i’m not sure if this should go here or in mpsims, but here goes.
just wanting to see if there are any other alt-country/alt-country rock fans out there… some of my favorite artists include uncle tupelo, whiskeytown, the bottle rockets, my morning jacket, the jayhawks, wilco, handsome family, grant lee buffalo, etc etc.
(of course, uncle tupelo comes first and is the ultimate.) 
anybody else like alt country? and who are your favorite acts? just curious.
There was a pretty good Thread on this about 4 months ago. I tried searching but couldn’t find it. If you’re really interested you might want to give it a try.
Me, I really dig Julie Miller. Julie Miller!!!
If you don’t know any of the solo albums that Michael Nesmith put out in the 70’s, you should DEFINITELY check them out- alt-country from before anyone used terms like “alt-country”.
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I love Neko Case, and I enjoy what I’ve heard from Wilco and My Morning Jacket. I’d like to get more into them, and also Ryan Adams. I also like rockabilly a lot, and harder-edged country-inspired punk like Mike Ness.
If y’all like alt country, I highly recommend checking out a band called Lucero.
BTW, My Morning Jacket might be breaking up: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/04-01/21.shtml
This was a pretty good alt-country thread. If you look back, you’ll also find a thread that I started gushing over the Uncle Tupelo reissues from last year.
Needless to say, I’m a fan. I won’t start listing great bands, as it becomes hard to stop, but I will recommend the album I’m listening to right now–The Instigator, by Rhett Miller, frontman of the Old 97s. It lacks quite the country twang of the best work from the Old 97s (my favorite being Too Far to Care), but he is still the most underrated songwriter out there, IMO.
Dr. J
I am NOT an alt-country fan by declaration - just never grabbed me; Yankee Hotel Foxtrot passed me by. I know, sacrilege…
Neko Case sounds great on the New Pornographers, however and I have been told by friends who would know that I would probably dig her CD Blacklisted - it is in the ol’ Amazon Shopping Cart as we speak…
Another buddy sent me a burn of Sun Kil Moon’s Ghosts of the Great Highway - suprisingly great and I suspect it is alt.country. By turns acoustic strummy and electric/noisy-ish, it bridges that gap of styles in a very satisfying way - a way that I have never found Neil Young to do in a way I could enjoy, even though I respect his integrity as an artist…
I like Hank Williams III, he’s kind of a country-rockabilly-punkish mix. His voice sounds a lot like his grandfather’s, Hank Williams Sr.
Right now, I’m digging big time on Caitlin Cary, formerly of Whiskeytown. Her second solo album just came out, but I’m still enjoying While You Weren’t Looking, her debut.
I also really like Claire Lynch who does a sort of alt-bluegrass, she has a traditional sound but very alternative/modern lyrics and a great styling. Silver & Gold is her best offering.
Both artists have .mp3s available for free, legal download from Amazon.com, if you search on their names.
The grandfather of alt-country: Dwight Yoakum
The grandmother of alt country: k.d. lang
Current favorite grandchildren:
Robbie Fulks!!! best of the best.
Neko Case
The Blacks
Pinetop Seven
Victoria Williams
And of course all the ones already mentioned above; just repeated Neko cause I wanted to.
THE BEST SOURCE FOR ALT-COUNTRY
KEXP (kexp.org), Thursday nights, Don Yates and “Swingin’ Doors.” Listen online, or do what I did and move to Seattle. The best alt-country show on the planet.
(Disclosure and entreaty: I work sometimes for KEXP because I love them so much, and their winter pledge drive is starting Sunday Feb. 1. Those of you who were lucky enough to donate to the last drive are probably wearing the Tshirt Neko Case designed for us right now, aren’t you? I know I am. Mods, please delete this paragrap if it’s inappropriate, but KEXP is a public station, with no commercials, and exists primarily on member donations.)
I have Ryan Adams on right now, though it 's his faux-Smiths Love is Hell EP, not his alt-country stuff. But I really love Heartbreaker, as well as his last two albums with Whiskeytown. “Dancing With the Women at the Bar” is one of my favorite songs.
Wilco and the Jayhawks are great as well. And there’s a lot of really good Canadian alt-country, most of it owing to the influence of Neil Young. Check out the aforementioned Neko Case, along with The Sadies, The Guthries, and Blue Rodeo.
Oh, and also Kathleen Edwards, who’s got one of the sexiest voices in music.
[sub]Yeah, I guess you could say I like alt-country, just a little bit.[/sub]
In addition to many of the excellent bands already mentioned like,
Uncle Tupelo, The Bottle Rockets, Wilco, Neko Case, Old 97’s, The Handsome Family (criminally underrated IMHO)
I would add:
The Blood Oranges (Boston alt-country act that was ahead of their time)
Cheri Knight (ex-Blood Oranges)
Wooden Leg (also ex-Blood Oranges)
Jimmy Ryan (ditto)
Steve Mardon (a buddy of mine who just put out his debut CD Critic’s Darling)
The Waco Brothers
Flying Burrito Brothers (more trailblazers)
The Bad Livers
The Beat Farmers
Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys
Hazeldine
Bap Kennedy
Jon Langford and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts
Scroat Belly (more honky-skronk)
Todd Snider
The Volebeats
I love Neko Case, and like the Old 97s okay, but find most “alt-country” tedious and affected, like Wilco and the Bonnie Prince Willie guy.
Are the Blacks a quartet with a guy singer, a pretty brunette girl guitarist, and a super-tall blonde Amazon-like girl bassist? If so, I saw them live a few years back, opening for the Red Elvises at this small club. I had no idea who they were, but I was pretty impressed. The blonde Amazon was particularly amazing, sexy and dangerous-looking as she slapped the hell out of the upright bass. And I have to add, I was jealous of the bass at the time! 
If that’s them, then what are they up to now, and how could I find out more about them?
I’m listening to the alt.country station on Radio@AOL (Yeah I know AOL evil! Boo ! Boo! Hiss!) right now - at least until a Jimmy Dale Gilmore or Flatlanders song comes on, can’t get past that voice. Got exposed to plenty of artists there, including many already named. The World Cafe introduced me to some others. Since radio in my area is so Clear Channeled, public radio and the net are to only way I get to hear alt.country/AAA/Americana music. But I love to check out stations mentioned.
I’ve been wanting to hear more from performers like Calexico, Songs: Ohia, and Bobby Bare Jr.
I enjoy groups like Slobberbone, Frog Holler, and Golden Smog although I can see how “affected” might apply to them. I just consider them fun, light and amusing.
And wouldn’t the grandfathers of alt.country more likely be Gram Parsons (and his various groups), the Byrds (Sweetheart of the Rodeo-era forward in particular), Little Feat, Doug Sahm/Sir Douglas Quintet, and the already mentioned Mike Nesmith? Perhaps even the rock-tinted country songs of goofball Jerry Reed could be included as well?