Any Alt-Country fans out there?

[spikechiquet]

Outlaw Country, Torch & Twang, Americana, Alt-Country...whatever you like to call it, any fans?

Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, Vigilantes of Love, Hank III, Billy Bragg, The Jayhawks, Old 97s, Son Volt, Whiskeytown...anyone?

My buddy is a huge fan and I am just getting into the music myself...so I am learning the genre as quickly as possible.

A new fave, if you haven't checked him out: The Tallest Man on Earth. Good stuff.

 

[ADodgen]

I've seen the Old 97s, and really like Wilco, though I don't really consider Wilco alt-country so much.

 

[ADodgen]

I realize that statement sounds sort of stupid, since Wilco basically evolved out of Uncle Tupelo, which I do classify as alt-country. I still don't put the current/recent Wilco stuff in the same category.

 

[spikechiquet]

True, but I also like alt-country inspired rock as well, so I threw them in there.

 

[ADodgen]

Fair enough.

I'd throw in Drive-by Truckers and Lucero if you're looking for more good music. And the Gourds.

 

[YGBFKM]

The Truckers are awesome. They've lost a little of their fastball lately, but you won't find many better albums than Decoration Day and Dirty South. Also, check out Jason Isbell, former guitarist for DBT, who has put out two solo albums in the last couple years (Sirens of the Ditch and a self-titled album).

And if you really want to get into alt-country, buy the Gram Parsons anthology. And the Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo.

 

[EStreetJoe]

I like a lot of stuff in this wide-ranging genre .. Old 97s, Jayhawks, Waco Brothers, Son Volt, Whiskeytown, etc., etc.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

I am outraged that Ryan Adams is not mentioned yet. But at least Whiskeytown is.

 

[JayFarrar]

Umm yeah.
the real jay farrar. Uncle tupelo. Sonvolt. Whiskeytown along with ryan adams and his various side projects. Jayhawks.
dbt. Jason isbell. The everybodyfields.lucero. gillian welch, oh lord i could go on for hours.
go to last.fm and punch up whiskeytown and just check out all the selections.
you

 

[imjustagirl]

I heart BR5-49, but I don't think they're even remotely similar to any of the other bands here. Sorry.

 

[Crash]

Not sure if they're true alt-country, but Cross Canadian Ragweed is awesome.

 

[spikechiquet]

Thanks for all the extra suggestions. Once I sober up from the litany of Octoberfests I drank tonight, I will enjoy tracking down some songs...

 

[vicd]

The first Flying Burrito Brothers: Gilded Palace of Sin / Burrito Deluxe (CD)
The two solo Gram Parsons albums
The Dillards : Wheatstraw Suite
The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark

 

[Steak Snabler]

Since they haven't been mentioned, I'll give a shout-out to a Southern college bar circuit fave from Baton Rouge, Dash Rip Rock.

But for me, it really begins and ends with Uncle Tupelo. Those guys were the Guns N Roses of alt-country as far as I'm concerned. Pick up a copy of their "Anthology," you won't be disappointed.

 

[EStreetJoe]

I am outraged that Ryan Adams is not mentioned yet. But at least Whiskeytown is.

That's because other than Gold the majority of stuff Ryan Adams has done since Whiskeytown has been pretty weak.

 

[Shifty Squid]

I am outraged that Ryan Adams is not mentioned yet. But at least Whiskeytown is.

That's because other than Gold the majority of stuff Ryan Adams has done since Whiskeytown has been pretty weak.

Blue font? Not really sure here.

Gold was too poppy and commercial, I think. Had some solid music on there, but it was too long and pretty uneven as a whole. Heartbreaker is probably still his best solo record, though Love Is Hell, Cold Roses and Jacksonville City Nights are all excellent. I still think 29 is quite underappreciated, but I'm fighting an uphill battle with most people on that one.

I do agree to the extent that I think he got a little stale as the years went by alongside the Cardinals. He had never been with one cohesive set of bandmates for that long at any point in his life, and I felt like his music didn't grow much during that time. You basically knew what you were going to get from them by the time Cardinology came out. They were phenomenal live, but the studio stuff lacked the sense of adventure and "What will he do next?" you had with the best of RA's releases. I'll be interested to see what he produces now that he's free to do whatever he wants again.

I haven't seen Neutral Milk Hotel mentioned, so I'll toss them in there, along with the V-Roys, Scott Miller and the Commonwealth, Gillian Welch, Caitlin Cary, the Avett Bros, Centromatic, Golden Smog and Lucinda Williams.

Oh, and DBT hasn't really lost anything, I don't think. Their only problem is they set the bar so high with Southern Rock Opera and Decoration Day back to back a few years ago that it's difficult for them to meet that each album. I actually don't think Dirty South was all that good, but The Big To-Do may be their best album since Decoration Day. Different strokes, as they way. Anyway, they've already completed another album, so we'll see where they go from here fairly soon.

 

[lesboulez]

as mentioned earlier, lucero. but you must see them live.

glossary, american aquarium, two cow garage, the only sons and anything jon snodgrass is involved with...

 

[EStreetJoe]

I am outraged that Ryan Adams is not mentioned yet. But at least Whiskeytown is.

That's because other than Gold the majority of stuff Ryan Adams has done since Whiskeytown has been pretty weak.

Blue font? Not really sure here.

Gold was too poppy and commercial, I think. Had some solid music on there, but it was too long and pretty uneven as a whole. Heartbreaker is probably still his best solo record, though Love Is Hell, Cold Roses and Jacksonville City Nights are all excellent. I still think 29 is quite underappreciated, but I'm fighting an uphill battle with most people on that one.

I do agree to the extent that I think he got a little stale as the years went by alongside the Cardinals. He had never been with one cohesive set of bandmates for that long at any point in his life, and I felt like his music didn't grow much during that time. You basically knew what you were going to get from them by the time Cardinology came out. They were phenomenal live, but the studio stuff lacked the sense of adventure and "What will he do next?" you had with the best of RA's releases. I'll be interested to see what he produces now that he's free to do whatever he wants again.

Maybe I should have used the blue font. But other than Gold, I haven't really cared for much of his post-Whiskeytown output. Didn't like Heartbreaker at all.

 

[Ronnie "Z-Man" Barzell]

The first Flying Burrito Brothers: Gilded Palace of Sin / Burrito Deluxe (CD)
The two solo Gram Parsons albums
The Dillards : Wheatstraw Suite
The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark

All of these, plus:

Gene Clark: "Gene Clark With The Gosdin Brothers"
Townes Van Zandt: "Townes Van Zandt", "Our Mother The Mountain", and "Delta Momma Blues"

 

[Shifty Squid]

I am outraged that Ryan Adams is not mentioned yet. But at least Whiskeytown is.

That's because other than Gold the majority of stuff Ryan Adams has done since Whiskeytown has been pretty weak.

Blue font? Not really sure here.

Gold was too poppy and commercial, I think. Had some solid music on there, but it was too long and pretty uneven as a whole. Heartbreaker is probably still his best solo record, though Love Is Hell, Cold Roses and Jacksonville City Nights are all excellent. I still think 29 is quite underappreciated, but I'm fighting an uphill battle with most people on that one.

I do agree to the extent that I think he got a little stale as the years went by alongside the Cardinals. He had never been with one cohesive set of bandmates for that long at any point in his life, and I felt like his music didn't grow much during that time. You basically knew what you were going to get from them by the time Cardinology came out. They were phenomenal live, but the studio stuff lacked the sense of adventure and "What will he do next?" you had with the best of RA's releases. I'll be interested to see what he produces now that he's free to do whatever he wants again.

Maybe I should have used the blue font. But other than Gold, I haven't really cared for much of his post-Whiskeytown output. Didn't like Heartbreaker at all.

Interesting. I think you're the first person I've heard say that. I think Heartbreaker is one of the best albums of the decade. I think Gold is watered down and fairly mediocre, relatively speaking. To each his own, of course. Just says something about our taste. I do think if Gold had been whittled down to about 10 songs (omitting "Enemy Fire," "Gonna Make You Love Me," "Harder Now That It's Over," "Touch, Feel and Lose," "Tina Toledo's Street Walking Blues" and maybe a couple more), it could have been very good. Might have been even better if they replaced a few songs with stuff from the bonus disc. "Rosalie Come and Go," "Cannonball Days," "The Fools We Are As Men" and "The Bar Is A Beautiful Place" are all at least as good as anything on the regular album, IMHO.

But, again, it's all just opinions. Some people actually consider Springsteen part of this genre, EStreet. I assume you're a fan. Not sure if I'd lump Springsteen in with these bands, though I think I get the inclination.