DBT #278 Texas Attitude

Well yesterday was Bandcamp Friday, and I added over four hours of music to the library.  Of course very eclectic like my tastes, and a seemingly a few more male voices because my teases me all I buy is music from women.  As I working outside in 50 degree weather in Wisconsin on the first of March (insane) I noted the music had a lot of Texas themes; so here a playlist from the idea.

First these were my purchases, and listen to them on my Bandcamp collection page.

So here's the song playlist!

1) Welcome to Texas - Susan Werner

Well so much for not adding too many more women but I love how Susan writes, and the album could have been the entire playlist so I made it the first and last song.  Susan writes this witty ditty not really welcoming people and describing Texas.  Now if she was or is still living there, she's helping turn it purple.

Welcome home - home - home on the range
where we ain't afraid of nothin 'cept the notion of change
home - home - home of the saved
where Jesus is alive and well -
come
to Texas!
you're already here
fifteen hundred a day
movin in from L.A.
now you're marketing your homebrew beer
Welcome to Texas!
now -
go back home.

credits

2) Was Fort Worth Worth It? - Corb Lund

Leave it to a Canadien Cowboy to write a great song about Texas.  I follow Corb, and the album he released in Feb really speaks to Ian's Tyson's legacy I really love it.

3) Once Upon a Time at Texaco (part 1) - Amigo the Devil

So I've been following Amigo since Willy Carlisle opened for him in Madison.  While we didn't go see him, I marvel at the intensity of his writing.  When he released the new album "Yours Until the War is Over" I put it on my wishlist.  The first song I sampled was this story song... dang when will part 2 come out?  I'm not sure if you can root for this bandit looking for money to buy Tequila, but pretty sure it happened in TX 120 miles from Mexico.  Fitting too because his Bandcamp page says his home base is Spicewood TX about 250 miles from the border.

4) A Good Song - The Faux Paws

Ok this song's Texas swing feel and Texas type attitude that they are the best got it into the playlist. There is no mention of Texas, and I bought it because we will see them for the first time at the 2024 Rocky Mountain Folks Fest in August.  BTW if this five song EP is any indication, they are going to be so much fun.

5) The Flies of Texas are Upon You - Ray Stevens

Recently I imported the 1987 vinyl "Crackin' Up" that I got dirt cheap somewhere and it never had been opened yet.  It had a great version of "I am my own Grandpa" which someday will also be a story in a playlist.

6) No One Sings For The Four of Clubs - Danny Schmidt

Danny is a born and raised Texan, and his serious song of grievance I'm sure is inspired by the reckless of the many right wing crazies from his home state.  Here is how he describes the song:

No One Sings For The Four Of Clubs is about GRIEVANCE. It’s not about legitimizing the grievance, and it’s certainly not about tolerating inappropriate and destructive actions as acceptable responses to grievance, legitimate or otherwise. But it’s about listening and validating that the grievance is being felt, on empathetic grounds, but also on pragmatic grounds . . .

We all feel run over at times by the spinning of the world. And when people look around and feel that society is advocating for everyone but them, they begin to feel like the social contract has been breached, and so they tear what’s left of it to shreds. There’s a sad litany of examples: Nazism for the post-war Germans, Trumpism for the rural white Americans left behind by globalization and the information economy, terrorist assaults from Palestinians held under a brutal regime.

None of their responses were tolerable or defensible, to me. But all of their responses were predictable.

And since we can only control our own behavior, what we can do is listen to the grievances of our fellow humans, whether they are minority grievances or majority grievances, whether we agree with them or not. If grievances are being felt, then they are real, by definition. And people who feel heard don’t scream so much, or so loudly, so desperately or so violently or so recklessly.

For those keeping track, this song is not on the YouTube playlist at the end of this post.

7) Redneck Rehab - Corb Lund

Sorry Texans, I tend think you also might have the greatest population of rednecks, though I think it tough competition south of the Mason Dixon line.

8) Next Rodeo - Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

We have tickets to finally see this young wonder lady who just keeps winning Grammy's.  I thought I waited long enough to get her album.  Likely will buy the vinyl in Bayfield when we see her this summer.  Hang in there cowboy.

Love the video too.

9) Whiskey & Smokes - Merrill Miller

Not sure exactly how I found Merrill who was northern born and southern raised now hails from Milwaukee, but his album is nice a gritty and raw which I have a great admiration.  This song fits the Texas attitude I was looking for.

10) Oklahoma-Texas Line - Rascal Flatts

Not sure exactly how I ended up with this 2004 "Feels Like Today" CD but I ran across it searching for  Willie Nelson's "Teatro" (I'm damn sure I have this somewhere)  Rascal took me on a journey to rediscover a Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album "Acoustic" too to hear their version of "Bless the Broken Road"

11) Across the Borderline - Willie Nelson

After watching the four part documentary about Willie on Paramount +, I went back and added more songs to the digital library.  Yes Margaret I have 51 releases that have a Willie Nelson reference in my Discogs collection, and 24 of those are albums he released.  Willie is the perfect Texas attitude.

12) Tiny Texans - Susan Werner

Susan has so much love for her Texan friends in this co-write with Sara Hickman.  This is too good not to share the lyrics:

to my tiny texans
i wish you love
lots and lots of love
to my tiny texans
i wish you love
big as the skies above

i wish you pony rides
and water slides
and dips at Dairy Queens
i wish you cowboy hats
and kitty cats
and
no AR-15s

i wish you fun and sun
in Galveston
and oh, those Marfa lights
I wish you Barton Springs
and all these things
and
reproductive rights

wish you those books (banned books)
they try to hide away
wish you the use
of him and her and
they
and any pronouns that you like

i wish you love
big as the skies above McDonald Observatory

If you are a Texan and this playlist offends you... GOOD.

Here you can listen to a One Click version on YouTube:

Next blog steps:

- Stop over to the Review page to my other most spinned and loved albums.

- Browse the rest of the blogs by stopping at this "Theme Page."

- Enjoy Tune Tuesday which brings you one song from a past blog post.

- See what other post have been most popular recently with our Stats Page.

- Find out who in the world thinks he has the authority to write this blog in the About.

- Let me answer why you won't find the playlists on Spotify here.

- Finally, the Mission page explains why there is no advertising cluttering the page.

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