The Steel Guitar Forum

I think there is a way to combine Country with electronic beats. It doesn't have to be a machine they make great virtual kits now.

I don't know about the rap though. I find that troubling.

Greg, I´ll second that. I grew up on the Beatles and the Stones - and the old folks called it "jungle music". And Jimi Hendrix playing his Strat with his tongue drew comments about the "missing link" and the end of all culture.

What is summarized as country music is in fact very many distinctly different styles of music. Country has been influenced AND altered by big band swing, Irish and Scottish folk, Delta Blues, Rock´n´Roll - it even managed to take in Swiss yodels - and it didn´t die. Nowadays it´s hip hop and house and techno. Let´s see what happens. Fans that like Garth Brooks probably don´t care for Jimmy Rogers. So what? We should "live and let live". And you´re right, Greg: if we don´t at least listen, then we´re living fossils.

Man, I really HATE techno - but that only shows me that I´m turning into someone I NEVER wanted to be when I was 20.

At the moment there is a rather strange version of "Country Roads" in the charts here in Europe. It´s by the "Hermes House Band" and it has that boom-boom-boom techno beat to it. See if you can find it on the net. It´ll make your dentures rattle - but the kids LOVE it.

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Remington D 10 8/8, Session 400 LTD

I think Theresa and I might even agree with ya'll on this one.

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The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons

The rocking, barely country of Byrd/Chesnut vs. Rap hmmmmmm let me see.....hmmmmmmm man this is tough! Just a minute...hmmmmmm can't decide! PS Isn't that Chesnut boy the one that had those great country songs, real country songs, fantastic country songs,"Too Cold at Home" and "Old Country", oh, those were the good old days!!!!!!!! <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Larry Miller on 27 July 2001 at 11:04 AM.]</p></FONT><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Larry Miller on 27 July 2001 at 11:06 AM.]</p></FONT>

So, um, has anyone actually heard any of Southern Rap Commission's music?

Whoops, I just downloaded some audio.

Interesting idea, but they suck.

MC Wild Turkey has to be the least mackin'est rapper ever. (The guys from Sugar Hill Gang sound hip compared to him)
Combine that with some truely unispired DJ work and you've got a recipe for... for... well something not good.

Maybe if someone with the proper skills gave it a shot...

<SMALL>So, um, has anyone actually heard any of Southern Rap Commission's music?</SMALL>

Like Mike Perlowin, I don't really consider rap to be "music".

Plus, I'm more of a ballad person.

Is there such a thing as a "rap ballad" ?

And I mean this definition of ballad:

"A popular song especially of a romantic or sentimental nature."

(#2 from www.dictionary.com )

Though I'd throw in "introspective" and "melancholy" in my own personal definition of the term.



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The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons

<SMALL>MC Wild Turkey has to be the least mackin'est rapper ever</SMALL>

Can you explain what that means?

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The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons

Shoook, daa homey no be layin' down no good stuff fo' real...y'unastan?

(I think that's pretty close. )

Hey Donny, You forgot, Out behine da bahn yo! Did they remake the Little Jimmy Dickens song "I did ma foist hit of crack, out behine da bahn" yo! Larry

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GO TITANS GO!!!
<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Larry Miller on 27 July 2001 at 05:13 PM.]</p></FONT><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Larry Miller on 28 July 2001 at 05:05 AM.]</p></FONT>

And I thought it was pretty strange to see line dancing which was an outgrowth of dances like the 'hustle' which came from the 'gay' discos in the '70s.

<SMALL>Shoook, daa homey no be layin' down no good stuff fo' real...y'unastan?</SMALL>

Just barely.

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The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons

Mark Chestnut and Tracy Byrd standing up for country music. How? That new song they have out sounds more like 70's rock (but is that really a surprise). Byrd and Chestnut standing up for country music is like the mouse guarding the cheese.

Kevin

"Change" for the better.....great!
"Change" for change sake....Bad!

"Ya gotta draw the line somewhere!"

I keep hearing that "Country is changing"...or "it has to change". Why?

Why does "country have to be "infused" with other types of music? When there are so many different types of music available at the flip of the dial, why do we have to try to make it all sound closer alike? I prefer a radio with different selections (styles/types i.e. rock, bluegrass, country,oldies, pop, or whatever) available. If we keep on trying to make Country "stretch" to include other music types, won't it gradually loose it's identity? If all musics were to gradually stretch to include all other type's of music, it wouldn't take too long before there wouldn't be any need for more than one radio station. It would be sort of a non-gender, sterile type of music with no identity, other than just being called "music." Is that what we really want?

For those who record todays music, I'm sure they want it to reach as far as they can because it means more sales and that means more money for them. But, I'm afraid you can't please all the people (listening audience) all the time!

I still prefer music with identity and I like being able to recognize it and choose what I want to listen to. If I don't want to listen to rap I sure 'nuff don't want to turn to a "country" station and hear it.

Like I said, ya gotta draw the line somewhere!
(may not be a popular opinion with those who encourage the "new country" format,though)

Dave

In my view,it is not the change of the music the Nashville people want as much as to obtain the all important " Kid Dollars". CMT is showing this this to us,not only by the obvious MTV style open forum show with the "Element Chart" initials and "Spinning Tinkertoys"!I know MTV's parent co. owns CMT and they are doing everything they can to get that "Kid Dollar"!I just wish the would leave my country music alone before it's to late.

The one thing I don't understand is how, when the new artists release their first single most of them sound like pretty tame country. About three singles later they start to sound more like rock and roll, and if they are around long enough, they soon sound like they just got off the bus with Aerosmith. To me it seems like they are trying to fool the public. Trying to hook us with the good stuff and then sloughing off the rest of their career. I really don't care what any of them do, because I will buy what I like and leave the rest. Also my 44-year-old fingers are not too feeble to change a radio station which sometimes I do pretty regular. I often wonder what advertisers on those stations would do if they knew others like me change a station when we don't like it, and sometimes never make it back there the rest of the day.

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1985 Emmons push-pull, Session 500, Nashville400, 65 re-issue Fender Twin, Fender Tele

I totally agree with Dave. I run a Traditional Country, Gospel and Bluegrass music show called the Ohio Valley Opry, in McConnelsville, Ohio. I've been thinking lately about the term "traditonal". Why do we have to change the name, or add a title, to our music? Why don't they just start calling the new stuff what it really is?: Country Rock.
If it's the younger generation they are after, that term would draw more of an audience than calling it country, don't you think?
BTW, Mike Sigler plays steel guitar for our show, and you won't leave there with any traditonal music withdrawl symptoms. And the show is going over great. We will be having our one year anniversary show next month, and we have had crowds that we had to turn away at the door for lack of seating. Not saying this to brag, just saying that obviously, people long for real music.

I'd call it corporate country, or just plain easy listening pap. But hey, each to their own.
Reading most of the posts I can see that there's little interest here for a rap-country crossover, although it seems born of ignorance of what really is more than anything else.
I could never call myself a country fan, a rap fan a jazz fan or whatever because that seems to denote a love of a stye of music no matter what.
I remember reading a particuarly arrogant article where a jazz musician noted that rock fans where very into a certain style of rock, and the other variations of the genre they disregarded.

I thought, "well thats fine, but would a jazz fan distinguish between the music of Kenny G., Miles Davis and Sun Ra?"
..... yeah you betcha they would.

At the moment there's a big hoo-hah over rap singer M&M (Slim Shady) and his tour here.
People who admit to not listening to his records are taking the lyrics out of context and suggesting that he's promoting axe murders and all sorts of socail ills.
Funny.
I imagine that they listen to the Beatles, they have one cute little song called 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' where a fellow goes on a little spree knocking holes in people's heads. I used to sing-along to that when i was a kid.
Weird, I never went on a hammer handed killing spree?.. why?

Anyway, I know i'm getting off topic here but I'm suprised at some of the responses to a pretty tame little topic.
I've got nothing against the concept of country-rap, it'll probably be totally whitey-fied and harmless by the time it gets out the other end of the Nashville gloss machine anyway.

<SMALL>it'll probably be totally whitey-fied and harmless by the time it gets out the other end of the Nashville gloss machine anyway.</SMALL>

True.

But will it have any melody or harmony with it by then?

What do they mean by "country" rap anyway? Changes in the LYRICS to more of a country style? ("My momma was drunk, so she capped my dog" ?) Or are they actually going to add some more "musical" qualities (melody/harmony) to rap (which already has the meter and rhyme) ?

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The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons

For those interested in checking out some of their songs, here's the link:
www.marketerra.com/southernrap/rap.htm

Interestingly, Amazon lists the album (not available yet), but warns of EXPLICIT LYRICS:
Amazon link

Prediction: they'll get their shot on country radio, but this won't start any trend.

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The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons

<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by b0b on 30 July 2001 at 10:58 AM.]</p></FONT>

I listened to two of those clips. I think they sound good. However, i'm not into rap and i'm offended by the lyrics. I still don't see how that would fit into Country Radio format. It belongs on Rap stations.

Deanna,
interesting idea you have there about what to call our "current country direction". Why do we use the terms "traditional" and "new" country anyway and how did it start?

Calling some of todays country music "new" is almost like implying that if you don't like it or support it you must be "old". Using "new" country against "traditional" is almost like saying that there is the "new" or "hip" country or there's the "traditional" or "old" country music. I don't like the terms. Country music is "country music", what is and has been. That which we've titled "New Country" seems to lean more towards a rockier type of sound or beat (even sounds like 70's or 80's rock to me, in a lot of cases) which also seems to try to pull away from what has been the norm. I like the idea of just calling it "country" and "country rock!" Why not? That is really what it is, isn't it? I think these terms would be appropriate. Afterall, isn't there still what we "currently" call "Traditional" being recorded in todays contemporary country music, too (Mark Chestnut, Gene Watson, George Strait, to name a few)? Why not just drop the "Traditional" and "New" monikers and call it what it is, "Country" and "Country Rock" and lets be done with it!

Great idea, Deanna! But I don't think those who like the currently called "new country" are going to buy it. I think they are afraid to admit they like the identity of "rock" and prefer to call what they like "country" and make those who like what is currently call "traditional, to seem out of step or "uncool". But you've got my vote! We "traditionalist(?)" aren't the ones who are trying to change "country!"

Calling new country "Country Rock" may very well find more favor with a younger group of listeners and that is fine, no problem! Let them call it what it is and identify with it. I think "Country Rock" might even imply a certain amount of "crossing over", which to me seems to be what the current direction is trying to do anyway.

I don't see any false implications with using the terms "Country" and "Country Rock" instead of the current terms "Traditional" and "New" Country. Let's call them what they really are.

Dave

I think it's important to keep in mind that these guys aren't really marketing themselves as a country music act, but more as a country-tinged rap act.

I'd be pretty surprised if I ever heard any of it on a country radio station. (Almost as surprised as if I heard ACTUAL country music on a country radio station! That's a joke there, son...)

As a person who enjoys hip-hop, I still don't think that these guys are particularly good at what they do, but I don't think they're going to have any real effect on country music one way or the other.

I do like the idea of steel guitar showing up in rap, though. That's kind of nifty.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by P Gleespen on 30 July 2001 at 06:07 AM.]</p></FONT>

Dave,
Thanks! Let's start a revolution!

<SMALL>I do like the idea of steel guitar showing up in rap, though. That's kind of nifty.</SMALL>

Wouldn't you have to replace the expression pedal with a turntable?

I can see a foot-operated turntable. Hmmmmm, I wonder how many I could sell.

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The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons