It’s our last week of content for the year on SoBros Network. So, you know what that means – we are officially in ‘Best of 2019’ season. That, of course, is a nice way of saying, “we’re kind of phoning it in this week.” Nonetheless, I’m going to be taking a look back at some of our best work over the course of the past year.
There are so many different things we do here that it makes it hard to narrow this list down to just 10. We’ve published dozens of good features, stuff that would qualify as actual journalism. But, we’ve also covered some pretty popular topics. I’m also not too proud to admit that I crack myself up and we’ve had some really funny stuff go live this year.
I have no set criteria for this piece. Some of these will land a top 10 spot because of the outrageous amount of pageviews they got. Some will be here because I like them. Some of them will even be here because I think they’re a nice testament to the creative spirit. In other words, anything goes.
So, let’s get to it.
THE TOP 10 SOBROS NETWORK ARTICLES OF 2019
I’m going to start with a quick honorable mention to Cadbury’s “Exclusive! Antlerhead EP Pre-Release: Am I Dreaming” – I won’t bother to link it here because the MP3 player won’t work anymore. That was a one-time deal, but holy shit – how cool was it that we got to launch a talented group like Antlerhead’s album on SoBros Network before it was available anywhere else?! I’m incredibly proud of being able to say that, and am incredibly proud of how our team came together to figure it all out.
10. 10 Surefire Ways to Anger Nick Saban (LINK) – This was a huge milestone for me. This fuckin’ thing sat on my to-do list from June of 2018 until it was published just a few weeks ago. I just couldn’t figure out how to do it properly. I wanted to do some extensive research, but ultimately, had to sit myself down and simplify things. “Just try to be funny.” Finally, I got it done and it felt like a weight was lifted from my shoulders. Probably the best feeling I’ve had writing something all year.
9. 2019 SEC Season Preview: LSU Tigers (LINK) – I just have to give a shout out to our guy Mose. He absolutely killed it this year, between all of the wrasslin’ coverage, the launch of the College Football Roundup, and of course, the SEC season previews. Particularly, how about how he nailed the Tigers’ season? “It could be a special year in Baton Rouge.” – bro, you can say that again.
8. Nashville Reviews: Kat’s (Mount Juliet) (LINK) – We really started cranking out some Nashville reviews this year, but this one has a special place in my heart. It was the first time that we said, “fuck it – who cares about these bougie restaurants downtown? Let’s review completely ordinary bar food.” And, people loved it – it was one of our most popular videos of the year, and the article had a nice little read count. I love Kat’s by the way. Almost a year after writing this, I still say it’s the best regular food in town.
7. Joel Diggs and Eddie George Absolutely Deliver in Topdog/Underdog (LINK) – This was probably my personal highlight of the year. I don’t usually dive into the arts, but was so impressed with Joel and Eddie after seeing this at TPAC that I felt compelled to take a stab at critiquing theatre (like that’s something any sane person would say). Come to find out, the people at Nashville Rep liked it, they shared it, and then I got invited to Eddie’s closing night after party. That shit was wild, y’all.
6. A Review of New Kids on the Block Mixtape Tour in Nashville (LINK) – One of our most popular articles of the year. I had no idea New Kids on the Block moved the needle so much. But, this was also the first article our guy Steven McCash wrote for us. Just an excellent documentation of a fun night in Nashville.
5. David Bowie’s Death Gives Life To Liz Manashil’s Speed Of Life (Interview) (LINK) – Brandon did some really cool stuff this year – he’s reviewed a ton of movies, but I always like when he gets outside of that box and does something different. This was one of those times. He made it out to three film festivals this year as a credentialed media member (Atlanta, Chattanooga, Nashville). That’s a hell of a run and one of the things I’m most proud of from this year.
4. Don’t Let 2019 Overshadow the Good Times With Marcus Mariota (LINK) – It’s probably the story the dominated Titans talk in 2019 – at least, for me, it feels like the biggest story of the year. The quarterback position – the switch from Marcus Mariota to Ryan Tannehill. It’s really defined the football talk in Nashville this season. I wrote this a few weeks ago because I felt like people were being out of line with the Mariota takes. The dude did a lot of good here, and I didn’t want people to lose sight of that. It ended up being one of our 10 most-read articles of the year.
3. SoBros Scary Stories: The York Road Stranger (LINK) – Brittany has such a great conversational tone in her work that it just naturally lends itself to awesome story-telling. I was on the edge of my seat for this one, and judging by the pageviews this one got, a lot of you were too.
2. Debating Morality Arguments Against Sports Betting In Tennessee (LINK) – I’ve often said that Joshua Huffman is far too good a writer to be lumped in with the rest of us assholes, and I still feel like that rings true. We don’t deserve the dude’s talent. It was hard to pick one of his pieces to feature on this list, but this is the one that came to mind immediately. An excellent, well-documented, well-thought out piece on the issues facing sports betting in Tennessee.
1. The Widow’s Mountain (LINK) – Far and away the most creative bit of work released on this website this year, Cadbury’s 4-part short fiction series stole the show this Spooky Season. It was an excellent journey – one I’d recommend cozying up with a nice hot tea/coffee/hot chocolate and reading on a cold night (probably don’t want to alone, though). It’s an excellent testament to the creative spirit of this company.
As the Editor In Chief, I get to read everything that’s published on this website. This was the most fun I had reading SoBros Network all year.
So, what do you guys think? Anything you enjoyed this year that I left off the list? Let us know.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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