We first heard Karen O settle into a low-key country tune with last fall’s Roger Alan Wade-penned Jackass theme, “If You’re Gonna Be Dumb, You Gotta Be Tough,” but here she is taking on a classic: “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” a late-’70s hit (written by Jack and Patsy Bruce) for outlaw-country greats Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. O’s eery, forlorn cover arrives as the soundtrack to “Abandon,” a short video spot for Chipotle’s new American farming support organization, the Cultivate Foundation. Hear O’s cut — the latest in her consistent run of excellent non-Yeah Yeah Yeahs projects — above.
Willie Nelson
Watch: Jeff Tweedy, Neil Young at Farm Aid 25
Neil Young, Jeff Tweedy, Willie Nelson (with surprise guest Steven Tyler), John Mellencamp, Norah Jones, and others raised more than $2 million at the 25th anniversary of Farm Aid last weekend in Milwaukee, WI. And while 30,000 fans enjoyed the benefit in person this year, Team Farm Aid 25 aren’t done spreading the word just … Read more
Billy Joe Shaver Acquitted in Bar Shooting Case
A Texas jury found so-called outlaw country singer Billy Joe Shaver not guilty today after a shooting outside a bar near Waco led to criminal charges of aggravated assault. Shaver, whose trial was attended by the great Willie Nelson, took the stand in his own defense, Statesman reports, claiming that the alleged victim, Billy Coker, … Read more