Current Music Blog

The CMT awards aired last night, on CMT I’d assume. Being a Southerner myself, I take particular offense to the candy-coated, over produced, horse shit that sounds more like a Hallmark card than a country song they churn out of Nashville and try to pass off as Southern culture these days. I think it’s safe to say, if Waylon were still around today, he’d rather skip an insulin shot than listen to this drivel.

So, with that in mind, let’s mock some pictures from the event…

I’m not sure if Terry Fator knows it, but that’s a brilliant metaphor for the bullshit, pop-country machine in Nashville.

Ted Nugent doesn’t play country music, but he kills lots of animals by hand, so it’s cool.

“Hi Lady! I like your music because your lyrics speak to me on an intelligence and emotional level I can understand.”

Yup, that’s actually the first time you’ve ever seen product placement used to sell overalls. The Feeks (Joey and Rory’s real last name, not a slur) have a deal with Carhartt. No kidding.

What do you mean, it’s not about the music anymore? Also, ummmmmmmm?

Wow, Shawn Johnson has really grown into her country music phase.

Wow, it’s hard to believe, it was just 12 short years ago, when quarterback Kerry Collins called wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad the n-bomb, and now he’s at the CMT awards. It’s amazing how quickly things change…

“Yeah, me neither. I grew up in an upper-middle class family in the suburbs of Michigan, and I started my career as a rapper, but these people still buy music, so whatever.”

“This here’s a song about how people don’t do the same things as they used to and how it’s a damn shame. It’s called ‘Every Song I Ever Played.’”

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We can’t really tell you exactly why yet, but Common was on our green screen Friday, and we have the pics to prove it.

Get more about Common on Current.com here.

Photos by Mike Beynart

The Decemberists started out their Hazards of Love Tour this week at The Palladium in Los Angeles on 5/19. They went on at exactly 9pm and played for over two hours. The first set consisted of the entire Hazards of Love “folk opera” all the way through with no talking. At one point Colin commented that they were “singing a lot of songs about dead people.” With The Decemberists you would be disappointed any other way.

Here are some photos I took as well as a setlist.

Set 1:
The Hazards of Love Entire Album

Set 2:
Los Angeles, I’m Yours
July July
Eli the Barrow Boy
We Both Go Down Together
If I Could Only Win Your Love (Emmylou Harris cover)
Yankee Bayonnet
Dracula’s Daughter
O Valencia
Sons and Daughters

Encore:
Raincoat Song
I Was Meant For The Stage

Read more about the Decemberists at Current.com.

Our director/producer Alex Simmons was just up at Lake Tahoe with the Cold War Kids. Before lead singer Nate Willett got sick and the band canceled the exact shows Alex was scheduled to shoot and travel with them to—they’ve only ever put off two gigs out of 500—he snapped these stunning photographs. (And don’t worry, we rescheduled.)

Get more about the Cold War Kids at Current.com.

Rock stars are allowed to wear whatever they want. It’s one of top perks right after the all you-can-snort buffet and the infinite lines of tail. But since we heard Liam Gallagher is going to release his own fashion line, we have to wonder—will anyone buy clothes from an aging rocker who looks like he’s constantly making the walk of shame home from a Halloween party in Reykjavik?

In an effort to predict what Liam Gallagher’s forthcoming fashion line might look like, we’re mocking some things he has worn in the past.

Disputes over the wardrobe for 2005’s “Snow Miser Tour” brought tensions between the Gallagher brothers to unrivaled heights.

“Where were you when we were getting high?”

“Picking out a reasonable jacket, that’s were I was—where were you Liam?”

Just for the record, that’s a completely different white parka lined with fur.

Maybe if you didn’t show up to a concert wearing a military grade Snuggie, you wouldn’t have to give the finger to people who paid to see you.

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We got to spend the day with Amanda Palmer for a tiny, secret show in LA. She played a set based on requests from the small audience — about 100 people total who had followed her clues on Twitter to find the venue. We’re working to get a performance clip up on Current.com — the whole event and her inspiration for it will eventually make its way to Current TV.

One mid-shoot panic that got resolved is best summed up by our editor, @pixelflip:

The freakout for male-to-male – or female to female –er, actually 1/4″ to XLR adaptor is over. The @current_music crew MacGyver ‘d sumpin.

In truth we lucked out — a church group that also uses the space where we were shooting had a bag full of cords and one of them was just what we needed to get clear audio off the soundboard. Hallelujah!