Bill Bungeroth and some other guy (it's me)

Bill and I played at Uncommon Ground last night supporting Steph Bowlin. It was a lot of fun and I hope do it again very soon. Here's a few songs from the show.

Smithsonia

Kill Devil Hills

Highway

I Love You Anyway

Bill's in an awesome band, City Electric, that rocks people's faces off, so if you don't like your face, head to Martyr's this Friday (1/27) and see them hit it like a champion.

Quentin Hirsley

Quentin's a good friend and a pretty amazing songwriter. The first thing that stands out about him (besides his incredible hair--jealousy's a bitch) is his wonderfully rich voice. He's such an expressive singer, espescially with the dusty, sparse blues that he plays. Click here to be his friend and get show updates.

Quentin Hirsley- Cellar Door

Okay...stop what you're doing...

This is reeeeeediculous. And I have a high tolerance for this kind of thing. I was aware of this song about a month ago when my sister mentioned it...and it was silly and dumb, a little out there but it's Trace Adkins so whatever.
BUT THIS VIDEO is stoopid, straight up. Turn it on and watch the train wreck. Not only are they grossly misinformed by trying to play it like it's a rap video (from, like, '97)...but the song is "remixed" for some reason to be a club track, or...something. First it wants to be hip hop, then it moves to house music (circa '94 this time). It's like looking at Yahoo from 1996, like WHAA?

watch at your peril

a little of the hip hop

Country hip hop is not a new idea...and I'm not talking about about Cowboy Troy. Folks like Buck 65 and Jim White and Tim Fite have been rocking like that for a bit. I like Battlestar America (NOTE: the band now goes by B-Star) because they're really focused on the political element of what they're trying to do and it's very immediate, yet old timey feeling. Basically it calls to mind a bunch of time travelling aliens putting on a touring medicine show with an agenda for social change all around the dustbowl in the thirties. Like Steinbeck and Bradbury got busssssaaaaaay, yeah!

Battlestar- Out There Laughing

Buy at cdbaby

Devin and the Straights

I've always said that there should be an openly gay country singer in this world (Kenny Chesney, I cast a suspiscious eye towards you), and now not only have my wishes come true, but I'm in his band. Come check us out if you can at Town Hall Pub on Halsted every other Tuesday this month. Free. Here's Devin, sans band.

Devin- Raindrops and Teardrops

Goodnight Moon

This is a Will Kimbrough song--and his version is good--but I know it from Jack Ingram's Electric album. There's something very alive about this recording. Everything's just a little too hot but it's still so quiet, and you can hear him pull back from the mic in his yells at everything around him. It's a very lonely song. But that's country.

Jack Ingram- Goodnight Moon

buy it here

the Kinkster

Kinky Friedman is a country singer, a mystery author AND he's running for Texas governor this year. Through more than twenty-five years of music and writing, Kinky managed to become an icon of both Texas and Texans in New York City (for better or worse). He and his band The Texas Jewboys also own the honor of having filmed the only episode of Austin City Limits deemed too offensive to air. It's still shelved. Free the Jewboys! And Kinky for governor.

Kinky Friedman- People Who Read People

buy Kinky's music and books

Townes Van Zandt

Hey, if you're in Chicago you should check out this documentary on singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt. More than just his songs (which are amazing), his personality and the mythos surrounding him are more than enough reason to check it out. It's also getting good reviews if that means anything to doc goers. Most of these cuts are off of, in my opinion, his finest album "Live at the Old Quarter" which was recorded in Houston in the early seventies.

Townes Van Zandt- Be Here To Love Me

Townes Van Zandt- Talking Thunderbird Blues

Townes Van Zandt- Don't You Take it Too Bad

buy here

God bless you Mr. Keith

Just when I thought country couldn't get any better or more insightful, along comes another pearl from Toby Keith. Cuz we all know he goes to work and punches a clock day in, day out.
Surely the soundtrack of your life.

Toby Keith- Get Drunk and Be Somebody


Buy here

TEXAS

the Longhorns play USC tonight in the Rose Bowl and I just got back to Chicago after spending the holidays with my family in Houston so here's some Texas folks for everybody...it's not all country but it's all badass.

Blaze Foley- Election Day

Robert Earl Keen- Song for Kathy

Reverend Horton Heat- Livin' on the Edge of Houston

buy REK here
buy RHH here
buy Blaze Foley here