Guy Clark
Cowboy Junkies
Iris DeMent
The Flatlanders
Freakwater
Jimmie Dale Gilmore
The Jayhawks
k.d. lang
Lyle Lovett
The Mavericks
Uncle Tupelo
Gillian Welch
Whiskeytown
Wilco 90s,
|
Lucinda
Williams
Dwight Yoakam
Dave Alvin
Bad Livers
Blue Rodeo
Junior Brown
The Derailers
Fred Eaglesmith
Joe Ely
Alejandro Escovedo
Rosie Flores
Mark Germino |
Wayne Hancock
The Handsome Family
John Hartford
Joe Henry
John Hiatt
Walter Hyatt
Freedy Johnston
Robert Earl Keen,
Shelby Lynne
James McMurtry |
Old 97's
Palace
Billy Joe Shaver
Son Volt
Tarnation
The Waco Brothers
The Walkabouts
Victoria Williams |
|
|
Like
its cousin
alternative rock,
Alternative Country
exists outside of
the mainstream -- in
this case,
Nashville. Taking
its cue from "outlaw
country" and
progressive country,
Alternative Country
strips country to
the basics and then
subverts it, both
musically and
lyrically. The music
is hardcore country,
and whatever
traditional country
merely suggests,
Alternative Country
spells it out
explicitly. It is
the work of
mavericks and
outsiders, not
conformists, and as
such it covers many
different styles,
from alternative
country-rockers to
simple
singer-songwriters.
Often, Alternative
Country was used
interchangeably with
Americana -- the
difference between
the two is that
alt-country had its
roots in country,
while Americana grew
out of the roots
rock movement of the
'80s, and found
former rock &
rollers turning to
folk and country as
they grew older. In
fact, much of what
fell under the
Americana and
Alternative Country
umbrellas were in
fact revivals of
dormant country
styles, including
Western swing and
rockabilly. Although
they were considered
an alternative radio
format, Alternative
Country and
Americana did not
break with country
tradition, they
embraced it --
something,
ironically enough,
which the music
hitting the
Nashville charts
throughout the era
did not do. |
|
|
|