Country music Yes or No?

[bassbully]

Just wondering what you Tbers thought of country music new and old or all together. I saw the I hate Metal club and others so i did a search on country but didnt find anything on a poll so i made this one...if it has been done before no biggy...i tried.

I grew up on Country Music. My mother was born and raised in Arkansas and 1/2 of my family live there today..love the country there. Dad was born in the north so i also love the city ...weird. Love old school and some new country ...what about you. Alot of new country sucks and i'll stick to the old myself. But i just joined a gigging country band as as you know like alot of top 40 bands you have to play the hits for them to dance. My wife, brother and stepson are rolling their eyes at me saying they wont see me play...dont like country at all...oh well. Interested to see what you guys think of it. My past bands have been pure rock and roll BTW.

[Phalex]

I give ya a Yes!

That being said, there's something rather repellent about a guy in a pair of $12,000.00 cowboy boots lamenting the closing of the mill. I'm a fan of the older stuff I guess.

I've just recently rediscovered New Grass Revival. That band was a chuck full of great talent. I don't care what genre you're into, those guys are all killer players.

John Cowan plays some tasty bass lines, and he sings like a friggin bird! I really do love that guy!

[bassbully]

Originally Posted by Phalex

I give ya a Yes!

That being said, there's something rather repellent about a guy in a pair of $12,000.00 cowboy boots lamenting the closing of the mill. I'm a fan of the older stuff I guess.

I've just recently rediscovered New Grass Revival. That band was a chuck full of great talent. I don't care what genre you're into, those guys are all killer players.

John Cowan plays some tasty bass lines, and he sings like a friggin bird! I really do love that guy!

See i'm glad i did this cuz i never heard of New grass revival...will check out thanks...and thanks for the vote.

[bigfatbass]

I voted yeehaw, but that's only because I don't count the pathetic, nutless, "light rock in a cowboy hat" garbage they call country nowadays. Kenny Cheeznuts may actually be an authentic small town boy, but he is a mediocre at best singer. He is just Brittney in a big silly hat.

That crap AIN'T country!

S'funny, what they now call Alt Country or Americana is actually just plain old country.


XM Radio's Cross Country station is a godsend, and the matching station on Sirius is just as good.
Shooter Jennings, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Drive By Truckers, Hank III, BR-549, now THAT'S country!

Rascal Flats etc, in spite of actually getting the benefit of some truly great writing, are just unlistenable nonsense with all the juice of a plain ricecake. Unfortunately for every Brad Paisley or Vince Gill we get 1000 Dirks Bentlys, Shanias, and Little Big Towns.


And just to give an extra nod to the ones people will kick themselves for not digging sooner, Vince Gill is an American treasure. One of the greatest players/writers/performers of his generation. I can leave all those sappy ballads for sure, but the guy is a once in a lifetime genius. And MAN is he a player, as is Brad Paisley! I have all the respect in the world for cats who have invested that kind of time in being masters of their craft.


+1 for NGR! Great band!

[Bob Clayton]

i don't know if it counts as "real" country music... but when i was importing CDs into iTunes to help my sister set up her iPod, the song "Wasted" by Carrie Underwood came on, and i absolutely loved it.

[ryco]

I like old country like Buck, Johnny, Lefty, Hank, Patsy, Reeves -- those guys.

The "new" country just sounds like old rock 'n' roll to me - except with the "big" 80s drum sound.

Still, I like some of it - like Dwight

[Deacon_Blues]

I love some of it but not everything. This bluegrass (?) song by the Chicks with... oops, I mean Dixie Chicks is really great:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj_9z767vXU

However, the album version is slightly better, at least the guitar solo. I like the band as a whole, too.

[unbasslichkeit]

Originally Posted by ryco

I like old country like Buck, Johnny, Lefty, Hank, Patsy, Reeves -- those guys.

+1 on all of the above.

IMHO like their Motown counterparts, a lot of the nashville players in the 60's were frustrated jazz players. For a good example, listen to guys like Buddy Emmons (on steel with Ernest Tubb's band) when ET would go off to smoke a cigarette and the band would get to cut loose on a tune like "Cherokee." Awesome playing.

Also, give a listen to Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West and see if your jaw don't drop.

[Phalex]

Let's don't forget Chet Atkins and Roy Clark!

[Loel]

I voted yes, just can't beat
Ray Price shuffles..

HD/

[Passinwind]

Originally Posted by bassbully

Just wondering what you Tbers thought of country music new and old or all together.

I like a lot of the newer stuff much better than Old School, but I'm OK with Old School in small doses too. Jerry Douglas, Tony Furtado, David Grisman, Tony Rice,Mark O'Connor and anyone else who's clearly jazz-influenced get tons of respect from me. Shagnia's butt is pretty swell too.

[HomeBrewTJ]

http://www.moonshinemasonandtherotgutgang.com

[Johnny Crab]

Since we moved to Texas 18 years ago it's kinda "growed on me".
It taught me to use the word "kaint" in some vocal parts.
It ALWAYS made me smile when stopping into the 1st Whataburger inside the state line, sitting down to eat, and hearing country tunes on the musak.

We cover & Guzzlerize some of them.
A few players actually get an attactive tone and timing as opposed to just "playing pedestrian bass" as Geddy put it. Example from a few years back:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ng-K6AfuNR0

http://youtube.com/watch?v=PuBoUHU_UFk

[Valerus]

Hate it.

[kesslari]

As with all genres, there's good and bad.
Some of the good has been mentioned.
Johnny Cash - rocks. Merle - rocks.
Old Western Swing, like Leon Macauliffe - whoa nelly!

The thing I like most about the genre is that it's OK to tell a story in the song, and it's OK for a love song to be about loving your wife and loving your kids, instead of all the love songs being about "I'm 18 and if I don't get into your pants I'm gonna die".

For a great example (and a country-reggae genre bender) listen to Jackson Browne and Bonnie Rait's duet on the Weaver's "Kisses Sweeter than Wine"

[theshadow2001]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDyeNh-VNnU

As long as it's blue grass and there's a mental banjo and everyone looks like each others father and cousin at the same time.

Good stuff

[Jonny B]

I'd rather stick sharp, pointy things in my ears than listen to country.

[doktorfeelgood]

I've played Blues now for about 35 years but I strayed once in 1992 and got in a Country band for a change of pace. I wanted to do the Dwight Yoakam and Marty Stuart brand of Country/Blues/Bakersfield/50's rock & roll kind of Country music that was really hot then. Didn't work out but it was fun for awhile. Got tired of having to constantly learn all of the rapidly changing Top 40 Country radio hits to keep gigging. I missed the Blues after awhile anyway. My parents were basically part-time Country musicians and they played a lot of functions on weekends.
My Dad on guitar and vocals and my Mom on Accordian/keyboards and vocals. My Dad's favorite was Hank Williams. But some of that real George Jones type traditional stuff used to make me run as fast as I could away from the premises when they started playing it. Still can't stand that stuff...That real nasally sounding..."I get tears in my ears layin' on my back cryin' over you..." kind of stuff. )-(

[skaliwag66]

Mostly a rockabilly fan.

[Lazylion]

Originally Posted by Phalex

I've just recently rediscovered New Grass Revival. That band was a chuck full of great talent. I don't care what genre you're into, those guys are all killer players.
John Cowan plays some tasty bass lines, and he sings like a friggin bird! I really do love that guy!

+1000 I got to open for them years ago at a club in Phoenix. After we played, I watched their set w/my eyes popping & mouth hanging open. They were absolutely awesome. I spent half my paycheck on their merch, and I went around for weeks afterward saying they were the best band in the world!
It's tragic that they broke up, but then again, if they hadn't, we wouldn't have the Flecktones. Thanks for everything, Bela!

Originally Posted by bigfatbass

...the pathetic, nutless, "light rock in a cowboy hat" garbage they call country nowadays. Kenny Cheeznuts may actually be an authentic small town boy, but he is a mediocre at best singer. He is just Brittney in a big silly hat.

Amen brother! I do NOT get the attraction. All I can figure is, he brought his own money.

Originally Posted by bigfatbass

...Vince Gill is an American treasure. One of the greatest players/writers/performers of his generation. I can leave all those sappy ballads for sure, but the guy is a once in a lifetime genius. And MAN is he a player, as is Brad Paisley!

Agreed. Eric Clapton invited Vince to play on BOTH of the Crossroads Center festivals available on DVD. What does that tell you? Vince makes me like those sappy ballads! And last time I saw him, he had Willie Weeks on bass! Gotta love that!