IA music reviewer David Kowalski brings you a strange Grammys grumble, good news from The Cruel Sea and a nod to two tub-thumpers who've gone to that big drum riser in the sky.
CHRIS STAPLETON "BOOED" BEYONCÉ — OR DID HE?
The internet was abuzz this week over a social media post concerning Beyoncé's 2025 Grammy win for Best Country Album with Cowboy Carter.
Rumours were flying about the country music establishment's anger over her win. Apparently, American country music songwriter and performer Chris Stapleton had gone so far as to lodge an official objection to the award with the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS).
Facebook page Country Music Stories attributed the following comments to Stapleton:
'Coυпtry mυsic has a rich history aпd a distiпct soυпd that deserves to be recogпised aпd celebrated.'
The post also said the awards should 'honour those who have dedicated their lives to it'.
Stapleton has a reputation for being one of the least controversial figures in country music today, so naturally, questions abound: did he "really" post an objection to Beyoncé’s win?
Fact-checking website Snopes researched the story and found that the original text of the post had Greek characters substituting for English ones (see the 'n' in ‘country’ and 'sound' above). It suggests the post is fake and was likely produced using a poor AI text-generation tool — it certainly looks that way.
There is no credible evidence that Stapleton made such a claim — it probably started in some spurious content farming site on the web.
There's also the fact that when a heckler yelled out “Fuck Beyoncé” during the quiet acoustic part of Stapleton's recent show in Melbourne, the singer responded, “What? I don’t think so!”.
The old adage, “Don’t believe everything you read”, would seem to apply here; however, with the advent of AI, it is getting harder and harder to spot the truth.
STRAY CATS GUITARIST STOPS STRUMMING
It’s always sad to hear about musicians who are unable to make music due to illness. Stray Cats guitarist Brian Setzer informed followers on Instagram last week that, due to an autoimmune disease, he has 'been left with cramping and a diminished ability to play guitar'.
His jazz-inflected rockabilly guitar playing could make a lesser guitarist like me weep.
Said Setzer:
'There is no pain, but it feels like I am wearing a pair of gloves when I try to play. I have seen some progress in that I can hold a pen and tie my shoes. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I was at a point where I couldn’t even do that.'
May his recovery continue — hopefully enough to continue sharing his amazing talent.
IN MEMORIAM
As I approach the end of my 5th decade on this mortal coil, I am aware that many of those who have created the soundtrack to my life are starting to shuffle off into the realms of history.
In the past month or so, we have lost soul singer Roberta Flack, David Johansen, vocalist of the New York Dolls and Joey Molland, bassist with Welsh power pop band Badfinger. The passing of Molland and Johansson is especially poignant — there are no longer any surviving members of those bands' classic lineups.
I particularly want to touch on the passing of two drummers who made their marks in iconic bands at opposite ends of the Earth.
The first is Gordon “Snowy” Fleet, the drummer of legendary Australian band The Easybeats.
Born in Liverpool in 1939, Fleet emigrated to Australia in the early 1960s, joining up after meeting other band members on a train in Sydney.
He provided the backbeat on all the classic mid-60s tracks, including the timeless classic 'Friday On My Mind', before leaving in 1967, in the middle of their time in the UK, to return to Australia to work as a builder. (Listen for Fleet's shoutout – “Cor blimey, Snow!”– during the instrumental break of 'Women (Make You Feel Alright).
Fleet's passing leaves only one original member of the Easybeats — inimitable guitarist Harry Vanda, one half of the production team, along with fellow Easybeat George Young, who helped bring artists such as Ted Mulry, John Paul Young and AC/DC to the world stage.
The other legendary tub-thumper who has gone to that big drum riser in the sky is Rick Buckler — drummer of UK punk band The Jam.
Fronted by vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Paul Weller and joined by bassist Bruce Foxton, The Jam perfectly captured the mood of English and British territories youth in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Buckler became a record producer in the mid-1980s. By 1990 he had left professional music altogether to be a carpenter. The 69-year-old's passing was quite a shock coming soon upon a short, undisclosed illness.
Vale Rick, Joey, David, Roberta and Snowy — thanks for your contributions to the soundtrack of our lives.
NEW CRUEL SEA TRACK DOESN'T 'WASTE YOUR TIME'
Sydney indie band The Cruel Sea has delivered its first new music in 23 years with the March release of new album Straight Into The Sun.
If early pre-release singles are any indication, it is a welcome return to form for the band, who officially reformed in 2023 for the 30th anniversary of its 1993 landmark album The Honeymoon Is Over.
The latest single from the album is called 'Waste Your Time', and it features all the groove and swagger the band is known for. The video for the track features live footage of The Cruel Sea having fun and looking right at home on stage, belying a hefty two-decade hiatus.
Until next time…
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David Kowalski is a writer, musician, educator, sound engineer and podcaster. His podcasts 'The Sound and the Fury Podcast' and 'Audio Cumulus' can be heard exclusively HERE. You can follow David on Twitter/X @sound_fury_pod.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License
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