What happened to Country Music?

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?

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

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.

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.

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.

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

The new country is a lot like the old pop.

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.

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.

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.

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

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?

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

And they play both kinds.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Canadian. Its still a country.

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