CK sez:
> Dave, who hates all things Chicago...
Not true. Just very glad to be back home, that's all.
> And as far as your specific examples go, you eliminated one from
> the genre - even tho they are the 'corner stone band' on an
> insurgent country label, and you dismiss another band (who loads of
> people like) because they're not your 'bag of chips.' Kinda reduces
> the number of data points, eh? Read Linda's concert list tomorrow -
> there's ALOT of stuff going on.
Well, in throwing out the Wacos, it's not a matter of reducing the
number of data points, it's pointing out the relative weakness of a
supposedly great scene when one of the "cornerstones" of the
alt.country lot is, in fact, a rock band (and a good one -- I like the
Wacos a lot) and three others -- Moonshine Willy, the Blacks, and
Handsome Family -- suck. Most others are mediocre at best.
> And are we separating press coverage from the acts themselves? >
> Is there a fantastic Sioux City music scene with all great original
> alt.country bands and no sucky ones and there just arent enough
> music journalists to cover it? Doubt it. Do folks pay attention to
> what it going on in Chicago just because its a big city? Yup.
Erm...how exactly could a scene be overrated w/o some sort of
attention being paid to it? I'm not saying there aren't any good
alt.country bands in Chicago -- there are a handful, and I listed the
ones I like. My point is that the scene isn't deserving of all the
accolades and attention throw its way. The majority of the
alt.country in Chicago is the kind that deserves the scorn Mark's
Deep Throat pal was railing on: bands full of poorly written songs,
scenesters climbing on the bandwagon, and loads of bad Yee Haw!
hillbilly schtick.
I'll wouldn't get so rankled about it if so much attention weren't paid
to bad bands. I'm hardly a roots music purist, but watching indie
rock hipsters don overalls and write bad songs about moonshine
and fucking their cousins and crap like that pisses me off, when
there are so many good and deserving bands who don't get the
attention. Just speaking of local bands: Big In Iowa are doing just
fine here, but if they were based in Chicago, they'd be huge;
Prospect Hill has more chops and great original songs than most
bands anywhere; and Dallas Moore does the outlaw country thing
as well as anyone. Any number of the good bands on P2 are
deserving of more attention than shit like Moonshine Willy.
> CK going to see the over rated chicagoan Sally Timms opening for
> the over rated Alejandro Escovedo Orchestra
Dave, who thinks Sally Timms has a gorgeous voice but sings
country music with all the soul of a wet dishrag, and who would
never call Alejandro overrated in a million years...I'm seeing him
four blocks from my house on Tuesday, in fact...
***
Dave Purcell, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Northern Ky Roots Music: http://w3.one.net/~newport
Twangfest: http://www.twangfest.com
