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Post by Bingo on Sept 30, 2008 13:10:33 GMT -8
I've seen occasional mentions on here of CMT (generally thanking them for continuing to air Chick videos, despite the hostility of some of their fans and journalists). But I've seen little mention of GAC. Not having the chance to watch American music television (now much less of a drawback anyway, thanks to YouTube), I was interested to know what GAC's attitude had been to the Chicks since the incident. Apparently, they have been playing Reckless Kelly - this is from a current review: "...Despite some of its left-leaning lyrics in a highly charged political climate, the band will not be denied its video being screened by GAC and the album entering at number two on Billboard's Heatseekers chart, number 22 on its Country chart, and number 117 on its Top 200 chart."So, if not the Chicks, why not??
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ker8
Adult Chick
Posts: 1,811
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Post by ker8 on Sept 30, 2008 13:49:05 GMT -8
I just got GAC about 3 months ago, as it is not available where I live on Basic Cable. I've only watched it maybe 1 time, so I couldn't tell you if they play them or not. Maybe someone else has an answer to your question?
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Post by chicksfan on Sept 30, 2008 15:07:46 GMT -8
Rarely after the Incident, and NRTMN was never shown on there as far as I know.
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Post by Bingo on Sept 30, 2008 16:24:16 GMT -8
Thanks for the replies! Hmm! So Reckless Kelly get played (and don't get me wrong - I'm a big supporter - they're a great band and they certainly deserve it), after this: "But George is a real go-getter and he's running the show And he should have known better but his old man told him to go He sits at home with his feet on his desk While the boys got theirs in the sand A million miles away with American blood on their hands
Now George stands up on a boat proudly waving a flag He says the hard part's over and he knew it wouldn't be so bad The roadside bombs for six long years were never really part of the plan What's a couple thousand more with American blood on their hands?
Now Johnny can drink all day 'cause he's twenty-three He donated his legs to the worldwide land of the free He cries God Bless America but God Damn Uncle Sam! While he stares through the tears with American blood on his hands While he stares through the tears with American blood on his hands"And this (co-written with Emily's ex-next door neighbour, Robert Earl Keen): "The voices on the radio were cracking off and on The court is underwater and the levees all but gone There’s children in the treetops and soldiers in the sky It’s too late now to run I’d never make it out alive
Everyone sit tight help is on the way I don’t think Jr. is going to last another day We got a sawed off and a red hot .44 So all you looters best come heavy when you’re knocking on my door
We all know this crescent city just won’t be the same again And I’ll still be standin’ when the saints go marching in
X’s on the windows say there’s no one left inside If you count the painted numbers you’ll know just how many died And I’m one in half a million so at least I’m not alone The hurricane is over but the storm keeps raging on
So let the rain sting my neck Let the mighty Mississippi take this god-forsaken town Let the storm and all the fury come and carry me away Take me to that place somewhere on higher ground Take me to that place somewhere on higher ground"And this nice little quip about their adopted home state: "Did you hate the Lone Star state? Was it lonely just like you? Just like every place you go Austin, Texas has the blues"While the Chicks still get the cold shoulder??? Maybe it's different horses for different courses? Maybe it's because Chapel Hill and Austin just aren't Nash Vegas? Maybe it's because too many of the fans for this type of band seem like Free Republic's worst nightmare? Or maybe the times really are a-changing? What do you guys think??
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Post by Ran272 on Sept 30, 2008 17:39:41 GMT -8
i watch GAC allllll theee timee! and i have yet to see a Chicks video
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ELI
Teen Chick
Posts: 304
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Post by ELI on Oct 1, 2008 4:49:29 GMT -8
I have not either. But I just saw the Chicks on CMT, again.
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ker8
Adult Chick
Posts: 1,811
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Post by ker8 on Oct 1, 2008 16:55:24 GMT -8
I have not either. But I just saw the Chicks on CMT, again. Yes, CMT seems like they have some Chicks fans on staff, or at least they realize not everyone hates them.
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Post by Bingo on Nov 2, 2008 16:51:42 GMT -8
Here's the Reckless Kelly video - that I'm told is being played.
Not much Red Dirt music breaks into the Mainstream - so I'm really pleased it's getting airtime.
Although they do have other controversial political songs on the album, most people would not hear this song as political (A few lines probably do refer obliquely to the troubled state of America - but that's only really likely to be noticed if you know the song was written as a tribute to Woody Guthrie)
The last part of the video does have a mild Lesbian element in the storyline - but that's unconnected with the song itself - and doesn't seem to have worried the TV execs.
Commenting on the anti-Bush song, RK frontman Willy Braun says:
“I’ve never been a very political guy. I’m just a songwriter trying to tell a story and attempting to shed light on the cold hard truth that not everything about this war makes sense. Whether you are for the war or against it, I think we can all agree that the troops deserve absolute support and respect for the job they are doing, and ‘American Blood’ is a tribute to the sacrifices made by the men and women in uniform and their families.”
With hindsight, it's tempting to speculate whether some statement like that would have made opposition to the war more acceptable five years ago. In the heated atmosphere of that time, I doubt it though.
Interestingly, Natalie's father, LLoyd, plays steel on the most controversial song - he's appeared on several anti-war songs since the incident.
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Post by Bingo on Jan 6, 2009 19:03:22 GMT -8
And just to take the saga a little further - CMT have come in from the cold too
{The point here is, surely, that if these Mainstream channels aren't scared off by these boys (many of whose fans aren't well disposed to "Nashville" and the "industry") - there's no logical reason why they shouldn't back the Chicks next time round (many of whose fans are much more likely to be interested in other acts the "industry" has to offer). To put it bluntly, RK are "marginal" for these channels, with or without the political issues. But the Chicks, by contrast, still have the potential to be hot properties for them. But for that to happen - I think the Chicks would need to make some friendly overtures, next time out. They might not want to - but if they did, I think they would have more chance here than on most of radio.}
Anyway - here's the article on RK:
"Reckless Kelly's Bold and Bulletproof Style Latest Album Pairs Edgier Texas Sound With Serious Songs January 5, 2009; Written by Whitney Self
Judging by his phone message, lead singer and songwriter of the five-piece Texas country band Reckless Kelly, Willy Braun has quite the sense of humor. And so does his brother and bandmate, Cody Braun, the fiddle, mandolin and harmonica player. "You just have to ignore each other," Cody joked about working so closely with his brother. "I mean, I don't ever see us having a big Everly Brothers breakdown -- but you never know."
Named after the Australian bandit, Reckless Kelly is made up of these two humorous brothers as well as lead guitarist David Abeyta, bassist Jimmy McFeeley and drummer Jay Nazz. Since the group began in the late '90s, they've seen their fan base expand beyond just the familiar Texas scene. But reaching airplay on country radio hasn't been an easy task. "The Nashville mainstream ... isn't really our cup of tea," said Willy. "We've been waiting for that to change for about 10 years. Hopefully something will break and we can kind of get back to the traditional side of country a little more. I think that would be the best thing."
"It's definitely more about live music down here," said Willy about playing their adopted home state of Texas. (The Braun brothers are originally from Idaho.) "Nashville, I think, is a little bit more about the industry, which is fine. You've got to have a little bit of both. I think the Texas guys are a little bit more of that outlaw [thinking], the mentality of screw everybody else, do-it-our-way kind of thing," he said.
This same outlaw mentality can be heard on the album, Bulletproof. Released in mid-2008, it was their first in nearly three years. "The band has just gotten a little faster, a little louder as the years have gone by," explained Cody. "(I) just spent a little more time on the lyrics and then eventually the music as well," Willy added. "We had a little extra time to record so we got to try out some different stuff that we previously wouldn't have the time to do."
Reckless Kelly spent about three weeks recording Bulletproof at Willie Nelson's Pedernales Studio. "It's just a little edgier this time around in terms of content," said brother Willy. "Sonically, I'd like to think we've raised the bar a little bit. I think it's the best sounding record yet ... Just a little more rockin' than the last ones."
But the beat isn't all that's heavier on Bulletproof. So is the message. Weighing in on subject matter from the Iraq war to Hurricane Katrina, Reckless Kelly isn't afraid to speak out, however this may be taken. "American Blood" has such lyrics as "Johnny can't drink 'cause Johnny ain't 21/But he's 18 and pretty handy with a gun."
"That's the line I actually had rollin' around in my head for a long time," Willy said. "I wasn't really trying to do a big political thing with it. I just wanted to write a song that was about the war. Once I was done, I was looking back on it and I was thinking, 'Wow, this is probably going to be taken the right way and the wrong way, depending on who's listening to it.'" He added, "I think a lot of people are ready for the war to be over and to bring them all back home. There's been a lot of people that have appreciated the tune. So, that made it worth the few people that didn't like it."
The band also wrote with fellow Texas singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen, a friend they've shared the stage with in New Orleans on several occasions. Willy and Keen collaborated on a song for the first time, the powerful "God Forsaken Town." The song expresses such lyrics as "X's on the windows say there's no one left inside/If you count the painted numbers you'll know just how many died/And I'm one in half a million so at least I'm not alone/The hurricane is over but the storm keeps raging on."
"I didn't want [it] to be just another song about the storm," Willy said. "The people in New Orleans have really responded to it. It's nice to do a song that makes people think."
But for those yearning for hard-hitting Texas tunes of heartbreak and love-gone-wrong, these too can be found on the album. "Love in Her Eyes" is one of Cody's favorites (he plays the mandolin through a fuzz box), "Wandering Eye" takes a tough-love approach and the tongue-in-cheek "How Was California?" is quite the insincere love song.
"People just think that if they move somewhere else all their troubles are gonna go away," Willy said. "But California's got troubles, too, and so does New York and so does Austin or anywhere really. If you've got baggage, it's gonna go with you." He later elaborated about his own baggage, jokingly admitting, "I haven't had a full-time girlfriend or a serious relationship in quite a while, so I'm kind of running on fumes from my own personal experiences at this point."
For fans who see the group perform live, they should expect a different set list nearly every live show. "It keeps it fresh for the band, and it keeps it fresh for our audience," said Willy. "This way, fans can always count on the favorites."
When asked if they'd like to leave a final message for their fans regarding the new album, Willy joked, "Go buy two copies." Cody replied very much the same. "Go get it! Help support starving musicians," he laughed. "There's a little bit of everything in there. It's kind of the way we roll."
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