Forums » Off-topic discussion » What happened to Country Music? « 1 2 3 4 5 »
  • 96DXCivic

    March 1, 2010 10:11 p.m. 96DXCivic HalfDork

    Can some one explain what happened to Country music? Modern mainstream country music is berkeleying Disney and it is sung by a bunch of Bob Costas. Is there any good country left?

  • EvanB

    March 1, 2010 10:14 p.m. EvanB HalfDork

    There is some good country left. I like Gerald Collier and some band called Trigger 5

    Formerly jdmae92

  • BAMF

    March 1, 2010 10:15 p.m. BAMF Reader

    It's the same thing that happened to R&B (and pop before it). The suits devised a formula that they could sell, and proceeded to stick to the formula until everything was the same.

    - Bryce

  • VanillaSky

    March 1, 2010 10:16 p.m. VanillaSky Reader

    IMO, country music died in the 90's. I can't stand what they're currently passing off as country music these days. It's either rock music or pop music.

  • alex

    March 1, 2010 10:26 p.m. alex Dork

    EvanB wrote: There is some good country left. I like Gerald Collier and some band called Trigger 5

    Ha! You beat me to my own plug. Thanks, man!

    I guess I'd be remiss if I didn't include the link. Trigger 5

    See also:
    Wayne Hancock
    BR549
    Dale Watson
    Justin Townes Earle
    Junior Brown

    It's out there, and in good numbers, but unless you're lucky, you won't find it on the radio.

    The only two things in life that make it worth livin' are guitars that tune good and firm feelin' women.

  • carguy123

    March 1, 2010 10:33 p.m. carguy123 SuperDork

    Gee and I like the new country and hate the new pop.

    The new country is a lot like the old pop.

    "mobilito ergo sum" I drive therefore I am!

  • FindlaySpeedMan

    March 1, 2010 10:40 p.m. FindlaySpeedMan Reader

    Apparently, the poop is that "New" Country caters to a 40+ year old female demographic. This goes a long way towards explaining the Chippendales in black hats fronting every country group now. It's basically become mildly twangy pop for soccer moms.

    Whiskey drinkin' barroom country is now buried in Alternative Country next to people like Beck. Loretta Lynn put out a new country album a little bit ago with Jack White, the White Stripes guy, which shows you where old-school country has found itself lately. Ask any young music lover about Johnny Cash, and they'll at least know who he is, if not worship him. That original country sound is still out there for the finding if you miss it. It's now so far out that it's coming back in from a hipster direction. Bluegrass has absorbed a lot of cool traditional players, too.

  • mtn

    March 1, 2010 10:44 p.m. mtn SuperDork

    alex wrote: See also: Justin Townes Earle Junior Brown

    FTMFW


    There are some good ones out there, in the mainstream its going to just be Alan Jackson and George Straight (although really only a few of their album cuts).

    See also (not all new but still making music and still real country, IMHO):
    Guy Clark
    Lyle Lovett
    Reckless Kelly (more alternative Texas country)
    Asleep at the Wheel
    Zac Brown Band

    I've given up on the radio. Although, like Carguy said, its a lot like the old pop. I like the old pop. But NOT Rascall Fatts and Keith Urban. Uggg. I've also gone into more a folk and bluegrass scene.

    there’s a lot of debate on this subject—about what kind of car handles best. Some say a front-engined car; some say a rear-engined car. I say a rented car.

  • mtn

    March 1, 2010 10:50 p.m. mtn SuperDork

    alex wrote: I guess I'd be remiss if I didn't include the link. Trigger 5

    Great versions of "If we make through December". But I can't click on the Angel Flying too Close to the ground, it takes me straight back to December.

    there’s a lot of debate on this subject—about what kind of car handles best. Some say a front-engined car; some say a rear-engined car. I say a rented car.

  • Osterkraut

    March 1, 2010 11:23 p.m. Osterkraut Dork

    Personal theory: Country music went to hell when Garth Brooks got fat.

    I'm Jeremy Clarkson with better hair.

  • Appleseed

    March 1, 2010 11:30 p.m. Appleseed Dork

    Pop country is trying real, real hard to sound like Credence Clearwater did 40 years ago.

    Note to aspiring country singers: you don't have to sound all whiny to sing country. Listen to Johnny Cash, Jerry Reed, Waylon Jennings or Johnny Paycheck. See?

  • joey48442

    March 2, 2010 12:16 a.m. joey48442 SuperDork

    When it got this huge streak of patriotic bullE36 M3 running through it, that's when country died. Nothing wrong with being patriotic, but come on... And this whole "simple man" thing and songs about drinking wine out of Dixie cups and and riding around on mortorcycles with 'me and my gang' and beleiving that someone loves you when the say they do when your 15, and maybe you will meet a rich old dude at the bar who will leave you all his cash when he kicks the bucket much to th chagrin of all his kids, and leaving your Christmas lights up all year long and not even knowing your own last name and digging your key unto the aide if some dudes four wheel drive cause he cheated on you (cause your the kind of beahtch who would key someones car) and hey! Sounds like life to me! Aarrrrgggghjh!
    Sorry bout that, I got a little carried away. I have to listen to that crap all the time at work. I listen to outlaw country on satelite radio alot. PS, real men don't sit around on a Friday night, and sing about a pair of jeans that fit just right.

    Joey

    Joey "all you are to me is talking ballast" Blatchford

  • mtn

    March 2, 2010 12:25 a.m. mtn SuperDork

    joey48442 wrote: I listen to outlaw country on satelite radio alot. PS, real men don't sit around on a Friday night, and sing about a pair of jeans that fit just right.

    Hmm... Fast forward to 1:40.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovKzz98nqFI

    there’s a lot of debate on this subject—about what kind of car handles best. Some say a front-engined car; some say a rear-engined car. I say a rented car.

  • joey48442

    March 2, 2010 1:06 a.m. joey48442 SuperDork

    mtn wrote:
    joey48442 wrote: I listen to outlaw country on satelite radio alot. PS, real men don't sit around on a Friday night, and sing about a pair of jeans that fit just right.

    Hmm... Fast forward to 1:40.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovKzz98nqFI

    that's a >little< different.

    Joey

    Joey "all you are to me is talking ballast" Blatchford

  • mtn

    March 2, 2010 2:06 a.m. mtn SuperDork

    joey48442 wrote:
    mtn wrote:
    joey48442 wrote: I listen to outlaw country on satelite radio alot. PS, real men don't sit around on a Friday night, and sing about a pair of jeans that fit just right.

    Hmm... Fast forward to 1:40.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovKzz98nqFI

    that's a >little< different.

    Joey

    Splittin hairs there. IMHO, Zac Brown Band is some of the best country out today. Not necessarily their stuff on the radio, but on the albums, live, and youtube there is some real country out there. Although some of it might be considered "old time" or bluegrass.

    there’s a lot of debate on this subject—about what kind of car handles best. Some say a front-engined car; some say a rear-engined car. I say a rented car.

  • March 2, 2010 4:39 a.m. petegossett SuperDork

    The local pop-country station just started a Classic-Country spinoff station. I'm really starting to like it, despite the fact they replaced one of only 3-local rock stations with it.

  • footinmouth

    March 2, 2010 4:58 a.m. footinmouth New Reader

    most of all the good music is at the left of the dial.

  • footinmouth

    March 2, 2010 4:59 a.m. footinmouth New Reader

    And they play both kinds.

  • TJ

    March 2, 2010 7:34 a.m. TJ Dork

    I'm a fan of Alison Krauss and Union Station, but I guess they count as bluegrass and not country.

    I've been listening to Levon Helm a lot lately, but he's not really country either - not sure what he is, but I like it.

    I like music that is made by people with actual instruments and singing that is a rel person's voice. Anything that sounds like it was made by a guy with his computer and/or sounds autotune-y I generally don't enjoy.

    Popular country has become a parody of itself, but so has other popular music genres.

    Why are these called signatures when they are not in cursive?

  • minimac

    March 2, 2010 7:42 a.m. minimac Dork

    Isn't that an oxymoron? Country music? Like military intelligence?

    "If you can make a girl laugh, you can make her do anything" Marilyn Monroe

  • zomby woof

    March 2, 2010 7:54 a.m. zomby woof HalfDork

    I hate country, but I moved from the city to the middle of country music territory 20 years ago, and hearing it all the time, I've noticed 2 things. The 'popification' of country, (and even a few songs that sound suspiciously like countrified hip hop), and the fact that a lot of my 30-40 year old city friends are listening to it. When I ask them why, they tell me, it's good, it's OK, it's the new country. It seems that the stations out here are more traditional, and the city stations are more new country pop-ish.

  • Wally

    March 2, 2010 8:20 a.m. Wally SuperDork

    FindlaySpeedMan wrote: Apparently, the poop is that "New" Country caters to a 40+ year old female demographic. This goes a long way towards explaining the Chippendales in black hats fronting every country group now. It's basically become mildly twangy pop for soccer moms.

    That is the problem. We have two stations here that both cater to soccer moms. When I was a kid you saw the country station bumper stickers on trucks and old cars, now you see them on every minivan and suv between the camo GIT R DUM sitcker and the stick figure family. One of them here is unlistenable. The playlist is right out of my wife's ipod, every caller is whining about their useless husband or mean boss, then at night they have the hillbilly equivlent of the Delilah show. I'm sure Hank Sr is rolling in his grave wondering why they aren't home baking something instead of blabering on the phone all day. Thank God for the Satelite and internet.

    A little stupid goes a long way

  • mtn

    March 2, 2010 8:42 a.m. mtn SuperDork

    Wally wrote:
    FindlaySpeedMan wrote: Apparently, the poop is that "New" Country caters to a 40+ year old female demographic. This goes a long way towards explaining the Chippendales in black hats fronting every country group now. It's basically become mildly twangy pop for soccer moms.

    That is the problem. We have two stations here that both cater to soccer moms. When I was a kid you saw the country station bumper stickers on trucks and old cars, now you see them on every minivan and suv between the camo GIT R DUM sitcker and the stick figure family. One of them here is unlistenable. The playlist is right out of my wife's ipod, every caller is whining about their useless husband or mean boss, then at night they have the hillbilly equivlent of the Delilah show. I'm sure Hank Sr is rolling in his grave wondering why they aren't home baking something instead of blabering on the phone all day. Thank God for the Satelite and internet.

    Tr00f. In Chicago, we have one station that plays about 5 minutes of commercials to about 4 minutes of music, and the music is all pretty crappy. I hate Rascal Flatts.

    The day I hear a Robert Earl Keen, John Prine (alright, maybe he's just folk), Justin Townes Earl on that station... Well, it doesn't matter what I'll do, I'll never hear it. They don't even play the country gold show anymore.

    there’s a lot of debate on this subject—about what kind of car handles best. Some say a front-engined car; some say a rear-engined car. I say a rented car.

  • Streetwiseguy

    March 2, 2010 8:59 a.m. Streetwiseguy New Reader

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDY6bWT5oTM

    Canadian. Its still a country.

  • joey48442

    March 2, 2010 9:09 a.m. joey48442 SuperDork

    In reply to mtn:

    Robert Earl keen, and Justins daddy, Steve, and even The guy Justin got his middle name from, Townes van Zant, I think if I heard any of them on the local pop fluff country crap station I would poop my self. Or Hank the third.

    Joey

    Joey "all you are to me is talking ballast" Blatchford

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