What is Alt. country?

[Justinvs]

I've played a lot of Alt Country over the years without ever realizing I was playing it, at least accoprding to Wiki and the rest of the internet. I never would considered Dwight Yoakum or Steve Earle or even Gram Parsons as Alt Country, but then I never really did quite get what the label actually meant.

So, what better place to ask than here???

What's a good definition of Alternative Country?

[Telesavalis]

Steve Earle seems to fit the genre. Dwight? I wouldn't think so.

[Mike Eskimo]

Y'all-ternative

[McGlamRock]

When someone says "alt country" I think of bands that started in the 90's. Wilco is probably the first band that comes to mind

[purpletele]

Steve Earle, The Jayhawks, Uncle Tupelo and early Wilco, Lucinda Williams, Drive by Truckers.

alt-country likes somewhere between country and rock, but not really country rock.

This is a good example of why labels are silly.

Dwight Yokam and the Flying Burrito Bros are definitely alternative compared to what is considered country now, but I think few would call them ALT-country.

[Mike Eskimo]

This whole record -




I think the Burritos are alt country no matter what the decade, no matter what you're comparing them to. Sneaky Pete's fuzz steel being a big part of that...



BTW, Bernie Leadon just might be the best fake/pantomime guitarist in history...

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by McGlamRock

When someone says "alt country" I think of bands that started in the 90's. Wilco is probably the first band that comes to mind

My age might be showing but I think of some bands going back to the 60s - 70s as well as people who don't dress and whine like clowns.

[Joefish]

Originally Posted by purpletele

Steve Earle, The Jayhawks, Uncle Tupelo and early Wilco, Lucinda Williams, Drive by Truckers.

alt-country likes somewhere between country and rock, but not really country rock.

This is a good example of why labels are silly.

Dwight Yokam and the Flying Burrito Bros are definitely alternative compared to what is considered country now, but I think few would call them ALT-country.

+1



Country rock



Alternative


Alt country


I think what your doing could be Americana

[Mike Eskimo]

Our minds crave order - that's why we like to categorize...

[McGlamRock]

Originally Posted by imwjl

My age might be showing but I think of some bands going back to the 60s - 70s as well as people who don't dress and whine like clowns.

Yup, that came out all wrong alright... you took the brown acid didn't you ;)

[StarliteDeVille]

Originally Posted by Mike Eskimo

Y'all-ternative

My personal favorite descriptor of the music.

[Lowbassnotes]

Originally Posted by Mike Eskimo

Our minds crave order - that's why we like to categorize...

So true......
Didn't Dwight get his career off the ground opening for punk bands in LA like X?
I always thought of "alt country" stuff as Old 97's, Bad Livers and The Crosstops. Punk rockers who decided to go over to the dark side and had a blast doing it.

[Jakedog]

In my mind, Gram, The Burritos, The Byrds "Sweetheart" era, was the genesis of Alt. Country. The very first of it. It didn't exist before that.

These days, it sounds very traditional in a lot of ways. Back then, yowsers. No way would any of it get played on mainstream country stations, no way would any mainstream country artist embrace it as country. Gram never would have been booked on Hee-Haw, had he lived long enough to see the show.

I count early Alt. Country, the inventors of the genre, as Gram and associates, New Riders, etc.

These days, I've noticed the labels trying to co-opt and corrupt the term. I see it often applied to acts like Dwight (whom I love) but I consider him more pure, or even retro country. I also see it applied to folks like Shelby Lynn, who while cool, do not fit the label to me.

I recently picked up a "Best of Alt. Country" CD in big box store, thinking it might be really cool. It was all mainstream artists. Marty, Travis, Dwight, even had an early 90's Toby Keith song, and a Brad Paisley song on it. To me, this says the major labels are trying to steal the term to apply to more traditional artists, rather than keep losing sales to real Alt. Country.

Steve Earle is definitely Alt. Country. Uncle Tupelo picked up the banner where it had been dropped int he 70's by most, and really gave the genre a resurgence. Now it's more alive than ever. I could listen to top 40 country for a week straight (if I could stomach it) and never hear a decent song. The Alt. movement has some amazing writers and singers, some seriously great players too. What makes it alt? These days, it's all over the place, which is why I don't get too concerned with genre labeling anymore. There's only two kinds of music in my mind: Good, and bad. The good kind does not get played on any commercial radio station I can find on my dial. I find this to be true regardless of style or genre.

[Lenderman_k]

When I think of alt country I think of texas/reddirt music. Like Cross Canadian Ragweed, Reckless Kelly, Brandon Jenkins, Micky and the Motorcars, Shurman, Charlie Robison, etc. I even throw in Robert Earle Keen, Billy Joe Shaver and others into the genre. But I try not to call it "country" to people that dont like "country". Cause if they think that it is in anyway close to what is played on country radio they have already made up their mind that they dont like it, even with out listening to it. Silly people...lol

[jonnyfez]

Pretty much any country band/performer that isn't played on "country radio." Gah.

Robbie Fulks is a particular favorite of mine.

[blargfromspace]

Originally Posted by jonnyfez

Pretty much any country band/performer that isn't played on "country radio." Gah.

+1, but with the notable exclusion of all of the people trying to sound like the people on the radio, waiting to be discovered .

[Big_Bend]

Originally Posted by jonnyfez

Pretty much any country band/performer that isn't played on "country radio." Gah.

True dat!

A lot of Texas music I would consider Alt-Country.


Rodney Crowell
Robert Earl Keen
Lyle Lovett
Billy Joe Shaver
Willie
Charlie Robison
Townes Van Zandt
Ray Wiley Hubbard

and other favorites are

James McMurtry
Son Volt
Ryan Adams



Edit - Channel 60 Sirius/XM Outlaw Country is the best alt country you can hear anywhere.

[Dwills94]

I always think old crow medicine show or early avett brothers when I hear the term Alt. Country. IMHO these bands usually seem more country (or i always like the terms folksy or rootsy as my grandpa used to say) than the walmart and pickup truck laden songs you find on mainstream radio.


(i know that might be a somewhat inflamatory statement to some people so i will repeat that it is just my opinion)

[KellyCaster71]

Jakedog hit the nail on the head. Dwight pays homage to Buck Owens and I love it but it's not what I think of when I hear Alt. Country. I like the bands mentioned previously and check out the nodepression.com website for a good taste.

On another note. A storm is rising with some great music from alt. country, folk and rock with mixed with soul was brought further by the drive-by-truckers. Guys like Jason Isbell (former DBT) have teamed up with some artists like Justin Townes Earl (Steve's son), Hayes Carll,
Lucero even Ryan Adams and Todd Snider. It's a great time in music right now.

[stevieboy]

Originally Posted by Joefish

I think what your doing could be Americana

Americana is really a loose collection of categories that would definitely include alt country.

Originally Posted by Mike Eskimo

Our minds crave order - that's why we like to categorize...

True, but we also like to be able to communicate with each other, a good reason for categories.