the Sturgill Simpson c/d

Stapleton was a Nashville insider songwriter but his own stuff is more barband

Generous. To me he sounds like Bob Seger (and not early, raucous Bob Seger, either)

Ann Powers of NPR is calling Sturgill, Maren Morris, Rhiannon Giddens, Lori McKenna and Brandy Clark "third way" Nashville artists in a tweet

Absolutely killed it on SNL. He was not like this at all when I saw him tour behind the last album. Watch the "Call to Arms" clip, it's like they all took whatever EC and the Attractions used to take to get them through the night.

http://www.rollingstone.com/country/news/watch-sturgill-simpsons-fiery-snl-debut-w461175

Country Singer Goes on SNL, Exposes* Afghan Heroin Trade and No One Even Noticed

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/sturgill-snl-military-war-heroin/

*clickbait-y but still...

lol man his bass player is classic-fat-bass-player material, right down to that neck-snapping thing

Country Rock? More like Country Woke, amirite?

Yeah, fat guy with the bass butting against his double chin, the best.

I never got around to listening to this new one based on all the reviews and the Nirvana cover (which I didn't like). I still have hope for this dude though.

I never got around to listening to this new one based on all the reviews and the Nirvana cover (which I didn't like). I still have hope for this dude though.

lol this is me exactly

i didn't like the Nirvana cover either, and i'm not sure i like the new one *quite* as much as the previous one, but it is impressive and ambitious and well-crafted, imo.

i think you can stop having hope for him, he's gonna be ok.

I meant hope in the sense that I have hope he will make some more music I want to listen to

I watched the SNL performance thinking that maybe a live performance would clarify why ppl find this dude appealing. I came away from it desperately wanting a Yarl translator and still wondering why this dude over any other random country person.

i liked the new one a lot btw esp shakey i think you would dig a bunch of it

i don't hate 'in bloom' but it's not among the best stuff on the album fwiw

why this dude over any other random country perso

better songs, unusual POV

he's not better than a lot of the recent crop of female country artists but he's probably a lot better than a lot of the dudes.

I couldn't tell you anything about the POV of either of the songs he did on SNL because it literally did not sound to me like he was singing in English. It was like watching an angry male Ariana Grande.

he's not better than a lot of the recent crop of female country artists but he's probably a lot better than a lot of the dudes.

^^^this

I couldn't tell you anything about the POV of either of the songs he did on SNL because it literally did not sound to me like he was singing in English.

you realize this is how old white guys complain about rap right

Angry male Ariana Grande sounds pretty cool to me. She's the newest character in Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, I'll hope for Sturgill Simpson next.

i don't think of him as angry really at all. he just has a lot of intense feels.

you realize this is how old white guys complain about rap right

You realize this is the definition of a false equivalence, right

how so

also idk how much you guys listen to country radio but i listen to it every so often bc my brother has it on in his car and his stuff sounds like nothing on it totally different sound. agreed that some of the women who get radio play are often doing equally distinctive stuff but even there like miranda lambert gets radio play i can't imagine "Brave for Impact (Live a Little)" getting play on XTU

"you can't criticize a singer's diction because sometimes people are racist" isn't a position that actually makes any sense

I'm not talking about ppl who dismiss rap as not being "actual music" or because they're racist or whatever. I am talking specifically about the phenomenon of not being able to understand the diction/slang/vocal delivery of a subculture you may not be directly familiar with, and using that as critical grounds for dismissal. Sometimes understanding stuff takes work. There's plenty of times I've encountered artists where I could not understand a damn thing they were saying until I really paid attention or looked it up or had someone else point things out etc. I get it that you don't like his vocal delivery and that's fair, but saying you can't understand his POV cuz you can't understand what he's saying - which is about *content*, not delivery - that's on you.

slippery slope from criticizing diction to musical theater

or GLEE

I'm not talking about ppl who dismiss rap as not being "actual music" or because they're racist or whatever. I am talking specifically about the phenomenon of not being able to understand the diction/slang/vocal delivery of a subculture you may not be directly familiar with, and using that as critical grounds for dismissal.

No you aren't, otherwise your qualifier wouldn't have been "old white guys", it would have been "people not down with current slang" which does actually include a fair number of people who are not old white men. If you're going to shorthand an argument, you should be pretty confident that your shorthand matches the point you want to make.

Furthermore, nowhere did I say "dude is a bad singer"; I said "I couldn't understand a word this dude said on SNL". It is not actually incumbent upon me to watch the SNL performance multiple times with a lyric sheet before I decide whether this music sounds like something I would want to spend my time on.

you're right I did substitute "old white guys" for "people not down with current slang" and I guess that muddied the waters when really my point was just about dealing with a singing style that draws on a different dialect(?) than the one you're used to. I suppose a more value-neutral (or at least non-racially loaded) example would be British stuff that's heavy on slang/local idioms/accents (the Fall? Dizzee Rascal? idk) that might take a little bit of work for an American listener to understand what's going on.

anyway take my word for it this dude doesn't sing in the usual way about the usual things current country dudes sing about

the fall is a great country band

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A91ANoS-_7g

excruciating pedantry on this thread

that's why I listen to Miranda Lambert

I like her too! it's not an either/or thing.

I'd no idea -- I thought you didn't care for her.

it's true I can count the modern country acts I enjoy on one hand - Simpson, Lambert, Musgraves, Lee Ann Womack - all of which I learned about from ILM

i liked the new one a lot btw esp shakey i think you would dig a bunch of it

― Mordy, Friday, 20 January 2017 21:31 (three days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i don't hate 'in bloom' but it's not among the best stuff on the album fwiw

― Mordy, Friday, 20 January 2017 21:32 (three days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Agree with Mordy. And as a dad who occasionally had to travel for work the opening song never ceases to choke me up. Eep the bit where he sings "That the answer was so easy" - gah, waterworks.

yes otm; that song is fantastic.

Laur Joamets has (or is soon) leaving the band. Cuts my interest in Sturgill records by at least half.

Wow, that's some bad news-- Simpson's got a major US tour in the Fall booked and already on sale that was primed to be StarTime for him and his band.

read Sturgill's statement ... he doesn't sound too worried:

We've been trying to keep it under wraps to avoid the inevitable rumor mill but last night's gig in Okeechobee FL officially marks the beginning of a new chapter.
We're all very sad to say that after nearly four years Laur Joamets has decided it's time to move on to pursue greener pastures and a gig with little more wiggle room for him to stretch out. It's been a pleasure and an honor watching him grow into one of the baddest guitar players on the planet and everyone in the band wishes him the best in his future endeavors. To be completely honest, I realized last night how much I've missed playing electric guitar without even knowing it so I guess as they say, "it was time".
I'm also proud to say that Little Joe recently became the proud owner of a US green card and is working towards officially becoming a "Muhrican".
Everyone in the band wishes him the absolute best in both his life and career and we cant wait to see what he does with his incredible talents.
It has also been an honor and a priviledge playing with the New Orleans horns boys (Brad Walker, Jon Ramm, Scott Frock) but sadly after touring nearly the entire world, every late night tv program and the Grammy's I felt it was time to move on from the sonic template of ASGTE and get started on "what's next". We all had a wonderful year with them and made some great friends for life. Who knows,..maybe I'll get an itching for the dirty brass again down the road.
With all that said, gonna be keeping it lean & mean with Miles, Chuck, & Bob this year.
After all,..heavy times calls for heavy music.
See ya on the road!!

My understanding is that he was never really a country guy, and had to figure out ways to fit his chops into Sturgill's songs. Obviously it worked out well for everyone.

Kind of interesting going with the smaller band for these bigger shows.

A change is a good thing. Joamets is a great player, but so is Sturgill.

https://www.avclub.com/watch-country-music-shit-starter-sturgill-simpson-busk-1820297790

Probably due a new one soon, no?

I've been listening a lot to his last one. What a weird record. Wish the Nirvana cover wasn't on it. "Call to Arms" is totally his riff on "Life During Wartime," right?

wtf happened with this guy

He's putting out an anime movie on Netflix.