Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, o ...

and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream country music, mainstream country rock, and country pop. Alternative country artists are often influenced by

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

. Most frequently, the term has been used to describe certain country music and country rock bands and artists that are also defined as or have incorporated influences from

, heartland rock, Southern rock, progressive country, outlaw country, neotraditional country, Texas country, Red Dirt, honky-tonk, bluegrass,

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...

, psychobilly, roots rock,

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

, hard rock, folk revival,

indie folk Indie folk is a music genre that arose in the 1990s among musicians from indie rock scenes influenced by folk music. Indie folk hybridizes the acoustic guitar melodies of traditional folk music with contemporary instrumentation. The genre has it ...

, folk rock, folk punk, punk rock,

cowpunk Cowpunk (or country punk) is a subgenre of punk rock that began in the United Kingdom and Southern California in the late 1970s - early 1980s. It combines punk rock or new wave with country, folk, and blues in its sound, lyrical subject matter ...

, blues punk, blues rock, emocore, post-hardcore, and

rhythm 'n' blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

Definitions and characteristics

In 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. 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 and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

aesthetic.K. Wolff and O. Duane, eds, ''Country Music: the Rough Guide'' (London: Rough Guides, 2000), , p. 549. Lyrics may be bleak or socially aware, but also more heartfelt and less likely to use 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 The term American folk music encompasses numerous music genres, variously known as ''traditional music'', ''traditional folk music'', ''contemporary folk music'', ''vernacular music,'' or ''roots music''. Many traditional songs have been sung ...

and bluegrass, through rockabilly and honky-tonk, to music that is indistinguishable from mainstream rock or country. 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)".

History

Alternative country drew on traditional American country music, the music of working people, preserved and celebrated by practitioners such as

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American Left, American socialism and anti-fascism. He ...

, Hank Williams, and The Carter Family, often cited as major influences.G Smith, ''Singing Australian: a History of Folk and Country Music'' (Melbourne: Pluto Press Australia, 2005), , p. 134. 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 EarleK. Wolff and O. Duane, eds, ''Country Music: the Rough Guide'' (London: Rough Guides, 2000), , p. 396. and Gene Clark are frequently identified as important innovators.M. Demming
"Gene Clark: biography"
''Allmusic'', May 3, 2014. The third factor was punk rock, which supplied an energy and DIY attitude. Blue Mountain (band)

Attempts to combine punk and country had been pioneered by Nashville's Jason and the Scorchers, and in the 1980s Southern Californian

scene with bands like the Long RydersW. C. Malone, ''Country Music, U.S.A.'' (Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2nd edn., 2002), , p. 451. and X, and the Minneapolis-based band The Jayhawks, 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.C. Smith, ''101 Albums That Changed Popular Music'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009), , pp. 204–9.M. Deming, "No Depression Bonus Tracks" ''Allmusic'', retrieved January 26, 2009. 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 and Bottle Rockets. Bottle Rockets signed, along with acts like Freakwater, 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''.K. Wolff and O. Duane, eds, ''Country Music: the Rough Guide'' (London: Rough Guides, 2000), , p. 550. 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.K. Wolff and O. Duane, eds, ''Country Music: the Rough Guide'' (London: Rough Guides, 2000), , pp. 549–92.

Suggested listening

* ''Alternative Country Edition'' (EMM) (2009) - 2XCD various artist compilation * ''Sounds of the New West'' (Uncut) (1998) - various artist compilation * ''New Folk Sounds: The Best of Alternative Country'' (

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

) (2008) - 2XCD various artist compilation ● * ''For a Life of Sin'' (Bloodshot) (1984) various Insurgent country artists * ''Hellbent: Insurgent Country Vol. 2'' (Bloodshot) (1995) - various artists * ''Nashville: Insurgent Country Vol. 3'' (Bloodshot) (1996) - various artists

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Alden, Grant; & Blackstock, Peter (1998). ''No Depression: An Introduction to Alternative Country Music. Whatever That Is''. Dowling Pr. . * Goodman, David (1999). ''Modern Twang: An Alternative Country Music Guide and Directory''. Dowling Pr. . * * Kasten, Roy (April 29, 2008)
Fifteen Things You Might Not Know about The Bottle Rockets, on Their Fifteenth Birthday
Riverfront Times. * Hogeland, William (March 14, 2004),

New York Times.

External links

from American Studies at the University of Virginia {{DEFAULTSORT:Alternative Country Country music genres

Definitions and characteristics

History

See also

Suggested listening

References

External links