Post Post Malone: goin' country
If not for Marty Muse, there'd be a different steel player on Posty's Sturgill cover below
It’s official. After stealing the Stagecoach fest last month with an all-country set, getting 65 million streams of “I Had Some Help” (featuring Morgan Wallen) in its first week, plus omnipresence at last night’s Academy of Country Music awards, Post Malone has set his sights on dominating Nashville like hot chicken. The 28-year-old Arlington, TX native grew up listening to Dallas country radio stations before he conquered hip hop. The first song he remembers hearing was “Indian Outlaw” by Tim McGraw (which makes a lot of sense).
The guy born Austin Post is already the most-streamed Texas musician of all time, and yes, that’s counting Queen Bey. Post Malone should get a big boost when his country album comes out later this year on Republic/Big Loud Records, Wallen’s label. Is country radio ready for an autotune overdose?
Malone first let his Skoal flag fly at Matthew McConaughey’s televised We’re Texas benefit for Feb. ‘21 winter storm victims, when he pulled out this great Sturgill Simpson cover, backed by Dwight Yoakam’s band.
I met the steel player on this video, Matt Pynn, on Outlaw Country Cruise 8, where he played with Nikki Lane and a couple other acts. His main gig is in the house band of The Voice, where he also plays guitar. He told a great story about how Robert Earl Keen’s steel player Marty Muse saved his job with Yoakam. I’m quoting Matt best I can remember. There was a lot of technical musician stuff that went over my head so I’m leaving that out. The gist:
“Dwight was on tour and I guess his new steel player wasn’t working out, so I got the call. I joined the tour with about a day’s notice. In Dwight’s band you play vintage instruments provided, not your own stuff that you’re used to, and I had a hard time figuring out the steel guitar (technical, technical- it was an unfamiliar model). The first night, Dwight looked back at me and said ‘that sounds worst than cats fucking!’
Robert Earl Keen was opening those shows, and the next day at sound check, his steel player Marty Muse was seeing how I was struggling. He introduced himself, and of course I knew who he was. I asked him if he could help me, and he sat there with me for two hours, running through the entire set list (technical, technical). He showed me every single thing I needed to know. That night when Dwight looked back at me, he just smiled.
Marty Muse didn’t need to do that. He saved my ass and I finished the tour. Next time you see Marty, tell him Matt Pynn says hi. And thanks!”
Aside from the Marty Muse mention, this is an out-of-character post on my Austin music history site, but since I took such shit in the beginning, I want to proudly remind everyone that I was the first credible music critic to acknowledge that Post Malone of Grapevine High has real talent. Autotune isn’t always used to cover-up pitchiness; sometimes it’s just an effect like Peter Frampton’s voice box.
After he hit big in 2016 with “White Iverson,” wearing cornrows and a silver grill, Malone’s regard among critics was lower than for Insane Clown Posse! I pitched a then-19-year-old Post to Texas Monthly and you could see almost see the spit-take in their response. Malone’s hometown newspaper the Dallas Morning News, also passed with extreme prejudice, as if I was proposing a Vanilla Ice package. Post Malone was a culture vulture, a hack propped by studio tricks. The more popular he got, the more the mainstream media hated him. The Washington Post published an especially brutal (and pretty funny) takedown that was shared about a million times. But it was full of shit.
I was firmly on Team Posty from the start because of a Rage Against the Machine cover from 2016 that comedian Bill Burr raved about on his podcast. Check it out! Malone got signed after performing a solo acoustic version of Sublime’s “Santeria” at a house party. That doesn’t happen if you don’t have talent. He certainly didn’t make it on looks.
I finally found a publication that would let me write about this polarizing Texan- the San Antonio Express News. If you’re interested, here’s that Post Malone appreciation from five years ago.
Besides the Marty Muse anecdote there’s another Austin connection here. Brendon Anthony- Brian Johnson to Casey Monahan’s Bon Scott- has stepped down from his directorship of the Texas Music Office to take a V.P. role with Big Loud Records, which will release the Post Malone country album in conjunction with Mercury/Republic. “Based in Austin, Anthony will oversee the Texas operation across label functions,” said the Big Loud Texas announcement. The set-up looks a little like Arista Texas from decades ago, when Austin had its first major label imprint since Willie’s Lone Star Records in the ‘70s. Both were shortlived.
From last night: Post Malone and Reba McEntire do an a capella tribute to Dickey Betts
He's extremely average, in my opinion. But he seems like a really good guy, so I'm happy for his success.
That Dwight Yoakum gig is a weird one for his hired guns. A friend played in his band for a while. Dwight dressed them in tailored Armani suits accessorized with cuff links that changed on alternating days. My friend messed up his Cuff Link Day once and almost got fired from the band. Dwight: ["Don't ever make that mistake again."] It's a bit much expecting a guy to sit down immediately with an instrument not his own and expect him to be as proficient as his own. Kudos to RLK's man for being such a professional and helping another guy like that. Also heard that Dwight is not a pretty sight without that cowboy hat covering up the baldness. I saw Leon Russell lose his hat with the sewed-on wig late in his career and it was shocking. Post Malone is the best original talent we've seen arise in years.