YOU OUGHT TO JUST BUY A GOOD GUITAR” or

Two important albums of alternative country
will be reissued on Nov 19 by Bloodshot Records

The Bottle Rockets’ debut from 1993,
and their next album, The Brooklyn Side from 1994.

The Bottle Rockets are pioneers of alt-country. The roots of this subgenre go back to the 80s. There were two bands in the Midwest, The Primitives played rockabilly, then punk, finally blues oriented fast garage rock; the Chicken Truck played outlaw country music. The two bands occasionally played together. The first band changed his name into Uncle Tupelo, and released his debut album in 1990. The ’No Depression’ would be the first „alternative country” labelled record. In same year the Chicken Truck split up, and the singer and guitarist, Brian Henneman became a roadie and guitar technician of Uncle Tupelo, but he also played on shows and records as a permanent guest. Furthermore a country cover band, the Coffee Creek was founded by U.T. and Brian, who after a successful solo single (backed by U.T. men and ex-Chicken Truck drummer) founded his own band with ex-C. T. members in 1992. The Bottle Rockets’ first album was released in the following year. And the end of beginning of alt-country in 1994 the Uncle Tupelo split into two part: Wilco and Son Volt.

But the pioneers of alt-country dispute that they discovered any singular thing: „we were just picking up the ball, starting with Woody Guthrie and on to the early ’60s and the Flying Burrito Brothers that we were influenced by. We didn’t start a genre. We contributed to a long line of fairly good music.” – said Mike Heidorn, the ex-drummer of Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt. Never mind, the alt-country is flourishing.

In one hand, the phrase shows the opposition to the Nashville dominated corporate country, in other hand marks the difference from traditional country style. There are various elements of rock and roll, rockabilly, punk, rock and blues mixing with country, like in the music of Bottle Rockets:

Stories about the blue-collar side of America on remastered two-CD reissue set with 19 previously unreleased tracks: Chicken Truck and acoustic demo versions, songs with Uncle Tupelo members from the pre-Bottle Rockets era, live and radio performances. The package consists of an 40-page booklet.

RATHER „THAN ANY OLD 1000 DOLLARS CAR”

Bloodshot Records is an independent record label based in Chicago. They’ve „always been drawn to the good stuff nestled in the dark, nebulous cracks where punk, country, soul, pop, bluegrass, blues and rock mix and mingle and mutate.”  You can find a bunch of free tracks from various Bloodshot artists – Moonshine Willy, Waco Brothers, Lonesome Bob, Scroat Belly, The Handsome Family, Riptones,  The Meat Purveyors, Alejandro Escovedo, etc – here. The styles are mainly alternative country and country rock. A song from the frees: Robbie Fulks – Cigarette State

Klaus Koti is Brazilian multi-instrumentalist musician, graphic artist, also known as The Legendary Chucrobillyman. Under the name of Koti & Os Grimpas he play dark, haunted country:

from O Chamado dos Espíritos album by Fon-Fon Records

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Various artists from the Californian garage rock scene. For example: Cool Ghouls, Jessica Pratt, Burnt Ones, etc:

I Need You Bad LP by Polyvinyl Records. Artwork by Shannon Shaw (Shannon and the Clams, Hunx & His Punx)

„Washington is not a place to live in. The rents are high, the food is bad, the dust is disgusting and the morals are deplorable. Go West, young man, go West and grow up with the country.” – Horace Greeley, second half of the XIXth c.

Some thoughts with reference to new album of Robbie Fulks. The Gone Away Backward released by Bloodshot Records.

Robbie Fulks is a country music “outsider”. He has his own views about the country industry. It’s brief and to the point: Fuck this town. The sentence refers to the capital of country, Nashville, where several branch of industry have been built on the genre. There is the system of institute of country music. The marketing machinery lets lot of country-called terrible products loose on the unsuspecting world from this town. Then there is the Grand Ole Opry. It has started as a radio show in 1925, during the years has become the congregation of country elite. And finally there is the necropolis, the Country Music Hall of Fame. (You can read the Sex Pistols’ opinion about a similar institute, the Rock and Roll H.O.F. here.)

The country lives outside of every institution in the rural areas. Fulks takes a sightseeing tour in the countryside, and sings about the end of his beloved small town America from Chicago. But the “now” has come somewhere, and the “end” was there yesterday too.
The American people are restless and very mobile. 1927: The 67% of families have car. 1956: The average American family changes residence every 4 years. While broadcast desires rules over the average heads. C’est la américain vie. It’s gone, but not with the wind.

Robbie Fulks’ new album, the Gone Away Backward is an excellent „back to the roots” country album. Not sad, rather melancholic. Rather Bob Dylan, than Merle Haggard.
The violinist is Jenny Scheinmann. (She formed the Giant Trio in the 90s. It was a five pieces band, he-he.) Beside her solo recordings she worked together for example Carla Bozulich, Ani Difranco, Bill Frisell, Norah Jones, Madeleine Peyroux, Mark Ribot, John Zorn. She made the string arrangements on Lou Reed and Metallica’s common album.

The recordings made by analog devices. Producer: Steve Albini (of Big Black and Shellac. He was producer of: Gore, Pixies, Pussy Galore, Breeders, Jesus Lizard, Pigface, Zeni Geva, Silverfish, PJ Harvey, Nirvana, Red Krayola, Melt-Banana, Cheap Trick, Killdozer, Fleshtones, The Ex, Neurosis, Zu and many more albums.).

And one more note: his hometown, York, is a little city in Pennsylvania. The population has increased in the last decade for the fist time since 1950.

Recommended reading:
John Lukacs – A New Republic: A History Of The United States In The Twentieth Century
Magyarul: Az Egyesült Államok XX. századi története

The Canadian Thee Nodes’s latest demo was almost unlistenable for me, but now here is

their debut 7” single with 6 tracks. First release of Swollen City Records. Price 5$ + postage. Order: m.smith08 (@) live.ca

If you like it, then download Thee Nodes live on WFMU Radio

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KissKiss Karate Passion Very nice easy South-French bar country rock. Debut LP by Les Disques Steak. Mixed by Arhtur Satan.

The Misery is the last song. Set the first track! Europeans order here, overseas buyers here

I adore the Finnish country and hardcore music. And now the 2 in 1. Black Aura 7″

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„Medieval Power Folk” – What?

The singer of the Songs (nothing special Aussie indie pop) decided to record a solo album and enlisted two friends to back her up in 2011. One of them is Nisa Venerosa from the minimal psych something duo, Fabulous Diamonds! During the sessions they decided to form an entirely new band, the Bushwalking. These tracks taken from the second album, No Enter by Chapter Music

Recordings from the 1969-1971 Self Portrait and New Morning albums’ sessions.
The versions of the songs are radically different from the officially released versions.
Here is a New Morning outtake

“Tomorrow Is A Long Time” is a well-known song,
thanks to covers by Elvis Presley (1966), Rod Stewart and others,
but only a live version from 1963 released by Dylan.

You see the Czech Love band and listen to

name your price 2 tracks  digital single

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Misfits’ Galleon, like 160 Horsepower

 digital EP by Smoky Carrot

Banjo, birds, bluegrass, days, dreams, loves, stories and alfalfa. Kendl Winter and her backing band, The Golden Sun trio:

from It Can Be Done! LP by KRECS

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Smelly Tongue is a noisey rock band with members of Red Aunts, Static Static, Druid Perfume, Intelligence…

from When The Slack Heep Returns To The Gold LP by Urinal Cake

When I have observed the new Kizmiaz releases then I pushed the play immediately, but I didn’t pay attention to the band’s name. Hey, what is it? Magnetix!? But this is not like them! But good:

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Bang Bang Band Girl from Chile under the influences of western, blues, wild rockabilly, punk, no wave and noise:.

You can listen to a fine selection of Kizmiaz Records here

Only easy country & pop & some strange melodies on the Asthmatic Kitty‘s free summer sampler. There are some good songs. For example the most hardest one:

Influences are wide ranging. From a song writing perspective, Phil’s primary influences are the alt-country of Wilco, the surrealist melancholia of Sparklehorse and experimental rock of Califone, though more than a hint of Captain Beefheart’s magisterial influence can be detected in the lyrics and song titles. Ian brings bluegrass chops and punk sensibilities in equal measure, whilst Barney’s slide and fingerstyle guitar reveal a love of the pre-war splendor of Mississippi John Hurt and Blind Willie McTell.

CAT MEAT – Scarlet Bell EP