tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693471143220681808.post7864286550565753669..comments2023-12-18T07:59:16.525-05:00Comments on Hats and Rabbits: Straynger in a Straynge LayundChris Matarazzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885109959459471509noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693471143220681808.post-46551947840560228642015-03-03T12:05:19.095-05:002015-03-03T12:05:19.095-05:00"Merle," that is."Merle," that is. Chris Matarazzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17885109959459471509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693471143220681808.post-37608846701355460262015-03-03T09:55:26.640-05:002015-03-03T09:55:26.640-05:00I hear what ol' Mel is saying and I only playe...I hear what ol' Mel is saying and I only played one of them so far. And they are not terribly discerning. They'll line-dance to anything, it seems. I found myself watching their feet and adjusting the beats to fit what they were doing, but to the surprise of the band, who fell in line eventually. I do like a lot of the old country stuff, especially Glenn Campbell, for whom Jimmy Webb, probably my favorite songwriter, wrote a lot. But...man, most the new stuff is the essence of mediocrity. Chris Matarazzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17885109959459471509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693471143220681808.post-86116864550293302342015-03-02T19:11:08.275-05:002015-03-02T19:11:08.275-05:00I remember reading an excerpt from an interview so...I remember reading an excerpt from an interview some years ago, when Merle Haggard said that he had about had it with playing clubs that were all about line dancing. And while I'm sure that the purists can name a few people who are more country than Merle Haggard, I think that his credentials are pretty good.<br /><br />As Jeff says, some of the old-timey country music is quite good. Some of it must have been pretty bad, too, but the novelty wore off and it doesn't get played that much.Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14819154529261482038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693471143220681808.post-10152191326731543892015-03-02T17:09:39.211-05:002015-03-02T17:09:39.211-05:00I kind of got the feeling the newer stuff was mere...I kind of got the feeling the newer stuff was merely tolerated, Jeff - it may well be that the classic stuff might go over better. We shall see. It occurs to me as I write this that I might be able to indulge my love of Jimmy Webb's work by delving into Glenn Campbell's catalog... Hmm...<br /><br />When some member of our band scouted the place out, they said that bend did play some non-country stuff. In fact the DJ played some decidedly wedding/promish stuff. I guess it is just evidence that there is no musical isolation anymore. We probably would have gotten away with being less country than we were, but I guess we were paranoid...Chris Matarazzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17885109959459471509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693471143220681808.post-87337355083579306252015-03-02T16:41:04.117-05:002015-03-02T16:41:04.117-05:00I may have left a similar comment before, but base...I may have left a similar comment before, but based on what I know of you, I think you'd like old-timey country music quite a bit more than the current wave of pop-country—although the latter is, I imagine, what the gig demands.<br /><br />We were recently down in Memphis at a rockabilly club. The band was great, but I found myself wondering which songs they loathed, especially when they inexplicably broke into "Wild Thing": Was it their choice? Management demand? Assumptions about the bar-band audience?Jeffhttp://www.quidplura.comnoreply@blogger.com