity with acts like Scott H. Biram, Dale Watson, Black Eyed Vermillion, and Chris King holding it down.

On Chris King’s new record, Lone Rats, the central Texas singer-songwriter taps into some of the tried and true Texas themes while keeping far away from the tired bullshit. The songs are stripped down, honest, flawed, and raw – precisely what one should expect from a solo singer-songwriter. These songs tackle those issues we think about lying in bed, wondering where we fucked up, how it all went wrong, and in those fantastic, and rare cases, what we did to make it go right. 

Lone Rats is all over the place, it’s got some uplifting tunes about flowers, and it dwells a little long in the darkness, it’s a lot of colors, but that’s what makes this collection fun. King recorded it in the back of the furniture shop he works at with a bunch of other musicians in the middle of the night, in the dark. Which is a fitting vibe for the sound of the songs. King also played all of the instruments on the record, which also gives it an interesting flair. 

If you’re in the mood to experiment, check this collection of jangly Texas tunes. Give Chris King a listen or at least talk shit to him on Twitter about college football. Whatever road you take, get him on your radar. There might be a little mud on the tracks, but they ain’t some high-dollar Nashville bullshit. 

Lone Rats is out October 4.

Midland: Their Back Story

I'm not sure who started this hashtag #midlandbackstory. JD (@windfarmtx) had the first tweet with it included that I can find, but I imagine it grew out of all the trash talking between him and Charlie Stout and Chris King about the group. Regardless of how it began, it's Twitter gold… even if you like Midland. 

At 12, the Midland bassist saved his dog from a rattlesnake by grabbing the snake by the tail & popping it like a bullwhip #midlandbackstory

— JD (@windfarmtx) September 25, 2017

One morning the bass player had a beer for breakfast, which wasn't bad, so he had another for desert #midlandbackstory

— Seth (@solidbodytwang) September 25, 2017

As a young band, Midland asked their agent to book San Quentin because they needed a break from the rough honky tonks #midlandbackstory

— JD (@windfarmtx) September 25, 2017

At age 16 the bassist and lead guitar drove cattle from Texas to Montana with one of their party dying of snake bites #midlandbackstory

— Carter Estes (@CarterEstes34) September 26, 2017

The lead singer once gave a guy a ride and it turned out he was a ghost named Harv or something like that #midlandbackstory

— Seth Wilson (@TheJackalopeTX) September 27, 2017

Once they cancelled a show due to “injury sustained during warmup” (cut finger backstage on a broken Zima bottle.) #midlandbackstory

— Charlie Stout (@charliestout) September 27, 2017

Cancelled a weekend run through West Texas when their “van broke down” (they put unleaded gas in their diesel Sprinter) #midlandbackstory

— Charlie Stout (@charliestout) September 27, 2017

On moonlit nights, Gram Parson’s ghost can be seen wandering Joshua Tree. Unrelatedly, three dudes formed a band. #midlandbackstory

— Seth Wilson (@TheJackalopeTX) September 27, 2017

3 guys set out to be the Best Honky Tonk Band in Texas. After several grueling hours they settled for being Sparkliest #midlandbackstory

— Seth Wilson (@TheJackalopeTX) September 27, 2017

Picked up after telling audience they were itchy from drug use, but let go when they confessed it was self tanner allergy. #midlandbackstory

— Farce the Music (@Farcethemusic) September 27, 2017

Legend has it if you film a turqoise pack of American Spirits for 10k hrs with the right instagram filter, a band appears #midlandbackstory

— Seth Wilson (@TheJackalopeTX) September 27, 2017

Outside of speaking Spanish,talent, an accordion, the band's followed in the footsteps of 90's supergroup "Texas Tornados" #midlandbackstory

— Seth (@solidbodytwang) September 27, 2017

They once spent $5,000 in one weekend on goofy hats , polyester shirts, mustache oil and torn jeans but forgot the boots #midlandbackstory

— James (@jamesschlueder) September 27, 2017

Cowboy Curtis' favorite band. #midlandbackstory pic.twitter.com/Si9h9V7EdA

— Donnie Brasco (@OneMillionBDC) September 27, 2017

All members were self taught even though they had lost their sense of smell at a very young age #midlandbackstory

— andrew gonzalez (@andytxdrummer) September 28, 2017

All 3 members escaped from a prison chain gang & started wearing beards & playing bluegrass tunes #midlandbackstory

— Chase Barnaba (@Chase_Barnaba) September 27, 2017

Honest Country Tweets: Shania Twain, Taste of Country, Shooter Jennings, etc.

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New Parody Album Covers: Cody Jinks, FGL, Aldean, Chris King

@DHWritesCountry's idea 

Parody Album Covers: Dierks Bentley, Lucinda Williams, etc.

FTM's Favorite Albums of 2013: 21-60

21. Two Cow Garage - Death of the Self-Preservation Society

22. Band of Heathens - Sunday Morning Record

23. Tim Easton - Not Cool

24. Quaker City Night Hawks - Honcho

25. Caitlin Rose - The Stand-in

26. Charlie Robison - High Times

27. Water Liars - Wyoming

28. Buffalo Gospel - We Can Be Horses

29. William Clark Green - Rose Queen

30. Doc Feldman and the LD50 - Sundowning at the Station

31. Lindi Ortega - Tin Star

32. Robbie Fulks - Gone Away Backward

33. Chris King - 1983

34. JJ Grey & Mofro - This River

35. Shinyribs - Gulf Coast Museum

36. Valerie June - Pushin' Against a Stone

37. The Wood Brothers - The Muse

38. The White Buffalo - Shadows, Greys and Evil Ways

39. Will Hoge - Never Give In

40. The Statesboro Revue - Ramble on Privilege Creek

41. Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis - Cheater's Game

42. Deer Tick - Negativity

43. J. Roddy Walston and The Business - Essential Tremors

44. The Mavericks - In Time

45. Javi Garcia - The Great Controversy

46. Jimbo Mathus - White Buffalo

47. The Winery Dogs - s/t

48. Holly Williams - The Highway

49. Alan Jackson - The Bluegrass Album

50. Red City Radio - Titles

51. Clutch - Earth Rocker

52. Charlie Worsham - Rubberband

53. North Mississippi Allstars - World Boogie is Coming

54. Zane Williams - Overnight Success

55. Cage the Elephant - Melophobia

56. Earl Sweatshirt - Doris

57. Hiss Golden Messenger - Haw

58. Chance the Rapper - Acid Rap

59. Jason Boland and the Stragglers - Dark and Dirty Mile

60. Dallas Moore Band - Blessed Be the Bad Ones

Very Honorable Mentions:

Bonnie Whitmore - There I Go Again, Bow Thayer and Perfect Trainwreck - Eden, The Devil Makes Three - I'm a Stranger Here, George Strait - Love is Everything, The Avett Brothers - Magpie and the Dandelion, The Weeks - Dear Bo Jackson, Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell - Old Yellow Moon, Dawes - Stories Don't End, I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch in the House - Mayberry, Jayke Orvis & the Broken Band - Bless This Mess, Owen Temple - Stories They Tell, Have Gun Will Travel - Fiction, Fact or Folktale?, Lorde - Pure Heroine, The Wild Feathers - s/t, Phosphorescent - Muchacho, Lincoln Durham - Exodus of the Deemed Unrighteous, Star Anna - Go to Hell, The Deadfields - Often Wrong Never in Doubt, Left Lane Cruiser - Rock Them Back to Hell, Hank 3 - Brothers of the 4x4, Kellie Pickler - The Woman I Am, D.B. Rielly - Cross My Heart + Hope to Die, Amanda Shires - Down Fell the Doves, Brett Detar - Too Free to Live, Blitzen Trapper - VII, Mando Saenz - Studebaker, Cody Canada - Some Old, Some New, Maybe a Cover or Two, Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City, Childish Gambino - Because the Internet

Favorite Songs of 2013 So Far

Best Albums of 2013 So Far: March

Well, now that we're a full 2 months into the year, I've had enough time with some new music to come up with the first "best of" (in my opinion) list of 2013. It looks to be another banner year, folks.

1. Shooter Jennings - The Other Life (Mar. 12)

(Review coming soon)

2. Ashley Monroe - Like a Rose

3. Jimbo Mathus - White Buffalo

4. Son Volt - Honky Tonk

5. Fifth on the Floor - Ashes & Angels (Mar. 12)

6. Bow Thayer and Perfect Trainwreck - Eden

7. The Stone Foxes - Small Fires

8. Night Beds - Country Sleep

9. Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis - Cheater's Game

10. Chris King - 1983