Alternative country

Alternative country (sometimes alt-country),[1]  insurgent country,[2]  or Americana[3]  is a loosely defined sub-genre of country music, which includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream or pop country music. It has been used to describe country music bands and artists that have incorporated influences ranging from roots rock, bluegrass, rockabilly, honky-tonk, alternative rock, folk rock, and sometimes punk.

Attempts to combine punk and country were pioneered by Jason and the Scorchers, and in the 1980s Southern Californian cowpunk scene with bands like the Long Ryders. These styles merged fully in Uncle Tupelo's 1990 LP No Depression, which is widely credited as being the first "alt-country" album, and gave its name to the online notice board and eventually magazine that underpinned the movement. Members and figures associated with Uncle Tupelo formed three major bands in the genre: Wilco, Son Volt and Bottle Rockets. Other influential bands included Blue Mountain, Whiskeytown, Blood Oranges and Drive-By Truckers, until they began to move more in the direction of rock music in the 2000s.



Contents
[hide]  *1 Definitions and characteristics  ==Definitions and characteristics[ edit] == Son Volt performing in 2005In the 1990s the term alternative country, paralleling alternative rock, began to be used to describe a diverse group of musicians and singers operating outside the traditions and industry of mainstream country music.[3]  Many eschewed the increasingly polished production values and pop sensibilities of the Nashville-dominated industry for a more lo-fi sound, frequently infused with a strong punk and rock & roll aesthetic.[4]  Lyrics may be bleak or socially aware, but also more heartfelt and less-often follow the clichés sometimes used by mainstream country musicians. In other respects, the musical styles of artists that fall within this genre often have little in common, ranging from traditional American folk music and bluegrass, through rockabilly and honky-tonk, to music that is indistinguishable from mainstream rock or country.[5]  This already broad labeling has been further confused by alternative country artists disavowing the movement, mainstream artists declaring they are part of it, and retroactive claims that past or veteran musicians are alternative country. No Depression, the best-known magazine dedicated to the genre, declared that it covered "alternative-country music (whatever that is)".[6] ==History<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Alternative country drew on traditional American country music, the music of working people, preserved and celebrated by practitioners such as Woody Guthrie, Hank Williams, and The Carter Family, often cited as major influences.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7]  Another major influence was country rock, the result of fusing country music with a rock & roll sound. The artist most commonly thought to have originated country rock is Gram Parsons (who referred to his sound as "Cosmic American Music"), although , Michael Nesmith, Steve Earle<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-WolfandDuanep396_8-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[8]  and Gene Clark are frequently identified as important innovators.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Allmusic_9-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9]  The third factor was punk rock, which supplied an energy and DIY attitude.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-WolfandDuanep396_8-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[8]
 * 2 History
 * 3 See also
 * 4 References
 * 5 External links

Blue Mountain on stage in 2008<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Attempts to combine punk and country had been pioneered by Nashville's Jason and the Scorchers, and in the 1980s Southern Californian cowpunk scene with bands like the Long Ryders,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Malone2002_2-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2]  but these styles merged fully in Uncle Tupelo's 1990 LP No Depression, which is widely credited as being the first "alt-country" album, and gave its name to the online notice board and eventually magazine that underpinned the movement.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-smith2009_3-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[3] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-AllmusicNoDepression_10-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]  They released three more influential albums, signing to a major label, before they broke up in 1994, with members and figures associated with them going on to form three major bands in the genre: Wilco, Son Volt andBottle Rockets.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-smith2009_3-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[3]  Bottle Rockets signed, along with acts like Freakwater, the Old 97's and Robbie Fulks, to the Chicago-based indie label, Bloodshot, who pioneered a version of the genre under the name insurgent country.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Malone2002_2-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-WolfandDuanep550_11-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[11]  The bands Blue Mountain, Whiskeytown, Blood Oranges and Drive-By Truckers further developed this tradition before most began to move more in the direction of rock music in the 2000s.