CMT Blog: Archive

In an effort to make sense of the country music business, I’m offering a lesson in some insider slang. This list is in no way comprehensive, nor does it represents words you should ever actually say if you want to feign any kind of credibility. But now when you hear them, at least things won’t sound so foreign.

greet the meat: because of the cattle-call vibe, an artist’s perception of attending a meet-and-greet event. “Off the bus in five. It’s time to go greet the meat.”

junk bunk: the one bed on a tour bus used to store the stuff the band brings on that won’t fit in their own spacious 6′x 3′x 3′ bunk. “Your Doritos? I think I saw ‘em buried in the junk bunk, you pig.”

gherm: derogatory term of unknown origin used to describe a fan who has taken artist appreciation to an obsessive level. “See that girl in the front row, the one with the ‘Marry Me, Kenny’ t-shirt? Keep your eye on her. I think she’s a gherm.”

radius clause: a touring contract that prevents an artist from appearing in the same geographical area too frequently, such as specifying that an artist cannot perform within 90 miles of venue for at least 90 days. “Fans are begging for another show, but these damn radius clauses keep us locked out.”

baby artist: informal way to describe a new artist, without regard to age. At 17, Taylor Swift is one, but so is Lori McKenna. And she’s 40. “Toby needs a new opening act, but which baby artist can handle a tour like that?”

rider: a contract between artist and venue that spells out exactly what needs to be done on the day of the show. “Ten bottles of Patron, a massage therapist for the band and a 30-foot catwalk? This guy must have one helluva rider.”

lockdown: the act of closing off the backstage area to everyone, even VIPs, when the headliner goes on. “Get all these VIPs out of here. Let’s lockdown and keep the backstage clean.”

plus one: a ticket designation that means you get one ticket for yourself and one more for a guest. Can also describe said guest. “Thanks for getting us the seats, Simon. This is Joe, my plus one.”

faithhill: to verbally criticize a touchy-feely stranger. “If those girls start getting grabbing, go ahead and faithhill them.”