Ever since I first heard Whitney Rose’s last album Heartbreaker of the Year, I have been looking forward to hearing more music from her. Therefore, I was really excited to hear her new South Texas Suite EP when it was released back in January. Given Whitney Rose’s move to Texas, I was curious about whether or not this EP would sound different from her last album.
Upon listening, I can definitely say that it does. It’s still got the nice blend of pop and country Whitney Rose did so well on Heartbreaker of the Year, but with a great Texas bent. That is shown right away on the opening track “Three Minute Love Affair”. There is some really good accordion, and it immediately sets the tone for the song. It revolves around a couple on the dance floor. They had never met before the dance, but for three minutes of the song, they are in the midst of a love affair of music and movement. For those three minutes, it’s just the two of them, the dance, and the song.
Next is “Analog”, where Whitney talks about wanting things to be simpler. She wants records instead of digital music, and a memory instead of a photograph. It’s a really nice song about wanting to get back things that we’ve lost because of technology. It’s not preachy by any means as the technology part was just briefly mentioned in the song, but I thought it was a nice sentiment. I really like the instrumentation, too. It’s got a slower pace, with a bit of an older pop sound.
Following these two songs, there’s “My Boots”. This is my favorite track off of the EP. It’s all about Whitney Rose just wanting to be herself. No matter where she goes, she just wants to be comfortable, and she won’t dress herself up to make a better impression. This song has some really good steel guitar and fiddle in it, too, so that always helps.
“Blue Bonnets” is all about the main character wanting to make things better for her partner. She wants to remind him of all the good things the world has to offer when he comes home. The music of this song really reminds me of 60s pop, and it brings back the vintage Whitney Rose sound heard on her last album that I liked so much, because while it has that older pop flair, there is some great fiddle too. Then there’s “Looking back on Luckenbach”. I love the title of this one. The main character is looking back to the town where a lot of her best memories were made. This is probably the song that I like the least, but it’s not bad at all. It’s got a nice easy pace with some really good instrumentation.
Lastly, there’s “How About A Hand for the Band”. It’s a simple instrumental where the band gets to show off their skills. I thought this was a great way to give the musicians a chance to shine. As Whitney Rose produced this herself, I just thought it was a really nice touch.
Overall, I do quite like this EP. I really like the new Texas sound Whitney Rose worked with on here. From the accordion to the steel, to some honky tonk settings and Texas themes, I thought it was an interesting step for her. I’m definitely eager to see what she comes out with next.
Aaron Watson is one of those names I heard about in Texas country, but always forgot to look up. When Megan approached me about reviewing this album, I figured that now was as good a time as any to check out his music. Therefore, when I sat down to listen to Vaquero, I wasn’t sure quite what to expect.
This album has great instrumentation. I realized that right off the bat when “Texas Lullaby” started playing with some quite well-done accordion. Not all the songs feature this instrument, but I love it wherever it is played. There is fiddle and steel guitar all throughout this album, so a traditional country fan listening to this will not be disappointed anywhere instrumentation-wise. I will say, though, that there are a few songs where the instruments needlessly extend things, but that’s just my personal opinion.
For me, it’s the lyrics that bring this album down. Not on every song, but there are many times throughout this album where words and phrases are repeated, and the same subject matter is approached in three different songs. It began to get tiring after a while.
This is not to say that the album is bad. The aforementioned “Texas Lullaby” is a great opening song. Granted, the references to Texas did get a bit over-the-top for my taste, but the song itself is good. It tells the story of a soldier from Texas(whom they called Texas), and how he loved his home state. He fell in love with a girl, and all he wanted to do was come home from the war, live his life in Texas, and not have anyone mourn for him when he died and was buried in Texas. I like it quite a lot.
After this song is where things take a turn. “Take You Home Tonight” is about a man just wanting to spend some quality time at home with the woman he loves. “These Old Boots Have Roots” talks about how the man in the song has deep ties to his town. It would have been much better had the phrase “these old boots have roots” not been repeated so much. Plus, the song just seems a bit haphazardly put together with lots of references made, but nothing being followed through. “Be My Girl Tonight” is about wanting to break down barriers between a couple by spending some time being physically intimate. Personally, I think this is a bit too close to the theme of “Take You Home Tonight”, although the former is about getting back to a good place in the relationship. The latter is more of a feel-good song. “They Don’t Make em Like They Used To” is, of course, a nostalgic song. It discusses how the world has changed over time, and wonders if people of the future will say the same about people of our time.
“Vaquero” is one of my favorites off of this album. In this song, a Mexican cowboy tells the main character stories about his life in exchange for shots of tequila. I really like the instrumentation of this song, especially since it is one of the ones that featured an accordion. “Outta Style” is a love song about two people in love still feeling the same after many years. “Run Wild Horses” is yet another love song that is about the passion the main character of the song feels for his partner. This makes three different songs in the first half of the album that are all about physical passion in some form, so by this point, it gets a bit old.
The instrumental prelude of “Mariano’s Dream” follows “Run Wild Horses.” Mariano is the father of the girl the next song, “Clear Isabel”, focuses on. “Clear Isabel” is my favorite song off of this album, I think. It is a very timely song about Isabel and her father trying to escape the cartels of Mexico, whom Mariano had got on the wrong side of as he was a lawman. To escape them, the two flee to America where they work for the parents of the main character of the song. Isabel ends up married to him, while Mariano gets deported. They receive a green card for Mariano, but it comes two years too late because Mariano had gotten shot. I have a huge weakness for story songs, and this is a great example of one.
“Big Love in a Small Town” celebrates the fact that the main character found love and it is in his tiny hometown. It may be behind the times to some, but to him, that’s a good thing. I really like “One Two Step at a Time”. It has great honkytonk traditional instrumentation, and the lyrics focus on a girl who isn’t into anything fancy. She just wants some homemade tamales, a Texas bar, and a two step. “Amen Amigo” is a bit forgettable. It is about a man just wanting to go back to the days when he, his friends, and his girl went down to Mexico and partied all night. “The Arrow” isn’t a bad song, but it is very vague. It’s a song in which the singer gives advice about keeping to your dreams and hopes, and not letting anything change you. While those themes are great, there is no story behind it, which makes me not connect to the song emotionally. “Rolling Stone” tells the tale of a singer who loves his wife, but can’t stay home. He has to be out on the road, chasing his dreams of being a musician. However, he always thinks of her. This is a good song for someone like Aaron Watson to sing. The final song “Diamonds & Daughters” tells of a father’s love for his daughter, and how he’d always be there for her even after she gets married. Although she is all grown up, she’s still his little girl. I quite like this one.
Overall, this is not a bad album. It is very long at 16 songs, and many of these tracks are overextended with instrumental parts, or repeated choruses. If even a few of these songs had been taken away, I think it would have made for a better album as a whole. However, there are some really good songs here, too. As I said, “Clear Isabel”, “Vaquero”, and “Diamonds & Daughters” are quite good. If you’re looking for music with lots of fiddle, steel guitar, and even some accordion, this album has all of it. With all that in mind, it’s not something I love but I don’t regret listening to it, either.
Anyone who has read this blog for any length of time knows it is one of my personal favorite things to highlight the Red Dirt music coming out of Texas and Oklahoma. Growing up, I heard it all the time on my local Oklahoma stations, and when it began to virtually disappear from the airwaves a few years ago, I marked it as just another instance of quality country music being forsaken for the sake of commercial success. It wasn’t really until I started this blog that I realized many country fans all across the nation and the world had never heard the Red Dirt music which was a part of my heritage. One of my proudest moments running this site was last year when I reviewed the self-titled album by the Turnpike Troubadours, helping to introduce people for the first time to a band I’ve known since the beginning of their existence. It’s true that Texas country/Red Dirt can claim its fair share of bad music and radio-friendly singles, but highlighting the tremendous amount of quality music it produces has become of special importance to me. With that in mind, I come to my thoughts on the third studio album from Saints Eleven, a Texas-based band who have been making a name for themselves within this scene for several years. Lead singer Jeff Grossman promised a return to their roots with this record, and I came in eager to hear it.
The album opens with “My Heart,” and right away, I have to point out the fiddle. Turnpike Troubadours fans, this might satisfy your need for fiddle until they release their next album. The actual song is a nice love song about a man proposing to a woman and telling her that nothing will ever keep them apart. The title track, “Coming Back Around,” brings the signature blend of fiddles and rock guitars so familiar in Texas music. The narrator here is seeking redemption and apologizing to God and everyone for everything he’s done in the past. He knows he’s done a lot of things wrong, but now he is changing and “coming back around.” “Heartbreak Songs” is an ode to the classic country songs about cheating and drinking that seem to have disappeared. There are lots of songs lamenting this, but this one stands out because the man needs the songs to help him through his loneliness; Bring back those old lonesome heartbreak songs, they make me feel better, and not so alone.”
“Shelter Me” is a contradiction; it’s an upbeat, fun song about hard times and pain, and needing a shelter through life’s struggles. It reminds me of “Seven Oaks” by Turnpike Troubadours in the fact that both songs make you smile about otherwise depressing things. An album highlight is “For Those Who Came,” a song in which a dead man is addressing his family and friends, all those that came to his funeral. He seems more upset for them than for himself because he knows he is going to a better place. The piano and acoustic guitar blend really well in this song, and I almost wish drums hadn’t come in in the middle. “Sunday drive” is the antithesis of “Shelter Me,” the former lamented all of life’s hardships while this one embraces the little things in life like Sunday drives, spending time with family, and making a difference in the lives of others. It’s interesting that they are separated by a song about death because they represent vastly different ways of going through life. Track placement is important, and I think these three tell a bigger story together than individually.
The only song not written by Grossman is a cover of “Crying Time” by Buck Owens. This is vastly different to the original, and I much prefer this lighthearted version of a heartbreak song. “Strange Round Here” tells the story of a married man who leaves town to find work and has an affair with a waitress, who mysteriously goes missing after telling him she’s pregnant. I am a fan of story songs in general, although this one ends a bit abruptly and could have been slightly more developed. “Almost Home” seems to be autobiographical; it’s a song about a man on the road trying to console his wife and children. “Let Them Go” features Courtney Patton, a name that immediately gave it promise. The man turns to alcohol for comfort while his wife prays to God and wonders why her husband can’t reach out to her instead. He never quits drinking and eventually dies. It’s definitely another high point of the album, and Courtney Patton’s voice certainly adds to it. The album closes with “The Same,” a nice love song that ends the record on much the same note as it began. This one features some excellent steel guitar and tells of a couple who enjoy spending time together regardless of what they are doing.
This is a really solid album and a nice introduction to Saints Eleven. It’s definitely country throughout, and the instrumentation is certainly the record’s greatest strength. The songwriting is solid, and the music seems to come from an honest place. The strongest tracks are “My Heart,” the title track, “For Those Who Came,” and “Let Them Go.” There’s nothing really groundbreaking about this release, but it’s a good album from start to finish and a nice place to begin with Saints Eleven.
Music can and does touch all of us in different ways. Whether we’re playing it or singing it, or just simply listening to a great song, it connects with all of us in a way that nothing else can. For those of us who get to make music, that connection is even deeper. But few of us get the joy of what husband and wife Jason Eady and Courtney Patton have found, the gift of making music with someone we love. It is why duets can be uniquely powerful forms of expression, and it’s why fans of the two Texas artists have been anxious for a duets album from them for years. It would bring two incredibly talented artists and regular touring partners together, but more than that, it would be a timeless and personal display of the love and the music they share.
Last October, we all got our wish when it was announced an acoustic duets album, mostly of covers of songs previously recorded by each of them, would be available in early 2017. Then, with very little fanfare, the album dropped in December on iTunes and Amazon and is now available in physical copies. This is my first experience reviewing an album mostly of covers, but I feel that this one deserves my attention.
I won’t go through each track here because most of them are songs previously recorded by Eady or patton. These were selected by their fans, and they did a nice job highlighting some of the best of each artist’s individual work. If you are unfamiliar with one or both of them, this is a great place to start. Jason Eady’s “Cry Pretty,” a heartbreaking song about a man running into his ex and remembering how she looked when she left him, is arguably even better as an acoustic song with Courtney Patton’s backing vocals. Patton’s “Twelve Days,” a song she wrote for Eady about missing him on the road, means even more here with him harmonizing. Another excellent choice was “where I’ve Been,” a song written by Jason from the point of view of a woman and recorded by Courtney on last year’s So This is Life. The woman is lonely in her current relationship and telling the man that she’ll be there physically, but she isn’t committed to trying anymore because he is ignoring her; “If you ever decide that you ever wanna try again, I’ll be here in the morning, just don’t ask me where I’ve been.” It was a great solo, but it resonates even more when you hear it sung from both sides, the lonely woman and the man she’s addressing.
There are lighthearted moments on the album too. “Man on a Mountain,” first recorded by Eady, is a fun, upbeat song about a “mountin man” and a “valley girl” who would love to be with each other, but they can’t agree on anything. IN the end, they decide, “let’s meet in the middle, let’s never meet again.” “Move it on Home,” one of the few songs that neither had performed before, is another fun moment. The man is staying out late drinking in a bar while the woman is at home heating and reheating dinner. Eventually, he decides to go home “where heaven on earth and love is at.” Easily the most infectious part of the whole album is the closer, where Courtney takes the lead on the traditional “welcome Table.”
As I mentioned, not all of these songs were revised versions of the artist’s individual material. Eady takes the lead on a great rendition of Merle Haggard’s “My favorite Memory,” followed by a Patton-led track called “The words to My favorite Memory,” where she sings about playing the Haggard song when she found out her lover had died. The album highlight, written by eady and fellow Texas songwriter Adam Hood, is “Suffering Fools.” Here, a couple are staying with each other simply because “we know it’s the right thing to do.” They sing, in chilling harmony, “Why don’t you go your way, and I will go mine, and we won’t be suffering fools.” The harmony here, and in several other places throughout the record, is something special and showcases the musical and personal chemistry between them.
Jason Eady and Courtney Patton are each great artists in their own right, and a duets album from them is truly special. I do wish there had been more original songs, and some of the songs felt a little less like duets than just an acoustic version with backing vocals. But there is no doubt that these are excellent song choices and that the two are excellent together. If you don’t know one or both of these artists, this is a great place to start for good Texas country and authentic, honest songwriting. for fans of one or both of them, this is a good addition to each of their discographies. either way, it is definitely worth checking out.
Jamie Lin Wilson is an ever-growing presence in the Texas/Red Dirt scene, with the Gougers, the Trishas and most recently as a solo artist, with 2015’s excellent Holidays and Wedding Rings. For more detailed information, you can read her Female Friday, featured here about a year ago. This interview was conducted by myself and Jennifer Lane during the 4th Annual Medicine Stone, discussed in detail here. Jamie Lin was gracious enough to sit down with us, in a casual skirt and tank top, hair still wet, in short giving the same comfortable, down-to-earth impression reflected in this photo. She was happy to tell us about Medicine Stone, the Texas/Red Dirt scene, and her unique story in all of it.
Country Exclusive: So is this your first time at Medicine Stone?
Jamie Lin Wilson: No, I came last year. Last year was my first trip here.
CE: Were you playing at the bar then, or were you on the main stage?
JLW: I was on the main stage last year too.
CE: What do you think about this event, and what the Turnpike Troubadours have started?
JLW: Man, it’s, it’s beautiful. There are people camping out all over the place, inviting everybody to their campsites, sharing…like last night, I got here very late last night, so I caught the end of Randy Rogers’s set, and then Mike and the Moonpies’ after party show. And then we just kind of walked around, and there were hamburgers being cooked…I stayed up till 4 AM, and I wasn’t even trying to. (laughter) It was like, all of a sudden, it’s 4 AM, how did that happen?
CE: So you would definitely come back.
JLW: Oh, I’d come back as long as they’ll have me. I love it. And the Turnpike boys, I mean, I’ve known them for a long time. Since they were in a van, which actually wasn’t that long ago. (laughter)
CE: NO, it wasn’t.
JLW: But I’ve just been so proud of them, watching them blow up, and I tell Evan [Felker] all the time that people out there are screaming the words to his songs, and like, there’s four thousand people in the audience,dancing and singing to all of these songs, and they don’t even know that they’re getting smarter. I’m like, “Your songs actually raise people’s IQ’s.” Because he writes so smart, and that’s the thing with all of these people that are here, like the lineup here is so great. And there’s so many more that aren’t here that are also in this scene, in the Texoma thing.
CE: I like the Texoma, because it’s usually Texas or Red Dirt, but Texoma’s good for an Oklahoman.
JLW: It’s the same, it’s the same, you know? Like there’s a definite influence with everybody of where you’re from, you can tell. If you listen to my songs, you can tell I’m from south Texas, I’ve got that. I’ve got that in me. You listen to Turnpike [Troubadours] and [Jason] Boland and stoney [LaRue] and Mike McClure and all those guys, you can tell that they’re from Oklahoma. There’s a thing. But, because of the quality of song and the give-a-shit that is put into it, that’s where it all comes together.
CE: Do you think that is unique to this scene, to the Texas scene? The uniqueness, or as you said, the give-a-shit?
JLW: I think that what is unique to Texas is…being someone who’s toured nationally, what’s unique to Texas is the passion that Texas and OKlahoma have for music, the fans. There are at least three or four venues in every major market that anybody can go to. You can go to Dallas, Oklahoma City, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Tulsa…you can have your pick. If you’re a large band, you get a 2,000-seat venue. If you’re a small band, you get 500 and below, you know? But in other states, there’s not that option. Like if you go to Georgia, you can play this, this, this, or this. (laughter) And in Texas and Oklahoma, the scene is so supported, and the fans are so passionate, that you can play any night of the week. You can go anywhere, any night of the week and see good music. Good songwriting, good musicianship, and that is just not normal everywhere else.
You know, the scene though, the songwriting and the quality of the music is pretty similar to what’s happening in the Americana world right now, where people are confused about what happened. and we’re the same. There are people coming here who were at the Americana festival too, they’re coming from Nashville. Like Randy was there and came here last night, Red Shahan’s coming, I did it last year, I did the shuffle. Like, we’re all a part of the same deal. People ask what makes something Americana too, because all the bands sound different. The sound is not the same; the thing that’s the same is the care that’s put into crafting a song, and the care that’s given by the fans. Whenever the fans want to hear good music, then the people put out good music. That, that is specific to the Americana scene as well as the Texas scene, and that’s why they go hand in hand. That’s why those Americana bands, [Jason] Isbell and Sturgill [Simpson] and the Black Lilies and American Aquarium and all those bands that aren’t Texas bands can come through Texas and have just as great of a turnout as locals, as people who were raised here. And it’s because the fans just want to hear good songs. How hard is that?
CE: It’s not.
JLW: (laughter) How hard is that to just give me something good? Just give me something I want to hear?
CE: I take it from hearing this, but I’ll ask anyway. A lot of texas artists try to get into Nashville scenes, to make it there. Is there any interest in that for you?
JLW: I mean, I love Nashville. I love it. I go there to write a few times a year. I’ll start doing that more next year since I’m not pushing a record right now. But I would love for those girls who wear short skirts to like, cut my songs, that would be cool. (laughter) But I don’t have any interest. I’d like to play the Opry, that’d be fun. But I don’t have any interest in being on the CMA Awards or doing that. That’s not really me. I mean, if that genre, if the top 40 genre started playing songs that I think I could write, then sure. You know, if that’s where the stardom goes, then more power to them, I’d love that. But I’m not interested in being famous. I like to sing and have my kids be proud of me for putting things out that have integrity, I think. I don’t know, does that sounds snobby?
CE: NO, not at all. It sounds the opposite. I was going to ask this later, but you led me to it. You said you’re not pushing a record, so when can we expect some new music?
JLW: Man, I’ve got things happening. I’m writing a lot right now, but I just don’t know. I haven’t figured out what I want to do with it. I’ve got some projects. Like, I want to write this record that has this and this and this and this, and then I want to write this record that has these songs on it. So we’ll see where all those land and how it happens, but I’ll probably record something next year, even if it’s just a few songs to put on Spotify or apple Music. I’m not sure that i’ll make a whole record, but you never know, I might.
CE: I look forward to it. I did really enjoy Holidays and Wedding Rings, that was one of the better albums of 2015.
JLW: Thank you, I was really proud of it.
CE: You should have been. When did you know you wanted to pursue music as a career?
JLW: Yeah, that’s a thing that just kind of happened. I got a guitar whenever I was a sophomore in college, and learned some chords, and I always knew that I could sing pretty good. I would just sit in my room and sing these songs, and eventually I started going to this open mic night. And probably the third one, someone asked me to be in their band. Hey you wanna come open for us and be in my band? sure. And that ended up being Shane Walker, who was in the Gougers with me, and then I was in a band. It just kind of became what I did, and then I enjoyed it, and I just never stopped. So here I am. (laughter)
CE: So here you are. Do you have anyone that influenced you musically?
JLW: Oh everybody. I mean, I can listen to things that I grew up listening to like Highway 101 and Dolly Parton and Kathy Mattea and Mark Chesnutt and Merle Haggard, George Jones and Ray Price and Bob Wills, all of these people that I listened to as a kid, and then I listen to them now and I go, Oh that’s where I got that from. I listen to Dolly and Emmylou [Harris], and I’m like, That’s where my voice came from, that’s cool. I pick it apart. Musically, I go through stages. I’ll just listen to something for three months, one record. And then I’ll find someone else, and just dive into it, and then I’ll listen to another guy. So as it turns out, I end up having all of these certain types of music. I go, Yeah that was the first half of 2003, I remember that, when I was into that record. You know, Gillian Welch and Lyle Lovett got me into Guy [Clark] and Townes [Van Zandt] and John Prine. And then I went to Tom petty and Tom Waits, and then you go to Jet. Jack White and all of his things. You pick it apart, and you get something from everybody.
And then, people ask me what I’m influenced by now, and honestly, it’s my friends. That’s who I listen to. People who are piers of mine put out records. Turnpike Troubadours and Drew Kennedy, Jack Ingram, have you heard Jack Ingram’s new record?
CE: I have not, I’ve been told I need to.
JLW: Oh, please do. It’s so good, so good. Just he himself is inspiring. But, Courtney Patton, Jason Eady, Kaitlin [Butts], all of these people who are friends of mine. Wade Bowen. We have this little group of friends that we all send each other songs. Like, hey I wrote this song, listen to it. A few weeks ago, one of my friends sent me a song that was new, and I listened to it, and that inspired me to write this other song. And I sent it to my friends, and that song inspired them to write these songs. It’s like this web of inspiration and influence. The Texas scene, in general, is so supportive of each other. We all build each other up and we love each other and we send each other pictures of babies and go to each other’s weddings.
CE: You’re family.
JLW: We’re a family. It’s cool, and I don’t know if it’s been like that forever, but it is like that now. I’ve got a hotel room over here and I was just walking through and I was like, “Oh, Kaitlin! You slept in a tent? Come take a shower in my room.” (laughter) Like, I’ve got three girls that are in and out of my room showering because we all love each other. Yeah, I’ve got a room, take it. Come sleep, take a nap. We all help each other, and that’s how it’s supposed to be. We jump up and sing with each other.
CE: There has been a lot of talk about the lack of female representation in Nashville and on radio. do you feel that in this scene?
JLW: This scene is weird regarding girls, and it’s nobody’s fault, I don’t think. I think that the thing with girls here, and in general…the scene in Texas and OKlahoma is driven very much by beer. There are these really big venues, and the definition of success is higher than like, in the Americana scene, for example. You go around and play all of these rooms, they’re 200-seat venues, 200-seat rooms. You sell it out, that’s a really big deal. Well, in Texas, there’s a 2,000-seat venue in every market! And if you’re not Randy Rogers or Wade Bowen or Turnpike or Boland, people selling out those big venues, then you’re not considered successful. But my band, the Trishas, sold out Gruene Hall, and that’s 700 people. And we sold out the Kessler, and we fill up rooms all over the state. But if it’s a 400-seat venue, then it’s like, Oh well that was just a little room. But anywhere else in the world, that’s success. And to us, that’s success. That’s what we want to do. So the lack of female representation…there’s Kelly Willis, there’s Robyn Ludwick, all four of us Trishas individually play by ourselves, there’s Kaitlin, there’s Courtney, there’s all these new girls coming up in Texas and I don’t know, we’re fine. Like it doesn’t offend me. I don’t want to play Midnight Rodeo, that’s not what I do. My songs don’t translate in venues that are 2,000-seat, everybody have a party. Like most guys, 80% of guys…most statistics are made up on the spot, but I would say the majority of guys who start playing music start playing music because they want to impress a girl. They want to be in high school sitting on the back of a pickup truck, the one with the guitar at the campfire, to get the girl. So inherently, guys want to have attention with them with their guitar, like, Look at this solo! So that’s how they start. Then, some of them become thoughtful, poetic songwriters, and some of them go, hey let’s party. And both things are cool, both things are good, both serve a purpose. But women, we pick up a guitar and start playing songs because we have something to say. But women are thoughtful way before men are thoughtful, not that they’re not both thoughtful as grownups, but when they start…it’s therapeutic for me. Like all my women friends, they write songs because it makes them feel good, or because I have to get this out of me right now. And sure, once you figure out how to craft it, you can write a party song, and that’s awesome, that’s great. But inherently, we’re just different. And that’s cool. And it shouldn’t hurt anybody’s feelings. (laughter) You know, Courtney Patton’s thoughtful, beautiful songs that make people cry, aren’t going to be played at the Texas Hall of Fame. That crowd’s not going to say, Wait she’s playing something beautiful, let me put down this quarter pitcher of beer and go listen to her. (laughter) But in a theater or listening room, that’s where that kind of songwriting shines. And so we choose to play venues like this. And people like Evan who write both kinds, you know, he writes super thoughtful songs that also make you want to party. I don’t know how he does it, but they’re great, he can go in either one. He can go play in a listening room or he can play this other venue. So it’s song-driven, and style-driven, and where you get the crowds. Like my crowd is older. My crowd goes out at 8:00 and goes home by ten, and they buy expensive wine and drink scotch and pay a $25 ticket to be quiet and sit there and enjoy a show. And I’m not saying there aren’t guys like that too, like Kevin Welch. I’m not saying only women play listening rooms and only men play parties.
CE: But it’s the songwriting that lends itself to them.
JLW: yeah! If I played party songs, then I’d want to go to Midnight Rodeo. But I don’t. I like doing that sometimes, opening for the guys and going, “I’ll play my most up tempo 45 minutes right now, and make everybody feel good, and then Turnpike’s gonna come out.” That’s cool, but I’m not going to headline there. It doesn’t hurt my feelings, and it does not offend me. At all.
CE; OK. As I said, we do features on women because people do know them less. So what women would you recommend we listen to? Obviously Courtney.
JLW: Oh yes, do you know Courtney’s stuff yet?
CE; OH yes, I’ve reviewed it, and I love it. So who would you recommend so that we can know them?
JLW: Well, there’s Kaitlin Butts, she’s here today. There’s Kayla Ray, I’m sure you know her too. She’s awesome. There’s Kelley Mickwee, Trisha with me. There’s some new girls coming up in Texas like Jackie Darlene…I’m sure you’ve already done Kelly Willis, and the big guns…Robyn Ludwick, do you know her?
CE; Yes. I know of Kaitlin, but I’ll maybe get to hear her today. I have two other questions that are just general. What does country music mean to you, what is it for you?
JLW: Country music. Let’s see. Country music. I think the thing that is specific to it and made the genre happen, when it came to be at all, is that it’s about real life. And that is also what’s dying right now on the vine is country music that’s pushed to the masses isn’t about real life. I think there’s a shift happening back around, everything’s cyclical. But country music started for grownups. It’s about hard times and real-life situations, and that’s cool. It’s always been pop music’s for kids and country music is for grownups, bruce Robison told me that one time and I was like, Yeah that’s true! And e said, “Country music’s not for grownups anymore.” Now radio is being pushed to younger kids. That’s what’s changed, and that’s why it’s all party songs and bonfires and shit. But, whenever a song comes out that they let out, like “The House That Built Me,” for example…that song had zero production, there’s not even drums on it, and it was, like, the most successful song in a decade because it’s real! It had real emotion, and people were like, Finally a song that’s real! And authenticity, you can feel it. Country music’s always been authentic and real. And it still is, with people that are making real country music, it’s just that’s not what you hear.
CE; The last question will probably be difficult for you with all these influences. Give us one album you would pick if you could only listen to that for the rest of your life.
JLW: one? The rest of my life?
CE; You can pick three.
JLW: Three, I can do three. Tom T. Hall, The Year Clayton Delaney Died, Lyle Lovett, It’s Not Big, It’s Large, and…this is hard. I think, the Trio record. Those are my three today, ask me again tomorrow…oh wait, fourth runner-up, Tom Petty, Highway Companion.
