Mike, The Knitters will be at the Birchmere in August. This band was an offshoot of the punk band X and is widely regarding as starting the alt country movement with their only release, Poor Little Critter in the Road. That record combined country and honky tonk standards with X punk originals done old style country. The founder of Bloodshot Records has credited this record with turning him onto the country music. Their name was inspired by the folk band the Weavers, which was on a brief reunion shortly before this record came out. I know I consider this a defining record for me in that it brought back to me the sounds of the Grand Ole Opry that I used to hear summers at our lake house in the Georgia hills.
Cool! I haven't been to the Birchmere in ages. And I was an X fan back in the day (of course, not as big an X fan as you are ) When Jan and I were out in California last week visiting her sister and her sister's girlfriend, we listened to a lot of country, which is pretty much what they listen to the most. It made me remember that growing up in West Central PA (Altoona, to be precise) exposed me to a lot of that stuff when I was younger. When I got into my mid teens, I decided that all of country sucked. I realized from hanging out with my sis-in-law and her significant other that indeed it does not and that it's about time I start collecting it again.
I saw him when was was the warm up act for the Mavericks in a concert here in Ann Arbor a few years ago (round about the time Garth Brooks was stealing Trisha Yearwood from what's his name of the Mavericks). He didn't masturbate, but he did have his wife out there doing back up vocals dressed up like a 1950's vintage PTA mom. Kinky. Regardless of what he does with his spare time, when he cranks up that guit-steel of his for some corn pone surf music it's a LOT of fun.
He is a man, isn't he? Some former co-workers/friends of mine's son was in Junior Brown's band, and they never mentioned anything like that.... but hey, I guess that's not water cooler talk.
--I don't know if it's country enough, but I've really gotten into Bobby Bare Jr. I'm just getting into country after dismissing it because of the crap on the radio but I really like his stuff. Here his website at Bloodshot Records: http://www.bloodshotrecords.com/artists/bobbybarejr/ Here's the Amazon webpage for his album From The End Of Your Leash. It's got some short samples. If you like any of them let me know and I'll gladly rip some for you.
I can't believe it. I have that one. Got it after he was interviewed by Terri Gross a few years back. Beware, Walser is a Swiss-style yodeler. Not a cowboy-style yodeler. I discovered I'm not partial to yodeling. Not Swiss style at least.
The best band that nobody listened to. I've been a huge fan since the mid-80's when Lost & Found came out. They are also (sort of) involved in a "brush with fame" story. In 1986 I was at South Padre Island for Spring Break, my senior year of high school. A friend and I were on the beach, listening to Lost & Found when this woman came up and introduced herself as their publicist. She told me that it was the first time she had ever just "happened upon" their music in public and that she knew the guys in the band would think it was pretty cool. Anyway, she sent me some promo stuff in the mail a few weeks later. Come to think of it, how dumb was it to give my address to a total stranger at the beach?
16 Horsepower......an absolute must(darker than most of the music being mentioned here) Ricky Skaggs...Bluegrass Rules or Live at the Charleston Music Hall Del McCoury maybe a bit of a stretch but some Cuban cowboy music........Eliades Ochoa
The Mutual Admiration Society is pretty good (definitely good live) and apparently bluegrass. Admittedly, my friend was only able to drag me out to see them because John Paul Jones (yes, that J.P. Jones, not the Bonhomme Richard guy) was playing with them that night.
Drunken Angel by Lucinda Williams Sun came up it was another day And the sun went down you were blown away Why'd you let go of your guitar Why'd you ever let it go that far Drunken Angel Could've held on to that long smooth neck Let your hand remember every fret Fingers touching each shiny string But you let go of everything Drunken Angel Drunken Angel You're on the other side Drunken Angel You're on the other side Followers would cling to you Hang around just to meet you Some threw roses at your feet And watch you pass out on the street Drunken Angel Feed you and pay off all your debts Kiss your brow taste your sweat Write about your soul your guts Criticize you and wish you luck Drunken Angel Drunken Angel You're on the other side Drunken Angel You're on the other side Some kind of savior singing the blues A derelict in your duct tape shoes Your orphan clothes and your long dark hair Looking like you didn't care Druken Angel Blood spilled out from the hole in your heart Over the strings of your guitar The worn down places in the wood That once made you feel so good Druken Angel Drunken Angel You're on the other side Drunken Angel You're on the other side Sun came up it was another day And the sun went down you were blown away Why'd you let go of your guitar Why'd you ever let it go that far Drunken Angel Drunken Angel
Never caught that line before-- now I know who the song's about... No idea why you posted it but thanks...
I'm digging the Mavericks right now thanks to this thread. Thanks! My wife and I are heading down to my sister's place this weekend. She and her husband are the Donna The Buffalo fans, and they have a fair bit of alt.country in their collection. I'll have to see what they have.
But...[mutter, mutter mutter]...who is it about? I've always sort of assumed it was Townes VZ, but have never been sure.
Raul Malo is fun solo and live, too. He's also part of the Tex-Mex supergroup collective Los Super Seven, which just came out with a pretty excellent new album.
Thanks for the heads up about Los Super 7. I'll look into that. I'd like to ask you to defend Malo's solo stuff to me, though, because I tried listening to it (albeit only once) when he first ventured out on his own. My impression was that it was all too smooth and a bit sweet--designed to maximize the number long beautiful notes. He's got a GREAT voice but too much is too much. Maybe I'm wrong though?