In today's media-driven world, first appearances are everything and conforming to consumer-centric norms is critical. Most albums released take their cue from other things on the radio, happy to imitate a sound that is a proven cash cow.

Mary McBride's By Any Other Name goes against that grain with it's raw barroom brand of rocking country blues. It plays it neither safe nor does it imitate anything I've heard in the last ten years.

When you first hear McBride's voice you probably hear earthy similarities to Lucinda Williams. She hears that quite a bit, but upon further inspection you'll find a nice full blend of Stevie Nicks sweetness and Chrissie Hynde's growl. Weathered from a well-travelled touring history, McBride's voice is like a smooth bourbon--smooth at the right times but tough enough to knock you out.

The album is a rocker and shows off McBride's ability to work her way into a groove unlike most on the market today. From the more raucous "One-Eyed Dog" to the more soothing "Falling" McBride evokes flashbacks of a smokey barroom, over which she clearly reigns.

You can of course acquire the album at IndieCity.net.

It's no secret that today's music industry is devoid of values, heart, and for the most part talent. Indie labels are usually the only outlet for serious artists and regardless of who you buy an album from it costs too much. With rampant downloading typically the corporate scapegoat, most news outlets have ignored the fact that the average listener has simply tuned out. Local radio is far less popular today than during its golden era as it competes with downloadable music, satellite radio, and music television--more people can select their music rather than wait for some automaton DJ in some other city to play their favorite cuts. Largely, the music industry as we know is dead: a lifeless entity happy to simply exist.

PBS and Frontline are taking a brave step with a new program called "The Way The Music Died" airing Saturday, May 29, 2004. According to their website, there will be 30,000 records released this year with just 100 destined for success.

While early appearances from the website indicate that the industry is suffering from theft, lack of talent, and consolidation there clearly is only one thing to blame: corporate greed. It has been clearly demonstrated that downloading leads to higher record sales and that once you factor in indie artists there is no shortfall for talented artist. It seems to me the problem isn't a lack of artistic ability or theft but rather a lack of reasonable marketing support and viable outlets for said artists. When every radio station being controlled by one of a handful of companies it becomes quite difficult to breakthrough. If large vendors of music only carry sanitized versions of albums produced by one of the five major labels then finding a way to get new music to fans is difficult. To politely disagree, it is clear that the industry died from narcissism and not from outside influence.

So tune in May 29th to hear the arguments as to why the music industry has died.

Toby Keith won big last night at the Academy of Country Music Awards. His four awards were a dream come true for Keith:

I always kept hoping this night would come. Let's all go party tonight and rock it out here in Vegas, all right?

Keith's dream is my nightmare however. Last year there were easily hundreds of better country albums created and produced by artists like Jack Ingram, the Jayhawks, Kris Kristofferson, and Rodney Crowell. Songwriters like Chris Knight, Mary McBride, Todd Snider, and Bruce Robison create songs that if played on mainstream radio or supported with major label marketing would be hummed by every average Joe on the street. Yet for some reason, Toby Keith with all his horrific ploys to capture more American dollars by playing to the lowest emotional threads wins awards.

Now let me say that I'm not here to bash Toby Keith--much. All I really want is for Toby to start writing and recording music that requires more thought. Toby and everyone who works for his label and his fans should listen to Will Kimbrough, Tommy Womack, and Adrienne Young. They need to buy a copy of Jim Lauderdale's latest album or borrow a copy of Neil Young's Greendale. Shit, try Hank Williams--it's not like there isn't plenty of sincere, well-written country music to learn from in that well. Oh perhaps I can convince Toby to actually learn a bit from all those Willie Nelson records he has in his collection.

Futher ranting aside, I don't expect the ACM, the CMA, or CMT to ever truly reward the earthmovers that work in the alt-country, Americana, folky-field of music. It wouldn't be alternative if it became mainstream but they don't have to be on the opposite end of the spectrum. Rewarding shitty music because it sells isn't going to make country music any better.

Todd Snider's new disc, East Nashville Skyline, is due July 20 but some outlets around the country are playing cuts now. While I cannot share much about the album at this point I can tell you that calling your local stations and requesting they play the disc will help your chances of hearing this remarkable album before its launch date. Also contact your favorite internet stations such as RadioIO, RadioMargaritaville, and the fine folks at KPIG to request play for this record.

Trust me when I say this, it's worth begging stations to play.

It isn't often that CMT rates well in my opinion but this morning you can listen to Jim Lauderdale's new CD, Headed for the Hills, free at CMT.com. The album was released a few days ago on Dualtone and is sure to make Lauderdale fans of some of those country-radio loving CMT addicts.

The album is sort of a dreamwalk for Lauderdale. For the last five years he has collaborated with well-known lyricist Robert Hunter but never managed to record an entire album from those exchanges. Headed for the Hills encompasses that partnership with thirteen tracks that pay homage to traditional music through Hunter's multifarious storytelling and Lauderdale's winsome melodies. Overwhelmingly, the partnership, which has already garnered one Grammy for a collaboration recorded by Ralph Stanley, works evenly on Headed for the Hills.

A quick listen to the album yields an exotic feel of a lost period of time. Upon further inspection it has as much to do with the absence of drums as anything. Throughout the album the percussion is creatively provided by stringed instruments in place of drums. Despite a relatively simple sound, the layers of sound are complex and rich featuring some compelling vocals and dense arrangements. The immersive experience is as convincing as anything heard on O Brother Where Art Thou?.

So I should give CMT credit for promoting this album a bit. Taking a chance on a lesser-known, yet highly regarded talent like Jim Lauderdale is a result of the tremendous work found on Lauderdale's latest effort. I hope CMT fans will embrace this wonderfully complete album.

Some quick updates for the day:

• Todd Snider's new disc, East Nashville Skyline hits store shelves on July 20
• You can listen to Todd debut his new material on Bob and Tom the morning of July 19
• Joining Charlie Pride on the injured reserve list is Willie Nelson, suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome; too much guitar!?!?
• Don't forget to tune into 99.5 the Wolf in Dallas on Sunday nights for Jack Ingram's radio show
• Congrats to Loretta Lynn who's last album, Van Lear Rose is atop the Americana Radio chart
• And finally, now is a good time to check out all the new music at IndieCity; I don't get a dime, I just like those guys

My grandparents and parents both enjoyed watching the Grand Ole Opry upon the invention of TNN and well-before that channel became Spike. It was an institution they had listened to for years on the radio and once the palace's image could be seen as well it was as expected. If the television was on you could bet it was tuned to TNN and a good bit of that time was devoted just to the Opry. In my household the Opry was a basic necessity of life.

So imagine my surprise to see that Terri Clark is joining the Opry. Of course I've not paid attention to who were Opry members in recent days but this name sort of startled me. Terri Clark is a fine performer in her own right but she certainly is a far cry from Roy Acuff.

It forced me to consider if the Grand Ole Opry is anything more than symbolic. Sure the Opry is an important member of the musical community but I'm not sure it has anything to do with the music performed upon its stage.

A current list of members reveals a varied list from Ralph Stanley to Tom T. Hall. While the list is dominated by artists I consider worthy of the Opry's stature the inclusion of acts such as Brad Paisley and the aforementioned Clark is questionable in nature: is the Opry simply looking for chart-toppers to appeal to a more broad audience?

This accusation is made with little knowledge of the inner-workings or selecting members or the criteria for doing so. I'm not suggesting I could do any better myself, but I believe the Opry could.

A friend of mine who is relatively uninitiated in country music decided to watch a little country music television this morning. Upon admitting he watched it he drew a fairly obvious yet unspoken parallel between today's country music and harlequin romances.

It had me thinking about all of the similarities the two artforms share:

• Both pander to their audiences by giving them their most obvious desires
• Both rely more on appearances than true content
• Both feature too many men with long hair
• Both are truly unimaginative
• Neither a used Harlequin romance novel or a country CD would bring a whole dollar at a yard sale

Try this on for size: Trace Adkins is to country music what Fabio is to Harlequin romances. Trace's latest "One Hot Mama" is about making housewives feel sexy--a nice thing to do no doubt. Harlequin romances are about making housewives feel sexy--still a nice thing to do. The problem with both is that they are pandering to accomplish their tasks. There is little or no imagination to either cheap sleazy novels or cheap sleazy country music. There is next to no difference between Trace Adkins and Fabio--a moustache and hat are about the only differences.

Seriously folks, what's wrong here? Are country music fans incapable of enjoying intelligent music? I don't believe that's the case but there are plenty of people in Nashville that are counting on that to be the truth.

I have some musical pet peeves and I certainly have a preference to how music should sound. My biggest pet peeve has to do with musical preferences and the expression thereof: ranking things. Other pundits and writers refer to albums as "one of the X best of the year" or "one of the best X of the 20th Century."

Even I've fallen prey to such dramatic overtures--something I ruefully regret. I publish top ten lists and best album of the year stuff when what I'm trying to communicate is my own preference. I often communicate my own preference in a very authoritative manner--something I use to sound important. You should know however that everything written here is mine or one of the other contributor's opinion. For some reason I think most of you understand that already.

When writers make these kind of statements they are expressing their opinion and nothing more. And we're all kind of like the guy reviewing movies in your local paper or on your local station--if we hate it there's a good chance you'll love it because music is very subjective.

The problem comes when other people take our opinion and quote it, usually out-of-context and only in part. For instance, I may say something like "The production work on this album is one of the best on alt-country albums I've heard since Uncle Tupelo broke-up," which will end up on some poster for the band like this: "This is one of the best albums since Uncle Tupelo broke-up." Big difference you see! They take my opinion and paraphrase it as if it were gospel for marketing purposes. That was hypothetical of course but it happens repeatedly--it's called selling something.

So let me wrap this up kiddies: what I and other reviewers say is bullshit because it's only our own thoughts; a quote from me isn't necessarily an endorsement unless you read it here; and did I mention my stuff is bullshit?

Mother Jones, a socially progressive magazine, has selected Will Kimbrough's "Goodnight Moon" as part of their monthly Mojo Mix of recommeded downloads. Kimbrough, a Sharkbitten favorite, is listed along with Norah Jones, Jet, and the Jay-Z/DJ Danger Mouse mix.

So take Mother Jones' advice and go download some music--legally of course. If you can't get it legally at least go see Will live after you've theived his music online.

As someone who plays guitar I am always looking for the perfect instrument. I know a guitar collector who happens to own a studio I use and his collection has been a constant source of new instruments. Further I cannot drive by a guitar store without stopping and playing a handful of guitars. And let's not even begin discussing my trip to the Gibson factory and showroom. Like most guitarists I know, I've played more instruments that I could even count.

Few I've played have really lived up to expectations however. I currently own two acoustics that are passable at best despite being major label guitars. I've yet to replace either because I cannot find my musical soulmate. A few months ago a velvety Gibson Southern Jumbo nearly made the cut but ultimately it too was not my destined partner. No, I'm still searching for the one.

Recently that search has turned to luthiers--the folks who still handcraft instruments in small shops across the world. These artists can make anything you can afford to dream. From intricate inlays to bizarre body styles, they have you covered. My desire to have something perfect and luthiers' abilities to customize made me feel like I had found my match.

There was just one problem: choices. Luthiers can build just about anything but knowing what it will sound like is really a shot in the dark. I could draw up something I liked but I wouldn't know what sound it would make until I had it in my hands. Further, construction methods and abilities of these craftsmen were all over the map. Picking a luthier and design quickly became more work than searching through pawn shops and guitar stores.

Then I found Pawless Guitars owned by a relative newcomer, Vince Pawless. He's built guitars for Jerry Jeff Walker, Jack Ingram, and Billy Joe Shaver. Jack raves about his two Pawless guitars. Vince builds guitars from interesting woods like mesquite and uses his own bracing method for the best sound. Further, I've caught a peek at a special project he's working on and it impressed me so much that I think it's not long before Pawless Guitars are considered among the elite of handbuilt instruments. He's not building guitars overstocked with inlays or instruments that have funny soundhole placement--he's building traditional guitars with some of the best construction I've seen using interesting high-quality woods. I've convinced my wife that the only way I'll ever have the instrument of my dreams is to have Vince build it--if he has time.

This isn't a commercial for Vince--I'm paid nothing for this. This is simply an observation from someone who knows what a good guitar should be. If you're looking for a great guitar look up Pawless Guitars and you won't be sorry.

I've been lucky so far in the music industry--I've met several of my heroes while having no boss other than myself and making my own music. I also have the bad fortune of not making a dime doing it. Of course I expected to make nothing from this; I do it as a labor of love.

That of course got me thinking about what goals I have in music. Should I finally work this pile of songs into an album? Should I go ahead and get back to playing out? Should I try to find a job writing about music? Am I good enough? Will people understand my work? Am I shit? Who knows, but all of these dark fears have welled up inside of me and they're screaming to get out.

Then it occurred to me that I long to be a liner note. I really don't care much about anything other than knowing someone has appreciated what I do. I long to know someone likes the way I write about music. I need to know that someone out there remembers even one line of one of my songs. I need to know that my friends and family won't forget me. More than anything I want to be remembered if by nothing else a liner note.

Now I'm not looking for one of my heroes like Todd Snider, Jack Ingram, or Will Kimbrough to thank me or gush over my work in their liner notes. I'd settle for "Todd Smith is a pain in the ass" in a third-rate player's CD. Or perhaps, "Sharkbitten.com sucks donkeys" in a cheesy radio-station's local sampler disc. Sure I'd love recognition from one of the guys I look up to but they barely know I exist let alone remember my name. Still, for someone even in the footnotes of music history to scribe my name upon the scroll would mean the world--something to say I contributed to music.

OK so I complain that I get few decent alternative country acts and then the rain begins. In the last two weeks I've learned that the Flatlanders, Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Duval, and Lyle Lovett are all visiting over the next few weeks. Either someone very influential was listening or my local music scene is improving.

Each of those acts are fairly exciting but I think I'm most excited about Cross Canadian Ragweed who will be playing at the Freebird Live. These southern rockers who share my love of Todd Snider will be playing the cafe that Lynyrd Skynrd calls home. Aside from being a decent live venue, these guys are a perfect fit.

Of course the Lyle Lovett show should be a good show following up on his last album, My Baby Don't Tolerate. That album is one of my favorite Lovett albums of all time and puts the swing back in Texas Swing.

If you're a fan of this genre of music and live in north Florida, the next month or so is prime season so get out there and support live music.

I should take a chance to plug a friend's album: Todd Snider is set to release a new album in July, produced by Will Kimbrough, and distributed by OhBoy Records. I've been told that the album is absolutely fantastic. Also, well wishes to our pal Todd whose latest road journal is available at his website.

The Americana Music Association executive director J. D. May has announced that he is resigning at the end of this year. May has led the organization to over 1,000 members in just five years with one of the premier award shows around. Thanks and well-wishes to J. D.

One of my childhood favorites, Charlie Pride, has been hospitalized for an unknown emergency surgery. He is expected to return to action in four to six weeks. Here's to a speedy recovery for Charlie.

Since I mentioned Will Kimbrough earlier, pay close attention to upcoming release dates for Kate Campbell's new CDs. Will produced both of those albums and the word on the street is that they're pretty hot.

So to quote Todd Snider quoting Bill Murray: "Wear bright colors and stay low!"

I once had an high-school intern who I taught nothing but music. He was supposed to be doing other things but essentially I handed him a guitar and showed him how to stream music online. Between those two things I'm quite certain that he learned nothing that would help his capitalist career.

Needless to say the boy has grown to a quasi-man and his once single-string plucking method has become a bit more complex. The one-time drummer now plays guitar and bass better than most folks who've only been playing six months. All of his skills are rounded out by a fairly good self-taught knowledge of the recording process. The evolution is quite astounding.

The results of Devin "Wounded Pelican" Grant can be heard here on a little acoustic jam. I normally don't discuss or distribute demo tapes or unreleased material--let alone a man-child's late-night bedroom jam sessions but hey, the kid's pretty good.

This weekend I met an unusual musician: the conservative musician. Most musicians I meet are either blatantly liberal, refuse to take a stance, or simply aren't interested in politics in the first place. I'm sure that like the rest of the population musicians have political opinions and those are most likely quite varied. Yet I think that artists as a whole tend to be libera, or so my stereotype goes. So meeting a true blue right-winger strumming a guitar was a bit of unique event.

Today country music is filled with more music with conservative political leanings. Take Toby Keith and Darryl Worley as examples. Both released pro-war, pro-Bush songs last year that made no attempt to mask their feelings. Neither song was worth a damn and took advantage of the most patriotic of our nation. Before you jump and tag me as part of the liberal media know that while I disagree with the war, Clint Black's "Iraq and Roll" was actually a fairly well-written song in comparison to the pandering pile of crap that Keith and Worley made. Regardless, country music has taken a much stronger political stance in the direction of the right.

Given the state of today's radio country more artists that have a conservative stance are likely to receive better support from the labels. Labels know this kind of music is generally well-received among certain demographics that both the right and country music share. Further, I would bet that it will be quite a long time before we see a liberal artist release a liberal song with strong label support unless current political conditions change.

In the meantime I expect I'll be meeting more conservative musicians.

I'm known to complain that the area in which I live doesn't have very good live music. Yes, I know I'm grouchy usually, but if you lived here you would most likely agree. For a major metropolitan area there is very little in the way of good live music.

Just as I say that three acts get booked in town that make it seem a bit like heaven: The Flatlanders, Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks, and Ramblin' Jack Elliot are all coming to town within a three day period. The Flatlanders are playing two consecutive nights and that alone would have been a fairly amazing event. Topping it off with Rambin' Jack makes it seem like things are changing for the good!

A comment was recently made that there are quite a few people that like something less flavorful playing in the background while doing other things. It was inferred, but not said, that such tastes are dominant in today's culture and will always keep independent music in their niche markets.

The idea that people like less intriguing music so it does not interfere with other activities is an interesting one. I agree with at least part of this particular reader's hypothesis--sometimes a little noise in the background is just what is needed. I tend to enjoy the background noise of music I prefer, but I certainly am not as focused on that music as I am with my primary priority, whatever that may be at the time. So I agree that there are times when music should take a backseat.

The part I disagree with is that the majority of people like mainstream music because it does not interfere with other things. I believe that people like mainstream music because they've never had an opportunity to hear other music. Unless The Flatlanders or Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks roll through your town on a regular basis you wouldn't know about them. Unless you have access to a renegade local radio station that isn't owned by ClearChannel you probably haven't heard of Lucinda Williams. Unless your music television stations play John Prine and Jack Ingram you probably aren't a big fan. The point is that exposure and promotion have more to do with musical tastes than, well, musical taste. If people enjoyed music because it did not evoke emotion or imagination then there would be much less music.

Music is about setting the appropriate mood for the situation but given proper exposure I believe many people would find their lives more flavorful with different background music.