country music, Americana, Alt Country

[billg1]

24 yrs ago The Beat Farmers fell between all the genres and kind of petered out.
I wonder if Nashville would accept them today?
Don't bail on this until the whole band kicks in, a great song, a great band (BTW Country Dick Montana passed away not long after this)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iquVd12M4lQ

[feaker66]

I feel bad for those who have never played in a live band like that.

When it all comes together it it such a rush.

Tough to sing harmony on one mic like that. Specially when your bud just finished a tunafish sandwich:)

Thanks Bill, got my blood pumping again.

Paul

[Kolstad]

Sounds pretty cool. Classic 80'ies sound! I like that.
Not sure why Nashville would be interested in a rock'n roll band, tho?

[billg1]

Sounds pretty cool. Classic 80'ies sound! I like that.
Not sure why Nashville would be interested in a rock'n roll band, tho?

They played at the CMA awards in '88. The rock press classified them as country, country press said they were rock, their label called them." an amalgamation of cow punk, jangle pop, roots rock, hard-twang Americana, country-rock, swingabilly, and Creedence swamp-pop." I was in a sorta "cow-punk" band for a while and we covered some of their songs, a really great band imo.

I guess point being . . . I hear a lot of stuff like this in emerging country outlets now (small video shows etc.). Doesn't sound like country so much to me either. I think a lot of the Americana/rock stuff crosses over nowadays & sometimes I just wonder how a band like these guys would have fared in a a time like now, when there is actually a genre for them and what appears to be more cross genre pollination.

[chits]

Nashville might actually accept them more because they sound more rock than country, and that's the way Nashville is going these days. Although this group seems to be less pop oriented, and when I say that Nashville is going the route of rock, I mean rock-pop-country, whatever that is.

[squids]

I agree Bill. I read a blog today about Greg Allman's new album listed in No Depression, so it's considered sorta Americana. Someone responded to the article and said they wished music stores would simply put stuff alphabetically and give up on categorizing them, since he can't find the bands on his list that way.

I thought about it and decided that it isn't jes music stores or reviewers who do it, we all do it when we're trying to give someone a description of a band's sound. If it's something really newish (Florence and the Machine), the descriptions can get pretty damn long. Heh.

Great to 'see' you again. Been on my mind lately since I've gotten into the No Depression thing. I know your album could make their list.

[billg1]

here's an article on why Americana music is gaining popularity. kind of interesting
edit: had to remove the link . . . i posted a link to a dvd recorder i was looking at by mistake! I'll have to dig it up and post the correct link ...........

[mojobone]

I think a band sounding like the Beat Farmers could go a long way in the current market, but they'd have to trade the lead guitarist for somebody a little more 'Bakersfield". I was okay, 'til he soloed, took me right out of the song, every song that had a solo. To me, BFers are more alt. country, cuz the Americana artists are makin' roots rock that seamlessly fuses country and blues influences. (think John Hiatt or Bonnie Raitt, on the distaff...) CCR is Americana, Tom Petty is probably Americana, Sheryl Crow, Bob Seger, Kid Rock's new stuff that sounds like Seger, so I don't see a reason Gregg Allman couldn't be included; Southern Rock's been around long enough to be considered roots, Lord knows, enough current radio country is derived from the Allmans/Outlaws/Marshall Tucker school of southern boogie.

[Kolstad]

Someone responded to the article and said they wished music stores would simply put stuff alphabetically and give up on categorizing them, since he can't find the bands on his list that way.

+1 Yeah, that would REALLY help me in a music store too!