Country music

Per Kammersgaard · Post by **Per Kammersgaard** » 4 Nov 2005 8:15 am

Don't know if this fits in here - but anyway, I found it somewhere else, don't remember where. It's about Marti Brom's great album (Sings Heartache Numbers), which was produced by Justin Trevino. Someone wrote something like this:

".....Nashville can use months and years in million dollar studios, turning music into mush, while this album was produced by a blind man in a matter of days, in his single-wide trailer home...."

PK

Chuck Cusimano · Post by **Chuck Cusimano** » 4 Nov 2005 9:17 am

Well, I tried to stay out of this thread, but "I CAN'T HELP MYSELF".
Country Music, to me is Ray Price, not Toby Keith. Johnny Bush, not Tim McGraw. Merle Haggard, not Kid Rock. George Jones, not Garth Brooks. Mel Tillis, not Kenny Chessney. and so on and so forth.

Why not call the "NEW" stuff something else, and quit labeling it COUNTRY. Rock turned to "RAP" and Country turned to "CRAP" Why not call it what it is?
Drew, I am guessing your age to be less than fifty, Right? You probably think most of us here on the forum are just a bunch of old bitching geezers. Herein lies the problem. The average Disk Jockey is probably in his Thirties, or less. They don't know who "Hawkshaw Hawkins" was., and they think "Traditional Country Music" is George Strait, and Alabama. Not that I'm picking on these guys I mentioned, but the D.J.'s Country Music education started in the 80's.
Please don't put us down for bitching about the NEW Country, and we'll all be happier. I'm 57, and have played "COUNTRY MUSIC, for a living for thirty five years. I've earned the right to BITCH.

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Kirk Hamre · Post by **Kirk Hamre** » 4 Nov 2005 10:18 am

Thankfully, the true artists have recorded enough music to last us our lifetime. I can be satisfied with never buying a new recording ever again. And, you can see great shows in small clubs now that the industry does not promote many of the greats. I've seen performers who used to fill a 15,000 person capacity venue now perform in clubs that hold 200 people. I have not listened to radio in over five years. I think the San Francisco Bay Area finally dropped its last county radio station since new country was too pop for most. "Rock to Rap"..."Country to Crap"...what have they done to our music!!!

Drew Howard · Post by **Drew Howard** » 4 Nov 2005 1:13 pm

I'm 44, not a spring chicken.

b0b: "In a big survey we did a few years ago, the average age was 52."

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Drew Howard - website - Fessenden guitars, 70's Fender Twin, etc.

Ron Sodos · Post by **Ron Sodos** » 4 Nov 2005 2:35 pm

In response to Drew's original statement, No one expects country music to stay the same. I just wish it wouldn't suck so bad!
I try to watch CMT or GAC videos and most of it just BAD. It reminds me of the schlock rock of the 70's and 80's. Blues gone pop. What garbage.

Leslie Ehrlich · Post by **Leslie Ehrlich** » 4 Nov 2005 11:05 pm

Then don't watch it.

Lanny Carnley · Post by **Lanny Carnley** » 5 Nov 2005 5:39 pm

Well, speaking for myself, I don't watch it.
As for the CD buying public, we older guys don't buy them because the producers won't put out any music we like. I think if they would put out music we older folks like
(I'm 55) I think they would be really surprised at how many CD's they would sell.
We are really starved for some good country music.

Jason Stillwell · Post by **Jason Stillwell** » 5 Nov 2005 8:21 pm

Well, I've never been one to think I could successfully change anyone's mind about matters of opinion, and I've never been one to call people names. I guess that's why the mere starting of this thread bothers me. Did someone just wake up one day and ask himself, "How can I say this today: 'You old farts are stupid for having the opinions you do'?" I hope I am wrong, but that's exactly how I perceived it.

I am 31 years old, and I probably love real country music as much as anyone. I grew up playing it, and it's in my blood. It's hard to just give something up once it has become a part of you like that. I hope to see it make a real comeback someday. I remember as a kid when Ricky Skaggs made it big in the middle of a dry spell, and then a few years later Randy Travis making waves. I keep hoping something of that caliber or greater will hit the mainstream market soon and allow for a real comeback for country music. I am not going to spend my life waiting for it, though. And I am also not going to spend my life worrying and arguing about it. So, hey, what do you say we try a little harder to live peacefully with one another, and just keep listening to good music every chance we get.

Wayne Carver · Post by **Wayne Carver** » 5 Nov 2005 8:51 pm

As Drew is saying, forget mainstream radio for good music of any kind. I just turned 50 and I love traditional music of years way before me ie: Hank, Hank, Hank, & Lefty.
But you can find good music of any genre you just have to look harder than "860 in Dixie on your Dial". I've always liked the artist that don't get much radio play anyway. Today in Borders I was listening to Calexico, Emmylou Harris, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and a Les Paul tribute cd. I heard more steel on the Calexico cd. Come to think of it, I hear more steel and Dobro on Alternative Country that New or Hot Country. I just got a MP3 player for my birthday and i'm getting into a lot of internet radio stations that are cool. My kids don't even have mp3 players yet. My choice of music seems to be music that I can sleep to verses music that I can get down to. I can really sleep to Ambience-Chill.I would rather hear Hayseed-Dixie than Hank III. I would also rather hear Marshall Tucker than Big & Rich. I like some of the radio play like Sara Evans & Sugarland but Alt. Country artist like Heather Myles, Jim Lauderdale, the Derailers, BR-549, Jack Ingram, and anybody from Texas like Johnny Bush. Honky-Tonk rules.

Drew Howard · Post by **Drew Howard** » 6 Nov 2005 7:06 am

Exactly, Wayne.

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Drew Howard - website - Fessenden guitars, 70's Fender Twin, etc.

Chuck Cusimano · Post by **Chuck Cusimano** » 8 Nov 2005 10:01 am

If ya'all ain't doing something on a Sunday, tune in on your Computer to www.959theranch.com from 12 noon to 5pm (Texas Time) to "The Classic Country Music Review" with Joe Belinski. It is as good a program for the true "Real Country Music" fan that I have found. There are other radio programs available, but I don't know as much about them as I know about Joes program. If you live in the vicinity of Fort Worth you might be able to hear it live on the radio. 95.9 FM on your radio dial.
The rest of the time 95.9 is just a regular station that plays the other "CRAP" with a few good oldies thrown in once in a while. In the same breath I'm going to tell you about 92.1 FM. they play Traditional Country Music live from 6:00am to late at night before they turn to satalite radio. They do play quite a few artists that play what is now called "Texas Music" which in my oppinion is mostly bad out of tune, no singing, and mostly wailing, bad Garage Band soundalikes. once in a while you hear a good country song from these jokers, but not often enough in my oppinion.

James Cann · Post by **James Cann** » 9 Nov 2005 7:57 am

I don't care in the least what . . . music and mainstream radio industries are grinding out . . . no more relevant to me than the output of a shoe factory in Bulgaria . . . all decided decades ago.

Thanks, Mitch, for the words I was looking for (including the ones I left out here)!

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 9 Nov 2005 9:57 am

Modern ""country"" is 70's-80's pop wearing a cowboy hat and muscle T...blech..

Buck Owens where are you??... bob

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 10 Nov 2005 6:56 am

Buck plays most Friday evenings at his restaurant and club in Bakersfield!

My timing is always bad when I go through there though, sometimes apparently the band plays but Buck is not available.

Actually, I have heard of a few younger country stars that make a point of having their bus in Bakersfield to see Buck on a west coast swing, provided they don't have a gig that evening.

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Mark

Graham Lathrop · Post by **Graham Lathrop** » 10 Nov 2005 7:24 am

a[This message was edited by Graham Lathrop on 11 June 2006 at 10:01 AM.]

Chuck Cusimano · Post by **Chuck Cusimano** » 10 Nov 2005 10:31 am

WHAT?

Graham Lathrop · Post by **Graham Lathrop** » 10 Nov 2005 10:47 am

a[This message was edited by Graham Lathrop on 11 June 2006 at 10:02 AM.]

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 10 Nov 2005 11:57 am

How can old timers be unhappy about the amount of old time country music being released today? Isn't there more available than ever before?

Graham Lathrop · Post by **Graham Lathrop** » 10 Nov 2005 3:34 pm

a[This message was edited by Graham Lathrop on 11 June 2006 at 10:02 AM.]

Theresa Galbraith · Post by **Theresa Galbraith** » 11 Nov 2005 3:55 am

Ron Sodos · Post by **Ron Sodos** » 11 Nov 2005 2:09 pm

To quote the great Moe Bandy "That stuff Nashville is trying to convince us is country".

Ken Williams · Post by **Ken Williams** » 11 Nov 2005 11:40 pm

I was going to stay out of this but I can't resist giving my take on all this. Country music has been my passion for many years and several years ago I was bitter about changes that were occuring. But, I have long since "gotten over it". I respect anyone's right to listen or play any type of music they chose. The problem I have with current music scene is the term "country music" has simply been hijacked. No one expects any music to stay exactly the same year after year. I acknowledge that advances in playing technique, equipment, arrangements, etc would result in broader spectrum in any style of music. But if the original musical style was a true art form, the heart and soul of the style would basically remain the same. I hear the term "old country" kicked around. I was under the impression that there was just one kind. I'm 53. In the 70's, maybe it was just me, but I didn't refer to Hank Sr material from the 50's as old country. It was just country. Now as I mentioned before, improvements in recording technique,etc broadened the spectrum of the 70's music somewhat, but the basic essence of the music remained unchanged from the Hank Sr days. With very few exceptions, if that same heart and soul is in the music today, I don't hear it.
Years ago, when some the changes started to occur I tried to tell some of my musician friends who were embracing the changes, " this is not a good thing". Now, they are ones doing the bitchin' and complaining to me about the music that's out there. I just kinda shrug my shoulders. But like someone else said, there's plenty of music out there. Since newly recorded country music has gotten harder to find, I have found myself more interested in jazz music.

As mentioned before, I'm not that bitter about it anymore. But there are things I miss about it.
I miss simply turning on the radio and hearing a new song about every few weeks that simply tears your heart out.

I miss being able to go and hear a good country band. Maybe there are some in your area but there are none playing around here because there are no gigs.

I work with young people on a regular basis and many times I've been asked "Do you like country music?" I miss saying that I love country music and I'm proud out it. But, knowing that they're refering to what's on the radio today, I have to answer "no".

In conclusion, just imagine if you could somehow beam someone from 1968 into 2005. Let's say that you allowed them to listen to the Del McCurry band. I believe that they would have no trouble whatsoever knowing that what they just heard was bluegrass music. If you did the same thing and allowed them to listen some of the today's music is being called country, I don't think they would have a clue as to what style of music it is.

As Grandpappy Amos McCoy use to say. "Pitiful, juuust pitiful.

Ken

Joe Miraglia · Post by **Joe Miraglia** » 12 Nov 2005 11:00 am

I'm so lucky- I like the new and the old country. Blues jazz, pop, rock, I can find something,I like in every type of music. Some music is just fun to play,and it makes me

. Some of the new country I play steel makes me shake my head ( What I'm doing here,playing this stuff?). But you know at 66 years old ,I'm looking forword to play tonight in the band. Have some of you that will not hear a young artest or new country singer heard Martina McBride cd Timeless? Joe
www.willowcreekband.com

Nic du Toit · Post by **Nic du Toit** » 16 Nov 2005 3:58 am

Having been in the fortunate position of running my own recording studio, I contually get asked by record labels to produce some up and coming 'star'.....doing anything from classical to Indian Rap. Thus, my musical experiences run deep. The more reason to look for an escape out of the rat race, back to my 'old time' country ...just plain old melodies and tearjerking steel. I love it,,,but that's my personal choice. So, if anyone out there like what I like (in Country), then you should have both my CDs. How's that!

Regards,
Nic

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