The Trishas - "Why"

If you haven't jumped on the Trishas bandwagon yet - you better catch up. I'll admit, it took me a while. It takes a lot of warming up for me to decide to listen to a bunch of chicks singing. But this isn't your typical chick music and even some of the toughest male critics are calling this one of the best albums of 2012 from any genre.

Amanda Shires - July 26, 2012

Being from Lubbock, I'd heard of Amanda Shires a few times as a result of her having played with the Thrift Store Cowboys, but it wasn't until she got engaged to one of my favorite Americana artists, Jason Isbell, that I started to listen to her music. I can't describe her sounds myself, but her website biography says "her energetic, jittery vocals and eccentric lyrical subjects mark her out as a young female heir to the godfather of strange, Tom Waits. In her more conventional moments, Shires sounds like the weird young niece of Dolly Parton.”


So of course I obliged when my boss invited me and some coworkers to the Buddy Holly Center last Thursday afternoon for live music featuring Miss Shires herself. Aside from the hot west Texas sun, the afternoon was perfect - made better by good company and cold beer, and the music was awesome. Her quiet voice, accompanied by her fiddle and occasional whistling and a man on acoustic guitar was the perfect backdrop to a relaxing afternoon in downtown Lubbock.

Charla Corn - "Big T-Shirt"

I want to hate Charla Corn, but I just can't. I'm sure most stuck-up jealous Texas bitches like me feel the same way. I have loved every single she's released and I was very surprised when I saw her at LJT. She held her own and her show was just as entertaining as all the dudes she was up against. I normally don't care for or listen to chick music, but for some reason she's alright to me. This is her new single, "Big T-Shirt." I couldn't find a better video so just deal with it.

Pistol Annies - Takin' Pills

I accidentally watched the CMT Awards the other day. By accidentally, I mean I turned on the TV (which rarely happens) and couldn't find a single episode of Friends, Seinfeld, or My Strange Addiction. TLC is right next to CMT on my channels, so it really was an accident. And I got sucked in. It was like a train-wreck... it hurt to watch but I couldn't look away. The only thing that made it bearable was making fun of it. I nearly made it into a drinking game - drink for every male wearing  skinny jeans and for every solo cup reference - but decided I'd probably die of alcohol poisoning after the first hour.

There was a handful... no, not even a handful... a pinch of performances that didn't make me cringe. One of those was the Pistol Annies. Miranda Lambert has always been my idol as far as style, music, and her overall Texan image. But with this whole super-couple thing and Blake Shelton more or less selling out, I feel like she's teetering on the edge. Either way, she's still the closest thing to real in Nashville these days and I think this Pistol Annies project is genius. I hope she can help popularize real country because she is the hottest thing in town right now and if anyone can do it, it's gotta be her and it's gotta be now.

These girls ain't singing about the hunky-dory bubble-gum shit that other girls are. It's about drinking and burning down houses and being bad and desperate and just... real shit. I like that. Plus they are adorable. They make it cute to be a little trashy and who doesn't want to be able to pull that off? I hope they continue to grow and keep on making good music.

Here's their performance from the other night. This song reminds me of me and two of my best girlfriends. Guess which one I am.

Song of the Day - Portland Oregon

"Well Portland Oregon and sloe gin fizz, if that ain't love then tell me what is, uh-huh..."

Someday I am going to get around to posting more than just outfit inspiration and songs of the day. One thing I have been thinking of is lists of favorite collaboration songs, songs I could listen to 43 million times, and songs that make me stop dead in my tracks and search out everything about the artist - one of my typical binges. Well, one song that you probably wouldn't expect to be on those lists, but definitely is on all of them, is Loretta Lynn with Jack White's Portland Oregon. This song came out when I was in Jr. High and just beginning to get into music and figure out that there is more to life than the music played on the radio in Podunk, Texas. I remember I recorded the video on our DVR and I would watch it over and over and over. I still listen to it all the time - several times a week at least, and when I do, I usually play it more than once in a row. It will NEVER get old.

Oh and Loretta Lynn is a badass. Always has been, always will be.

(Normally I would try to play the real music video, but I discovered this one a while back and it is too cool to pass up.)

Song of the Day - Merry Go 'Round

I think I've said it before but I pretty much never listen to female singers, but Kacey Musgraves doesn't count. She's got something different that makes me wanna listen, she's not whiney and cliche and singing about the same dumb stuff as every other girl. She writes her own songs and is really REALLY talented. Like for real. Yes, she was on Nashville Star but that was a lifetime ago and I've been following her ever since. I think her duet with Josh Abbott, Oh, Tonight, is really what turned lots of people on to her and she is finally becoming something. She signed a record deal a few months ago and I can.not.wait for her album to come out.

My favorite song of hers is Step Off, but it's only on her WEBSITE but I found this other really good one on the YouTube machine.

Song of the Day: Ex-Old Man

I found this song today and even though I usually don't listen to women, this is really fun. Texas music is a tough place for women to make it and I know they have to work 10 times harder than the guys, so I hope this song will be a big boost for Kristen Kelly.

Lovely Ladies: Miranda and Kelly

This is just fun! I love both of them. Real women with gorgeous strong voices.