My buddy JB at Good Morning Americana has a shared fondness for Will Hoge and frequently plays "Hey Mr. President" as part of a little protest set that usually includes Bob Dylan and Steve Earle. Hoge's protest music is far from offensive--it is actually often more insightful and sensitive than most left-wing rants. "Hey Mr. President" happens to be a funny little song relating to a feeling many Americans have today involving the lesser of two evils. Yet the song evoked enough feeling to elicit some hate mail. JB...don't let the man get you down.

JB has also been busy rubbing elbows with some Americana bright spots including the Avett Brothers and the Duhks (pronounced "ducks"). Both are great young talents who were featured during last month's Americana Music Association conference. I highly recommend the Duhks and their appearance on Beautiful Dreamer doing "Camptown Races." Also of note, the funky Duhks are now on Sugar Hill under the tutelage of the legendary Bela Fleck. I thought I noticed them sitting behind Steve Fishell--now it all makes sense!

While dining with the Avetts, JB learned that even though their most recent album, Mignonette, is barely out of the cradle, they have written fifteen new songs--let's hope a new album is in the works.

Another AMA conference nominee and performer, Adrienne Young, has a new release to get fired up about. "Just Like Christmas" features Young along with Tim O'Brien, Will Kimbrough, and the Duhks' Tania Elizabeth and Jordan McConnell. Young, who with Kimbrough, was recognized for their collaboration on "Home Remedy" as the Nashville's Honored Scene country single of the year was thrilled with the collaboration and plans to release the tune to radio in November. You can get a sneak peek and download the tune for free here!

It's clear that the Pancake Pantry in Nashville is the place to be. According to a friend, if you happened to stand in line yesterday morning you probably caught a glimpse of Vince Gill, Amy Grant and their family. Also on hand following his show at the Mercy Lounge was Jack Ingram. I'm sure lots of stars have wandered through those doors but yesterday sounds like a good day to be there to me.

Speaking of Jack, Stephen King recently went on a rant in Entertainment Weekly calling it a shame that folks like Ingram and James McMurtry can't get a second of airplay. Yes...that Stephen King. Guess Maine and Texas aren't so far apart after all.

That said, be sure to get over to Jack's website next Monday because it's going to be completely revamped with lots of new goodies.

If you're in Nashville or planning to be there November 10-13 you're going to have a change to catch three big shows at the Ryman Auditorium. First on the 10th you can take a chance on a surprise guest to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Ryman's restoration. On the 11th you can see Kris Kristofferson and the 13th you can catch a double-header featuring Robert Earl Keen and Todd Snider. Talk about a heck of a run of shows.

If I were you I'd be looking for tickets...

In keeping with today's theme I thought I'd share with you my ten favorite protest songs this year in preparation for this year's disaster election. Regardless of your political affiliation you gotta love a good protest song.

1. Hey Mr. President - Will Hoge[buy now]
2. To Washington - John Mellencamp[buy now]
3. Conservative Christian Right Wing Republican Straight White American Male - Todd Snider[buy now]
   
4. Rich Man's War - Steve Earle[buy now]
   
5. We Can't Make It Here - James McMurtry[free download]
6. Condi, Condi - Steve Earle[buy now]
7. Bible vs. Gun - Will Hoge[buy now]
   
8. F the CC - Steve Earle[buy now]
9. America - Will Hoge[buy now]
10. Whatever Happened to Peace on Earth - Willie Nelson

Strung together it makes for a pretty convincing argument to get out and vote!

With less than a week until the election, James McMurtry is weighing on the state of affairs with his own FREE downloadable song. McMurtry, whose storytelling talent runs deep, chronicles the political pitfalls of the common man in "We Can't Make It Here." Kind of a talking blues song with a little rant here and there, it is a good indictment of the cultural war we face against the current batch of politicians.

Get your copy here.

I have three older half-brothers, the eldest of which lived with my family for my formative years. Like any little brother I idolized my older brother and his seemingly endless pool of coolness. He was the guy that everyone envied--good looks, smart, hard-working, and most of all he was hip. He was everything I wanted to be and I loved everything he did.

In the 80s bad music ran rampant and my brother had it all--although at the time we didn't know that RATT was dangerous for our health. His case of cassettes was filled with music big for the day like the early Bon Jovi albums, all of Van Halen's stuff, and plenty of Quiet Riot. Late at night as we lay in our room heading toward bed his boombox would softly play some of hair metal's biggest stars as we dreamed of one day have hair just like Eddie V's. My brother was cool and at the time so was his music.

Time passes and it usually is fairly cruel to things we once found to be cool. Think parachute pants, leg warmers, and ripped up blue jeans. Over time that music that we both found to be part of everyday life would now be ridiculed by friends and family--perhaps even on an internet site.

My brother now has four beautiful children and a lovely family. Gone is his mullet and rocked-out lifestyle. Where his ripped t-shirt once hung is a rather demure button-up. His drive-fast and turn it up approach to life has been replaced by a calm demeanor of reason.

One thing has not changed--he still has those old cassettes and something tells me from time-to-time he listens to them. Something tells me that his inner rocker still lives on despite our ridicule and denial of our own collection.

Before Jimmy Buffett hit it big he kicked around Nashville writing for Billboard while shopping his tunes. His grandfather was one of his biggest influences and was the sailor behind "Son of a Son of a Sailor" as well as the subject of "The Captain and the Kid." His death, the focus of the latter song, hit Jimmy quite hard as the sad tale depicts. While shopping that song a record executive on Music Row told him that it was a good song but needed a happy ending. He asked Jimmy to change it. Buffett walked out of that meeting and never changed the song--it was true and he wouldn't bend to make a buck.

My grandfather, while not a sailor, is much the same to me--a hero in small ways and someone I would never sell out. Today he lies in a hospital bed clinging to what little life his tired heart has left. He smiles a vibrant smile and reminds us that he loves us despite his woes, a lesson I'm trying to learn. He has lived his life not for his own dreams but to provide the chance to dream to his family. He is my captain, much like Jimmy's grandfather was to him and without him finding my way will be trying but he's provided a map that I intend to follow without fail or compromise.

Bono and I haven't been too chummy since my criticism of his political involvement. Most of that is really petty on my part and over dinner recently I told him so--we made up. Then he bought me a bowl of pudding and told me a dirty joke. It's all better now.

So today I'm thrilled after hearing the news that U2's newest album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb will be loaded onto custom iPods. Custom iPods loaded with peacenik love? Hell yeah that sounds good. Even had the Irish maestro not sprung for that bowl of pudding I would have been excited. I'm quite eager to hear what one of the most outspoken musicians around has to say about atomic bombs.

I love baseball. From the time I was old enough to swing a bat I was obsessed with the game. I played as long as I could and then became a fan, finding my way across the country by the way of many major and minor league ballparks. To this day nothing quite makes a summer day any better than the sun on my face at a game.

I grew up a Cardinals fans and remain one to this day. So tonight I turned on the game in Houston with a trip to the World Series on the line. All tied up at 5 in the 7th inning I was ready for the stretch. Then it happened--Robert Earl Keen sang "God Bless America" on national television. Robert Earl is one of my favorite songwriters and certainly one of Texas' best treasures. Baseball, my Cardinals and REK all in one big package...it must be my luck day.

Rolling Stone reports that Wal-Mart wants $10 CDs and is battling record labels to make it happen.

At first glance this looks like a great win for consumers. After all, CDs online from iTunes are usually $9.99. Further, music simply costs too much as it is considering that the artists usually are getting such a small slice of each CD sold.

On second thought it seems like this could be a damning movement for artists and the industry as a whole. First it will put the squeeze on indie labels who cannot compete at Wal-Mart in the first place. Wal-Mart will seize even more of the mainstream music market at prices that smaller record stores cannot match. Those smaller records stores are often the only place to get indie albums and if they cannot draw mainstream consumers then turning on that same audience to indies will not be possible. Also, since the labels will be getting less per disc you can bet that record contracts are going to increasingly screw artists. Further it's going to nearly force traditional record stores to sell at a loss due to volume. Perhaps this isn't so good.

I have a proposal to solve the problem for Wal-Mart, consumers, and the little guys in our profession. According to the article approximately $2.90 of each $15.99 album sale is label overhead. Another $1.70 is the label's profit while the retail store has $3.89 of overhead and $0.80 profit. The first step is to reduce label overhead by 50% which could be achieved by better business practices in regards to their front office. I know that's oversimplification but other business routinely do it and the labels should make the same attempt. Next, slash their own profits to match those of the store which should also be reduced. In total, that $10 album should pay a net profit of about $1.00 to those distributing it. Next we'll do something that may come back to haunt us but we're going to spend less on marketing. Well isn't that contradictory? Not really considering that most artists who land on mainstream shelves don't need that much marketing help. They are after all mainstream. Next we're going to ask the stores to cut their own overhead--Wal-Mart routinely asks to see it's vendors financials so why not turn the tables? There is bound to be some operating efficiencies and if there are not then they can look to other business units so selling records doesn't have to bail anyone out. We'll save $1.50 there. So we'll cut that budget by half. With those savings we've reached nirvana--the $10.00 album--well close anyway. That would bring the sale price of the average album to $10.84. It would most likely drive down the price of online albums as well.

Am I crazy or isn't this possible?

OK music-lovers, the time has come for you to take off your headphones and do something for the good of the industry. US Attorney General and all-around evil guy John Ashcroft has announced that the Justice Department will not spend your hard earned dollars cracking down on terrorism but instead on filesharing. Ashcroft says, "The department is prepared to build the strongest, most aggressive legal assault against intellectual-property crime in our nation's history." Naturally the RIAA, also known as the money-grubbing man, agrees: "for those who work in the community of record labels, songwriters and artists, the commitment of focus, energy and resources outlined in this report is music to our ears."

Now I'm not saying that we should all be able to share other people's hard work freely but there are good uses of this technology. You see these folks are backing serious invasion of privacy concepts like wiretapping suspected filesharers. So while I am legally sharing music I purchased among three computers in my home I would techincally be violating the law because the technology I use to do so could be used for illegal means. Therefore, I am a likely target of wiretapping. Sound scary?

Do yourself and everyone a favor and write your representative in the US House and your Senator. Let them know that you do not endorse such legislation nor the wholesale abuse of your civil liberties!

I spend a great deal of time talking about the downfall of mainstream country music. It's like a splinter that will possess me until I manage to dig it out by any means required. Sure, I'm fixated but that's my song and dance.

It wasn't always this way. Growing up in 80s and through my early adult years in the 90s I was a mainstream country addict. Those years I spent in a little town in Indiana where a good time was raising hell on some dirt road. My only aspiration was to get out and see what the stars looked like from some other place. Everyone listened to country and those who didn't were just longhaired freaks. We at least trimmed our mullets--much more refined.

It all changed when I found Son Volt however and I'm not sure I'm better for it either. A friend of mine, Quent Cole, shoved Wide Swing Tremolo in his CD player one day and suddenly I needed better music. Over the years that have passed I've found some of the best music I've ever known but in doing so I've abandoned some of the music I had loved in that simple time.

The 1990s were a turning point for country music. Garth Brooks was the biggest thing in music or entertainment for that matter. As Garth slowly turned from his rodeo roots to light rock/pop the rest of the industry followed. It was trying for most of us who enjoyed the more traditional sound of George Strait or Randy Travis to hear our genre get watered down to bad pop music. It was the beginning of the end for me.

Today I dug up some older stuff that I had enjoyed but long since buried in the back of my closet in hopes no one would know I owned in the first place. As I sit here and listen to these memories I'm right back in that place. There's nothing wrong with this stuff and in many ways it is superior to what we hear today on the radio. Despite being part of the downfall of mainstream country, there really are some gems from the late 80s and 90s that I can now readily admit to liking.

The last three days were the birthdays of three of my favorite songwriters:

• John Lennon would have been 64 on Saturday. Yes John, we still love you even when you're 64.
• John Prine's birthday was yesterday. When it comes to influences, he's right up there among my favorites.
• Today Todd Snider celebrates his birthday. Todd's new stuff is as good as his old stuff and in my book he has aged like wine.

Happy birthday boys!

Often I've said that celebrity shouldn't bring credibility on matters such as foreign affairs and tax policy. Creating a platinum album doesn't make one an expert on public affairs nor does writing an obscure column about Americana music.

There is one cause I think celebrities should support vocally in public: voting. I'm not suggesting that anyone tell you how to vote; I simply think they should encourage you to vote. Any further participation by celebrities in the political process is purely optional and certainly should be undertaken with great care. In my case of exceptionally minor celeb, I'll stick to the basics.

In the 2000 Presidential election just over 50% of those of voting age actually voted. Over 100 million eligible Americans did not vote including 22 million single women. Nearly 50 million people of voting age didn't even bother to register. By comparison over 785 million CDs were sold in the same year--about three discs per American. In the time it takes to pick out those three CDs you can register, learn a little about your candidates, and actually vote.

I won't tell you who to vote for as that's for you to decide. I'll simply ask that you take a little time out from reading about and buying music to express yourself in this year's election.

Thanks to a fine friend I've discovered a new favorite band right out of Des Moines, Iowa. The Nadas have been kicking more than dust since their inception in the mid-90s. Their brand of Americana blends heartland sensibility with 80s mod inflections. Like the rest of the midwest, nothing is overdone--they find the right balance of their various influences and serve it up piping hot.

Do yourself a favor and head over to NadaRadio.com for a preview. If you like what you hear then you can buy their albums at the iTunes Music Store.

Recently another critic's review of an album landed in my inbox with the comment that the language used was rather colorful. In fact the author of this review strung together two obscenities in the same sentence. Neither was particularly insulting given the nature of the publication and what we hear on television these days nor did the words offend me.

The whole flameup over free speech ensued. Shouldn't this be protected speech? Isn't this what the first amendment is about? Doesn't the first amendment allow journalists to say whatever they like provided it isn't slanderous?

Yes. Yes, that argument is valid but it does not address the value of the speech that those laws protect.

Here's my beef: the author of this rather dubious review used those words without any thought to what it really meant. The sentence he used them in meant so very little it could have been left out and probably should have given a decent editor. Read as whole the review wasn't that impressive anyway, but with that statement added in the focus went from the album he was writing about to the shock value of his language.

As a critic I try to tell people about albums I like and think they may like as well. I try to seduce readers into picking up a new artist or reassure them that their favorite guy's new album is as good as his old stuff. The focus isn't me or my great literary skills--I'm not exactly Hemingway you know. The focus is the MUSIC.

Am I shocked he used the language in a review? Not really. I'm simply shocked at how poorly he used it.

I had a coworker many years ago that really had no endearing traits. This woman was as abrasive as any person I've met and her arrogance unmatched. Going to work with her wasn't just a challenge but an absolute trial of patience. The most difficult portion of the ordeal was that she sat directly beside me every day.

I avoided having any meaningful discussion with her for nearly three months. We would stick strictly to our mutual business and avoid any comments that could lead to a political diatribe, an outpouring of opinion, or any other potentially lengthy discussions. It ended when we were forced to ride together to a team lunch.

She had a new Subaru before such things were cool and given the twelve or so feet of snow that had fallen that day a four-wheel drive seemed most appropriate. I begrudgingly got in her car hoping the four minute drive would occur without any talking.

Then it happened--she started the car and the most amazing sound boomed from her stereo. A driving guitar howled out the most authentic and lively blues I'd heard in a very long time.

"Who is this?" I excitedly asked.

She raised her eyebrow, surprised that I actually wanted to talk.

"Just some guy I like. Do you like music?" she baited.

"Of course. This is incredible," I in slid in return to her coyness.

"Stevie Ray Vaughan," she offered with a smile as she began to sing.

I thought he was kind of tacky given his poor dress and slackjawed appearance. That ride changed my opinion of both her and Stevie in four short minutes.

Stevie would have been 50 yesterday. I wish I had found him before his death.