Category Archives: Americana

Joshua Hedley’s ‘Mr. Jukebox’ is the classic country song we all need right now

Posted on by wolffkurt

When it comes to music, country is often a dividing line. Many love it, others hate it, and there are few on the fence.

Johnny Cash was one singer who could bridge the gap between country and rock, without alienating either side. Gram Parsons couldn’t get there. Merle Haggard didn’t even really bother trying – though he won over many rock fans eventually, just with the sheer power of his voice and songs.

Joshua Hedley isn’t aiming to bridge that gap in the same was as Cash. But his song “Mr. Jukebox” has a sort of universal appeal that few current country songs – ‘old school’ or Top 40 – have achieved. Just ask my 9-year-old daughter (who knows every word).

You just hear a song like “Mr Jukebox” and can’t help but smile. Listen below.

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Scud Mountain Boys: Pine Box

Posted on by wolffkurt

The mid-1990s was the height of what was then called “alternative country” (a.k.a. alt country, twangcore, yalternative and a host of other somewhat unfortunate names).

Thank god we’ve now settled on the more dignified Americana.

Two of the biggest bands in the alt-country world were Uncle Tupelo and Whiskeytown, but Massachusetts group the Scud Mountain Boys also gained a strong following.

Led by singer-songwriter Joe Pernice, they took a laid-back, lo-fi approach to their songs. Their 1995 album Pine Box was literally recorded around a kitchen table.

Pine Box holds up incredibly well today. It’s a low key mix of originals and some surprising covers, including Cher’s “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves” and the Olivia Newton John hit “Please Mr. Please.”

Joe Pernice went on to form indie-pop group the Pernice Brothers, as well as a few other one-off bands. He also has now written a novel. Here’s hoping he releases some new music again soon.

This profile of Joe Diffie was adapted from the book Country Music: A Rough Guide, published in 2000 by Rough Guides.

Sturgill Simpson’s ‘Metamodern’ Country

Posted on by wolffkurt

With his new album Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, Sturgill Simpson has put out what’s currently my favorite album of the year. This is country music that is meaty and fun but also thoughtful and rich. It’s ‘metamodern,’ as he describes it — a play on the classic Ray Charles collection Modern Sounds in Country Music — but it’s also got boots on the ground, a sturdy honky-tonk sound by way of Merle Haggard and especially Waylon Jennings.

At the same time, the music is not that straightforward. Stop at Waylon and I’m often fine with that. But Sturgill has a wider scope here. After all, the lead single does bear the curious title “Turtles All the Way Down.” Watch the video:

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