James McMurtry & the Heartless Bastards to be specific.
There are certainly a lot of cool band names out there but this one might take the cake; it might throw the cake in your face.
Our friend Dusty Feighner kept rattling on and on about "Choctaw Bingo," a song by McMurtry about, as the artist notes, "the north Texas, southern Oklahoma crystal methamphetamine industry." Well it is a story about a family reunion and people come all over the midwest to converge on Uncle Sleaton’s "cause he’s getting on in years."
Right on Dusty! That song was intriguing. Funny and crafty lyrics describe the events in a fresh way. I think the song pales to the rest of the two CD’s I have now of his.
If you are not familiar with this guy, I think you should be.
Check out all or any of the following songs and see what you think.
"Rachael’s Song"
"Out Here in the Middle" Robert Earl Keen covered this on an Farm Fresh Onions.
"Lights of Cheyenne"
"60 Acres"
"No More Buffalo"
"We Can’t Make it Here"
McMurtry captures life in the midwest like Chris Knight does the South.
OK, I thought I would pass on a couple of movie recommendations to the people while I am at it. American Dreamz and Little Miss Sunshine. I heard they were good from our best fan that can’t come to anymore shows.
I am still reading research so no recommendations there unless you want to check out the Handbook of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts. Interesting stuff.
In between checking all of that out, come out and play this Friday at Bobby T’s with Mike Kisner and Jennifer Pettersen. I have heard from several people that are traveling a ways to be here. Don’t be the only one not there as Diane says.
Then, next week is the saloon tour. Longhorn’s on Thursday, Branding Iron on Friday, and Buster’s on Saturday. Aaron’s truck will see some miles. We will be a fully catsup and nitrous powered combine on Thursday at Horns with the full band plus Mike Kisner, stolen for a show or two from the resting Blaine Younger Band. Aaron is solo on the other two but I am hoping to finish enough work to tag along and hose a few songs in Olpe and Sun City for him.
Till then,
g
