Turnpike Troubadours Performs "The Housefire"

Spinal Tap: Country Reaction Gifs

Probably the only way country radio gets better at this point

Luke Bryan's dad?

Wheeler Walker Jr.: Genius or idiot?

Americana's not the only way to blend rock and country...

When you hear Luke Bryan's new song

 If Clint Black put out a song called "Black" on an album 

called Black with a black cover on Black Friday...

How the folk band lost its ukelele player

The proper way to listen to new Turnpike Troubadours music

Turnpike Troubadours Perform "Easton and Main"

Ringing in the Year

Farce the Music's Top 10 Songs of 2016

Spotify playlist created by Jon Sorrell below the selections.

1. Lori McKenna - Old Men Young Women
We had a casual poll about 2016 music a month or so back. Lori McKenna led the way on the 

"Best Songwriter of 2016" voting, and it's no surprise. With observant, incisive songs like 

"OMYM" and the others on her brilliant The Bird and the Rifle, McKenna stays at the forefront 

of American songwriting. She has the ability to put the listener into a situation they may have 

never even dealt with and make them think "Yes, this is exactly how that feels!" Here she takes 

on a lover who's moved on to a newer model and skewers the whole cliché (see title) with pointed lines like "you want the lights off, he wants the lights on, so you can pretend" and "She's the past in a 

summer dress, he's a ride in a new Corvette"…damn, just damn. The Bird and the Rifle is a master-class and for me, "Old Men Young Women" is its centerpiece.

2. Justin Wells - The Dogs
Passion. That's what drives this tune and it's the feeling that comes to mind in describing it. "The Dogs" is an unapologetic portrait of life on the edges, embracing the underdog life of a touring musician trying to drink away a broken heart. He's doing his best, but the hurt bleeds through even on stage: "It ain't easy acting like it ain't personal, and the band asked me not to curse no more." Wells can belt and he does a bit in the chorus, but he knows how to sing with fire even when using restraint. That give and take of emotion, but more so, the palpable tension when it's held in check, is what makes this song one of the best of 2016.

3. Car Seat Headrest - Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales
I don't pretend to know what the hell this song is about; I just know I love it. The lyrics are smart and snarky and anxious and abstract. The music is jangly indie-rock (with a slice of power pop) that's constantly shifting tempos. The hooks though. This freaking song has like 4 hooks. It's crazy, but somehow it works. When that crunching and cathartic "it doesn't have to be like this" refrain finally kicks in, it's nearly as bracing as any face-slapping Nirvana chorus. I've tried to review the album this song is from about ten times this year, but I just don't know what to say about it that would make any sense or sound like I vaguely know what I'm talking about. Just know that it and this song are badass.

4. DJ Shadow & Run the Jewels - Nobody Speak
I already loved this song before its absurdly entertaining video took my affections to a new level. Run the Jewels has a new album coming out early next year, but it was nice to have this reminder of their magnetism in 2016. Underground legend Shadow provides an aggressive, pounding arrangement with just as many memorable turns as the lyricists spit. If I'd done much working out this year, 

this would have been on repeat.

5. Brandy Clark - Love Can Go to Hell
It sounds so sweet but it packs a sting. This time around, Brandy isn't casting barbs at exes and jerks, but at love itself. She doesn't linger on goodbye or blame her former lover; it's the unseen forces of the heart she's wishing ill upon. The instrumentation is light and intoxicating, the melody is gently rolling. "Love Can Go to Hell" ought to be a hit, but maybe it's too good for that.

6. Turnpike Troubadours - Come as You Are
These guys are so damn talented, they didn't even release an album this year and still had one of the best songs. This single from Bruce Robison's The Next Waltz series sounds like something that might've been left off last year's self-titled masterpiece, only because it didn't really fit the feel of that set, not due to any questioning of its merit. This tale of a come-and-go relationship surely set off some smoldering slow dances across Texas dancehalls this year. TPT can do no wrong.

7. Cody Jinks - I'm Not the Devil
There's really not a best song on Jinks' 2016 album. It's an incredibly consistent and 

moving collection without a single droop in quality, much less a weak moment. This tune 

just kinda gets the de facto nod for being probably the most memorable of the bunch. 

Jinks is blessed with a wonderful voice and possibly even better songwriting talents. 

He'll be a star in this realm of music for years to come.

8. Paul Cauthen - I'll Be the One
A voice that recalls Elvis and Waylon Jennings all at once probably could sing the proverbial phone book and make me happy. The fact that this powerful vocalist can also write songs this good should make a lot of other artists jealous. "I'll Be the One" sounds both timeless and modern, sticking in your head with multiple vocal hooks, and moving your feet with a shuffling rhythm. I can't wait to see and hear where this guy goes. There's no ceiling.

9. Austin Lucas w/Lydia Loveless - Wrong Side of the Dream
"I look around at 35 and all I've got are songs." Whew. When this line hits shortly into the song, you know it's not gonna be all sunshine and roses. Lucas has one of the more distinct voices in Americana and adding Loveless turns that chill up your spine into full-fledged goosebumps. 

This is a lonely and longing look at how life on the road affects a relationship. 

Spoiler alert: it ain't good - but it makes for a great song.

10. Rodney Parker and 50 Peso Reward -

The Road Between None and Some
This is probably the coolest song of 2016. It's just "different," I don't know how to describe it best. It starts with a slinky bass line and minimal drums before building only slightly into a mid-tempo groove that never lets up. It's an earworm of the highest caliber - one you don't mind getting trapped in your head for days. Simplicity serves RPFPR well here. This feels like sipping a good beer in a New Orleans dive bar in spring with the door open and a nice breeze blowing in.

There's Something About Mary Country Reaction Gifs

When your stepson says he's a huge Big Smo fan

When you try to make your friend stop listening to Lindi Ortega

Riding with your Brantley Gilbert fan cousin like...

Did you know Dave Cobb is Brent Cobb's cousin?

 When your girlfriend walks in after 

you just listened to Turnpike Troubadours

When you meet Hunter Hayes

Art vs. Commerce, Per Reginald Spears

 

Based on a Reginald Spears tweet.

New Video: Turnpike Troubadours - Come As You Are

From Bruce Robison's The Next Waltz series.

Turnpike Troubadours Perform "Time of Day" on Texas Music Scene

Album Review: Flatland Cavalry - Humble Folks

Review by Trailer

This one hits the spot.

I haven't felt much like writing reviews for a while now. It's not that there hasn't been some good music put out this year - just nothing I felt I could put any passion into writing about. Also, since we've brought on the full-barrel punk energy of Robert Dean and the damn near peerless wordsmithery of Kevin Broughton, there hasn't been much need for my everyman type reviewing, but this new album from Flatland Cavalry has pulled me out of mothballs.

Flatland Cavalry's Humble Folks is also the first album of 2016 to stir up all the feelings I like to have when listening to music. From the wistfulness of "A Good Memory" to the driving introspection of "Devil Off My Back," the sentimental wanderlust of "Traveler's Song" to the sad-sack lamenting of "Goodbye Kiss," Humble Folks is a tour-de-force of emotions and textures.

"Easy on the ears, heavy on the heart" reads the description on Flatland Cavalry's website, and that couldn't be more accurate. Their sound is an easygoing mix of red dirt country, pop melodies, laid back swing, and heartworn folk. And there's so much fiddle. Lord, but I love me some fiddle and I love Laura Jane's fiddling. It's all a perfectly accessible approach but one that doesn't scrimp on the craftsmanship and songwriting.

"Tall City Blues" grabs you with its portrayal of loneliness and unfulfilled dreams amid the high-rises and concrete canyons of the city. You can just imagine the twenty-something small town boy taking the accounting job in Houston, then slowly realizing the "difference in making a living and loving what you do."

"Stompin' Grounds" rescues that dispirited fellow back to his home town where the Shiner is cheaper and colder and the people are warmer. There's a lot of that sort of longing in Flatland Cavalry's music - yearning for real interaction and authentic folks. It's a welcome and relatable desire in a world that seems to grow more mean and detached with every passing day.




Humble Folks is a great album; certainly one of my favorites of the early year, and well worth your listen. It's a familiar sound, but one that with repeated listens will reveal deeper layers and twists of melody you haven't heard before. These songs are sure to make you think, smile, hurt, and tap your foot. Sometimes all at once. That's what good music does.

-------
Flatland Cavalry is a no-doubter for fans of Turnpike Troubadours, Wade Bowen, The Damn Quails, and the like.

You can find Humble Folks on Lonestar Music , iTunes, etc.. (Out today)

WWExperience Country Reaction Gifs 5: TPT, Luke Bryan, Isbell

How you can tell two bros are enjoying

the Thomas Rhett concert

When Gary Levox sees that the catering trays are empty

When your mom gets Jason Isbell confused 

with Jason Aldean for your Christmas present*

When you see a passed out Luke Bryan fan

When some Texas swing comes on 

but you only know how to disco

When your friend gets Turnpike Troubadours tickets 

and doesn't invite you

Waiting on a FGL fan to think of a number between 1 and 10

*please don't slap your mom

The Best of Reginald Spears: January '15

Here are some of our buddy Reginald Spears' most recent and popular tweets.

Oh, you don't like Cam Newton dancing around but you love Luke Bryan doing it? Thanks for letting us know you're an idiot.

— Reginald Spears (@ReginaldSpears) January 25, 2016

Build a buff snowman in Nashville today & give it a five o'clock shadow & a grey tshirt, it'll be signed to a record contract in minutes.

— Reginald Spears (@ReginaldSpears) January 23, 2016

If Trump will build a wall around Georgia to keep all the bro-country singers in, he's got my vote.

— Reginald Spears (@ReginaldSpears) January 15, 2016

I'd rather shoot a bottle rocket out of my urethra than go to a Luke Bryan concert.

— Reginald Spears (@ReginaldSpears) December 31, 2015

In 2016 resolve to listen to more singers whose jeans weren't picked out for them.

— Reginald Spears (@ReginaldSpears) December 30, 2015

Florida-Georgia Line fans think "steel guitar" is a verb instead of a noun.

— Reginald Spears (@ReginaldSpears) December 13, 2015

Personally, I'll trade some Florida-Georgia Line fans for some Syrian refugees.

— Reginald Spears (@ReginaldSpears) November 19, 2015

I'm not a smart man but I know Sam Hunt ain't a country singer.

— Reginald Spears (@ReginaldSpears) October 28, 2015

If somebody would play Hunter Hayes some Sturgill Simpson, I bet he'd finally sprout a chest hair.

— Reginald Spears (@ReginaldSpears) October 9, 2015

RT for moderately painful splinter. Fav for Brantley Gilbert. pic.twitter.com/DSOLtH5z0T

— Reginald Spears (@ReginaldSpears) September 26, 2015

If you don't like @TpTroubadours , you either haven't heard them or you're a dumbass.

— Reginald Spears (@ReginaldSpears) September 17, 2015

Johnny Cash wouldn't have enough middle fingers for the country music industry now.

— Reginald Spears (@ReginaldSpears) September 3, 2015

Evan Felker of Turnpike Troubadours Performs "Ringing in the Year"

FTM's Best Albums of 2015: Individual Top 10 Lists

The votes were varied this year, but coagulated well enough to form a consensus. 

Here are our individual voters' ballots featuring such far flung choices as High on Fire, Courtney Barnett, and Titus Andronicus, so hopefully you can find even more cool music to spend your holiday gift cards on. I'm just including top tens since everyone sent in at least ten. Some voters had more than 10 selections and some of those votes outside the top ten were used for tiebreakers 

(ties were only broken inside the overall top 10).

Trailer

1. Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear

2. Chris Stapleton - Traveller

3. Whitey Morgan - Sonic Ranch

4. Turnpike Troubadours - s/t

5. Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free

6. The Honeycutters - Me Oh My

7. Randy Rogers & Wade Bowen - Hold My Beer, Vol. 1

8. Jonathan Tyler - Holy Smoke

9. James McMurtry - Complicated Game

10. Ray Wylie Hubbard - The Ruffian's Misfortune

Matthew Martin

1. James McMurtry - Complicated Game

2. John Moreland - High On Tulsa Heat

3. Turnpike Troubadours - Turnpike Troubadours

4. Lucero - All A Man Should Do

5. Great Peacock - Making Ghosts

6. American Aquarium - Wolves

7. Titus Andronicus - The Most Lamentable Tragedy

8. Thunderbitch - Thunderbitch

9. Craig Finn - Faith In The Future

10. Chris Stapleton - Traveller

Jeremy Harris

1. William Clark Green - Ringling Road

2. Whitey Morgan - Sonic Ranch

3. Chris Stapleton - Traveller

4. Benton Leachman - Bury the Hatchet

5. Whiskeydick - The Bastard Sons of Texas

6. Stoney Larue - Us Time

7. American Aquarium - Wolves

8. Eric Church - Mr. Misunderstood

9. Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free

10. Dallas Moore - Dark Horse Rider

Kevin Broughton

1. James McMurtry - Complicated Game

2. Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free

3. Jonathan Tyler - Holy Smoke

4. Turnpike Troubadours - s/t

5. The Yawpers - American Man

6. The Pollies - Not Here

7. Son Volt - Trace (20th Anniversary Reissue)

8. John Moreland - High on Tulsa Heat

9. Ray Wylie Hubbard - The Ruffian's Misfortune

10. Rhett Miller - The Traveler

Kelcy Salisbury

1. Jason Boland and the Straggers - Squelch

2. Ray Wylie Hubbard - The Ruffian's Misfortune

3. American Aquarium - Wolves

4. Turnpike Troubadours - s/t

5. The Yawpers - American Man

6. Lindi Ortega - Faded Gloryville

7. JEFF the Brotherhood - Wasted on the Dream

8. Courtney Patton - So This is Life

9. High on Fire - Luminiferous

10. The Deslondes - s/t

Chad Barnette (Tiebreaker votes)

1. Allison Moorer - Down to Believing

2. Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free

3. Turnpike Troubadours - s/t

4. Alan Jackson - Angels and Alcohol

5. Ashley Monroe - The Blade

6. The Yawpers - American Man

7. Chris Stapleton - Traveller

8. Cody Jinks - Adobe Sessions

9. Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit

10. Dirty Streets - White Horse

Farce the Music's Top 13 Albums of 2015

For the first time, our best albums list is a composite voted on by Trailer and FTM's 4 most frequent contributors (Kelcy Salisbury, Kevin Broughton, Jeremy Harris, and Matthew Martin) along with a tiebreaker vote from Trailer's concert buddy/friend with good taste in music, Chad. We hope this will add validity and weight to the results. It was another great year for music, as you'll see clearly below. 

11. (Tie) Jason Boland and the Stragglers - Squelch

Boland & a slightly reworked Stragglers lineup provide proof that country music can evolve without sacrificing its identity. Not many artists are turning out this kind of work nearly two decades into their career, but the proof is in the pudding as The Stragglers have put out a rollicking rock-tinged album with a subversive, punk rock type aesthetic throughout. If you like smart, socially conscious lyrics with a bite, this is the country album for you. -Kelcy

11. (Tie) William Clark Green - Ringling Road

It may head towards the pop country direction a few times. I don’t care. It may contain a few songs that are catchy but don’t contain much substance. I don’t care. It may be from someone that a lot of you had never heard of. I don’t care. I chose this as my top album because it’s my top album. How can you argue with that logic? I don’t know or care. All I know is this is by far my favorite album of this year and it wasn’t even something that required much thought. -Jeremy

11. (Tie) Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear

Indie-pop is a sub-genre I usually avoid due to the twee nature of its typical fare. Father John Misty doesn't do twee. He infuses his catchy pop tunes and lounge rollers with a strong dose of balls. His lyrics are clever, biting, and frequently downright asshole-ish. These songs comfort, provoke, enlighten, and annoy, often at the same time. Our narrator is a jerk, but a jerk that you have to stick around to see what he'll do or say next. This is a record that will gnaw at you and stick with you, each song taking its turn being an earworm or soundtrack to some odd moment. -Trailer

10. Jonathan Tyler - Holy Smokes

It’s astounding when you realize all the things this guy has accomplished by his 30th year. Out of a contract with the suits at Atlantic Records, Tyler combines songwriting chops and a top-flight vocal range to express his newfound independence in impressive fashion. Expect more great things from this prodigy. -Kevin

9. John Moreland - High on Tulsa Heat

It's not an album you may want to listen to over and over because it's so heavy. But, whether you want to or not, you'll be compelled to continue to listen. It's catchy. It's a bummer. But John Moreland sings with the conviction of a man who has no choice but tell you about the pains of life. Moreland's voice is so powerful and strong. If you don't own this album, stop everything you're doing and get this album. Listen to it. Then, listen to it again regardless of your gut feeling. This album will hit you, and hit you hard. By the time you get to "Cherokee" on the last half of the album, you'll realize how special Moreland, and this album, is. -Matthew

8. Ray Wylie Hubbard - The Ruffian's Misfortune

The Wylie Lama has released his best album in years, and we are lucky enough to witness it. "Stone Blind Horses" is as good a lyric as anything released all year, "Bad On Fords" is about as much fun as anything Hubbard has ever put out, the whole vibe is great & the results are fantastic. -Kelcy

This seasoned, wry songwriter really can’t make a bad record. “Chick singer, Badass Rocking” has the kind of driving, tribal feel as a RWH standard, “Snake Farm.” And the record closes with “Stone Blind Horses,” which would make my top 5 list of singles from 2015. -Kevin

7. The Yawpers - American Man

If this were a list of the top rock albums, Nate Cook and his band would be at the summit. The songs confront a range of social/societal issues head on, but what blows you away is how much sound the Yawpers get from two acoustics and a drum kit. Buckle up; this one gets you by the throat. -Kevin

Rock & Roll isn't dead, you just can't see it from the highway or hear it on corporate radio, but there are still some bands keeping it alive. This album is at once sprawling, messy, smart, cynical, homesick & rebellious. It's a good thing. -Kelcy

6. American Aquarium - Wolves

To say the musical arrangements are daring & a departure from past albums is true. Yes, the same basic structure is there, the skeleton is intact enough to keep the loyal fans sated. But BJ Barham & the boys take risks here. The lush "Man I'm Supposed To Be" could be something Chet Atkins produced, but the darkness that lurks in this most honest of love songs somehow makes the song even more powerful. -Kelcy

5. Whitey Morgan - Sonic Ranch

How does an album with a bunch of covers make a year end list? By making you forget they’re cover songs. Whitey hits a home-run with this one and his vocals should’ve made this album more talked about than it already was in 2015. -Jeremy

As strong a "real country album" as you'll hear in 2015. It's refreshing to hear such unfiltered honky-tonk music in this day and age of contrived edge and softened edges. Morgan and the 78s' version of modern outlaw country is a comparable sound to what Sturgill Simpson is doing, but with a blue collar approach and a more pronounced low-end. This album may not drive Morgan to acceptance/hype in the same circles as Jason Isbell and Sturgill, but it's a big statement album that will bring in new fans and make old ones very happy. -Trailer

4. Chris Stapleton - Traveller

Chris Stapleton has been around the scene for a long time and I think many folks have had 

a feeling that one day he'd get the recognition due him. I'm glad that day has come, and this 

album is completely worthy of all the praise it has garnered. Stapleton's voice is as strong as 

ever and the songs are perfect showcases for his style. The slower, sadder tunes on the 

album are the real highlights though and the song "Fire Away" is far and away my favorite 

track on the album. -Matthew

3. Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free

The only thing keeping this one out of my top spot is the fact that it was just a year since his last tour-de-force, Southeastern.  As I wrote here, this record lets your emotions off the mat a little bit, and allows you to breathe. I think it’s his best to date, but the dude keeps raising the bar. -Kevin

2. James McMurtry - Complicated Game

The first studio album in six years from the dean of Texas songwriting. McMurtry turns a phrase better than most, and injects an extraordinary pathos into his everyman characters. He didn’t miss a beat during the half-dozen year delay, and this one is well worth the wait. -Kevin

I'm not sure there is anyone out there today who can write songs about everyday scenarios as perfectly as James McMurtry. On his latest effort, McMurtry strips down his songs to their basics and lets the focus be on the stories within each song. The incredibly heartbreaking song "You Got To Me" will leave you missing something- whether that be home, a past relationship, or just earlier years will be up to you. The song and the album stuck with me for weeks after listening to it. -Matthew

1. Turnpike Troubadours - Turnpike Troubadours

On this record, the Troubadours let a little color and light in, and it's just enough to fully realize the absurd potential of this group. There's space, separation, and vividness in the sound. The slower songs soar, the rockers punch, and there's fiddle and steel galore. On a good set of speakers, this thing is stunning. Their writing was already excellent, but they've even upped their game in that department. "The Bird Hunters" tells the tale of a man coming to terms with an ended relationship over the course of a quail hunt. This could come across as hokey or forced in the hands of a lesser act. The Troubadours make it a song-of-the-year candidate, epic, cinematic, and immersive. -Trailer

---------------------------------------

Other popular selections:

The Pollies - Not Here

Lindi Ortega - Faded Gloryville
Baroness - Purple

Kacey Musgraves - Pageant Material

Randy Rogers & Wade Bowen - Hold My Beer

Allison Moorer - Down to Believing

Lucero - All a Man Should Do

Courtney Patton - So This is Life

Benton Leachman - Bury the Hatchet

Ashley Monroe - The Blade

The Honeycutters - Me Oh My

The Deslondes - s/t

Eric Church - Mr. Misunderstood

Will Hoge - Small Town Dreams

FTM's Top 20 Songs of 2015

20. Jonathan Tyler (with Nikki Lane) - To Love is to Fly

19. Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats - S.O.B.

18. Kendrick Lamar - King Kunta

17. Jamie Lin Wilson - Seven Year Drought

16. Allison Moorer - If I Were Stronger

15. John Moreland - White Flag

14. Darrell Scott - Thanksgiving 1985

13. Benton Leachman - Lonely

12. Ray Wylie Hubbard - Stone Blind Horses

11. Anderson East - What a Woman Wants to Hear

10. Chris Stapleton - Fire Away

9. Father John Misty - The Night Josh Tillman Came to Our Apt.

8. Ashley Monroe - Bombshell

7. Whitey Morgan - Still Drunk, Still Crazy, Still Blue

6. Wrinkle Neck Mules - Beehive

5. Hailey Whitters - Low All Afternoon

4. Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen - El Dorado

3. The Honeycutters - Me Oh My

2. Baroness - Chlorine & Wine

1. Turnpike Troubadours - The Bird Hunters

Best Songs of 2015 Spotlight: Turnpike Troubadours - The Bird Hunters

Bad video, good audio. GREAT song.

Reginald Spears eCards: December '15

These are all based on Reginald Spears Tweets.

New Video: Turnpike Troubadours - Down Here

Get More: 

Turnpike Troubadours Perform "Down Here" on The Texas Music Scene