Music Monday: Hell Ain’t Half Full by Chris Knight and Methhead by Ian Noe

Something I want to do more of with my Music Monday posts (back now after a Game of Thrones induced hiatus!) is to feature two songs together that cover similar themes and subject matter.  Today’s subject is meth, and the scene is killing people who screw around with meth.

Music Monday: Po’ Folks by Nappy Roots

I started listening to Po’ Folks when I was broke as shit in college, after growing up (figuratively) dirt floor poor.  I listened to it broke in grad school.  I listened to it broke in the real world.  I listened to it broke in law school.  I listened to it broke after law school (and missed a chance to see Nappy Roots live at a crappy dive bar in Roanoke, Virginia).  I ain’t broke any more, and it feels damn good to listen to it again.

Music Monday: Was It 26 by Chris Stapleton

Last week I talked about a great song that is special to me because of what it means in relation to my relationship with my dad.  Today I talk about a great song that is special to me because of what it means in relation to my relationship with my sister.

I wasn’t exactly doing poorly in my mid-20s.  I had a good job and a bad girlfriend.  I was self-sufficient and away from home and didn’t want much more from life.  But I was spinning my wheels.

My sister called me on a Sunday night.  I didn’t get the message because my cell phone’s voice mail was jacked up for whatever reason.  My mom called and left me a voicemail Monday evening.  It spurred me to reset my voicemail password.  I listened to the voicemail from my sister, deleted it.  It was the last time I ever heard my sister’s voice.

All my mom’s voicemail said was, “It’s your sister.”  The quiver in her voice said the rest.  I was 25.

Music Monday: Down the River by Chris Knight

Even though I will be doing these Music Monday posts every week, this is not a music blog.  I consider the music just another storytelling medium that belongs right beside books, TV, and movies.  Considering the time investment of a song versus a novel, music strikes me as a pretty good way to give you an example of what I mean when I say country noir.