I feel the importance to properly address my feelings, as cofounder of Hillgrass Bluebilly Records, on the subject of this proposed "XXX" from Shooter Jennings & "No Depression" writer Adam Sheets. I feel I state the facts as I see them, and as many of you think I may take things to an extreme, that is whats always been here...since day 1 HB, seemingly extreme. Extreme is never the case, the strange & dangerous times we live in does not welcome the sign of any beast, on my fight of the (re)introduction of roots music. Hillbilly, Bluegrass, Blues, Country, Country Blues, Hillbilly Folk, Hillbilly Blues, from uptop the Hillbilly Mountains down in the thicks of the Hillbilly Swamps and last but not least... good ol' heart, that is the combination of our success! The times, they ain't a changin', the people are...the MEN are.
Shooter Jennings will never be a part of anything successful. I knew he was a 5000lb anchor when I first looked into him, and "man"... you know it too. I never was a sleepwalker and I swept the streets of Phoenix for .50 a driveway 1.00 includes the sidewalk and curb, When I was a kid. So when I set out to sweep the street, onreader, I must have felt the importance of this, the desensatization of this, the hokeyness in this... a calling for my mouth. This is the same old song & dance of anyone that has a "name" and a mouth. I am not going to sit and watch some absurd reasoning of Hank III's thoughts, signature, whatever...as an all welcomin' to XXX. Believe me readers. It is time to let everybody know, but you have to listen to the music and be your own judge, and not be weighed down with all these "names" and bullshit recordings, and bullshit admittings to bullshit recordings. I ain't got NO time for that, and they are really not worth my addressing them. I am offering a service here, an insight to a man that will never give up, never misrepresent.
Hillgrass Bluebilly is here to represent, and that is exactly what I am going to do. I can sit here and bash folks, but just go buy and album and listen, you'll know what you don't believe... you will know what you don't like. I don't need to hold your hand, and I do not need to lead you in by the ear. I ain't your father, my boy aint going to have problems... So men, work on being just that, follow your gut, be a man about things. Let it go in your ear and then let it go to your gut. Leave the heart to the artist and your head out of misinforming, misguiding beasts that do nothing but destroy, what men like me are trying to build and improve on.
Hillgrass Bluebilly aint shit but a stepping stone to the truth, Yes, we are aggressive, and yes we arent ready for folks to "get it" on their own, we have to help... and we are... by delivering solid albums from solid people spitting their hearts out in our efforts to help speed up the process of elemination. The truth wins, the heart is light, people come. It's not about the fucking money, it never was, it was always about heart, truth, never recording a song that someone didnt believe. It was about celebrating through music...what you believe, what you live, what you experience. Why fluff that up with foggy misrepresentations? Why drop a bunch of names? All the sudden these XXX ARTISTS are going to save everybody? Yeah fucking right.. its 50/50 people (rar rar). Has their ever been fair compensation for standing up for what you believe in? XXX is going to deliver? Not without us they aint.
You have to fight for whats right and stand up and discipline the red handed. Shooter needs to be spanked or something because he is fucking it up for everybody. He is taking a "name". If he was Shooter Smith, y'all wouldn't give a rats terd about him. Everyone is too hopeful of some figure to come in and lead the march, huh huh... it's just us people, look to your right and left at a show. More importantly...look at who is NOT at the show, where the show is at, where are the people that would like this at?
The system in place is not built for us. We have our own "American Pickers" and the hauntings of them surviving/thriving in a system that has ALWAYS shoved them away. Noone is taking the measures to just flat out build something for whats in demand.
I believe Shooter & Matt both forgot what "work" is and are in survival mode with a trap. They are looking to ride a system that is not built for us. Y'all can eat off that plate all you want, that is not the dirty foot way. I believe we need to cut the life support of this system that has created humdrum shows, where bartenders walk out with the same amount as the artists because the promoter worked their ass off... to make it work. Our job. There is no compensation because people are sucking each others dicks (paying compliment) before defending and cleaning up their profession, simply just because it needs it. (one might get the same pleasure from painting a house for an old broke lady, or being a big brother/sister to someone who needs it). Refreshing... a job well done.
This is DO or die, not CONFUSE and complicate. Very simple. People start making buffers and go betweens and ammendments and bends and adjustments to the most simple thing and you do nothing but promote another failed attempt before it happens. You start running your mouth in a system that is pushing out promoters and using all monopilizing sister companies to Clear Channel, Viacom.... all these companies & venues & booking agents are working hard for THEIR system. Not ours. Shooter and Adam Sheets are really digging a hole... their own, and taking folks down with em. Dead
Now to DO, would be to build you own system and start on the local level. To DO, would be to use their system against them. Use a system that is in place, AGAINST them. Noone owns the fans, and they are working harder to get at them before you do. Why don't you just talk to every lil fucker that drives around with "Brad Paisley (who I like) & Taylor Swift" (see Adam Sheets remarks below) blaring out the window. They are really easy to spot. They live in the small towns, and have some kind of Mossy Oak dashmat, pocket knife or hat and maybe a fishing sticker on their truck. Start there, real hard. From there, turn around and look at the VFW that has gone to shit, right with Hank Jr. in 1983. The beginning stages of MTV, CMT, Signature Series, all this made up, fairy tale, trying to sell me something. bullshit. XXX is trying to sell me... this is bullshit too.
I demand you put an end to this today, you don't have to say anything, just take down the bullshit website and leave yourself out of our community on your quest to fluff things up. Show rigerous truth, a sweating back, a look in the eye, a song in your throat... fuck... you'll have the ladies... can you do that? Can you make every mother fucker cry in that room? Why dont you come in that room with me. You can tie my hands behind my back and I guarantee you Shooter will be saying "Hillgrass Bluebilly" before "XXX" then on out. Bring your friends too, Adam... and anyone else you dont give a fuck about.
LOCAL VENUES - obtain local venues, your 200 max occupancy and your 1000 max occupancy space. VFW's, Elks Lodge, Mooslodge, a lot of them have the space and the stage (now storage, etc). These VFWs and Mooselodges are diappearing fast. The community has abandoned them. I believe we can revive concerts, dances, bingo, everything they used to represent and stand for..old ladies cookin up hamburgers, Dwayne, the big funny dude in the cowboy hat workin the door... the good. Community, paying dues & RESPECT. Shooter will not revive things like this with XXX. Hillgrass Bluebilly can. Our heart is in the right spot. I am willing to organize this... Is Shooter & Adam going to back my approved of and easily backed suggestions? Are they going to stop all this nonsense and quit finding ways to a sour milked teet? Farm fresh man. Bring that shit home. We aint living in the highrises down here in Austin, TX. Making things happen on your own is a movement, bringing good representation to the people is a movement. Again, You not only need to stop XXX, you need to strip down what you think you got and take it somewhere else for ANY kind of recognition. THEN you give back to a community, you start something, something wholesome. Booking agents are pushing folks like me out of the picture, so they can piss all over our talent, but it's not going to work. What I can build, very easily will beat out the system you are trying to work with. I do not know when all of this will happen, but I know it will friend. I dont have the clothes to unfortunatley sell myself past a fat secretary or a business door right now, so my options on who I can address are limited. We all need money... but we need to make a difference for it and not just work for it. Pride and commitment happens...and is written about... not by you, about you... kinda like I am doing here, but I am more believable than you.
LOCAL RADIO - I dont have XM, but Austin Texas is BLESSED with radio stations like KVRX/KOOP, even KUT in a smithsonian type of way and programs like "The Roadhouse" which have ALL been very friendly in playing our releases, because I tried, I'm real, and gave the right presentation... some even "gettin it" on their own by mistakingly walking into a show on the way home, random stop. (Possessed by Paul James / Chris Mosser "Roadhouse" on KVET radio 98.1 - a full on country radio station... Possessed by Paul James.... the MUSIC won.) If I can hear a bunch of ki yi yi'n on 5+ radio stations, im thinking picking up local airwaves and using their system (airwaves) to transmit to the peoples, is not a hard thing to do... you are lookin for easy outs (ins) Shooter. Not making a difference. Start venues & radio stations (real ones) in Austin, Nashville, Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta.... then come on back...and I'll give you the next tasks....
MAGAZINES - I cannot think of a better example than Lubricated Magazine. I wish I had a link, but there is no better example.
How many more bad decisions are to follow this dirty money driven XXX?
******
Here is some copied & pasted back and forths between me, Shooter & Adam on the savingcountrymusic.com website:
Hillgrass Keith January 16, 2011 at 6:07 am
…and I will always support Jashie, Outlaw, Saving & Trig. You are right, I will not NOT like anyone, because of something else they support that I may not. The idea aint bad, but I will be the 1st to put a stop to a “movement” that aint with me or I with them. If they start with XXX tours and/or a festival, it could grow on its own. THEN we arent losing any fans, interested sponsors, airtime etc…. xxx (symbol) resembles no faith, drugs, rape, deadbeat dads, not welcome,PORN, solicited sex, alcohol made to destroy, …ok…maybe that is a bit much, maybe not. A man that walks a line and plows his own course is a maverick, unmarked & meaningful (imagine Johnny Cash reading about XXX) The mens just need to have a look in their eye and a song in their throat. Start there. But XXX is 1 up a dirty sanchez. Can ANYONE imagine the bullshit one would have to put up with THIS agencies booking agents? Do we, as promotion companies get to pay an extra $100 + because of the XXX endorsement? What about the shit ass merch and XXX flag, Hey Kids… go look “XXX country music” on google images and tell me what you find
(http://media.photobucket.com/image/xxx%20country%20music/HipKidsEatQueerCulture/20070316_1334522.jpg)
….. Americana, done.
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Denise January 16, 2011 at 7:40 am
That was so well said Keith I’m not sure what else to say other than thank you for conveying the image in the proper way. A maverick does plow his way, stays the course and thinks about the implications down the road. XXX is not the image JC would have liked. Nor Hank. If it’s about the music and supporting the musicians that’s one thing most everyone would agree with. But Shooter said it himself: xxx is a catchy theme. I personally ain’t lookin’ for catchy. I’m looking for honesty in the strings. Escape from the pain. Joy in the art. You can leave catchy to the glaring lights of hollyweird and trashville.
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Adam Sheets January 16, 2011 at 9:10 am
How would Johnny Cash feel about XXX? I don’t know and assuming you didn’t know the man, neither do you. But I think it’s telling that both his son and his godson are on board.
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BlueRibbonRadio January 16, 2011 at 9:23 am
Assuming what a dead man would think about something is both absurd, and borderline disrespectful.
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BlueRibbonRadio January 16, 2011 at 9:42 am
And Hillgrass Bluebilly has artists that sing about murder, suicide, drinking, and drugs. And they’re great, but you can’t try and take the moral high ground when that laundry list of what bad “XXX” can stand for is featured in your own artists songs.
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The Triggerman January 16, 2011 at 10:16 am
Keith may be taking the point to an extreme, but I think it is a fair and valid argument, and one I raised myself initially and continue to. Does that mean we should throw the XXX ‘baby’ out with the ‘bathwater’ bad name? I don’t know. Maybe dropping the name down to two X’s or raise it up to four X’s will get it out of the bad connotations that people have with ‘XXX,’ but it still won’t resolve his deeper concerns about the fundamental issues that might arise with the formation of a new entity. One of the reasons grass roots are so effective is because they are deep and true and hard to kill. However it can also make deconstruction and re-alignment difficult.
On Friday night I was hanging out with Keith in a bar in Austin, watching two Hillgrass bands. I stopped down writing a review/uploading videos to join this discussion. Possessed by Paul James, a Hillgrass artist, was voluntarily put on the XXX list as a potential artist. Scott Biram, who is a member of the Hillgrass family, is the first name on that artist list. These roots run deep. And in both directions.
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Adam Sheets January 16, 2011 at 10:24 am
But, again, I do not see any problem whatsoever with the name. Think for a minute, not what Johnny Cash would think of the name, but what would Hank 3 think of the name (maybe what would he think if Shooter wasn’t on board). Would a guy who uses as much profanity in his songs and even led a “Fuck Curb” campaign, really give a shit about being associated with something called XXX? Give me a fuckin’ break.
And also, as I have already pointed out, most “outlaw” country fans have never spent one day in prison and you can apply the same argument to the “dirty blues,” “stoner rock,” or any number of other labels that seem to have worked out just fine.
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KAK January 16, 2011 at 3:05 pm
I have to agree that I will NEVER tell anyone I listen to XXX anything. I am a mother. I am a college professor. I am the faculty sponsor of an organization that raises funds for rape victims in Uganda. I would be humiliated to tell people I go to “a lot of XXX shows”…being a grown up sucks but it comes with a price, unfortunately.
XXX doesn’t ever make me think of moonshine. It makes me think of sex.
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D.S. Troubadour January 18, 2011 at 6:33 pm
I think it’s awesome the response is so massive on this thing. However, if a bunch of underground country “nerds” (and let’s face it, that’s what we are) can’t agree on something as benign as a name, how in the hell are people going to jump on board who are nominal fans. People on the fringes. The 50,000 Shooter says he wants. Names and labels may be silly in some ways, but they can be important. XXX seems very problematic to me. Not the concept, but the name. Googling XXX is never going to bring up a music site. It will ALWAYS bring up porn. As a publicist and marketing guy, that is the first thing I thought of. It’s just bad planning. I do like the idea. I will support it, but I think a name change would be beneficial.
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Adam Sheets January 18, 2011 at 6:39 pm
D.S., as I’ve stated below, we’re willing to change the name to something a bit less controversial, but since XXX has already been put on the table, been covered on this site and many others, and will even receive some newspaper coverage this week, we must stick with the name in some fashion, whether it is the “main” name or not. Otherwise it just creates confusion......
Tmac January 15, 2011 at 5:47 pm
I joined the Facebook page. I totally agree w/ Pete Berwick. Bottom line is that it can’t hurt. It’s a start and it contradicts my earlier comment but we gotta start somewhere. The only need for labels and genres in my opinion is so we can find your music in the music store or iTunes etc…
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Hillgrass Keith January 16, 2011 at 11:49 am
ok, extreme, yes. apologies to JC. I am personally pleased that is your only argument. distasteful sure, but not disrespectful. lead by example, never put out a shitty album. never put on a shitty show, unless there are understandable circumstances of course.but are these artists not busy enough to have to start alliances with confusing branding?stage – truth, soapbox, gavel holder, time on the stand, supporters mobile ground zero, THE MUSIC.
off stage – if anyone offstage thinks they are ANYTHING other than a stepping stone or a contact to the TRUTH on stage, then take HB, you deserve it friend. I am still fighting for Americana, Blues & Country genres…. as simple as ABC. I will not abandon it, I will fight for it. We have sand bags, effecient stepping stones, effecient walls, effecient shelter. XXX is not wholesome and full yet..therefore only a bag of dirt, a dirtbag. XXX Country, cmon… quit fucking me here, I will take it personally.
I personally feel this is exclusion and is only for the betterment of those on board, yet creating another monopilization (kindly pardon any misspellings) and another blinding element for whats supposed to take place on stage. and the only thing that takes place on stage… the truth. I am not here to entertain in the true essence of the word. I am here to represent, host and work for what I have found myself to believe in. I really am starting to think I don’t have any business explaining in detail what it takes to unbrand and only bring truth in representation in the genre of Americana.
Im sick of everything that aint spelled out and real. I try hard everyday, not to confuse people. A monkey can figure out the meaning of “Hillgrass Bluebilly” by attending 3 – 5 shows. any one person can figure out “Muddy Roots”, “Farmageddon”, “Deep Blues”. Truth is, those names have physically bled, to push all this, as not to confuse but to promote, aid, and gain respect by leading….by example, not creating fluff until a real geniune hard-on is achieved on it’s own.
Shits gonna die on its own. 100% of ALL “Blues Societies” will be reformatted or non exsistant as that generation dies off. Truth takes over… what people actually believe in, “Mustang Sally” will finally have tombstone. But there will be Blues Clubs.
Country – go play in a club/bar/venue where country people go, walk the owner through it, lead by example abd buy one, build one and quit feeding the system…. last time I checked, Clear Channel ownes a lot the venues that Shooter was performing at, that III performs at…. so on and so on. Country fans aint coming cause noone is playing to the country people, so suck on that greasy pecker and realize what “agencies” are creating here, ways into the bullshit, instead of convertin folks with common sense, stripping it down, and doing shit where it belongs, playing it to who will listen. I for one think there is a lot of laziness and people wanting to dig their paws in some jackpots, instead of workin that shit.
I am going to stop for now, because all I am going to do is create problems for people, not me.
xxx – ok a home for country & rock, I get it. you have to go the the rock section to buy Biram, Whitmore, Hiram & Huddie. I know. its fucking weird. take an x out or add one, and bring some shit to the people via “tours”, “shows” & “events” and let the “movement” happen on its own. I’ll sign that. Take this coalition and outbid Mexican Radio for LOCAL OPEN AIRWAVES, radio stations starting in Austin, Nashville, Atlanta, Dallas. I’ll sign that. Be meaningful in your sponsors, fuck vitamin water, budget ads for our working class… the struggling working class of local business owners that actually listen.
Give us something to believe in. People aint followin HB because I have a big ol finger sayin “c’mere”…. I do not have paths in branding. We have a flag.. not a brand of more publisher clipart with no heart.
argh, I am in for different reasons than most, I need to hire a PR person so I can get back to work.
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Adam Sheets January 16, 2011 at 12:38 pm
First of all, I just want to say that I’ve always respected what your label has done, but I must answer a couple of points.
What the hell is Americana as a genre? Over the past few weeks there have been numerous discussions about just that subject on No Depression and nobody seems to be able to reach a consensus other than agreeing it is a MARKETING label hijacked by the mainstream labels and used to market slightly roots-influenced music to white, urban, middle-class liberals. This is NOT the traditional country or blues audience and that is who we think deserve to hear their own music and their own culture. Americana and roots stations will never play Hillgrass Bluebilly. NPR will never get on board. Rolling Stone will never review them and even the more mainstream “Americana” audiences will never hear these artists.
Talk about how great podcasts and sites like this are all you want (and I’ll mostly agree with you), but the fact remains that 85% of the people in the country still listen to radio and that number goes up to 93% if you factor satellite radio in to it. You say “shit’s gonna die on it’s own,” but it’s not as long as the kids are being force-fed Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.
Furthermore, XXX has nothing to do with exclusion. The list on the website doesn’t feature every artist and neither would a list Triggerman made, nor would a list you make. It’s a guideline. We know there are dozens of other great artists who fit in to the format and just because you don’t see them on the site doesn’t mean they aren’t on our radar.
Your problem is that you are judging the movement before you see it in action. Wait until the festival, the web series and possible TV series, the radio shows across the country, more podcasts and internet programming, etc and then talk to me about “converting people.”
The bottom line is we want you on board. We want your artists on board. We love what you do and we welcome your ideas. So give us some ideas instead of simply pointing out what we’re doing wrong. That doesn’t help anybody, including you.
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Hillgrass Keith January 16, 2011 at 12:09 pm
please do not mistaken me for someone who gives a flying fuck what Hank III thinks. If anything, Im bettin he escapin from all of this bullshit branding and figuring out how to rebring the meaning of truth in what’s within him, I hope. But if I see XXX, Stanton Levy or who the fuck ever, hell or demons or common references to porn in my fucking ABC’s of americana, blues & country you can thank my Jesus for my not taking action on you…. and Id advise you pray to him, if you cannot, I will lead by example there too, alone, against all of you and anyone who defies faith & truth in American Roots Music. ARMS are for embracing & defending. create with balls friend and BE MEANINGFUL. BE REAL, BE A MAN. Bring filthy shit near me and watch what happens! Adam Sheets wants to bring porn into our country music everybody!!! read all about it, read all about it….
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Shooter January 16, 2011 at 12:50 pm
Hillgrass,
I’m sad and sorry that you’re so upset about this. To think there’s any part of this that could be me trying to make money, or have ANYTHING to do with porn is ridiculous. I stand to make as much money as any other artist on that list, and really porn has nothing to do with this. (if you search for XXX in google, the first two entries are the stupid Vin Deisel movie). If anything, my neck is the one on the chopping block, and I totally am aware of that and I’m willing to leave it there. I know alot of these artists personally and I see how hard of a time they’re having out there, and a lot of them are jumping on board because I think it makes them feel like there’s something happening that they can actually embrace. Whatever… My point here is that this was an idea that I had over five years ago, and just felt right about sharing. I reached out to Adam because I knew he was someone who knew the landscape really well, an area in which I really needed collaboration. Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to meet the folks on here and make some friends and really get a better idea of what needs to be done (as well as being made aware of the significant legwork that SCM, OR, CBN and all these others have done in the past, and the importance of trying to get us all to work together). I really respect you and your label, you have many artists on that label that are so talented and deserve exposure, and I’m sure that’s what you want for your artists. And you deserve to be as much of a strong part of this as anyone else who believes in these things. We’re not coming along saying that we’ve got some kind of answer, or we’re trying to discover some golden city long forgotten, or for ANY reason be exclusionary. You can’t try to liberate and be snobby at the same time, and we are definitely not doing that. Our list is clearly marked as partial, and there is no ultimate goal of who is cool enough and who is not. You make this sound like XXX is against your label, which is absolutely silly. We’re FOR your label. We’re FOR everyone who hangs out on this website instead of having to google all the artists SCM cover’s separately. It’s about a home. We would love to have your input in all of this, as well as support. As for your demanding that Phoenix have “No Shooter”, for whatever reason that is, I can’t help you there, but I can tell you that this has nothing to do with my own personal agenda or wallet. It started as an idea of how to separate the music I was playing on my radio show from the Americana/Outlaw Country playlists which focussed on more middle of the road type music or on older and legacy artists. But it really seems to be something that people like to hear being said, and that is enough for me to believe in it. We also think it was important not to put a “Country” “Blues” “Americana” etc label on it because it defeats the purpose. All of these artists have been shut out because it’s not what the mainstream world associates with the defined genres. If so Hank III, Justin Townes Earle, North Mississippi Allstars and Ryan Bingham (not to mention tons of others on there) would be household names… Look it’s not about fighting, and if you keep thinking this is some personal attack on your label, then it’s never going to get anyone anywhere. But the door is ALWAYS open for your input, collaboration, label, taste and criticism. Please, take a beat and try and see that this isn’t some angled creation. I’ve been called alot of things on this site and on many others, but the one thing I am not is motivated by anything but creative freedom and justice. It’s what my dad fought (and died) for and, whether doubting eyes believe it or not, he and I were very close, and I saw how he cared about music. He cared more for it than anything on the planet, and the music industry broke his heart, many times, and when he was young enough to fight back, he did and he won, and I feel like there is an entire generation of artists that have come from the bloodshed of that battle, and simply hoping that the right people will come around looking for them is not enough. They must be exposed and given the credit and careers they deserve.
If you disagree with me still, please feel free to rail me, and I’ll read every word and try and find every bit of truth i can in it. But I want you to understand that I care about this very much and only want to finally give the Old Media fucks and their puppets something that they cannot control or contend with. In our Civil War, we are all wondering around on one side of the battlefield (with encampments scattered across the hills and valleys like SCM, NBN, and all the other fine establishments), but the enemy are WELL ORGANIZED and WELL ARMED, and if we can just find a way to all organize, we can make a stand like no other, because we have the heart and soul. That includes you, HB, and all the artists you love and support.
Okay I’ll shut up.
Shooter
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BlueRibbonRadio January 16, 2011 at 1:07 pm
This is why I’m supporting it. You guys came here and welcomed input from everybody. That’s what turned the corner for me.
If this was some sinister plan to make a buck off the work of others it would make no sense to get all of us involved. This, in theory, is what we’ve all been trying to do but we didn’t have the resources to do it.
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Shooter January 16, 2011 at 1:19 pm
Thanks for the support BlueRibbon. You’re a big part of it, as well as everyone else here. For sure everyone’s input here and other places like this who REALLY know the landscape, will help get this to the next level. We don’t have much better resources I don’t think than anyone here, I just think getting all the artists on board is the first key. Hopefully Hillgrass Bluebilly can see positive in this. What they do is really fucking respectable, so it would be awesome to have them on our side!
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KAK January 16, 2011 at 3:08 pm
I for one appreciate your comments here, Shooter. I also appreciate your emphasis on being an advocate for others. Folks do need to earn a buck and I see that you see this. I just hope you all come up with a different name if you proceed with this…
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Hillgrass Keith January 16, 2011 at 12:37 pm
Blue Ribbon: drinkin & druggin is fine, it happens..I tweeked, I snorted, I smoked, but I wasnt taping myself fucking to country music while doing so, and I grew up, and I know that system and how to destroy it. was it really murder…or was it a good decision, listen, it may have been a story, a dream… a thought, but it was real and it was geniune if you see HB, guaranteed! suicide is a real issue, but sometimes, real mother fuckers dont want to be here anymore, and maybe make a bad decision, I have come close twice, I’ll scan and post the papers…. finding the truth is the scariest thing folks, you know it and you are probably afraid of it, like me. but dont hide from it….. It will find you. (not you Blue Ribbon). but I back my shit up and do not have to worry about what anyone digs up on me and especially Hillgrass Bluebilly. we represent the good. Noone here or exsisting can call that out on us…..
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Hillgrass Keith January 16, 2011 at 12:39 pm
to Adam:
“Hillgrass Bluebilly will turn the world of music upside down” – John Carter Cash
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Hillgrass Keith January 16, 2011 at 1:20 pm
Adam, I agree and thank you for the opportunity to help and calling me out on the bashing. but XXX will be blocked in todays parental security programming. You are right about Rolling Stone, holy fuck are you right…
refine XXX for the people that it bothers and you will have our support. with the right presentation from the community, maybe you can sway me on not taking xxx for the worst possible meaning… but I am very negative too. I dont even think I can work on the way my mind works. But I cannot get past XXX. and our fight is still a fight with that name. I look to step over and continue every battle I pick, which is most of them by nature. But I am here to help the good first.cXtry MusiX RoX
ExCo
CouXtry RoXs by Xample
Southern Stoned on the Rocks
i know those suggestion suck
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Shooter January 16, 2011 at 1:27 pm
This is what someone said a long time ago to me.
X X X
County Rock Southern
I’m sure someone said the same thing about naming that movie XXX or the silly country song by one of those pop country bitches xxx’s and ooo’s. I even found an old badass record called “‘Dirty Dope Infected Blue Grass Hillbilly Hobo XXX Country Music”
For now the XXX still doesn’t bother me. To me it’s, if anything, taking back the XXX name. Besides nobody searches for porn by searching for XXX. They look for “ass licking” or whatver, haha. It’s one the second page of GOOGLE now with XXX. Enough discussions and it’ll be on the first page. Look up AAA music (Adult Album Alternative, the top 40 adult contemporary/katy perry ballad airwaves that flood our radios) that was why it stuck for me in the first place. There’s a Billboard AAA chart. I’d love to see Left Lane Cruiser or Hiram and Huddie on an XXX chart.
I won’t hammer the name right now tho because I think it just gets everyone crazy.
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BlueRibbonRadio January 16, 2011 at 1:33 pm
Zerno Tornado! Fuck yes, I love that record!
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BlueRibbonRadio January 16, 2011 at 1:35 pm
*Zeno
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Ojaioan January 16, 2011 at 1:34 pm
I like the premise, not crazy about the name though. Shits still in developement but I’am on board to see where this X-rated ride goes. sheeeeesh!
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Hillgrass Keith January 16, 2011 at 1:43 pm
Shooter, I had no rhyme or reason to your bashing, if you must know. I have an ex, now in OK who would drive to no end to go see you, but never lift a finger for my productions and I had to FIGHT for Biram to leave your tour in Phoenix so we could not stop what we created in Phx for him and my vision with folks like Bob Log and such, I accomplished that twice with Biram, you and Phoenix (if I recall right) but he rocks the fuck out, and belongs in that line up of the proposed XXX, and he encompasses more than what HB can offer him, but folks like him need something more. I am very sad to say, but HB has realized our stepping stone, and Biram has got by on ours and needs to continue with organizations of the right support and with better opportunities. Put Jesse Dayton in there, get Billy Bob to endorse it, he needs a home too. But my point aside not being able to use you in our rootsy format (or budget) and not listening past that 1st CD did not call for me saying I do not like you. I simply dont know you. I talked to your mom a few times, I sat with her at her table during a Billy Bob Thorton/ Holly Williams show YEARS AGO. We shared small discussions at the Rhythm Room too… X can work…. but lets use our good resources with good names. Plus I have had ex’s pop up in the porn industry… I have some verifiable backline to my issues with the XXX industry and my issues with country music industry… I let this get personal, as I always seem to do.
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Shooter January 16, 2011 at 1:53 pm
It is ALL water under the bridge. Here’s the way I look at it. I’ll include you in the links section, and when we get this going, we will need to have a kind of “Great Panel” discussion on how to pool all of our resources to make this move forward, and I definitely would be honored to have you on board with that as well as your partner in HB (and whoever else you thinks is necessary). I appreciate your honesty, as I think everyone does. We all have our own motivations in this, and our own reasons for caring so much… Ambivalence gets no one anywhere. It’s that PASSION that is exhibited on this website so much and which is why it’s such an important part of this. Triggerman’s passion hasn’t always been in my favor, nor has many others (I don’t think we’ll EVER get Autopsy4 on board with this, talk about passionate! Ha!) But the real reality is, everyone has their own tastes and they have their own beliefs. If we can find away to give everyone a handle to hold onto, we will have one motherfucking big and strong merry-go-round here. I’m gonna throw up a link to your site (do you prefer the myspace site?) on that Links section, to make people aware of your cause. Let me know what we can do, or who we can add to make this thing even stronger.
Thanks man,
ShooterReply
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Hillgrass Keith January 16, 2011 at 1:52 pm
ok…. good point. I do actually type in ass licking and not XXX, and I stayed away from the XXX in moonshine…. and I believe in taking back a name.
and XXX is close to maverick type branding (if that makes sense)
welp, another case of maybe, MAYBE keeping my mouth shut is a good thing? Maybe not. But all my friends, I was mean too until I figured out I liked them…. its the way it is.
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Jason 3.14 January 16, 2011 at 1:53 pm
There seems to be a lot of passion on this subject. I don’t know much about it but I do know myself and Muddy Roots. I work in marketing and merchandising and ponder classifications of music, food, drink, any damn thing that get’s sold to you daily. As an American I believe in capitalism, hard work, and feeding your family. As artist I can’t stand the very same “classifications” used to compartmentalize our music and arts. When I study music I learn that the artists I love are all the same. They are all influenced by the next one. Prime example of Charlie Feathers looking up to Junior Kimbrough. Now go ask a “rockabilly” kid what he thinks of the blues. You’d be lucky if he even knew who Charlie Feathers was but if he did he’d probably think they were oil and water. That’s because the very same machine that helps us identify the bands and music we might like becomes the defining force on what it is. It’s my job as a promoter to “Muddy” up the lines between these genres to show that it’s all just rock n roll. Hell it’s older than rock n’ roll but that’s the word I describe the soul and energy in this music. I don’t stand for or against any “scene” but I promise to show everyone that it is just a blend of 5 others.
Hillgrass Keith January 16, 2011 at 4:14 pm
the “Fat Possum” is “Alive” when “XXX” marks the spot where the the “Deep” “Muddy” “Hillgrass” grows on the “Farmageddon”, is this how it works?
the cause aint bad, the name sticks….in my craw. We need no more issues. Its like the people who dress sexy or even wear weird make up and wonder why people stare at them, or they know exactly what they’re doing, or really (sadly) dont..too much confusion. Or its like the girls who dress sexy and wonder why they cant be taken seriously. I cant take Dale Watson in Phoenix in July wearing a big black trench coat… I cant fuckin do it. I cant see him get massages and die his hair black and think of him as country, when I have Roger Wallace & James Hand real dealin it. But I can sure as shit listen all day to “you lie” or take your pick of a DW hit. So point is, imagry plays a big part. the masses live by perception, my swimming pool service customers think I do rockabilly music. there are so many things I can answer with “take a CD” and “come to a show”.
Here is my commitment. Drop me off in Tomball, Texas with nothing but 72 CD’s, a few pens, and a shitload of napkins. I will have 1000+ people within a 15 mile radius come to the Tomball VFW for a night of American made country & blues infused rock and roll. Point is we have to build away from the current. We are doing nothing to bring our music to the people who doesnt know any better yet. We are trying to fit in to a system that aint built for us…
I say VFWs & State Fairs, Circus Tents, Revivals, continous Muddy Roots festivals (and the like, if possible) are really big tickets to a rumble on the ground, yes, a STAMPEDE on this movement. The music will win… we just have to go to them….. the burbs. This is probably not the answer either. We need Venues….. Venues, Venues, Venues. How about we pull our resources and do planet rootswood type venture in the music cities… Nashville, Austin, Los Angeles, Seatlle… we need venues…. we need alcohol sales!
Or we sell out to sponsors and sell our music to money…. not people…. what can we do to actually change things?
we can all make something work… but we all will have to agree to defend the xxx name and control it, can that be done?
I am obviously back and forth, I need a breaky break and want to read some more of the fans input. If everyone is really down to make a difference, then lets do it.
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Shooter January 16, 2011 at 4:21 pm
I LOVE the way you think Keith! You sound like the kind of warrior of days of old! I see how your passion drives you too! Let’s find a place in the middle where we can all meet and plan our attack(s).
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Hillgrass Keith January 16, 2011 at 6:06 pm
that lonely stretch of road in Mesa is familiar to us both, a common respected ground, about smack dab in the middle of the place if I remember right, sounds good to me. This warrior was parked there every Wednesday for a couple years on my pool cleaning route for a few minutes, payed respects and reflected my life and doins many a time there over a bowl…. but im in Austin, bout ready to be a father. We should meet. Noone should be alone in their struggle for the betterment which is what we all want, I want to believe. But know I never danced, so with 36 fast approaching, and as much smoking as I do, I have to stand up fight and protect against anyone at anytime when I feel threatned… and Im a defensive guy, there is no winning with me… only fighting and accomplishing right now. when i rest, I ask myself why I am fighting, but I still accomplish, and still today i do not know why. If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t be at the beheading, but if you know your head is an option for the chopping block, do you really care who pulls you free when you ask for help? Will they tax you for it? Will there be any cost of any kind? When does this (not us, this, HB, XXX) but this, life, music, turn cutthroat? I have nothing, you got a $1000… maybe a little more, I honestly think it will take 1 more cat to walk by before this dog is off the chain. All HB chapter owners, yes, are in agreeance to NOT feed this system any longer until we have our own! On 4/12/2011 we go all exclusive, no bookings agents allowed, I already NEVER signed a contract or rider agreement, and we will cater to artists, their right hands or family so to speak. I do not know why I am doing this, but I am in survival mode and doing what god (or the operater of this particular SIMS game) gave me to help this survive. I have verifiable “signs” (ooOOOoooOOooOOo *ghost sounds) and stories best told by members of the Williams family themselves, or myself, as far as me personally, and my slot as a promoter. My heart & gut are hunting for the greater good, there is only one thing that settles me, it’s the good… and if I don’t get it… I am payed off somehow, and its cost will come to all of the sudden and I will be convinced of the justice I seek, hopefully it just being a learning experience for me, which is 95% of the case. I am a fucking pool guy and the other founder works Sunday – Thurs and as I type installing cable, internet & phone. He has a wife and three daughters and I stepfather 2 with my legacy 10ish weeks away. I look at things, maybe even a bit drama queen, but everyone knows I mean it, and they understand that. So are we going to have a beheading on my watch? Caveat Emptor brother, savings and sacrifices is a fine line with us. All of us at HB.
******* end
So that was the beginning of me getting all fired up about this. Plus, now, I am already bored with it. Thanks to blogspot for initiating some closure for me.
Shooter Jennings will never be a part of anything successful. I knew he was a 5000lb anchor when I first looked into him, and "man"... you know it too. I never was a sleepwalker and I swept the streets of Phoenix for .50 a driveway 1.00 includes the sidewalk and curb, When I was a kid. So when I set out to sweep the street, onreader, I must have felt the importance of this, the desensatization of this, the hokeyness in this... a calling for my mouth. This is the same old song & dance of anyone that has a "name" and a mouth. I am not going to sit and watch some absurd reasoning of Hank III's thoughts, signature, whatever...as an all welcomin' to XXX. Believe me readers. It is time to let everybody know, but you have to listen to the music and be your own judge, and not be weighed down with all these "names" and bullshit recordings, and bullshit admittings to bullshit recordings. I ain't got NO time for that, and they are really not worth my addressing them. I am offering a service here, an insight to a man that will never give up, never misrepresent.
Hillgrass Bluebilly is here to represent, and that is exactly what I am going to do. I can sit here and bash folks, but just go buy and album and listen, you'll know what you don't believe... you will know what you don't like. I don't need to hold your hand, and I do not need to lead you in by the ear. I ain't your father, my boy aint going to have problems... So men, work on being just that, follow your gut, be a man about things. Let it go in your ear and then let it go to your gut. Leave the heart to the artist and your head out of misinforming, misguiding beasts that do nothing but destroy, what men like me are trying to build and improve on.
Hillgrass Bluebilly aint shit but a stepping stone to the truth, Yes, we are aggressive, and yes we arent ready for folks to "get it" on their own, we have to help... and we are... by delivering solid albums from solid people spitting their hearts out in our efforts to help speed up the process of elemination. The truth wins, the heart is light, people come. It's not about the fucking money, it never was, it was always about heart, truth, never recording a song that someone didnt believe. It was about celebrating through music...what you believe, what you live, what you experience. Why fluff that up with foggy misrepresentations? Why drop a bunch of names? All the sudden these XXX ARTISTS are going to save everybody? Yeah fucking right.. its 50/50 people (rar rar). Has their ever been fair compensation for standing up for what you believe in? XXX is going to deliver? Not without us they aint.
You have to fight for whats right and stand up and discipline the red handed. Shooter needs to be spanked or something because he is fucking it up for everybody. He is taking a "name". If he was Shooter Smith, y'all wouldn't give a rats terd about him. Everyone is too hopeful of some figure to come in and lead the march, huh huh... it's just us people, look to your right and left at a show. More importantly...look at who is NOT at the show, where the show is at, where are the people that would like this at?
The system in place is not built for us. We have our own "American Pickers" and the hauntings of them surviving/thriving in a system that has ALWAYS shoved them away. Noone is taking the measures to just flat out build something for whats in demand.
I believe Shooter & Matt both forgot what "work" is and are in survival mode with a trap. They are looking to ride a system that is not built for us. Y'all can eat off that plate all you want, that is not the dirty foot way. I believe we need to cut the life support of this system that has created humdrum shows, where bartenders walk out with the same amount as the artists because the promoter worked their ass off... to make it work. Our job. There is no compensation because people are sucking each others dicks (paying compliment) before defending and cleaning up their profession, simply just because it needs it. (one might get the same pleasure from painting a house for an old broke lady, or being a big brother/sister to someone who needs it). Refreshing... a job well done.
This is DO or die, not CONFUSE and complicate. Very simple. People start making buffers and go betweens and ammendments and bends and adjustments to the most simple thing and you do nothing but promote another failed attempt before it happens. You start running your mouth in a system that is pushing out promoters and using all monopilizing sister companies to Clear Channel, Viacom.... all these companies & venues & booking agents are working hard for THEIR system. Not ours. Shooter and Adam Sheets are really digging a hole... their own, and taking folks down with em. Dead
Now to DO, would be to build you own system and start on the local level. To DO, would be to use their system against them. Use a system that is in place, AGAINST them. Noone owns the fans, and they are working harder to get at them before you do. Why don't you just talk to every lil fucker that drives around with "Brad Paisley (who I like) & Taylor Swift" (see Adam Sheets remarks below) blaring out the window. They are really easy to spot. They live in the small towns, and have some kind of Mossy Oak dashmat, pocket knife or hat and maybe a fishing sticker on their truck. Start there, real hard. From there, turn around and look at the VFW that has gone to shit, right with Hank Jr. in 1983. The beginning stages of MTV, CMT, Signature Series, all this made up, fairy tale, trying to sell me something. bullshit. XXX is trying to sell me... this is bullshit too.
I demand you put an end to this today, you don't have to say anything, just take down the bullshit website and leave yourself out of our community on your quest to fluff things up. Show rigerous truth, a sweating back, a look in the eye, a song in your throat... fuck... you'll have the ladies... can you do that? Can you make every mother fucker cry in that room? Why dont you come in that room with me. You can tie my hands behind my back and I guarantee you Shooter will be saying "Hillgrass Bluebilly" before "XXX" then on out. Bring your friends too, Adam... and anyone else you dont give a fuck about.
LOCAL VENUES - obtain local venues, your 200 max occupancy and your 1000 max occupancy space. VFW's, Elks Lodge, Mooslodge, a lot of them have the space and the stage (now storage, etc). These VFWs and Mooselodges are diappearing fast. The community has abandoned them. I believe we can revive concerts, dances, bingo, everything they used to represent and stand for..old ladies cookin up hamburgers, Dwayne, the big funny dude in the cowboy hat workin the door... the good. Community, paying dues & RESPECT. Shooter will not revive things like this with XXX. Hillgrass Bluebilly can. Our heart is in the right spot. I am willing to organize this... Is Shooter & Adam going to back my approved of and easily backed suggestions? Are they going to stop all this nonsense and quit finding ways to a sour milked teet? Farm fresh man. Bring that shit home. We aint living in the highrises down here in Austin, TX. Making things happen on your own is a movement, bringing good representation to the people is a movement. Again, You not only need to stop XXX, you need to strip down what you think you got and take it somewhere else for ANY kind of recognition. THEN you give back to a community, you start something, something wholesome. Booking agents are pushing folks like me out of the picture, so they can piss all over our talent, but it's not going to work. What I can build, very easily will beat out the system you are trying to work with. I do not know when all of this will happen, but I know it will friend. I dont have the clothes to unfortunatley sell myself past a fat secretary or a business door right now, so my options on who I can address are limited. We all need money... but we need to make a difference for it and not just work for it. Pride and commitment happens...and is written about... not by you, about you... kinda like I am doing here, but I am more believable than you.
LOCAL RADIO - I dont have XM, but Austin Texas is BLESSED with radio stations like KVRX/KOOP, even KUT in a smithsonian type of way and programs like "The Roadhouse" which have ALL been very friendly in playing our releases, because I tried, I'm real, and gave the right presentation... some even "gettin it" on their own by mistakingly walking into a show on the way home, random stop. (Possessed by Paul James / Chris Mosser "Roadhouse" on KVET radio 98.1 - a full on country radio station... Possessed by Paul James.... the MUSIC won.) If I can hear a bunch of ki yi yi'n on 5+ radio stations, im thinking picking up local airwaves and using their system (airwaves) to transmit to the peoples, is not a hard thing to do... you are lookin for easy outs (ins) Shooter. Not making a difference. Start venues & radio stations (real ones) in Austin, Nashville, Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta.... then come on back...and I'll give you the next tasks....
MAGAZINES - I cannot think of a better example than Lubricated Magazine. I wish I had a link, but there is no better example.
How many more bad decisions are to follow this dirty money driven XXX?
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Here is some copied & pasted back and forths between me, Shooter & Adam on the savingcountrymusic.com website:
Hillgrass Keith January 16, 2011 at 6:07 am
…and I will always support Jashie, Outlaw, Saving & Trig. You are right, I will not NOT like anyone, because of something else they support that I may not. The idea aint bad, but I will be the 1st to put a stop to a “movement” that aint with me or I with them. If they start with XXX tours and/or a festival, it could grow on its own. THEN we arent losing any fans, interested sponsors, airtime etc…. xxx (symbol) resembles no faith, drugs, rape, deadbeat dads, not welcome,PORN, solicited sex, alcohol made to destroy, …ok…maybe that is a bit much, maybe not. A man that walks a line and plows his own course is a maverick, unmarked & meaningful (imagine Johnny Cash reading about XXX) The mens just need to have a look in their eye and a song in their throat. Start there. But XXX is 1 up a dirty sanchez. Can ANYONE imagine the bullshit one would have to put up with THIS agencies booking agents? Do we, as promotion companies get to pay an extra $100 + because of the XXX endorsement? What about the shit ass merch and XXX flag, Hey Kids… go look “XXX country music” on google images and tell me what you find
(http://media.photobucket.com/image/xxx%20country%20music/HipKidsEatQueerCulture/20070316_1334522.jpg)
….. Americana, done.
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Denise January 16, 2011 at 7:40 am
That was so well said Keith I’m not sure what else to say other than thank you for conveying the image in the proper way. A maverick does plow his way, stays the course and thinks about the implications down the road. XXX is not the image JC would have liked. Nor Hank. If it’s about the music and supporting the musicians that’s one thing most everyone would agree with. But Shooter said it himself: xxx is a catchy theme. I personally ain’t lookin’ for catchy. I’m looking for honesty in the strings. Escape from the pain. Joy in the art. You can leave catchy to the glaring lights of hollyweird and trashville.
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Adam Sheets January 16, 2011 at 9:10 am
How would Johnny Cash feel about XXX? I don’t know and assuming you didn’t know the man, neither do you. But I think it’s telling that both his son and his godson are on board.
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BlueRibbonRadio January 16, 2011 at 9:23 am
Assuming what a dead man would think about something is both absurd, and borderline disrespectful.
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BlueRibbonRadio January 16, 2011 at 9:42 am
And Hillgrass Bluebilly has artists that sing about murder, suicide, drinking, and drugs. And they’re great, but you can’t try and take the moral high ground when that laundry list of what bad “XXX” can stand for is featured in your own artists songs.
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The Triggerman January 16, 2011 at 10:16 am
Keith may be taking the point to an extreme, but I think it is a fair and valid argument, and one I raised myself initially and continue to. Does that mean we should throw the XXX ‘baby’ out with the ‘bathwater’ bad name? I don’t know. Maybe dropping the name down to two X’s or raise it up to four X’s will get it out of the bad connotations that people have with ‘XXX,’ but it still won’t resolve his deeper concerns about the fundamental issues that might arise with the formation of a new entity. One of the reasons grass roots are so effective is because they are deep and true and hard to kill. However it can also make deconstruction and re-alignment difficult.
On Friday night I was hanging out with Keith in a bar in Austin, watching two Hillgrass bands. I stopped down writing a review/uploading videos to join this discussion. Possessed by Paul James, a Hillgrass artist, was voluntarily put on the XXX list as a potential artist. Scott Biram, who is a member of the Hillgrass family, is the first name on that artist list. These roots run deep. And in both directions.
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Adam Sheets January 16, 2011 at 10:24 am
But, again, I do not see any problem whatsoever with the name. Think for a minute, not what Johnny Cash would think of the name, but what would Hank 3 think of the name (maybe what would he think if Shooter wasn’t on board). Would a guy who uses as much profanity in his songs and even led a “Fuck Curb” campaign, really give a shit about being associated with something called XXX? Give me a fuckin’ break.
And also, as I have already pointed out, most “outlaw” country fans have never spent one day in prison and you can apply the same argument to the “dirty blues,” “stoner rock,” or any number of other labels that seem to have worked out just fine.
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KAK January 16, 2011 at 3:05 pm
I have to agree that I will NEVER tell anyone I listen to XXX anything. I am a mother. I am a college professor. I am the faculty sponsor of an organization that raises funds for rape victims in Uganda. I would be humiliated to tell people I go to “a lot of XXX shows”…being a grown up sucks but it comes with a price, unfortunately.
XXX doesn’t ever make me think of moonshine. It makes me think of sex.
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D.S. Troubadour January 18, 2011 at 6:33 pm
I think it’s awesome the response is so massive on this thing. However, if a bunch of underground country “nerds” (and let’s face it, that’s what we are) can’t agree on something as benign as a name, how in the hell are people going to jump on board who are nominal fans. People on the fringes. The 50,000 Shooter says he wants. Names and labels may be silly in some ways, but they can be important. XXX seems very problematic to me. Not the concept, but the name. Googling XXX is never going to bring up a music site. It will ALWAYS bring up porn. As a publicist and marketing guy, that is the first thing I thought of. It’s just bad planning. I do like the idea. I will support it, but I think a name change would be beneficial.
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Adam Sheets January 18, 2011 at 6:39 pm
D.S., as I’ve stated below, we’re willing to change the name to something a bit less controversial, but since XXX has already been put on the table, been covered on this site and many others, and will even receive some newspaper coverage this week, we must stick with the name in some fashion, whether it is the “main” name or not. Otherwise it just creates confusion......
Tmac January 15, 2011 at 5:47 pm
I joined the Facebook page. I totally agree w/ Pete Berwick. Bottom line is that it can’t hurt. It’s a start and it contradicts my earlier comment but we gotta start somewhere. The only need for labels and genres in my opinion is so we can find your music in the music store or iTunes etc…
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Hillgrass Keith January 16, 2011 at 11:49 am
ok, extreme, yes. apologies to JC. I am personally pleased that is your only argument. distasteful sure, but not disrespectful. lead by example, never put out a shitty album. never put on a shitty show, unless there are understandable circumstances of course.but are these artists not busy enough to have to start alliances with confusing branding?stage – truth, soapbox, gavel holder, time on the stand, supporters mobile ground zero, THE MUSIC.
off stage – if anyone offstage thinks they are ANYTHING other than a stepping stone or a contact to the TRUTH on stage, then take HB, you deserve it friend. I am still fighting for Americana, Blues & Country genres…. as simple as ABC. I will not abandon it, I will fight for it. We have sand bags, effecient stepping stones, effecient walls, effecient shelter. XXX is not wholesome and full yet..therefore only a bag of dirt, a dirtbag. XXX Country, cmon… quit fucking me here, I will take it personally.
I personally feel this is exclusion and is only for the betterment of those on board, yet creating another monopilization (kindly pardon any misspellings) and another blinding element for whats supposed to take place on stage. and the only thing that takes place on stage… the truth. I am not here to entertain in the true essence of the word. I am here to represent, host and work for what I have found myself to believe in. I really am starting to think I don’t have any business explaining in detail what it takes to unbrand and only bring truth in representation in the genre of Americana.
Im sick of everything that aint spelled out and real. I try hard everyday, not to confuse people. A monkey can figure out the meaning of “Hillgrass Bluebilly” by attending 3 – 5 shows. any one person can figure out “Muddy Roots”, “Farmageddon”, “Deep Blues”. Truth is, those names have physically bled, to push all this, as not to confuse but to promote, aid, and gain respect by leading….by example, not creating fluff until a real geniune hard-on is achieved on it’s own.
Shits gonna die on its own. 100% of ALL “Blues Societies” will be reformatted or non exsistant as that generation dies off. Truth takes over… what people actually believe in, “Mustang Sally” will finally have tombstone. But there will be Blues Clubs.
Country – go play in a club/bar/venue where country people go, walk the owner through it, lead by example abd buy one, build one and quit feeding the system…. last time I checked, Clear Channel ownes a lot the venues that Shooter was performing at, that III performs at…. so on and so on. Country fans aint coming cause noone is playing to the country people, so suck on that greasy pecker and realize what “agencies” are creating here, ways into the bullshit, instead of convertin folks with common sense, stripping it down, and doing shit where it belongs, playing it to who will listen. I for one think there is a lot of laziness and people wanting to dig their paws in some jackpots, instead of workin that shit.
I am going to stop for now, because all I am going to do is create problems for people, not me.
xxx – ok a home for country & rock, I get it. you have to go the the rock section to buy Biram, Whitmore, Hiram & Huddie. I know. its fucking weird. take an x out or add one, and bring some shit to the people via “tours”, “shows” & “events” and let the “movement” happen on its own. I’ll sign that. Take this coalition and outbid Mexican Radio for LOCAL OPEN AIRWAVES, radio stations starting in Austin, Nashville, Atlanta, Dallas. I’ll sign that. Be meaningful in your sponsors, fuck vitamin water, budget ads for our working class… the struggling working class of local business owners that actually listen.
Give us something to believe in. People aint followin HB because I have a big ol finger sayin “c’mere”…. I do not have paths in branding. We have a flag.. not a brand of more publisher clipart with no heart.
argh, I am in for different reasons than most, I need to hire a PR person so I can get back to work.
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Adam Sheets January 16, 2011 at 12:38 pm
First of all, I just want to say that I’ve always respected what your label has done, but I must answer a couple of points.
What the hell is Americana as a genre? Over the past few weeks there have been numerous discussions about just that subject on No Depression and nobody seems to be able to reach a consensus other than agreeing it is a MARKETING label hijacked by the mainstream labels and used to market slightly roots-influenced music to white, urban, middle-class liberals. This is NOT the traditional country or blues audience and that is who we think deserve to hear their own music and their own culture. Americana and roots stations will never play Hillgrass Bluebilly. NPR will never get on board. Rolling Stone will never review them and even the more mainstream “Americana” audiences will never hear these artists.
Talk about how great podcasts and sites like this are all you want (and I’ll mostly agree with you), but the fact remains that 85% of the people in the country still listen to radio and that number goes up to 93% if you factor satellite radio in to it. You say “shit’s gonna die on it’s own,” but it’s not as long as the kids are being force-fed Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.
Furthermore, XXX has nothing to do with exclusion. The list on the website doesn’t feature every artist and neither would a list Triggerman made, nor would a list you make. It’s a guideline. We know there are dozens of other great artists who fit in to the format and just because you don’t see them on the site doesn’t mean they aren’t on our radar.
Your problem is that you are judging the movement before you see it in action. Wait until the festival, the web series and possible TV series, the radio shows across the country, more podcasts and internet programming, etc and then talk to me about “converting people.”
The bottom line is we want you on board. We want your artists on board. We love what you do and we welcome your ideas. So give us some ideas instead of simply pointing out what we’re doing wrong. That doesn’t help anybody, including you.
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Hillgrass Keith January 16, 2011 at 12:09 pm
please do not mistaken me for someone who gives a flying fuck what Hank III thinks. If anything, Im bettin he escapin from all of this bullshit branding and figuring out how to rebring the meaning of truth in what’s within him, I hope. But if I see XXX, Stanton Levy or who the fuck ever, hell or demons or common references to porn in my fucking ABC’s of americana, blues & country you can thank my Jesus for my not taking action on you…. and Id advise you pray to him, if you cannot, I will lead by example there too, alone, against all of you and anyone who defies faith & truth in American Roots Music. ARMS are for embracing & defending. create with balls friend and BE MEANINGFUL. BE REAL, BE A MAN. Bring filthy shit near me and watch what happens! Adam Sheets wants to bring porn into our country music everybody!!! read all about it, read all about it….
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Shooter January 16, 2011 at 12:50 pm
Hillgrass,
I’m sad and sorry that you’re so upset about this. To think there’s any part of this that could be me trying to make money, or have ANYTHING to do with porn is ridiculous. I stand to make as much money as any other artist on that list, and really porn has nothing to do with this. (if you search for XXX in google, the first two entries are the stupid Vin Deisel movie). If anything, my neck is the one on the chopping block, and I totally am aware of that and I’m willing to leave it there. I know alot of these artists personally and I see how hard of a time they’re having out there, and a lot of them are jumping on board because I think it makes them feel like there’s something happening that they can actually embrace. Whatever… My point here is that this was an idea that I had over five years ago, and just felt right about sharing. I reached out to Adam because I knew he was someone who knew the landscape really well, an area in which I really needed collaboration. Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to meet the folks on here and make some friends and really get a better idea of what needs to be done (as well as being made aware of the significant legwork that SCM, OR, CBN and all these others have done in the past, and the importance of trying to get us all to work together). I really respect you and your label, you have many artists on that label that are so talented and deserve exposure, and I’m sure that’s what you want for your artists. And you deserve to be as much of a strong part of this as anyone else who believes in these things. We’re not coming along saying that we’ve got some kind of answer, or we’re trying to discover some golden city long forgotten, or for ANY reason be exclusionary. You can’t try to liberate and be snobby at the same time, and we are definitely not doing that. Our list is clearly marked as partial, and there is no ultimate goal of who is cool enough and who is not. You make this sound like XXX is against your label, which is absolutely silly. We’re FOR your label. We’re FOR everyone who hangs out on this website instead of having to google all the artists SCM cover’s separately. It’s about a home. We would love to have your input in all of this, as well as support. As for your demanding that Phoenix have “No Shooter”, for whatever reason that is, I can’t help you there, but I can tell you that this has nothing to do with my own personal agenda or wallet. It started as an idea of how to separate the music I was playing on my radio show from the Americana/Outlaw Country playlists which focussed on more middle of the road type music or on older and legacy artists. But it really seems to be something that people like to hear being said, and that is enough for me to believe in it. We also think it was important not to put a “Country” “Blues” “Americana” etc label on it because it defeats the purpose. All of these artists have been shut out because it’s not what the mainstream world associates with the defined genres. If so Hank III, Justin Townes Earle, North Mississippi Allstars and Ryan Bingham (not to mention tons of others on there) would be household names… Look it’s not about fighting, and if you keep thinking this is some personal attack on your label, then it’s never going to get anyone anywhere. But the door is ALWAYS open for your input, collaboration, label, taste and criticism. Please, take a beat and try and see that this isn’t some angled creation. I’ve been called alot of things on this site and on many others, but the one thing I am not is motivated by anything but creative freedom and justice. It’s what my dad fought (and died) for and, whether doubting eyes believe it or not, he and I were very close, and I saw how he cared about music. He cared more for it than anything on the planet, and the music industry broke his heart, many times, and when he was young enough to fight back, he did and he won, and I feel like there is an entire generation of artists that have come from the bloodshed of that battle, and simply hoping that the right people will come around looking for them is not enough. They must be exposed and given the credit and careers they deserve.
If you disagree with me still, please feel free to rail me, and I’ll read every word and try and find every bit of truth i can in it. But I want you to understand that I care about this very much and only want to finally give the Old Media fucks and their puppets something that they cannot control or contend with. In our Civil War, we are all wondering around on one side of the battlefield (with encampments scattered across the hills and valleys like SCM, NBN, and all the other fine establishments), but the enemy are WELL ORGANIZED and WELL ARMED, and if we can just find a way to all organize, we can make a stand like no other, because we have the heart and soul. That includes you, HB, and all the artists you love and support.
Okay I’ll shut up.
Shooter
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BlueRibbonRadio January 16, 2011 at 1:07 pm
This is why I’m supporting it. You guys came here and welcomed input from everybody. That’s what turned the corner for me.
If this was some sinister plan to make a buck off the work of others it would make no sense to get all of us involved. This, in theory, is what we’ve all been trying to do but we didn’t have the resources to do it.
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Shooter January 16, 2011 at 1:19 pm
Thanks for the support BlueRibbon. You’re a big part of it, as well as everyone else here. For sure everyone’s input here and other places like this who REALLY know the landscape, will help get this to the next level. We don’t have much better resources I don’t think than anyone here, I just think getting all the artists on board is the first key. Hopefully Hillgrass Bluebilly can see positive in this. What they do is really fucking respectable, so it would be awesome to have them on our side!
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KAK January 16, 2011 at 3:08 pm
I for one appreciate your comments here, Shooter. I also appreciate your emphasis on being an advocate for others. Folks do need to earn a buck and I see that you see this. I just hope you all come up with a different name if you proceed with this…
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Hillgrass Keith January 16, 2011 at 12:37 pm
Blue Ribbon: drinkin & druggin is fine, it happens..I tweeked, I snorted, I smoked, but I wasnt taping myself fucking to country music while doing so, and I grew up, and I know that system and how to destroy it. was it really murder…or was it a good decision, listen, it may have been a story, a dream… a thought, but it was real and it was geniune if you see HB, guaranteed! suicide is a real issue, but sometimes, real mother fuckers dont want to be here anymore, and maybe make a bad decision, I have come close twice, I’ll scan and post the papers…. finding the truth is the scariest thing folks, you know it and you are probably afraid of it, like me. but dont hide from it….. It will find you. (not you Blue Ribbon). but I back my shit up and do not have to worry about what anyone digs up on me and especially Hillgrass Bluebilly. we represent the good. Noone here or exsisting can call that out on us…..
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Hillgrass Keith January 16, 2011 at 12:39 pm
to Adam:
“Hillgrass Bluebilly will turn the world of music upside down” – John Carter Cash
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Hillgrass Keith January 16, 2011 at 1:20 pm
Adam, I agree and thank you for the opportunity to help and calling me out on the bashing. but XXX will be blocked in todays parental security programming. You are right about Rolling Stone, holy fuck are you right…
refine XXX for the people that it bothers and you will have our support. with the right presentation from the community, maybe you can sway me on not taking xxx for the worst possible meaning… but I am very negative too. I dont even think I can work on the way my mind works. But I cannot get past XXX. and our fight is still a fight with that name. I look to step over and continue every battle I pick, which is most of them by nature. But I am here to help the good first.cXtry MusiX RoX
ExCo
CouXtry RoXs by Xample
Southern Stoned on the Rocks
i know those suggestion suck
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Shooter January 16, 2011 at 1:27 pm
This is what someone said a long time ago to me.
X X X
County Rock Southern
I’m sure someone said the same thing about naming that movie XXX or the silly country song by one of those pop country bitches xxx’s and ooo’s. I even found an old badass record called “‘Dirty Dope Infected Blue Grass Hillbilly Hobo XXX Country Music”
For now the XXX still doesn’t bother me. To me it’s, if anything, taking back the XXX name. Besides nobody searches for porn by searching for XXX. They look for “ass licking” or whatver, haha. It’s one the second page of GOOGLE now with XXX. Enough discussions and it’ll be on the first page. Look up AAA music (Adult Album Alternative, the top 40 adult contemporary/katy perry ballad airwaves that flood our radios) that was why it stuck for me in the first place. There’s a Billboard AAA chart. I’d love to see Left Lane Cruiser or Hiram and Huddie on an XXX chart.
I won’t hammer the name right now tho because I think it just gets everyone crazy.
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BlueRibbonRadio January 16, 2011 at 1:33 pm
Zerno Tornado! Fuck yes, I love that record!
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BlueRibbonRadio January 16, 2011 at 1:35 pm
*Zeno
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Ojaioan January 16, 2011 at 1:34 pm
I like the premise, not crazy about the name though. Shits still in developement but I’am on board to see where this X-rated ride goes. sheeeeesh!
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Hillgrass Keith January 16, 2011 at 1:43 pm
Shooter, I had no rhyme or reason to your bashing, if you must know. I have an ex, now in OK who would drive to no end to go see you, but never lift a finger for my productions and I had to FIGHT for Biram to leave your tour in Phoenix so we could not stop what we created in Phx for him and my vision with folks like Bob Log and such, I accomplished that twice with Biram, you and Phoenix (if I recall right) but he rocks the fuck out, and belongs in that line up of the proposed XXX, and he encompasses more than what HB can offer him, but folks like him need something more. I am very sad to say, but HB has realized our stepping stone, and Biram has got by on ours and needs to continue with organizations of the right support and with better opportunities. Put Jesse Dayton in there, get Billy Bob to endorse it, he needs a home too. But my point aside not being able to use you in our rootsy format (or budget) and not listening past that 1st CD did not call for me saying I do not like you. I simply dont know you. I talked to your mom a few times, I sat with her at her table during a Billy Bob Thorton/ Holly Williams show YEARS AGO. We shared small discussions at the Rhythm Room too… X can work…. but lets use our good resources with good names. Plus I have had ex’s pop up in the porn industry… I have some verifiable backline to my issues with the XXX industry and my issues with country music industry… I let this get personal, as I always seem to do.
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Shooter January 16, 2011 at 1:53 pm
It is ALL water under the bridge. Here’s the way I look at it. I’ll include you in the links section, and when we get this going, we will need to have a kind of “Great Panel” discussion on how to pool all of our resources to make this move forward, and I definitely would be honored to have you on board with that as well as your partner in HB (and whoever else you thinks is necessary). I appreciate your honesty, as I think everyone does. We all have our own motivations in this, and our own reasons for caring so much… Ambivalence gets no one anywhere. It’s that PASSION that is exhibited on this website so much and which is why it’s such an important part of this. Triggerman’s passion hasn’t always been in my favor, nor has many others (I don’t think we’ll EVER get Autopsy4 on board with this, talk about passionate! Ha!) But the real reality is, everyone has their own tastes and they have their own beliefs. If we can find away to give everyone a handle to hold onto, we will have one motherfucking big and strong merry-go-round here. I’m gonna throw up a link to your site (do you prefer the myspace site?) on that Links section, to make people aware of your cause. Let me know what we can do, or who we can add to make this thing even stronger.
Thanks man,
ShooterReply
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Hillgrass Keith January 16, 2011 at 1:52 pm
ok…. good point. I do actually type in ass licking and not XXX, and I stayed away from the XXX in moonshine…. and I believe in taking back a name.
and XXX is close to maverick type branding (if that makes sense)
welp, another case of maybe, MAYBE keeping my mouth shut is a good thing? Maybe not. But all my friends, I was mean too until I figured out I liked them…. its the way it is.
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Jason 3.14 January 16, 2011 at 1:53 pm
There seems to be a lot of passion on this subject. I don’t know much about it but I do know myself and Muddy Roots. I work in marketing and merchandising and ponder classifications of music, food, drink, any damn thing that get’s sold to you daily. As an American I believe in capitalism, hard work, and feeding your family. As artist I can’t stand the very same “classifications” used to compartmentalize our music and arts. When I study music I learn that the artists I love are all the same. They are all influenced by the next one. Prime example of Charlie Feathers looking up to Junior Kimbrough. Now go ask a “rockabilly” kid what he thinks of the blues. You’d be lucky if he even knew who Charlie Feathers was but if he did he’d probably think they were oil and water. That’s because the very same machine that helps us identify the bands and music we might like becomes the defining force on what it is. It’s my job as a promoter to “Muddy” up the lines between these genres to show that it’s all just rock n roll. Hell it’s older than rock n’ roll but that’s the word I describe the soul and energy in this music. I don’t stand for or against any “scene” but I promise to show everyone that it is just a blend of 5 others.
Hillgrass Keith January 16, 2011 at 4:14 pm
the “Fat Possum” is “Alive” when “XXX” marks the spot where the the “Deep” “Muddy” “Hillgrass” grows on the “Farmageddon”, is this how it works?
the cause aint bad, the name sticks….in my craw. We need no more issues. Its like the people who dress sexy or even wear weird make up and wonder why people stare at them, or they know exactly what they’re doing, or really (sadly) dont..too much confusion. Or its like the girls who dress sexy and wonder why they cant be taken seriously. I cant take Dale Watson in Phoenix in July wearing a big black trench coat… I cant fuckin do it. I cant see him get massages and die his hair black and think of him as country, when I have Roger Wallace & James Hand real dealin it. But I can sure as shit listen all day to “you lie” or take your pick of a DW hit. So point is, imagry plays a big part. the masses live by perception, my swimming pool service customers think I do rockabilly music. there are so many things I can answer with “take a CD” and “come to a show”.
Here is my commitment. Drop me off in Tomball, Texas with nothing but 72 CD’s, a few pens, and a shitload of napkins. I will have 1000+ people within a 15 mile radius come to the Tomball VFW for a night of American made country & blues infused rock and roll. Point is we have to build away from the current. We are doing nothing to bring our music to the people who doesnt know any better yet. We are trying to fit in to a system that aint built for us…
I say VFWs & State Fairs, Circus Tents, Revivals, continous Muddy Roots festivals (and the like, if possible) are really big tickets to a rumble on the ground, yes, a STAMPEDE on this movement. The music will win… we just have to go to them….. the burbs. This is probably not the answer either. We need Venues….. Venues, Venues, Venues. How about we pull our resources and do planet rootswood type venture in the music cities… Nashville, Austin, Los Angeles, Seatlle… we need venues…. we need alcohol sales!
Or we sell out to sponsors and sell our music to money…. not people…. what can we do to actually change things?
we can all make something work… but we all will have to agree to defend the xxx name and control it, can that be done?
I am obviously back and forth, I need a breaky break and want to read some more of the fans input. If everyone is really down to make a difference, then lets do it.
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Shooter January 16, 2011 at 4:21 pm
I LOVE the way you think Keith! You sound like the kind of warrior of days of old! I see how your passion drives you too! Let’s find a place in the middle where we can all meet and plan our attack(s).
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Hillgrass Keith January 16, 2011 at 6:06 pm
that lonely stretch of road in Mesa is familiar to us both, a common respected ground, about smack dab in the middle of the place if I remember right, sounds good to me. This warrior was parked there every Wednesday for a couple years on my pool cleaning route for a few minutes, payed respects and reflected my life and doins many a time there over a bowl…. but im in Austin, bout ready to be a father. We should meet. Noone should be alone in their struggle for the betterment which is what we all want, I want to believe. But know I never danced, so with 36 fast approaching, and as much smoking as I do, I have to stand up fight and protect against anyone at anytime when I feel threatned… and Im a defensive guy, there is no winning with me… only fighting and accomplishing right now. when i rest, I ask myself why I am fighting, but I still accomplish, and still today i do not know why. If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t be at the beheading, but if you know your head is an option for the chopping block, do you really care who pulls you free when you ask for help? Will they tax you for it? Will there be any cost of any kind? When does this (not us, this, HB, XXX) but this, life, music, turn cutthroat? I have nothing, you got a $1000… maybe a little more, I honestly think it will take 1 more cat to walk by before this dog is off the chain. All HB chapter owners, yes, are in agreeance to NOT feed this system any longer until we have our own! On 4/12/2011 we go all exclusive, no bookings agents allowed, I already NEVER signed a contract or rider agreement, and we will cater to artists, their right hands or family so to speak. I do not know why I am doing this, but I am in survival mode and doing what god (or the operater of this particular SIMS game) gave me to help this survive. I have verifiable “signs” (ooOOOoooOOooOOo *ghost sounds) and stories best told by members of the Williams family themselves, or myself, as far as me personally, and my slot as a promoter. My heart & gut are hunting for the greater good, there is only one thing that settles me, it’s the good… and if I don’t get it… I am payed off somehow, and its cost will come to all of the sudden and I will be convinced of the justice I seek, hopefully it just being a learning experience for me, which is 95% of the case. I am a fucking pool guy and the other founder works Sunday – Thurs and as I type installing cable, internet & phone. He has a wife and three daughters and I stepfather 2 with my legacy 10ish weeks away. I look at things, maybe even a bit drama queen, but everyone knows I mean it, and they understand that. So are we going to have a beheading on my watch? Caveat Emptor brother, savings and sacrifices is a fine line with us. All of us at HB.
******* end
So that was the beginning of me getting all fired up about this. Plus, now, I am already bored with it. Thanks to blogspot for initiating some closure for me.
