Mike & The Moonpies + Jamie Lin Wilson / "Guitars, Cadillacs"

Cody Canada & Jamie Lin Wilson Cover "Angry All the Time"

Scott's Top 20 Albums of 2018

Last one! I promise. ~Trailer

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by Scott Colvin

1. Larkin Poe – Venom & Faith

Rebecca and Megan Lovell (formerly of the bluegrass band The Lovell Sisters with older sister Jessica) are mostly “known” as touring musicians for the likes of Kristian Bush and Elvis Costello…among others. On their fourth full-length album, the sisters absolutely hit the sublime with their powerful brand of roots rock and blues. Rebecca’s sultry and soulful vocals blend perfectly with Megan’s hot bluesy slide guitar licks for one of the finest albums in recent memory.

2. Brandi Carlile – By The Way, I Forgive You 

Brandi’s finest album since The Story (which will always be in my Top 10 of all-time). “The Joke” is simply gorgeous and a song of the year contender. This Dave Cobb produced platter got some serious Grammy nom love and for good reason. 

3. Jamie Lin Wilson – Jumping Over Rocks

4. Whitey Morgan and the 78s – Hard Times and White Lines 

5. Lindi Ortega - Liberty

6. Joshua Hedley – Mr. Jukebox

7. Ashley McBryde – Girl Going Nowhere 

8. Superchunk – What a Time to Be Alive

9. Shooter Jennings – Shooter

10. Blackberry Smoke – Find a Light

11. Sarah Shook & the Disarmers – Years

It’s not often I can look to my hometown for music pride. Let’s be honest, until Sarah Shook came around Foreigner’s Lou Gramm might be Rochester, NY’s most notable artist (C’Mon, admit it, “Jukebox Hero” and “Urgent” were freaking awesome). Shook is a total badass and this album proves it. 

 12. Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour

13. Dillon Carmichael – Hell on an Angel

14. Eric Church – Desperate Man

15. I’m With Her – See You Around

16. Muncie Girls – Fixed Ideals

17. Thunderpussy – S/T

This female foursome delivers with some serious 70s rock goodness. To be honest their debut EP Greatest Tits was a tighter effort, but since those songs are all on this LP it makes my list. 

18. Rhett Miller – The Messenger

19. Cody Jinks - Lifers

20. Holly Golightly – Do the Get Along

Farce the Music's Top 10 Songs of 2018

Here are my top 10 songs of 2018 (#s 11-30 here). There's a Spotify playlist of 1-30 at the bottom. 

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10. Fantastic Negrito – Transgender Biscuits

I don't have a clue what this song is about but it's so much fun. Maybe it's about how stuff's tough all over for everybody, so we might as well have a good time and love everybody while we're at it. Maybe it's about biscuits. Whatever.

9. Jamie Lin Wilson – Death & Life

8. Caitlyn Smith – This Town Is Killing Me

7. Father John Misty – Please Don't Die

6. Ashley McBryde – Tired of Being Happy

5. Cody Jinks – Colorado

4. Lori McKenna – The Lot Behind St. Mary's

3. Lucie Silvas – My Old Habits

Expertly crafted, well -produced, strongly performed bar rock is one of my musical sweet spots and this gets right in there. It was stuck in my head for days on end and that never became annoying. Lucie sings the hell out of this song. It gives me some Bonnie Raitt vibes, and that's never a bad thing.

2. Ruston Kelly – Faceplant

Catchy misery is one of my musical sweet spots and this is a bullseye. "Not even angels came around" really drove it home. 

1. YOB – Our Raw Heart

Epic, emotional, visceral, tortured. "Our Raw Heart" conjures images of mountains rising, of ice cliffs smashing into one another, of 90 foot waves falling against the shore, continents sliding into the sea. It's gigantic, ugly, and beautiful all at once. YOB nearly didn't exist into 2018; its singer Mike Scheidt almost died of intestinal issues in 2017. The album was a statement of survival and growth after trauma, and this, the title song, was its raw, beating heart. A cathartic masterpiece.

Farce the Music's Top 10 Albums of 2018

Like numbers 11-25, these were voted on by all Farce the Music contributors.

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10. Dallas Moore - Mr. Honky Tonk

This is the album where Dallas Moore took a huge step forward. He's always been good, but on Mr. Honky Tonk, the songwriting, vocals, and especially the production all came together. Normally I'd not even consider voting for an album with only 8 tunes, but when the material is this strong, there's nothing wrong with delivering a short, powerful punch. Moore knows for damn sure who he is and on Mr. Honky Tonk, that comes through loud and clear. Check out "You Know the Rest" and "Somewhere Between Bridges." ~Trailer

9. Whitey Morgan & The 78s - Hard Times & White Lines

When it comes to straight-up, hard-edged country, there's not a single person doing it better than Whitey Morgan.  He and his band have again written a damn incredible country album.  You can always bet the bank on Morgan to only release the best of the best.  You will not get filler or cheap songs.  You're going to get songs about living out on the road, the things that does to relationships, and ways to pass the time when out on the road.  It ain't a pretty life, but when Morgan sings about it, it sure makes you wanna try it out for a while. ~Matthew Martin

8. Ruston Kelly - Dying Star

One for the misfits, but who among us isn’t one? At times depressing, funny and hopeful, and with a dash of redemptive potential. And it’s oh, so very pleasing to the ear. Comparisons to Ryan Adams are inevitable. So far, though, Mr. Kelly doesn’t seem to be a full-of-himself douche. ~Kevin Broughton

7. American Aquarium - Things Change

When BJ lost his band a couple of years ago due to whatever reasons, I thought the American Aquarium name would be retired.  Instead, BJ found a new backing band and came back stronger than ever.  These are some BJ's strongest songs he's written since Burn. Flicker. Die. And, the band!  I'll be damned if this band doesn't seem even tighter.  When BJ has been at his lowest point, band-wise, he's given us masterpieces and this album is no exception.  ~MM

6. Joshua Hedley - Mr. Jukebox

The soul of Mr. Jukebox is decidedly unhip by mainstream Nashville standards, but the songs are glorious throwbacks to guys like Ernest Tubb, George Jones or Buck Owens. The reason Mr. Jukebox succeeds is his backbone of traditionalism, not only in character, but also because of Ole’ Hed’s dedication to the heart of real country music. Hedley’s fiddle furiously battles his smooth vocal runs with a multi-disciplined attack that's just damned good music. Joshua Hedley can strum a guitar, sing with a clean, clear harmonious range, and write lyrics that are not only witty, but also painstakingly crafted so that the words on some of the record’s tracks land like guy punches. ~Robert Dean

5. Cody Jinks - Lifers

Cody is just taunting the Satanists running Nashville now, showing these soulless, undead beings what a country record could be on their radio stations. ~KB

I remember when I first heard Cody Jinks a few years ago, I wasn't immediately a fan.  I don't remember what made me think that- maybe just wasn't in the right headspace or something.  But, that has completely changed.  Jinks released the album that will likely (and seems to already have) boost him to the ranks of Simpson or, potentially even Stapleton.  Jinks's voice is velvety smooth and his band is right on the mark.  The songs are a perfect mix of hard-life livers, hard-night havers, and hard-love lovers.  It's incredibly relatable to those listening and it's the kind of tunes we've come to expect out of Jinks over the last few years.  Yet another very good album in Jinks's short, but incredibly respectable output. ~MM

4. Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour

An album chock full of beautifully arranged, damn-near perfectly delivered, radio-ready singles that for some reason didn't find their way to Country Radio. It's a shame that format has bent over backwards to completely ignore and ostracize women because Musgraves made the best Country record of the year by a wide margin. I guess the Country Radio folks need to make sure there's always enough room on the charts for any dude named Luke who might decide to release a single at some point. ~Kasey Anderson

3. Brandi Carlile - By the Way, I Forgive You

Brandi’s finest album since The Story (which will always be in my Top 10 of all-time). “The Joke” is simply gorgeous and a song of the year contender. This Dave Cobb produced platter got some serious Grammy nom love and for good reason. ~Scott Colvin

2. Jamie Lin Wilson - Jumping Over Rocks

I’ll be honest, this album is so beautifully understated in its delivery that I almost had it around number 12. Then I sat down & listened again. What Jamie Lin Wilson has done is monumental. She covers perhaps the greatest song Guy Clark ever wrote, and it fits the album. If you’re looking for who’s going to fill those shoes, the answer is still “nobody”, but this album is a tour de force. Jamie Lin Wilson is a generational talent who deserves every bit of acclaim she receives, and then some.  ~Kelcy Salisbury

I love this freaking album. So classy and classic sounding. "The Being Gone" and "Death and Life" are amazing songs. ~Trailer

1. Lucero - Among the Ghosts

To follow Lucero's career has been an amazing transition from country/punk 4 piece to a straight-up Memphis rock and roll band complete with a horns section. For their 9th (or 10th if you count The Attic Tapes) studio album, the guys took it back to their roots and left the horns out for the most part.  What they gave us was their best album since 1372 Overton Park.  It's a musically concise album cutting away any fat and letting the songs and band speak for themselves.  Ben Nichols has written some of his most interesting songs to date about Civil War battles, touring, and shoot-outs.  In a catalog full of incredible albums, this one is certainly at the top. ~MM

Good to see Farce the Music's unofficial house band finally make our top spot! ~Trailer

New Video / Jamie Lin Wilson / "The Being Gone"

From the wonderful Jumping Over Rocks.

Country Horror Album Covers 2018

WWE Country Reaction Gifs 33

When you hear somebody say they love country music then their Sam Hunt ringtone goes off

When the guy in the next cubicle's been playing FGL all day

If somebody handed me a bunch of tickets to a Luke Bryan concert

 Country radio, slowly being dragged down into irrelevance

Still more country than Kane Brown

When Sturgill Simpson produces his own album

New Jamie Lin Wilson album Friday?

♫ In my opinion, there's nothing in this world

Beats a '52 Vincent and a red-headed girl ♫

Jamie Lin Wilson Performs "Dusty Shoes"

Jamie Lin Wilson / "Old Oldsmobile" / Texas Music Scene

Bruce Robison and Jamie Lin Wilson Perform "Travelin' Soldier"

Jamie Lin Wilson, Sunny Sweeney, Brennen Leigh, & Courtney Patton cover Conway

Jamie Lin Wilson Performs "Just Like Heartache" on Texas Music Scene

Turnpike Troubadours & Jamie Lin Wilson Perform "Call a Spade a Spade"

Country Doppelgängers: Isbell, Old Dominion, Luke Combs, etc.

Young Jason Isbell and young Orson Welles

"Hurricane" singer Luke Combs and actor Jonah Hill

Brett Eldredge and Silicon Valley actor/Verizon pitchman Thomas Middleditch

New country singer/Maren Morris' boyfriend Ryan Hurd and WWE superstar Seth Rollins

Singer-songwriter Jamie Lin Wilson and The Walking Dead's Lauren Cohan

Chris Lane and modern day Boy George have similar taste in hair styles, facial hair, and floral shirts

Old Dominion and ...yep....

Sunday Mornin' Music: Jamie Lin Wilson

Jamie Lin Wilson Covers Mark Chesnutt

Country Horror Movie Posters 2015: Musgraves, Monroe, Shires, etc.

Top Albums of 2015: Kelcy's 2/3 Report

*Editor's note: I'm too busy at work to actually edit and fact-check this, other than one date, but it needs to be posted today, so here's the raw info with no links and such. Kelcy's back and talking some great music, so go track 'em down if it sounds interesting!




by Kelcy Salisbury

There's been a ton of good music released this year, so much that a number of sources have compiled half-year "Best Of" lists.  Since my mom cut off the internet to the basement, my version of the list will be a 2/3 year list.  Also, work. 

So here are a few things I've really enjoyed & some more that I'm looking forward to.  This is not a ranking, but anything here, could be at or near the top of a year-end list.

Best of the first 2/3 of 2015 (and other years)

1. The Deslondes.  I know the whole "vintage" look/sound combo is beyond overdone & worn out, but these guys will make you believe it, and cover enough ground on their self-titled album to prove that they could only have come from New Orleans. 

2. Lindi Ortega.  She just dropped an album, Faded Gloryville, that is drawing rave reviews from all over, including from me, if I can find time to write it.  She made an epic, mic-drop moment statement about the whole situation with women in mainstream country music, and really the music business as a whole.  She is a darling of what few gatekeepers appear to remain in place, and she looks poised for a huge career boost. 

3. Jackson Taylor & The Sinners.  The most reinvented band in the business might have dropped the most fun album of 2015 so far, a statement that seems far removed from where this band has been.  Cantina Diablo sounds like Elvis & Johnny Cash spent an afternoon in a rural Mexican cantina circa 1955, or at least what I would want that to sound like.  The material isn't new but it doesn't need to be.  There is a lot to be said for a musician that makes the music he wants to make, and Jackson Taylor has always strived to.  Word is that Jackson will be moving off bass and back to rhythm guitar for the band, they continue to tour heavily, cementing a following in the upper midwest that rivals that of much bigger names. Check out the new album, and catch a live show from one of the hardest working bands on the road today.

4. Whitey Morgan & The 78s.  Sonic Ranch was a revelation.  So much of the album was covers, but it didn't matter a bit.  A handful of tattooed bearded dudes from the country music mecca of Flint, Michigan were getting press from Rolling Stone & other mainstream outlets because they made one of the finest country records in recent memory.  Their spaghetti-western take on Townes Van Zandt's classic "Waiting Around To Die" is incredible.  The buzz that they've built with their live shows is remarkable & they too are poised to grab a bigger piece of attention.

5.  Cody Angel.  I hadn't caught a Jason Boland & The Stragglers live show since last September, and in the mean time, Roger Ray had left the road being replaced by Cody Angel.  I stopped by George's Majestic in Fayetteville,AR to catch up with The Stragglers in late May, and the first person I saw was this kid that looked about 19 (I think he's 22) getting off the bus & I thought "That's cool.  That kid was probably a big fan & getting to hang out with the band made his day."  Then he strapped on a guitar & made me feel like a moron for close to two hours.  He doesn't play like Roger, but he's not intimidated by the shoes he had to step into, and he has earned his spot.  If there are any non-believers left at this point, go see a show.  Cody Angel is awesome.  

6. Shinyribs.  I have been hearing about this band, and seeing them praised by folks like Cody Canada piqued my interest.  Okra Candy is the current album, released earlier this year, but there is a string of albums out there, and they are all very strong.  Okra Candy is well worth a listen, will likely be on my year-end list, and comes highly approved for dance-ability by toddlers, which is a story for another day.  Shinyribs isn't just some Gourds side project.  Kevin Russell is all-in on this one & if you're a fan of the funkier stuff coming out of New Braunfels these days you'll enjoy it.

7. Charlie Robison.  I know High Life was not released this year, but I didn't listen to it last year (Editor's note: or 2013, when it was actually released :)), because frankly, I thought the Live At Billy Bob's album fell a little flat & Charlie's voice hadn't sounded great to me in a little while.  When I finally did listen to High Life it pretty much blew me away.  He nailed it from A to Z & I was wrong. 

8. Jason Isbell.  I'm sure opinions vary, but I like Something More Than Free better than Southeastern.  Both are absolutely essential listening, and right now there may be no more important voice in independent music than Jason Isbell, even though he didn't audition for The Voice.

9. Mike & The Moonpies.  When I saw Jason Boland & The Stragglers this May, these guys were the openers.  I wasn't planning on checking out their set, but Brad Rice has never steered me wrong musically, and he said I'd like it.  He was right.  Straight ahead country music, with no frills but plenty of clever songwriting, an engaging stage show & a name just goofy enough to be memorable.  Highly suggested if you like Boland, Jarrod Birmingham, etc.

10. Courtney Patton.  So This Is Life is a great album.  Until this year I had mostly only heard Courtney's work on harmony vocals with her husband, Jason Eady, but she grabbed my attention.  It's an embarrassment that women don't get a fair shake at country radio, and Courtney Pattons work throws the quality of what little does get radio play into sharp contrast.  She may have 2 strikes against her since she also makes actual country music, along with being female, but this lady deserves a much larger audience.

11. Jamie Lin Wilson.  As a member of The Trishas I was already familiar with Wilson, but her new album, Holidays & Wedding Rings, is a slam dunk of a solo project.  Much like the prior entry on this list, Wilson may have 2 strikes against her, but it hasn't hurt her artistic output.  Everything I just said about women in country music goes double for Jamie Lin Wilson.


Some Things I'm looking forward to:

1. Squelch.  New Jason Boland & The Stragglers.  Thoughtful songwriting, and yet another masterful album from a band with few peers.  Comes out October 9th.  Go pre-order at Jason Boland & The Stragglers Band - Home.

2. Lindi Ortega.  I will be catching a live show in a few weeks.  Can't wait to hear the best female voice in country music today live. 

3. The Damn Quails.  I know I already have Out Of The Birdcage & have reviewed it (coming soon), but it doesn't release until Friday.  It is good to have the Quails back making new music.

4. Turnpike Troubadours.  The self-titled album is coming soon.  What I've heard of it sounds great.  One or more songs are remakes from the little known Bossier City release, I keep expecting this band to make a big break-through a la Sturgill Simpson or Kacey Musgraves.  Maybe this album is the one.

Jamie Lin Wilson Performs "You Left My Chair"