It’s been dormant since 2017, but when I moved here from New York City well over a decade ago, I remember feeling an actual compulsion to write a blog, no matter who did or didn’t read it - there was just too much good music around me, too many talented songwriters, too many shows that I needed some place to write everything down, if not for my own brain and record. I called it Lockeland Springsteen, after my neighborhood Lockeland Springs (if I need to explain where the “Springsteen” part came from, this is probably the wrong newsletter, or planet, for you). With the help of some amazing friends, writers, photographers and videographers, we turned it into something pretty great. When I had to put it to bed, shortly after the birth of my second child, there was always a part of me that missed something that organic and urgent. But I had too much on my plate, and something had to go - and, as is the case for many mothers and primary caregivers, it usually has to be the small, not very profitable thing that brings you its rewards in fulfillment.
I don’t have any intentions or plans to resurrect Lockeland Springsteen as it was, but I did decide to bring back the name - and spirt, I suppose - when attempting to talk to you all a bit more frequently through this newsletter (maybe everything that dies someday comes back?). Every time I see that name, I think about my early days in this town, falling in love with the place and the music over and over again, hosting showcases at clubs like Exit/In and the Stone Fox, places either long gone or soon to be…
I’m not really sure how this will evolve yet, but I did know that I wanted a more central place to talk about work things and music things that excite me and anything else on my mind if Elon turns Twitter into something (even more) unbearable. As most other freelance journalists are, I am pretty freaked out about life/career without Twitter! But we will all find new ways of connecting, I suppose, with or without megalomaniac billionaires involved (are there any other kind of billionaires?).
See you online or on the road…
- MRM
WRITING
On the journalism and criticism front, I wrote a reflection on the great Loretta Lynn for Vulture, and talked to Kelsea Ballerini about some favorite country lyrics for them too. Also got lucky enough to sit down with Brandi Carlile again for the LA Times, there may have been some minor tears shed on my part whilst talking about Joni Mitchell playing Newport, and some tequila consumed. I am generally obsessed with the idea of Elton John buying her an electric guitar and encouraging her to lean into that sound - as I said on Twitter the other day, I am increasingly convinced we all exist under a “rock is dead”/”there are no more rockstars” ethos because from Brandi to Hayley Williams to Yola, there are so many fucking rock stars but most of them are not men. And that makes people pretty angry! Anyway I also profiled Nicolle Galyon for Rolling Stone, who made a really great album about things we don’t always hear people singing about - namely, motherhood, growing older, figuring out how not to hate yourself when you look in the mirror. And talked to Nikki Lane for Spin.
ON TOUR
My book tour for HER COUNTRY is coming to a close next month, and it’s been extremely nice (albeit exhausting) to travel the country a bit and meet folks who have loved the book or bought the book in person. Remaining dates are here:
November 15th @ Union Ave Books in Knoxville. Meet and greet from 4- 6 pm.
November 16th @ NC Museum of History in Raleigh, NC. 7 pm. I’ll be in conversation with David Menconi, and we will be talking about the book as well as the incredible Power of Women in Country Music exhibit that is on the road right now, and kicked off at the Grammy Museum in LA (you can check out a little preview of that here, where I toured the exhibit and chatted with the iconic LeAnn Rimes).
December 8 @ Jewish Book Series: I am very excited about this event with Ann Powers & Katie Schecter. Ticket price includes a frank talk about the book and what it means to be an outsider (whether that’s anyone who is not a cishet white man in country music or a Jew in Nashville) as well as food & drink by Jewish Cowboy. Should be an amazing evening - come help me put this book tour to bed and celebrate our creative Jewish community. Everyone welcomed and encouraged! 6 p.m. at a secret location in East Nashville - address provided upon registration.
RANDOM THOUGHTS, VAGUELY ORGANIZED
The record I cannot stop listening to right now is I Walk With You A Ways, by Plains.
The record I am most excited to come out soon is from Adeem the Artist.
The book you should read right now is Maybe We’ll Make It by Margo Price. I was lucky enough to head to the first annual Park City Song Summit this year, and got to interview Margo about it, and I encourage you to seek it out - both the book, and future iterations of the song summit, which is a really special gathering.
This Tiny Desk from Allison Russell is one of my all-time favorites, on regular rotation in my house. Gives us fire and purpose as much as it gives us hope.
Friendly reminder for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disabled artists and creatives in roots/country music... we are still giving out Rainey Day, Rosetta, and Color Me Country grants, so please apply if you need a little support.
Listen to Brian Fallon:
SOME NICE THINGS PEOPLE HAVE SAID ABOUT MY BOOK, HER COUNTRY, OUT NOW!
I am generally very uncomfortable with praise, but I worked very hard on this book and am learning to be proud of the nice things people have said about it - mostly because it makes the entire, very arduous process feel worth the 5 a.m. nights and times where I was too short with my kids out of exhaustion. I hope you’ll read it if you haven’t, tell a friend, buy one as a holiday gift, consider it for year-end lists and all of those lovely things.
“Her Country is an eye-opening account of the gender bias…[and] Moss unpacks each singer’s story with precise detail and often harrowing accounts of sexism and racism.”
―Forbes
“Marissa R. Moss’s Her Country is a serious interrogation of the cultural meaning of contemporary gender and race in country music. It is sharp and fun (at times) and critical in exactly the way we need.”
―Tressie McMillan Cottom, author of Thick: And Other Essays
“Moss traces the history of Guyton’s, Musgraves’ and Maren Morris’ career against the larger dynamic that has defined women in country music…[This] is also a story of American politics, Moss argues. It shows how the battle for the soul of country music (and the dollar signs that come with it) mirrors a larger culture war in U.S. politics.”
―The 19th
“Her Country should be required reading for every music lover.”
―Sarah Arnold, director at Parnassus Books in Nashville, in Garden & Gun
“A highly-readable deep dive into the lives and careers of the women of country music…a celebration of the persistence and vision of these women and a call for change to the industry they’ve transcended…[Her Country] will be an inspiration to young musicians and a forewarning to anyone standing in their way.”
―Performer Magazine
“There’s a lot of joy sprinkled in the narrative…The stories of support and female friendship within this orbit of songwriters are enough to make a reader cry…But maybe most importantly, Her Country doesn’t shy away from the nitty gritty about who gets left out of Music Row and why.”
―Chapter 16
“[Moss] deftly makes a case for, among other critical changes, country music’s urgent need to embrace diversity…[and examines] the misogyny, inequity and racism embedded with the country music power structure.”
―Dallas Observer
“[Her Country is] an indictment of a music industry that has backed itself into a corner, and a celebration of artists who figured out their own shades and colors of the Nashville sound.”
―SouthBound, WFAE
“This is an important read for anyone who wants to understand the tenacity it takes to shove back against oppression, especially as an artist trying to break into a genre where you might not be immediately welcomed…Read this book if you’re looking to feel inspired by some excellent country artists who have refused to take ‘no’ for an answer.”
―Parton and Pearl
“Moss illustrates how these artists have carved out spaces for women, including women of color and LGBTQIA+ people, who are even less represented in the country music field. Moss’s clear and accessible writing is a delight, deftly capturing the lyricism of the genre…A must for anyone interested in country music and how the genre reflects on the United States as a whole.”
―Library Journal, *starred review*
“Moss’s stunningly crafted debut book…interlocks her subjects’ stories for a captivating structure, jumping between them to effectively create a cohesive narrative of feminist uprising in ‘the good ol’ boys club.’ This must read for music fans displays Moss’s extensive knowledge of Nashville’s Music Row scene…and she speaks of the genre’s ebbs and flows with an authoritative, assertive voice…Her Country speaks (sings, really) volumes about the rise of female artists in country music, and how far they still have to climb.”
―Booklist, *starred review*
“Part coming-of-age tale, part hard-hitting documentary of country music’s antagonistic history with women artists, this story is a page-turner even if you know how it turns out…The author’s reporting and storytelling shine as brightly as her subjects.”
―Kirkus Reviews, *starred review*
“Music journalist Moss debuts with an exuberant deep-dive into the careers of three country music stars who ‘opened up a window to a musical world where women are in charge.’ Offering a spirited cultural history of country music over the last 25 years, Moss traces how it…[became] a rigged system hell-bent on silencing its women…This is the unapologetic celebration fans have been waiting for.”
―Publishers Weekly
“Marissa Moss delivers a master class on the startling inequities in country music, introducing us to the modern-day pioneers, the rebels, the risk takers, the marginalized and the misfits. This is a story of the women who defied the odds and refused to kick the ladder. Her Country illuminates the path to those artists left behind, and reminds us why we all need our country heroes to look like us.”
―Brandi Carlile, Grammy-winning artist and New York Times bestselling author of Broken Horses
“I can’t think of a better person to be leading this much needed conversation than Marissa R. Moss. I'm thankful for how Her Country celebrates the power of women, our artistry, vision and perseverance in this industry.”
―LeAnn Rimes
“Country music has always been creative, full of strong folks, and is way more diverse than the often-portrayed stereotype. Marissa R. Moss’s Her Country is an excellent highlight of the incredible women who have paved the way for this genre as well as the women currently pushing it forward.”
―Orville Peck
“Her Country shines a light in the dark corners we don’t talk about; it’s equal parts unbelievable and completely believable. These realities are used brilliantly in this book as a tool to illustrate how women are breaking the mold, changing the rules, blurring the lines of genre, and how strong, resilient, inventive, and inclusive these women are.”
―Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe of Lucius
“Her Country is a fascinating look at the weird isolationism of contemporary country.”
―Literary Hub
“[A] timely treatise on the infuriating gender politics of country music.”
―Holler