Random Thoughts

What the hell kind of music is this, anyway?

Okay, here’s an old topic that might never have an answer. How can Richmond Fontaine and the Handsome Family be considered bands of the same genre?

How does Merle Haggard, who has more number one country hits than anyone in the history of country music other than Conway Twitty (!), wind up in a genre called “alternative” country? It’s been dressed up every which way you can think of, called alternative country, alt.country, insurgent country, “No Depression” music, Americana, roots, and even the new sincerity. No Depression always seemed to capture it best, since that magazine’s “we’ll know it when we hear it” attitude has allowed the music to grow, change, and redefine itself within the pages of a high profile magazine. What other genre really allows that?

A good chunk of No Depression bands are influenced by punk, but look at what happened to Jello Biafra in 1994. When he came back to a club he used to haunt in the early days in San Francisco, a couple of skinheads jumped him and beat the crap out of him for selling out, breaking both of his legs. Anyone remember seeing Biafra on TV hawking cars, or releasing an album of standards to cash in? And that was years before his bandmates sued. Obviously, that’s not how most punk fans show treat their idols. But there is most certainly a narrow line, very easy to cross, where you are no longer considered punk enough. For an awful lot of folks, that means selling an album at a show outside of your hometown. There’s a certain integrity to that, but it makes it almost impossible to grow as a band within that circle.

On the other hand, you have Nashville, where everything is as slick as teflon enema. Everywhere you look, there are talented people, picking lightening fast, singing with big, full voices. And they’re singing tunes written by indentured servants who are locked in a building with each other, fed only raw steak in the shape of Toby Keith, and forced to pump out the next Shania Twain hit. Just in case Mutt runs out of leftover tunes from Def Leppard’s “Hysteria” sessions. Everything is big – the performing talent, the hair, the bands – but the music could not be more soulless. At least with punk, if you don’t have passion, you don’t have anything. That’s the beauty of it. The standard in current Nashville country is set by unit sales and executed by cornfed supermodels. Just ask those who escaped, like Robbie Fulks, who worked in one of the songwriting mills, or Kelly Willis, who has blossomed since getting out of the Nashville mainstream.

But it wasn’t always that way. There is a great tradition of music there, from the Carter Family to Hank Williams to Johnny Cash. Bluegrass, country blues, cowboy tunes – all part of Americana. There was history and tradition. A lot of these glossy pretenders will yell “Merle!” and praise him till the cows come home, but if they got a good look at the guy, they’d puke. (Side note: Thank you, Alan Jackson, for proving me wrong and standing up for Merle. There may be more reason for optimism than I admit.)

So, punk is great, but not if you love the sound of an acoustic guitar or a pedal steel. And mainstream country is the musical equivalent of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and it doesn’t look like Big Chief is going to toss a sink through the window anytime soon. That’s how we got Uncle Tupelo, Richmonde Fontaine, The Waco Brothers, Alejandro Escovedo, and a host of others. Other folks joined the party, like the Jayhawks, Six String Drag, the Bad Livers, and Blue Mountain. Classic artists with a lot of history and influence came along, like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and even Hank Williams. You can see why some folks prefer to call it roots music. Once this started to take hold, the roots spread and wrapped themselves around artists with a variety of sounds, histories, and affiliations. And that’s what makes the music so energizing and refreshing. Because no matter what I spit up on this page every month, I’m not going to capture the music, and I’m not going to define it. So don’t worry too much if you don’t know what to call it, and please, by all means, continue to roll your eyes whenever you say the words “alternative country”.

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I got to see a great night of music this month when Alejandro Escovedo rolled in on a foggy night to play Lilli’s in Somerville. Escovedo had Eric Heywood (Son Volt, Freakwater, Richard Buckner) on pedal steel and David Garza, a talented singer/songwriter in his own right, on guitars and keyboards. Escovedo put on one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, no doubt heightened by the fact that I’ve been waiting so long to see the man perform live. He played classic tunes like “Broken Bottle” and “Last to Know” with grace and emotion, pulling the audience in with every note. He also pulled out the requisite cover of the Stooges “I Wanna Be Your Dog”, where Heywood in particular shined, pulling an unholy racket from his instrument. He has also been showcasing material from his new play, “By the Hand of the Father”, which fit well with his classic acoustic numbers. The best moment, by far, came when the regular show onstage ended, and Escovedo and Garza came out into the audience to play, Escovedo with his acoustic, and Garza accompanying on the organ across from the bar. The duo covered the Stones’ “Sway”, and stumbled through the intro to “Five Hearts Breaking” before starting over and nailing it. “Pissed Off 2 A.M.” left the audience absolutely breathless. After the show, Escovedo furthered his reputation as a true gentleman and showman, talking with the fans, shaking hands, and answering questions. Catch him when you can with this stripped down band. When the new album hits the bins in February, he’ll probably be touring with a larger band. (www.alejandroescovedo.com)

If you enjoyed this column and would like to learn more...

I stumbled across the Web site for Dowling Press (www.dowlingpress.com) recently, and found a couple of great reference books. One was, as expected, a collection of articles from No Depression edited by founders Grant Alden and Peter Blackstock. The articles go back to the magazine’s inception in 1995, and include features on Son Volt, Wilco, The Jayhawks, Charlie Louvin, Whiskeytown, Richard Buckner, Steve Earle, and others. The other book is called Modern Twang, An Alternative Country Music Guide and Directory. This is a great book if you find the history of the music a bit overwhelming sometimes, and can’t keep track of which hills which set of family singers came from, and who they influenced. It’s also a good guide to radio stations, publications, and music venues that might book alt.country (roll the eyes) bands. They might be tough to pick up at bookstores, so take a look around the Web site if you’re interested.

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Nick's Reviews: December, 2000

Nick's Reviews: November, 2000

Nick Zaino's Random Thoughts: November, 2000

Nick Zaino's Random Thoughts: October, 2000

Nick Zaino's Random Thoughts: September, 2000

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