Trying this again. People often ask me what it's like living in Ireland and I always say, lovely people, beautiful land, crappy weather, tragic history - and guess what? Ugly race-based ultra-capitalistic mess hits here too.

Even more thoughts on @amygrantofficial.bsky.social. open.substack.com/pub/untether...

N.E. Fox, Heirloom (*****): Each of these 12 extraordinary songs touches, either outright or obliquely, on the peculiar tension of "gettin' above your raisin'," when your birthright falls somewhere on the Venn Diagram of southern x Appalachian x poor. And each does so with Fox's rare gifts...

I wrote about the 14 Best Horror Remakes of All Time. My picks include Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025), Maniac (2012), Suspiria (2018), and The Ring (2002)! bsidesbadlands.com/best-horror-...

Loved this 30y (...) lookback at Ani's DILATE by Sal at @slantmagazine.com. "Untouchable Face" has always been a country song, fwiw. Carter Faith or Leah Blevins should cover it. www.slantmagazine.com/music/ani-di...

In the ongoing discourse around fandoms, Survivor would be an interesting case study in how its (problematic!) superfan contingency has integrated into the show itself. This *deranged* final matchup being a fine example of how its lunatic fringe has shifted ideas of what the show is about.

So, @tressiemcphd.bsky.social writes a brilliant (as usual) op-ed about genAI and some tech bro attempts to ridicule it. The guy, Mike Solana, is probably not worth my time but it seems he's gay and as a Gay, I am unduly annoyed by evil gays. Also, I'm bored. So here's my debunking of this guy.

As I said earlier!

A story about KY GOP Senate nominee Andy Barr: In 2019 he got mad at AOC and demanded she come to his district to visit a coal mine. She said yes, which he didn't expect, so he withdrew the invitation. Then it turned out there were no working coal mines in his district. Because he's an idiot. 1/3

These two back-to-back statements (via @joesonka.lpm.org, who is doing the Lord's work in posting KY returns tonight) is such a perfect encapsulation of the utter goddamn chaos and cognitive dissonance in politics right now.

This part. Multiple concurrent truths here.

Kaitlin Butts so so good live in Glasgow tonight ❤️ she has my whole heart ❤️

"Gavin Adcock can’t even be bothered to empty his pockets before he goes on stage." Amazing. And 100% true.

There are just some songs that are fun to play on the guitar - physically pleasurable in a nameless, metronomic way. Shawn Colvin's "Trouble" is one of them. All of her work, really, that propulsive/concussive strum pattern. Watching this makes my fingers itch. youtu.be/Wq7Bu6LnEfU?...

Dr. Tressie with a *word*. 👇👇

It's a great day to Never Vote For Amy McGrath.

Tremendous and provocative reading of what's being tagged as this year's WEAPONS. 👇

S. Graves, Fondness, Etc. (***): He remains a gifted musician and arranger but a marginal lyricist and singer. Which is to say that the essential tracks on this latest collection are the instrumentals ("Suddenly," in particular, which impress for his mastery of shape and movement.

About 30 min to go... Here's your 61st Academy of Country Music Awards #ACMAwards thread.

#CountryRockSunday Uncle Tupelo, what a great band. youtu.be/kEV_yZRlZoU?...

"Past the point of rescue" is such a great song... It was originally written by Mick Hanly for Mary Black and it's great to see Hal & Mick sing it together. youtu.be/3kxOBrJQxS4?...

It’s #CountryRockSunday. I wanted to feature this group as they fit country rock perfectly but I couldn’t decide which song. So I went back to the first song of theirs I heard. Here is a live version. m.youtube.com/watch?v=C1v-...

#CountryRockSunday Dwight Yoakum "Population Me" (2003) The widest twang since the days of Frizzell, Yoakum's voice wraps itself around all possible sides of the phrase "this place." Convinces me he could cut a killer Kinks cover album (cf. "Harry Rag"). www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3sY...

Other songs defined the genre but fewer made as big a mark on the charts as Dallas’ B. W. (Buckwheat) Stevenson with 1973’s My Maria. My contribution to #CountryRockSunday youtu.be/ewyu4dIVj-8?...

Keeping up the New England spirit for #countryrocksunday

#CountryRockSunday Are You Ready For The Country? open.spotify.com/playlist/23a...

Second entry for #CountryRockSunday is one of our picks for the top 5 best singles of the 90s. Even country-averse Spin Magazine clocked this one for their year-end at the time because it's just that great and just that cool of a record: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDxc...

For #CountryRockSunday, the why-aren't-they-huge Ghost Hounds, with a cover of a classic Hal Ketchum hit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwgY...

Re-upping our Picks & Predictions for tonight's #ACMAwards. Will be liveskeeting the show on here for those inclined to play along! Ella Langley's likely running the table, and performers include Kane Brown (!), Carter Faith (!!), and Lee Ann Womack (!!!). www.countryuniverse.net/2026/05/11/2...

The most important thing I've ever learned on the internet.

O. Riegling, ... Feeling (***): Looks to split the difference between a Dirt Emo and mainstream country radio aesthetic; the result isn't bad, per se, but it sounds a bit compromised as the former and a bit too strident as the latter. He has a solid voice for this style, but this doesn't quite work.

Wilson Fairchild, Am. Songbook (**1/2): They remain two quite strong singers who seem to lack the ambition to do more than draw from their famous dads' harmony work (in the Statler Brothers) on records of competent, formally conservative covers of familiar material. This is fine for what it is.

The entire Big Loud artist roster, basically.

Do you want a Lorax??? Because this is how you get a Lorax.

You will live a much richer and happier life if you embrace the idea that people are not just pretending to have different tastes than you out of spite

This is the true story of an ex-reality TV star picked by corporate lobbyists to go on a taped cross-country road trip. Find out what happens when one cabinet secretary stops being polite and starts getting real corrupt.

🔥 @marenmorris.bsky.social : “Marsha Blackburn — I’m not a fan… People ask why I don’t move… I’d rather to stay and fight, loving all my fellow Tennesseans in the halls of our Capitol.”🗣️ Maren tells @mizzwelch.bsky.social why she speaks up for progressive values: www.instagram.com/reel/DYXtnom...

The correct take, with many a receipt. 👇👇

Stop giving air to political writers wondering why nobody in their tiny music bubble is writing songs about Trump.

Celebrate 25 years of Slant by subscribing to our Patreon and instantly unlock early access to our list of Every Madonna Album Ranked, free Blu-rays, and more! #Slant25

I'd like to thank Drake publicly for releasing three albums, because if he'd only released one I might have been tempted to listen to it.

A *particularly* great week for new music, and happy to see my DRtI pals on the Braxton Keith train with us.

Re-upping this one for release day.

It had been *days* since she turned up in my paid boosted algorithm placement spot, so ofc here she comes again now that the album continues to hemorrhage listeners (it's fallen out of the top 60 already, as of last week)...

Had the opportunity to hear @jbethiejean.bsky.social read from her brilliant new book last night. I hear Bluesky posting sells books, y’all do your thing.

LinkedIn is the absolute worst for so many reasons, but near the top of the list is the fact that people you've blocked will still show up in your feed if they're tagged in the posts of mutual connections. I blocked my abusive former boss for my mental health, but there she fucking is all the time.

Meeting @amygrantofficial.bsky.social at the Tennessee State Capitol. Her new song with Ruby Amanfu reminds us to show up when change feels impossible. New piece on Untethered Southerner. untetheredsoutherner.substack.com/p/meeting-am...

Hi, I am leaving Knoxville soon. It’s been a long time coming and it’s bittersweet. I’ll be playing a few shows to reflect on before I prepare for the next era. The purpose of these is multi-part. 1) I am moving. To a new town, to a new season of life, to a new season of music.

“Taylor is blessed with one of contemporary music’s smoothest voices, and trades verses with the equally mellow Cuddy, and this version of “Tulsa Time” plays out as two old friends swapping stories about how they both long to return home.” -Jonathan Keefe, Country Universe @countryuniverse.net

Southern soul never got deeper