Fantastic merch to go along w one of the year's best albums:

Got some new stuff up on Bandcamp… I’ll also be bringing these babies to the shows with me :-)

Reclaiming the Banjo's Hidden Black History Follow Hannah Mayree, musician, banjo maker, and founder of the Black Banjo Reclamation Project, as they organize workshops and performances celebrating the banjo’s Black history. www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UVv...

I will forever stay mad that Sony refused to let them release a full album of Patty Griffin covers. This hits like a goddamn freight train, and I lost my entire mind when I saw this live on the MMXVI tour. #CountryRockSunday: www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_yg...

The banjo and the stomping percussion on this both go so hard, and this voice shouldn't have come out of this kid. #CountryRockSunday: www.youtube.com/watch?v=stfg...

We were in @newsweek.com, y’all! Not only did this Democrat daughter help my mom come out of MAGA, but now I’m fighting for a better future for all Kentuckians and Americans - no matter your party affiliation - by running for Congress. www.newsweek.com/maga-mom-vot...

Another strong Kelsea Ballerini single. Another middling radio peak. Bright red phase change line on that graph from her drag revue "If You Go Down" awards show performance. ("Baggage" goes recurrent this week after a sluggish 40-plus week run to a #26 peak.)

J. Buchanan, ... Beauty (****): Expanding on his work w Rival Sons, Buchanan offers a captivating take on cosmic country soul. The versatility of his singing impresses, as does the most intuitive and least fussy production Dave Cobb's done in a ^minute^. A progressive vision for "Americana."

C. Allen, Fault Lines (****): In almost every way, Allen actually achieves what it's been alleged P. McCollum does well. A sneaky great singer whose writing betrays both a sardonic streak and a knack for a hook, Allen's brand of TX country is built for much broader appeal. His sharpest set to date.

A. Michael, Lonestar (**1/2): Now 7 years removed from an Am. Idol stint, Michael is far more effective when he leans into cowboy and TX iconography than when he adopts more strident, ill-fitting Music Row trends that don't suit his strong tenor. There's some promise here, still unfulfilled.

School House, Homeland (***1/2): Second outing for this Canadian trio is one of the more charming and most tuneful entries in the ongoing StompClapHey revival. They're at their best when they aim for full-on singalong refrains that highlight their facility with a melody.

L. Chavez, My Voice (****): Quite the accomplishment that Chavez truly foregrounds such a distinct voice on an instrumental album: Her guitar-work is absolutely first rate, and the breadth of her arrangements on these originals and ace covers showcase a fully formed POV as a musician.

TTB, Future Soul (***): Not hearing much "future" in this: They're classicists at heart, and that's never going to change. As ever, their technical prowess and professionalism are what saves the day. If this isn't real heroism, it's still mighty fine for what it is that they do.

M. Myles, Laced (***): The writing skews pedestrian, and the production is slick and accessible enough. What's most interesting is the tension between the ^prettiness^ of her vocal timbre and her chosen country-rock style. If she leans into that tension w better material, look the whole way out.

Atlus, Art... (**): Regrettable that I wasted the Ayn Rand joke on his EP last fall instead of waiting for this unabridged version, which is even more of a chore to get through.

J. DeSilva, Glitter... Dark (****1/2): I miss her overt forays into the country space, where her queering of genre conventions is a singular and needed form of protest. But note, too, how "Love on the Road" here is fully of a piece w the E. Langley moment the genre's women are having w 80's Country.

After Jesse Welles' Stans, the group we're most often blocked by are people mad that someone in Kentucky would dare imply that no one should give Amy McGrath more money to light on fire.

If only anyone actually listened to progressive KY folk who've been screaming for a decade that Amy McGrath is a dreadful candidate who's already lost--badly-- two elections here because we do not like or trust her. At all. As ever, I wear my Debra Messing Xitter block on McGrath's behalf proudly.

Ayo, Nashville folks. Jessye has an urgent mission for you! 👇👇

As someone who took a lot of shit online for pointing out her problematic brand of conservatism as far back as her second album, I'll say that the thing about this fake quote controversy re: Carrie Underwood x Michelle Obama is that it is wholly believable as something she *would* say.

Friends encourage friends to get off Substack. If you haven't followed DRtI over to Ghost, what are you even doing? Subscribe, y'all.

Our pal Bee has been doing some career-best writing over the last few weeks, which is really saying something.

The worst people on earth always seem to find one another. tonyortega.substack.com/p/watch-elen...

This video is better than any Taylor Sheridan IP, and that's even *before* Kaitlin Butts shows up in it!

Flatland Cavalry, Work of Heart (***): As ever, they remain an outfit who would elevate the mainstream if actually given the chance to do so. This set is accomplished and professional, while still retaining just enough of their homespun charm. But song for song, it doesn't hit their natural ceiling.

WCG, Watterson Hall (***1/2): Easy to understand the appeal to the traditionalist and TX Country sects, and certainly enough quality songcraft here to appeal to the rest of us who aren't nearly so rigid about all that. His affect can skew flat in his singing, though, which can undersell some songs.

S. Barber, Broken View (****): A significant leap from what was a solid, promising debut record, this set leans hard into a "dirt emo" aesthetic that's perfectly suited to his natural gifts. The result is one of the most consistently compelling and ^listenable^ examples of that specific form.

The vibe is "2008 NBC reboot everyone except Steven Soderbergh hated" and the theme song is [apparently that long-awaited political statement?] from goddamn Jelly Roll. Impressive how people keep screwing up what should be a fairly easy, straightforward concept.

if you or someone you know has been taken in by the jesse welles grift, here's a perfect alternative

A thing of absolute beauty, this.

Ty Myers, Heavy... (***): Equally inevitable and unfortunate that he's already being pushed down a Joss Stone path, with no one having learned any real lessons there. His innate talent is obvious, but so is every seam in the genre cosplay dress-up bin. It's professional, yes, but all so affected.

M. Mendez, The Summer... (****): I'm tapping the, "Irony is corrosive," sign, but I'm also not going to be such a hard sell on something that, in its best moments, imagines a foul-mouthed Stephin Merritt cross-pollinating chamber pop with cosmic country. First of his albums I know; correcting now.

A. Monroe, Dear Nashville (EP)(****): Opens w a reflection on not being the Next Big Thing you were supposed to be, then expands into reflections on being unsure of how you ever even know the adult you're supposed to be. God, she's just so great, and particularly good singing on this set, too.

M. Etheridge, Rise (**1/2): She's always been, at most charitably, an ^uneven^ songwriter, and that shows up here in how unsure S. Jennings sounds from track to track in how to engage, production-wise. She and Stapleton make for great duet partners on the clear standout track, at least.

J. Hollier & Rêverie, Rainmaker (***): The songwriting's solid enough, but the aesthetic here is so self-consciously post-genre that it sounds like everything and sounds like nothing at all simultaneously, as though a list of influences would read, "Music, I guess?" That's tiring after a few tracks.

Not on #CountryRockSunday and not on any day do I have time for mediocre white men posturing over being "outlaw": www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG5G...

Well, well, well... Standout track from one of 25's strongest albums, a major level-up from a former mainstream-ish act. #CountryRockSunday www.youtube.com/watch?v=cehk...

Seeing Rhiannon Giddens live tonight and it also happens to be a perfect day to revisit this #nokings #nofascists

cringe is an opp tbh. if they can get you to cringe at the earnestness of people who are on your side guess who benefits

Kentuckians turn out for anti-Trump No Kings protests at ‘crucial moment’ for democracy @sarahelizabethladd.bsky.social @jamielucke.bsky.social kentuckylantern.com/2026/03/28/k...

Haven't watched April Fool's Day in ages, but will be correcting that, stat. Some of Bee's sharpest ever writing here, making quite the argument for the timely generational conflict driving one of the smartest 80s slashers:

NGL, over the last week, I've been listening to Abbie Callahan's ABBA cover more than most people would consider healthy, but also most people would be wrong.

And here it is youtu.be/uA_3lEFF2EU...

*Perfect*. No notes.

And for the "Separate the art from the artist" discourse that's recurring again today thanks to an IP authored by a miserable transphobic bigot with a bully pulpit, a re-up of this "No, I'm not going to do that" essay from last summer: www.countryuniverse.net/2025/08/31/a...

As someone with impeccable penmanship-- I've been told many times I should try to sell it to a developer for a font style-- I cannot overstate how unimportant that specific type of written output is as an indicator of anyone's actual academic achievement. Kids don't need a grade for that, ever.

Have said many times that no one has influenced my perspective on popular culture more than Walter. Here's to another 25 years to Walter and Bill and the FFC crew. A thread to highlight many of his best works. 👇

Ayo @kellywillis.bsky.social: Someone has posted AI Slop to your official Spotify artist page:

This is the first/last time I mention this show until it's buried. Fuck J.K. Rowling. Fuck you if you support this show. I can rattle off the top of my head at least 100 book series & creators you could be funding instead of this feckless abomination whose filthy lucre is used for bigotry & hate.

"Other times, it's an easy way to say "I don't fuck with a basket of deplorables" without actually saying it." As always, we just adore our DRtI pals.