Am I falling in love with country?
I'm a tried-and-true rocker, but The Red Clay Strays and others have got me thinking.
I’ll be honest. I haven’t been able to relate to all the country music from yesteryear. There is so much diverse music about all kinds of subjects these days within the genre, but for some reason, my mind goes to lyrical content about farms, drinking beer or whisky, pickup trucks, and cows — none of which ever hit home for me.
Nevertheless, country has come a long way, baby. I grew up on the Sunset Strip, and hard rock was very much a part of what was happening in LA with bands like Ratt and Guns ’N Roses. The closest thing we had to country was Junkyard (see previous post) or the Hangmen. While some rockers embraced the sound of country, I was craving the heavier, sleazier sound.
Post Malone. July 2024. Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Bud Light)
Although Junkyard was my gateway drug to what was happening, I didn’t know it at the time. I loved the Stones’ “Dead Flowers,” and we even covered it in my band Black Cherry. However, I was being fed a steady diet of Aerosmith and Cheap Trick, so I just went in that direction.
I love NPR’s Tiny Desk series for turning me on to music that I wouldn’t have found otherwise. It’s a vibe, and if a band sounds good stripped down like that, chances are they might sound even bigger and more grandiose without the mostly acoustic vibes of Tiny Desk.
Like most people, the YouTube algorithm can sometimes make your day. Just the other day, The Red Clay Strays’ performance on Tiny Desk appeared on my feed, and they became a newfound exception to my country rule.
Now, to deem this band a country-only band would be a mistake. The Red Clay Strays have a singer who looks and sounds like Elvis in Brandon Coleman, and the kid’s a star. Their sound sits somewhere between a night at the Roman in Nashville, dirty, swampy Texas blues, and honky-tonk country rock ‘n’ roll. It got me thinking — is this new breed of country artists for me?
The Red Clay Strays. May 2024. Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images for Boston Calling)
As always, I started doing a deep dive. I loved the pop TikTok sensibilities of Dasha’s “Austin (Boots Stop Workin),” and I fuck with Post Malones’ new pop-country vibe that he’s got going on. I went down another rabbit hole, that is Sturgill Simpson, and loved what I heard. I’m into Chris Stapleton’s vibe too.
Have I been converted?
I’m not sure what this new country is, but I’ve hand-picked what a rock ‘n’ roll soldier is slowly getting into. Is it maturing into my age? Is my taste expanding? I’m not sure, but if I have a cowboy hat next time you see me at Desert 5 Spot, don’t hesitate to say hello.
Let us know what you think.
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Yep, I hit 44 and some kind of switch flipped and I’m well into sad cowboys now….always enjoyed Jason Isbell, I’m aware he’s closer to Springsteen than Cash but he was definitely a gateway to stuff that doesn’t usually cross the Atlantic very well
The best I’ve found recently would be Charles Wesley Godwin, Morgan Wade and the absolutely stellar Shane Smith and the Saints
"Is it maturing into my age?"
I don't know how old you are, but I'm now in my mid-forties and I can say I hate this new "country" music even more than the old stuff.
That said, I had the same question about Jazz a couple years ago — the main difference being: for the most part, I still don't like the Jazz I was exposed to when I was younger — but there really does seem to be something different about the specific Jazz I was getting into... especially considering that old heads seem to not be into it at all. On the other hand, the new "country artists" just seem like cos-players — Jazz seems to actually be evolving, it's not just pop-star puppets putting on cowboy hats and singing a song their manager told them would be hot.
And can we just acknowledge something for once: Country music being popular in the mainstream isn't anything new. Remember that one particular song that "changed" the direction of rock music because "everyone" was sooooooooooo into it, cultural shift, yadda, yadda? Well, it was knocked out of first place on Billboard *twice* by Garth Brooks — and he stayed in first place for about 20 times longer than Teen Spirit ever did (and longer than Nirvana ever spent at number one for all their singles combined)... and yet, we only talk about one of those songs/artists (because it was all engineered hype... but that's a different convo). Truth is: in 1992, Country music was faaaaaaar more popular than grunge/alternative was, but it seems like everyone has completely forgotten about that.
So, yeah... country music is popular again [for like the 3rd time in my life] — but it's not because people are suddenly into country music [again]... but because, as usual, with the industry... it's manufactured nonsense. Oh, look! Someone who normally wouldn't be associated with Country music is wearing a cowboy outfit now. Wow.
Not to shit on something you might genuinely like — I get it.. *no one* likes the Jazz music I've been getting into. After posting my "Is Jazz Having A Moment?" article, I even asked Ted Gioa about how this stuff was different from what one might consider "traditional Jazz", and... he didn't even acknowledge my question, and instead sent a link to one of HIS articles that didn't address my question in any way. I dunno... I just think this Country phase is corny on multiple levels, and you did say "Let us know what you think". So... I did. lol... sorry!
https://ifrqfm.substack.com/p/is-jazz-having-a-moment