In Praise of The 9513

On behalf of the entire staff of Country Universe, I must express our sadness that The 9513, the internet’s premier country music blog, is being retired.

I remember when Brady and Brody Vercher first launched their website, and I watched in awe as it completely redefined the landscape for what a country music blog could be.

The caliber of writing, the breadth of music covered, and the overall excellence in content didn’t just raise the bar for online country music journalism.  It created a rising tide that elevated all of us, partly because they made us work harder, but mostly because they always used their larger platform to shine the spotlight on lesser-known blogs like this one.

They discovered so many incredible writing talents that it’s impossible to list them all, but I’ll especially miss reading the musings of Juli Thanki and Karlie Justus, the insights of Chris Neal, the wry commentary of C.M. Wilcox, and the irreplaceable historical writings of Paul W. Dennis. I know that their talent will remain and resurface in other places, but I truly doubt that there will ever be another place like The 9513, where so much talent resided in one place, under the brilliant leadership of the brothers Vercher.

15 Comments

  1. And there goes another site off my daily reading list…if this keeps up, someday I may actually have to get back to the work I’m supposed to be doing. *Sigh*

    I shall miss it.

  2. oops. I thought I was commenting on the 9513. Big time senior moment. Hope it’s a long time before I correctly make such a comment here. I’ve been worried lately that CU is closing.

  3. Well, this is sad. Like other commenters, I read the 9513 everyday and have loved it for years. In fact, it was through the news roundups on the 9513 that I found CU, which quickly became my favorite country music blog.

    And like Bob said, let’s hope CU doesn’t get a similar fate anytime soon! One country music blog’s demise is enough. Not that I’m worried about CU going anywhere or anything :o)

    But anyway, the 9513 should be remembered for the first rate site it’s been for so long. It’s turned me on to some wonderful music I may otherwise not have listened to and helped to expand my reading of country music over the internet.

    It’s there I began to look at country music in a new light, actually seeing why some songs deserve negative reviews opposed to just loving everything just because. I remember they had a negative review of Justin Moore’s “Small Town USA” and I didn’t understand why it was being graded a “Thumbs Down.” I get it now, even though I think I like that song more than most.

    Through them and CU, I became aware of the current trends within the genre and why some songs are just overwrought cliches. They helped to educate me on the music I’ve always loved and for that I’ll forever be indebted. If it’s even possible, they, and CU, have made me more passionate about country music then I ever thought possible.

    The the 9513 blog is going to be missed as are the talented writers who showcased their talents there over the years. But when work gets in the way, you sometimes have to make painful decisions. I’m sad to see it go but completely understand why it’s being retired.

  4. It’s been hard enough to watch print magazines fold over the last five years. Now we’ve come to the next phase — websites folding.

  5. Awww, that’s a bummer! I liked The 9513 (for the most part).

    As long as CU is staying, I’ll be okay, though!

  6. …seeing “the 9513” being taken off blogrolls feels like another piece of america’s gone – of course, from overseas that is.

    then again, not a bad occasion to let you guys know, how much some of us appreciate the time, work and knowledge you put into this site, which i came across via “the 9513” some years ago.

  7. I don’t think we’ll be taking them off our blogroll just yet. There’s still a lot of content for new readers to dig into whether it’s current or not.

  8. Agree with Tom. I’m from overseas to. I visited The 9513 daily along with this side. Your work here is very much appreciated to.

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