By Corrin Mason
Named one of the Huffington Post’s 15 Country Artists to Watch in 2015 and inducted into Country Music’s #CMchat’s exclusive One to Watch club, Alabama native Aaron Parker is making waves in Nashville following the release of his first EP and the beginning of his fall tour last month. Aaron’s music truly captures the nostalgia and romanticism of the rural south with songs like “Dust and Diesel,” “Homesick,” and “Heaven on Wheels” that strike a chord with all those who have grown up on a farm, surrounded by fields. And that’s exactly how Aaron grew up; his music is honest.
“My brand of country music is tall grass grown up next to rusted out 1980 Z28 Camaro, it’s a big sky, good friends, good tequila, church on Sunday, not being afraid to be who you are, and loving your people,” Parker said in an interview with Rise News.
Although his career has taken him off to Music City, Aaron says city life hasn’t changed him. “I try not to ‘adjust’ to city life but I do love the town with my whole heart,” Parker said.
“Im just more about forever, less about tonight.”
He still misses watching the “Sunset on a familiar tree line” amongst other things back home, but Aaron says there’s a lot to love about Nashville, too.
“I love the energy, the work, the food is amazing, the people are super laid back and love to create and collaborate. It’s a maker’s town.”
And Aaron is definitely a maker. His work is true country, and his genius is evident in his thoughts on the country scene and music altogether.
“You’re witnessing an evolution in my music and in music in general, with Spotify and other streaming sites available its opening the hearts of artists to create; not just genre specific music, but the music their heart wants to make and to let the public be the judge. Someone in manhattan can find that country song of mine that speaks to them and they give me permission to live in their life for three minutes per day. That’s an honor. So my place in modern country music isn’t as important to me as my place in ‘Music’ as a whole.”
It’s this combination of old-time nostalgia and forward thinking that makes Aaron really special. He pays homage to the greats before him while incorporating new ideas. He’s realized the opportunity of making music in the modern era; the opportunity to reach a wider audience than ever before and to share his passion with the whole world. Aaron Parker’s country isn’t just for those who grew up in the south, it’s for everyone.
“Im just more about forever, less about tonight which I guess isn’t [just] country, because everyone wants to fall in love, everyone wants to find that someone, everyone wants to have a great time on the weekends, forget about their troubles, drink a little, or a lot, and everyone loves their mom, I love my mom, so I sing about it. ”
And that evolution he mentioned earlier is especially interesting.
“On the evolution of my music, I can just say this first EP is a milestone and 1 chapter in a book, and it’s a LONG book.”
The future for Aaron and his music is truly exciting – Aaron has done something wonderfully artistic for his fans, who he loves dearly.
”They are all great, anytime anyone comes to see me at the end of the night I can’t hold back a smile. I love them. They always stay till the lights come on or someone makes them leave. They’re my style.”
He’s given his fans all a metaphorical front row seat to watch as he reveals the massive art project that is his music little by little. We are all spectators as this story, this evolution, unfolds. With his fall tour in full swing, that front row seat doesn’t have to be metaphorical, either. Catch at least one show this season because with an artist like Parker, you’re going to want to be able to say, “I was there when…”
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10 Worst Halloween Costumes We Found on Amazon
It’s Halloween time and if you’re one of those people who doesn’t have the desire to sift through the shelves of all the pop-up Halloween stores in town, there’s one word for you – Amazon.
But beware of choosing just any costume from this one stop shop. Some of their costumes are treats, but here’s our list of their top ten tricks.
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Remember When Richard Shelby Was A Democrat And Voted Against Reagan’s Pro-Life Supreme Court Nominee?
Politics is a funny thing.
And it only gets funnier when you have broaden your scope and look at it with a wide historical context.
Alabama’s senior Senator Richard Shelby is not a big fan of President Barack Obama. No big shock there. His voting record was recently ranked as the third most conservative in the whole of the Senate.
As a consequence, Shelby has vowed to “adamantly oppose” any Supreme Court nominee that Obama offers up to the Senate for confirmation to replace Conservative icon Antonin Scalia.
“This great loss brings on a great responsibility for the United States Senate,” Shelby said in a press release on the matter. “Justice Scalia’s replacement should be considered carefully and thoughtfully because it is vital to our nation’s future that we confirm a justice who will continue his legacy.”
But Shelby has not always followed his own advice.
Back in 1987, Shelby was a vocal opponent of Judge Robert Bork‘s nomination to the Supreme Court.
Bork was a favorite of President Ronald Reagan and was seen as a conservative firebrand who would help keep the court firmly leaning to the right.
But at the time Shelby was a Democrat (and would be until he ditched the Dems for the GOP in 1994) and had little patience for Bork, a man who could have helped Scalia take the court in an even more Originalist direction.
“Overall, he [Bork] will have a divisive influence in this country, he will polarize this country and I think that’s not good for my state or the nation,” Shelby said in a C-SPAN call in show in October of 1987. “That’s why I’m going to vote against him.”
Then Sen. Ted Kennedy was a leading opponent of Bork, and he famously argued against the jurist in a way that made him sound like a right-wing nut. Kennedy gave a well-remembered invective against Bork on the floor of the Senate after Reagan announced his nomination:
“Robert Bork’s America is a land in which women would be forced into back-alley abortions, blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, rogue police could break down citizens’ doors in midnight raids, schoolchildren could not be taught about evolution, writers and artists could be censored at the whim of the Government, and the doors of the Federal courts would be shut on the fingers of millions of citizens.”
Bork’s nomination was eventually defeated in the Senate 42 votes to 58.
“It’s all politics,” Shelby said on C-SPAN in 1987. “People say that nomination to the Supreme Court is apolitical. It’s not apolitical. It is part of the political process. It always has been, always will be.”
While some things change, other things stay the same.
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Apple Apologizes After Australian Store Asks Black Kids To Leave Over Fear They Would Steal Something
”These guys are … just a bit worried you might steal something…I need to ask you to leave our store.”
Those were the words of a manager of an Apple store in Melbourne, Australia as he was asking a group of six black schoolboys to leave the premises of the tech store.
According to the BBC, the schoolboys believed that the incident was racially motivated and the American tech giant even issued an apology after a video of the encounter was released.
“Inclusion and diversity are among Apple’s core values. We believe in equality for everyone, regardless of race, age, gender, gender identity, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation,” Apple said in a statement obtained by the BBC. “That applies throughout our company, around the world with no exceptions. We’ve looked into the details of the situation and we apologise to the customers involved. We will continue to do everything in our power to ensure all our customers are treated the way they should be.”
The local manager of the Australian also apologized.
The apologies seemed to be enough for at least one of the boys wrongly targeted.
“They apologised, so we’re chilling, no need to take it further,” Mohamed Semra wrote on Facebook according to the Daily Record.
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