The Steel Guitar Forum

A friend of mine who works with a well-established, major Nashville (household name)star told me 7-8 years ago that there was talk around Nashville that a new "music city" might arise somewhere... this due to the manipulation of country music by the L.A. and NYC crowds (a la Crossroads and Kid Rock).

I honestly think that, if was a young steel player or singer- and had the inclination, I'd be headed for Austin.

The question is... is it likely that will ever happen and, if so, where could it possibly be?

This post was prompted by a post elsewhere re: "CMT's 100 Greatest Country Songs" and how event like this can rewrite history. I agree. I'm also troubled at some of the so-called "authorities" who are pontificating on this show.

It really is murder on music row. It appears to me that real country music is doomed unless someone starts a revolution.

Muscle Shoals, Macon, Detroit and Memphis have gone by the wayside. Myrtle Beach and Branson cater to the "tour bus" crowd. Where else is there?

What do some of our Nashville and Austin steeler buddies think about this?

Rick
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Rick McDuffie<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>Marlen SD-10, Sho-Bud Professional S-10, '78 Howard Roberts Custom, '72 Les Paul Deluxe, Fender Telecaster Custom</p></FONT>
Rick's Music Photo Gallery
www.tarheelmusic.com
<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Rick McDuffie on 10 January 2004 at 07:32 AM.]</p></FONT>

Actually, the "tour bus" crowd is about the only age group out there keeping country music alive today.......they are about the same average age of steel players!

....seriously, I don't think there is anywhere left to "migrate to", and even Branson is on a downward spiral to extinction!


www.genejones.com

I thought, in a "how much do you make playing out" thread on here, a fellow from Texas posted that wages for musicians were terrible in Austin because the market is so flooded.

Edit: Found it.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica">quote:</font><HR><SMALL>Can't speak for steel players specifically, but for bands in general, Austin (a little like Nashville I bet) suffers from a pretty severe imbalance between supply & demand. Good paying in-town gigs are few and far between. I'm giddy if I make $50 for a night's work. You'll often have to pay for parking if the gig's downtown, too (!)
The best I've ever done was with a group from San Antonio, playing steel "on call" when they were within a couple hors driving distance...then I paid $5-$10 in gas to make $50-$100 in one of the outlying honky tonks...
--Nathan Delacretaz</SMALL><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Chris Lasher on 10 January 2004 at 08:23 AM.]</p></FONT>

unless I am mistaken, the name "MUSIC CITY" is owned by the city of Nashville.. I doubt that any other city could ever use the name as a promotion tool. No doubt some city will emerge someday as a COUNTRY MUSIC showplace.I have often thought Cincinnati Ohio w/King records and Midwestern Hayride in the 40'-50's could have been the place to be. Ed Naylor Steel Guitar Works

Same thing is happening in Southern and Country Gospel Music. You only have a handful of entertainers that can draw a crowd, and it is dwindling every year. The tour bus crowd and senior adult groups are dying.

Conversley, your contemporary and Christian Rock groups are filling up the Superdome and like venues.

I don't know about a physical location, but the airwaves (radio) offers what they call down here in Texas "AMERICANA" music. 95.3 "The Range", out of Plano, Texas. (Pull it up on your computer and see if you like it) The name sounds kinda Mexican like, but it ain't. These guys could give a rats a>> what Nasville thinks, and their audience is growing. It features Texas country and swing bands like Johnny Bush, Ray Price, Merle Hagaard, Conway Twitty, Asleep At The Wheel, Bob Wills, Milton Brown, as well as Hank the III, Wayne "The Train" Hancock, Derailers, Dale Watson, Lyle Lovett , Ed Burleson, ect. They even have the nerve to play Buddy Emmon's "Caravan"!! Most of these newer acts won't even bother with Nashville, they stay in Texas and spread the word that "Country is alive and well in Texas". The "Range" will play a little bluegrass once in a while, and a little borderline rock/blues like Delbert McClinton. You'll hear alot of good old country oldies. The D.J's are a little hard on the Nashville stuff, when they talk about the re-label pop acts that Nashville is replacing country music with, it is usually as the punchline of a joke, where it should be. Americana is really encouraging new songwriters/performers to write "real country songs". You will hear some very fine songs played on Americana that Nashville considers way too country. If I was to try and make it in country music these days, I'd be heading to Texas. I'll not mention a city, but I will nominate the state of Texas!! Of course, this is just my warped viewpoint. <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by James Morehead on 10 January 2004 at 09:15 AM.]</p></FONT>

Reggie, it's the same everywhere. I've just completed a two year engagement with a theater venue that featured Country, Gospel, and Western-swing on alternate shows, and it was the "older" crowd that kept the doors open. The only "young" people in the audience were the relatives and friends of cast members.

The performers and musicians who created and supported traditional country music are dying, just as their audience is dying. When they are gone, the venue will be gone, and their heritage will be the domain of only a few purists and collectors.

I feel priviledged to have lived and worked during that golden era. I am sad that it is almost gone and that so many contemporary musicians will have missed it.

www.genejones.com

I believe that Gene has "nailed it". We are living in a different world. I work with a lot of "twenty somethings" and there is certainly not the deep interest in any of the arts that there was even as recently as 20 years ago. We live in a world where people are most interested in themselves and really don't seem to appreciate the finer things created by others. The other entertainment phenomena, reality shows, karaoke and video games have increasingly degraded the quality of entertainment. I don't anticipate a renaissance. So, the next
"Music City" will probably be a computer program or a downloadable web site.

For the benefit of Forum members the above mentioned station "95.3 The Range" is a good one...for a listen go to khyi.com...

As Moe Syzlak said "You know what I blame this on the breakdown of? Society!"

How about Gervais Oregon.

Other than the Steam Powered Tractor Museum nearby there's PLENTY of room for a new "Broadway", and "Opry".

A train runs through town and theres a laundromat.

Just a thought..



EJL

Steven,
Nice Mo quote... I laughed out loud.

Other Steven,
You know what I blame this on the invention of? Technology. I'm sure many of you remember the 1960's when automation really started becoming popular with homemakers in the kitchen and all this new technology was supposed to make our lives easier and give us more free time to do the things we really want to do. What it did was make us lazy, especially kids born after about 1980. From their frames of reference Elvis and John Lennon have always been dead.

jd

Possibly continuing to exist as a subculture, which is where it came from to begin with...

One thing that technology HAS done for us is to remove geographic boundaries... witness what's going on right now with this Forum. This would've been unthinkable 10 years ago. The world is a much smaller place.

So... maybe country music doesn't NEED a geographic center in the same way it once did. The next "music city" may exist in cyberspace!

I remember when friends of my Mom and Dad used to leave work on Friday and drive all night in order to get to Nashville in time for the Opry on Saturday night (this was before I-40!) They'd get a motel room Saturday, get up Sunday a.m. and drive home... they'd be able to get 2-3 hours of sleep before work on Monday a.m. BUT NOW YOU CAN TUNE THE OPRY IN ON CABLE TV... or go and see your favorite artist at the RBC Center or the Omni.

By the way, do you guys remember when MAJOR country music shows used to take place at the local high school auditorium or at the armory? Those were the days when there wasn't enough money in it to draw a second glance from NYC or LA. The industry's success has been its undoing. (sigh) Isn't that often the case?

Maybe we were better off in those days, in many ways.

Rick<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Rick McDuffie on 10 January 2004 at 05:38 PM.]</p></FONT>

I nominate Biggar, Saskatchewan, population 210.

As the road sign says,
"New York is big, but this is Biggar !"

-John

Ditto on the Range out of Plano Texas...

For those of you with Windows Media Player, just go to the radio section, and its one of those presets...just look for the Plano Texas label. Best radio I've heard. Ward

I personally think the obvious choice would be Dallas Tx. You can't get much further than that from NYC and LA plus Texas in general I feel hs a much more open mind to all types of music. and what i mean b that is they have no problem with our beloved classic country and swing but still dont mind the new stuff either. that would be my vote(and I'm not even from texas.) dallas has the perfect combination. all the tools" of a big city and an understinding for the need of keeping our heritage. i may be wrong but thats what i see.
Branson on the down??????naw i don't think so according to the missouri state convention and tourism board Branson is still #1 in tourism in the state of MO. beating out st louis(3rd) and KC(4th)
what area was second? My little hunk of paradise called the lake of the ozarks.
Our music will only die when we allow it to. Carry the torch ladies and gents
also do we need a new music city or just need to take back what is rightfully ours?

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Steelin' away in the ozarks and life,
Scott
www.scottyhenderson.com

Several have mentioned Radio 95.3 from Fort Worth, Texas, and it's a good'n! My friend Mac Curtis, Rock-a-billy HOF, is one of THE RANGE's popular on-air personalities. We worked in the same band about 40 years ago!
www.genejones.com

Gene,

I think you meant 95.9 out of Ft. Worth. It's a great station. Sunday's 12-5 with The Mayor feature tons of steel..

Rick,
It'll never happen.
Nashville is and will always be "Music City"!

Theresa

At the present time, I don't think the music situation in the Dallas area is that great. Last year I only averaged a couple weekends per month, and half of those required traveling about 100 miles each way to get to.

So far this year I only have one gig per month booked, and that may not last the year. Other than for last year's New Year's gigs, I haven't even been called for any fill-in jobs.

Danny, you are correct.... THE RANCH is 95.9

www.genejones.com

country music is already dead.where is gonna go from here if it`s dead already?Nowhere.Todays "stars" don`t have any carisma or personality and not to mention no singing talent at all.There is planty 18 year old blondes in tight jeans and boobs droping out of dresses tho.And some handsome macho guys who wear hats only because they are bald.Musicians play for peanuts because economy is on the down hill a big time.When people lose jobs and houses and don`t have money for a gas it`s hard to think about going to the concerts.What is happening with Nashville IS happening just because the big wigs came here from cities like New York and they don`t give a $%#$@ about the music itself.So why would they want country music up there?They never did and they never will.I`m optimist and try to look at everything positive but I`m also realistic and to tell you the truth as an optimist I can see few artists who are trying to be little bit less pop then the other ,but my view as a realist is ,I don`t see any hope what so ever for country music the way it was done when we liked it.So it was a nice ride,we all enjoyed it and now we can close that chapter and delete those "country" stations we have programed in our car stereos and buy some more vintage albums on CD`s and tapes.
DB

ps

I wonder if 50 years from now some other new age steel forum will be discussing recent deads of the old school ,hard core country artists like Mcgrowe,Chesney,Hill etc...

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<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Damir Besic on 11 January 2004 at 09:59 AM.]</p></FONT>

The best music city I have ever been to is NYC. Thats why I moved here in the first place. If I found a better music scene anywhere I would pick up and go. The depth and scope of what goes on here is way beyond anyplace I have ever checked out. Its a tough town to try and make a living in but the musical rewards are well worth it.

If you guys are just talking about playing classic country you could be busy here but you would have a hard time paying rent. The country bands are pretty weak compared to Nashville and Texas.

Bob<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Bob Hoffnar on 11 January 2004 at 10:01 AM.]</p></FONT>

New York and Country Music,don`t make me laugh.maybe some other stuff but not country.Maybe Bluegrass is still kickin` just because it`s so popular in New York, hmm,let me think about it? nah...

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Do you guys remember how in the beginning "Bluegrass" used to be just a minor part of country music? Then years later it began gaining popularity and now has its own following -- a small but almost clan-like group of loyal supporters. I predict that the same thing will happen with what we call "Traditional Country Music". With the advent of the contemporary variety of so-called country music, our old favorite traditional country music and that great style called "Westerm Swing" are no longer at the forefront of the music scene. But, I predict that the stuff we love, like the Phoenix, will rise up out of the ashes someday in the future. It may be after a lot of us are gone, but there will be a resurgence and a small but loyal group of followers will keep it alive. Nothing as good as our kind of music can ever die.