December 2006

Brad’s Corner is a monthly commentary written by Brad about whatever he feels like. It’s supposed to be funny, interesting and thought provoking, but most geniuses are misunderstood. Check out the December 2006 edition of Brad’s Corner and see what’s on his mind. Galleywinter has arrived. We now have imitators, parody sites, unthankful artists, and a dangerous reputation. With this much scandal, I’m just waiting to show up on perezhilton.com.

The unappreciative lack of respect granted to this website by some artists and individuals in our “one big happy family scene” astounds me. I promise, this is not sour grapes on my part, just confusion. I cannot stand the artists that believe they are too hip, too indie and much too transcendental to associate with something as lame (in their opinion) as Galleywinter or other online communities. Or the bitter fan that once frequented this site yet doesn’t come around much anymore because they claim it’s a haven for gossip. When in fact, they create more gossip with their actions than ever originally existed. We have artists in this scene buying their way into it with their money…what’s different about that than the stuff that goes on in Nashville? Yeah, real genuine struggle there when your musical journey mirrors that of the crappy emo band on Laguna Beach. Or how about the artists who pleaded to have a forum and supported us passionately from their stage pulpits until they became too cool to associate with us. At some point, we became the lunch table that nobody wanted to sit at. There must be no one left to blame but us…and Jason Boland.

We’ve been at this Texas Music website promotion business for several years and now many others have joined the fray. Some of our detractors have flamed us for not bearing an original design/format for internet music discussion (sorry, Al Gore beat us to it). Others claim we’re all about the drama, a National Enquirer for Texas Music that panders to people more interested in taking pictures of themselves at the shows rather than actually listening to the music. The people that think this way are missing the bigger picture. That bigger picture of Galleywinter is one of this whole music scene’s online community. This site along with places like lonestarmusic.com, radiofreetexas.org, the rise of MySpace and gruenewithenvy.com have all benefited the musicians, bar-owners, record producers, and fans. The people behind the scenes at all these outlets bust their tails for countless hours for invisible pay just because they dig the music. People like JP Long, Ryan Hargrave and Dave Lytle are as important to the rise of this scene as Lloyd Maines and Greg Henry. Nobody owes us or any other site supporting their endeavors anything but a little modicum of common courtesy and respect. Not the fake music biz kind, but the real emotions.

They say parody is the most sincere form of flattery, and if this holds true there are some folks with a MySpace who must be taking etiquette classes with Borat. Recently, some self-important, self-loathing, ego-maniacal righteous person/people decided to pull an Internet hose job on us. Too much time on their hands, not enough of mom’s love, not enough money for their meth habit, and a flailing music career most likely led to them paying their flattering tribute to us (among other factors). It’s always nice to see the music community poking fun at those who support them most fervently. It’s a classy way to keep your karma flying on the bad side. Pretentious grandstanding is always a good way to fire up the fan base. If we were in the rap game and they punked us like this, I think I’d have to round up Outlaw and his posse down at Coney Island in Houston and go all Doc Holliday on their ass. Hopefully, the LAPD would work the scene and we’d never be caught. Well, at least until OJ wrote a book about how we would have done it. Sadly, these female dogs, their actions, and the actions of countless others (including us at this website at times) is a sad reflection of the fiber of our scene. You get too big…you sold out. Not enough success…those Galleywinter people were too busy talking about what they wore to the show to buy my cd. That band is copying my sound and having more success. That band must not be any good because they don’t know anyone in our super-secret monopolized inner circle.

We all share dismay at a lot of the music coming from Music City USA, yet play the same games they do. Except, in Nashville the cattiness and politics are known and discussed. Here, people pretend to be in the foxhole fighting with you; yet the entire time they have you in their scopes for friendly fire. As our site has grown and evolved, we have enjoyed the opportunity to work with top-rate acts like Dierks Bentley and LeeAnn Womack. When you deal with these kinds of organizations, you can see why people like Dierks and LeeAnn got to where they’re at. They are genuine, real, welcoming and have surrounded themselves with great people. Here, we are flooded with people in cool clothes from the thrift store on power trips representing has-beens and never-weres. Is it any wonder they don’t take us seriously up there?

Anyhow, the point of this pointless pandering is that through all the hating, backstabbing, changing and progress, we’ve still got a long way to go. 2007 will be here soon and we must forge ahead. I hope everyone will drop the childish games that go on around this scene, rise above the crap and just savor the music and moment. We’re still in the middle of one of the coolest things on the planet, we should act like it.

Minor Chords:

-Sorry I took the gloves off and rambled, there’s more cynical brilliance below in the minor chords. Blame frustration, Bud Light, Jason Boland’s new record for opening my eyes and reminding me what is possible(by the way, what an AMAZING record…it’s like Waylon reincarnated), the firing scene in Half Baked (…”you’re cool”) and some Eminem/Pantera/Master P in the mix.

-If you read this and it offended you…partly sorry for partyin’, partly glad I pissed you off…the truth stings.

-Everyone could benefit from taking the life outlooks of BillyJoe Shaver and Willie Nelson.

-Got to take in the Dierks/Miranda/RRB show in Belton the other night with All Access privileges. As I’ve told some people it was a cool experience to see RRB with U2’s lightshow, Metallica’s PA and Garth’s stage. Definitely interesting to see a large production like that up close. I eagerly await the day when Mike McClure is headlining a tour with fellow 80’s rock revivalists Tenacious D aka The Greatest Band in the World. Or when Ashlee Rose and Susan Gibson have Sheryl Crow opening for them.

-Speaking of the D, a lot of people tell me I look/act like Jack Black. When he’s skinny and funny I take that as a compliment but when he’s overweight and making Nacho Libre it sucks.

-Chet Flippo e-mailed me to ask what “Red Dirt” music meant. I sent him songs from Mike McClure, Stoney, Ragweed, Boland and Ludacris because he’s from the dirtty dirrtry.

-A novel idea I had would be if some of the bands in this scene would put together a different set list/show. Seems like groundhog day each time I see certain bands put on shows. The only show that is the same every single time, that’s great every single time is Rusty Wier’s.

-“How many people here from South Dakota? (pause for audience reaction) Never is. How many people here from Texas? (crowd roars) Works everytime.”

-Tonight when I go out/go onstage…should I wear the pearl snaps with the bandana or the faux vintage shirt with trucker hat? Oh snap, just had an original thought…I’m going to wear something I came up with on my own.

-In the end, isn’t everyone a gurm?

-Have y’all heard Bruce Springsteam and Townes (What’s his last name)? They’re pretty good…or at least Wally told me they were cool. I’ll pick them up at Wal-Mart tomorrow when I purchase my new aviators.

-Was digging around some tunes on the computer recently and came across a bunch of mid to late 90’s alt-rock classics that I had forgotten about. Damn, these songs were pretty good. They get overlooked between grunge and the rise of boy band trash, but people like Fastball, Toadies, Everclear, Semisonic and Third Eye Blind all put out pretty good stuff before they became lame or broke up. “Closing Time” could possibly be one of the best pop songs ever written/produced.

-Was a helluva year…got married, my best friend got married and one of my other friends got married. Bought a house, changed jobs, RRB went national, booked some kickass shows in my hell-hole hometown dive bar, the ‘Horns won the national championship and the Mavs should have. Jason Boland returned to form, Stoney LaRue continues to get better, not enough people realized that Josh Grider tastes better than Doritos…or is it Cheetos?, Wade Bowen put out an amazing record, and Drew Kennedy recorded an amazing record. Here’s hoping 2007 will be at least as good.

-One other retro musical note…why is it that Back in Black by AC/DC is still the best party record of all time and that Appetite for Destruction is still the best hard rock album of all time? Are they so good that other rock acts don’t even try…or do rock acts decide to go the Jet route and just copy people? These are the things that keep me up at night. I think Lil Troy attempted to make the best party album of all-time with H-town hip-hop but unfortunately overdosed on syrup while sipping on scizzor. Someone from the Texas music scene should put an album out that talks about drinking Lone Star, floating the river, going to shows at Gruene Hall and listening to Jerry Jeff and Robert Earl Keen…that’d be dope. I wonder how that’d go over.

-I’m going to use my limited guitar skills to start a band called GC/DC. Get me a rock guitarist, a bass player with a mohawk who stays stoned all the time and believes he’s in Blink 182, a decent drummer who’s underage and can drive us to gigs. Now auditioning cow-bell players. We’ll only have songs that seem edgy and rough, yet are actually rather accessible. We’ll act/dress like rock stars but will in fact behave just like ass-kissing publicists…at least to people’s face. Our songs can’t be longer than four minutes, must be mid-tempo, and include a fiddle break or steel guitar solo on top of our rehashed Nirvana groove. Throw in some lyrics about a chick and some highways…I think it could be a hit.

-It’s a shame nice guys finish last, because there are a wealth of cool dudes making music that aren’t getting the audience they deserve. Well, at least most of the time…sometimes nice guys (RRB) do finish first while others languish in their stagnant fanbase between the Red and Rio. The latter end up being the Wooderson character on Dazed and Confused. Going back to the same parties at the same places year after year living on past accomplishments and telling the same stories. Or in this case, the same songs.

-I’d love to sit back with Hayes Carll, Charlie Robison, and Dub Miller, and get their take on this crazy scene. I bet they’d have some eye-opening perspective.

-Let Bruce Bruce hit it. I got 99 problems but a bitch ain’t one.

-Top 10 Albums of the Year: 1. Wade Bowen—Lost Hotel 2. Jason Boland & The Stragglers—The Bourbon Legend 3. Randy Rogers Band—Just a Matter of Time 4. Brandon Rhyder—Conviction 5. Stoney LaRue—Live at Billy Bob’s 6. Willie Nelson—Songbird 7. Jason Eady—From Underneath The Old 8. Bart Crow—Finally 9. Carter Falco—If It Ain’t One Thing 10. Brian Burns—Border Radio

-Top 5 Singles of the Year 1. Randy Rogers Band—“Kiss Me In the Dark” 2. Stoney LaRue—“One Chord Song” 3. Wade Bowen—“God Bless This Town” 4. Jason Boland—“No One Left To Blame” 5. Cross Canadian Ragweed—“Fightin’ For”

-“Of all the things I’ve lost, I miss my mind the most”.-Mark Twain