Rolling Country 2006 Thread

Grouchy Rooster's Real and Raw is some of the people found floating in the Alligator Stew xhuxk yakked about upstream. "Far Beneath the Rubble" and "Louisiana Man" are again on it. Must be some favorite songs. The singer is great for this stuff -- spooky roots rock, country and thumping blooz. The accompaniment is spare but powerful. There are electric guitars and lots of slide, but really lots of howling harmonica to match the singer howling about pain and backstabbers ("Southern Fried Snake").

Not something I'll listen to a lot. It ain't party music but it's effective.

Well, now I have discovered the singer for Alligator Stew/Grouchy Rooster was in Asphalt Ballet, some LA stripper club metal band toward the end of the 80's. How 'bout that? Says Tennessee Ernie Ford is one of his influences.

Shawn Mullins' album 9th Ward Picking Parlor is a lot better, and a lot more country, than I ever thought it would be. (He had that awful song "Lullabye" in 1998, he's in the Thorns with Matthew Sweet, etc.) Great murder ballad, great peace songs, great sad tune called "Homemade Wine," beautiful falsetto voice -- not so hot when he goes all low and gravelly though -- this will mostly be played on AAA I guess but it has at least three singles that could be Top Ten country hits.

That Mullins record has been gathering dust here for a month. I dislike him enough (and really really disliked the Thorns) that I refused to play it, but not enough that I threw it out. Sounds worth a spin.

I reviewed Mullins's first album (the one with his hit, which unike everybody else on the earth i actually didn't hate) for Rolling Stone:

http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/shawnmullins/albums/album/246377/rid/5941940

Don't own the album anymore, though. May listen to his new one; may not. (By the way, 9th Ward Picking Parlor in New Orleans is also where Jan Bell records sometimes, I think == can't remember whether that Maybelles album from last year was recorded there or not.)

(Oops, I guess the album was his SEVENTH, according to that review.)

I'll have something to say about McGraw and Tenn. politics shortly.

the Maybelles did record their album at 9th Ward. I think if I remember right that Jan Bell mentioned to me that the owners of 9th Ward PP had moved operations to Kansas? Iowa? someplace like that. I like the Maybelles better than Mullins, altho I kinda keep playing it in the changer to see if I like it more than I do right now.

listened to the Hayseed Dixie records--yawn, not really all that much fun. they were fun live, not as fun as this Memphis Jug Band/blues-with-snare/acoustic geetar/standup-bass act I caught at Billy Block's Western Rodeo revue: many of their songs were about twelve-step programs and women who love you even when you drink too much, I think they were called something like Delta Southern. Gus Cannon becomes a Friend of Bill. and right, they did "Kirby Hill" which was the best thing I heard. just one of those things that don't translate onto record, and pretty one-joke.

Rhett Akins, "Kiss My Country Ass" begins well--great slide and acoustic guitar that's ominioso and pretty rockin'. but, "I ain't scared to grab my gun and fight for my land/If you don't love the American flag, you can..." basically, it puts me in mind of a band of total drunks going off to fight terrorism, which might not be a bad idea come to think of it. but, some fine slide/guitar solos, great Stonesy piano licks, some great post-Allmans flatted-fifth riffs snaking around. basically, the record really swings and rocks, and I actually quite like "I Love Women (My Mama Can't Stand" which mentions "Daytona tans" and "redneck women who ain't afraid of Jim Beam" and uses a modified chicka-boom two-beat structure. one thing about Nashville records, you generally get a lively rhythm-section dynamic, and here the steel/guitar combination is light and not overbearing. good 'un. and in general, almost every song has a really good riff, like "The Trouble with a Woman," except I am not sure if his out--the trouble with a woman is gen'l'y, usually, a man--means that he's just on the make or if he cedes power. and the rest of it talks about bird dogs and how playing sorority parties made him realize that he's not the kind of guy to take orders from suits, altho he's fine with taking orders from George W. Bush.

I'm not sure, I might find Rhett more authentic outlaw than Hank III, which I am still absorbing. but he's going for a thin sound, he has a thin and weird voice, and he uses a lotta echo and reverb to I guess cover up the fact it seems to have been recorded in a room with wooden floors and walls. starts out with a brief reprise of the Louvin Bros.' "Satan Is Real," and so far I find it a bit samey over the long haul. haven't yet listened to the second disc.

xps

I'll have something to say about McGraw and Tenn. politics shortly.

the Maybelles did record their album at 9th Ward. I think if I remember right that Jan Bell mentioned to me that the owners of 9th Ward PP had moved operations to Kansas? Iowa? someplace like that. I like the Maybelles better than Mullins, altho I kinda keep playing it in the changer to see if I like it more than I do right now.

listened to the Hayseed Dixie records--yawn, not really all that much fun. they were fun live, not as fun as this Memphis Jug Band/blues-with-snare/acoustic geetar/standup-bass act I caught at Billy Block's Western Rodeo revue: many of their songs were about twelve-step programs and women who love you even when you drink too much, I think they were called something like Delta Southern. Gus Cannon becomes a Friend of Bill. and right, Hayseed/De-seed did "Kirby Hill" which was the best thing I heard. just one of those things that don't translate onto record, and pretty one-joke.

Rhett Akins, "Kiss My Country Ass" begins well--great slide and acoustic guitar that's ominioso and pretty rockin'. but, "I ain't scared to grab my gun and fight for my land/If you don't love the American flag, you can..." basically, it puts me in mind of a band of total drunks going off to fight terrorism, which might not be a bad idea come to think of it. but, some fine slide/guitar solos, great Stonesy piano licks, some great post-Allmans flatted-fifth riffs snaking around. basically, the record really swings and rocks, and I actually quite like "I Love Women (My Mama Can't Stand" which mentions "Daytona tans" and "redneck women who ain't afraid of Jim Beam" and uses a modified chicka-boom two-beat structure. one thing about Nashville records, you generally get a lively rhythm-section dynamic, and here the steel/guitar combination is light and not overbearing. good 'un. and in general, almost every song has a really good riff, like "The Trouble with a Woman," except I am not sure if his out--the trouble with a woman is gen'l'y, usually, a man--means that he's just on the make or if he cedes power. and the rest of it talks about bird dogs and how playing sorority parties made him realize that he's not the kind of guy to take orders from suits, altho he's fine with taking orders from George W. Bush.

I'm not sure, I might find Rhett more authentic outlaw than Hank III, which I am still absorbing. but he's going for a thin sound, he has a thin and weird voice, and he uses a lotta echo and reverb to I guess cover up the fact it seems to have been recorded in a room with wooden floors and walls. starts out with a brief reprise of the Louvin Bros.' "Satan Is Real," and so far I find it a bit samey over the long haul. haven't yet listened to the second disc.

xps

that thar second disc
is some songs and some train sounds
and some chop & screw

I'm into this new BR549 record. Don't really hear the bluegrass pop so much, just light on feet swing with shtick factor zero, even when the Jordanaires ooo-ahhh-ooo or when they sing about Jesus as a short-order cook. Really good song about Leonard Peltier too.

I know! If I could find my disc I'd be listening to it a lot more than I am!

I listened to two tracks on the Shawn Mullins and then forgot I had it, much less what I thought of it. These are my notes on the first two tracks, unedited and uninteresting:

"1. Um. Pretty. But blah. Pretty blah. 'Underwater daydream, bone dry desert song.' There's a husky something at the end of his phrasing that is interesting. 'Interstellar rainbow on its cosmic whim'? 'I like my daylight to be silver, I like my night skies to be blue/Blue as you." Meaning what?

"2. And now some hard guitars. Which are a relief. 'I lost count of the times I've given up on you/But you make such a beautiful wreck, you do.' 'At the dark end of this bar, what a beautiful wreck you are."

A blue wreck, perhaps? I guess I'll get back to this alb at some point.

keep going, it gets interesting later. 'faith' is good country-soul, 'talkin' goin' to alaska blues' isn't really a talking blues but clumsily namedrops michelle shocked, he covers 'house of the rising sun,' etc. all in all, i think it's surprisingly good for a guy i'd written off for almost a decade.

Am listening to Straight to Hell by Hank III. For someone who professes to be so authentic, wild and iconoclastic, it's hackwork countrybilly. Tattoos and hook 'em horns, now that's the mark of an outlaw. Like Edd said, sounds thin, weedy on the first disc. He's goin' "funnin' and gunnin'" and then a sound that sounds like it could have been on a Firefall LP, except Firefall didn't have singers who sounded so purposely like hillbillies. And Hank III doesn't really think no one else has thought of making good LPs on four hundred dollars and walk out the door of Guitar Center digital work stations, does he?

Ah, c'mon, now Hank III's singin' about drinkin,' druggin', and havin' a lot of fun, plus he carries around his gun to shoot lawyers. Then there's burping noises from a pig. Bet it took 30-seconds to do that one. Then a song about his drinkin' problem. Too phoned in.

Illinois, *The Revenge of Some Kid* EP: Square-dancey, old-timey-rhythmed, indie-rock hoedown music from Bucks County, PA (not sure exact grid coordinates yet, though there is at least one mention of Doylestown on their myspace page I just looked at; given the college-townish atmosphere of that burg, I am not surprised); reminds me (in a good way) of Modest Mouse or Ugly Casanova, i.e., vocals NOT modest or mousey or ugly = not annoying. I like the jigginess of it, and the way the words slide in and out, though don't know yet if they're any good. Doubt they could pull off a full LP, but for an EP they're OK.

> if they're any good<

"they" = "the words" in above passage. (basically the words don't annoy me yet, but also don't reach out and grab me yet. now they're saying "they say if you love something, let it go" over and over.)

Hank III album would appear to be mainly garbage -- yeah, phoned in is right. Toe-the-line follow-the-rules kiss-ass I'm-a-bad-drunk-man themes with no specifics I could notice to make them interesting (though he did seem to mention Jesco White once -- dude's everywhere, ain't he?); fast (but not too fast) songs that all the same and don't rock and slow songs that ditto and last way too long; boring voice; boring band; tuneless tunes; extended-track second-disc art-fuckuff thing not even as fun the one Pig Destroyer included last year. Next?

all SOUND the same (which is to say he seems to have two songs, one faster than the other, that he keeps doing over & over with slightly different words. Actually I'm not even sure the words change.)

So what's the deal with the new Chicks album? Wasn't it slated for mid March? Has that been pushed back? I keep listening to WIL in St. Louis hoping for a single, but all I hear is Urban and Azar and Diffie and Lambert and M. Gentry, and only the latter two make me smile.

Cross-pasted from Scott's thread on the "gift disc" included with the new Hank III Straight to Hell promotional. Bless him, he liked it.
======
[Hank III's] chopped and screwed stuff -- it's brief -- isn't as good as Mr. Wonka!? And the songs are the same on the second disc -- they sound the same, at -least- one is actually the very same -- as the first except you have to listen to all of it the way it's sliced or hit eject, which is what I did after [what seemed like a small eternity]. Wretched. Don't care if he's a hillbilly outlaw, that shtick is awful without any tunes or riffs or anything except the nasal voice and the endless singing about gunnin' funnin' his lawyer shootin' shotgun drinkin' and his good friends in a Louisiana penitentiary (indeed).

yeah, that second disc is even worse than the first. I'm afraid I do see what these guys were gunning for, sonically if not lyrically...and I betcha we see a lot more of this kinda thing from Nashville--EAST Nashville, which has turned into hipsterville--in the future.

so I listened to the new Kristofferson record with Don Was, and Jim Keltner on drums on a couple. it's good-liberal codgerdom in an intimate setting! KK is concerned about the death of the environment, the way we hate our outlaws, girls who are older than their eyes or is it the other way around, freedom and the highway thereto...and he's maybe the worst singer in history. so, a success...actually, one kind of good track, "Chase the Feeling," which is sort of Sun rockabilly two-step with actual dynamics and so forth, and lyrics: "with a pretty piece of hunger/she was younger than her eyes/on a scale of cosmic thunder/it's a wonder you're alive." and a song about how seeing Willie Nelson onstage chokes him up and makes him glad to be a songwriter, and a human being.

Looks like Chicks has been pushed back to "April", with no precise date set. Crazy interview with Natalie in Entertainment Weekly. Chicks' message boards not happy. They'll be on Lost Highway before the year's out.

"For me as a person, [The Incident has] completely altered the course I was on. For me to be in country music to begin with was not who I was. I liked Martie and Emily's playing, but I did not grow up liking country music. And I guess I was ignorant to the fact that the stereotypes behind country music were true — and it was disappointing. And so at this stage, I can never... I would be cheating myself and not setting a good example for my children to go back to something that I don't wholeheartedly believe in. So I'm pretty much done. They've shown their true colors. I like lots of country music, but as far as the industry and everything that happened... I couldn't want to be farther away from that. And it's easier when you're financially set, because you can be a little more ballsy, and just do what you want to do. I don't want people to think that me not wanting to be a part of country music is any sort of revenge. It is not. It is totally me being who I am, and not wanting to compromise myself and hate my life.

How do Emily and Martie feel about this?

Um... I don't know. We're all on the same page... professionally. And some of us like country music more than others [Laughs], but nobody's forcing anyone else not to... um... you know, go the direction that we're going. We're all on the same page."

*Southwind*, self-titled debut by soul-country (i.e., 75 percent gruff yet sometimes high-registered blue eyed soul, 25 percent country, but with fiddle parts in the soul songs, gospel backup parts in the country songs, etc) band of Neil Carswell from Copperhead of cdbaby.com fame (see above.) As good as Pat Green's or Jon Nicholson's albums, to my ears, as far as the subgenre goes. Lots of on-the-road-away-from-home songs (via truck, bike, and/or train, not completely sure which)); "Temporary Relief," which is keyed to a "long way to Tipperary" pun, and "Altar Call," keyed to a CCR "Lodi" reference (on the road seeking my fame and fortune) are a great ending for the album; also really like "Keep You Guessing," the country rambler "Til The Blues Come In," and a lot more on this.

And speaking of Copperhead, I finally figured out that their probably-catchiest and most rousing song "Keepin' On" basically IS "Keep On Rollin'" by REO Speedwagon -- same hook and everything, and no that is not an insult. Also, "Stricken" on their album turns into "Black Betty" by Ram Jam for a couple seconds, and they cover "Drift Away" (better than Uncle Kracker) which somehow I never noticed before but which makes perfect sense given the soul-country side project, and "Free Man" has a cool acid-rock organ break and like all great free-man songs reminds me of South Side Commission's great early gay disco classic "Free Man," though usually when hard rock bands sing about being a free man I think they're singing about getting out of prison whereas when gay disco bands sing about it they're more likely singing about the entire prison of LIFE. Unless I am completely wrong.

Kind of enjoying Detroit Disciples' cdbaby soul-rock album *Saving Grace* (especially "Heartbreak Station" which is not a Cinderella song, "Cinderella Shoes" which ditto, "Next Big Thing" which ditto though it is about the great hair-metal topic of smalltown girl escapes to Hollywood, the completely vague and possibly even chickenshit protest song "Government Man", "Saving Grace" which is blues with Latin undertow a la Santana, and "Bed of Nails" which has gospel backup and where the singer dreams he sees Jesus in a red white and blue shroud singing the National Anthem, which image I *think* he doesn't approve of but I'm not positive) too. (Disciples, Grace, Jesus -- more Christian rock, right? I guess?) Though by now we're maybe really starting to sink into the unescapable abyss of actual baby-boomer beer-commercial bowling-alley stodge, I dunno. At least as much John Hiatt as J Geils; scary how good this kinda stuff has been sounding to me lately given how much I've made fun of it over the years. Thing is, the singer can really sing, even if he has to push hard to do it (though not with the ease of the Southwind guy -- "Cinderella Shoes" and "Next Big Thing" are great though), and the band can play (all the songs range between 4:29 and 5:37, which is some kinda formula, but the guitarist knows how to fill the time out, and the rhythm section knows how to swing it, though maybe not always swing it *hard*) Or maybe I'm just showing my age? I dunno. Though actually, if they're from Detoit, come to think of it, probably the most obvious inspiration is Bob Seger, which I totally approve of.

(though actually i just checked their cdbaby site and they're NOT from Detroit, they're from California, but they're "named for mentor Mitch Ryder", which is almost as good. also says that the title track is their tribute to peter green's fleetwood mac. but that's who first did santana's "black magic woman", right? so i wasn't THAT far off.)

KCEE, *Foolish,* also via cdbaby, proves that Olivia Newton-John is still a c&w vocal influcence in Australia, nice to know, though the sound only fully works in two tracks, one of which ("What's Love") concerns Kcee getting off work early on a Tuesday and catching the bus home and more importantly it sounds exactly like "Walking on Sunshine" by Katina and the Waves, and the other of which, "Heaven's Still Here," concerns men in suits foreclosing the land Kcee can't afford the mortgage on. Maybe three more tolerably upbeat tracks, one of them fairly bluesy, plus an OK duet with some guy, and some ballad shlock. Anyway. Is there a country CHART in Australia? I'm curious.

I dunno if this exactly what you're looking for, but the Country Music Association of Australia has this: http://www.country.com.au/index.cfm?page_id=1044

Seems Americana heavy, judging from the names I recognize. I liked some songs on that Paul Kelly bluegrass album, though.

I will check that out shortly. thanks, Roy. (and I need to check out that Dixie Chicks interview too, wow.)

Exene Cervanka and the Original Sinners, *Sev7en*: There was a time, more than 20 years ago, that even her countryish stuff (the stuff with X anyway, not the Knitters crap) didn't strike me as totally mannered and ridiculous. That time is long gone, and I don't know if it's 'cause I got tired of her or 'cause her voice just kept getting flatter. Anyway, I got through about 4 songs this time, then gave up.

I so agree about the Dixie Chicks interviews. Thanks for the heads up. I am afraid that the Dixie Chicks need country more than county needs the Dixie Chicks.

It's not that big a deal, really; Natalie says it sounds like the Eagles in the 1970s, which means it will sound like every other country album since they left. Plus, there's this: "I don't mean country music, I just mean the industry."

So, yeah, much ado about probably nothing, at least until it comes out. It'll be interesting to actually hear the damn thing.

Without John Doe, Exene's voice is like Abu Graib field recordings.

yeah i'm stoked to hear the chix, although weren't they bitching about country records sounding like the eagles last time out?

Dahlia Wakefield, *Close To Home*: Pop-rocked self-released post-Shania Canadian country (born in the Philipines, moved to Saskatchewan, now based in Alberta) with dance-rocked/Euro-popped Abba touches most visible/prominent so far in "Heaven Knows," "Meet Again Someday," "Slipping Away." (From her webpage, or one of them: "They say that the AC acronym for Adult Contemporary really stands for Almost Country, and Dahlia's genre blending and bending style between pop, rock and country is a testimony to that theory.") Album never drags. I really like this a lot, and when Dahlia finally gets to sing to just an acoustic guitar in the alternate version of "Slipping Away" that precedes the 15-second "Studio Babble" that closes the album, she's got a cool Shakira-style vibrato, and she's singing about tying you up to her bed and locking you up in her house.

Damn you xhuxk. Damn you. I was doing so well not being sucked into the Borges mp3theque black hole of cdbaby, but now I'll fuckin submit. That Dahlia song sounds awesome.

Shakira vocal phrasing influence also shows up fairly blatantly in "I Believe". She's got a real good drummer, too. Have we talked much about how the Canadian and Australian definitions of "country" seem so much less stick-up-the-ass obsessed with "purity" and "tradition" than the US (by which I mean not just in alt-country but also in allegedy pop Nashville) definition? Not just my imagination, is it?

Ha ha, the acoustic version of "Slipping Away" is completely nuts and hilarious -- Opens with her clearing her throat, then Dahlia threatens to break his knees, cast a spell with her love potion, drug him up intravenouosly, and duct tape his lips and "not stop the viagra" until he'll live with her happily ever after even though "I know you're trying to out-whip me." The regular version rocks more, but this version has way better words. (Vibrato is in both, and may be as much Alanis as Shakira, seeing how Alanis is Canadian and all.)

Both country songs on the *Rollergirl* soundtrack (Dale Watson "Way Down Texas Way" copyright 2004, Red Meat "The Girl With The Biggest Hair" copyright 1997 -- who are Red Meat?? "courtesy of Ranchero Records," it says) are a lot of fun. Also really like the disco funk song "Rollerderby World" by Jean Shy ("courtesy of concord music group" - some obscure oldie I guess?) and the Donnas and Donnas-like girl-glam tracks I just posted about on the metal and teenpop threads. (Best to just end before the final two tracks, though--some dumb Fat Possum hick shtick by Bob Log III, then seven minutes of Ani Difranco singing "Amazing Grace," though "singing" is maybe too nice.)

Do the Australians count Jamie O'Neal as Australian? (I don't know how old she was when her family moved to Nevada, though it shouldn't be too hard to find out.)

edd, don, roy, anybody -- do any of you have a marshall chapman opinion i can borrow? i don't have one, or never have before anyway. i remember her having some fans in creem magazine in the late '70s/early '80s, but i can't remember why. press release for her horribly titled new album *mellowicious* tried to identify her as a proto-lucinda, which i didn't find promising, but then i put it on and the first couple tracks made me think more of carlene carter (feisty but effervescent), which i *did* find promising. but then the next several seemed more like a bland triple A coffeehouse, and i gave up (though one of them, "i'm just pitiful that way," did seem to take its melody from "love is strange" by mickey and sylvia.) anyway, should i quit while i'm ahead, or should i give her more of a chance?

You could borrow my opinion, only I don't have one. Chapman is a name I've heard a lot in the past but I own nothing by her, have some vague memory of "Somewhere South of Macon" but...Sorry totally unhelpful. And her new record hasn't shown up yet.

What has shown up, though, is this Fern Jones reissue "Glory Road" which if I had heard last year might very well have knocked Poole out of my top reissue slot. Holy unholy honky tonk gospel bust out with Sugarfoot Garland playing like he wants Elvis to give him a fucking raise. More later.

Been a long time since I listened to Marshall, but see http://www.robertchristgau.com Sometimes came on like a "female Outlaw": def female, fairly often outside the law, but too rock n rolly to fit with Willie and Waylon, and too preoccupied with her "pearshaped speedfreak boyfriends".Especially Dave Hickey, who also contributed songs. Choice tales and words of Guru Dave ("A quitter never loses and a loser never quits")can be found in Marshall's autobio, Goodbye Little Rock And Roller, which has a soundtrack too, but I haven't heard that. See her website for music and news, think it's http://www.marshallchapman.com/ but it's been a while. I can't find the Ballot comments section at the Scene site; anybody got the speecific URL for the comments??? Himes' essay touched on some of the same themes I covered last year, which is not a complaint; it's due to to the turgidity of American malaise, mayonnaise, and the country release schedule/strategy. (I wrote about "There's More Where That Came From" a year ago, and, pace Himes, there really ain't more; she said all she had to say then).Also, it's due to me being a quickdraw, yet hiding my light under the well-known bushel. Anyway, here's the URL for my comments on '04 (you might have to scroll down a little to get to mine, but it's worth it: http://thefreelancementalists.blogspot.com/2005_02_01_thefreelancementalists_archive.html

me on world music thread:

>Also, good article in Sunday's Times about perennial polka grammy winner Jimmy Sturr. I kinda can't stand Sturr's slicked-up sound; haven't really been keeping up with polka lately (a few years ago I listened to all five polka grammy nominees and my favorite was Eddie Blacsconszyk of Chicago, shown flipping panckaes on that particularly CD cover and also quoted in the Times article, but I haven't kept up since - -just did a cdbaby.com search for polkas and mainly what seemed to come up was joke bands or bands for the triple A alt-country crowd, which i don't THINK is what I want but I may be wrong.) Anyway, the article talks about how Sturr's east coast style (he's from Jersey) is actually quite Vegasy and big-bandy (though he's also known to get guest appearances by lots of country stars), where the Chicago style is more trumpet heavy and the Cleveland Slovenian style is where the accordions get emphasized. So maybe I should search "Cleveland polka," I'm not sure...

Almost every polka band description on cdbaby.com seems to start with "this is not your father's (or grandpa's) polka." Not sure why that's considered a good thing (at least if your father or grandpa was a big fan of the Matys Bros and Frankie Yankovic's greatest hits.)

>-just did a cdbaby.com search for polkas and mainly what seemed to come up was joke bands or bands for the triple A alt-country crowd, which i don't THINK is what I want but I may be wrong<

actually, i just realized that something similar happens when I try to search there for "western swing." am i being deluded or romanticizing too much to wish that there were great bands playing this stuff, um, "for real" and not just ironic revivalists? are there? i'm sure there are (though I'm not sure how to define "real"); I'm just not sure how to find them.

i have some polka cds bought from perogy suppers, they host here, for fundraisers. you go to these things, and they have a table, with pysanka, embrodry, that sort of thing, and a few dusty tapes/books. its only been a few years that they have had cds--but its completely punk, just a bunch of eastern european senior jamming all the polka greats (i also learnt to polka this way, badly)

i dont even know how they record them, frankly.

i also have no idea how a ukranian polka would differ from lets say a hungrian or polish or rommanion.

so where you might need to get polka, is the new york equivlaent of a good old fashioned prarie supper

(the same thing with western swing, sort of---we get an old school country crooner, or the like here once or twice a year, at the pioneer house mostly, and its all the seniors, and their kids, nostalgia circuit sure, but fantastic if you can get it)

xp:

i mean i guess with both western swing and polka i want it to be fast catchy good-humored complicated highly rhythmic rocking dance music that doesn't seem to constantly pat itself on the back for BEING fast catchy good-humored complicated highly rhythmic rocking dance music (like, you know, when punk bands all the way back to brave combo decide to play polkas), which usually means it ISN'T. In 2006. this may well be a pipe dream; but in both genres, it used to come completely naturally. (i have always thought hot club of cowtown had promise, i guess -- am even a fan of their slowed down version of aerosmith's "chip away at the stone" - but they're totally wimps compared to what milton brown or roy newman or adolph hofner used to be. those guys wouldn't have given a shit about getting a rounder records audience, i don't think.) (interesting, what i'm looking for -- see above - -DOES still exist in southern soul music, though, apparently.)

>where you might need to get polka, is the new york equivlaent of a good old fashioned prarie supper<

ha ha, well, i am walking distance from Greenpoint! So maybe I should just take a walk!

(or to put it another way, by hunting for good polka and western swing that have no connection to "alternative" culture in its many guises, am i stupidly hunting for an "authenticity" that doesn't exit?) (and i mean, jimmy sturr and eddie blazonscyzk have no connection with alternative culture, true. but even eddie just really isn't good enough.)