Honky Tonk Confidential is a retro/alt country band from the Washington, D.C. area. The band's latest CD is the result of a collaboration with

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 48 H ...

chief Washington correspondent and ''

Face the Nation ''Face the Nation'' is a weekly news and morning public affairs program airing Sundays on the CBS radio and television network. Created by Frank Stanton in 1954, ''Face the Nation'' is one of the longest-running news programs in the history o ...

'' anchor,

Bob Schieffer Bob Lloyd Schieffer (born February 25, 1937) is an American television journalist. He is known for his moderation of presidential debates, where he has been praised for his capability. Schieffer is one of the few journalists to have covered all f ...

. Schieffer penned the lyrics to four of the tunes on ''Road Kill Stew and Other News (with Special Guest Bob Schieffer),'' and he sings on his own "TV Anchorman." One of HTC's members, guitarist and vocalist Diana Quinn, was a founding member of Tru Fax & the Insaniacs, an early DC punk/new wave band.

History

HTC formed in 1996, and played its first gig at the JV's Restaurant, a Falls Church

honky tonk A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, or tonk) is both a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons and the style of music played in such establishments. It can also refer to the type of piano ( tack piano) ...

. Since then, the band has played in most major venues in the DC area and recorded four CDs, as well as numerous compilation cuts. HTC has won many Washington Area Musicians Association (WAMA) awards, including Debut Album and Country Album for its eponymous 1999 CD (''Honky Tonk Confidential''). The band's second CD, ''Your Trailer or Mine?'' (2002), won Album of the Year and Country Album, and its third CD, ''Who Gets the Fruitcake This Year?'' (2006), received Wammy awards for Country Album and Song of the Year. Possibly the only song about

Pee Wee Herman Pee-wee Herman is a comic fictional character created and portrayed by American comedian Paul Reubens. He is best known for his films and television series during the 1980s. The childlike Pee-wee Herman character developed as a stage act that qu ...

, "Pee Wee's Gone", is on ''Your Trailer or Mine?'', and the first country song (and likely the last) about

Hanukkah or English translation: 'Establishing' or 'Dedication' (of the Temple in Jerusalem) , nickname = , observedby = Jews , begins = 25 Kislev , ends = 2 Tevet or 3 Tevet , celebrations = Lighting candles each night. ...

is "Honky Tonk Hannukah", which can be found on ''Who Gets the Fruitcake This Year?''. ''Road Kill Stew and other News'' contains the parody of

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

's "A Boy Named Sue", called "A Girl Named Dick". HTC contributed many songs to the various baseball and Christmas CDs released by the non-profit Hungry for Music, including "Nolan Ryan's Fastball", which was performed widely in 2006 as part of the Baseball Music Project, an orchestral program comprising baseball songs. The band's song "That's Nats" is played during baseball season at

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

games. Along with the HTC CDs, Diana Quinn also produced a compilation alt country CD called ''Greetings from the District of Country'', which includes cuts by Louise Kirchen (married to

Bill Kirchen William Knight Kirchen (born June 29, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a member of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen from 1967 to the mid-1970s and later worked with Nick Lowe. ''Guitar Player'' magazine desc ...

), Tex Rubinowitz, and Kevin Johnson and the Linemen. Original founding members Diana Quinn (guitar, vocals) and Mike Woods (lead guitar, vocals) perform with Sam Goodall (bass), Mark Lindamood (drums), and Bobby Martin (pedal steel guitar). The band claims classic

and

western swing Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the Western United States, West and Southern United States, South among the region's Western music (North America), Western string bands. It is dan ...

as major influences, including country music giants

and

Bob Wills James Robert Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American Western swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Considered by music authorities as the founder of Western swing, he was known widely as the King of Western Swing (although S ...

. Quinn comes from a punk/classical background; She was a founding member of one of Washington DC's early punk/new wave bands, Tru Fax & the Insaniacs and she studied for more than a decade with the classical guitar pioneer

Sophocles Papas Sophocles Papas (1893 or 1894 – 26 February 1986) was a Greek classical guitar pedagogue and music publisher. Early life Papas was born in Sopik, Ottoman Empire. He was exposed to classical music at an early age by his father, who was a church ...

.Dechert, S. Renee (2002)
Honky Tonk Confidential: Your Trailer or Mine?
,

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

, June 25, 2002, retrieved 2011-12-26 Mike Woods is considered one of the area's top guitar wranglers, and plays a Fender Telecaster. Diana and Sam also play Fender guitars. Mark joined the band in 2006 and plays Ludwig drums. Bass player Geff King, a prolific songwriter who wrote many of the songs on the group's earlier CDs, left the band in 2006. In 2006, the band began working with Bob Schieffer, recording the album ''Road Kill Stew and Other News''.Steinberg, Jacques (2007)
Bob Schieffer Sings Honky Tonk
, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', June 27, 2007, retrieved 2011-12-26Joyce, Mike (2007)
HONKY TONK CONFIDENTIAL "Road Kill Stew and Other News" Two Many Dogs
, ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', April 13, 2007, retrieved 2011-12-26

Discography

Albums

*2007 - ''Road Kill Stew and Other News (with Special Guest Bob Schieffer)'' *2006 – ''Who Gets the Fruitcake This Year?'' *2002 – ''Your Trailer or Mine?'' *1999 – ''Honky Tonk Confidential''

Individual cuts

*2000 – ''Greetings from The District of Country'' (produced by Diana Quinn): Includes "Barroom Tan", "I Done It (and I'm Glad)", and

Wanda Jackson Wanda LaVonne Jackson (born October 20, 1937) is an American singer and songwriter. Since the 1950s, she has recorded and released music in the genres of rock, country and gospel. She was among the first women to have a career in rock and roll, ...

's "Fujiyama Mama" *2005 – ''Diamond Cuts (Vol. VIII)'' (Hungry for Music): "American Pastime in Black and White" and "That's Nats" *2005 – ''A Chanukah Feast'' (HFM): "Honky Tonk Hannukah" *2005 – ''A Holiday Feast (Vol. VIII)''(HFM): "

Santa Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...

is a Working Man" *2003 – ''Crème de La Crème'' (HFM): "Who Gets the Fruitcake This Year?" *2002 – ''A Holiday Feast (Vol. VII)'' (HFM):

Buck Owens Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. (August 12, 1929 – March 25, 2006), known professionally as Buck Owens, was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and band leader. He was the lead singer for the Buckaroos, Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, which had 21 ...

' "Blue Christmas Lights" *2001 – ''A Holiday Feast (Vol. VI)'' (HFM): A cow-surf version of "O Come O Come Emmanuel" *2001 – ''Night of 100 Elvises'' (HFM): "(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I" *2001 – ''Nolan Ryan A Musical Tribute'' (HFM):

Jerry Jeff Walker Jerry Jeff Walker (born Ronald Clyde Crosby; March 16, 1942 – October 23, 2020) was an American country music and folk singer-songwriter. He was a leading figure in the progressive country and outlaw country music movement. He was best ...

's "Nolan Ryan" and "Nolan Ryan's Fastball" *2001 – ''Diamond Cuts Triple Play'' (HFM): "

Nolan Ryan Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (born January 31, 1947), nicknamed "the Ryan Express", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and sports executive. Over a record 27-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanning four decades, Ryan ...

's Fastball" *2000 – ''A Holiday Feast (Vol. V)''(HFM): "Who Gets the Fruitcake This Year?" *1999 – ''A Holiday Feast (Vol. IV)''(HFM): "

's Got That Ol' TB" *1998 – ''A Holiday Feast (Vol. III)''(HFM): "Drivin' into

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

" *1998 – ''Edges from the Postcard II'' (P2 Records/Twangfest): "Honky Tonk 101"

References

External links