Goodbye to The 9513

The 9513 (pronounced ninety-five thirteen) has been the premier blog in the world of country music for several years now. Today its founders, Brady and Brody Vercher, have announced the site's retirement.

Blogs come and go every day, and most go unnoticed by all but a very select audience, but this site was different. Brady and Brody created the site to give their sister Jenna a creative outlet after the death of their grandmother (whose street address was 9513). When Jenna's life got too busy for her to continue writing with any consistency, the brothers took over and built it into a fantastic source of music news and reviews that served thousands of people every day.

For a brief time from May to August 2009, I had the privilege of being a part of The 9513. Then editor Jim Malec took a gamble on a 20 year old kid who had never even considered music journalism prior to applying and gave me a chance. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to last, but I had the chance to write alongside some extremely talented writers and form as much of a relationship as I can given that I've never met any of them in person and mainly know them through Facebook and Twitter.

Before during and after my time with the site, it opened my eyes to a vast array of fantastic music that simply doesn't get played on mainstream radio and that I may have never discovered otherwise. Miss Leslie, Rodney Hayden and Drew Kennedy are just a couple singers who are on my iPod specifically because of The 9513. Without the site, I might have never come to appreciate Jamey Johnson's artistry.

Thank you to the Verchers and Jim Malec for all the work you put into the site and for giving me a chance. Thank you to the fantastic writers who informed and entertained us over the years, especially those who were with the site at the same time as me: Juli Thanki, C.M. Wilcox, Karlie Justus, Pierce Greenberg, Ken Morton Jr., Sam Gazdziak - I'm probably leaving someone out, and I apologize for that.

The 9513 was a fantastic blog, and it will be missed.

My writing at The 9513:
Single Review: Craig Morgan - "Bonfire" May 28, 2009 (The review that got me the gig)
June Mailbag: Is Jamey Johnson Still Alive? June 29, 2009
Terri Clark and James Otto Hot As Lightning At Nebraska Concert July 13, 2009

Staff Picks for June 2009 July 15, 2009
Single Review: Dierks Bentley - "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes" July 27, 2009
Mailbag: The Stalker Edition July 29, 2009
Gary Allan and Jamey Johnson Showcase Performance, Art August 7, 2009