September Redux: Folk & Country · Jan 8, 05:57 PM by Don
All songs in this post were originally posted by my blogging cohort, Chaka, in September. The theme is folk and country. First up is Sally Timms, who braved the black leather jackets and tattoos of the Touch & Go fest to bring the aging punks and curious hipsters a bit of folky good cheer. Here are Chaka’s thoughts from last September:
Sally Timms added to her considerable legend by having the cojones to go on in between Negative Approach and Scratch Acid and do her regular act. Sally would come pretty quickly on a list I’d draw up of Things I Like About Living In Chicago, and I’m laughing even as I type this thinking about her giving no quarter whatsoever to a huge crowd waiting to see David Yow pull down his pants. Sunday, I overheard the funniest line I heard all weekend – some indie rock dude say to his buddy, “what was with that lady who went on before Scratch Acid last night?” Sally, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.
mp3: Sally Timms – When The Roses Bloom Again
Chaka posted a song by country artist David Allan Coe that Green Bay Packer quarterback Brett Favre considers to be his favorite song, “If That Ain’t Country.” Chaka felt this to be a curious choice for man who interacts with African-Americans on a daily basis, as it features the simile, “Workin’ like a nigger for my room and board.” I dug up some information on Coe and his possible racism at this site. Here is an excerpt:
Coe is often considered a racist by critics, who use his song ‘‘Nigger Fucker’‘ as evidence. Coe claims that he is not racist and that the song is a satire. He uses a guitar painted with the Confederate flag; however, for a short time he had an African American drummer in his band. (The drummer, who was married to a white woman, can be seen on Coe’s “Live At Billy Bob’s Texas” DVD, released in 2002.)
Various other racist songs exist as bootlegs and rehearsals, and have been incorrectly attributed to Coe. The most likely source of the falsely-attributed racist material is Johnny Rebel (a.k.a. Clifford Joseph “Pee Wee” Trahan), a racist songwriter whose music is usually released in single and bootleg form. Coe has been accused of being Rebel himself, though Rebel’s recording career began several years before Coe’s.
mp3: David Allan Coe – If That Ain’t Country
Though the weather is warmer than it should be, it still ain’t swimming weather. With visions of the coming summer, I re-post the Chaka pick, “The Swimming Song.”
mp3: Kate & Anna McGarrigle – The Swimming Song
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