a.ka. Just Chill out, Bobbie Gentry (Don’t chill out, Bobbie Gentry).

This article is a working article, unfinished, and to be edited for the paper. Most of the articles on this website are like that. Subscriptions to the paper found at Subscription – Folk & Proper News

Recently stated in “Rooster Blackspur: Girl Blues w/ solutions, The 5-Spot album release, 2/17/26” Girl Blues is “With a little explanatory, between-song banter to the degree of girl blues –girl blues originated, basically, within notice some local, female artists at area live shows, express a poignant, lyrical sentiment due to their experiences, modernly similar to that of old bluesmen back in the day, forging America (of the 20’s and 30’s true American guitar music [your ‘blind’s’, your ‘ramblin’s’, and your ‘willie’s’]: the music they made over here from stuff had back there, creating blues and bluegrass] with the emotion noticeably powering the performances., because you’re right there.”

In B.E.Harmon’s Girl Blues playlist descriptions (Youtube), it’s written, “”Girl blues originated, basically, in the notice some local, female artists at area love shows express a poignant lyricism due to their experiences, modernly similar to that of old bluesmen lyrics, back in the day, forging America (of the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, true American guitar music: your “blind,”s and your “ramblin,”s and your “lightnin”s.

Seeing Madi Diaz, Sept. 19, 2024 at a Anti- Records 25th Anniversary within Nashville’s Americanafest 2024 was all like, ‘woah, these girls out here have some blues: ‘Girl Blues.’”

[Girl Blues is the observation lyricism from female artists, these days, is seemingly channeling old bluesman lyrics, because it’s their time: Madi Diaz started this article’s concept at that Anti- show].

“You said I was your new, blue baby, and you were right,” Case said.
The range of topics and emotion is exorbatant.

This all started off covering The Weird Sisters‘ uprise, 2020’s so far, with Murfreesboro Pulse coverage and conversations with the dynamic duo, Gabrielle Lewis and Izaac Short, out and about, as they skyrocketed through the early 20’s Nashville warehouse disco craze (cyclical, too), building a scene based on a 20– road trip to NY, sans the other two original members of the Weird Sisters, as just Gabrielle and Isaac ultimately kicked off into 1014 Kirkland Ave.’s warehouse party, then Eastside Bowl explosion, and trend-setting (roaming burgeoning artist’s tours in the area, such as Snooper, Jan. 12, 2025 Nashville Hardcore Benefit, where Brittany Howard started a metal band, Kumite. Girl Blues is all over the place.

[[Meanwhile, a trippingly spy, of sorts, lurked, taking in what, at a time, could’ve been, historically and during his own second/third coming, rightfully his: the Nashville party scene of the 2020’s.

F&P, 1014 Kirkland warehouse disco: It’s rare I see you out in the wild,” meaning that’s the first time F&P had been to a Nashville warehouse disco in the 2020’s.

F&P: “My names Bryce, from Murfreesboro.”

“You still live where…,” said Richie Kirkpatrick of Nashville’s Richie (cent sign for the ‘c’ in Richie)?

F&P: “Murfreesboro.”

“Oh,” and Richie’s eyes took him away from the situation, back onto his own path.

…And into Soft Junk (Alt Boys Choir).]]

[Tristen came back around (Grime’s 20th, B.East).

Richie started working with Kesha?

Rooster Spurlock/Maddie Diaz/Rebecca Cole?/Tristen’s new/kesha new?

Hard Quartet full show coverage, and Thanks to Soft Junk quote]]

[[Over the cousrse of the twneties, there’s been a girl blues [re]emergence in the Nashville area ranging from Karen Dalton and Elizabeth Cotton all the way to the like of a plethora of new-established femme tales, recently established with time/a longevity marked within their careers, with examples including Maddie Diaz (listen “Ambivilence”), [Gillian Welch (“It’s not good unless we both like it)], Aly Dellinger, Maddie Diaz, Erica Case, Orla Gartland (Late to the Party), Kesha?, The Gambler KirkDouglas?? Haley Williams? Rooster Blackspur

A Maddie Diaz concert at the Anti- Records 20th anniversary bash at The Basement East as part of/among all of the AmericanaFest, that year, including MJ Lenderman, Kayla McCalla, Neko Case and her backup singer (and band), as well as Waxahatchee and Madi Diaz, Diaz lyrics stood out in all the chaos and commotion of that day. Case had just been passed at the back door, earlier that afternoon, as close to her actual breath as I’ve ever been, followed by complaints shes’s going through hot flashes, onstage, later that evening, in the same skeleton costume. It was awesome.

Girl blues originated, basically, in the notice some local, female artists at area love shows express a poignant lyricism due to their experiences, modernly similar to that of old bluesmen lyrics, back in the day, forging America (of the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, true American guitar music; your “blind,” and your “ramblin,” and your “lightnin”)…

Seeing Madi Diaz this night was all like, ‘woah, these girls out here have some blues: Girl Blues.

LA alt. folk rock singer-songwriter, Madi Diaz, busted onto the scene….

Lyrcizing three songs off her set that evening, “Get to Know Me,” “God Person,”

This was brought on by the realization some listen to music, and first register how to play the music, if one was a musician, for instants, as others who listen to/focus on the lyrics, thus able to sing along the whole song within the next few times the song plays on the radio. The latter is fascinating.]]

[“This might be my favorite week,” Madi Diaz said.

“All of our friends get to hang out and we’re the most stressed out we ever are around each other. It’s like friendship-litmus test […] I can’t believe you’re wearing a sweater in here, psycho,” Diaz said to duet partner/guitarist, Steven Rosendeni.

“Adam Popick back here on the drums (crowd cheers)…”

to a fuzz, acoustic guitar, Diaz emotes, “Everybody]

These blues have a particular spectrum and range. Olivia Rodrigez sings beautifully and emotionally about a drivers license, but I’m not sure if the Elizabeth Cottons of the world would consider that a blues.

In 2006, Karen Dalton published a song, “In My Own Dream,” as part of her In My Own Time reemergence out of Light in the Attic Records & Productions. The whole album is a standing Millennial blues, generationally revisited, adhereing to unspoken standards just the way women raise their daughters behind the backs of men and behind closed doors.

More so a female Bob Dylan in her own space and time, Dalton originally released her debut, “It’s Hard to Tell Who’s Going to Love You the Best,” in similar, folky blues and folk bluegrass (12-string, 6-string, sometimes banjo, sometimes solely bass) with a warm, throaty depth within the cords, like Nina Simone, yet the female Bob Dylan among the Greenwich crowd, back then. A little more bright-eyed than her latter, 2006 comeback with such song titles, Little Bit of Rain, Robbon Bow, I Love You More Than Words Can Say, and How Did The Feeling Feel To You, Ms. “Right, Wrong, or Ready,” of 1969 blossomed into such titles from her 2006, In my own time,

released July 5, 2013

“Blues on the ceiling, cross the walls down the ceiling and on the bed, I’m so lonely now you’re gone. I never get out of these blues – a starry, ascendnign 12-bar in augmented nature, but strummed and hummed just the same, marking a genuine emoting needing to get out. Lyricism and insturmentation be damned, one can tell when somebody has the blues.

Nonetheless, a piano rag, “In My Own Dream”:

In Diaz’ blues, the ones that struck me that night, she’s referring to a deep rooted situation that she can’t resolve and time is neede to deal with it -or the only thing that can deal with it- exercising the faith and optimism that keeps humans going on a day to day basis. If change comes, it can replenish the hope, but if stagnancy or getting worse takes the better, then you’ve got yourself the blues.

But then you realize, it’s on a spectrum. And the modern ways of emoting are just as legitimate.

Another recent connect with the river-ly energy of female vocal is the lyricism with Orla Garland, of a WNXP-presented show back at The Eastside Bowl,

Orla Gartland – “Late To The Party” (Live at NON COMM 2025)

It’s about the baggage taken from relationships

which is in the vein of modern girl blues. The modernity has not only allowed baggage from relationships after so much time becoming baggage-blues just as legit as In My Own Dreams blues.

IT’s generatoinal, as well.

Within the 20’s Girl Blues has been noticeable/running rampant everywhere from the likes of the locality’s Erica Case and Aly Dellinger playing spots at Crying Cat Books over on Maney

To the likes of Madi Diaz and Orla Gartland

To the national level with The Linda Linda Linda’s, Stevie Nicks, and

It doesn’t matter if your sister’s kids call you caca, control issues, men, or any unobtainable or slipping issues emerging as you’re just trying to figure yourself out in the ocean waves of life across life’s stages, it’s true modern girl blues that can even be traced back from the influences of the modern Carolina Chocolate Drops’ Layla McAlla’s influences (as seen at the 98th Academy Awards, this year, playing banjo), such as Elizabeth Cotton being one of the last links to Subsaharan Blues that made its way over to America via the slave trade, sold, and capitalized on, as the ships helped write the music, and bring the instruments.

The Juliana Hatfield Three, “My Sister” a Xillenial coping, such as Orla Gartland’s interpretation of the sentiment. PJ Harvey does Muddy Waters on 120 Minutes, too. C’mon.

On the flip side, Girl Blues has been happening -recently discussed in Rooster Blackspur’s February 2026 album release show at The 5-Spot, on Forrest Ave, discussing Girl Blues with solutions -as was established much earlier throughout the showcases within the Nashville rock scene of the 20’s led by the gusto and glamour of trained musicians, seemingly time travelers from the future. Some just to lay down the spectrum of what girl blues can cover (and the ones with solutins instead of venting in Alaskan Tundra survivial-ist, and West Coast troubadour nature).

[[The shows you missed: Orla Gatland and whomever else, you can’t use those. though use them as examples in leading up paragraphs, emphasizing the ones you’ve seenyadayada.]]

[[Tristen, Haley Williams, Rooster Sputlock, Xanthe Alexis, Monte Mader, Maddie Diaz, Angie Leese?, Kesha, Karly Hartzman? ALy Dellinger, The Dead Deads]]

lyrcism;

scope and encompassment of performances

A list of Girl Blues performances is found at Girl Blues – YouTube

Then John Cleese’s daughter’s show, Audio transcription?11/19/23 (any other female speakers? Melissa Joan Heart? Ashley McBryde?)

Transcription of Camillia Cleese’s Night with John Cleese, Grand Ole Opry, November 19, 2023.

“I know you’re disappointed. He’ll be here, soon. He’s just very old and […]

Got my height from my Dad. I’m 6’1 (crowd cheers) -oh, now I don’t need pity woo’s. It’s too fckn tall (crowd laughs).

I did grow up in the UK. I just sound like this to piss him off (crowd laughs)

It takes me 45 minutes to shave my legs. I love pants (crowd laughs).

[…] And sometimes all my best friends are teeny tiny cute little things, okay? Like, so when I walk, I can never wear hi-heels because I can’t hear them. When you’re tallest in your group of friends, you’re always forced with a few extra responsibilities, like be the designated meeting point. You never sit down.

Honestly, I’m a little jealous. I would love to be petite, y’know, for a day and see what it’s like and have some of those experiences. It’s very an experience I totally missed out on. Like actually get invited to sit on someone’s lap. Or get thrown around in the bedroom, but in, like, a non-violent way. Or just for once I’d love to the little spoon. Y’know, when I’m spooning in bed becuase in the world of spoons, I am a fckn ladel, right? Like who’s gonna big spoon this? A shovel?

The worst part, I get strangers commenting on my height, every single day: ‘You’re tall.’

I know. I fckn’ know.

So, I like to have a little fun with them, so I don’t punch anybody. Um, I was up in Hollywood after a set -that was my first mistake- but this creepy, rough guy comes up to me with probably the worst pick-up line you could ever use on a tall girl. He’s like, ‘Damn, girl, you’re really tall.

So, I was like, ‘Not for a man’ (audience laughs).

At the groceries, this woman actually said this to me. She was like, ‘How did you get so tall?’ -Only in. L.A., right?

I wanted to say, ‘Oh, it’s genetics. The same way you got so stupid.”

Instead, I made up a little story: Oh, I have a tumor on my pituitary gland. It caused me to grow abnormally fast. I’m only thirteen (crowd laughs).

She looked like she felt bad… I’m like, ‘-Oh, it’s okay, there’s a bright side. My mommy said when I get to be seven feet and people start really making fun of me, I’m gonna die (crowd laughs) .

I do think there’s an upside to being ridiculously tall, though. I think I’d be very difficult to kidnap. This is a lof of limb to wrangle through a doorway, unless the guy just happens to have horse tranquilizers and a uhaul, they’re probably going for fun-size and affordable, like you (crowd laughs).

“Nobody kidnap her, I’m watching,” Camilla said as the crowd, in segueway.

‘Us girls have a to stick together, right, ladies (ladies yew from the crowd).

“Okay, I’m glad like 12 of you are on board,” Camilla said.

“That’s not a great percentage. There’s not a lot of marches going on here? (corwd laughs)

“Did you just say it’s the South” to an audience member (crowd laughs).

That’s a very good point. I didn’t think about that.

-“The what?” Camila asks the lady saying something?

Yeah, the guns have more rights than women. I have heard that (ladies cheer).

Yeah, take them literally everywhere, right? (Ladies cheering and applause. laughing).

I’m on a women’s rights kick lately (quiet). Yeah, that’s the response I expected. Two of you excited (people start cheering), and the rest of the room just shut down. I don’t give a fck. We’re going to talk about it anyway. I promise you, my dad will not (crowd hollering). -Maybe their wrongs, but not their right, [y’know whuddaImean?] [several laugh at that].

I just think as a woman, its so imporatant that i fitht for my right to stay at home and not work (crowd laughs). It’s also my right to work, just when I feel like it. The right to have men pay for everything? Hm, that was popular, too (laughs)

A lot of dates here, tonight? (crowd murmurs)

You’re welcom, ladies. Now they’ll have to pay, or they look like a real dick (chuckles)

Look, I even think they should have to pay for the sex, if it’s bad (laughs, some applause). Y’know? You should have a right to choose whether to charge, after the fact, like…

‘That’s gonna be $75. I can’t get my five minutes back. I’ve gotta pay for my therapy bill, uhhhh.

I do, though, think that equal pay is of the utmost importance, right? Like, if I’m honest, I feel like certain jobs (crowd slow to applause the first line) -You may not want to clap, yet…

I feel like certain jobs can be better suited for one sex or the other, I mean generally speaking. These are the things I lie in bed, mostly alone, and obsess about at night.

If my buildings on fire and I’m trapped in my fifth floor apartment, and I see that the firefighter coming up the latter to save me is a chick… Gonna be fckn disappointed (mild laughs). I’m huge. I mean, what’s she gonna do? Keep me company? Like, hold my hand while we both burn to death? Maybe sing ‘Kumbaya?’ I mean, there’s a reason I started this fire, okay (crowd laughs). I want Joe Mangienello to come up, right? Like, in his little Magic Mike get-up, and carry me to safety (crowd yes and laughs) -youguys knowwhatI’m talkin’ about. -Or maybe strip first, and carry me to safety. -Priorities, y’know?

I also don’t think us girls make great navigators (quiet). Yeah, no one ever disagrees with that statement (crowd laughs).

I, uh… I’m terrible at history, so I looked up on my computer ‘famous female navigators or explorer,’ and the top hit that comes back is Amelia Aerhart (crowd laughs). She’s still lost. That’s our best.

Sometimes I’ll get, like, ‘what about Dora?’ But who’s even seen her lately?!

I think she got deported (crowd, awwwws [some laugh]).

‘Aw,that’s where the line is?? It’s a cartoon, people. It couldn’t really happen.’

‘Dora the Deported’? C’mon. It’s kinda cute, isn’t it? She’d be in a prison camp, anyway.

[Camilla to the crowd] -Y’know you came to see John Cleese, right? It’s going to get a lot worse (audience laughs).

But there are times that there are roles that aren’t good for men: Pretty much anything that requires listening (laughs).

See the men didn’t laugh, because they’re not listening (all laugh)…

Can you tell I’m single? I feel like I radiate cat hair and bitterness…

I decided that during the pandemic, I’m was going to start dating again -Well, -why… Well, honestly, I figured there were more options… A lot of people broke up; died, whatever. -There were finally some new faces on the dating app, but here’s the problem with a comic, I would rather make a good joke than have a good relationship. It doesn’t always go great.

I was seeing this guy for about three weeks when I got a text message from him saying, ‘how are you?’ with a heart emoji. And I think a normal girl would respond, ‘great, thanks.’ ‘How are you? [heart emoji].’

I was like, ‘naaah.’ I went with the pregnant girl emoji (half crod laughs, some cheer,the other half, ‘oooooohhhhh.’ And I waited.

He didn’t respond, so I wrote, ‘oops, sorry. Wrong Person’ (crowd applause). And then I never heard from him, again.

But, I would like to get married at some point, one day. Marriage is such a serious commitment. Y’know, that’s a contract to spend your life with somebody, and I just think it needs to be updated for modern times and short attention spans, like mine. Maybe they could make it like a cell phone contract. Like for two years, it’s impossible to get out, even if the communications patchy. You gotta work through that sht, right? But at the end of two years, you would get the option to renew for another two years, upgrade to a family plan, or get the fck out and find a better service provider, right? (crowd claps and woots)

I’m guessing the people clapping are married…

‘Penalties will incurred for long distance and roaming,’ she says (crowd laughs).

And if your’e not ready for that level of commitment, you just get one of thos prepaid, or pay-as-you-go burner phones. Those are hookers (crowd laughs) -Or, if you live in L.A., both (crowd laughs).

I don’t know. I do really want to get married, but I don’t want a husband. I just want a wedding. I just want a big party that’s all about me and I get to wear a really expensive dress and a tiara, get lots of presents that I picked out myself, have a weird dance with my dad, then have sex at the end of the night…

Like, really, I want a quinceañera (crowd laughs a little more at this one).

But, my dad says I’m a little too old. What a dick.

I spend my life going to, like, baby showers and weddings, and it just seems unfair that I have to bring couples a gift. Like, especially, the baby showers. It might as well be going away parties, y’know, ‘See you in 18 years’ (crowd laughs).

And why is it when you have a partner, you get to choose all the gifts you want? Like, expensive sht you need for your apartment, like a spatula, and a quissenart. Like, I can’t do that. If I threw a cat shower and did that, you guys would not show up (crowd laughs).

And they keep adding parties? I went to a gender reveal party. What is that bullshit? I’m sorry, that should be the surprise party that takes place at the OBGYN office with the people who care, knaw mean? Thank you (crowd agrees with cheer and woo’s).

This thing -thank you- I was like baby shower 2.0. I had to bring another gift.

Are we going to have to do this thing again in 14 years, but it turns out it’s not a baby boy, after all? (crowd laughs and cheers). You know I’m right. I’m not briging another gift, but…

You know what would be fun? A race revieal party (laughs but into skepticism).

Hear me out, okay (crowd laughs and awwws). I’d bring popcorn to that sht. Sit in the waiting room. It’s like an episode of Maury Povich, ’cause you know all babies pop outlooking the same they’re like read and screamy and ugly -unless the baby is yours, I’m sure, but -like someone comes over the loud-speaker and everyones just waiting, like, ‘Chad, you are not the father. You can go home” (crowd laughs).

Jose, its a little early. You should stick around (crowd laughs).

You, too, Jamal. … He already left?? (crowd awwwws)

-Okay, this is my story, and Jamal is white, so that’s on you, bitches.

Maybe I haven’t met the right person. I’d love to be like my parents. They’re amazing; been married almost 42 years (crowd big applause)… yeah, to seven diferent people (crowd cracks up)! -But not at the same time. We’re not Utah, but…

It goes that you guys have, like, a family, whereas we have a family tumbleweed, just this big ol’ mass that keeps rolling along, picking up dirt and debris. Like, none of us know how we’re related, we’re just like know who not to fck… ‘Cause we’re not from Utah (audience laughs).

I got exciting news though. We have a new child in our family… My new stepmother (crowd laughs).

Two weeks younger than my sister. We have a new middle child, is what we have. I don’t know.

It’s pretty cool -it’ fckn weird, but y’know, I also have a lot in common with his future ex-wife, y’know. Both of us are six foot, blonde, and should not be married to my dad (crowd laughs).

I love to mess with her in public. I call her, probably, the worst thing I could. Mommy (crowd laughs), and I bribed all my neices and nephews to call her grandma (crowd laughs) -they’re in the late/mid twenties, it’s awesome.

All right, before I get out of here, can I embarass my dad, real quick (crowd apey)? WIth one quick story?

All right. He’s not great with technology, as I’m sure you know a lot of your parents -or a lot of you (crowd ‘ohhh’s), and whenever he’s in L.A. I literally help him with everyting technology -plug in toasters, yknow (crowd laughs), put batteries in the tv remote- that kind of thing.

But he was actually, at the beginning of the pandemic, he was on his way to China, of all things, and he got stuck. He was at his hotel, and I had to get him to sign a release for something that’s supposed to air in, like, an hour. So, I called the hotel and asked them to print out the release and send it up to his room. And then I called my dad and was like, ‘Dad, when this document arrives, I need you to sign it, take a picture of it, and send it to me. And this is the picture he sent me, [John Cleese sent a picture of him sleeping in the hotel room, instead]

Not sure what to fckn do with that (crowd ramping up applauding and laughing and applauding), but, anyway, without further ado, you know him from…. (crowd going apey as Camilla ends her set / John Cleese walks out)

John Cleese: Don’t have children. Have pets.

Bryce Harmon (@folkandpropernews) • Instagram photos and videos