Country Music for People Who Don't Like "Country Music" - Page 2 - Other Topics Forum - Discuss Pop Culture, Arts and Entertainment

Some country/alt-country greatness:
Neko Case (obv)
Son Volt/Jay Farrar
The Sadies
John Prine
Emmylou Harris (Red Dirt Girl, Wrecking Ball)
Lucinda Williams (Car Wheels on a Gravel Road)
Ryan Adams
Supersuckers (Must've Been High)

I Second Ryan Adams, Lucinda Williams Son Volt, as well as previously mentioned Lyle Lovett. In addition, you may want to check out:

Pat Green (Album Three Days)
Jack Ingram (Songs "Barbie Doll", "Biloxi", "Dallas", and many others)
Reckless Kelly (Album Under the Table & Above the Sun)
Hayes Carll (Album Trouble In Mind)
Uncle Tupelo (anything by them)
Ryan Bingham (Songs: "Long Way from Georgia" and "Sunrise")
Fred Eaglesmith (Songs: "Pretty Good Guy", "Bullets", "Good Enough", "49 Tons" and "105")

More alt. country/americana, but still might be of interest to you.

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10-30-2008 , 04:35 PM

#27

ham on rye

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 5,531

Johnny Cash
Townes Van Zandt
Guy Clark
Willie
Waylon
Hank

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10-30-2008 , 04:43 PM

#28

CrazyEyez

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Quote:

Originally Posted by areaman

steve earle ftw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T9qBdbV7v0
i feel alright

Hmmm I love that song but always thought of it/him as blues. But I guess I'm wrong because his other youtube stuff is def country.

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10-30-2008 , 05:05 PM

#29

spaceman Bryce

anything you guys want

Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 20,646

Quote:

Originally Posted by otnemem

Is alt-country really considered "actual country?" I would consider someone like Travis Tritt country over a band like Old 97's.

Johnny Cash is good country.

alt country is more country than most of the crap in nashville

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10-30-2008 , 05:10 PM

#30

Cry Me A River

Orange is the new Green

Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 23,784

Texas Lightning - Like a Virgin
Texas Lightning - Waterloo

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10-30-2008 , 05:13 PM

#31

skipperbob

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David Allan Coe

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10-30-2008 , 05:17 PM

#32

Cry Me A River

Orange is the new Green

Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 23,784

Lone Justice- Ways to be Wicked
Cowboy Junkies - Sweet Jane

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10-30-2008 , 06:01 PM

#33

bustedchucks

journeyman

Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 231

You should check out Okkervil River. They are an indie band with some country leanings on thier earlier albums. They haven't put out a bad album yet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY1ku4q2CkU - Westfall

Heres another vote for Gillian Welch. Country, but about as far removed from Nashville as your gonna find.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1ujuoo9VbA - Wrecking Ball

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEstpk1ucnUv - Annabelle

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10-30-2008 , 06:15 PM

#34

Boris

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dont understand how son volt, john prine and ryan adams are considered country.

I second the james mcmurtry recommendation, although again, not exactly country.

for traditional country I always like dwight yoakam, merle haggard, jerry jeff walker, george straight.

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10-30-2008 , 06:17 PM

#35

Boris

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Quote:

Originally Posted by skipperbob

David Allan Coe

word

also if you like the girl bands, check out the Be Good Tanyas.

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10-30-2008 , 06:18 PM

#36

ashecounty

adept

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I love the Drive-By Truckers. Country infused rock at its finest.

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10-30-2008 , 06:18 PM

#37

SoloAJ

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I have trouble not immediately dismissing someone as ignorant in all aspects of life when they say, "I like all music but country. It's terrible."

Country music has such a wide base that almost anyone will like something that falls under it.

This thread goes to helping that idea, too. I listen to a lot of country and I'd say somewhere around 5% of what's mentioned in this thread can be found on country radio.

Just because people don't like popular country doesn't mean they wouldn't enjoy other aspects of it.

It's the same as people who say that black and white movies are boring. Yeah, okay.

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10-30-2008 , 06:22 PM

#38

LooseCaller

veteran

Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 2,113

uncle tupelo and son volt

uncle tupelo "moonshiner" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOxq8F0wDkM
son volt "windfall" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arrDx...eature=related
second the merle haggard, though that's best appreciated at a bar

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10-30-2008 , 06:22 PM

#39

Neko

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Boris, doesn't excluding alt-country artists from a thread about country for people who don't like country seems kinda nitty?

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10-30-2008 , 06:23 PM

#40

samjjones

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[

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10-30-2008 , 06:33 PM

#41

tubasteve

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first song in OP is NOT country...there is nothing country about that song it is just pop.

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10-30-2008 , 06:43 PM

#42

wet work

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Neko

Supersuckers (Must've Been High)

One of my favorite albums.

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10-30-2008 , 06:48 PM

#43

Boris

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Neko

Boris, doesn't excluding alt-country artists from a thread about country for people who don't like country seems kinda nitty?

????

I wouldn't even include Son Volt, John Prine and Ryan Adams in the alt.country genre. But I guess that's just me.

Another addition to the almost maybe could be country genre that LFS might like would be Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins.

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10-30-2008 , 06:54 PM

#44

Dominic

Tripod

Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 74,272

Quote:

Originally Posted by samjjones

[

believe it or not this album is damn good

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10-30-2008 , 07:00 PM

#45

LFS

emo gaylord

Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 21,865

I should have expected some "what is country music" debate...I guess "country-influenced" would be better.

Love Uncle Tupelo, lived one block from the Loop in St. Louis when they were getting started and saw them at Cicero's a number of times. Also own albums by Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker, as well as (obviously, I guess) REM. And of course Wilco. These bands are obviously much further down the rock/country line, but are great examples of stuff I would probably like.

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10-30-2008 , 07:05 PM

#46

Sober

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Quote:

Originally Posted by ham on rye

Johnny Cash
Townes Van Zandt
Guy Clark
Willie
Waylon
Hank

The only reasonable list posted so far. Make sure your Hank is Hank Sr. - none of this Hank III bull****, he makes me ****ing ill.

Add some Buck Owens, maybe some Conway Twitty. Johnny Paycheck isn't really country, but it's close enough to the roots. For modern stuff, go Old 97s, Brad Paisley, etc.

Broaden your damn horizons, bitches.

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10-30-2008 , 07:06 PM

#47

Five-Star

[x] Wins the Internet

Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 3,283

I think Josh Turner is a good fit for this category. One of the only country acts I'd even consider listening to. He's got country in him but he has a wider appeal.

Would you go with me (This is one of the few songs my fiance and I have chosen for our wedding)

Firecracker

Last edited by Five-Star; 10-30-2008 at 07:07 PM. Reason: WYGWM music video = weird, song = really good

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10-30-2008 , 07:06 PM

#48

Dominic

Tripod

Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 74,272

Quote:

Originally Posted by Los Feliz Slim

Slim, check out my links....your baby might like it!

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10-30-2008 , 07:14 PM

#49

LFS

emo gaylord

Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 21,865

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dominic

Slim, check out my links....your baby might like it!

Jack gets lots of acoustic music, which reminds me that I should mention the work of Jerry Garcia and David Grisman for guitar, banjo, and mandolin. It's all over the place musically but all acoustic, with some good bluegrassy/country stuff (along with some sea shanty-style songs which are incredibly awesome). Their album Shady Grove in particular is just blown-away awesome.