Single Mom Cashes Out 401(k)
To Defend Country Music’s Bro-Country
Although the name of our website is “Rocking God’s House,” we have spent plenty of time in other genres besides rock music — including the wonderful honor of interviewing some of the greatest legends in country music — Dolly Parton, Charlie Daniels, Rhonda Vincent, Nancy Jones (the widow of George Jones), Jim Ed Brown, Little Jimmy Dickens, and Johnny Cash’s drummer, W.S. Holland, to name a few.
When we saw this story about a single mom putting some big money where her mouth is — all in the name of defending a certain corner of country music fans — we were intrigued.
The following is from her recent press release:
At a time where everyone walks on eggshells in an effort to be politically correct, April Fraiser is putting her money where her mouth is, cashing out her 401(k) to defend country music with a song called, “Bro-Country.” A single mom, part-time singer-songwriter and full-time nurse, April released the song today via her own music label, Out East Records.
Check out “Bro-Country” now at iTunes: https://itun.es/i6Lq3xc
“Bro-country,” ushered in by the popularity of artists like Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line, is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as “a sub-genre of country music sung by young white men, featuring songs with macho themes such as trucks, drinking and partying.” Many artists have openly criticized bro-country, including Collin Raye, Clay Walker, Zac Brown, Vince Gill and newcomers Maddie & Tae.
In a heartfelt and humor-filled blog post titled, The Blessing in Bro-Country. . . Power in PRO Country, April writes, “I’m a girl, so (obviously), I am not Bro-Country. But I am very much PRO-Country. I love ALL of it. . .”
But April didn’t just feel the need to support the music she loves. Out of concern for the fans she feels are being slighted, she felt the overwhelming need to defend it. In her blog, April says, “So I did what any responsible single mom would do; I cashed out my 401(k) to produce my first record defending it making sure to break every rule. . . and include every obnoxious reference I could find. . .”
A road trip to her hometown of Booneville, Mississippi reminded April that “you can’t fake small town,” but you can forget. Writes April, “These are real people with real lives whose pain runs deep. For many the only good time they will know that day is the 3 minutes coming in through their radio, and that is a big deal. A big deal.
“There are few things in this world that can interrupt your life in such a way you forget about whatever’s dragging you down leaving you with a much-needed mental vacation. Music is one of them. So trust me, Mr. Music Man, when I say that country fans don’t give one rip about your anti-bro-agenda and no amount of time spent on “The Row” will ever qualify you for having your pulse on small town life or what makes us feel good. These concepts may seem simple-minded to many of you, but it sounds like a dang good time to many of the rest of us.”
April is quick to encourage the industry to branch out, but writes that the sales have spoken, and like it or not bro-country is relevant.
“Life is hard,” writes April. “Jesus may be the answer, but music may be the Band-Aid. Bowing down to industry pressure might make you politically correct, but it will not make you a hero. Only touching lives does that. . . and sometimes those lives just want to drink a beer and chill.”
“Can’t we all just be PRO-Country?”
For more information, visit www.aprilstunes.com.
