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Friday Five: Bank Robbers
This week’s Friday Five is inspired by a re-watching of the Keanu Reeves masterpiece Point Break; however, since there are no country songs about a gang of criminal surfers, we’ll just go with the bank...
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Friday Five: Actors
There are several songs about acting in general—Merle Haggard’s “Bad Actor” and Buck Owens’ “Act Naturally”—are two that quickly come to mind, but today we’ll get a little more specific. 5. “Ashley...
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Friday Five: Nobody
This Friday Five feature on The 9513 is all about nobody. You know the one. Nobody in particular. Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen. That nobody. On the surface, you might think it might be difficult...
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Ten Definitive Albums that Mark Lost Highway’s Past Decade
The song “Lost Highway” has a very special place in Hank Williams’ canon. Recorded shortly before his death in 1953, it remains one of his best and most worried songs, a bleak evocation of dark sin and...
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Friday Five: Not In Heaven
This week’s Friday Five is inspired by a song that was mentioned in Ralph Stanley’s autobiography Man of Constant Sorrow: Cager Farler’s “There’ll Be No Hippies in Heaven.” (Really, Cager? Not even...
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Friday Five: Baltimore
Today is Maryland Day, a celebration of the day back in 1634 that settlers first stepped foot onto what would become Maryland soil. Several country singers have paid tribute to various aspects of the...
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Friday Five: Lullabies
Lullabies have been sung in many languages and music genres going all the way back to 1072, when they were first mentioned by a Turkish writer. And while most people immediately think of a loving and...
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Friday Five: Tattoos
It seems like more people than ever are sporting tattoos; here are a few of my favorite country songs about ‘em (it must be said that an honorable mention goes to the opening lines of Lucinda Williams’...
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Friday Five: April 14th
Hopefully you all got through yesterday without incident, because April 14 is the anniversary of some pretty awful events. Let’s check out some songs about it. 5. “Booth Shot Lincoln” – Uncle Earl The...
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Friday Five: John Henry
According to myth and folklore, some 170 years ago, a hero was born with a hammer in his hand. John Henry was a mountain of a man who developed a specialty of driving railroad steel. When the railroad...
View ArticleFriday Five: Anne Murray
The Canadian snowbird Anne Murray celebrates her 69th birthday today and, as a result, she lays claim to this week’s Friday Five. (I’m sure that this was high on her wish list.) Murray had an enormous...
View ArticleFriday Five/Your Take: Best of 2014 (So Far)
We’re halfway through 2014 and there’s been some damn good roots music released this year, ranging from harpist Maeve Gilchrist’s Celtic folk to St. Paul & The Broken Bones’ retro soul to bluegrass...
View ArticleFriday Five: Dom Flemons
Songster Dom Flemons rose to prominence in the American roots music scene as a founding member of The Carolina Chocolate Drops, where his charismatic stage presence was backed with an extensive...
View ArticleFriday Five: Cop Shows
Lately it’s been too hot to venture outside my apartment; this would be unfortunate if it weren’t for the 200 channels of reruns keeping me company. Every now and again I’ll catch a familiar face on...
View ArticleFriday Five: Legal Dramas
In last week’s Friday Five about country artists who’ve appeared on police procedurals, I promised you an upcoming installment featuring singers who’ve appeared in legal movies or television shows. A...
View ArticleFriday Five: Rose’s Pawn Shop
Los Angeles-based Americana band Rose’s Pawn Shop releases their third album, Gravity Well, on September 9. A couple weeks before that record drops, they’ll kick off an extensive tour that includes...
View ArticleFriday Five: Songs About Lynching
Normally our Friday Fives revolve around silly topics, like “Country Singers Who Appeared on Sesame Street” or “Hookers with Hearts of Gold.” But today we’re going to look at a horrifying chapter in...
View ArticleFriday Five: Pennsylvania’s Coal Region
The anthracite mines of my home state, Pennsylvania, don’t get a lot of love in roots music, probably because most country and bluegrass artists are more familiar with Kentucky coal country, but maybe...
View ArticleFriday Five: Songs About the Flu
Folks today just don’t sing about infectious diseases like they used to a century ago — thanks a lot, Alexander Fleming — so today, we’re going to look at a handful of older songs written about...
View ArticleFriday Five: October Album Previews
With forthcoming releases from Becky Buller, Phil Leadbetter, Stoney LaRue, The Stray Birds, and lots more, October’s shaping up to be a fine month for music. Here are five albums that we’re...
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