Charles Hughes
@charleshughes2.bsky.social
Writer. Teacher. Musician. Country Soul. Why Bushwick Bill Matters. Pro wrestling coming soon. No Fences Review. Wisconsin and Southern. Disabled and disorderly. He/him.
New at No Fences Review: a fresh set of Turn It Up recommendations from @cantkill.bsky.social and me. Rolling Stones, Shaboozey, Tift Merritt, rare Justin Vernon, a tribute to Arlene Smith from the Chantels, and more! Plus reading recommendations. Please share and subscribe!
Turn It Up - 8/5/2026
Earworms, obsessions, recommendations
nofencesreview.substack.com
great thread---so many of these compilations are pure gold, wonderful music
jeff@jazyjef.bsky.social · 5d agoThere was a good 25-year stretch where i’d pick up as many 60s-70s African comps on CD as I could Some favorite V/A comps: Afro-Rock, vol. 1 (2001) *unfortunately, vol. 2 was never released strut.bandcamp.com/album/afro-r...
We saw you from across the bar and we really dig your vibe.
New at No Fences Review: @cantkill.bsky.social & I are back with fresh Turn It Up recs. New stuff from Shania Twain & Tanya Tucker, Charli XCX, and Aaron Lee Tasjan, plus an archive treasure from Bob Seger, a Neptune returns, and more! Plus reading recs. Please share & subscribe.
Turn It Up - 7/29/2026
Earworms, obsessions, recommendations
nofencesreview.substack.com
As good as many of you said. I really appreciate the unambiguous point that this primarily a racist moral panic before unpacking the nuanced second-order explanations. dannykatch.substack.com/p/we-used-to...
We used to be able to buy things in this country
Locking up toothpaste was a warning sign that our executive class was crazy
dannykatch.substack.com
Hey folks, I wrote about Roger Miller's great 1960 single "You Don't Want My Love" for the Patsy Your Enthusiasm series over at HiLoBrow. I couldn't think of a better choice to spotlight for this ongoing celebration of country music from 1954-1963 than this early classic from one of my favorites.
PATSY YOUR ENTHUSIASM (7) – HILOBROW
hilobrow.com
New at No Fences Review: a fresh set of Turn It Up recs from @cantkill.bsky.social and me. New stuff from Devon Gilfillian, Bloc Party, and AJ Lee & Blue Summit, an archival treasure from Allen Toussaint, a tribute to L7's Jennifer Finch, and more! Plus reading recs. Please share and subscribe!
Turn It Up - 7/22/2026
Earworms, obsessions, recommendations
nofencesreview.substack.com
You’ve been murdered. Who do you want on the case?
Travels With Brindle, Danceteria elevator operator@travelswithbrindle.bsky.social · 3w agoYou've been murdered. Who do you want on the case?
Two years ago, I wrote an article about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival for Origins, published by the History Department at Ohio State University. To my great and welcome surprise, they just created this clip with my article as the script. I’m biased, of course, but I think they did a great job.
The 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival
YouTube video by Origins OSU
youtube.com
New music from Allison Russell and from Willow Avalon, from the Stones and from Mildred and Soul Ingredient and more. + reading recs galore! W/ me and @charleshughes2.bsky.social at No Fences Review
Turn It Up - 7/15/2026
Earworms, obsessions, recommendations
open.substack.com
New at No Fences Review: a fresh set of Turn It Up recommendations from @cantkill.bsky.social and me. New stuff from Rolling Stones, Willow Avalon, Allison Russell, The Soul Ingredient, and more! Plus reading recs. Please share and subscribe!
Turn It Up - 7/15/2026
Earworms, obsessions, recommendations
nofencesreview.substack.com
My enjoyment of the Rewatchables episodes I've listened to is inversely proportional to how much Simmons is involved in the conversation. The Spielberg episode is such a perfect example of this dynamic.
Brendan Foley@thetruebrendanf.bsky.social · 3w agoThe Spielberg episode of Rewatchables is remarkable, because you can actually hear Sean Fennessey writhing in discomfort as Simmons trots out his usual games and IMDB based trivia to *Steven Spielberg* while talking about *Stanley Kubrick*.
Don't miss this series! Much more coming soon...
David Cantwell@cantkill.bsky.social · 3w agoHiLoBrow's doing a "Patsy Your Enthusiasm" series, re Country Music of the 1950s. I wrote up Porter Wagoner's chilling "My Bonfire," cut in '53 but not out until his 1957 debut LP. Earlier entries from @dean17.bsky.social, @paranoiacs.bsky.social and @lperil.bsky.social w/ more all-stars to come
This is pretty well known, but the Australian flag Sam Neill wore on his uniform in Event Horizon was designed at his request to show the Union Jack replaced with the Aboriginal flag, because he hoped in the future this is how it would actually look. A proper fucken ally in every way, this bloke.
Happy birthday to Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Swilliams, one of American music's true originals. Here are two things I wrote about him back in 2024. (And don't miss his great new album, of which I'm sure I'll be writing more in the future.) Here's a tribute to some of my favorites from him...
Swamp Dogg: A Love Letter in 16 Songs
Charles with some favorites from an artist he loves
nofencesreview.substack.com
I am pleased to report that Cain Culto has done it again.
Cain Culto - a plague, a pestilence (Official Video)
YouTube video by CaincultoVEVO
youtube.com
And a special Turn It Up from @cantkill.bsky.social and me focused on Stones covers:
Turn Yer Ya-Ya's Up - 10/16/23
Some of our favorite Stones covers, for Rolling Stones Week
nofencesreview.substack.com
Also from that week: @cantkill.bsky.social on the underappreciated Emotional Rescue.
Plays of Our Lives: The Rolling Stones - "Emotional Rescue" (1980)
David Cantwell on his favorite Rolling Stones album
nofencesreview.substack.com
There's a new Rolling Stones album today - three years ago, on the occasion of the last one, I picked 25 great Rolling Stones deep cuts for No Fences Review. Please share and subscribe. (Oh, and my choice from Hackney Diamonds would've been "Get Close." We'll see about Foreign Tongues.)
25 Great Rolling Stones Deep Cuts
Charles Hughes picks some favorites, for Rolling Stones Week
nofencesreview.substack.com
Despite the recent reports, I have seen Mitch McConnell alive and well. He was drinking a Pina Colada at Trader Vic’s. And his hair was perfect.
The best edit I’ve seen in weeks, you absolutely have to turn the sound on for this one.
One thing that I think is under-considered in this is that AOC was a bartender before she was a congresswoman and I have to wonder if she saw Platner and immediately went “I know that kind of guy”
Eric Michael Garcia@ericmgarcia.bsky.social · last mo.AOC not getting behind Graham Platner looks like a chess move now.
Great essay by @charleshughes2.bsky.social, reminded me in 1999 I somehow found myself engineering a tv performance by Jay Bennett and Jeff Tweedy (duo) playing some Mermaid Avenue. They were very kind and it was a fun session and really lucky I got to be there. youtu.be/SQ0a_LJ5tZ8?...
Rock.alt featuring Wilco, August 15, 1999
YouTube video by Austin History Center
youtu.be
David Cantwell@cantkill.bsky.social · last mo.Great essay on Billy Bragg and Wilco's Woody Guthrie project Mermaid Avenue, on the occasion of their first live performance of the album together last month. By @charleshughes2.bsky.social for No Fences Review
It's also nice to see mention of WONDER WHEEL, which is a very different album musically but with the same origins, as The Klezmarics put music to of Jewish-themed lyrics written when Woody Guthrie was living in Coney island, from the same archive. www.klezmatics.com/wonder-wheel
Wonder Wheel — The Klezmatics 40th
klezmatics.com
Great essay and almost exactly my experience. I knew Bragg a bit and Wilco by reputation but got this as one of my 12 free CDs from the BMG Music Club. I was completely sold by the time the band joined in with the drums. Never looked back on the album or on Wilco, who I should have found earlier.
David Cantwell@cantkill.bsky.social · last mo.Great essay on Billy Bragg and Wilco's Woody Guthrie project Mermaid Avenue, on the occasion of their first live performance of the album together last month. By @charleshughes2.bsky.social for No Fences Review
Great essay on Billy Bragg and Wilco's Woody Guthrie project Mermaid Avenue, on the occasion of their first live performance of the album together last month. By @charleshughes2.bsky.social for No Fences Review
Plays of Our Lives: Billy Bragg and Wilco - Mermaid Avenue (1998)
Charles revisits one of his favorite albums, on the occasion of its first-ever live performance
open.substack.com
New at No Fences Review: I go long on one of my favorite albums, Billy Bragg and Wilco's MERMAID AVENUE, on the occasion of the incredible performance I witnessed at the end of June. Please share and subscribe!
Plays of Our Lives: Billy Bragg and Wilco - Mermaid Avenue (1998)
Charles revisits one of his favorite albums, on the occasion of its first-ever live performance
nofencesreview.substack.com
