Dog-Whistling Dixie and Racial Politics in 1960s Country Music
Trump’s recent co-option of Lee Greenwood and his song “God Bless the U.S.A.” isn’t the first time the far right has used country music for its purposes.
country music
The Case for Country Music and Its Poetry of Pain
One has to go along with the flow of existence, no matter what suffering it brings. These country music artists give form to sadness and beauty to despair.
Queer Country: Lesbian and Gay Mainstream Country Artists? (Book Excerpt)
In this excerpt of ‘Queer Country’, Chely Wright, Mary Gauthier, Brandi Carlile, and Amy Ray share the battles they’ve fought to make country music recognize its lesbian artists.
Time Life’s ‘Austin City Limits: Country’ Collection Is a Gem
Come to the new ten-disc DVD Austin City Limits celebration for Reba, Toby, Dolly, Loretta, or whoever your favorite is, but stay for Willie in 1974.
Filmmaker Diane Paragas on ‘Yellow Rose’ and the Heartbreak Behind Anti-Immigration Policies
Director Diane Paragas asks her audience to not bring their politics into her film, Yellow Rose, but to just let it be, as she hopes to show the heartbreak of broken families lost within the politicisation of immigration issues.
Ethan Hawke’s Gaze in ‘Blaze’ Foley Biography Is Quite Clear
Blaze is the sort of film that takes the piss out of the legend, showing a life that's sadder for the wasted talent and what could have been.
John Lingan’s Tale of Patsy Cline and Jim McCoy’s ‘Homeplace’ Is Good for the Soul
By searching with an open heart and writing with frank honesty, John Lingan makes Homeplace an antidote to the divisive anger of today’s America.
‘Woman Walk the Line’ Is a Love Letter to Country Music Past
Where female pop musicians tend to age out of the field, country musicians tend to possess a greater reverence for their predecessors, lionizing their greatness and proclaiming their influence at each and every opportunity.
Jason Eady: Jason Eady
Jason Eady set out to make a simple sounding recording but it raises some unexpected emotional complexities that linger long after the songs have wound to a close.
All Acoustic Instruments and Kitchen Utensils: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band History With Jeff Hanna
With half a century of music and friendship, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band continues forward with Circlin' Back.
‘Country Comes to Town’ Illuminates Nashville’s and Country Music’s Internal Struggles
A fascinating piece of analysis about Music City, USA, Jeremy Hill's book is a thoughtful and thorough urban scholarship on origins and authenticity, among other things.
Austin Lucas: Between the Moon and the Midwest
Between the Moon and the Midwest is a collection of tales told by those with broken hearts and proud souls.