will country music ever come out of the crapper?

[john kleeman]

Check out Crooked Still. They fuse bluegrass, funk, and traditional. Good folks, great tunes.
This kid Sara Juhroz (sp.) out of Austin writes lyrics E. Costello, J. Mitchell, hell even R. Zimmerman good. She has banjos, mandos, fiddles. That's country for me.
Leave the chorused-out Nashville strats to wallow in their own juices. There are young people who care that will keep country music just dandy, thanks.
As ever, IMHO. . .

 

[bonefish]

sums it up nicely...R-Rated

 

[Mike Fleming]

There has always been terrible country. It's just been filtered by time.

My best advice is to avoid it. I can 100% honestly say I have never even heard a Taylor Swift song. Besides, I think she's hot, so hearing her terrible music might ruin it for me.

If you want good modern country, try any or all of these:

Robert Earl Keen
Chris Knight
The Flatlanders
Uncle Tupelo
Steve Earle
Ray Wylie Hubbard
Son Volt
James McMurtry
Butch Hancock
Jimmie Dale Gilmore
John Hiatt
Guy Clark
John Prine
Old 97s
Bottle Rockets
South Austin Jug Band
Gillian Welch
Iris DeMent
Todd Snider
Justin Townes Earle

The list could go on forever. Some of those guys are not exactly "new" but their new stuff is worth listening to. Just avoid the radio and CMT at all costs and you won't get angry about the current state of popular country. That's what I do!

yeah man, plus so many more, Joe Ely, Walt Wilkins, the Robison brothers, Jason Boland, plus newer guys like the Randy Rogers band, Reckless Kelly, Mindy Smith, Sunny Sweeney, Brandi Carlisle, plus everything on the bluegrass side like another poster said ... there is so much great country being made right now. It's just not on major radio stations, so you have to work a little harder to stay up on it, but it's totally worth it.

 

[bingy]

"Pop" music is always in the crapper.
"Roots" music will live forever.
Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference.
And some people don't care.
Simple.

 

[kelnet]

"Pop" music is always in the crapper.
"Roots" music will live forever.
Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference.
And some people don't care.
Simple.

Bingo, Bingy.

 

[07 road house]

Yeah it just seems that popular country music in the 70s and 80s was good stuff. I listen to a radio station that plays the old good songs and I am happy

 

[Mike Fleming]

Just listening to tunes today, it made me want to throw more names out there, Kevin Welch, Cory Morrow, Chris Knight, Hacienda Bros/Stone River boys, ... there is so much great country being made in the last few years, it's just not on country radio.

 

[dkbemb10]

I hope not because for the most part I can't stand country music. I know there are probably tons of country fans on a telecaster forum but I just don't like it one bit. I think it's because almost all of the songs have pretty much the same story lyrically. It's almost like if you've heard one, you've heard them all.

I'm not saying that I hate the style, i guess I just hate how watered down and mainstream it has become. I can tolerate a few country artists like Hank Williams Sr. and Willie Nelson but I MUCH MUCH prefer rock n roll artists who venture in to the country style alittle (Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen).

Oh yeah, I did forget about the Old 97's... I think they're pretty good.

 

[Dave W]

Yeah it just seems that popular country music in the 70s and 80s was good stuff. I listen to a radio station that plays the old good songs and I am happy

LOL! Don't you realize that in the 70s and 80s there were many people from my generation complaining about the crap that was being played currently, and longing for the 50s and 60s?

Twenty years from now a future someone like you will be longing for the good old 00s when the real good stuff was on the radio.

 

[telepkr]

Need more Hanks, Georges, Willies and Waylons.....Unfortunately, The Music Business is just that....a business, Those corporate guys on the tenth floor only care about the bottom line.....and you can't blame 'em really, thats why they got MBA's instead of learning to play good guitar

 

[emu!]

How 'bout a wah wah guitar in a country song...



Kinda sounds like a Foreigner song at the beginning.

 

[mtjo62]

Sometimes you just have to get off the big highway and explore the back roads. That's where the interesting stuff is IMHO.

Exactly. If you have satellite radio, check out Outlaw Country on XM12. Not sure of the Sirius channel. There is tons of new country/alt country out now. If you are relying on CMT and your local country station, you are missing out. Look up such bands as The Derailers, Elizabeth Cook, Old 97s, Bobby Bare Jr., Steve Earl, Opie Hendrix, etc. They are all making great new music. Even veterans such as Tom Petty, John Mellencamp and Jerry Lee Lewis are cranking out new music which is more country than rock. Marty Stuarts' latest album is smoking.

 

[Mike Fleming]

^^^Outlaw is a great station. So is KNBT from New Braunfels, texas, you can listen to it online. Tons of others too. There is so much great country out there right now.

 

[tonewoods]

"...will country music ever come out of the crapper?"

This guy is working on it....