Are you part of The Tyee's critical 1%?

Thanks for reading The Tyee today — we hope this article added to your day in some way. Our team of independent journalists takes pride in doing in-depth reporting and taking time to get it right.

We're able to focus our attention on publishing impactful journalism in the public interest, and publish it for free for all to read, because we have the support of Tyee Builders. Tyee Builders are readers who contribute a bit of money — at a level and frequency of their choice — to support our editorial budget.

This core of supporters — making up about 1 to 2 per cent of our daily readership — enables us to pay our writers, keep our articles free and open to all, and not bombard our readers with annoying ads while you try to read.

Instead of focusing on what kind of articles will attract the most advertising dollars, we can spend time devoted to researching and writing stories that our readers find most valuable and make the most positive impact in our region.

If you'd like to join thousands of readers who help make independent journalism possible, consider joining Tyee Builders. Thank you.

— Jeanette Ageson, Publisher

Click here to Join Tyee Builders

Help us un-break journalism in Canada

You made it all the way through the article – I hope that means you liked it (or if not ‘liked’ it, gleaned some useful information from it). Tyee articles are known for being quite lengthy, so we appreciate when people spend some quality time with our work.

Listen, I’ll get to the point – the article you just read was made possible because our non-profit newsroom was able to pay a talented journalist to research and write it. And we can only afford to do that because of our business model, which relies on a certain percentage of our readers signing up for our paid membership program called Tyee Builders.

The traditional business model for journalism in Canada has been completely disrupted, and we’re witnessing a slow collapse as corporate newsrooms buy up distressed publications, lay people off, and suck the value out of them before declaring bankruptcy. And it doesn’t help that tech giant Meta has blocked Canadian news on their Facebook and Instagram platforms.

There is another way and we are carving the path.

Between 1 to 2 per cent of people who visit The Tyee contribute financially, but amazingly, that small percentage is enough to fund half of our overall budget. And it means we can operate without a paywall, too. 1 per cent of people giving means 99 per cent of people get access to quality, fact-based journalism from a talented team of journalists who live and work in B.C., Alberta, and across Canada. We think that’s pretty remarkable.

If you’re concerned about the way journalism is heading in Canada and you’d like to do something about it, consider joining Tyee Builders and contributing an amount that works for you.

— Jeanette Ageson, Publisher

Click here to Join Tyee Builders
Marking 20 years
of bold journalism,
reader supported.
support us subscribe free
Culture
Music

Sturgill Simpson's Cosmic American Music

Guitars and the universal consciousness, he does both.

Adrian Mack 10 Jul 2014TheTyee.ca


Adrian Mack contributes a regular music column to The Tyee and frequently sits behind Rich Hope.
Musician Sturgill Simpson
Sturgill Simpson is looking right through you.

Dwight Yoakam was in town on Saturday night, delivering an astounding two-hour stadium show inside a medium sized club (the Commodore, specifically). It was a hell of a night, and not just because we can always use a reminder of just how under-appreciated Yoakam is. Two hours of hits, people, from a guy who appeared to go Hollywood two decades ago. But he's still one of us, if you love good country music

This isn't about Dwight Yoakam, mind you, nor is it about me (much), even though I will now share some painful private history. When Yoakam pulled out "Guitars, Cadillacs" from his 1986 debut, I was reminded that I used that record to nurse my first seriously broken heart. For some reason, all that revivified American iconography was soothing to a post-punk post-adolescent, maybe because it was so familiar, and maybe because I was drunk on Carlsberg Special Brew for three months.

Nowadays, of course, I think Cadillacs (or cars, generally) are a scourge and a menace, and guitars aren't much better -- at least not the way most people use them. That's why I'm penciling in Sturgill Simpson's newest album Metamodern Sounds in Country Music for the next time my heart gets blown to smithereens. The 35-year-old Kentuckian has an effortless grasp on what he does (comparisons to Waylon Jennings are de rigueur), and his guitar sounds just great, but then he goes and gooses everything with lyrics about Buddha, DMT, and "God is there in the eyes of my best friend."

All those hippies that made shitkicker music as the sixties turned into the seventies, from Gram Parsons to Dough Sahm? They talked about their cosmic American music, and I'm sure the acid was fabulous back then -- but Simpson is taking country music into Terence McKenna territory. The man is on a quest. The only quest! And you can't ride a Cadillac to the centre of the universal consciousness, not in this economy. [Tyee]

Read more: Music

  • Share:

Facts matter. Get The Tyee's in-depth journalism delivered to your inbox for free

Tyee Commenting Guidelines

Comments that violate guidelines risk being deleted, and violations may result in a temporary or permanent user ban. Maintain the spirit of good conversation to stay in the discussion.
*Please note The Tyee is not a forum for spreading misinformation about COVID-19, denying its existence or minimizing its risk to public health.

Do:

  • Be thoughtful about how your words may affect the communities you are addressing. Language matters
  • Challenge arguments, not commenters
  • Flag trolls and guideline violations
  • Treat all with respect and curiosity, learn from differences of opinion
  • Verify facts, debunk rumours, point out logical fallacies
  • Add context and background
  • Note typos and reporting blind spots
  • Stay on topic

Do not:

  • Use sexist, classist, racist, homophobic or transphobic language
  • Ridicule, misgender, bully, threaten, name call, troll or wish harm on others
  • Personally attack authors or contributors
  • Spread misinformation or perpetuate conspiracies
  • Libel, defame or publish falsehoods
  • Attempt to guess other commenters’ real-life identities
  • Post links without providing context

LATEST STORIES

The Barometer

Are You Concerned about AI?

Take this week's poll