Autumn on Monument

On a beautiful fall day, I snapped a few pics of Richmond's Monument Avenue. Could sleepy ol' Richmond be among the most beautiful cities in the country? I say yes.

Trailer Trad Collecting: Recent Estate Sale Picks

On a recent rainy Saturday morning, I ventured out to a promising estate sale on beautiful Monument Ave. Arriving an hour late, I wasn't expecting much but I think that the wet weather kept people away because I snapped up some pretty hard-to-find items. The estate had some great advertising smalls but I was pleased to find this 1960s Swiss railway poster in great shape, framed.

The man of the house worked for Amtrak and collected some nice transportation items. I picked some nice Pullman Railway china including a sweet 1920's Pullman teapot w. lid. I was walking out the door and noticed a cardboard tube. I bought it for $5. It contained over a dozen of these...

These are from the early 1970s by a pretty collected artist named David Klein. The colors are perfect and there are no creases or holes but, unfortunately, there are water and dirt stains on them. If they were mint, I would be a very happy boy. In addition to the posters, I bought some nice early advertising cafe match strikers, beer steins, etc. right.

Beautiful Richmond Part V: The Jefferson Hotel

I recently stopped into the Jefferson Hotel for a cup of coffee before church. As I sat enjoying the experience, the statue of Thomas Jefferson stared at me intently. "Really. And what business do YOU have here?", he seemed to inquire. Just kidding. But the atmosphere really is special and I look forward to coming back--perhaps for high tea when I have a really special guest in town.

Trailer Trad Tunes: A Tear In My Beer NEW Country

It's not hipster. It's not shoegaze, surf, techno, and other classic alternatives hits that I have showcased since I began this blog. Big FM country gives voice to the fly-over every-man. Every other hit features at least two of the following (often all four): a pickup/dirt road, alcohol, a hot girl, and some Americana totem like blue jeans or a 'one stoplight town.'

But, on the flip side, other hits explore the depths of heartbreak of mistakes made or of the farmer's daughter that left town for Hollywood (boo!) stardom. Some of these new country hits may suggest that rural men are VERY LONELY because these songs are odes to the out-of-your-league cheerleader or that mythical blue-eyed blond mysteriously available once at the bar stool next to yours.

However, I must say that the recent resurgence in alcohol use in these lyrics is a little weird. Beer has always been big but bourbon, whiskey, and assorted tropical concoctions are seemingly in every song coming out of Nashville now. Considering declining life expectancy and substance abuse problems in rural America, I'm not sure that this is a wise trend. Again, I get that booze has been a part of country music since its inception but putting 'Crown and Sprite' everywhere makes it seem like distillers are doing a little marketing push in Nashville.

Enough of the after school special public service announcement. Give the tunes a chance. You might sing along or even choke up a little!

Trailer Trad Tunes: New Country's Truck, Beer, and Blonde Party Songs

These days, it seems like having fun or making jokes is frowned upon. Everything is overthought, overwrought, and overbought. Entertainment consists of force-fed, focus-grouped pop culture irony sandwiched between virtue signaling references to the cause de jour. It sucks. But, as Chris Janson sings, "I can't fix that but I can fix a drink!"

Country musicians and their fans realize that sometimes if you want to have fun you have to make some and if you want to be funny in humorless times, you have make fun of yourself. Singing about boot-scooting and beer drinking provide cultural touchstones that build a sense of community. Of course, any self respecting country boy would proudly display a sticker of Calvin peeing on the phrase "cultural touchstones that build a sense of community" on the back of his F-150. Enjoy the tunes!

Trailer Trad Tunes: The Rural Romanticism of New Country

Country music today offers many things that are sorely missing from most popular music. The first thing I'd like to point out is how deeply emotional some of my favorites are. Many many describe this as sentimentality at best or cold Music City manipulation at worst. Regardless, where else does this old fashioned humanity exist in modern music? As much as I like many alternative music genres, very few songs plumb much emotional depth besides EMO rebellious alienation. Hipster Americana and New Grass engage in ironic mimicking of various emotions, sure, but real emotions like love often ring hollow for me.

The messages of the lyrics and the imagery in the videos are surprising considering its popularity with men. Lyrics usually consist of men idolizing women and hoping to marry one by promising them the moon or by laying out romantic plans. These don't seem like hollow pickup artist ploys but heartfelt renderings of classic, American love.