Monday Morning Memes: Morgan Wallen, Travis Tritt, Dan + Shay

 

25 Favorite Songs of 2025 So Far

 Beyond #1 & #2 I haven't ranked anything. Sue me.

1. Justin Wells - Til the Stars Won't Burn

2. Turnpike Troubadours - On the Red River

In no particular order:

Turnpike Troubadours - Heaven Passing Through

Vandoliers - Bible Belt

Patterson Hood - The Forks of Cypress

Noeline Hoffman - The Bullfighter

Jason Isbell - Gravelweed

Kat Hasty - Midland

Tobacco City - Mr. Wine

Jason Boland & The Stragglers - Truest Colors

Mark Morton ft. Charlie Starr & Jason Isbell - Come December

Jason Scott & The High Heat - Yardwork

Muscadine Bloodline - Ballad of the Blanton Brothers

Chaparelle - Bad Loving

Coltt Winter Lepley - Crack Cocaine

Ken Pomeroy - Flannel Cowboy

Cody Jinks - When Time Didn't Fly

Joe Stamm Band - Territory Town

Nikki Lane - Woodruff City Limit

James McMurtry - South Texas Lawman

Hailey Whitters - Casseroles

Hayes Carll - Progress of Man

Tanner Usrey - Smoke in the Air

Sunny Sweeney - Houston Belongs to Me

Ben Nichols - Fading Back Into the Night

Favorite Albums of 2025: First Half Report

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1. Turnpike Troubadours - The Price of Admission

2. Justin Wells - Cynthiana

3. James McMurtry - The Black Dog & The Wandering Boy

4. Tobacco City - Horses

5. Jason Isbell - Foxes in the Snow

6. Ken Pomeroy - Cruel Joke

7. Jason Scott & The High Heat - American Grin

8. Valerie June - Owls, Omens, And Oracles

9. The Wilder Blue - Still in the Runnin'

10. Kat Hasty - The Time of Your Life

11. Jason Boland & The Stragglers - The Last Kings of Babylon

12. Patterson Hood - Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams

13. Chaparelle - Western Pleasure

14. Charley Crockett - Lonesome Drifter

15. SG Goodman - Planting By the Signs

16. Will Stewart - Moon Winx

17. Jesse Daniel - Son of the San Lorenzo

18. Olivia Wolfe - Silver Rounds

19. JD Clayton - Blue Sky Sundays

20. Matt Daniel - The Poet

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Favorite EPs: 

1. Presley Haile - Off to Find a Sunny Day

2. Bleu Edmondson - To the End

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Other Albums I Like, In No Particular Order:

Them Coulee Boys - No Fun in the Chrysalis

Leon Majcen - Better Days

Juliet McConkey - Southern Front

Joshua Ray Walker - Tropicana

Annie DiRusso - Super Pedestrian

Nolan Taylor - s/t

Lola Kirke - Trailblazer

Sierra Hull - A Tip Toe Highwire

Tony Logue - Dark Horse

Joe Ely - Love and Freedom

My Politic - Signs of Life

Pug Johnson - El Cabron

Bonnie Prince Billy - The Purple Bird

Horsebath - Another Farewell

Kassi Valazza - From Newman Street

Ryan Sambol - Friend of the Show

Caylee Hammack - Bed of Roses

Ty Myers - The Select

Jesse Welles - Middle

Courtney Patton - Carry You With Me

Alison Krauss & Union Station - Arcadia

Kathryn Legendre - Here's Your Honky Tonk

Vandoliers - Life Behind Bars

The Statesboro Revue - s/t

Willie Nelson - Oh What a Beautiful World

Micky & the Motorcars - s/t

Caitlin Cannon - Love Addict

Hailey Whitters - Corn Queen

Willi Carlisle - Winged Victory

Parker McCollum - s/t

The Shootouts - Switchback

Favorite Albums of 2025: First Quarter Report

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Check 'em out if you haven't!

1. Justin Wells - Cynthiana

2. Tobacco City - Horses

3. Jason Isbell - Foxes in the Snow

4. The Wilder Blue - Still in the Runnin'

5. Lola Kirke - Trailblazer

6. Jason Boland & The Stragglers - The Last Kings of Babylon

7. Charley Crockett - Lonesome Drifter

8. JD Clayton - Blue Sky Sundays

9. Will Stewart - Moon Winx

10. Juliet McConkey - Southern Front

11. Patterson Hood - Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams

12. Nolan Taylor - s/t

13. Them Coulee Boys - No Fun in the Chrysalis

14. Horsebath - Another Farewell

15. Sierra Hull - A Tip Toe Highwire

Others I Dig

(in no particular order)

Matt Daniel - The Poet

Bonnie Prince Billy - The Purple Bird

Ryan Sambol - Friend of the Show

Olivia Wolfe - Silver Rounds

Jason Scott & The High Heat - American Grin

Caylee Hammack - Bed of Roses

Ty Myers - The Select

Willow Avalon - Southern Belle Raisin' Hell

Joe Ely - Love and Freedom

Jesse Welles - Middle

Courtney Patton - Carry You With Me

Tony Logue - Dark Horse

The War and Treaty - Plus One

Alison Krauss & Union Station - Arcadia

New(ish) Video / Justin Wells / "Sad, Tomorrow"

 From his excellent new album Cynthiana.

New Video / Justin Wells / "Counting Days"

Justin Wells Gives Back to Kentucky with "Blue Moon of Kentucky"

We don't post a lot of press releases verbatim here, but this is for an important cause... rebuilding Kentucky after the recent devastating tornado. And if you can't donate money, you can help out by simply streaming Justin Wells' excellent new cover of "Blue Moon of Kentucky!" 

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This year has been tough for everyone, but especially those who have been affected by natural disasters outside of their control. On December 10, 2021, Western Kentucky was hit by a tornado that caused catastrophic damage and killed 77 people and counting. Justin immediately started brainstorming ways to help the families who were directly affected. On December 14th, he went into the studio and recorded an emotional rendition of Bill Monroe’s classic, Blue Moon of Kentucky. We were able to turn the song around in 24 hours and release it exactly two weeks after recording. The point of recording and releasing the song is not about furthering Justin’s career, or chasing a viral moment, but is about creating hope for those who feel like all is lost. This song is very special to Justin as the people of Kentucky have given him and his family so much. Our pledge is to give 100% of streaming revenue to United Way of Kentucky’s Tornado Fund, with a portion immediately going to the Muhlenberg Music Mission.

Links to donate:

United Way - https://www.uwky.org/tornado

Muhlenberg Music Mission -

https://www.muhlenbergmusicmission.org/?fbclid=IwAR3Ca_SNjvLj8vJ-JWY5Q6kp-P2rr91Yl3SuEi72zIkc

I6TWQsI0LqUZECc

Links to song:

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/4vqSl9IeIDpeonzNCgO0Vx?si=bc2f1c243e23454e

Bandcamp - https://justinwells.bandcamp.com/track/blue-moon-of-kentucky

Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/album/blue-moon-of-kentucky-single/1602191422

Amazon Music -

https://music.amazon.com/albums/B09P878PB8?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&

ref=dm_sh_0pKztCWBUmUCmFntoyKnvYlEf

YouTube Music - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O014w1igvZ0

Reginald Spears vs. Niko Moon, Thomas Rhett, and Georgia

 

The Immediacy of Life with Justin Wells

Photo by Chad Cochran

By Robert Dean

When I called Justin Wells to talk to him about his latest record, The United State, I was in the trenches of a New Orleans-sized hangover. I'd gotten into town the night before and drank myself stupid to the point of sharing an All That Jazz po-boy from Verti Marte with a homeless dude named Mike. Jameson, so much PBR, and endless sketchy bars - yes, I got tested and wore a mask. I used to live in New Orleans, so anytime I drop into town, it's a waterfall of old friends, but then I start doing shots with them. I played it cool for the rest of the trip, but naturally, on the first night, I lost my shit. 

Setting up the interview, I wasn't a hard yes on my trip. But once I'd committed, I didn't want to flake, being what they call in the biz, "a professional." So, from the comfort of my Airbnb bed, I was renting from one of my friends, I made it to my call on time while not opening the blinds. The darkness kept me company as I sailed through the conversation, despite working through the throbbing in my teeth and head. Justin Wells never flinched. He handled my bad jokes about a near-death experience with drinking a bottle’s worth of Irish whiskey the night prior with his usual demeanor. A guy like that, he's a road dog, who’s experienced too much to let another journalist who'd maybe, unofficially wound up in speakeasy situations, drinking in the dark with French Quarter bartenders deter him from giving an honest interview. 

The thing about Justin Wells that people gravitate to is that you feel his authenticity. You can tell he's not playing a game and that his destiny, how he handles his business, but also his music, rests entirely on him. On the new record, The United State, it's a long sounding of the social alarm that we're in this thing together, for better or worse. "I'm tired of having to pick between teams. I was tired of friends on each side of the fence turning on one another. There's so much division and for what? Can't people tell they're being played? It's like a sales call: We're A trying to appeal to B and we're B trying to appeal A. We probably don't agree on everything, but let's pretend so we can get all of the power. There's issues at stake, but not every issue requires a war of this side calls it Fall and this side calls it Autumn." 

And talking to the guy and listening to cuts like "The Screaming Song," or "Never Better," it's immediately apparent Wells isn't full of shit. After an honest conversation, he's a reckoning of common sense because those common bonds of struggling through a pandemic should be something we can agree sucks if we'd only leave the politics at the door. "When I wrote the record, we weren't in a crisis, obviously. But the concept is personhood. It boils down to the human experience. There's a universal struggle we all go through to some degree. We can talk about that because we all know what it's like to deal with things at one point or another." 

When the Pedialyte started to kick in, I got faster with my thoughts and asked how he was coping during the pandemic. "It ain't easy. I don't even know how to work," he says with a laugh that trails off into a short sigh we can all understand. "I'm dying to get back out there. I miss the fellowship, the people. This music, these voices hollering out together, that's our equivalent of what they do on Sunday mornings. This is our church." 

When I asked him what he's hoping for once the vaccines get spread out into our communities, he's onto something, "There were some empty seats back then at the beginning of my career, and we'll deal with it again. We'll get back. I like it when the room is a little too hot for all of us, and the fire marshal ought to be called, that's what I can't wait to get back into. There's a power of live music that I think people are about to rediscover and it's going to be great for working musicians. I believe that." There are worse things to keep the faith dialed in. We're collectively ready for dirty bathrooms, too many overpriced beers, and communing with strangers, offering our faith once again to the church of the guitar cranked through an amplifier and not a care in the world, even if it's only for those precious few moments. 

You can buy Justin Wells' record here. Stream it if you must, but at least buy a t-shirt. 

Saturday Night Music / Justin Wells / "Walls Fall Down"

From his new album The United State.

New Video / Justin Wells / "The Screaming Song"

New Justin Wells / "Screaming Song" / Gems on VHS

Interview With NashCrap's Charles Buchanan

Charles Buchanan is a country music blogger from Shreveport, LA. He runs the review and satire site NashCrap, which has been skewering mainstream country tropes since 2015. We recently sat down with him for an interview to find out about his process and his motivations.

FNN (Farce News Network): Charles, it's good to finally meet you. I've enjoyed your work ever since I saw that hilarious "10 Suckiest Kane Brown Tweets" pop up on my timeline last year. Let's start with some basics; just let us know who Charles Buchanan is.

CB: Well, I'm Charles.. I'm 24 and currently living with my parents. I majored in journalism at LA Tech and am looking for a job and freelancing a little. I enjoy alone time and Hot Pockets.

FNN: Gotta love that home cooking, right? I live at home too! Free laundry son!
So, what made you start NashCrap?

CB: I just got so tired of seeing all the girls who turned me down riding around in $50,000 pickup trucks with jacked dudes, listening to Florida-Georgia Line, that I decided to strike a blow for the little guy! I listened to pop country and actually enjoyed it up until all the guys who used to beat me up in high school started liking it. So I started looking around on the internet for stuff like "Luke Bryan sucks." I found sites like Salvation of Country Music and Country Nevada and Photocrap the Music, and my eyes were opened to a whole new way to get back at the people who live better lives than me!

FNN: It feels good, doesn't it? Hey, tell your mom thanks for these Snickerdoodle cookies. They're awesome. Next question: How do you quantify what 'good' music is, when we all know taste is subjective?

CB: It's pretty easy, actually. Whatever is popular is bad, except Chris Stapleton and whoever else the other country blogs say is okay. Whatever doesn't get played on the radio is good, except Kane Brown… he sucks, obviously.

FNN: A recent editorial on WhiskeyBitch stirred up controversy when it said that people who criticize artists like FGL and Sam Hunt probably weren't popular in high school and are passively aggressively getting back at the "cool kids." Thoughts?

CB: They really hit the nail on the head. I remember back in ninth grade, all the kids made fun of me for my premature baldness. I was really overweight too, so I could never catch the baseball players who'd always steal my toupee. I have never been on one single date, ever. My aunt from out of state who looks really young went to prom with me so I'd have a date, but even she wouldn't dance with me. I have a few friends, but I only know them by screen names. So, what were we talking about again?

FNN: I think you covered it. So now that you're a "big star" in the country blogging world, do you ever get to meet the artists when you go out to shows?

CB: Shows? Like musicals? I went with my mom to see Wicked one time, but I didn't get to meet anybody.

FNN: No. You know, concerts… but since the artists we cover are usually on a smaller scale, they're often just called 'shows.'

CB: Cody Jinks liked one of my Tweets one time.

FNN: That's cool. I really meant, have you spoken to any of the singers you like in person?

CB: Justin Wells messaged me on Facebook and asked that I remove a bad review of his album one time.

FNN: A negative review of his album? That doesn't seem like him.

CB: No, it was a poorly written review. He said he was embarrassed for me.

FNN: Moving on. What do you think of the softening of bro-country? It's less in-your-face now, with more pop and EDM influence. Do you think it's a positive or negative for mainstream country, going forward?

CB: I don't know really. I just look for dumb outfits they wear to make fun of them, or find lyrics I can make memes from. I don't really get that deep into the study of the actual music. Honestly, I wish bro-country was still the way it was a few years ago. It was easier to make top ten lists about.

FNN: Understood. What albums are you listening to right now?

CB: I'm really excited about the new John Moreland. I just love his Springsteen-esque sound and his heartfelt lyrics. Also, Chris Stapleton's new album is sure to be excellent, or so I've read.

FNN: Okay. Lastly, who's really getting your goat in the world of pop country?

CB: Chris Lane! Ha, that hair! He looks so stupid. And Kelsea Ballerini! She just sings "boy" a bunch and she's a star. How fair is that? Florida-Georgia Line always gets me upset. You know? I stopped to take a pee there one time.

FNN: Riveting insight, pal. Thanks Charles. Make sure to check out his great work at NashCrap.hulu and tell 'em FNN sent you!

Trailer's Top 30 Albums of 2016

We'll turn loose of 2016 with one more post. Trailer's Top 30 of 2016. This is what the "Top Albums of 2016" list would've looked like if we didn't do a group vote now. 

 1. Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Denial
2. Lori McKenna - The Bird and the Rifle
3. Flatland Cavalry - Humble Folks
4. Brandy Clark - Big Day in a Small Town
5. Cody Jinks - I'm Not the Devil
6. Justin Wells - Dawn in the Distance
7. Austin Lucas - Between the Moon and the Midwest
8. Caleb Caudle - Carolina Ghost
9. Sturgill Simpson - A Sailor's Guide to Earth
10. Brent Cobb - Shine On Rainy Day
11. Kelsey Waldon - I've Got a Way
12. St. Paul and the Broken Bones - Sea of Noise
13. Gojira - Magma
14. Lydia Loveless - Real
15. Luke Bell - s/t
16. Margo Price - Midwest Farmer's Daughter
17. Paul Cauthen - My Gospel
18. Rob Baird - Wrong Side of the River
19. Mark Chesnutt - Tradition Lives
20. Quaker City Night Hawks - El Astronauta
21. Bonnie Raitt - Dig in Deep
22. Miranda Lambert - The Weight of These Wings
23. Western Centuries - Weight of the World
24. BJ Barham - Rockingham
25. Metallica - Hardwired… to Self Destruct
26. Chance the Rapper - Coloring Book
27. Robert Ellis - s/t
28. Hayes Carll - Lovers and Leavers
29. Loretta Lynn - Full Circle
30. Erik Dylan - Heart of a Flatland Boy