There was a time in my life where country music made me gag and sneer (sometimes at the same time.) Then I got older and more nuanced and realized the problem wasn't the heart of country music but the over produced image and mediocrity of what passes for it.
It turns out I didn't mind it when GOOD bands like Wilco or The Old 97s let classic country, roots music, and Americana influence their stellar songwriting. The problem wasn't country, per se, but the delivery mechanism.
That said, I found myself on CMT.com last week. I felt a little dirty. I felt like I had betrayed myself in some sort of indefinable way. This was the belly of the beast. It's amazing what you'll do to see good bands performing their great songs. I blame this one on The Avett Brothers. When you write songs as good as "The Once and Future Carpenter" and play them live for the first time on a hated website even I will swallow my pride and let CMT.com be on my permanent DNS record.
I present to you the evidence of my sweet shame:
