Both kinds of music…
Posted by: Tony L on 18 April 2002
...country and western.
I took a brave trip over the river to Birkenhead earlier tonight. Hmmm, Birkenhead, the town where chasing the dragon has been done to death - they caught it, stole its wheels, its currently jacked up on a pile of bricks at the side of the road. The reason for my excursion was the seemingly unlikely event that the Handsome Family were playing in a cavernous new example of urban renewal near the ferry terminal.
Lets get one thing straight from the start, I’m 38 years old, and old people tend to like country. So the questions you need to answer whilst reading this are am I just an old fart? Has country actually got seriously good? Both? Obviously my take on all this is that country has recently got seriously good, I have been know to rave more than a little about Lambchop (yes their current album is that good), and I’m also partial to Calaxico, Smog, the more country side of Pavement (I prefer The Fall to Pavement doing The Fall though – The Fall are country and northern, which is ok by me).
The Handsome Family are basically a husband and wife duo with the blokes brother Darrel playing drums. They look like a cross between the Adams Family and a line dancing team from Birmingham who have been returned rather abruptly from an alien abduction. They sound fabulous, exactly the right balance of orchestration, guitar, autoharp, and drums sound full and powerful, though they often swap instruments so bass melodica and primitive keyboards appear now and again. Onto the lyrics, their words are such a cool ironic, yet totally respectful slant on country, and are often really funny. A truly excellent gig.
I landed a copy of their latest album Twilight at the gig, I like buying at gigs as the band gets the shop share of the sale (about 50% or retail price), plus its cheaper, and it is often possible to get the album signed by the group (as I managed here). I’ve just given it a quick spin and its excellent, really cool quirky alternative country stuff. Highly recommended.
Tony.
I took a brave trip over the river to Birkenhead earlier tonight. Hmmm, Birkenhead, the town where chasing the dragon has been done to death - they caught it, stole its wheels, its currently jacked up on a pile of bricks at the side of the road. The reason for my excursion was the seemingly unlikely event that the Handsome Family were playing in a cavernous new example of urban renewal near the ferry terminal.
Lets get one thing straight from the start, I’m 38 years old, and old people tend to like country. So the questions you need to answer whilst reading this are am I just an old fart? Has country actually got seriously good? Both? Obviously my take on all this is that country has recently got seriously good, I have been know to rave more than a little about Lambchop (yes their current album is that good), and I’m also partial to Calaxico, Smog, the more country side of Pavement (I prefer The Fall to Pavement doing The Fall though – The Fall are country and northern, which is ok by me).
The Handsome Family are basically a husband and wife duo with the blokes brother Darrel playing drums. They look like a cross between the Adams Family and a line dancing team from Birmingham who have been returned rather abruptly from an alien abduction. They sound fabulous, exactly the right balance of orchestration, guitar, autoharp, and drums sound full and powerful, though they often swap instruments so bass melodica and primitive keyboards appear now and again. Onto the lyrics, their words are such a cool ironic, yet totally respectful slant on country, and are often really funny. A truly excellent gig.
I landed a copy of their latest album Twilight at the gig, I like buying at gigs as the band gets the shop share of the sale (about 50% or retail price), plus its cheaper, and it is often possible to get the album signed by the group (as I managed here). I’ve just given it a quick spin and its excellent, really cool quirky alternative country stuff. Highly recommended.
Tony.
Country and Western is a proper subset of country in a way akin to the way that Christian contemporary is a proper subset of rock/pop (and yes, I chose my example carefully 
).
Tony L., given what you describe liking, you're not so much interested in Country Western as you are in what's now called "Alternative Country". Country Western at its best involves the likes of Merle Haggard, Leroy Parnell, and Don Walser. At its worst (and it usually seems to be at its worst), in invovles the likes of Garth Brooks, Nanci Griffith, and scores of others. (Apologies for any offense to anyone who likes this stuff. My wife likes it too, which proves that I can greatly dislike this music and not hold a grudge against you). "Country Western" is thus sometimes used as a label for so-called "Contemporary Country" or "Urban Country" (think Urban Cowboy). I guess it would also be what Kit called "Nu-Country". I should add the Contemporary Country has further subdivisions within it, including a "New Traditionalist" school that some think shows promise.
To confuse matters further, there is another subgenre called "Western Swing" or "Texas Swing". This is what is played and danced to in "Country Western" bars in the southern US, but it's not the same music as Contemporary Country. People who like Contemporary Country do seem to like Western Swing as well, but that should not be held against the latter genre.
Johnny Cash is "Traditional Country". This genre has elements and progenitors of pretty much all of the other subgenres within it. As such it includes everything from Lefty Frizzell to Merle Haggard to the Stanley Brothers (bluegrass territory). IMO, Cash stands to Contemporary Country in about the same way that Chuck Berry stands to "Soft Rock" (Air Supply, Neil Diamond, etc.). There is some kind of relation here, but it's hard to see.
Lambchop, Calexico, Sun Volt, Howe Gelb, Palace (the band someone here will eventually try and then admit that they roll-up Lambchop and smoke them before breakfast), Wilco, and the Jayhawks are on the "Alternative" side of Alternative Country. Lyle Lovett is also sometimes called "Alternative Country". I guess he'd be on the "Country" side of "Alternative Country". All of which shows that no categorization works perfectly. Still, categories can help you find more interesting things and avoid that which, from painful experience, you are certain you do not like.
).Tony L., given what you describe liking, you're not so much interested in Country Western as you are in what's now called "Alternative Country". Country Western at its best involves the likes of Merle Haggard, Leroy Parnell, and Don Walser. At its worst (and it usually seems to be at its worst), in invovles the likes of Garth Brooks, Nanci Griffith, and scores of others. (Apologies for any offense to anyone who likes this stuff. My wife likes it too, which proves that I can greatly dislike this music and not hold a grudge against you). "Country Western" is thus sometimes used as a label for so-called "Contemporary Country" or "Urban Country" (think Urban Cowboy). I guess it would also be what Kit called "Nu-Country". I should add the Contemporary Country has further subdivisions within it, including a "New Traditionalist" school that some think shows promise.
To confuse matters further, there is another subgenre called "Western Swing" or "Texas Swing". This is what is played and danced to in "Country Western" bars in the southern US, but it's not the same music as Contemporary Country. People who like Contemporary Country do seem to like Western Swing as well, but that should not be held against the latter genre.
Johnny Cash is "Traditional Country". This genre has elements and progenitors of pretty much all of the other subgenres within it. As such it includes everything from Lefty Frizzell to Merle Haggard to the Stanley Brothers (bluegrass territory). IMO, Cash stands to Contemporary Country in about the same way that Chuck Berry stands to "Soft Rock" (Air Supply, Neil Diamond, etc.). There is some kind of relation here, but it's hard to see.
Lambchop, Calexico, Sun Volt, Howe Gelb, Palace (the band someone here will eventually try and then admit that they roll-up Lambchop and smoke them before breakfast), Wilco, and the Jayhawks are on the "Alternative" side of Alternative Country. Lyle Lovett is also sometimes called "Alternative Country". I guess he'd be on the "Country" side of "Alternative Country". All of which shows that no categorization works perfectly. Still, categories can help you find more interesting things and avoid that which, from painful experience, you are certain you do not like.
ejl,
My suburban high-school in Canada had a physical education programme where square and line dancing were requirements. Imagine a bunch of 15 year old homies and "skids" with their thumbs tucked in their beltlines line dancing to "Friends in Low Places". Some of those jigs were fantastically complicated.
I particularly remember how much trouble the teachers went through to acquire a 7" of that classic Garth Brooks song. No one was allowed to touch it.
I hope they didn't replace the square dancing block of PE with some newfangled "computer literacy" course
My suburban high-school in Canada had a physical education programme where square and line dancing were requirements. Imagine a bunch of 15 year old homies and "skids" with their thumbs tucked in their beltlines line dancing to "Friends in Low Places". Some of those jigs were fantastically complicated.
I particularly remember how much trouble the teachers went through to acquire a 7" of that classic Garth Brooks song. No one was allowed to touch it.
I hope they didn't replace the square dancing block of PE with some newfangled "computer literacy" course