Tag: deep cuts

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Hidden Gems From The B-Side.. Life Side (Week 9)

Tonic 🎶 Head On Straight 🎶 Lemon Parade…

Hey yall… so I have two more great songs from Tonic for you…

“Head on Straight”
• Album: Head on Straight
• Year: 2o02

“Lemon Parade”
• Album: Lemon Parade
• Year: 1996

And here’s some cool facts about the band…

• The name “Tonic” comes from music theory — the tonic is the home note of a scale.. They chose it because they wanted their songs to feel grounded.. centered.. and real…

• “If You Could Only See” became one of the most-played rock songs of the late ’90s.. but the band actually thought deeper tracks like “Lemon Parade” better represented who they really were…

• Emerson Hart (lead singer) wrote many of their songs while dealing with personal struggles — addiction.. recovery.. and relationships — which is why their lyrics hit with that raw… honest edge….

• They turned down being over-polished… Labels wanted them slicker… but Tonic pushed to keep their sound emotional and imperfect — part of why they connect so well with listeners who love real feeling over radio gloss…

• They reunited after a long break because fans never stopped asking for them — and when they came back… they kept the same heart instead of chasing modern trends…

I hope you enjoy 😉 `.°~

I struggled all my life with empty moments…
The shadow of a hole I’d never fill…
Any happiness I had was empty…
It wasn’t good enough… I wanted love…

I wish I’d seen you… as a little girl… without your armor… to fend off the world…

© 2026 Bryan H. All Rights Reserved.

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Outlaw Roots — A Hank Jr. Series

Where My Sound Began…

Hey yall…
if you check my blog out at all… you already know how much music means to me…

Being a musician and a singer… I love all kinds of sound…
I’ve got influences everywhere — punk… rock… outlaw country… even rap…  Christian music.. of course… and more…
Throw it all in a blender and you pretty much get me… my sound…

But if I’m being real…
it all started for me with outlaw country…
with Hank Williams Jr… aka Bocephus…

Most people know him…
but they usually only know three or four of the big songs…
What a lot of folks don’t realize is — he has hundreds of songs that go even deeper than the famous ones…

To me… his music is pure art…
straight poetry…

And here’s the part that surprises people —
for a guy known for that raw… hard sound…
Hank Jr. wrote some of the best love songs I’ve ever heard…

I learned to play guitar from his music…
I learned to sing from his music…
I honestly know every single one 😁😎…

So… I’m starting something new…

Every Friday…
I’m going to feature one Hank Jr. song —
a weekly spotlight —
to help introduce people to the side of him most never get to hear…

When I really think about it…
he’s probably had more influence on me than any other artist…

His music is special…
and to most of the world…
it’s still a secret…

😎.•-  .°~  `’.,°~

© 2026 Bryan H. All Rights Reserved.