> But see, that's the thing...there's never going to be an
>"Alt-Country Nirvana" because fifteen year-olds don't generally listen to
>Steve Earle or Dale Watson or even the Old 97's. Let's face it, folks:
>this P2 bag, this Americana/Alt-Country/Roots-Rock thing that gets
>discussed here? It's Old People Music <g>. Sure, some of your more
>open-minded, musically curious youngsters are gonna dig this
>stuff but essentially this is a niche market, for the most part. I mean
>hell, even back in the heyday of '70's country rock, only the Eagles made
>any money off the music--and even then, they bagged the twangier elements
>of it right around "Hotel California". The Jayhawks, Uncle Tupelo, the
>Botterockets, Wilco, Son Volt, Whiskeytown, *none* of these bands has
>done/is doing the kind of sales that say, Third Eye Blind is doing, and I
>really don't see that changing anytime soon. In fact, rarely has there
>been so much media attention paid to a genre that, for all intents and
>purposes, is commerical death.
>
> What's my point? We shouldn't be waiting for the Unknown Act to
>open the Alt-Country gates wide, because it isn't going to happen. And
>really, is that so horrible a thing?
>
> Kip
I'm not known for my optimism (is it optimistic to think that deep down
Yates really likes me?) but two things make me think you're wrong
1) Before Nirvana, punk WAS "old people's music"
the average punk fan before Nirvana (Kurt always claimed it to be a punk
band) took it to the masses was the age of the editors at Maximum Rock and
Roll - mid-thirties. I think its fair to say (though, this is from my own
experience in Austin's punk scene) that punk was seen as the music of aging
hipsters. Around 1988 I was among the youngest regulars on the scene.
Teenagers into punk were a small subculture before Nirvana, The Offspring
and Green Day broke it open.
2) I'm not talking about Son Volt et al. I'm talking about converting
teenagers already into country from crapola to good country - The
Derailers making Diamond Rio, John Michael Montgomery and Clay Walker look
passe and silly (duh!) and eventually taking up space on mainstream radio
next to Alan Jackson, Patty Loveless and George Strait. Kind of like
Dwight, Clint, Randy and Steve saved country from Kenny Rogers in 1986 (of
course Garth ruined all that.) From tired, cliched country to another,
richer style that will also bring new fans to the genre.
Like Nirvana converted Motley Crue and Poison fans to punk - a more vibrant
form of the general type of music they already listened to. And remember,
when AOR radio opened up to some of the acts who broke at alternative they
didn't stop playing Aerosmith and AC/DC, they dropped only those acts that
looked ridiculously passe and silly.
As for the bands you cite, they were never in line for country radio,
rather the industry expected them to break at alternative and AAA,
eventually crossing into AOR possibly Contemporary Adult, but never, ever
at country.
An ideal alternative country format would play all the subgenres discussed
here (except maybe bluegrass <g>) but only a few would crossover. The
analogue within alt rock being that Pearl Jam is often played side by side
with Led Zeppelin on mainstream rock stations but Depeche Mode didn't make
it.
And finally, before anyone points out that the alternative format is now
hopelessly mire in the muck of mainstream, just remember, I'm discussing
the format as it stood 5-7 years ago.
