Wrong is What I Do Best
To be honest, I have an encyclopedic knowledge of the ills of the current Nashville industry than I do for country music lyrics, so I had to Google country songs about mistakes (yeah I know there are a zillion) and this latter-day George Jones number fit the bill (but also, it rips so you should listen.)
A big appeal of country music is the feeling that you can cry into your beer and then get up the next day to keep it moving. But that attitude is for, like, drinking too much -- not repeatedly protecting sex criminals and people who openly spew hate.
The two biggest country news stories this week are Jimmie Allen getting suspended from his label and agency after a former manager accused him of sexual assault last week. Yesterday, Allen broke his silence by claiming the relationship was consensual and apologized to his wife, who is now filing for divorce and is pregnant with their third child. "Suspend" is a key word here: that's the word everybody used after Morgan Wallen got caught screaming a slur. Whatever happens, and if there is a case, we won't be seeing the last of Allen. (It should be noted that Allen was one of the first to embrace Wallen in the aftermath, and has been on record saying stuff along the lines of "maybe there's racism in country music but it all worked out for me! Everyone else is making excuses.")
Speaking of slurs, Dolly Parton is releasing her rock'n'roll album to justify her being inducted in the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame. Whatever. Everyone says Dolly could do no wrong but I've been really suspicious of this PR onslaught we've received in the last few years. Is she dying? Did she commit tax fraud? Is she in huge credit card debt? Why is she suddenly all over the place and why is everyone fawning over her? Nobody's perfect!!!
Well, here's a rare misstep: Dolly is collaborating with Kid Rock on a song. For those born in the '90s, Kid Rock is not just the guy who fired -- and missed -- a bunch of rounds at the Dylan Mulvaney Bud Light cans, he also got famous for appropriating rap music and country music and mixing them together. As discussed on the Rainbow Rodeo Discord*, he grew up in a giant McMansion in Michigan so he has no credibility anywhere whatsoever.
He's also washed up, so why is Dolly including him here? It's not like anyone would even notice if he wasn't. But that's what happens when you want to appeal to "both sides" I guess. The Advocate ran a piece outraged at this betrayal, but the key lesson here is: Nashville will protect its own, because wrong is what they do best.
Reviews
Carla Frankenbach reviews Jude Brothers' render tender / blunder sunder
Rachel reviews Roger Harvey's honest country EP Cowtown
Rachel reviews Michelle Malone's tour through her catalog, Fan Favorites Vol. 1 Unplugged
Rachel reviews Otto/Autumn Sky Hollow's love letter to California and its scrappy arts community, While We're Here
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Get to know Mya Byrne now, because she is going to become a household name. Her newest album, Rhinestone Tomboy, is out now on Kill Rock Stars Records. KRS is the legendary riot grrl record label, and Rhinestone Tomboy is the first record off its brand new Nashville imprint.
As I wrote in my profile in the Nashville Scene, that's not the only first for this project: the video for "It Don't Fade" features a kiss shared between Mya and her partner, songwriter Swan Real. When the video was broadcast on CMT, it made them the first known transfemme kiss on broadcast TV. When the pair repeated their performance at the Love Rising Concert in Nashville's Bridgestone Arena, they became what is almost certainly the first openly transfemme couple to do so.
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Libsyn Directory
Get to know Mya Byrne now, because she is going to become a household name. Her newest album, Rhinestone Tomboy, is out now on Kill Rock Stars Records. KRS is the legendary riot grrl record label, and Rhinestone Tomboy is the first record off its brand new Nashville imprint. As I wrote in my profile in the , that’s not the only first for this project: the video for “It Don’t Fade” features a kiss shared between Mya and her partner, songwriter Swan Real. When the video was broadcast on CMT, it made them the first known transfemme kiss on broadcast TV. When the pair repeated their performance at the Love Rising Concert in Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, they became what is almost certainly the first openly transfemme couple to do so. Learn more about Brooklyn Transcore . Learn more about Nashville Transcore . Support Rainbow Rodeo when you for as little as $4 a year. You can also for a mere $15.
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