NYCBP Blog

So all these weatherpeople from the liberal/communist/capitalist/conservative media (just ignore whichever epithets you disagree with) are telling us that there is this big storm coming to these parts Saturday. Well, that didn’t stop a bunch of regulars, rednecks, yuppies, and hippies from descending on that den of debauchery Friday night, the one and only Yogi’s (so far).

Part of the reason, of course, was that on Friday nights, the superstar Patience keeps slinging the beers. If she weren’t such a sweetie, she could start bloody civil wars over her.



Also helping the clientele lose their senses was the lovely Danielle. Just a smile from her could get the Taliban to buy a beer for Toby Keith.



So you stayed home to watch 20-year-old Robin Byrd reruns, did you?



For you unfortunate few who failed to show this Friday, Patience works Friday nights at Yogi’s and Wednesday days at The Patriot Saloon, and Danielle works Wednesday nights at The Patriot Saloon, Monday days at Yogi’s, and scattered weekends where needed.

Of course, you did get a partial pass if you stayed home to watch boxing. There were three lives cards on Friday night, and HBO has a potentially great battle in Juan Diaz vs. Michael Katsidis Saturday night. Also, if you’re really Internet savvy, you could watch numerous other fights from around the world Saturday.

And don’t worry if you are more redneck than hippie, or vice versa. Gretchen Wilson’s new album, due out this fall, has a tune called “Hippies and Rednecks” that attempts to bridge the gap between these sometimes warring subcultures. No doubt this healing process includes a lot of beer.

PS – I know my pictures aren’t exactly the best. I just use my camera phone, which is all I have. I’m a journalist, not a photographer, so all you fellers who do have these 2009 model digital jobs are invited to put your beers down for a second and point, shoot, and e-mail.

Labels: bars, beer, Danielle, Eddie Goldman, Gretchen Wilson, New York, Patience, Yogi’s

Whatever else we may say about politicians, and it usually is deservedly not good, they still know how to reach the voters whom they are trying to rope in through hiring popular music acts.

This year’s Democratic and Republican national conventions will both feature numerous singers, with both including country music legends for their receptions.

The Democrats, whose party runs August 25-28 in Denver, have Willie Nelson and Jerry Jeff Walker, along with the Black Eyed Peas, Kanye West, N.E.R.D., Jennifer Lopez, and Melissa Etheridge. (One wonders if the rappers will be using their omnipresent “N” word.)

The Republicans, although a party generally with a richer base than the Democrats, have a musical lineup heavier on the blue collar-oriented country music than their political rivals. Their show begins September 1 in St. Paul, MN, and includes country stars Gretchen Wilson, Cowboy Troy, John Rich, and the Charlie Daniels Band, along with non-country acts the Beach Boys and Sammy Hagar.

So far, there is no word where Merle Haggard will be. He, surprisingly, seemed sympathetic to Hillary Clinton during the primaries, and even wrote a song called “Let's Put a Woman in Charge” about her. That feeling may not have been mutual, so the Hag may be on tour, although his official web site has not been updated to include the convention season. This site does promise that the Hag Editorial is “comming soon,” so we hope its content is sharper than its spelling.

Labels: Charlie Daniels, country music, Cowboy Troy, Democrat, Gretchen Wilson, Hillary Clinton, John Rich, Merle Haggard, national conventions, Republican

The Black Crowes, a rock group classified by some as grunge and some as Southern rock, but not on the jukeboxes of any bars which get my business, are claiming that "Work Hard, Play Harder", performed by redneck woman Gretchen Wilson, is a rip-off of their 1991 song "Jealous Again".

The Gretchen Wilson tune in question recently was released to promote the TNT drama "Saving Grace", and has been used in TV commercials for that show.

According to numerous reports, the Black Crowes have had their own rednecks in suits, i.e., lawyers, serve copyright infringement notices on everyone in sight, including our darling redneck woman, TNT, record company Sony BMG, and publishing company J Money Music.

Videos of both songs are below, so you can make the call yourself. The opening few bars certainly do sound quite similar, but not the entire song. Whether or not that constitutes copyright infringement will be decided by people with whom you and I probably don’t want to have a beer.

According to another report, the songwriting was credited to Wilson, John Rich, and Vicky McGehee. Who wrote the lyrics, which do not seem to be an issue here, and who wrote the music, is not specified, but it seems likely that Gretchen had a hand in the lyrics, while Rich and McGehee had a larger role in the music as well as the lyrics.

Here are the two videos (and you can guess which one is better regardless of the copyright issue):

"Work Hard, Play Harder", Gretchen Wilson



"Jealous Again", Black Crowes

Labels: Black Crowes, copyright, country music, Gretchen Wilson, J Money Music, Jealous Again, John Rich, Play Harder, redneck woman, Saving Grace, Sony BMG, TNT, Vicky McGehee, Work Hard

The votes are in, and Gretchen Wilson’s version of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” has won the online poll conducted by ESPN.com of nine artists' renditions of it to mark the 100th anniversary of that song!

Here, again, is the winning video:

Labels: Baseball, Eddie Goldman, Gretchen Wilson, Take Me Out to the Ballgame

As we wrote about last week, a poll is being held on ESPN.com to mark the 100th anniversary of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”. Originally, videos of this hallowed song by nine contemporary artists were posted on that site, with voting open to the public.

Now that list has been pared down to just three, and, to the surprise of no one who has ever waded through the pools of water in Yogi’s men’s room, one of those versions is by our favorite redneck woman, Gretchen Wilson.

I already reviewed Gretchen’s video in the first post on this topic, but some comparison to the other finalists is helpful.

The remaining two videos are actually not bad.

One, by Ozomatli, gives the song a Latin flavor and has a tenor sax lead. But when they tell us to “root, root, root for the Dodgers,” they automatically lose.

The other finalist is by the Punch Brothers. Theirs is a sort of folk-bluegrass version with lots of strings in their band. While their advice is certainly less loathsome, to “root, root, root for the Cubbies,” who are currently atop the National League Central and have the best record in that league, it still falls short to the more energetic version by Gretchen.

Gretchen, a Cardinals’ fan raised near St. Louis in Illinois, does wear a Redbirds’ cap and shirt, but keeps the lyrics traditional, singing “root, root, root for the home team.” For whatever reason, budgetary or otherwise, her video has higher production values, and is based around Little Leaguers, and not just her band playing. The young pitcher at the start of the video has a Yankees’ cap on. The focus on the kids adds a more universal and cheerful tone to this one, which was my choice anyway even before seeing the other two finalists.

Voting is continuing now, with the winner to be announced July 13.

So vote, vote, vote for the redneck. And have some beer while you’re at it.

Labels: Baseball, Eddie Goldman, Gretchen Wilson, Take Me Out to the Ballgame

While I pay little attention these days to the national juicetime, in favor of more civilized sports like boxing, I still am somewhat sentimental about some of the culture and traditions of baseball which evoke the innocence and grace we once believed were inherent in the sport.

The grand old song “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” is part of that revered tradition, and now there is a poll which is being held on ESPN.com to mark the song’s 100th anniversary. Nine artists recorded videos of this song, which were first played on ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight” and then posted online. Voting has started already, and runs through July 6.

Our attention, of course, centers on the version sung by Redbirds’ fan and Redneck Woman, Gretchen Wilson. Here, for your viewing pleasure, is that video:

Labels: Baseball, Eddie Goldman, Gretchen Wilson, Take Me Out to the Ballgame