Re: Era of Perfect Singles
Great thread, Barry! So Gracey wrote, One day I'm driving along in the Austin sunshine, top down, radio on loud, and the first splash of "Like A Rolling Stone" comes on the radio and I crank it up to speaker-cone shred volume, jam the car a gear lower, stomp it up to 85 and hold it way up there close to the redline and it feels like musical sex. This is what music is supposed to do to you. Yeah, yeah, yeah (oh hey, that reminds me of a single)... but it doesn't have to be fast, hard dangerous -- GUYS, jeez g. It's not a single, that I know of (how about that for a thread: not singles but should be), but the beginning of "If You Were A Bluebird" by Joe Ely, with its cascade of shimmering notes, makes me feel *deliciously* shivery all over. Then, the song builds, and builds, oh my my! Actually, "Treat Me Like A Saturday Night" on the same album does that too, but it starts slowly, builds and builds, then goes all er, soft at the end -- sort of including the afterglow, you know what I mean? They always talk about how the old "cock rock" songs build to a climax, just like GUY sex supposedly. But what about songs like "Eleanor" by the Turtles? That song climaxes several times... and ends in an "ahh." Heh heh. Hevvins, my palms are getting sweaty. One thing about the Era of Perfect Singles (yeah, I Wuz There, with a cheap transistor radio glued to my ear) was how *many* of them fade out at the end. And of course the DJs talked over the fade-out. But for great endings that END, you can't hardly beat James Brown's "I Feel Good." I watched that Temptations TV-Bio (the first part with guilty-TV-viewing pleasure, the last part like a train wreck) and -- wasn't the (brilliant) beginning of "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" kind of *unusual* for transistor-radio radio? Seems to me I thought so at the time. Getting all nostalgic here, I remember the demise of my red transistor radio -- I was taking a bubble bath, with the radio perched on the side of the tub. I reached over to tune it in better and knocked it into the water, right in the middle of "Incense and Peppermints." For an agonizing second there I thought I was gonna be electricuted, but all that happend is that the Strawberry Alarm Clock went "glub glub glub." --Cheryl Cline
Twangin'! Newsletter #2
TWANGIN'! - THE NEWSLETTER Number 2 ~ April 15, 1999 (Hello Uncle Sam) Cheryl Cline, Editrix [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more stuff like this go to: http://www.steamiron.com --//-- On the Contrary: Musings from Your Editrix Music reviewing is a lot like sports writing. There aren't many new and original ways to say music is new and original (or isn't). Some phrases are good candidates for the Myles na Gopaleen -- his like will not be seen again -- "Catechism of Cliche": What is a band's debut release? Their first outing. What follows their first outing? Their sophmore effort. What does their sophmore effort prove? That they haven't lost the energy of their first outing. But my beef isn't with merely overused words and phrases, although I could stand to see the phrases "the music refuses to be categorized," and "the artist refuses to be pigeonholed" a bit less often. And "tasty" licks -- a phrase that conjures painful images involving steel strings and tongues. Oh, and "I really wanted to like this record." So what? Do we care? The bassist isn't *our* brother-in-law. Sorry. No, what sets my teeth on edge like the ol' fingernails-across-a-chalkboard effect is yet another description of fiddle music as "screeching." Or the casual linking together of "country music" with "cornball," "backwoods," "Deliverance" and "trailer-trash." Or writin' all buck-toothed and cross-eyed, lak Jethro Bodine, uhyep, uhyep, hooo-eee, yee-haw and lak thet by people who don't know okra from Oklahoma. Here are a few phrases ripe for retirement. Over-ripe. Stinkin'! Grab your Sharpie and strike the following from your handy-dandy list of "golden words." -- "Channeling" the ghosts of Hank Williams, Woody Guthrie, Jimmie Rodgers, Bob Wills, Ernest Tubb, Patsy Cline, Townes Van Zandt, Bill Monroe, Gram Parsons, Earl Scruggs or Ray Price. -- Any phrase that calls to mind "Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein." -- Comparing a band to the hapless offspring of two very dissimilar musicians -- one of them usually dead -- such as "the bastard spawn of Hank Williams and Marilyn Manson." -- "The Anti-Hank." See: Hank Williams, ghost of, rolling in grave. -- "The Anti-Garth," or "Anti-Nashville." Often used as a nickname for the bastard spawn of Hank Williams and Marilyn Manson. -- "If you think country music is all big hair and trailer parks..." -- "This is country music for people who hate country music." -- "Warble" to describe female vocals. -- "Keening" to describe female vocals. -- "Angelic" to describe female vocals. -- "Songbird" to describe female vocals. -- "Whining" to describe female or high tenor male vocals. -- Millenium, apocalypse, fin-de-siecle. Millenium fever is already tiresome. Why so glum, chum? It's not the end of the world. I admit I haven't given this a whole lot of thought myself, but according to those in the know, millenium-wise, the kind of country music most suitable for CD players in these End Times is Appalachian Goth: or, the trailer-trash bastard spawn of Jimmie Rodgers and Patti Smith channeling Patsy cline warbling bluegrass ditties of Appalachian despair. For Best Worst Use of 'Millenium' in a Sentence About country Music, see the "Say What?" quote following this article. Special Note on "Appalachia:" Too often, the word "Appalachia" is used as atmospheric coloring to suggest dark, doomed, depraved, despairing, disturbing, hard, violent, submerged, mad, perverse, subversive, strange, warped, weird, otherworldly, edgy, gritty, haunting, raw, gothic, brooding -- and "authentic." Reading reviews of alt-country bands, you'd think Spring never comes to Appalachia, that people don't fall in love there without one of them murdering the other, and that no one there ever sang a song so funny that they couldn't finish it from laughing so hard. Sometimes I wish my keyboard had a trap-door key. What's that? "Bill Monroe meets the Ramones on speed?" *CLICK!* "hhh!" Oh, sorry, watch out for the crocodiles. Hmmm, what have we here? Ghost of whom? Ha! He's not even dead! *CLICK!* *Splat* Guess I should have filled the pit first, huh? Oh well! Oh, dear -- "Edgy tales of submerged violence for the century's end, accompanied by haunting banjo and whining... " *CLICK* *CLICK!* *CLICK!* --CIC [Send your fave found cliches and overwrought prose to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Be sure to include attributions so we can make fun of the writers by name.] --Say What?-- "Country gals are as plagued with pre-millennium tension as German-Jamaicans with twisted faces, Trio II says." --Kevin John, review of Trio II (Harris/Parton/Ronstadt) in Addicted
Masochism, Part II
Still reading rock critters on country music. Why? you ask. I guess, because like a pile of green manure as big as Everest, "it's there." Anyway, found this gem, in that gem of papers, the Village Voice. STEVE EARLE AND THE DEL MCCOURY BAND: The Mountain (E-Squared) With bluegrass "more comfortable all the time," the sometime country-rocker turns in his strongest and loosest record of the decade. But bluegrass isn't what it is it's too comfortable. I was so impressed with how the music moaned and shivered and flapped around in the wind I wondered how I'd ever overlooked McCoury's outfit until I played their new CD, which is just as clean and tight and anal as every other spoor of Bill Monroe I've ever swept out the door. Slurring like a moonshiner who's been on a mush diet since his bird dog died, Earle rowdies up McCoury's sharpsters till they turn all hairy and bounce off walls. And though the songs are less literary, more generic blues and breakdown, "pinko folk song" and "real-live-bad-tooth hillbilly murder ballad" literature is Earle's critical selling point, not his artistic strength. He's a singer first. A MINUS Christgau, who else? Nevermind the insult to Mr. McCoury -- Earle is a singer first? Hell's bells. Give this man my hearing aids. --Cheryl Cline
Re: former future frimfram on the fritz
Dave continues... (fluff/nitpickery warning) Dave P: As a fan of Ms. Hockeysticks's coinage, Steve Earle is her "future former husband," not former future husband (which would signify a waning interest or a broken engagement...) Now that I'm thinking about it, Ms. H used it in regard to her former interest in Mr. Earle (using NY Times style here), as it Earle is her "former future husband" replaced by "current future husband" Jay Farrar (or was it Jeff Wall?). Given Mr. Earle's marital record, he should probably be referred to as Amy's future former husband, if she's still interested, and former future former husband, if she's thrown him over. --Cheryl Cline "TEATRO isn't the demented freakfest of 'My Uncle Used to Love Me, But She Died,' but it is a work of subtle songcraft and blazing originality." -- Kembrew McLeod, in Addicted to Noise.
Like Shooting Fish in a Barrel
Okay, so, I'm doing a bit of research is support of a screed I'm a-screeding. Five (5! Count 'em!) minutes into it, I found myself reading, over on Addicted to Noise, a review of Trio II by one Kevin John. I quote, with elipses: "Eroding Trio II's impact potential even further is the fact that it features a less stellar collection of songwriters than its predecessor. The names here are Neil Young, favorite standby the Carter Family and Randy Newman... blah blah blah blah After that, you get Kieran Kane and Jamie O'Hara (of the O'Kanes, remember them?), producer John Starling, 'one of today's most respected bluegrass performers' Del McCoury (who?) and some other folks whose names I'll forget the millisecond I stop typing them." Ha! Ha! What a card. (This quote is only incidental to the topic of my screed. I'm after bigger fish to shoot.) --Cheryl Cline
P.S.
P.S. I forgot to quote this line: "Country gals are as plagued with pre-millennium tension as German-Jamaicans with twisted faces, Trio II says." I'm sure it does, hoss. --Cheryl Cline
Oops, one more thing
I was mopping up the coffee that I squirted out my nose reading that last line about country gals at the millenium, so forgot to mention that, yep, that's also from the Kevin John review of Trio II, and it's at (for now, I think): http://www.addict.com/html/lofi/Reviews/44.1kHz/ if you want to read the entire thing. Just don't take a big gulp of coffee 'til your're through. --Cheryl Cline
Re: Clip: RIAA's 1998 Consumer Profile
Wasn't Cherlyn, that was Cheryl... but anyway, to give credit where credit is due, Tom Ekeberg is the one who first confessed to being cornfused. --Cheryl Cline Cherlyn, I like your use of the word "cornfused." Can I use that? I'll credit you. Deb just got home from The Possibilities -- whoa boy -- they were great!
Re: Chicago's Margasak on Steve Del
The difference between Me Margasak: Margasak: Despite Earle's declared love for bluegrass and his close identification with Texas country-rock bards like Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt, he's always played far more rock than country from his wonderfully bombastic 1988 breakthrough album, "Copperhead Road" to his 1996 comeback anthem "Feel Alright," his music consistently reveals his love for the real fist-pumping, roof-rattling stuff. Me: Despite Earle's love for bombastic rock, and the fact that every other Earle CD is filed under "rock" instead of in the back of the store, he's maintained a close identification with Texas country bards like Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt; from his exquisite debut album, "Guitar Town" to his acoustic comeback album "Train A-Comin'" his music consistently reveals his love for the classic twang of pure country and bluegrass. --Cheryl (I'm Not Jeff) Wall, I mean, Cline
Re: Clip: RIAA's 1998 Consumer Profile
Dan Lee wrote: Gender: Continuing the trend from last year, women accounted for a higher percentage of units purchased than men (51.3% vs. 48.7%). really? Does that look funny to anyone else? Well... isn't that about the difference in actual numbers between women and men in the U.S.? Whenever I'm in record stores it seems to me as if it's overwhelmingly male, at least largely so. Of course, those are usually impeccable indie joints g, but I suspect that more men are obsessive collectors, who would naturally frequent indie shops, which carry more specialized "collectors units" for higher prices, so if Dick buys one Bear Family boxed set and Jane buys ten separate CDs for the same price, then Jane's buying more units, even if they're spending the same amount of money. Come to think of it, I guess whenever I do wander through a Wal-Mart or Target or similar place it does seem to be largely women. Still I wonder about that stat Men and women meet in the middle at places like Tower, I think. Or so it always seems to me. Women over 30 accounted for the largest share of purchases, Women over 30??? Here again I thought it was always the 12-25 or so male market that bought the most records. You retail guys and gals will have to edify. I've always heard that it was teenage girls who bought the most records. This may have changed. In the olden days, it was girls who bought the most singles. Now, while I'm thinking about it... Every once in a while the fact is bandied about that country music, especially country radio, targets suburban women. But if this is so, then I must confess that I am cornfused. Because, I did a little bit of websurfing and noticed two things: 1: Two industry sites, The CMA and Gavin, said that gender-wise, the audience for country music was split about 50-50. 2: Looking at the websites for country stations -- including TNN -- I have to conclude that if country radio is really targeting women, then more women than I realized are very interested in hunting, bass fishing, NASCAR, and RollerJam. Maybe this is why Dan sees more women in Walmart than in the impeccably indie stores. I mean, it's *so* much more convenient to pick up some country CDs while shopping for fishing gear. --Cheryl Cline
Where in the World is Lowell Kaufman?
Sorry everyone, but... Lowell, could you contact me? Mail keeps bouncing from the e-mail address I have for you. Alternately -- does anyone have Lowell Kaufman's current e-mail address, if he's not subscribed? T'anks, --Cheryl Cline
Re: Tweedy @ Salon
I don't know about other bands, but I think it's somewhat understandable that Tweedy (and that other guy, what's his name again? g) might be a little bit defensive about the "alt-country" tag. Because lookit, a bunch of fans of his old band started up an AOL folder, named after a song covered by his old band, which became the inspiration for a magazine, also named for the song covered by his old band (and the folder), which furthermore focuses (especially in the early issues) in a Capital-F Faanish way on his old band, and which contributes in no small way towards the genre or movement (which is also sometimes called by the same name as the song and the AOL Folder) being particularly defined as inspired by his old band. None of which he had anything to do with, or even, apparently, much interest in. I've always thought the way No Depression (the zine) looked up to UT, and their obvious expectations for its two offshoot bands, was just begging for -- okay not disaster, but mild embarrassment at least. And it seems to me that ever since the zine went out on that limb, Tweedy has been industriously sawing away at the base of it. As for the rock critics now turning up their pointy damp noses at "alt-country" as purism/confining/etc., this is a perfect example of the way the popular music press is short-sighted, trend-obsessed, arrogant -- and powerful. Because these guys actually *believe* they lead trends rather than follow, they in effect *do*. They kill the thing because they say it's dead. Not that alternative country will die -- but when these critics clamp the lid down on the possibility of serious consideration of it, it sure makes it hard to grow out there in the wider world of popular music. But -- more on this later; I'm working it into an essay (essays?) about alt-country between time and Timbuktu, generations, the so-called Boomer canon, and stuff I'm shit sick of. Hey. Work is slow, and life is good. --Cheryl Cline
Re: A Question [Extremely LONG]
wsgroups were (are?) openly antagonistic towards older and non-charting country music. This list is open to discussion of country music in all its forms, though sometimes that discussion is heated. But if it were to become a UT-ND type list only, it would be no more satisfying than r.m.c.w.'s hot new country focus. The thing is, there's this... reservoir of "alternative country" that has existed at least since bluegrass, the Original Alt.Country (TM) was invented. But I'll talk about country-rock. What happens is, a wave of people get interested in country music, whether as refugees from rock or from top-40 country -- and they change it somewhat, usually mixing in the rock aesthetic currently popular. So people in the 60s throw in rock rebellion and "back to the country." Next up, the Outlaws throw in some more rebellion -- with a slightly different sound. Then along comes punk, and throws in, oh, edginess, irony, and of course, more rebellion. Later still, a new post-punk alternative rock movement gets interested in country, and throws in more of same. I simplify, of course, and these are just some of the big waves -- there are also a lot of little ripples and wavelets that move back and forth, individual artists who make a splash, etc. At the same time, all of these movements insist on country "authenticity," even while defining it to suit themselves. This means that a certain number of musicians and fans will drift from the country-rock of the day to country. All roads lead to Mother Maybelle, abandonning the water metaphor for a sec. So the "reservoir" of an alternative country music -- alternative to whatever is currently unsatisfactory in mainstream country or in rock or in society in general -- changes over time, but is also the place where you can drink your fill of country's *history*. Including all the country rock and "alternative" country movements that went before. On this list, we have people who went to that reservoir in the 50s; during the "Folk Scare" of the 60s, from the 70s Outlaw movement, from 70s or 90s punk, from the 80s New Traditionalist movement, and out of dissatisfaction from Hot New Country, or the Urban Cowboy fad, or the Nashville Sound (some people who disliked the slick sound of country music in the early 60s moved to bluegrass!). We jump into the reservoir, and some of us go all the way under water. Our first question is: Where can I find more music like the Byrds/Waylon Jennings/Jason the Scorchers/Uncle Tupelo? Our second question is: Where can I find Merle Haggard's tribute to Jimmie Rodgers? --Cheryl Cline
Re: A Question [Extremely LONG]
Bob "Ask Joe" Soron wrote: I remember the Name Problem, but I didn't much pay attention at the time. I use pretty tightly defined nomenclatures, so that no matter what people might think I'm saying, I always know. And as a non-Big Tent-er, I don't use alt.country, No Depression, Americana, and other titles synonymously. So I'm probably much less help than you'd hoped. (I haven't got a clue as to chronology, either.) Well, YOU'RE no help! I'm still curious about how far back this "we gotta get a name for this stuff" goes. Anyone else remember? Uh, Joe? g The thing is, there's this... reservoir of "alternative country" that has existed at least since bluegrass, the Original Alt.Country (TM) was invented. Well, not being a Big Tent adherent, I disagree that either of these are alternative in any way, but I think you're thinking of Western swing. g We'll let Jon and Don duke that one out! I know you're not a Big Tent person. Aren't you the one defying the Bluegrass Borg? g I was delirious on coffee this morning, and I'm not sure I got all my point across. Let's see, another 2,000 words? Okay, not. g But aside from, in addition to, alongside, or existing independently of, genres such as rockabilly, bluegrass, and etc., there seems to also to be a bunch of music at any given time that doesn't fit any clear genre, and is more-or-less "roots" and more-or-less "country" -- like the ex-Flatlanders. It *was* called "roots music" in the 70s and early 80s, wasn't it? Hmmm Maybe I need more coffee. I'm unpacking boxes of books and magazines (and clippings) though, so maybe I can find some clues. (Never move into a place with a garage. You NEVER get your stuff unpacked.) --Cheryl Cline
A Question
Question: As I first heard the term "alternative country" applied, reluctantly and for lack of a better term (a search for a better phrase was underway but never found) to bands musicians who didn't, for one reason or another, fit into the prevailing "Hot New Country" format, either because they were "too country" or because they added the "wrong" kind of rock music to their mix -- on one hand, Jimmie Dale Gilmore; on the other, Clay Blaker, and on the third hand, bubbling-under artists like Kevin Welch or Steve Earle; artists who, furthermore, weren't part of a discernable genre like bluegrass or rockabilly, except where they were filed under "folk" by default, my question is; If they're not "alt country" or "alternative country" according to the UT/No Depression revisionism, er, I mean yardstick, then, we're back to the original problem being batted around back then (and when *did* this start, btw? Bob Soron?) which is: What DO we call this stuff? The Other Alternative Country, Whatever That Is? And what DO we do call country that is too country for either mainstream radio or "alt-country?" That has negligble rock content, and hews close to the *country* side of things? "Real Country" isn't acceptable, apparently. "Hard" gets mixed up with "Alt." "Traditional Country" doesn't work for several reasons. "New Traditionalists?" Oh wait, that was tried. "Post-Traditionalist Country?" "Neo-Classic Country?" "Post-Classic Neo-Traditionalist Country?" "Too Country For YOU, Buddy?" (Not you, Buddy. g) Just WONDERING. Seems like an awful lot of country-type music falls through the cracks between mainstream radio and the UT/No Depression camp. --Cheryl Cline P.S.: Coming Soon: Boomers and Gen X, Tailbusters and Teenagers: Pfui. Plus! Reactions Arising From Assorted Buttons Being Pushed; and Chips Residing on Shoulders Reactivated and Proving Troublesome. (Later, though. After lunch. After work. Maybe Monday. g)
Re: The Eradication Game misc comments
Like Jon and Kelly, I find I don't have the neccessary bloodlust to eradicate bands I don't much like. Rock critics are another matter. Can we eradicate Greil Marcus? Please, please, PLEASE? Pretty please? Aw to hell with begging. E-fucking-radicate the dude. I'm tempted to eradicate Lester Bangs as well; not so much for what he wrote, but for what he wrought -- for all the gazillions of Bangs wannabes who've cluttered up the landscape since. I'll settle for hermetically sealing him off. In other news, sometimes on this list I feel like I've wandered into an alternate universe, where everything is the same as this one, except for one little weird change. Reading the recent comparison between women's makeup and production was one of those times. Nevermind the actual *argument* -- it's the assumptions about women's makeup that caught my maybellined eye. Most effective if it's not noticeable? Tasteful if it's done right? What is this, a junior-high school grooming guide? Clue: in today's modern world, many women who use makeup feel it's not effective unless it's noticeable. Many young women, in fact, use make-up in an --you'll excuse the phrase -- in-your-face way. "Effective," yes. "Tasteful" isn't the point. But older women, too, use lots of mascara, eyeshadow, and above all, lipstick, for it to be noticed, by god. Not to mention fingernails! Comparing makeup to production values -- well, all I can say is that on any given day I see a lot of women with faces that look like a Phil Spector production. A wall-of-face kinda deal. (Of course, this is at an office building in the big city, not a Mennonite gathering, so YMMV.) Next I'll be hearing that the hemlines of women's skirts should fall at the middle of the knee. Hairstyles should be attractive but not outlandish. Heels should never be higher than an inch and a half. Wear colors that are feminine and not too brash. Talk about things he likes. Sheesh. And while I'm at it, the snide remarks about Shania Twain's dress got on my nerves. It's one thing to criticize her music; another to apply a double standard to her stage clothes. What double standard? Imagine the same exact dress on Tina Turner. That double standard. Plus, the catty comments about the Dixie Chicks' sartorial shortcomings are pretty rich coming from a group that accepts hats made out of sweatpant legs. g I'm done now. --Cheryl Cline Oh, but P.S.: Did someone mention the new Rosie Flores album and give it a less-than enthusiastic review? WRONG!
Bookstore Gig -- thanks
Well, now that I know what you people will work for, can anyone steer me to a good wholesale source for peanuts? Just kidding, ha ha. Thanks for the responses, on and off-list. The plans are still being worked out on all of this -- we've just barely started working on it! I'll keep you posted. But the ideas about rates, food, gift certificates, a tip jar, publicity, merchandise sales etc. are helpful. The shop is first and foremost a bookshop, but Lynn's already selling used remaindered CDs and collectible LPs, and will probably expand the music section as time goes on. What I want to do, if we do regular music-type events, is to have a small section for local CDs "As Heard At Diablo Books." If planned far enough in advance (and Kim, who will be doing the actual booking, is a "planned in advance" kind of person), what I'd want to do is put up a counter display for the band -- a sign and CDs or cassettes -- a week or so ahead of time. (You provide press packet, photo, or direct me to same on Web: I create sign.) I don't know how this would work, whether wholesale or consignment, or as a sort of advance merch table, but I'll figure it out. Any feedback on this would be helpful. Also, I'm not sure what Kim and Lynn are thinking about in terms of food, or if they've even thought that far yet. What kind of food are we talking? What would you suggest? What do you like? g More about Diablo Books: The shop is in Walnut Creek, California -- which, though out in the boondocks, has the advantage of being on a route between San Francisco and Sacramento, if you're going that-a-way (coming from SF, you'd go east first, then north). It's a little place. Take your average Borders or Barnes Noble and divide by 147. Inside gigs would be better suited to a trio, duo, or single musician. But it can be done with a full band. With a *small* P.A. or *actually and truly* unplugged. The outdoors gigs would be in a small corner courtyard, in the shade. (For which you will be grateful, believe me.) Which reminds me. We do not as yet *have* any kind of P.A. What should we get? Thanks, --Cheryl Cline
Bookstore gig question
Okay, here's a question: I am now the proud part-owner of a very cool used bookshop. We want to do some in-store music thangs now and then. What I need to know is, how much do you guys out there charge for this sort of thing? Details are still being hashed out, but there seems to be two main kinds of gig we're talking about. One: inside the store, acoustic, probably weekday afternoons (the ever-popular "noon concert" is a possibility), maybe afternoon weekends. The other would definitely be weekends, outside the store, electric or acoustic, in tandem with other events by other stores. Little tiny mini-festival kinda deal. Summertime stuff. Besides a fee, you can of course bring your merch. Food is a likely possiblility -- just don't expect squirrel brains. Extra barter for books or records can be negotiated. We can set up a display of your CDs ahead of time with a promo poster and feature it on the "Now Playing" rack as often as we can stand. 8-) Etc. But, how much $$? And does the fee go up on weekends? Evenings? I've never done this before, so clue me in to what's standard, expected, etc. Lastly but not leastly, what about ASCAP fees? Thanks much, --Cheryl Cline P.S.: Check out the Diablo Books website at http://www.diablo-books.com P.P.S.: Check it out again next week after my "Odd Volumes" column starts!
Re: Time line?
Jim, smilin', asks: A while back there was some talk here of putting together an alt.country timeline. Did that ever happen? if not does anyone know where I might be able to find such a thing? Thanks, Jim, smilin It hasn't happened... yet. I've been working on it a little bit. But holy moly, what a daunting task. Call for volunteers! Call for volunteers! Step right up! Actually money might be involved if you want to really work hard. (Talk about musicians... nobody wants to pay writers, either.) While I'm thinking about it, I came up with a solution -- that works for me -- to dealing with the infernal question "What is Alternative Country?" For the purposes of the time-line -- although it's also my general philosophy -- I don't attempt to define "alternative country" at all. Instead... sort of turn it around a bit, and consider -- -- an alternative way of looking at country music. Ta da! It works, I tell you! Example: If I say Twangin' is an alternative country website, then the word "alternative" modifies "country website." An different kind of website about country music, not (necessarily) a website about a different kind of country music. Example: Mainstream and "alt-country" do not break down into simple, mutually exclusive categories. People like Dwight Yoakam can become popular in the mainstream; people like Dolly Parton do albums an alt-boy can love. So instead of cudgelling one's brains trying to place these artists on one "side" or another, why, you take up your handy-dandy alternative way of looking at country music, which allows you to to see that what the mainstream country media (esp. radio) defines as "real" country is not historically accurate, correct, or definitive. Country music encompasses more than what's on the charts, and especially more than what's played on the radio. It includes bluegrass! Old-Time music! Rockabilly! Anyone who defines country music narrowly is WRONG! The narrow definition whereby "alternative" = "obscure" is untenable as well. A musician isn't disqualified from being regarded from an alternative way of looking at country music when he becomes popular and successful. Furthermore, even an established mainstream artist can be considered interesting according to an alternative way of looking at country music if her music wanders away from the currently narrow, cramped, blindered definition and frolics 'round the wide-open spaces of Country Music Through Space and Time. Defining it as post-Tupelo country-rock, or as "authentic" pure real country music -- not in my book. I prefer an alternative way of looking at country music that takes it all into account. And the tiresome phrase "alternative country, whatever that is" is answered. It's a viewpoint, is what. Or actually -- *coff* -- many alternative viewpoints... Well, hell. We need more. Gets stifling in here sometimes. Hey, anybody want to discuss how working class people listen to country music? Think we can find any of them critters? (I'm in one of my moods. Chip? What chip?) Anyway, as for the timeline, *my* alternative way of looking at country music means I can include Buck Owens if I dang heck want to, and Dolly Parton and Johnny "Alternative to what?" Cash. As well as that country-rock band from the Midwest. To me, a timeline based on an alternative way of looking at country music would be a lot more intersting and useful than a timeline of alternative country bands. (Well, you can do your own, then!) Rather than having to decide, "is this artist really alternative country?" the question would be, "how does this artist fit into an alterantive way of looking at country music?" How does Ralph Stanley fit in? Tish Hinojosa? Merle Haggard? What effect does Garth Brooks have? Etc. More on this later, --Cheryl Cline
Re: Wahrs and Thangs
Diana "Got Twang?" Quinn writes: on Twangthang.com y'know, after i registered the domain name (twangthang) i thought -- gee i hope that no one gets mad at me -- but i couldn't resist, and, besides, we've been bantering about the twangthang in DC for years (Bill Kirchen's twangabilly) -- as well as the newer "it's a twang thang you wouldn't understand" -- so it just came naturally -- but please forgive me if anyone feel the slightest bit encroached, and that includes jeff's twangzine and any other twangs out there. As far as I'm concerned, though, it's a fair focus and a good moniker for whatever holds "alt-country" or "alt.country" or whatever-it-is together. I wrote Diana off-list explained I was joshing. The world needs more twang, right? I also first thought: well maybe there are too many people out there doing the "alt-country" ezine thang -- but I don't think we can have enough folks proselytizing on the internet -- and I KNOW that the folks in my part of the world playing this kind of music -- some who have been doing it for more than 20-odd years -- need some deserved attention net-wise, and that's my slant. This is a Good Thing. We do need more zines (print and web) -- 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. And there are still a gazillion punk zines around -- probably *most* of the music alt-culture zines on the Web are punk/alt rock based. Anyway. Having only one (general) Big Time Zine for alternative country is like having *only* Slash or *only* Maximum Rock 'n' Roll or *only* Search and Destroy. So somebody with lots of money please start another one. 8-) I think it's really important that more zines with different slants and different personalities spring up on the Web, even if they do all have the same name g. And I'm really glad that Diana is focusing on some of the older bands, who get lost in the rush to find the "next big thing." So welcome Twang Thang! Just remember when you start getting mail meant for Jeff Wall that I said, "Told ya so." 8-) --Cheryl Cline Still Twangin'
Punk Remains Barry
[Matt Benz] Garage bands of the 60's = "punk" . Not the Punk of later years. The Remains are featured on the Nuggets box. Basically, any lofi almost indy american band that may have charted a one hit wonder, was regionally popular, influenced by the British Invasion, etc... The term "sixties punk" is most accurate, and is used pretty much interchangeably with "sixties garage bands." Your description is correct, sir, but, as collectors have ferreted out every dang group who ever put out a record, no matter how obscure, and slapped the song on a compilation, there are now lots of known sixties punk/garage bands didn't chart at all. The subgenre slipped over into psychedelia, too, but only when still corralled into in 3-minute, maybe 4-minute songs (tops) -- like Love's "7+7 Is." And then of course, there were the seventies-era sixties punk garage-styled bands. Who was it that did the cover of the Standells' "Dirty Water" with several different local versions? The "San Francisco you're my home," version is out in the garage... seems appropriate. Twang content... oh, right... Jon Johnson writes: Yeah, I also noticed that the article didn't really mention much about Tashian's more recent activity, though I'd guess that has to do with the legendary status that the Remains have at this point. So, is this like a conspiracy to cover up his later success as a country musician to keep his "cool" image as a member of a legendary sixties punk band untarnished? g --Cheryl Cline "You can throw me if you wanna 'cause I'm a bone and I go -- boop-bip-bip boop-bip-bip, yeah!"
I can't help it...McHale's Navy TV-Rock Fluff
I just remembered one of the weirdest TV-rock moments I ever experienced -- even weirder than ANY Shatner spoken-word thang (which, though I missed his latest, are guaranteed to be pretty darn weird). Anyway. There used to be this late-night TV show called "Night Flight", which started out by running old movies and music videos, and ended up, last I saw of it, by running cut-up pieces of old movies and videos together -- weird TV in and of itself. Well, one night, probably about 2 or 3 a.m., I was watching "Night Flight" while simultaneously reading a novel, listening to music on the stereo, and drinking coffee laced with bourbon. I'd do this on Friday nights sometimes. Lynn My Spouse was out with his buddies playing cutthroat double-rapid transit chess, you see, and I'd wait up for him, mostly as an excuse to vege out in the above manner. So, as I said, 'long about the early a.m., I look up from my book and see the cast of McHale's Navy lined up on the ship's, er, front end the way they'd do for the opening credits of the TV show. Wow, I think nostalgically, I haven't seen that show in long time. So, I turn up the sound. And what I hear, instead of the show's theme song, is... "mm poppa oom mow mow, poppa oom mow mow" *Cuh-lunk* went my jaw on the floor. It was like American Bandstand got mixed up with the Twilight Zone and produced this a capella band called McHale the Navies. And boy, they went at it! They started out kind sedate then got more and more animated, Borgnine slapping his hand on the, er, prow? and all of them starting to *get down* -- BUT -- all the while keeping the most serious deadpan expressions you ever saw. It was hilarious! It was sublime! Obviously it was an outtake they did in an odd (very odd!) moment... And if ANYONE here knows where I can get my hands on a copy of this, please share this information. --Cheryl Cline
