# Alt Country & Americana **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 23, 2003, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alt-country-americana/214818 "2003-11-23T06:48:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![eli\_the\_fanatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ccd318/32.png) [@eli\_the\_fanatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eli_the_fanatic)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alt-country-americana/214818/1 "2003-11-23T06:48:32Z")
Alt Country is probably already dead as a genre because Wilco and Ryan Adams proved there was money to be made in intelligent rock-country crossover and now there’s lots of posers. But most of my favorite contemporary pop-rock artists are crossover artists with roots in country (Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam), folk (M Ward, Iris Dement) and bluegrass (Alison Kraus & Union Station). I think it’s been big on musicianship and songwriting and low on pretense and hype as far as music goes. Any other fans on board with recommendations or opinions? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alt-country-americana/214818/2 "2003-11-23T06:56:16Z")
Lynnard Skynnard is pretty cool. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![eli\_the\_fanatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ccd318/32.png) [@eli\_the\_fanatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eli_the_fanatic)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alt-country-americana/214818/3 "2003-11-23T07:15:03Z")
So does this thing have an “ignore poster” function? Um, just wondering. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alt-country-americana/214818/4 "2003-11-23T07:42:12Z")
I have to admit I’m unclear as to where one subgenre starts and another ends - I don’t give a damn about the labels, I just know what I think sounds good. I like singers and bands like Charlie Robison and his brother Bruce, Jack Ingram, Pat Green, and Cross Canadian Ragweed. They’re all usually found under “alt country” or “americana,” but I think the specific label for their sound is Texas country. Also, since when is Dwight Yoakam anything but country? He has his own distinctive style, but I can’t imagine calling that style anything but country - not with a twang like his. ---
**Author:** ![eli\_the\_fanatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ccd318/32.png) [@eli\_the\_fanatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eli_the_fanatic)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alt-country-americana/214818/5 "2003-11-23T07:46:16Z")
It’s not so much caring about labels but having a way to find stuff you’ll like because it’s like other stuff you like. Dwight is definitely on the country side of alt country, but he’s a regular on the radio shows for that genre. He’s really more rockabilly than country, a big Elvis guy, and as much rock-and-roll as many people in the rock section; it’s really all about marketing. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alt-country-americana/214818/6 "2003-11-23T08:25:37Z")
**The Jayhawks**. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alt-country-americana/214818/7 "2003-11-23T13:15:10Z")
Not very “now”, but everyone who isn’t already familiar with **Michael Nesmith** ’s solo work should definitely check it out. Lots of folks don’t know it because he was kinda written off by many because he was a **Monkee** , but if you actually take the time to sit down and listen to a few of his albums you’ll be pleasantly surprised. He was “Alt-Country” long before the term even existed. . ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alt-country-americana/214818/8 "2003-11-23T13:16:16Z")
**My Morning Jacket** ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alt-country-americana/214818/9 "2003-11-23T16:36:01Z")
I love alt-country goddess Neko Case, Mike Ness (formerly of Social Distortion), Friends of Dean Martinez (spaghetti western-tinged instrumental group), and just about any rockabilly and psychobilly. ---
**Author:** ![Husker\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Husker\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Husker_Dude)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alt-country-americana/214818/10 "2003-11-23T18:38:29Z")
I’m really getting in to **Will Oldham’s** back catalogue lately, and I would warmly recommend **I See A Darkness** from 1999,released under his **Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy** moniker. It’s a dark (well duh) and somber record, some would probably add creepy as well. Despite the similar theme in many of the songs, it’s a very innovative album, for example the opening track “A Minor Place” sounds like Baptist hymn, and “Another Day Full Of Dread” lends poetry from old nursery rhymes. It takes a couple of listens before it hits you, but it’s worth it. It’s not one of those albums you put on in the background while you do the dishes, but it’s perfect on headphones at 2 o’clock in the morning. **The Man In Black** himself actually did a cover of the title track “I See A Darkness,” on his cover album **American III: Solitary Man** (with Will Oldham on back up vocals), and through his wizened voice he lent an already brilliant song, another layer of credibility. Nine times better than his cover of “Hurt.” One of my favorite contemporary bands is called **The Mountain Goats** , which is actually just a one-man band, and not really a band at all since it’s just one guy with a weird haircut, a guitar and a four-track tape recorder. John Darnielle is an incredibly productive artist, 2002 alone saw four releases, and he has written over 400 songs. In my opinion, he’s the most gifted lyricists in music today, and even his most obscure 7 inch b-sides, of which there are many, contain at least one brilliant line. His songs deals mostly with relationships, traveling and gardening, and on second thought it’s not exactly alt. country at all, it’s folk, so I’m not really sure why I bothered to type all that hype. Oh well. But I would still like to recommend the albums: **All Hail West Texas, The Coroner’s Gambit** and the most recent album **Tallahassee** , which was actually recorded in a studio (wow!). Man, I can’t stand Ryan Adams, but Wilco is great though. ---
**Author:** ![eli\_the\_fanatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ccd318/32.png) [@eli\_the\_fanatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eli_the_fanatic)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alt-country-americana/214818/11 "2003-11-23T18:55:45Z")
Ryan Adams has grown on me. He’s really a pretty good songwriter. \Wilco\ is very good. \Uncle Tupelo\ was \great\. ---
**Author:** ![eli\_the\_fanatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ccd318/32.png) [@eli\_the\_fanatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eli_the_fanatic)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alt-country-americana/214818/12 "2003-11-23T18:58:40Z")
I guess HTMl doesn’t work here. Neither does the edit button. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alt-country-americana/214818/13 "2003-11-23T20:13:36Z")
**The Old 97s** _Too Far to Care_ and previous albums **Thrift Store Cowboys**. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alt-country-americana/214818/14 "2003-11-23T20:15:51Z")
BTW use vB code here. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/misc.php?s=&action=bbcode](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/misc.php?s=&action=bbcode) ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alt-country-americana/214818/15 "2003-11-23T20:22:09Z")
No, Html doesn’t work here. Vb does. Just replace the \<\> with and your bold would’ve worked. Also, you can’t edit your posts here; that is what preview is for. Everybody always laments the late, great Uncle Tupelo and talks about how great Wilco is, but they forget to mention the other band that rose from UT’s ashes: Son Volt and their singer Jay Farrar. I do like Wilco, especially Yankee Hotel Foxtrot(their pop rock opus), but I personally like Son Volt and Jay Farrar better than Jeff Tweedy and company. I like just about everyone mentioned in this thread so far. Some people I really like not mentioned so far are the Handsome Family, Tift Merrit, the Damnations TX(I think they have dropped the TX part of their name now.) Also, Robbie Fulks used to be on Bloodshot, but I prefer his pop-rock stuff more. Enough can not be said about the greatness of Neko Case and Will Oldham a.k.a. Bonnie Prince Billy. ---
**Author:** ![Treviathan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/838e76/32.png) [@Treviathan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treviathan)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alt-country-americana/214818/16 "2003-11-23T20:54:30Z")
I’ll see **Sam Stone’s** Jayhawks recommendation and also suggest the Drive-By Truckers, The Sadies (who have been described as “psychadelic surf-country”) and The Corb Lund Band. ---
**Author:** ![eli\_the\_fanatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ccd318/32.png) [@eli\_the\_fanatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eli_the_fanatic)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alt-country-americana/214818/17 "2003-11-23T20:55:15Z")
Yer preaching to the choir, man. I’m a big Son Volt/Jay Farrar fan. I felt like Jay was getting shortchanged when everyone put YHF on their yearly top 10 list (it was #1 on a lot of them) but Sebastapol was ignored. I think Sebastapol was excellent. YHF is also excellent, of course, so I don’t resent their success, just feel like Jay deserves credit for his album. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2003, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alt-country-americana/214818/18 "2003-11-24T02:18:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Treviathan \* > \*\*the Sadies (who have been described as “psychadelic surf-country”) \*\* Oooh, I haven’t heard much from the Sadies yet, but I really dig everything I’ve heard. I think they did a few songs with Neko Case. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2003, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alt-country-americana/214818/19 "2003-11-24T04:34:57Z")
When rockabilly and country overlap, you’ll find me. I like Western Swing, too. I recently discovered the Reverend Horton Heat, which provides me with a handy way to duck out from under the “what church do you belong to?” questions people keep shooting at me around here. ---
**Author:** ![Earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/90db22/32.png) [@Earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthling)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2003, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alt-country-americana/214818/20 "2003-11-24T05:24:15Z")
Y’all gotta listen to [this](http://www.khyi.com) station, man. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alt-country-americana/214818.md?page=2)