Alt-Country - Search and Destroy

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

The Beatles are the most important band in history. :-)

Uncle Tupelo, Handsome Family, Catherine Irwin and some Willard Grant Conspiracy (the more country stuff, for my money) is as good as anything to go for.

it does not matter how you come to the Lord, so long as you come :-)

But a lot of this stuff is really just country with the "alt" prefix attached.

From the last few years (and edging more rock than country), search My Morning Jacket's At Dawn, the Silver Jew's Bright Flight, Bobby Bare Jr's Young Criminals' Starvation League, any Lucero or Iron & Wine, Damien Jurado's Where Shall You Take Me? (I Break Chairs is a great album too, but pretty much straight up rock), Calexico's Feast of Wire, Songs: Ohia's Magnolia Electric Co., Alejandro Escovedo's A Man Under the Influence, and really there are a ton of other solid records.

beachwood sparks - make the robot cowboys cry
sparklehorse - vivadixie...
wilco - summerteeth

I've been SERVED. at least it's by someone w/a good username :)

But here are a few:

The Be Good Tanyas
Okkervil River
Damien Jurado seconded.

And Huck, are Royal City considered alt-country? This whole (sub)genre confuses me, as I used to be one of those (annoying) people who said I love all music except country music (I was raised in the UK and just thought it was redneck music out of Nashville and therefore said nothing to me). Now, I may still be annoying, but the "alt" has brought me closer to country (not to mention the late Mr. Cash), even though half the time I don't know which is alt and which is mainstream. Like, is that Wilco/Bragg thing, Mermaid Avenue, considered alt or straight country?

The first three Old 97's albums are fantastic alt.country (the last two are also great, but not so country). Son Volt's Trace is close to perfect through "Drown," kinda forgettable after that.

In the Iron & Wine/Will Oldham vein, The Baptist Generals are good.

Besides, like any clever genre tag (emo, etc) it's only embraced by those who will never make any kind of original mark anyway, and the bands know this, so they distance themselves from it. I think Jeff Tweedy would sigh a heavy sigh and look very disappointed if you asked him how he got started writing 'alt country songs.' While you're at it, ask Jawbreaker or Guy Picciotto how they feel about starting emo rock.

But since you asked: Freakwater changed my life, as did the Drive By Truckers. Half of the bands on Bloodshot are worth a gamble (and the other half veer towards bluegrass / rockabilly, which i don't really dig so I'm no authority).

fibrotown "s/t"
Royalchord's "I gave you a mountain"
hired guns "between here and the night"

anyway, here is a review of my favorite recent alt-country record, followed by reviews of two non-alt-at-all country records, the latter of which genre i usually (but okay, not always) much tend to prefer:

http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0405/eddy.php

unless drive-by truckers count (at least when they play loud.)

Powerpop and indie rock are both brilliant genres. Particularly Powerpop. The entire ideology behind Powerpop is so completely right.

Hee. OK, but that all depends where you draw your lines. I mean, by No Depression definitions, Lucinda Williams and Steve Earle are alt-country royalty. They both have detractors, I know, but it seems like a stretch to call them timid, bland, whitebread -- or even arhythmic (I actually like Steve Earle's country-reggae bits, "Rivers of Babylon" and "Johnny Too Bad"). It's always seemed to me there were distinct schools of alt-country: the Uncle Tupelo/Jayhawks Midwest/California division, and then separate (though sometimes overlapping) circles in Nashville, Austin, Chicago and elsewhere. If you're going to limit the definition specifically to the Farrar/Tweedy school, OK, I can see the complaints (although all those guys have written some good songs, and Mermaid Avenue is a classic on any planet). But I'm guessing that's limiting the definition way more than anyone who actually listens to it does.

Anyway, people not yet mentioned, besides Earle and Williams:
Lonesome Bob
The Bottle Rockets
The V-roys (and Scott Miller solo, especially his first album)
Kelly Willis (I guess her MCA stuff is hard to call alt-, but her more recent stuff qualifies)
Jason and the Scorchers
Lone Justice (especially the first album)

And lots of other things not leaping to mind right now.

For whatever record exists for someone who posts with a fake name, I don't like a lot of the alt-country superstars like Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams & Ryan Adams. Can't stand 'em! Mainly cuz they seem to believe their own press. Or maybe cuz a bunch of people I think are fuckfaces absolutely fawn over them. So, like, suck-by-association.

Anyway,any music label will ultimately be proven false or redundant unless it is at heart meaningless (the label, like say, crunk or gobot-pop (good-time music made by cars that turn into robots with very few moving pieces).

Well, the Eagles having made better records than Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, the Bottle Rockets, Casey Chambers, Ryan Adams, Jason and the Scorchers, Lone Justice, Alejandro Escovedo, Wilco, Son Volt, Uncle Tupelo, the Jayhawks, Lambchop, Iron & Wine, and just about everybody else mentioned on this thread *might* have something to do with it. But that's just a wild guess.

Other mandatory U.K. country-rock/roots rock from the early 1970s: Mighty Baby (jug of love album), Help Yourself (first couple albums), Ernie Graham solo album (f'n brilliant) and Cochise (first two albums).

In defense of Steve Earle:

Steve is venerated by No Depression by I don't think he should be lumped in with Ryan Adams or even Lucinda in the "timid, whitebread, a-rhythmic alt-country" category that someone described

He's a damn good songwriter IMO

and listen to a song like "Copperhead Road" or "I Feel Allright"

those songs ain't timid, they kick ass!

i think my main problem with this genre is that I actually like real good old fashioned twangy country music quite a bit, always have, so most of this stuff sounds pretty diluted for my taste

one thing about this "genre" is that there are people coming at "altcountry" from a lot of different dierctions. some come an indie rock background, some are looking for the next Crazy Horse, some are punks mellowing out from the meat puppets & mekons & black flag, etc

a lot of so called cowpunk bands pretty much just sounds like barbands it seems

http://www.dixiestreams.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/ryan-bingham-junky-star.jpg

this is the cover of a record called "junky star"

listen to it

What's been great in the alt country scene the last few years? Bloodshot's slipped lately but I dug the Paul Burch/Waco's album. It seems like lots of my old faves have moved away from the sounds I loved - Ryan Adams turned into Jerry Garcia while Chris Mills and Neko Case are still making great music but moved away from the country underpinnings.

Phospherescent, Richmond Fontaine

The Volebeats have been one of the best alt country bands since the 80s. Their self-titled record from a few years back is fantastic.

Here is an older song of theirs, one of my favorites. If you like this, you'll like everything they do.

One of their singers, Matthew Smith is also the singer of Outrageous Cherry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQAYK8PGL_c

Fred Eaglesmith's last album "6 Volts" has been curing my alt-country jones for the last month.

I love that Volebeats song.

The Volebeats are the best. They have about ten albums of songs like that.

Here's another great one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2PCio6zM0o

^OTM, The Volebeats are the best. I'm partial to The Sky and the Ocean and the Mosquito Spiral. Buried treasure.

I've been enjoying the 2012 release by the Harmed Brothers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEoynN4V44s

Over on Rolling Country, alpine static introduced us to the excellent Western Centuries:

Rolling Country denizens, I hope you'll check out this Western Centuries record ... it is great, and they played one of the best sets I saw at Pickathon last weekend:

http://www.westerncenturies.com/music/

― alpine static, Sunday, August 14, 2016 12:03 AM (5 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Thanks so much, alpine static, I'm totally smitten with this! Even the rueful philosophical response to life's funky details with is part of the honky tonk catchiness--just bite the token and roll with it, son. And daughter.
Whole thang's on youtube: hitp://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=western+centuries and Spotify and I'm fixing to order it anyway.
Along with xpost Kelsey Walson's album, another unexpected source of cool steel guitar.

― dow, Tuesday, August 16, 2016 6:18 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

dammit hitp://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=western+centuries

― dow, Tuesday, August 16, 2016 6:19 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmb_RVPqTMAqOfa5-jvM03hzjPmQlw9Js

― dow, Tuesday, August 16, 2016 6:21 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Western Centuries got a fleet, fleeting sound--little hints of bluesy disconnection in the backing, and I like the lyrics a lot. Very good.

― Edd Hurt, Tuesday, August 16, 2016 7:08 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

glad y'all dig it. I'm a longtime HUGE fan of Cahalen Morrison's work, back to his folk duo with Eli West ( http://cahalenandeli.com/ ) ... those guys had/have a sort of interesting/unconventional way with melodies, and they can sure pick. I guess they're still together, but Cahalen's clearly been putting more time into his country music the past few years, first under the name Country Hammer ( http://www.cahalen.com/country-hammer/ ) ... they put out a really good record last year, I think. But it seems they must've added a significant member or two and changed the name to Western Centuries. At least that's my understanding ... one of y'all more patient learners may be able to read up and find out more.

I didn't know they'd changed the name, though, until a couple days before Pickathon, when I went to try to investigate some of the bands I wasn't familiar with and realized this was a Cahalen project. Loved the songs I could find online, bought the vinyl at the fest merch table, saw the band, was blown away ... I went from having no clue about Western Centuries to having a favorite new country band in the span of about 5 days.

― alpine static, Wednesday, August 17, 2016 12:25 AM (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

here's a graf from their bio. Donna the Buffalo connection here:

Comprised of Seattle-based country musician Cahalen Morrison, jam band veteran Jim Miller (co-founder of Donna the Buffalo), R&B and bluegrass-by-way-of-punk rock songwriter Ethan Lawton, pedal steel player Rusty Blake, and bassist Dan Lowinger, Western Centuries are clearly a diverse bunch. The band is collaborative in nature, but they are – albeit subtly – helmed by Morrison. After years of performing in prominent roots duo Cahalen Morrison & Eli West (whose music made fans of Tim O’Brien, Jim Lauderdale, Dirk Powell, and BBC Radio’s Bob Harris along the way), Morrison formed and led the band Country Hammer, made up of members who have mostly crossed over into Western Centuries.

― Edd Hurt, Wednesday, August 17, 2016 10:22 AM (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yeah, the philosophical asides from daily-nightly rounds def. go w Donna The Buffalo inclinations, though all three songwriter-vocalists interact pretty seamlessly. I figure they bond via primo Hunter-Garcia x country jukebox staples (incl. yer better b-sides).

― dow, Wednesday, August 17, 2016

re that mention of Kelsey Waldon and her excellent steel player (whose name I'm blanking on, sorry), her new album is real good folk-country with some alt appeal, whatever that is, and she covers a Gosdin Brothers song (they were Byrds associates, and Byrd Clarence White plays great on it, although the Byrds' own cover is not so hot), so we also discussed and posted Gosdins and Vern Gosdin w Emmylou etc on Rolling Country.

Way too soft-focus to compete with prime Rhett Miller/Old 97's, and far too Tom Petty-ish for my tastes, Andrew Leahey is pretty decent alt-. Here's what I wrote about him for the Nashville Scene:

After receiving a clean bill of health following 2013 surgery to remove a brain tumor, Nashville singer-songwriter Andrew Leahey cut his new full-length, Skyline in Central Time, which reveals Leahey as a tunesmith indebted to such all-American rockers as Tom Petty, Ryan Adams and Rhett Miller. A music journalist from Virginia, Leahey had already recorded the 2011 Andrew Leahey & the Homestead and an EP, 2013’s Summer Sleeves, and the records had their moments as examples of lightweight country-rock. Skyline in Central Time is an electric-guitar record, with producer Ken Coomer layering tracks in the manner of Petty and Adams. “Little in Love” stands as the record’s most effective Petty homage, and the rest of Skyline combines American guitar moves with nods to British Invasion pop — the dreamy, Beatles-esque ballad “Who Wants an Easy Love?” is Leahey at his subtlest, and not to be missed. Thursday night, Leahey and his backing band the Homestead will celebrate the release of Skyline. EDD HURT

https://open.spotify.com/track/1kposE7NRJXVYcGidBX2tK?si=k8f0IG7PSjewr6fNX6nmZw

Dusk - eyes in dark corners

My mom’s really into this dude named Will Johnson... she goes to his shows, sends me YouTube clips, etc. I’ve never seen him come up via any other channels, but guess he’s legit.

His stuff seems fairly dull to me, but it’s not really in my usual vein (and admittedly, even as a grown adult, I probably have a slight knee-jerk resistance to whatever a parent is pushing)...

He’s from centro-matic.

The Vulgar Boatmen. Oh man if you don't know them you are in for a treat.

Dean from the Waco Brothers has been putting out great stuff the last few years, mostly for free:
https://deanschlabowskemusic.com/ramblin-deano

Lots of clever commentary on the state of America with great guitar and fiddles.

been on a Lydia Loveless kick lately

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXjxNbJjYag

Sarah Shook is pretty cool on the honky-tonk side

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M25-mPSPm5I

xpost yeah and check Lydia Loveless thread. Havn't gotten into Shook yet, despite hearing a couple albs. Caroline Spence has thread appeal--from my Nashville Scene ballot comments:
Caroline Spence, Mint Condition: A country folkie who has no prob with (better) rockin' beats (contrast somewhut w Hayes Carll, later on on here), kind of a modern day Mary McCaslin, is Caroline Spence, whose 2019 Mint Condition judiciously updates her 70s Neil-Emmylou buckskin diaries, with recurring bits of nocturnal Beach House keyboard harmonies, for inst. More on her later maybe. RIYL Lee Ann Womack. This one is maybe better for listening to than writing about, opposite of so many theoretical commendables.
What I said on here about her 2017 alb:
"Softball" is a good example of how Caroline Spence's little x wiry voice can put one over the plate with no excess effort: she says that when she invades the boys' team, it ain't gonna be softball no more, and she's right. Not seeing personnel credits for Spades and Roses, except for a mention of the drummer(-arranger of the occasional, never-overdone strings) also being the producer. He discreetly keeps thing moving right along, even when there are no drums, plus she's got the supple tunes and words ("Southern Accident"!), although "You Don't Look So Good (Cocaine") seems too naggy. wouldn't change my way of life for sure. Overall, reminds me a bit of early 70s Emmylou and Neil (incl. mix of acoustic and electric, although no big solos), but it's all life lived, incl. some straight thought-talk to self and other, also bits of wistful thinking, incl. looking ahead & back ("There might have been some eloquence/In the very last words I said...") Also gets a bit folkie-solemn with the hopefulness sometimes, but goes with the lost evenings w wine and guys(for instance)--she's concisely candid enough about impulsive and compulsive elements. Philosophy as drug: speaking of yonder 70s West Coast associations.
Edd Hurt responds on, ILX's Rolling Country 2017 thread:
Talking about Caroline Spence: she's doing a residency in January here at the Basement. Wrote this about her recently:
Virginia-born singer-songwriter Caroline Spence released a remarkable track about the limits of Nashville songwriting on her 2013 EP You Know the Feeling. "Whiskey Watered Down" takes down a shallow tunesmith who, Spence declares, will never be "Parsons, Earle or Van Zandt." What makes "Whiskey Watered Down" a definitive song about a particular strain of Music City songwriting is her choice of role models, but the tune also equates bad songwriting with bad relationships. A Nashville resident since 2011, Spence continued to work in classic singer-songwriter mode on her 2015 full-length Somehow, which includes a full-band rendition of "Whiskey Watered Down" that I find less effective than the acoustic reading she performed on the 2013 EP. I admire Spence's writing on this year's album Spades & Roses, which contains the excellent track "You Don't Look So Good (Cocaine)" and the equally fine "Softball," about sexism and what it takes to become a big-league songwriter. Spence, who recently released a five-song EP called Secret Garden, has potential — she bears watching. EDD HURT
Also search term Hipster Kisses on ILM for thread re ladies from canyons, not all of them ancient, but all justified.

A few words of thanks.

Regrettably, it is time for this phase of Bloodshot Records to come to an end. I will no longer be a part of the label I started over 25 years ago as an impossibly ill-conceived hobby. It’s not what myself, the staff or the artists wanted, but few get to write their final chapter. That we lasted as long as we did—an indie roots label, too rock for country, and too country for punk, in Chicago—was nothing short of miraculous. It has been a humbling privilege to be able to intuitively concoct a record collection I really loved and have so many follow along for the ride. You trusted us, and that always meant the world to me. I personally never took that for granted. Thank you for all the support and good cheer, for enabling this strange endeavor, for letting us be a part of your lives and communities, and for being—as a friend and former Hideout bartender characterized Bloodshot fans—polite, sloppy, and good tippers.

Little did I know that a journey that started with having my brain rewired at a DEVO show in Detroit in 1980 would lead to such a wonderful and challenging life in the world of independent music. I am filled with nothing but gratitude for the artists on whose behalf I worked. I had a hand in releasing some truly remarkable music over the years. That artists would entrust me with their creations was a responsibility I took very seriously. I’ve made friends with some enormously talented people along the way, too numerous to mention, and some were even heroes of mine long before Bloodshot was even a drunken gathering of neurons in my head: Dex Romweber! Alejandro Escovedo! Rosie Flores! Graham Parker! Mekons! Barrence Whitfield & the Savages! It boggles my already boggled mind when I think about it. And that so many of them have reached out to myself and the staff with tear-inducing words of support the past couple of years—you know who you are—for that I am further in your debt.

From the early days of the Old 97's, Lounge Ax and Delilah’s all the way through to up-and-comers Rookie, a new generation of cool venues like Sleeping Village, and, well, Delilah’s, it was never boring. Tedious? Sure. A giant pain in the ass? Often. A quixotic and sisyphean exercise? You betcha. But what a kick! What an absolute improbability! Often, I’d find myself standing at a show watching the crowd connect with the music—that special and thrilling two-way relationship between band and audience—marveling at the whole thing and that I was allowed, in some small way, to help. I was a record geek version of Charlie in the Chocolate Factory.

Well, we had some fun, right? I am sad there wasn’t a chance for a proper goodbye and that we weren’t able to whip up a wake, a celebration or one last party. I seem to remember a few good ones over the years. I have no doubt forgotten a few of them, too. I hope we brought some fun into your lives over the years and were pleasant members of the community.

I would be deeply remiss if I did not offer praise and everlasting thanks to the former staff of Bloodshot who endured a great deal of undeserved and unrelenting darkness the past two and a half years. They remained steadfast to the core purpose of the label and shared my principles of integrity in supporting music and artists we cared about deeply. Hannah Douglas, Mike Smith, Nina Stiener and Josh Zanger (and even Lisa C and little Billie): They rarely got the spotlight, but they were as much in the fiber of what Bloodshot was as any music. Any label—or any business—is lucky to have them on staff; any artist is lucky to have them on their team; and I am so proud of the job they did under very difficult circumstances. Their kindnesses and fierce loyalty to the ideals of what I thought Bloodshot should be is something I will carry with me always. I learned so much from them about what is really important during this time. If you see them, thank them, buy them a delicious cocktail—or in Mike’s case, a Malört. They have the hearts of lions. I miss seeing them in the trenches every day; I miss watching them perform feats of creativity with the same dedication and zeal that led me to even consider starting a label. There will always be a big hole where what we could have done over the next few years should be.

Finally, whatever happens to the Bloodshot name moving forward, whatever form the company takes, and wherever the artists go, it is, as always, the music that remains important. Support the musicians you discovered or enjoyed on Bloodshot in any way you can, as directly as you can. Furthermore, keep supporting all independent labels, artists and businesses (be they record stores, book stores, presses, breweries, bars, restaurants, apparel shops, bakeries and beyond). They are what keep life interesting. They are what make our communities vibrant and unique. It is through them that we can keep the forces of Bezos-ization and Kardashianing at bay. We would all be poorer without them.

Take care of yourselves and each other, believe the women, work for justice and accountability in your neighborhoods and, to paraphrase the ever relevant Joe Strummer: Search out the good stuff, go underground and don't buy what's shoved in front of you. Amen.
Thank you again, for everything. Maybe I’ll see you again at a show sometime.

Rob Miller, Co-Founder, Bloodshot Records

Damnit, and we don't even get an epic 25th anniversary compilation!

I hope Rob finds something equally rewarding next, he was always engaging and happily answered emails I sent him.

That’s too bad. RIP.

such a bummer situation

wait ... Josh in Chicago ... are you the same Josh that works/ed for Bloodshot?

blink once for yes, twice for no

No, not me!

Backstory, of excruciating relevance, posted by Josh on the Lydia Loveless thread; have your barf bag handy---bet they still owe several/all? artists money:
https://chicagoreader.com/music/will-bloodshot-records-stay-in-the-saddle/

RIP. Massive impact to the American Alt-Country scene, the city of Chicago, and to me personally. Too bad they couldn't put a Hideout show together to say goodbye.

Just give everybody their damn work back and shut it down already. Christ. https://t.co/ccSRM4CoOn

— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) October 20, 2021

I don't know if he wants to put the work into making Southeastern a bigger label but that would be a cool home for the Bloodshot artists getting screwed.

That would have to be a bigger label indeed! Meanwhile, I suppose something like a class action lawsuit would be like Bloodshot from a stone---?

would accomplish little more than enriching the lawyers i'd imagine

Maybe they could use the kind who ONLY GET PAID WHEN YOU DO (true ambulance chasers, but Chicago must have some)

With same financial results, but some vengence----maybe whoever defendants might be would settle? They prob don't have shit, unless it's under mattresses etc

I'd imagine any lawsuit would instantly throw Bloodshot into bankruptcy, then I'd assume any music rights/publishing would be auctioned off to the highest bidder

Reading some of the comments under the Isbell tweet, particularly a couple from people who would know, it sounds like Nan might be the problem.

The settlement might well be, at best, "Here's your masters"---but with an auction, as you say----or would those in effect or fact be auctioned too?

https://chicagoreader.com/music/bloodshot-records-is-bought-by-exceleration-music/

i love the butthole surfers alt cunt tree song! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is0hVNZJTOU

Rob Miller's such a good writer, even if most of what I've read from him has been during PR crisis times. Would love it if this freed him up to do more of it publicly.

Been getting some emails from the 'new' Bloodshot Records. Let's see if they can recapture the original spirit...