Are you ready for the (Alt) Country : A New Series

It took a wee while for me to admit to myself that deep down I Thank God I'm A Country Boy.  The signs were there early, being made to sing Leaving on a Jet Plane and Country Roads in form 1 at Parkway Intermediate and the fact that the first ever record I bought was this....... Yep Really,   Then being drawn to Springsteen's Nebraska for its rawness, admiring Costello for making Almost Blue in Nashville and hamming it up with Ricky Scaggs and Johnny Cash.  Recognising the Country behind bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival, Tom Petty and the Rolling Stones and So when the Alternative Country Scene came along at the end of the 80's I was going to be in.  So this is going to be a series that highlights some of the Country/Alternative Country and Americana - whatever you want to call it.

Over the years I have been mocked .... yes truly by many people who later have fallen to the prey (you know who you are).

There seems to be something in common with the 5 stages of grief in the way people come to terms with their growing like for Country in any of its manifestations.

1. Denial and Isolation

At this stage people tend to be quite dismissive, "oh yeah Willie my mother really likes him, I inherited that lp from her" or weak humour "Yeah I bet you like both types, Country and Western"

2. Anger 

"Your not putting that shit on"

3. Bargaining

"Well Lyle Lovett isn't really Country and man isn't Johnny Cash's version of Hurt really great but I prefer the Nine Inch Nails version."

4. Depression

Listening to their growing collection in the dark afraid to admit to where they are at. Knowing that sooner or later they will have to admit to their friends what they already know.  "I started this damn Country band because Punk Rock was too hard to sing"  Thanks Ryan Adams.

5. Acceptance

I have never seen it get to the "scoop the boot stage" but sooner or later people are proud to put on some Willie, Waylon or Merle. 

I am however the first to admit that Country has over the years done itself a great disservice for getting wider recognition.  While artists like Johnny, Dolly, Waylon, Willie and Kris have all produced many magnificent albums - there does seem to be a quantity over quality issue going on with many artists.  

So whether it is the traditional country of the Louvin Brothers and Hank Williams, Bluegrass by Del McCoury or Earl Scruggs, the sixties stuff by Johnny, Kris and Merle, the Outlaw Country of Willie, Waylon and Billy Joe, The 80's revival with Guy Clarke and Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle and Uncle Tupelo in the 90s, The Old 97s or The Punch Brothers or more recent times I find it is all worth investigating and listening to.  As long as it sounds real and heartfelt and not overly produced.  

I particularly like to explore the fringes of Country Music like

• Where punk energy meets country with bands like Rank & File, Jason and The Scorchers, The Gun Club 
• Where lo fi meets Country with the likes of The Mendoza Line and Vic Chesnutt
• Where Country Meets Soul with Charlie Rich, Dan Penn and of course Ray Charles
• Where Country meets funk with the likes of Tony Joe White
• Where Country meets rock and where better that to show that than with Neil Young (amped up with Crazy Horse or solo), Bob Dylan and The Band   (BUT PLEASE NO EAGLES), 
• Where the Stones play country (and they do a lot - even though with the Girl with Faraway Eyes they were clearly in denial!!!! 
• Where Country is modernised nicely by the likes The Felice Brothers and The Low Anthem
• Where Country gets weird with the likes of Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Jim White and Johnny Dowd
• Where bluegrass meets jazz and blues - with the likes of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, The Heritage Blues Orchestra and some good old Louis Armstrong
• Where Country meets "The fonk" - in New Orleans
• Where Country meets the flatlands of Texas in Lubbock and creates a unique sound and approach

So in this new and interrupted series I will take you on a journey through my country collection. Hang on tight to the reigns it will be a wild ride!!!