# Looking for mellow country/folk rock **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 28, 2007, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-mellow-country-folk-rock/428015 "2007-11-28T10:13:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![yelimS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/54ee81/32.png) [@yelimS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yelimS)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-mellow-country-folk-rock/428015/1 "2007-11-28T10:13:54Z")
The first snow fell today, and I’ll have to celebrate it with something like Neil Young - Comes A Time, Grateful Dead - American Beauty and Bob Dylan - Nashville Skyline. ---
**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 28, 2007, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-mellow-country-folk-rock/428015/2 "2007-11-28T14:51:13Z")
Try the Jayhawks. Their most mellow CD is “Rainy Day Music”. You’ll really like it. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-mellow-country-folk-rock/428015/3 "2007-11-28T15:17:31Z")
Wilco’s latest, “Sky Blue Sky,” would definitely fit the bill. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-mellow-country-folk-rock/428015/4 "2007-11-28T16:13:00Z")
Try [Uncle Tupelo](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMz4cWBtZAM&feature=related), or its bastard children, [Son Volt](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnv2p5GcaeY&feature=related) and [Wilco](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4qCqg5Cgns&feature=related). [More Son Volt](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRVMdMXbrK4&feature=related). ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-mellow-country-folk-rock/428015/5 "2007-11-28T16:55:48Z")
“The Trinity Sessions” by Cowboy Junkies sounds like new-fallen snow to me! ---
**Author:** ![Survey1215](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@Survey1215](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Survey1215)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-mellow-country-folk-rock/428015/6 "2007-11-28T17:35:03Z")
Aha! A chance to introduce someone to my favorite band of all time: [The Bottle Rockets](http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=40073034) ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-mellow-country-folk-rock/428015/7 "2007-11-28T18:13:10Z")
**Pearl Jam** ’s cover of Victoria Williams’s [Crazy Mary](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ziGoJBLnRA) is a fine example of the genre. Speaking of which, [here’s Victoria Williams](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmP_xabQoUE&feature=related). ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-mellow-country-folk-rock/428015/8 "2007-11-28T19:19:24Z")
[Ghosts of the Great Highway, by Sun Kil Moon](http://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-Great-Highway-Sun-Moon/dp/B000LRZ02K/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1196277395&sr=1-1) (amazon link) Very Neil Young in vocals and execution - great, open acoustic stuff, with some songs also featuring distorted guitars, but used as a washed-out layer of sound that the reason of the music sits within - very airy and open. I can’t recommend it highly enough for this category of music. Really great. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-mellow-country-folk-rock/428015/9 "2007-11-28T19:24:54Z")
Jesse Winchester’s album _Humour Me_ is a beautiful, gentle experience. > **[Sugar Hill Records - Rounder Records](https://rounder.com/sugar-hill-records/)** > > In the late sixties, Barry Poss came to the United States from Canada with a fellowship,  a student visa, and a plan to obtain a doctorate in sociology from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. After coming within one chapter of completing... ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-mellow-country-folk-rock/428015/10 "2007-11-28T19:46:19Z")
Mark Knopfler. You might remember him as the guitarist from Dire Straits. He has awesome solo work that’s well… more like “Brothers in Arms” Dire Straits than “Money for Nothing” Dire Straits. Check out his album “Shangri-La” Also, he has an album with EmmyLou Harris called “All the Roadrunning” which is AMAZING. Despite the fact that no one’s ever heard of it, it reached #17 on Billboard in 2006 – How does that happen? It’s a mystery. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-mellow-country-folk-rock/428015/11 "2007-11-28T19:53:24Z")
Pure Prairie League reformed in 2005 with the original lead singer, Craig Fuller, back in the lineup. The 2005 album, [All In Good Time](http://www.pureprairieleague.com/music.html) , has some great country rock on it. Craig Fuller is one of my favorite singers. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-mellow-country-folk-rock/428015/12 "2007-11-28T19:53:27Z")
Lucinda Williams. “Car Wheels. . .” is her best album. Her more recent efforts are more mellow, though, “Essence” and “world Without Tears”. I haven’t listened to “West”. ---
**Author:** ![yelimS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/54ee81/32.png) [@yelimS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yelimS)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-mellow-country-folk-rock/428015/13 "2007-11-28T21:18:19Z")
This winter is going to be soft! I haven’t listened to everything yet, but so far, Wilco, Sun Kil Moon and Bottle Rockets are favourites. Thanks a lot! I’ll just tag on another favourite of mine, in case anyone’s interrested and haven’t heard it: America’s self-titled. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-mellow-country-folk-rock/428015/14 "2007-11-28T21:34:46Z")
Try Gram Parsons and the Flying Burrito Brothers. They certainly played a few rockin’ songs (_Big Mouth Blues_ is the first one that comes to mind), but even those ones are pretty country-flavored, and they did some great stuff with the country-rock sound that the Byrds made famous. Not surprising, really, considering the personnel overlap between the two. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-mellow-country-folk-rock/428015/15 "2007-11-28T21:48:34Z")
Try a album by **The Shins**. They have a mellow, acoustic guitar-based sound with definite folk and country influences, but with a sheen of British psychedelia over top of it, even though they’re American. _Chutes Too Narrow_ is a good album to start with. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-mellow-country-folk-rock/428015/16 "2007-11-28T21:55:22Z")
Songs: Ohia is pretty good. \*Tigress \*is my favorite song. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-mellow-country-folk-rock/428015/17 "2007-11-29T05:41:13Z")
I just discovered “Heavenly Day” by Patty Griffin. One of the most lyrical, evocative, beautiful songs I’ve heard in many a day. Let me know how you like it. She has several other good songs, too. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-mellow-country-folk-rock/428015/18 "2007-11-29T06:40:48Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] **Pearl Jam** ’s cover of Victoria Williams’s [Crazy Mary](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ziGoJBLnRA) is a fine example of the genre. Speaking of which, [here’s Victoria Williams](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmP_xabQoUE&feature=related). [/QUOTE] Victoria Williams is probably one of my 3 or 4 favorite things about this planet. ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-mellow-country-folk-rock/428015/19 "2007-11-29T10:32:46Z")
I like Victoria Williams too (and Lucinda for that matter.) There is also: [The New Riders of the Purple Sage](http://www.nrpsmusic.com/) ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-mellow-country-folk-rock/428015/20 "2007-11-29T23:31:35Z")
I have a genre on my iPod I invented to accomodate a certain kind of dark, atmospheric music with a swampy twang: I call it Hillbilly Goth. Here are the artists under that rubric: The Blacks Carla Bozulich The Geraldine Fibbers Hank Williams III Jim White Jo Carol Pierce Johnny Dowd Pinetop Seven Robbie Fulks Toni Price Victoria Williams