Livin': Sweet Tee!

Southern Brand Lil' Ones - Vintage Soft T's for babies and toddlers - have hit boutique shelves! We've begun shippin' orders out across the country and we'd like to give a great big thank ya! to some of the trend settin' early adopters who are samplin' our chili: LaLaLing in L.A. Wonderland in South Carolina, Genius Jones & Industry in Miami and City Cricket in SOHO.

"This Ain't My First Rodeo" seems to be a huge hit! You can check out the whole line of Lil' Ones t-shirts here. We also have long sleeve thermals, long sleve t's and onesies. Give us a holler at 305-573-3400 or drop us a line at info@southernbrand.com and we'll send ya a PDF of what's available.

Here's a bit about our wares:

We figured there weren't enough people out there makin' the kinda shirts we were always lookin' for. The kinda tees that feel like they been washed a thousand times with love by your mama, then hung to dry on the clothesline out back, just swayin' in the fresh summer breeze. T-shirts that are simple, bold, and uniquely southern. Not all that crazy, over the top printing on every inch including the armpit of the too-tight fashion tee. And not all that rebel flag, south's-gonna-do-it-again-southern that somehow seems to be all ya get when you google "southern t-shirts". We wanted to create a line for the Southern that we know. Small town America. Life through amber-tinted glasses. The sweet, smoky taste of some real pit BBQ. The steely sound of a slide guitar. The rumble of an old pick-up truck down a muddy dirt road. Sittin' on the front porch sippin' sweet tea, spittin' watermelon seeds and pickin' a tune. A brand built on truth, integrity and pride. Built on fillin' a need. By makin' the clothes we want to wear ourselves. Clothes we believe in. Premium quality. Classic American design. An honest product at an honest price.

Southern Brand t-shirts are made from sweet, soft cotton. From the dirt. Up outta the earth. They got some sun in ‘em too. And some soul. They’ve been put through an extensive vintage wash process. This produces distinctive weathering and classic color, resulting in a true vintage look and a super soft feel. We print with water-based soy and vegetable inks and use a non-formaldehyde discharge process. We don't use nothin' we wouldn't put on our own kids!

And stay tuned, we'll be launchin' Southern Belle and Southern Man shortly.

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Music: Sunday Mornin’

JC doin' Sunday Morning Coming Down. Written By Kris Kristofferson.
Have a good one.

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Music: Hank Williams - The Daddy of American Music

The clip above is from Honky Tonk Blues - The Story Of Hank Williams.

From Wiki: Hank Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer-songwriter and musician who has become an icon of country music and one of the most influential musicians and songwriters of the 20th century. A leading pioneer of the honky tonk style, he had numerous hit records, and his charismatic performances and succinct compositions increased his fame. His songbook is one of the backbones of country music, and several of his songs are pop standards as well. He has been covered in a range of pop, gospel, blues and rock styles. His death at the age of twenty-nine helped fuel his legend. More...

And here's a link to an interestin' article from the New York Times last Sunday. Enjoy.

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Music/Livin': Billy Joe Shaver, Shel Silvertsein and Waylon Jennings walk into a bar…

They don't make outlaws like Billy Joe Shaver anymore.

Now Billy Joe Shaver, he's one wild old dude. Some of the kids know him as the fella that sings the theme song to Squidbillies, which is Adult Swim's country cartoon cannon. Some folks know him as the man who created one of the classic Outlaw Country albums - Old Five and Dimers Like Me. Some of you know him as the man that wrote some classic stuff for Waylon and Willie (and Elvis) but the truth is he really should be known for being one of the Toughest Sonsabitches ever.

You're talkin bout a fella that after a stint in the navy (joined at 17) cut a few fingers off working in a lumber mill, taught himself to play guitar anyway, had a heart attack on
stage at Gruene Hall in Texas and is still knockin' em dead almost 10 years after. He's endured great personal loses and is still out there swinging.

Here's a bit from Wikipedia on Billy Joe's recent dustup with Johnny Law:

Shooting in Lorena, Texas:
Police in Lorena, TX about 80 miles north of Austin, issued arrest warrants for Shaver April 2, 2007 on charges of aggravated assault and possessing a firearm in a prohibited place. This was in connection with an incident outside a tavern, Papa Joe's Texas Saloon in Lorena on March 31, 2007, in which Shaver shot a man, Billy Bryant Coker, in the face with a handgun. Coker's injuries were reported as not life-threatening. Witnesses interviewed by police report hearing Shaver saying "where do you want it?" and then, after the shot was fired, "Tell me you are sorry" and "No one tells me to shut up." Coker told police the attack was unprovoked. Shaver's attorney declared that Shaver had shot Coker "in self-defense" after Coker threatened Shaver with a knife. After unsuccessfully attempting to surrender to police in Austin, TX, who were unaware of the warrant, Shaver turned himself in at McLennan County Jail in Waco, TX on Tuesday, April 3. He was released after an hour on $50,000 bond and gave his scheduled performance at Waterloo Records in Austin that evening, where he reportedly told fans, "Don't forget to pray for me, and tell your kids to pray for me, too."

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Music: Six Days On The Road - Trucker Music and Diesel Only Records

My daddy was a big CB'er, he'd pilot that sky blue '77 Camaro like he was Burt Reynolds in the black Trans-Am. He'd drag me to these jamborees where all the CB'ers would meet up and put a face to the handle. On road trips he'd shoot up ahead of the convoy of big rigs and let the truckers know if there was a smokey up ahead then fall back between the trucks in the Rocking Chair. In corduroy-covered 70's style he befriended the very friendly beaver "Frosty" and met her at a 7-11, they just laughed when they saw each other. He was a lil' heavier than she imagined, she was a lil' older. But soon, he was her buddy, meeting her an her husband Crew Cut for coffee, barbcuein' with them and their grown son, "Son God", and... Lord help me I forget her sister's name.

But they were good people and we listened to a whole lotta truckin songs. Her ol' man was a trucker and turned my hot-rod dad onto a whole buncha 8 tracks. Recent listens to Dave Dudley been taking me back as I happened upon Diesel Only Records.

Diesel Only records is a label owned by the Rig Rocker, of Outlaw Country's HammerDown Radio and RoadDog Trucking Radio on Sirius Satellite, and I was bowled over by it's reissues of old truckin' music, with the covers and tracks intact and the music remastered from the original analog tracks. Records like Red Simpson's Truck Driving Fool, Kay Adams' Wheels and Tears and Simpson's Roll Truck Roll, kinda the Sgt Pepper of Trucker albums. Big City Newspaper the Village Voice has a lighthearted but heartfelt appreciation of those records here.

Dieselonly.com also has killer new stuff they put out, like releases by Laura Cantrell (her version of Roll Truck Roll is available there as an mp3) Tammy Faye Starlite and Joe Flood. My faves are the compilations produced by the Rocker himself, like Rig Rock Deluxe: A musical Salute to the American Truck Driver. It's fulla gear grinding tracks from folks like Buck Owens, Marty Stuart, Steve Earle, and BR549 and Truck Driver's Boogie: Big Rig Hits 1939-1969, a collaboration 'tween Diesel Only and the Country Music Hall of Fame, with 20 original tracks by the original artists and a 24 page booklet with extensive liners notes and photos and featuring cats like the Milo Twins, Del Reeves and (rockin' above) Dave Dudley.

KAHA0829, this is the Lone Knight, we're down. (My pappy's old call letters, handle and sign-off). Like I said, we're down.

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