Here’s an article about “That’s Nats” by Washington Posts’ Sports Blogspot writer Dan Steinberg That's Nats Before the season is over, here's your crucial "That's Nats" update. Honky Tonk Confidential (or HTC, as they call themselves) wrote the song midway through last season after hearing an uninspiring version of a Nats song on the radio. Three different songwriters contributed to the creative process. Some had visions of minor baseball grandeur. "I actually thought there'd be more of a fuss about it when we put it out," admitted guitarist Diana Quinn. "I was daydreaming about playing during the 7th inning stretch, stuff like that." They haven't even been invited to sing the National Anthem yet, although they'd love to do it. Actually, I would have thought a country-music outfit touting a Nats song inspired by John Fogerty's "Centerfield" would indeed have received a surge of attention when it was released last year. So.... "Well, no," Diana said. "Maybe it's a slow moving groundswell." "Not much seemed to happen and we said, 'Oh well,'" summarized lead guitarist Mike Woods. "Now we're on the lookout for something else to write about." "That's Nats" certainly never reached the level of popularity of one of their best known tunes, "Your Trailer or Mine." Really. Neither did it get the national acclaim of Diana's "Nolan Ryan's Fastball," which is being played across the country as part of an orchestral baseball program. Really. Also, if you go listen to "That's Nats" here you can see a graphic of a baseball surrounded by what I presume are gnats. Really. (In other news, HTC's supposed to play a show at an upcoming Red Hat event. Red Hats were something I didn't know about until just a few minutes ago. They're women over the age of 50 who are "never too old to play dress-up and have tea parties." To join, you must attend functions in full regalia: Red hat, purple outfit for women 50 and over, or pink hat and lavender outfit for women under 50. Sports blogging can teach you so many things about the world.) The most important thing about "That's Nats" is this: I asked Mike and Diana about the lyrics, which were written last year and celebrate baseball's return to D.C., and whether they weren't a bit dated, and whether HTC might consider new and improved lyrics. "You're right, you're absolutely right," Diana said. "And we can do that easily, too." Diana would like to invite Bog readers to e-mail her with lyrical suggestions. The original lyrics are below: Well what's that noise I hear from RFK? (That's Nats.) Cheering fans on a bright and sunny day. (That's Nats.) Gloryosky (?), goodness me. Say it's so, Joe, can it be? That baseball's back here in D.C. That's right. That's Nats. We'll eat dogs and fries all afternoon. (That's Nats.) We're in the stadium under the moon. (That's Nats.) We can yell and laugh and scream. Reality was once a dream. But now we've got our baseball team. That's right. That's Nats. [instrumental] Uniforms of red and white and blue. (That's Nats.) To our baseball team we will be true. (That's Nats.) No one here can disagree. The national pastime in D.C. Is something to treasure naturally. That's right. That's Nats. “Who Gets the Fruitcake This Year” Washington Post review Honky Tonk Confidential, the multiple Wammie winner, rounds up some old recordings and new ones on this cheery compilation, then caps it off by toasting Buck Owens, courtesy of "Blue Christmas Lights." A fitting coda, too, for like Owens, Honky Tonk Confidential can turn even a lonesome lament into a reason to smile. Besides, it's hard to resist a band that rhymes "Hanukkah" with "harmonica" and offers a surf guitar arrangement of "O Come O Come Emmanuel." REVIEWS OF YOUR TRAILER OR MINE? "The songwriting by Geff King, Diana Quinn and Mike Woods is sharp and often funny. King...deserves extra credit for penning several standout pieces, including 'Pee Wee's Gone,' which chronicles a scandalous chapter in Pee Wee Herman's career, and 'Check-Out Time,' a noir-ish intrigue without an ending. What isn't a mystery is the band's low regard for New Country sounds. Just give a listen to 'Cowboy, Whatcha Got on Me?' and 'Hit with a Bullet.'... The music, too, celebrates vintage jukebox sounds, with smooth three-part harmonies, a blend of twangy and gliding guitar tones produced by Woods and pedal steel player Bobby Martin, and drummer Dave Elliott's sure-footed motion... "  -- Mike Joyce, The Washington Post       Read the whole review at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2587-2001Dec6.html  "Propelled by Bobby Martin's dreamy pedal steel guitar and Mike Woods' appropriately twangy Telecaster, not to mention the seamless  three-part harmony created by Woods along with guitarist Diana Quinn and bassist Geff King, this band would have sounded right at home on the Grand Ole Opry stage, circa 1965."  -- Lou King, The Journal Newspapers       Read the entire article at    http://199.244.139.109/dcwww?-show:client/journal/FFX/j2001/q4/m12/t07/pe/s004/002_001_001.dcs  "Among the funniest selections on the CD are "Pee Wee's Gone," a  tribute to the Sarasota, Fla., movie house  troubles of comedian Pee Wee Herman, and "Big Hat, No Cattle," a swing number (written by Louise  Kirchen) that captures, says Quinn, what Texans feel about 'big hat  country singers who can't ride a horse, don't have a ranch and have  never been to Texas.'"                               --Maria Villafana,  Washington Post's MP3 section     Catch the whole story at  http://mp3.washingtonpost.com/notables/notables011204.shtml  "Honky Tonk Confidential kicks ass.  Their new record, 'Your Trailer Or Mine?' has swinging rhythms, pretty harmonies, witty writing and nice steel guitar.  On top of  that, Geff King has composed an instant classic called "Check-Out Time" that gives me goosebumps.  Tom T. Hall would be proud to have written it.  Highly recommended for folks who like country music.      -- Carl Zimring, "Fear & Whiskey," WRCT, Pittsburgh PA   "Give me a tavern with neon in the window, ice cold beer on tap, and Honky Tonk Confidential in the jukebox and I would be very happy fellow.  This latest swings, twangs, and even evokes a chuckle or three.  In other words,a honky tonk Rx for whatever "ales" you."          -- Boudan Dan Ferguson, WRIU, Kingston, RI "Only occasionally does a CD come along where every cut is a winer,and very airworthy/ This, most certainly, is one of those."                                                                --Thomas Greener KVMR, Nevada City, CA "It swings, it rocks, it sounds like it came straight out of the Lone Star State (no Texas brag talk here). It will be in heavy rotation for some time to come. "Pee Wee's Gone" became an instant favorite.                                                                                               -- Dan Alloway, KTEP, El Paso, TX "I don't hear no dogs barkin' on "Your Trailer or Mine" but there is sure plenty that stirs up the honky tonk part of me. I am so glad there are bands like Honky Tonk Confidential around to help folks remember how country music did and still can sound.  Full of heart and twang, and tons of grinning foaming-glass fun, your music will be a joy to play on "Americana Backroads."         -- Rik James, "American Backroads," KGLT, Bozeman MT  "Hi Diana...greetings from Nelson New Zealand. Thank you very much for taking the time to send me a copy of 'Your Trailer..'. Absolutely Twangbloodytastic. Rest assured that this album will be on the "Rural Delivery" playlist for a very long time. I love it to bits."    -- Dave Bryce, "Rural Delivery," Radio Show, New Zealand "What do you think of when someone says Washington DC? Monica and Bill, Dubya or honky tonk music? SAY WHAT *&^)#%+!  You heard me, honky tonk music. Some of you beyond the boomer group may remember that DC was a hotbed of bluegrass and country music many years ago. Today, I'm proud to report that honky tonk is alive and well inside and outside the Beltway and thanks to the new release from Honky Tonk Confidential aka HTC, you too can see that there's more than tax code being written in the cradle of freedom.  "I pull no punches so I'll say straight up that I love honky tonk music, particularly pure, unadulterated tunes about loving, drinking, cheating and rednecks. As hard as it is to find on country radio these days, you'd think it had disappeared from the face of the earth but with the release of "Your Trailer or Mine", make no mistake, it's here and just maybe, better than ever. HTC's eponymous debut CD was outstanding and even won them a Wammie (Washington Area Music Association) award for debut album of 1999. When you go to buy this CD, pick up a copy of that one too, this is a band you'll want plenty of.  "'Your Trailer or Mine'  is a treasure trove of superb tunes, great picking and voices that work together to bring it all home. From the opening strains of "It Still Hurts" you know exactly what you're getting, 16 songs that won't have you hitting the skip button  to try and find a decent tune. There's no filler here and considering the fact that HTC members Diana Quinn, Mike Woods and Geff King wrote most of the tunes and called on their friends to contribute the rest just proves you don't need no stinkin' Nashville writing assembly line to crank out good tunes. I wish I could pick out certain tunes for you to pay close attention to but in this case, pay attention to 'em all, preferably with a cold one in your hand and your best guy or gal on the dance floor. Whatever you do, DON'T miss this CD. It's sure to put a smile on your face and a tap in your toe!" --Bill Hughes, Twangcast www.twangcast.com  "It's a terrific album from beginning to end! This is the way real country music should be sounding these days. Pump up the volume, gimme a beer and forget Nashville! Being a honky tonk music lover, I couldn't resist the first cut, It Still Hurts -wow!- and That Depends On...and Hit With a Bullet. With the exception of  I Don't Believe in Angels which is a darn good song, there's a lot of humour in the rest of the cd, specially on Pee Wee's Gone and the beer drinking I Love The Bartender. "This is profesional  music that shows that you folks really love tradition and make this tradition sound fresh and new. Real country sounds, great singing, strong arrangements, intelligent lyrics and a clean production make this cd something that many of today's so-called "stars" should sit down to listen to -and learn from-.Great effort and I hope it pays back. Once again, thanks for your time, help and support and keep it country! Hankwilliamsly yours...."                                           -- Raul Tejeiro, Top Country Hits, Montevideo, Uruguay "Just a line to let you know I got your excellent CD. My kind of music -- guaranteed airplay!! Thanx.... -- Billy Lee, NEAR FM, Dublin Ireland  "I love this record and we're playing the hell out of it here on WCNL!   On a scale of 1-5 I give it a 6!!!" -- Art Kneeland, WCNL, Moosup CT "Hey Diana.  Just got back from teaching at the store.  Kenny has already sold one of your CD's!   Apparently he recommended it to one of the neighbors of the store who'd never heard of you.  About an hour later the guy  drove by with it blasting on his car stereo.  Loves it, absolutely loves it.  So you have a new fan!" -- Krista Hale, The Music Loft, Arlington, VA Cuttin'-edge, state-of-the-art country music The second CD by Washington, DC band Honky Tonk Confidential is a joyous showcase for some of the best alt-country singing and songwriting being done today. What a warm, beautifully focused voice Diana Quinn has, particularly on such numbers as "I Don't Believe in Angels" or "Daddy's in a Honky Tonk Downtown." Geff King's High Lonesome tenor sounds sensational whether the song is funny ("Rock Creek Crawl") or scary ("Check-Out Time"). And who couldn't respond to Mike Woods' rumbly good humor in "Goin' Round the World" or "Love My Baby All Night Long?" Quinn, Woods, and especially King are first-rate songwriters, and they supplement their efforts on "Your Trailer or Mine?" with some of the best songwriters you never heard of--Ken Harnage, Elena Skye, Buddy Woodward, Evan Johns, Fannie Zollicoffer, Tex Rubinowitz, etc. The production glistens, as does the playing, with drummer Dave Elliott and steel guitar player Bobby Martin making wonderful contributions. For me the highlight of the CD is "Pee-Wee's Gone," King's lament for a fallen comedy star. I can't decide whether Pee-Wee Herman should sue or use this song for his comeback--maybe both!                                                                                                                – Miles D. Moore VISIT OUR ON-LINE STORE TO BUY YOUR TRAILER OR MINE RIGHTNOW! OF OUR FIRST ALBUM, EPONYMOUSLY TITLED  "The entire album could serve as a crash course in, to quote their motto, 'The way country music spoze to be.'"                                                                                                                                                                  -- Mike Joyce, The Washington Post                "The ...cd consists entirely of original material that sounds as if it could have been recorded decades ago by the likes of Bob Wills or Patsy                 Cline."                                                                                                                                                                      -- Ken Roseman, The City Paper                "It's hard to point to any particular stand-out moments on this CD because there are just so many of them, wheher it be the fine Telecaster                     licks and deep, Tubb-like vocals of Mike Woods, the reverb-laden pedal steel, the playfully dulcet crooning of Diana Quinn, or the                 overall warmth of the simple production."                                                                                                                                                                        -- Buddy Woodward, Cornfed         "Quinn mines heartache like a honky tonk habitue and finds plenty of sympathetic support from her bandmates...What's more, most of the                 songs composed by Quinn, King and Woods...remind us that in some circles at least, honky tonk's neon lights are still shining                  bright."                                                                                                                                        -- Mike Joyce, The Washington Post                "Quinn and the boys knocked out a nice little survey course in country music history with...reverent interpretations of Wanda Jackson, Bob                 Wills and Johnny Cash, along with originals that sounded as if they were written two or three decades ago."                                                                                                                                                           -- Bill Craig, The Richmond Times-Dispatch                "Anything on this album beats listening to the radio by a country mile."                                                                                                                                                             -- Joel Bernstein, Country Standard Time  Honky Tonk Confidential/Ghost Rockets/Elena Skye & the Demolition String Band                   Capital City Barn Dance, Dogtown Lounge,    Richmond, VA                  Richmond Times-Dispatch    by Bill Craig     (March 1, 1999)  "The evening's most unadulterated twang was provided by the four men and one woman of Honky Tonk Confidential. Carried by               the vocals of Diana Quinn, Mike Woods and Geff King and a ton of sweet string work, the band paid homage to the founding fathers               and mothers of country music with reverent interpretations of tunes by, among others, Wanda Jackson, Bob Wills and Johnny Cash,               along with a handful of originals that sounded as if  they were written two or three decades ago.                Quinn and the boys knocked out a nice little survey course in country music history with songs such as Jim Ed Brown's bouncy                Pop a Top, Johnny Paycheck's A-11 and Cash's classic Folsom Prison Blues.                Best of the originals included Down in Washington,  a honky-tonkified look at the state of the union, the swingin' feel of              (Ain't A) Texas Gal and the self-explanatory confessional Lottery Tickets, Cigarettes and Booze."  Here's a review of the same show by Ted Samsel:  "Honky Tonk Confidential played the Barn Dance about a year ago and it was good to see these folks do another one of their              fine traditional honkytonk sets. The bass player, my pal Geff King, had been trying to get me to barbeque for all the bands that              evening before the show. I declined, for it would have made my surly teenaged chirren even surlier. Maybe  next time and in the              summer. But the good thing about the Dogtown is that it's close enough to my home to have someone take me home in a              wheelbarrow, if I bring my own  wheelbarrow. The best of all possible worlds, no?                With three lead singers who can write songs and a master of the double neck pedal steel, HTC can cover most of the honkytonk               bases. They did some Johnny Cash, some Buck Owens (A-11, an early Johnny Paycheck tune), some Jim Ed Brown              (POP A TOP AGAIN), some of Earnest Tubb and the lovely and talented Diana Quinn did Wanda Jackson's FUJIYAMA MAMA.              They were even better than the last time I saw them and they even had a few new originals on tap. The Dogtown Lounge seems              to be a much more amenable place to hear music devoted to two-steppin', beer-drankin' and lost love fraught with maudlin              country-fried themes than Alley Katz."  CD REVIEW by Miles D. Moore on Amazon.com                "Honky Tonk Confidential" is country music at its best. Most popular groups--country or otherwise--have one lead singer.               Honky Tonk Confidential, a Washington, D.C.-based group, has three--all excellent. It's a matter of personal taste whether               you'd prefer the warm, cheery, Patsy Cline-ish mezzo of Diana Quinn, or the rumbly, bourbon-soaked baritone of Mike Woods               or the pure, sweet High Lonesome tenor of Geff King.                But in any case, they're all great, and they also write their own songs--all 13 numbers on their eponymous debut CD are originals,               and they're all better than anything coming out of Nashville right now. King, the band's bassist and chief songwriter, has several               songs on this album that in a just world would be country classics--including "Honky Tonk 101," about a lovelorn country boy               getting his education in all the wrong places; "Down in Washington," a tongue-in-cheek lament about living in the Nation's Capital;               and "I Don't Know If I Know," the sweet little Cajun two-step that closes the CD. Woods, the lead guitarist, shows impressive chops                       throughout the album, with expert assistance from Bobby Martin on pedal steel and Rob Howe on drums.                In an age when Garth, Shania and LeAnn rule the airwaves, Honky Tonk Confidential harks back to a time when the Kings and              Queens of Country had names like Hank, Buck, Merle and Patsy. People who love authentic country with a Texas swing/rockabilly slant                   should buy this CD immediately, and those who think they don't like country music should find themselves pleasantly surprised after               listening to Honky Tonk Confidential."  from FredonEverything.net             Good, funky, technically fine group, with imagination. A lot of really good people don't get listened to because New York hasn't blessed                     them. Well, these folk should be blessed. I have, at age 54, spent a lifetime listening to bar bands. I listen to HTC often around Washington,             and I'm impressed. They're certainly the musical equal of, or superiors to usually, many groups who get national recognition. If you like                     original C&W with (incredible as it may seem) a Washington (actually anti-Washington) feel, these folks are good.    – Fred Reed More reviewes on amazon.com:             Honky Tonk Confidential, featuring venerable veterans of Washington D.C.'s music scenes (all of them!) is, confidentially, one of the country's             best-kept musical secrets. Fortunately for their loyal following, The Initiated, this band didn't start out from Los Alamos, or the world would             know about them by now and, sadly but inevitably, they would have to be shared with others. With the release of their eponymous debut CD,             HTC is running dire risk of exposure to those who have to date been unable to enjoy their consummate musicianship and cunning, ironic, and             deftly droll songwriting. Diana Quinn is nothing less than a secret national treasure, and Mike Woods' sinuous yet insinuatingly elegant guitar                 work is peerless. So, if you, The Uninitiated, buy this CD, don't tell your friends about it, don't share it with anyone, and don't invite HTC to             play in your town! They're ours, and you can't have them! –   Mark Fox, Pennsylvania             If you're tired of the same old mindless, ear-numbing pop pap that passes for country music these days, try this CD. With great                                 lyrics--intelligent, funny, ironic, even sardonic--and equally impressive musical talent, this band has it all. Ms. Quinn's superlative vocals call to             mind a diva who's lived beneath herself for many years and has seen almost more than her huge, classic voice can stand. This CD bears up                 under scrutiny time after time! –  Anne Hohenstein, Albany, NY VISIT OUR ON-LINE STORE TO BUY YOUR TRAILER OR MINE RIGHTNOW! FOR  MORE INFORMATION email diana at muddypaws.com or call 202-544-7011 or 800-893-7254 GO BACK HOME