September 27, 2005
Alt.Country: A Manifesto
Posted by Amanda Rose at September 27, 2005 6:28 AMI read something the other day that referred to Dale Watson as "alt.country." I have been trending hostile to this concept for a while, and this was the last straw.
I have some things to say.
1. Dale Watson sings straight down the line honky tonk. Close your eyes and it's 1956. He out Bucks Buck. He is so twang he makes Merle look like a '80s Belgian industrial dance act. Couple of guitars, drums, pedal steel. Songs about cheating, drinking and cheating while drinking. For god's sake, he recorded a whole album about trucks. There is nothing alt about his country.
2. Just because something doesn't make CMT, doesn't mean you can call it alt.country.
3. Theoretically, I like alot of alt.country. M.Ward, The Handsome Family, Lambchop. I appreciate the figleaf of Hip as much as the next socially inept nerd. Uncut and No Depression tell me I should like them. I want to like them. In reality, they bore me senseless. Where is the passion, the mongrel, the blood and tears? If these guys were any wetter you'd stock up on bottled water and Snickers and have to evacuate.
4. The whispering. They whisper the words. Unless your name is Bill Anderson, there should be no whispering in country music. Same goes for mumbling. Country voices should cut through. Rip it up, don't blend in.
5. If you are going to use irony in a country song, you'd better have a damn good excuse.
6. Two words: trucker caps.
7. Can I blame Gram Parsons for some of this? Not sure. I'd like to. He gets more than his fair share of credit these days, so it only seems right.
8. Plaid shirts, thick black rimmed glasses, stupid facial hair and looking perpetually depressed. Stop it.
9. Whatever the question was, "lo-fi" was the wrong answer.
10. Melody is not a dirty word.
Thank you. That is all.
For now.
I'm not sure you can blame Gram Parsons. Sure he mixed R&B with his country, but he played it pretty straight much of the time, right down to the Nudie suit.
Posted by: sean at September 27, 2005 8:01 AMPoint 2 is eloquently surmised.
Point 3 has much truth, I have read reviews in Uncut and had to run to my PC to track down and buy a copy of a CD that the reviewer informs me will make me a better person, fretted for a couple of days that the postman has hijacked said CD, ripped open the packaging with crazed vigour and ran to my CD player, then suffered intense disappointment and confusion, do I "have to" like this? I am pleased to let you know I have recovered from this phase of my
alt-development.
Point 7 on Gram, I appreciate his place in music history and his undoubted genius and influence, however I doubt he would be quite so revered if he had lived past 26.
Point 8, okay I'll trim the beard, but the expression stays.
Point 11, love you blog.
Question for Amanda, just interested to know how Kasey Chambers is perceived / appreciated in Australia.
Posted by: simon at September 27, 2005 8:45 AMFor the record, I like Gram just fine. But it seems every time I turn around someone is trying to tell me he was the greatest musician to walk the earth and single handedly invented country rock. The contrarian in me resists.
Simon, I'll answer you about Kasey in a bit when I have some time.
Posted by: Amanda at September 27, 2005 4:51 PMAmanda:
Gram Parsons was the greatest musician to walk the earth, but he didn't single-handedly invent country rock -- Emmylou helped.
(hah!)
Posted by: larry at September 27, 2005 4:54 PMAnd Simon -- thanks for Point 11 above. People who read HW rule! ;-)
Posted by: larry at September 27, 2005 4:55 PMMusic enjoys constant evolution and very, very few revolutions.
GP no more "invented" country rock than Bill Haley invented rock and roll or Meatloaf invented sweating while you sing. Sure, these guys were likely formative in the evolution of sub-genres, but hardly inventors.
Good luck "inventing" country rock without the Dillards, Ricky Nelson, Poco, Buffalo Springfield, et al...
Amanda - EXCELLENT POST!
Posted by: Shane O. at September 27, 2005 8:13 PM
