The state of Country Music

Niels Andrews · Post by **Niels Andrews** » 8 Jun 2013 6:07 pm

I like what Ronnie Dunn said to the press. "As Dunn told USA Today, “I’m more excited about where music is today than I ever have been. We no longer have to play by rules because there are no rules."
And by the way when he debuted his four songs, they have Pedal Steel! Check it out. It is by no way over, for "Steel Guitar" as some love to lament.

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 9 Jun 2013 7:46 am

It would be over for the Steel guitar if all it was made for was to play was Country Music.

Niels Andrews · Post by **Niels Andrews** » 9 Jun 2013 8:17 am

I don't really think so Joe. I think that traditional country as we know it is seeing a comeback and I think we need to thank people like Marty Stuart and Blake Shelton for the revival.
Everyday there are millions of new listeners discovering "Traditional Country", will it every return to it's previous position as the popular music of the day, I doubt it. But I venture there was a day that the people who played Bach, Beethoven and Handel lamented the demise of their beloved music. But they didn't have the internet to discuss it.

Just yesterday I was playing some Hank and Ernest for some pre teens, they loved it, they had never heard this music before. So yes things change and yes, we don't like it. But that is the way life goes.
When I was a young child the only music I could get was late at night KRAK out of Sacramento, California. It made such an impression that over 50 years later I can still sing those songs. So yes Steel is moving in new directions, but "Traditional Country" is here to stay.

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 9 Jun 2013 8:34 am

blake shelton??......you're kidding!

Niels Andrews · Post by **Niels Andrews** » 9 Jun 2013 9:13 am

Blake Shelton, you bet. He has introduced more new listeners to traditional country through the Voice than anybody in the last 20 years.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 9 Jun 2013 9:39 am

Blake Shelton was a surprise for me too. Maybe he did on the Voice, but his concerts and records don't show it. By the way, I do like Blake Shelton, so that isn't just a bash on him. As far as big time limelight, Marty is a "has been". He is still great, but outside of his RFD TV show, I don't think you'll see him pack a large venue. Also love Marty, so it is not a bash against him either.

I do not see a "comeback" anywhere for traditional country music except Texas and the Time Jumpers (maybe some isolated instances in other parts of the country). Around here, only very small clubs (that can't really afford the pay for bands and usually stop having live music after they see that the traditional country is not going to pack their bar, and even so, These small bars can barely hold 30 to 50 people) and critter clubs have traditional country music, and the 3 Flames in San Jose being one of them, only has it on Thursday nights and that may be history as of the end if June. Rumor is they are switching to a DJ. Traditional country out here just doesn't draw big crowds.

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 9 Jun 2013 10:20 am

Blake Shelton, you bet. He has introduced more new listeners to traditional country through the Voice than anybody in the last 20 years.

Blake Shelton has introduced anyone to "traditional country?"

As far as big time limelight, Marty is a "has been".

Marty is the icon Blake Shelton wishes he was.

IMO, small bars with a capacity of 30 to 50 people have no business hiring bands they can't possibly pay for to begin with. Even if said bands were a big draw, where is everybody going to sit - outside on the smoker's patio?

Niels Andrews · Post by **Niels Andrews** » 9 Jun 2013 11:23 am

Richard I agree with what you say about clubs. A lot of it has to do with cultural interactions with alcohol and how society relates, or how we relate to each other. An example is how Ronnie Dunn introduced is new songs, he climbed up on a building and went for it. I don' know what the future holds for any musicians, especially those firmly entrenched in the past. I don't think the "Old Honky Tonk" will return, and if it does it won't be smoke filled.
The point I am making is traditional country will always be with us, and if it wasn't for Marty we wouldn't have much.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 9 Jun 2013 1:42 pm

Right Neils. To keep working in country music these days, we have to adapt to playing what is popular and what the crowd wants to hear. Either that, or adapt to playing along with Band-In-A-Box in our bedroom. I'm lucky that I do get to play in a band that is more new country, but not quite 100% new country, and also get to play in a band that does classic country. I get the best of both worlds. But, the new country style band works at least twice as much as the classic country band.

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 9 Jun 2013 4:03 pm

Blake Shelton??? really??..
All I can say is this "new country" stuff is unlistenable formulaic crap.. I mean really really awful..
Before I would play that garbage, I would simply quit and just sell all my gear.

Luckily there are many decent alternatives for me, but if I had to play "modern country" I would just not play at all.. its that bad.. Even the young kids that are real musicians and real singer/songwriters are holding their noses at that garbage and going into a more roots/alt country/Americana style rather than play poser music....

Buck, Waylon, George , must be rolling in their graves over what passes today for country music, God rest their souls... bob

Niels Andrews · Post by **Niels Andrews** » 9 Jun 2013 4:06 pm

Well Bob, sorry to hear you dislike Patsy Cline and Merle Haggard. By the way what are you selling?

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 9 Jun 2013 4:18 pm

Niels Andrews wrote:Well Bob, sorry to hear you dislike Patsy Cline and Merle Haggard. By the way what are you selling?

I like Patsy and Merle fine... Don't know why you might think otherwise.

Not selling anything at the moment, but when I do again sell something, it goes very quickly- usually locally because I tend to price my stuff very reasonably, and if someone feels anything is misrepresented in any way, if its a $20 item, or a $1500 pedal steel, I cheerfully refund their money without a single question,,
Anything I sell usually goes quickly, and actually although I post things here quite often, 95% of my stuff sells local.. thats what happens when you are very fair with people...
I don't know what point you were trying to make, but it doesn't matter.... bob

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 9 Jun 2013 5:03 pm

Bob Carlucci wrote:Blake Shelton??? really??..
All I can say is this "new country" stuff is unlistenable formulaic crap.. I mean really really awful..
Before I would play that garbage, I would simply quit and just sell all my gear.

Luckily there are many decent alternatives for me, but if I had to play "modern country" I would just not play at all.. its that bad.. Even the young kids that are real musicians and real singer/songwriters are holding their noses at that garbage and going into a more roots/alt country/Americana style rather than play poser music....

Buck, Waylon, George , must be rolling in their graves over what passes today for country music, God rest their souls... bob

Fine with me Bob. Leaves more work for the rest of us.

Clyde Mattocks · Post by **Clyde Mattocks** » 9 Jun 2013 5:18 pm

I must be living in some sort of Twilight Zone, but around here, traditional country is alive and well. Most of my steel playing friends are playing in very steel friendly bands. There are at least a half dozen bands in my immediate area that are fronted by guys who are around the age of 30 or under, who are doing Buck, George, Vern, Waylon. It just seems to me that if you do that music and take it to the people, you will find an audience, maybe not in the numbers you'd like, but there is growth potential. One of the factors here is the Ice House in Selma and all of these bands go thru there in rotation. People DO like this kind of music. I'll relate a story that happened just last night. It was a thrown together band to play a singles club dance. The guy running the dance saw my steel on stage and came up and asked if we played "beach music". I told him no and he said "well, this crowd isn't going to like you". After one set, they loved us.
One of the most popular bands on the critter club circuit is Don Whaley and Southern Storm, who play almost nothing but hard core country. I had one manager tell me, "I don't get it, they're my most popular band, and all they play is country". He hit the nail on the head when he said "I DON'T GET IT."

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 9 Jun 2013 6:59 pm

I must be living in some sort of Twilight Zone, but around here, traditional country is alive and well.

Clyde, it may be the difference between North Carolina and Northern California... $:\$

Douglas Schuch · Post by **Douglas Schuch** » 9 Jun 2013 7:27 pm

I often read here on the forum about the demise of country music. If the opinion is one of taste, well, that is for each to form their own opinion. But in terms of popularity, Country Music is back on top in the US:

https://www.npd.com/wps/portal/npd/us/n ... e-in-2012/

A few quotes from the article:

“Country music has become America’s favorite genre, mostly because of its diversity and the accessibility of its artists to young and old alike,”

“electronic dance music gets a lot of industry attention these days, but 18-to-25-year-olds are twice as likely to say they are fans of country music. Even among teens, country music ranks third, following rap/hip-hop, and pop/top-40.”

Last year the most popular genre was Classic Rock.

Music forms are always changing and evolving. They borrow from other forms, and are always a synthesis of different sources. And yes, much popular music of any time period includes a lot of "paint by number" tunes that copy the formula of what is successful. When we talk about the "good, old, country", remember that for most that involves a period of at least 20 years, maybe far more of music production. Pick any single year and listen to the country songs that were released that year, and you will find a lot of near-carbon-copies, lots of tunes that were quickly forgotten (usually for a very good reason) - in effect, similar to the music of today. Only a few songs from this year will continue to be played regularly 20 years from now.

I like old country (and old rock and old jazz). I like some of the stuff that comes out these days. As well, there are always revivals and tributes to the classic stuff - I look forward to Vince G and Paul F's new album of classic West Coast country. I think there is great potential for country music as a genre. It is interesting to read Clyde M's comments about the strength of country music in Kinston, and sad to read about the dearth of decent gigs for musicians in much of the US these days. I think that might come back around - I hope so, anyway - as tomorrows stars are todays local bands. It does not bode well for our music future if we they do not have good opportunities to find a voice and find an audience.

But country music is clearly not dead.

Doug

Franklin · Post by **Franklin** » 9 Jun 2013 7:31 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2kWS9GKk4o

Niels Andrews · Post by **Niels Andrews** » 9 Jun 2013 7:39 pm

Bob not to single you out, but please watch this video of a up and coming young girl singing in front of millions of people most not Country fans and coached by Blake Shelton, then tell me again please, about the demise?
http://youtu.be/9CYKUDRBoxw[url][/url]

Alvin Blaine · Post by **Alvin Blaine** » 10 Jun 2013 8:00 am

Franklin wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2kWS9GKk4o

Good one Paul, but if you start posting songs with Blake Shelton singing Country songs with fiddle and steel, then your just going to make the haters say it's some kind trick and that Nashville doesn't know what Country is.

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 10 Jun 2013 8:04 am

Bob not to single you out, but please watch this video of a up and coming young girl singing in front of millions of people most not Country fans and coached by Blake Shelton, then tell me again please, about the demise?

Neils, not splitting hairs, but I thought her coach was Adam Levine..

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 10 Jun 2013 8:10 am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2kWS9GKk4o

Paul, I viewed this production as more of a parody both lyrically and musically..

Niels Andrews · Post by **Niels Andrews** » 10 Jun 2013 8:38 am

You are right, but I feel Blake has brought the focus of Country to the forefront. Even the Judges have been exposed and are enjoying Country. Does anyone believe that Usher would have stepped up in the Tornado relief concert if it had not been for Blake. I just get tired of people trashing Blake Shelton, I think he is a great guy and is and has done a lot for Music and especially Country Music.

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 10 Jun 2013 9:06 am

What I meant by my comment above is if you restrict the Steel to one Genre,If all you learn to play is the old stuff, when that genre dies and it almost has as of now, It will take you and the steel with it. I have a wall and a room full of good ole pure Country music. So I don't buy re-makes,or re-issues of the same songs recorded decades ago. I have the originals. When the Radio Station I worked for closed it's Country doors I bought their library (Cheap). I spend most of my time transferring LPs to CD's. At 75 no one wants to hear me or any other old fart sing Cheatin Heart. And I don't want to hear " The way to Survive" done by a thousand newbies. I have the Original. So what I'm trying to say do something different if you want to revive Country music,recording whats been done a thousand times won't. At least to a longer lasting audience than ourselves.

Tommy Janiga · Post by **Tommy Janiga** » 10 Jun 2013 9:24 am

A question for those of you who do traditional country gigs (or go to venues to hear it) - how old are the audiences that you're seeing?

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 10 Jun 2013 11:17 am

A question for those of you who do traditional country gigs (or go to venues to hear it) - how old are the audiences that you're seeing?

Or not seeing?

The Steel Guitar Forum

The state of Country Music

The state of Country Music

Age of audiences?