2
Left Arm Tan Has a Hit With “Wish”
I normally don’t do individual song reviews, but I’m making an exception.
I get many requests for reviews and many get turned away, many for being too mainstream. Not that I have problems with a more accessible sound if the music is still good, but my charter is to work around the edges and find the gems that the other media outlets gloss over. In the case of a band out of Ft Worth named Left Arm Tan and specifically their song “Wish,” the sound may be mainstream, but the message is right down my alley.
The song starts off with reminiscent lyrics about youth and you think “oh here we go again with the same old formula,” but as it progresses, “Wish” reveals itself as a wise, well-written, and poignant song. With the chorus, “Well I wish I wish I was me, instead of wishing I was someone I will never be,” the song hits on a theme I have discussed here often, but has never been put to song so well.
I think it is important when we talk about saving country music, that we don’t work from a position of envy. In truth the joke is on them. They may have the big money, the control of the radio stations and the media. But we have each other, and true themes mined from real life experiences. Let them have their fake world, we have real music.
Yes, this song probably curried my favor with the line:
“Well I see them up there receiving the Grammy award
Then I hear them sing live, their tune is flat as a board
Well I can’t understand not a word of their songs
I keep thinking someone might bang a gong.
But this isn’t necessarily an anti-Nashville song, it is more about the singer realizing that he shouldn’t be envying people living fake lives when he has something true already. The way the song works is brilliant, and the arrangement and production is superb.
Not every obscure independent/underground country band deserves a big break just because they try hard and are talented. But “Wish” delivers accessibility without sacrificing soul, and should deliver them a hit worthy of any country station’s rotation.
Two guns up!
“Wish” is off the Left Arm Tan album called Jim that can be purchased and previewed by clicking here. (Just the song “Wish” is available too). And you can listen to “Wish” in its entirety, as well as get more info on the band and listen to other songs on their Reverb Nation page.
24
The Obligatory Christmas Blog
Well.
My plan for the Holidays was to be back home in Texas, but after foul weather and flight cancellations, it looks like I’ll be celebrating the birth of baby Jeebus in the not-so-festive Free Hank III hideout, and hoping the sweet and sour pork in the steam plate at the China Panda is fresh.
Fa Ra Ra Ra Ra
Ra Ra
Ra
Ra
BUT! It does mean that I will get to see Bob Wayne and the Outlaw Carnies in a few days!
And hey, WE GOT HANK III TOUR DATES !!!!
2/15 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues
2/17 – Houston, TX – Meridian
2/18 – Austin, TX – Emo’s
2/20 – Ft. Worth, TX – Longhorn Saloon
2/21 – Lubbock, TX – Jakes
2/22 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater
2/23 – Tempe, AZ – The Marque
2/24 – San Diego, CA – 4th & B
2/26 – Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
You can always check for dates once they are official under the tour section of hank3.com . And just a note, the venue in Austin was changed to Emo’s from what you might have seen on previous date postings.
The opening band for all the dates is Those Poor Bastards.
And last and certainly least, DON’T WATCH THE FOLLOWING VIDEO:
Told ya.
Merry Xmas Helbillies!
20
New Hank III Videos ! (+ Blog Stuff)
First, I get to toot my own horn, ’cause sometime a few days ago this blog passed the 10,000 mark for page hits! At posting I had 10,340 total hits on the blog. That’s not too bad for only being around for 3 1/2 months.
Thanks to EVERYONE for reading, subscribing, and all that stuff, I really appreciate it. There reason I keep writing is because you keep reading. And all the hits, comments and kudos I get just keep me going.
Oh, and if you want to read a funny-ass blog, check out the Hank III Coalition’s last blog HERE. That blog and my last blog roasting pop country both cracked the top 50 music blogs yesterday, SO WERE GETTIN’ THE WORD OUT!
New Hank III Videos !
There’s a couple of new groups of new Hank III YouTubes I wanted to alert you all about because they are great!
The first group is from the Kawasaki shoot. There’s 8 videos in all. I’ve included the best ones here, but you can just do a search on You Tube for ‘Hank III Kawasaki’ and find them all. They include a tour of the Haunted Ranch, III talking about the music, shows the room where he recorded DRRP, and him & JR. turkey hunting.
If you’ve been wondering why Hank III has been doing all these partnerships with companies, this is a great example why. Shelton’s biggest struggle has been getting his name out there because Curb has been purposely keeping him in the closet. Here you see he rides around for a little in a four wheeler, which is something he does all the time anyway, then they give him segments to talk about his music and his lifestyle so that he can reach people that would normally not be exposed to him.
Do me a favor and rate those bad boys on YouTube if you have an account. A lot of people went through a lot of effort to get these made so let’s let ‘em know we appreciate it.
Yeah I know the harmonica is too loud, but fight through it.
Next one’s funny as hell.
Talking the biz.
Huntin’ with Jr. Yes, Jr. !!!! I’ll probably address that whole thing in another blog.
This next set of YouTubes is from EARLY Hank III. They were filmed in April 2000 near my old stomping grounds in Texas, at the historic Ft. Worth Stockyards.
I really like Hank III’s early stuff. If you find someone who says they don’t care for Hank III, bust out the old stuff. If they don’t like it, they don’t have a soul. Some people are turned off by all the drugs, cussing, etc., but his early stuff is accessible to all.
The first one includes a version of ‘Wine, Wine,Wine’ which is one of my favorite early songs. Shame he never recorded it.
I like this band lineup. They are TIGHT!
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