Live Music Archive

It’s no secret that over the past couple decades country music has struggled with it’s identity far more than any other genre in the industry. At this point nobody could really claim to be a country music fan without being questioned what kind of country fan? The answers being seemingly infinite, I have broken them down into several main types (but really, there could be so a lot of more).
Pop Country
This category could really be referred to as “Nashville Country.” It hosts might about 90 % of the country music out there. I again and again find people not wanting to admit in conversation that they’re fans of this category. They like to talk about how they love Willie Nelson and mouth the words to Merle Haggard tunes even though it’s apparent their faking it. Then they get alone in their cars and unwind by driving down the highway, blasting Shania Twain on the radio, and singing along at the top of their lungs. Let me just say, there’s little wrong with that, like what you like. Nashville record labels pick truly skill ed, again and again attractive singers that perform with some amazing bands. They furthermore have some of the top songwriters and composers in the industry working for them.
One criticism I would have against this category…In recent years, there has been a rebellion of sorts against Nashville music from musicians in both the Rebel and Texas sub types (see below) with tunes booing Nashville and praising the old timers. On occasion this gains them popularity and they get so popular that they land a big contract with a Nashville record company and for some reason everybody is perfectly comfortable with this phenomenon. This is what I like to refer to as “Pat Green Syndrome”.
Rebel/ Rock n Roll Country
Very liberal people are who you tend to find in this category. These artists just do whatever they feel like doing, and consequently there are not a lot of of them, or at least not a lot of of them that stay popular following their initial shock value wears off. They are again and again independent and like letting it all hang out. A wonderful example currently in the limelight is Gretchen Wilson. Others that haven’t quite reached her popularity level, but have been around for a while include Ray Wylie Hubbard and Todd Snider.
On occasion the guys in this category derive quite a bit of their rebelness from incorporating rock into their music. Good examples of this are Robert Earl Keen and James McMurty (I highly recommend both of them).
Texas Country
This category has developed into somewhat of a music cult, and it stretches all over the United Sates. (Note, this final month there was a huge three day Texas music festival in Colorado). It’s popularity started off with the likes of Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Gary P. Nunn. What really sent it off in recent years was the popularity of Robert Earl Keen, Cory Morrow, Pat Green, and Jack Ingram. It plays extremely well in frat houses across the Lone Star State. While the guys mentioned earlier have taken off in a diverse direction, new musicians like Max Stalling, Mark David Manders, and Ed Burleson have started to take their place. If you ever watch this development, it’s simple to see that the Texas music business is rising so fast that it will might soon be just as big as Nashville’s.
Old Country
If you could sing the words to three or more Willie Nelson, George Jones, and Johnny Cash tunes please come in. If you could sing along to Patsy Cline, Charlie Rich, and Hank Williams please take a seat. If you could croon all night with Bob Wills please let me get you a beer, I’m glad  all of us  met. Welcome to the old country category, sadly a lot of people find it boring here.
Real Old Country
Most people in this category know how to yodel. They’ve might witnessed an individual play the bones, If the y do not already know how to play them themselves. The people in this category refer to each other as “folks” and recognize that country’s roots derived from folk music. This category requires being able to enjoy sitting on a front porch sipping ice tea in the middle of the summer while some old man plays “Streets of Laredo” on an old Gibson. Indulging in campfire banjo playing endorses as well.
If you are like me, you might have your favorite category and then like some things out of each one. There’s not really any one way to define country music, and with it being an ever-changing industry there might never will be. One thing that doesn’t vary though, no matter which category, you could still dust of your boots and take just about any country song to the dance hall with you.