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I’ve gotten into “dark country” through amigo the devil and Harley poe. Brought me to brown bird, holy locust, bridge city sinners, and more. Don’t throw out the beans with the bathwater.
Does she wear an Imperial uniform from Star Wars?
What gave it away? The delightfully catchy marching tune?
Country music started to suck not when it became political, there was always political country music. It started to suck when it became the refuge for conservatives and no other viewpoints were allowed.
But there was a real hunger in a lot of parts of America for representation, and country music did offer a landscape that was talking a lot about old-fashioned values.
…
I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that country radio, which remains very corporate, does have a lock on who can become a superstar and who cannot. And so, if you get sort of an organized fan backlash against a musician over their politics. their career is done. And the most – the high-profile example of that that people will be familiar with is what happened to the Dixie Chicks during the Iraq War.
https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/segments/how-country-music-went-conservative
Country music from before 1970 can be good. There are occasionally things post 1970 that are also good, but they’re much harder to find because it has become a style of music that caters to conservatives, and they expect it to glorify their values.
Poop country
Skip past all the “pop” country; the “bro” country; and there’s a lot of good country artists. Artists that have real songs and stories to tell. Not just jeans, pick up trucks, and being “southern”. But are actually sorrowful, thoughtful, and sometimes, extremely progressive.
- Lost Dog Street Band / Benjamin Tod
- Sturgill Simpson
- Amigo the Devil
- Tyler Childers
- IV and The Strange Band
and so many others, Matt Heckler, Dead South, Colter Wall… go listen to real country, indie country. Not corpo country.
Need Hank Williams (the og, not ii or iii), Johnny Cash, merl haggard, Waylon Jennings on that list, to name a few.
And thanks for the recommendations, will have to check them outOh yeah, for sure. I was just trying to think up modern artists to illustrate that good country music is still being made today. Otherwise I’d add people like Willie Nelson, Woodie Gunthrie, Johnny Paycheck, etc etc etc… and the list would be eternally long.
It’s like, generally accepted that old country is good, but modern day country sucks. I just wanted to disprove that. There’s still great country music being made post Garth Brooks.
EDIT: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Seger, Charlie Daniels, Chris Stapleton, Kenny Rogers…
Casualties of Cool (Devin Townsend!)
I’m ready for the country hate. Here’s some YouTube links.
Cast Iron Pansexual by Adeem the Artist
For some classic class consciousness:
Buy This Truck by The Grammar Club: Trolling
We listen to both kinds of music! Country AND western!
You might know about Marty Robbins of Big Iron fame, but I’m here to tell you that the entire Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs album is a nonstop parade of bangers.
Although Marty himself had some problematic views about snti-Vietnam war folks, I still love his music.
My advice? Skip the country music, focus on western music.
Not even Jerry Reed? Merle Haggard? Johnny Cash!??
Glen Campbell, Dolly Parton.
Dolly Parton is a fuckin treasure.
I have 2: Johnny Cash and Oliver Anthony
My country music is fucking awesome. I don’t listen to Country tho
There is actually some good country, but it’s never played on the radio. Artists like Sturghill Simpson, Cody jinks, and Tyler Childers really saved country for me
Yeah, and does bluegrass count as country? Because some people can absolutely shred on the banjo
I would put in the same ecosystem. And yeah Billy strings gets it.
Childers is maybe the best of this generation.
Your country collection should consist of 2 songs. Jolene and Take Me Home, Country Roads. No need for anything else. And the second one is optional.
I mean there is good country especially pre 2000 and outside the mainstream.
But there is also so much good non-country music.
Johnny Cash is acceptable.
Not if you lived with my uni housemate. He was obsessed. I’m 100% done with it.
He’s just ok but massively overrated and sometimes even hack-y, in my opinion. An image artist.
Not sure quite where Corb Lund falls, sometimes blues, sometimes country, and others yodeling, but he is worthy of any music collection
