cheryl wrote: " remember how people were comparing alternative country music with the punk movement? The thought crossed my mind (and then was trampled over by that steamroller called Work, sheesh) that there were a good solid rack of zines back in the old days that would compare with No Depression in distribution and influence (Slash, Maximum Rock 'n Roll, New York Rocker, Search & Destroy, etc.) and a *slew* of smaller ones." The paper I worked for in the late 70s and early 80s in DC was one of the "smaller ones," but it was in all the record stores and clubs where punk bands played and I think really it made a difference in getting people out to see us play. I approach booking HTC very similiarly to how I used to (and still do) book Tru Fax and the Insaniacs -- we're the underground, we're different, we're reactionary (punk was a reaction to AOR and "altcountry" is a reaction to HNC), we're putting out our own records and, as a result, we're getting (and got) critical attention. And there are a lot more parallels. dq
