Thank God I'm A Country Boy

“I rode across the great high plain

Under the scorchin' sun and thru the drivin' rain

An' when I set my sights on the mountains high

I bid my former life goodbye.

An' so thank you ma'am, I must decline

For it's on my steed I will rely

An' I've learned to need the open sky

I'm subject to the natural forces

Home is where my horse is.” --Lyle Lovett “Natural Forces,” 2010. I must admit, I never thought I would write this, BUT, I really like some country music.

I know this is shocking.

I am well aware of my punk rock tastes. I am further reminded of my love of hard rock and metal. I also am aware of my revitalized and pumped up thrills of symphonic power metal. Having stated all that, Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt was the best concert I have ever seen and it profoundly changed me.

Alex, bless the young man, shot off some Hiatt and Lovett tunes on a MP3 and I went nuts. Having enjoyed them and blasting them on the old IPOD in the car and at school, I ventured out. On I-tunes, I found Dwight Yoakam is a contemporary of Lovett; Steven Earle and Townsend Van Zandt were influential of Hiatt and Lovett; and then I downloaded some Kenny Chesney and Brad Paisley. Suddenly I was hooked. I replayed my old Clay Pigeons Soundtrack and re-admired Old 97’s. I have always enjoyed Johnny Cash, but now, he is a standard on the IPOD list.

Frankly, I have borrowed some CD’s from the library and found some stuff Jen likes—such as Lady Antebellum, Lucinda Williams, The Dixie Chicks, and Garth Brooks.

Before I am slammed, I must admit, there was a very recent time when I would have imagined myself listening to country akin with me praising Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George bush, Jr. That stated, however, I would argue to listen without prejudice. I am more into the Americana style of music that is folksie, bluesie, and rhythmic like Lovett and Hiatt. I have to admit, as a Dave Edmunds fan, that I can see why he worked with Marty Stuart. Stuart is great.

When we were in Florida, my father was listening to country, and I began to tease him. He told me that he liked country because he liked the rhythm and he could understand the lyrics. I guess I had a bias that I was not awareo f, in the past. Alternative country is very powerful; old rockabilly is essentially country, and country music is more than Republican (lack of) ethics and “putting boots up people’s ass.” In fact, I have went back and played some of my favorite rock “Gods” and saw some country roots. These artists include Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, Elvis Costello, Neil Young, and so many more.

So I am now going to announce that I am unashamedly a country music fan, and further I am unabashed by others’ criticisms.