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Alt Country

 
 

Description of Alt Country

 
Alt-Country is basically Hank Williams interpreted by bands who grew up on the Replacements. After Outlaw Country in the 1970s and Progressive Country of the '80s came Alternative-Country in the '90s. The style preserves the rural aesthetic in a more faithful fashion than the far more mainstream young country pop artists of the same era. It is perhaps best summed up in a lyric by Ryan Adams of Whiskeytown: "So I started this damn country band / Because punk rock is too hard to sing." Its first defining moment came with the release of Uncle Tupelo's debut album No Depression in 1990. Today, Alt-Country is a lot broader than its name implies, including the rustic pop of Uncle Tupelo spinouts Son Volt and Wilco, the retro Honky-Tonk of Dale Watson, and the country-tinged pure-pop-for-now-people of Kelly Willis. The influential No Depression fanzine (self-published fan magazine) helped define the scene, as whatever the 'zine covered became Alt-Country.
 

Filed Under

 
Alt/Punk  >  Alt Country
 

Alt Country Key Artists

 
Alejandro Escovedo

Americana
Singer-Songwriter
Alejandro Escovedo was
named "Artist of the
Decade" by No Depressio...

Gillian Welch

Welch plays haunting,
Appalachian influenced
Americana. Her songs are
no faster than a heartbeat
and her singing is demure...

Hank Williams III

The grandson of a
Honky-Tonk legend and son
of one of Southern Rock's
biggest outlaws, III's found
his own sound in Cowpun...

Jay Farrar

Farrar went from alt
country darlings Son Volt
and Uncle Tupelo to
exploring experimental
folk-rock in his solo work...

John Doe

John Doe, former
bassist/vocalist for the
highly influential L.A. punk
band X, goes it alone with
tinges of Alt Country.

Lambchop

This sprawling,
country-esque group
augment the usual guitars,
bass, and drums with horns
and vibes.

Lucinda Williams

Lucinda Williams is Alt
Country's tough lover. Her
raspy voice and
uncompromising 'tude make
for one of the last true re...

Neko Case

Neko Case bridges the gap
between honest-to-gosh
country music and alt
country with a voice that
could make a dog cry. Ne...

Old 97's

The Old 97's released two
killer indie CDs, "Hitchhike
to Rhome" and "Wreck Your
Life," before signing to a
major. Live, the Old 97's c...

Richard Buckner

Singer-songwriter Richard
Buckner is known for his
fragmented song structures
-- songs end midstream or in
sputters. Buckner often t...

Ryan Adams

Solo debut for
Whiskeytown's ex-singer
showed originality and
promise. His second LP
sounds closer to John Co...

Son Volt

Son Volt sound more like
Uncle Tupelo than Wilco
does. Their alt country
blisters with distortion and
heartfelt laments. When U...

Steve Earle

Alt Country maverick Steve
Earle's music was often too
Rock for Country radio, and
too Country for Rock radio.
Alt Country maverick Stev...

The Bottle Rockets

Former Uncle Tupelo
sideman Brian Henneman's
group is in a strange
position: they're a critically
acclaimed bar band. One...

The Jayhawks

Jayhawks play twangy
power pop with crystaline
vocal harmonies and
melodies that cling to you
like a co-dependent lover...

Uncle Tupelo

Uncle Tupelo pioneered alt
country, fusing Americana's
heartfelt emotion with
punk's brash angst and
sonic temper tantrums. W...

Wilco

Wilco specialize in
Americana backdrops,
orchestral pop-like
arrangements and
deconstructed songs. Ro...

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