Hank 3 x 4: Country, Cajun, Cattle-Core, and Doom Rock

September 20, 2011 11:34 AM

Hank Williams III has had a rocky relationship with his label, Curb Records, from the beginning, when his first album with them was an album with his grandfather and father, "thanks to the wonders of 21st century digital overdubbing." A decade and a half later, Hank 3 was free from Curb Records, though the label snuck out one last album, even though the contract was over. It was actually an old album from a decidedly non-country style, but that didn't stop Curb from offering it as a Hank III album at a fire-sale discount, ensuring Billboard Country charting. That was in June of this year. Jump ahead to September: Hank 3 released three albums over four CDs, spanning his broad musical styles and beyond. CD1: country (of sorts); CD2: haunted ambient soundtrack and Cajun-tinted country, with guests (like Tom Waits); CD3: cattle-core; CD4: doom rock.
posted by filthy light thief (91 comments total)

I think he'd tell us all just what was what.
He'd give his son a good kick in the butt.
posted by roll truck roll at 11:39 AM on September 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

I hadn't heard of him before, and when I first read his name, I figured this was a band an ironic name, along the lines of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. Now I'm sad that it not only is his real name, but I didn't name my band that first.
posted by Threeway Handshake at 11:45 AM on September 20, 2011

Cattle-core did not live up to my expectations.

"All I wanted was some grub! Just some grub! And you wouldn't give it to me!"
posted by Trurl at 11:48 AM on September 20, 2011 [5 favorites]

cattle-core = lol
posted by DU at 11:48 AM on September 20, 2011

He also appeared on two albums with Superjoint Ritual; comprised of members of Pantera and Eyehategod. The first album was quite good.
posted by Dark Messiah at 11:53 AM on September 20, 2011

Someone has to "put the dick back in dixie and the cunt back in country". Nashville has ruined country music, not that "country" is a fitting category for him. Godspeed, Three. Glad to see him on the front page.
posted by absalom at 11:58 AM on September 20, 2011 [4 favorites]

He was featured on NPR yesterday
posted by exogenous at 11:58 AM on September 20, 2011

Hank the third is pure whiskey awesome, a grit-nasty callback to an uglier, truer country music. Today's pop-western garbage is the thing people hate when they say they like everything 'except country'. Hank the third is what they didn't know they liked until you played it for them at 3:15am on a Thursday, after drinking waaaaaay too much. Mescaline may also be involved.
posted by FatherDagon at 11:59 AM on September 20, 2011 [14 favorites]

Thanks for the post! I don't think I can read it without a couple shots of bourbon though.
posted by Stagger Lee at 11:59 AM on September 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

A bootleged Hank III concert recording is what I listened to for hours upon hours while sitting in traffic during The Great Hurricane Rita evacuation Traffic Jam in Houston back in 2005. It was still hell, but it made it a more tolerable hell.
posted by MexicanYenta at 11:59 AM on September 20, 2011 [3 favorites]

HWIII makes me happy as a response to overproduced pop-country. Must give his dad an aneurism everytime he hears his son play, and his grand-dad a big smile up in heaven.
posted by Slap*Happy at 12:00 PM on September 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

I have a friend who is a huge Hank III fan, now with the advent of jukeboxes that download songs off the internet he puts on 4-5 songs in a row every bar we go to. It pisses off just about everyone, which I guess is the point. It really does not endear him to bar owners when patrons start leaving after the second song.
posted by Ad hominem at 12:03 PM on September 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

Dark Messiah: He also appeared on two albums with Superjoint Ritual

He's also in a punk metal band, Assjack (who are the ones behind the new/old This Ain’t Country/Hillbilly Joker album that was credited to Hank 3), and Arson Anthem, with singer Mike Williams of Eyehategod, vocalist Phil Anselmo of Pantera, Down and Superjoint Ritual on guitar, country musician, and bassist Collin Yeo.

exogenous - that's the 8th link in (Hank 3 released three albums over four CDs). Kinda buried, but it's there =)
posted by filthy light thief at 12:03 PM on September 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

There is, of course, a band called Hank IV, with an album cover prominently featuring the letters HIV.
posted by bendybendy at 12:05 PM on September 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

My new band strictly plays balls-to-the-wall fruit-pickin' songs. We call it "apple-core."
posted by octobersurprise at 12:06 PM on September 20, 2011 [4 favorites]

Must give his dad an aneurism everytime he hears his son play, and his grand-dad a big smile up in heaven.

Always cracks me up that everyone loves Hank the Original, and Hank the Third is awesome, and Jr in between merits the barest of shrugs from just about everyone. Must suck to come to terms with the fact that your best feature was that you gave your dad a grandson.
posted by FatherDagon at 12:07 PM on September 20, 2011 [3 favorites]

Must suck to come to terms with the fact that your best feature was that you gave your dad a grandson.

Don't forget about the Monday Night Football song.

but seriously, that's it.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 12:09 PM on September 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

Mike Curb is a bit of a Christian nutbar.
posted by rhizome at 12:09 PM on September 20, 2011

Dunno, Family Tradition is ok. That is worth something.
posted by Ad hominem at 12:12 PM on September 20, 2011 [5 favorites]

I'm waiting for the lounge jazz album.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 12:12 PM on September 20, 2011

Always cracks me up that everyone loves Hank the Original, and Hank the Third is awesome, and Jr in between merits the barest of shrugs from just about everyone. Must suck to come to terms with the fact that your best feature was that you gave your dad a grandson.
posted by FatherDagon at 12:07 PM on September 20 [+] [!]

Oh Hank Jr does just fine. He's had more than his share of record deals, awards, and fans.

Kind of wish he'd stop doing making Republican anthems though.
posted by Stagger Lee at 12:13 PM on September 20, 2011

and Jr in between merits the barest of shrugs from just about everyone

Among people who have been listening to country music all along, this isn't quite true.

Mind, the dude's politics suck and so does a fair percentage of his music, but a couple of his songs are sing-along standards in a lot of bars.
posted by brennen at 12:13 PM on September 20, 2011 [3 favorites]

Hank the third is pure whiskey awesome, a grit-nasty callback to an uglier, truer country music.

Who're you calling ugly? Willie Nelson? George Jones? Loretta Lynn? Even Merle Haggard? They are surely "truer" country than anything else, but not an ugly voice to be heard.
posted by yarly at 12:15 PM on September 20, 2011 [5 favorites]

I sometimes share a parking lot with a dude who has a Hank Jr logo, with 'A Country Boy Can Survive' surrounding it in giant letters, painted on the tailgate of his truck.
posted by box at 12:15 PM on September 20, 2011

I really do love the line, "I have loved the ladies, And I have loved Jim Beam, and they both tried to kill me" That song is definitely an anthem in some places.
posted by Ad hominem at 12:15 PM on September 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

Dunno, Family Tradition is ok. That is worth something.

Until he re-recorded it as "McCain-Palin Tradition." That was the last straw for me.

Anyway, I saw Hank III at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace some years back. He rocked everyone's socks off, but was really cool and respectful of the venue at the same time. He completely won over all the older patrons.
posted by queensissy at 12:21 PM on September 20, 2011 [2 favorites]

Who're you calling ugly?

More along the lines of Tex Ritter (Blood on the Saddle) is what I'm thinking of.
posted by FatherDagon at 12:24 PM on September 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

So Hank Williams III puts out a doom metal album... Earth keeps sounding sort of country... I wonder what happens when they meet in the middle?
posted by nebulawindphone at 12:27 PM on September 20, 2011

Hank III is like gateway country.
You come for the metal, and next thing you know you've got six teeth and a john deer cap, and you're standing in the front row of a Willie Nelson concert.
posted by Stagger Lee at 12:30 PM on September 20, 2011 [7 favorites]

I gotta lot of respect for Hank III. Even saw him a few years back. won't say that every thing he puts out floats my boat, but he does seem to have that one quality that endears me to certain people, intentionality. He does what he likes to do, and is sincere and generally not an asshole. That earns a whole lotta credit in my eyes, and yeah is a breath of fresh air to the co-opted country genera.
posted by edgeways at 12:31 PM on September 20, 2011 [2 favorites]

So Hank Williams III puts out a doom metal album... Earth keeps sounding sort of country... I wonder what happens when they meet in the middle?

They run into Those Poor Bastards, performing 'Black Lightning'.

well technically H3 already met 'em, toured with em and did a cover of their song 'Pills I Took'.. But yeah.
posted by FatherDagon at 12:33 PM on September 20, 2011 [3 favorites]

He completely won over all the older patrons.

I noted that too. When I saw him a few years ago he was doing a half acoustic country/half Assjack set. To one side of the stage were a group of old people who looked like they'd probably known his grandaddy. Personally. As a child. When III came out, the first thing he did was directly address those people. "Thanks for coming out, y'all. I hope y'all like the show. But be warned -- the second half of it is that screamin' devil music. I'll let y'all know 'fore we start doin' that just in case."

And sure enough, midway through, he said, "OK, the loud part's fixin' to start" and the elderly folks toddled off for the night.

Thoughtful fellow, III.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 12:34 PM on September 20, 2011 [33 favorites]

My personal Hank Jr favorite is Women I Never Had. My wife hates that song. He also did an awesome version of Gregg Allman's Come and Go Blues
posted by Billiken at 12:48 PM on September 20, 2011

More along the lines of Tex Ritter (Blood on the Saddle ) is what I'm thinking of.

Or Spade Cooley. Hank 3's first album was one of my go-tos for cutting the grass the last few summers.
posted by yerfatma at 12:48 PM on September 20, 2011

Always cracks me up that everyone loves Hank the Original, and Hank the Third is awesome, and Jr in between merits the barest of shrugs from just about everyone.

I'll partially agree, but once I was flipping through the channels and came upon a CMT hunting reality show with Hank Jr. After the shooting and grinning, they were sitting in a lodge at night and there's Hank Jr. with an acoustic. I was jaw-droppingly surprised with some killer ballad I had never heard before. It was fucking amazing.
posted by Ironmouth at 12:56 PM on September 20, 2011

Nashville doing country has yielded some great stuff, mostly years and years ago back in the Pleistocene when Nashville was originally supposed to have destroyed country music by unleashing the likes of Patsy Cline and Jim Reeves and Lynn Anderson and Charlie Rich. But mainstream Nashville country nowadays reminds me of Sinéad O'Connor's rendering of Loretta Lynn's "Success": a wildly interesting and occasionally beautiful failure, but a failure nonetheless.
posted by blucevalo at 12:59 PM on September 20, 2011

Everybody knows all the cool kids are into bluegrass these days. Anyone want to join me at Watermelon Park this weekend?
posted by MrMoonPie at 1:08 PM on September 20, 2011

They run into Those Poor Bastards, performing 'Black Lightning'.

Oh man. I love it when I think I'm being a sarcastic pain in the ass and it turns out I'm asking a perfectly legitimate question. This is good — thanks.
posted by nebulawindphone at 1:11 PM on September 20, 2011

> Now I'm sad that it not only is his real name, but I didn't name my band that first.

It's actually not his real name. His real name is Shelton Williams.
posted by chrchr at 1:28 PM on September 20, 2011

And his daddy is Randall Williams, and his grand-daddy was born Hiram King Williams. What's yer point, Slim?
posted by filthy light thief at 1:40 PM on September 20, 2011

Texas Country is where it's at for country these days. Y'all.
posted by kmz at 1:44 PM on September 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

... Oh, and I should mention:

At that show, Hank III was wearing a tshirt that read "FUCK CURB RECORDS".

:)
posted by BitterOldPunk at 1:47 PM on September 20, 2011 [2 favorites]

There is something delicously wonderful about an artist getting so fed up with a (former) label that they go all militant and start lashing out like that or Hank enouraging fans to pirate an album. Or the mega fight that was Prince vs. Sony.
posted by Mitheral at 2:06 PM on September 20, 2011

Have I missed out on something because I think that II and III are simply hacks compared to the original?
posted by Mental Wimp at 2:09 PM on September 20, 2011

I have listened to some of III and never much cared for it. Senior bores me to tears and I hate his voice. But you know what the meat of awesome is surrounded by the other Hank Williamses bread of meh? Fuckin' JUNIOR motherfuckers! J to the R. Bocephus. Yes he's for Kid Rock and Sarah Palin and guns and probably a lot of worse things than that but he is also for love. And he's for fishing. And he is great. And he has a beard and wears sunglasses a lot. These are facts. If you don't like Junior then you might as well not like Dolly or Loretta or Randy Travis. And if you don't like them but claim to like country music then you and me may be talking about different things.
posted by ND¢ at 2:13 PM on September 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'd say yes, as I don't know how Hank 3's punk, metal, drone and soundscape production can be compared to the original Hank's music. Country apples vs some fucked up oranges, if you get my drift.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:13 PM on September 20, 2011

My comment was to Mental Wimp -- and I'm not saying you have to like Hank 3, just that he's not someone trying to stand on the shoulders of his relatives
posted by filthy light thief at 2:14 PM on September 20, 2011

So wait: The odd numbered Hank I and Hank III were the good ones whille the even numbered Hank II was notsogood?

But isn't Hank IV the one who goes back in time and rescues the whales?

Or was that the one who got a college educaton by impersonating students while driving the campus roach coach?
 
posted by Herodios at 2:39 PM on September 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'm so happy somebody finally mentioned Hank IV!
posted by queensissy at 2:49 PM on September 20, 2011

Uh, to be clear: Hank IV!
posted by queensissy at 2:49 PM on September 20, 2011

Mental Wimp -- I'm less than impressed with Hank III's recorded output, too (though I've only heard maybe three of his albums, I think).

But the man is a performer and puts on a helluva live show. Worth seeing, even if you aren't much of a fan.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 2:51 PM on September 20, 2011

but seriously, that's it.

My favourite Onion headline: "Hank Williams Jr. Honored By Institute For Football Preparedness"
posted by Gary at 3:02 PM on September 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

Hank III & Jesco White - Straight to Hell
posted by Sailormom at 3:06 PM on September 20, 2011 [4 favorites]

I like that one song..."My Drinking Problem Left Today". And some of these records sound interesting (I'm always up for some "haunted ambient" whatever). Thanks!
posted by tumid dahlia at 3:13 PM on September 20, 2011

III are simply hacks compared to the original
listened to some of III and never much cared for it

If you don't like
our hillbilly sound
then hey man, go fuck you

Hate to see that Joe Buck's not playing bass anymore.
posted by lost_cause at 3:24 PM on September 20, 2011

Whatever Hank III may think of mashups with his ancestors, there is somewhere a three-way split screen video mashup of Hanks Sr., Jr., and III singing the Sons of the Pioneers song "Empty saddles in the old corral" together that I wish I could find (google video knows it not). It is wonderful.
posted by jfuller at 3:36 PM on September 20, 2011

Everybody knows all the cool kids are into bluegrass these days.

That might have been a joke but every time Old Crow Medicine Show play they draw a huge, hip crowd.
Same with Justin Townes Earle.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 3:49 PM on September 20, 2011

Senior bores me to tears and I hate his voice... If you don't like Junior then you might as well not like Dolly or Loretta or Randy Travis. And if you don't like them but claim to like country music then you and me may be talking about different things.

*head asplodes*

Did you just really endorse Randy Travis over Hank?
posted by entropicamericana at 3:54 PM on September 20, 2011 [4 favorites]

absalom: "Someone has to "put the dick back in dixie and the cunt back in country". Nashville has ruined country music, not that "country" is a fitting category for him. Godspeed, Three. Glad to see him on the front page."

My Cuntry Boner (it won't go down...)
posted by symbioid at 4:08 PM on September 20, 2011

Hank III gets a lot of playtime on the stereo at work...love it.
posted by schyler523 at 4:18 PM on September 20, 2011

Since we're crackin' on Nashville (well some of us are) . . .
JB Beverley and the Wayward Drifters talk about some Hanks in Dark Bar and a Jukebox.

Same JB as from the Murder Junkies
posted by Seamus at 4:35 PM on September 20, 2011

Go on, go listen to Hank III do "Thunderstorms and Neon Signs." Then the (not horrible) "Norwegian Wood" and "Outlaw Women" from Hank Williams, Jr. I sing along, even though I don't like his political bent.

Come to think of it, I got a shotgun and a rifle and a 4-wheel drive and I voted for Obama.
posted by MonkeyToes at 4:50 PM on September 20, 2011

Everybody knows all the cool kids are into bluegrass these days.

That might have been a joke but every time Old Crow Medicine Show play they draw a huge, hip crowd.
Same with Justin Townes Earle.


Can't say for sure of course... but I doubt it was a joke as it is actually pretty truthful in many places. Local boys, Trampled By Turtles have packed the house for quite awhile around here and have a decent sized following nationally (~62K on facebook).

I, uh, like bluegrass with some reservations, but have to say in general am pretty happy it is making a resurgence.. it is that intentionality thing again.
posted by edgeways at 5:19 PM on September 20, 2011

Always cracks me up that everyone loves Hank the Original, and Hank the Third is awesome, and Jr in between merits the barest of shrugs from just about everyone.

not a big fan of Hank 2, but he did have kind of a shitty life for awhile where his mom forced him to dress in identical outfits and sing just like his dead father. It seemed like he worked hard for awhile to sound like anything but Hank Senior, which made it also seem kind of tacky when he embraced him later. Anyway, I wouldn't want to grow up like that, with that legacy and those expectations.

Senior bores me to tears and I hate his voice.

Now that's crazy talk. Hank 2 sounds just like his daddy. They just have different styles.

More early Hank 2: It's All Over but the Cryin', Endless Sleep, Still in Love With You.
posted by oneirodynia at 5:25 PM on September 20, 2011

What? Y'all don't know country music if you think Hank Jr. is some kind of lightweight. This is the guy who gave us "Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound." He's collapsed in a state of inanity in the last 15 years, but for a while there he was a very distinctive voice, both over the top and dead on.

Hank 3 is a phenom in his way, but he has yet to write one song of that quality.
posted by spitbull at 6:24 PM on September 20, 2011

Sorry meant to link:

Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound

Bonus:
Waylon Jennings and Hank Jr., "The Conversation."
posted by spitbull at 6:26 PM on September 20, 2011

And do not be dissing Hank. There is no need to call him "Senior." He's just Hank. And he was one of the greatest American songwriters of the 20th century.
posted by spitbull at 6:27 PM on September 20, 2011 [4 favorites]

More Jr: "Old Habits."

"Montana Cafe."
posted by spitbull at 6:31 PM on September 20, 2011

Lovecraft In Brooklyn, not a joke, not at all. I really am going to a bluegrass festival this weekend, same one I went to last year, and I'm a cool kid at least my Mother thinks so.
posted by MrMoonPie at 6:55 PM on September 20, 2011

I've mentioned this before...went to high school with Shelton, errrr, III. (yeah I know I dropped that name over there...I'll pick it up in a minute) We ran in different crowds, but had mutual friends. From what I remember, he was at the same time both reserved and the type who stands out in a crowd. Not loud or ostentatious, but had a presence about him. Long hair, tie-dyes, and a brown/tan '84 Chevy 4x4 pickup with about 8 inches of lift, LOUD exhaust, and a license plate that read "Hank III". A buddy of mine later bought the truck...was a nice piece.

I never really got into his style, but I fully respect the direction(s?) he's gone with what he's doing.
posted by rhythim at 6:56 PM on September 20, 2011

I have listened to some of III and never much cared for it. Senior bores me to tears and I hate his voice. But you know what the meat of awesome is surrounded by the other Hank Williamses bread of meh? Fuckin' JUNIOR motherfuckers! J to the R. Bocephus. Yes he's for Kid Rock and Sarah Palin and guns and probably a lot of worse things than that but he is also for love. And he's for fishing. And he is great. And he has a beard and wears sunglasses a lot. These are facts. If you don't like Junior then you might as well not like Dolly or Loretta or Randy Travis. And if you don't like them but claim to like country music then you and me may be talking about different things.

I probably like Hank Williams, Jr a lot more than most people in this thread. As a kid, I had this cassette tape of Wild Streak that I loved, and that album isn't even good(although it did leave me with a lifelong soft spot for "If the South Woulda Won" which is fairly embarassing). Still, he's got some solid songs, no reason to hate on him.

That said, your grouping here makes no sense. Hank Jr and Randy Travis are sort of contemporaries, but they do wildly different types of music. Dolly and Randy are sort of a piece, but neither is like Hank Jr. And for crying out loud, Loretta Lynn is as close to a female version of Hank Williams (Senior) as you're likely to find. Hell, here's her covering Your Cheating Heart" just to show what I mean.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 8:34 PM on September 20, 2011

Go on, go listen to Hank III do "Thunderstorms and Neon Signs."

Hank III gives him credit every time he does the song, but it's worth mentioning that that song is by Wayne "The Train" Hancock, a country singer whose booze-soaked Texas swing is worth a listen in its own right.

Also, for no other reason than that we're talking about country music:

LISTEN TO DALE WATSON. He's so country he makes Hank Jr. sound like David Byrne.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 8:38 PM on September 20, 2011 [5 favorites]

Lovecraft In Brooklyn, not a joke, not at all. I really am going to a bluegrass festival this weekend, same one I went to last year, and I'm a cool kid at least my Mother lost_cause thinks so.

MrMoonPie is one of the few Mefites I've met IRL, and he's definitely one of the cool kids. I'm totally jealous that he gets to see Ralph Stanley this weekend.

Also, please people, banjo != bluegrass. OCMS has banjos, but they are not bluegrass. That III clip I posted above has a banjo, and it sure as hell ain't bluegrass.
posted by lost_cause at 8:41 PM on September 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

Yeah, seconding BitterOldPunk that Dale Watson and Wayne Hancock are the real deal.
posted by lost_cause at 8:45 PM on September 20, 2011

Did you just really endorse Randy Travis over Hank?

Oh, well. De gustibus.
posted by Mental Wimp at 7:20 AM on September 21, 2011

My Cuntry Boner (it won't go down...)

And while we're on that topic...
posted by Mental Wimp at 7:23 AM on September 21, 2011

BitterOldPunk and lost_cause, when may we expect the magnum opus on Wayne Hancock?

'Cause that's what Mama wants.

Busted. Forgot to ascribe authorship on that one, so let me make amends by saying that I love "87 Southbound," "Johnny Law," and his version of "Brand New Cadillac." And now I see that Hank III has covered "87 Southbound" as well. God, I love this this music. My Yankee mother weeps.
posted by MonkeyToes at 7:49 AM on September 21, 2011

LISTEN TO DALE WATSON. He's so country he makes Hank Jr. sound like David Byrne.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 8:38 PM on September 20 [4 favorites +] [!]

I just saw Dale Watson this weekend! He's surely country, but he's also got a slightly ironic/purposefully retro vibe -- he is walking a fine line between real country (all the redneck Virginians who were happily two-stepping to him) and carefully curated hipster country. But good fun was had by all.

I don't know, this whole debate on what's "country" could go on forever without getting anywhere ... my main gripe is that the Kids These Days often think that "real country" is equivalent to a rough, untutored sound, when the opposite is true. Also, I think what Jack Black did to Loretta Lynn in Van Lear Rose is a travesty, and I'll stand on his coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that.
posted by yarly at 8:09 AM on September 21, 2011

yarly, I haven't met Jack White or his bodyguards, but I don't think you could get anywhere near his coffee table.
posted by MonkeyToes at 8:13 AM on September 21, 2011

I also don't actually have cowboy boots :(
posted by yarly at 8:15 AM on September 21, 2011

my main gripe is that the Kids These Days often think that "real country" is equivalent to a rough, untutored sound, when the opposite is true.

Yes, a music that was largely created by poor southern farmers should obviously have strings, overdubs, and autotune.

Carter Family? Imposters. Garth Brooks? Keepin' it real!
posted by entropicamericana at 9:13 AM on September 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

my main gripe is that the Kids These Days often think that "real country" is. . .

Funny you should mention them, I saw Kids These Days just a few weeks ago, opening for the Susan Tedeschi - Derek Trucks Band.

Eclectic.
 
posted by Herodios at 9:27 AM on September 21, 2011

when may we expect the magnum opus on Wayne Hancock?

What someone needs to do is a big fat link-stuffed FPP about Western swing in general, taking us from Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys through Asleep At The Wheel and then to Wayne "The Train" Hancock.

So, um, somebody get on that.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 9:32 AM on September 21, 2011 [3 favorites]

What someone needs to do is a big fat link-stuffed FPP about Western swing in general, taking us from Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys through Asleep At The Wheel and then to Wayne "The Train" Hancock.

I'd hit that.
posted by Mental Wimp at 10:54 AM on September 21, 2011

Yes, a music that was largely created by poor southern farmers should obviously have strings, overdubs, and autotune.

Carter Family? Imposters. Garth Brooks? Keepin' it real!

That's not really what I meant -- what I mean is that that classic country music is characterized by meticulous technique, exactly like the Carter Family, and it is not rough and artless "outsider" music created by unsophisticated poor people.
posted by yarly at 12:44 PM on September 21, 2011 [2 favorites]

F*ing awesome! Great post, filthy light thief.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 7:07 PM on September 21, 2011

he's also got a slightly ironic/purposefully retro vibe -- he is walking a fine line between real country (all the redneck Virginians who were happily two-stepping to him) and carefully curated hipster country.

Dale Watson is the real thing. In terms of style, some self-ironization is a time-honored part of country (did you think Hee Haw was serious?) and an old, old part of America popular culture generally going back to tall tales and so forth.
posted by zipadee at 7:49 PM on September 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

So y'all probably heard about the lost notebooks of Hank Williams
posted by Sailormom at 4:49 AM on September 24, 2011

Uh oh. Football is coming without warning. Hang Williams Jr compared Obama to Hitler and is getting pulled from tonight's Monday Night Football.
posted by Gary at 3:25 PM on October 3, 2011

oops... Hank, not hang...
posted by Gary at 3:29 PM on October 3, 2011

If you want sophisticated political analysis, you really oughta stick with David Allen Coe.
posted by box at 6:42 AM on October 4, 2011 [2 favorites]