Band I'm loving: Hellbound Glory

For a music lover, it's not often you find a band that you just love.

One that gets you excited about music again...one that you would drive 6 hours to see 2 nights in a row.

Well, after a few years of trolling the underground country scene and only really listening to Hank 3...because, you know, he's Hank 3, I decided to really get all up in there and I found Hellbound Glory.

You can Check them out on their facebook page (linked above.)

I don't need to tell you how awesome they are--just check out a few of my favorite songs from their latest album, Damaged Goods:

"Bastard Child"

  
I can't find a full song/video of one of my other favorites, "She Left Me in Modesto," but here's a sample of it. The whole song is a must-hear though. Great story, told the way a country song is supposed to tell a story. Oh, and a truck is an integral part of the plot...that's always good.

These songs are my kind of music.

When it comes to lyrics, especially in roots/country/awesome music, less is more. Simple is beautiful.

I really love the writing in this song, "Lost Cause:"

I'm especially in love with the line:
"Let's build this burning bridge/before we get too deep/
And let me dig my ditch/down this one way, dead end street"

I don't know a ton about these guys...but I have listened to Damaged Goods enough to have it memorized.

"But Carrie," you say, "this low-down, depressing outlaw stuff belies your sweet nature, cheerful disposition, and chirpy voice."


To which I say, "Suck it, jerkface!"

But really. This stuff wakes my soul up. It makes me want to cry...dance...shake my fist,,,and drive down the the road, singing at the top of my lungs. I can't explain it.

It's not a "yeah, that's good" situation. Like when I listen to Lady Gaga when Mike's not around sometimes.

Speaking of my handsome husband. I'm loving the song "Living With the Shades Pulled Down." Here's Merle Haggard's version.

And Hellbound's version:

The whole..."Livin' with the shades pulled down all day" idea pretty much describes our nocturnal schedule. Plus, I love the vibe of being outcasts...but who the eff cares? We're crazy in lurve!

 Yup, just like Mike and I.

To quote the classic film from my youth, "She's All That," though...

"Except for that whole hooker thing."

My point? If you love fun, bad ass, outlaw (REAL outlaw...not Brantley Gilbert outlaw. Good grief.) country music...RUN...don't walk...CLICK...don't leisurely scroll...over to somewhere and check out Hellbound Glory.

One more for the road:

"Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound"

Nostalgia or Quality?

Are the things we liked as kids really better than what these punks today are into?

Is this math correct: Backstreet Boys > Justin Bieber? I say Yes!

This question came to me when I remembered that The 90's are All That. Thanks Nickelodeon!

But were they really? Hey Dude was one of my favorite shows back in the day. I caught an episode the other night. My God it's awful! Plot holes and obvious setups and bad lighting. Oh my! Did I watch the whole episode? Yeah...yeah I did.

"You gotta watch out for those man eatin' jack rabbits...and them killer cacti" after all.

I can't be the only girl my age who wanted to be Clarissa!

Maybe that's why I dress so crazy now. My mother would not let me out of the house in my Clarissa-inspired outfits when I was 10.

On the TV front, there's also Roundhouse, Salute Your Shorts, Weinerville, Saved By the Bell...I could go on. These literally shaped by raised-by-the-remote childhood I share with many '90's kids. Did they even shape who I am?

That's probably for another post.

I'm not up on the kids cartoons these days, but I do know that if you don't know what "OooooEeeeOoooo...Killer Tofu" means, then you aren't my friend.

It's not just TV, it's fashion too. We can look at the awful clothes from the 80's and early 90's...but notice that designers tried to bring them back a few years ago. Tried.

I used to be a big fan of *cough* contemporary Christian music. It is my personal feeling that--though I don't listen to them now at all--late 90's and early 2000's Steven Curtis Chapman, Third Day, Avalon, DC Talk, and Jars of Clay are far superior to the 25 emo-looking bands who sing the same pansy melody over and over again.

Just an observation. I really don't know anything beyond the occasional flipping through the channels and running across some video show.

Don't know what/who I'm talking about? It's totally okay.You don't need to.

So basically I'm wondering if I can say that my favorite childhood Fill-in-the-Blank is better than the crap they're cranking out now.

Or is it just that it's what WE know, what we understand from when we were trying to just figure things out.

And I always enjoy a walk down memory lane.