McGraw didn’t write it (that would have been Tim Nichols and Craig Wiseman), but I think he was the first to record and release it. It was about his father, who had recently died.
Wilco, Son Volt, Ryan Adams, Neko Case (swoon), Calexico, etc…
The pontoon video linked upthread struck me, since I live five miles from the artificial lake whose creation was a plot point in Deliverance. Suddenly, the grandchildren of hardscrabble hill farmers and loggers became wealthy owners of lakefront real estate. Unlike the stereotype Black faux-rich, instead of Cadillac they buy HUGE PICKUP TRUCKS, to maintain their hard-workin’ cred. All they load in the trucks are groceries: which they use to blitz their digestive systems with starch, fats and HFCS (nobody IRL is as slender as the people in the pontoon video).
I’m told there’s an active orgy culture on the lake, as they gather to watch each other have sex while afloat. Defiantly unbound by the sexual hipocrisy of their “betters,” the Southern belles and beaus who traditionally disparage the grits. OK, whatever.
In “suggested” next to the pontoon videos was another song “Kiss My Country Ass.” A live concert performance, to which the video producers added footage of the fans lined up expressly to hear that song in particular. Some enthused to offer the ancient insult of presenting their (HFCS-enhanced) buttocks, creating the paradox of insolence: “I will negate your denying me my dignity by performing an undignified act.”
Again, OK, whatever. Maybe it’s just traditional Scots-Irish individualism and anti-elitism. Looking back at the Civil War, Vietnam, Iraq, it’s odd how these same people so readily send their sons to kill and die at the bidding of those same elites, with little evidence that it serves their own interests.
That sounds like all kinds of awful. Are you saying that this represents all of country music’s fans, and all country music champions that culture and POV?
By the way - I also hear that Gangsta Rap promotes bling, ho’s and bitches, gats and ridin’ dirty - I mean, look at those people :eek: :eek: :eek:. And, by the way, there is no interest in gangsta rap from white, suburban folks, nosirree - the lifestyle and values depicted in rap is only glorified by a specific group. No one in other demographics listens to country music, nossiree…
:rolleyes:
Certainly not. In fact, I can personally vouch for its universal appeal. When I worked as a bank teller in Honolulu, the music of choice of my multiracial coworkers was not Hawaiian music, it was CW. No further than Lake Lanier from my doorstep are various ethnic groceries selling tofu and kimchee.
I guess my point is to not blame the music for its core culture. But just like the food executives in Minneapolis who decree that poor people will eat unhealthy food, music executives in Nashville pander to some of the lowest appetites. I’m not saying my neighbors should be ashamed of listening to Vince Gill instead of the Brandenberg Concerto, but if they were to twiddle that dial away from Clear Channel Country, they might hear something they’d still like, even if it was less soothing and more thoughtful.
Did you check out any of the links I posted earlier?
But don’t we all have that arrogance? I will put the radio on in my car for my Tween daughter and the most godawful Autotuned crap will come on with the most vulgar lyrics…but then on the same station, I will hear some charting hit by Jack White, or Jake Bugg’s song Lightning Bolt, or a song by Adele or Bruno Mars and think “well, at least some good music is making it through the noise…”
That happens on Country stations, too…
…and, to be very clear about this, I get your point about judging primitive/folk music vs. classical when you mention Vince Gill vs. the Brandenberg Concerto - classically-constructed music is harmonically rich and structured vs. most primitive/folk musics. But Vince Gill is a Paganini of country electric guitar - I am NOT using that term lightly and trying to be boasty or cute. He is that good and has held his own in classical music settings.
Neko Case is pretty awesome. And clever.
And Emmy Lou Harris has taken some old mountain music and brought it up to date with beautiful results. That really old stuff that came along with some of the first settlers from the U.K. when sung in its original cadence and style is tough on the ears. But after hearing Emmy transform it I went back to some old documentaries and found a renewed appreciation of that group of American’s country music.
If you like a little stoner humor with your alt-country…
“Boys From Oklahoma”-Cross Canadian Ragweed
I think it’s because most of the crap in other genres is just… generic forgettable crap, which evokes no feelings at all, while country crap (and rap crap, imo) evokes negative feelings instead of indifference.
The reference to Emmylou Harris makes me want to recommend Gram Parsons to those who’ve asked for examples of heartfelt, well-composed country music.
Parsons recorded in the late 1960’s until his death in 1974, first with the Flying Burrito Brothers and later as a solo artist. He was a pioneer in blending country and rock (although he didn’t like to call his music ‘country-rock’), which was very forward-thinking and tolerant for that era. I remember in that era country fans calling me a communist and rock fans calling me a hick for enjoying both genres.
Parsons had his flaws. He wasn’t consistent (drug problems certainly contributed to this); for someone who did write some breathtaking songs, a surprisingly high portion of his best work is covers (again, the drugs may have slowed down his development as a songwriter); his work was almost always sad, and I know some people are brought down by this; and he was hard to like as a person (but then, so was Hank Williams).
“$1000 Dollar Wedding” may be my favorite song of his - his duet with Emmylou is absolutely heart-rending. A true story of his being stood up at the altar, the lyrics are wonderfully poetic (and I’m rarely moved by lyrics). A poignant touch at the end of each chorus has the protagonist observe, “It’s been a bad, bad day”, underscoring the immediateness of his pain.
Another of my favorites is “Sin City”. It’s about the culture shock Parsons felt upon moving from the south to hedonistic Los Angeles in the 1960’s. The chorus lyrics are as powerful as anything by Hank Williams:
This old earthquake’s gonna leave me in the poorhouse
It seems like this whole town’s insane
On the 31st floor, a gold-plated door
Won’t keep out, the Lord’s burning rain
I reject your opening premise. Country music is widely liked… in fact, the MOST widely liked genre of music (at least in the U.S.A.) Cite:
Sure, there is some bad country music out there… every genre has some stinkers.
But it is not universally liked (no genre is) so if you hang out with people who don’t care for it, you’ll hear plenty of hate. That doesn’t mean everyone hates it… you need to consider your sample.
Country music is perverted, twisted bluegrass. Modern country music is the inbred, genetic abomination child of old country music. Please, stop with the fake twangy accent.
These links were previously provided by Accidental Martry and are a good place to start.
Neko Case, who has been mentioned in some other posts, is also good as is the late Townes Van Zandt.
Billy Bragg is generally known for the folk influences in his music, but when he is in a mood to explore country music, he sure can knock out some real winners.
I wish the OP would return to explain what her fellow Montrealers think about country music. In her absence, I located some Old Time Country fans at Montreal’s Wheel Club. Their Beginner’s Guideto Old Time Country Music is somewhat scattershot, but their hearts are in the right place. Quibbles?* None* of their examples are considered Old Timey/String Music. Milton Brown pioneered Western Swing; but he died young & Bob Wills carried it on–but not alone. Still, they care about the music.
The writers do seem concerned about “legitimacy.” Yes, Bill Monroe dressed his band in nice Western suits instead of the hillbilly garb favored by the business executives sponsoring the Grand Ole Opry & other cornball shows–but never by the musicians themselves. (Here we see Jimmie Rodgers & The Carter Family–nobody is wearing overalls.) And it is well known that Western Swing players actually have to read music…
Somebody up there mentioned Gram Parsons; he wasn’t the first or only Country Rocker but dying young makes you a legend. However, he did not just mix country & rock; the Burritos’ first album includes covers of “The Dark End of the Street” and “Do Right Woman.” Emmylou carried (the whiter part of) his message back to the very belly of the beast–Nashville. I’m sure there’s some good music coming out of Music City–but I rarely listen to commercial radio.
Personally, I’ve enjoyed ancient recordings & modern interpreters of Old Timey, Bluegrass, Western Swing, Honky Tonk (Bakersfield or Texan), Cosmic Cowboy, Alt Country & Cowpunk. (Alas, I missed the reformed True Believers in May; let’s hope Alejandro & his pals can find time to get together again.) This stuff sure as fuck isn’t the only genre I like; if others don’t like it, I don’t care. Hey, ignorance is easy…
A number for our OP–a legendary Western Swing fiddler (hey, he died young!)–who was a pioneer in Cajun music, too. Harry Choates…
I’m not a big fan of the genre, but I am a big fan of Michael Nesmith…and his songbook is definitely heavy on the twang. He teamed with the late great pedal steel player Red Rhodes for years and had Chris Scruggs (Earl’s grandson) in the band last time out.
The collaborations between Billy Bragg and Wilco, Mermaid Avenue and Mermaid Avenue Vol. II, are very good.
I’m not gonna make such bold, inflammatory claims against country music, but earlier, I asked about the purpose of the accent in country music. Why is it necessary to sing in an accent? Or am I approaching this wrong? Do all forms of music have their own accent, of sorts? I suppose rock music has some sort of generic American accent, seldom varied. I know little about rap music: would those that do know about it characterize it as having an ‘accent’?
I don’t care for the country accent in country music, as I feel it’s an affectation. But if I were to follow that logic, then are British rockers, etc, who attempt a fairly generic American accent when singing, also ‘fake’?
No serious thoughts about the country accent?