Concert List

This is a personal opinion and therefore, I don’t want any hate mail from Country Western listeners, which I know are fanatical and omnipresent. I do have my preferred s, from a chauvinistic man’s point of view. I think that Shania Twain and Faith Hill are sexy and I enjoy several of their videos plus some of their songs. But is it because they’re large country western stars? No way. I have a problem listening to most of the Country Western stuff because it all is beginning to sound the same. I cannot tell a Randy Travis, Tim McGraw, Toby Keith or Alan Jackson song apart if my life depended on it.

I grew up on the Jersey shore and many of you may, therefore, think I am unqualified to make such a judgment. But hold on. I have spent the last 30 years in Arizona. Does it get more country or western than that? You know, the home of Tombstone, Wyatt Earp, and where the ‘Little House on the Prairie’ has been filmed.

So I’m a transplant with an attitude. Do not get me wrong, because I’ve given it a try. My late wife has been from West Virginia and, during her mid-life crisis, began playing Country Western (CW) music continuously for five years. we had all the CD’s, radio stations on preset, and even watched the Country Western (CW) awards on television. I might recognize all the extensive names, the latest hits, and who has been new to the scene. Through it all, I really tried to enjoy the sound, for her sake. But, eventually, I wandered back to my classic rock and roll, jazz, or blues.

I play the harmonica and keyboard and have oodles of sheet music. I’ve attempted to play a few of the recent Country Western (CW) popular numbers, but to no avail. I’ve a few of the older Country Western (CW) classics that have crept into mainstream by Johnny Cash and Ernie Ford, but they’re few and far among. The current tunes have become a formula that is fodder for Jeff Foxworthy and his ilk. According to individuals prefer him, it goes prefer this -

You start with a sad premise. You’ve lost your -  (fill in the blank) i.e., girl, dog, select up truck. They were your 1st  -  love, companion, way of freedom. You recall their -  smiles, wagging tail, leather seats. You wish you might, once again, feel their -  hair, fur, gun rack. You really miss their -  smell, smell, smell. You’d do anything to get them back -  tell her you love her, rub her cute little tummy, (or did I’ve those reversed?) hose her engine compartment. While you’re waiting for them to return, you’ll have to -  do your own laundry, fetch your own paper, walk to the liquor store. In other words, it is not a pretty sight.

So that is my gripe with Country Western. They vary the harmony, the lyrics and the tempo, but the message is apparent. I yearn for a total vary of pace where I can get my ‘Satisfaction’ or ‘Light My Fire.’ But I likewise have troubles with Hip-Hop, Rap, and Grunge. Now,let’s say I’ve got issues and be done with it. And,to all you Country Western lovers out there, stick with your music and don’t let a basher like me vary your tune, pardoning the pun. And did I mention the two things I do like about Dolly Parton?