"The Rules" - Ben Kweller

Artist: Ben Kweller
Album: Changing Horses
Released: February 2, 2009
Home Town: Greenville, Tx
Why is it on here?:  I don't really like country music anymore, especially today's mainstream country music, its awful. I don't care what anyone says, Taylor Swift is not country music. Rascal Flatts is not country music and the clothes they wear, MIGHT have been cool 5 years ago.

I do though like REAL country music, maybe you call it Texas Country or maybe I just like the old stuff - Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, older George Strait stuff.  You know what I mean.  Thats why I really like the new Ben Kweller record "Changing Horses".  It's got an obvious old country/western influence and I love how he incorporates the steel harp here.  I'm not saying its "PURE" country - no Dusty Chandler jokes please - but it is a lot closer than some of the stuff thats passed off as country nowadays.  

"Penny on a Train Track" - Ben Kweller

Artist: Ben Kweller
Album: Ben Kweller
Released: September 19, 2006
Home Town: Greenville, Tx
Why is it on here?:  Ben Kweller is one of my favorite artists. Very early in his career, he formed a band called Radish, which at the time was believed in some circles to be the second coming of Nirvana.  Unfortunately for Ben these heights were never achieved with Radish.  He has gone on however to have a fairly successful solo career just recently releasing his 4th full length album.  When I first saw him open for Dashboard Confessional in the early 2000s, his sound was reminiscent of the early pop gems of Weezer with some Nirvana grunge sprinkled in.  As time has passed, Ben has really found his sound, mixing in a more folky western flavor.  This song falls somewhere in the middle.