Obscure Alt Country Music

[Breeze]

Let me start this by providing a little background...

Back in the 90s I worked for an Americana Radio Station, which included many Alt Country bands in the playlist. This music, while at the time wasn't my favorite, ended up making an impact on me. So much so, that when I listen to music probably 80% of the time it's a Pandora station based on, in large part, the Alt Country bands I was introduced to during those years.

With our recent travels to take the twins on recruiting trips, and with a couple of long ones coming up in the next few weeks, I decided to create a Spotify playlist (because we actually have a subscription to Spotify - so no commercials) of the same songs that are typically played on my Pandora station, along with some of the twins favorite country songs (the ones I can stomach).

In my creation of this list, I found some of the bands/songs that we played are now available on Spotify. Many of these bands/songs, are very obscure. In fact, in some cases the number of streams associated with these songs is extremely small, which means it's likely you're probably unfamiliar with the them. However, if you enjoy the Alt Country genre, there is a better than zero chance you'll also like these obscure bands/songs, so I figured I'd post some links and let you decide...

[HerRealName]

This is right in my wheelhouse so hurry up with you list

I'll get started with a few:

Arliss Nancy
Two Cow Garage
John Moreland - although he's fairly well known now
Glossary
Grand Champeen

I could go on. The thing that sucks is that the scene has died for the most part. Or maybe just my favorite bands just got old.

[Breeze]

The V-Roys

Formed in Knoxville, TN, The V-Roys were an interesting mix of rootsy country and alt-rock. Originally, the band signed with Praxis Records, but the label folded. Which prompted Steve Earle to sign them to his E-Squared label. The band has released 3 albums in total, Just Add Ice (1996), All About Town (1998), and Are You Through Yet (2000).

Their most streamed song is "How I Got to Memphis" at 29,925. My favorite song from the band is "Sooner or Later" with a whopping 17,920 streams.

You can find them on Spotify by searching or clicking the link:

The V-Roys

My initial song recommendations are:

Sooner or Later
Lie I Believe
Fade Away

If you don't want to mess with Spotify, they do have some songs on YouTube:

Fade Away - 830 Views

Lie I Believe - 3,900 Views

There are also several versions of Sooner or Later, both live and acoustic that you can find if you want.

[Breeze]

Originally Posted by HerRealName

This is right in my wheelhouse so hurry up with you list

I'll get started with a few:

Arliss Nancy
Two Cow Garage
John Moreland - although he's fairly well known now
Glossary
Grand Champeen

I could go on. The thing that sucks is that the scene has died for the most part. Or maybe just my favorite bands just got old.

Awesome, some stuff for me to research...

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Breeze

Back in the 90s I worked for an Americana Radio Station

I only know of one of those in Georgia over the years (actually, maybe there were two?). Forsyth County?

[Breeze]

Yep...WMLB...

[HerRealName]

The V-Roys were great. I always think of Uncle Tupelo as the group that really started the genre but the V-Roys were one of those early influential bands.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Breeze

Yep...WMLB...

Did I know this and have temporarily forgotten it?

I too am a WMLB alum.
(I was around for the initial round of format tweaks that preceded this eventual shift)

[Suicane75]

Don't really know how alt country or obscure these are, or what defines Alt Country really. Americana? Country Tinged? But when I discovered Uncle Tupelo & The Jayhawks, these were some of artists I drifted to.

Bottle Rockets
Richard Buckner: Devotion + Doubt is one of my favorite records ever.
Joe Henrys early albums
Matthew Ryan, although this is probably more rock, Springsteen/Petty esque.

Two bands that I'm certain are obscure because they each only did one album, but I love them both, are Big Blue Hearts, self titled (they'd eventually put out another album a decade later) and Backsliders, Southern Lines.

[thesloppy]

Drive-By Truckers / Jason Isbell

[Breeze]

Originally Posted by Suicane75

Don't really know how alt country or obscure these are, or what defines Alt Country really. Americana? Country Tinged? But when I discovered Uncle Tupelo & The Jayhawks, these were some of artists I drifted to.

Bottle Rockets
Richard Buckner: Devotion + Doubt is one of my favorite records ever.
Joe Henrys early albums
Matthew Ryan, although this is probably more rock, Springsteen/Petty esque.

Two bands that I'm certain are obscure because they each only did one album, but I love them both, are Big Blue Hearts, self titled (they'd eventually put out another album a decade later) and Backsliders, Southern Lines.

Both the BAcksliders and Big Blue Hearts are on my list...

And don't worry about the labels of Alt Country/Americana, etc. My goal here was to hopefully introduce a few bands to people that enjoy those genres but probably aren't aware that these songs are out there.

Oh and I love the suggestions...more for me to look up...

[Breeze]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Did I know this and have temporarily forgotten it?

I too am a WMLB alum.
(I was around for the initial round of format tweaks that preceded this eventual shift)

I was aware you had been there just prior to my arrival, so we must have discussed it previously, but at this point it was probably a LONG time ago.

[Suicane75]

Originally Posted by Breeze

Both the BAcksliders and Big Blue Hearts are on my list...

And don't worry about the labels of Alt Country/Americana, etc. My goal here was to hopefully introduce a few bands to people that enjoy those genres but probably aren't aware that these songs are out there.

Oh and I love the suggestions...more for me to look up...

Ahh, my bad. I'm on my kindle and can't see your link. I just assumed I was the only one who had ever heard of them

[Breeze]

The Backsliders

There are two bands that go by this name. There is one that was making a run in the 2000s from Dallas, Tx., and one from North Carolina...this is about the latter.

An Alternative-Traditional Country Rock band from North Carolina, started out as a duo in 1991, when Chip Robinson and Steve Howell teamed up in Athens, GA. The full band formed in 1994, and the first album "From Raleigh, North Carolina" was released in 1996. The follow up "Throwing Rocks at the Moon", which was produced by long-time Dwight Yoakam guitarist, Pete Anderson, was released a year later and it rose to #1 on Gavin Magazine's Americana Radio Chart. In 1999, "Southern Lines" was released, but the band disbanded shortly thereafter. They reformed in 2012, and have since released "Raleighwood".

Most of my interaction with The Backsliders is from the "Throwing Rocks at the Moon" album, which had quite a few songs that I enjoyed. Their most streamed song is "Headlights" at 10,500. I like the title track from "Throwing Rocks at the Moon" which has 6100 streams. You can find them on Spotify here:

The Backsliders

Suggested Songs:

Throwing Rocks at the Moon
Paper Doll World
If I Was King

There are quite a few live videos on YouTube of the band. They also have a produced video for their song "Headlights"

Headlights - 10k views

Paper Doll World (LIVE) - 653 views

Note: The song "Cowboy Boots" from "Throwing Rocks at the Moon" was included in the Motion Picture Soundtrack to Bug.

[DanGarion]

I always considered some of the music that the Gin Blossoms performed as Alt County, also goes for The Refreshments.

[bob]

Originally Posted by DanGarion

I always considered some of the music that the Gin Blossoms performed as Alt County, also goes for The Refreshments.

If you liked the Refreshments, check out Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, which is half of the Refreshments. Especially Honky Tonk Union if you are looking for more Alt Country.

[Breeze]

The New Dylans

Thought I go a little more obscure with this entry. The New Dylans have 3 albums, 1993's "Warren Piece", 1995's "The American Way", and 2015's "Meta". All in all, we only played 1 song from this band on the station, so I'm not as familiar with these guys as some others. In fact, initially, this was more a single song entry...that song being "(Can't Go Home) Again", which is the band's most streamed song, at 3310. All the rest of their songs have less than 1000.

The New Dylans

Suggested Songs:

(Can't Go Home) Again
Now

YouTube does have some of their songs as well:

(Can't Go Home) Again - 33 Views

You - 28 Views

[Breeze]

Farmer Not So John

Compass Records Alt Country band based in Nashville, Farmer Not So John, produced 2 records, a self titled release in 1997, and "Receiver" a year later. The first album came out while I was working at the radio station, and I really liked it. I never thought these guys would be as big as Uncle Tupelo (or the decedents), but I thought they might generate a following similar to Blue Moutain - they didn't.

Their most streamed single is "Paperthin" from the second album, and it's only been heard 4269 times. The rest of the songs on their Spotify are under 2000 streams.

Farmer Not So John

Suggested Songs:

Paperthin
Every Street in Nashville
Fire in the Valley
Paperweight of the World

YouTube has several offerings for the band:

Every Street in Nashville - 1.1k Views

Fire in the Valley - 2k Views

No Time to Please You - 357 Views

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by bob

If you liked the Refreshments, check out Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, which is half of the Refreshments. Especially Honky Tonk Union if you are looking for more Alt Country.

Oh yeah I know the Peacemakers as well.

[Breeze]

Webb Wilder

Webb Wilder has been playing his own brand of country-accented, retro-styled rock & roll since the '80s, and created a tongue-in-cheek but larger-than-life persona to go along with it. He probably shouldn't be included here because he does have a song that has been streamed over a million times, but I'm betting there are some that enjoy this style of music that are still unfamiliar with him.

Webb Wilder

Suggested Songs:

Rockin' Little Angel
My Mind's Eye
Streets of Laredo

There are a bunch of live Webb Wilder songs on YouTube...here are a few album cuts:

Rockin' Little Angel - 3,487 Views

My Mind's Eye - 272 Views

Big Time - 31,281 Views

[Breeze]

Kevin Welch

Kevin left Oklahoma at 17 to pursue a career in music. He eventually joined on with Sony/Tree records and penned a number of songs for artist like: Waylon Jennings, Roger Miller, Trisha Yearwood, Ricky Skaggs and the Highwaymen. Welch is more folk-y than the previous artists on this list, but he's an excellent singer-songwriter.

His most streamed song is I Can't Wait with just over 500k...all the rest a less than 100k

Kevin Welch

Suggested Songs:

I Can't Wait
To Old to Die Young
Something 'Bout You
Pushing Up Dasies

YouTube has a pretty extensive list of his songs, both live and recorded...most fall somewhere around 40k to 50k views.

A Prayer Like Any Other - 1,482 Views

I Feel Fine Today - 42,417 Views

I Can't Wait - 71,407 Views

[Sweed]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

Drive-By Truckers / Jason Isbell

This.... Isbell is a great songwriter, along with being a tremendous guitar player and singer too.

One more I really like is Sturgill Simpson.

[thesloppy]

I have heard good things about Sturgill Simpson, and the youtube algorithm is constantly trying to force feed him to me, but I've been resistant thus far.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

I have heard good things about Sturgill Simpson, and the youtube algorithm is constantly trying to force feed him to me, but I've been resistant thus far.

Simpson is interesting. Each album is almost its own genre.
This latest one is a Electro, psychedelic, funk, mix with no obvious country or Americana influence.

But a sailors guide to earth and metamodern are 2 great albums.

Cody Jinks just released essentially a double album that's really really good.

Tyler Childers is one I love but he falls more in a weird alt country bluegrass twinged spot.

[thesloppy]

There's also some sort of movie on Netflix?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

There's also some sort of movie on Netflix?

An anime, which the soundtrack for is his new album (which has, so far, produced one Active Rock radio minor hit)

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

There's also some sort of movie on Netflix?

If one were so inclined to trip on acid I suspect it would be a wild ride

[Breeze]

Sorry...my spotify got hacked while I was in Memphis. I'll get this rolling again shortly.

[Breeze]

Waltons

Not to confused with The Waltons or The Waltons (UK)...this Canadian acoustic folk-rock band started out in 1987, self-released their first album in 1992, was signed to Warner Music Canada, which re-released their first album in 1993. They opened for Bare Naked Ladies in 1994, and won a Juno Award for Canada's Best New Artist that same year. However, despite the early success, the band has only 820 monthly followers, and their most streamed song is "Colder Than You" at 22,719. Most of the rest of their songs are less than 10,000 streams:

Waltons

Suggested Songs:

Colder Than You
I Could Care Less

Looks like album cuts for all their songs are available on YouTube if you search for them. Here are few links:

Colder Than You - 32,534 Views

I Could Care Less - 350 Views

In the Meantime - 775 Views

[Breeze]

Junior Brown

A fantastic guitarist who blended country and rock and roll riff to create a successful crossover act. His number of views and followers is larger than the others I've posted, so he might be more familiar to you. Interestingly, he created a played a combo instrument of dual neck 6 string guitar and steel guitar called the guit-steel. He has a number of instrumentals on his spotify so if you like guitar instrumentals with a country flare, spend some time here:

Junior Brown

Suggested Songs:

Highway Patrol
Semi-Crazy
Surf Melody

Youtube has a bunch of his stuff, both live and recorded...

Sugarfoot Rag

Broke Down South of Dallas

Highway Patrol

[Breeze]

Originally Posted by Goose Goose Duck

Red's Recovery Room by Clodhopper

I re-registered just to contribute this. I've been on an Alt-Country run for the past month and Spotify suggested this one. Not sure how obscure it is, but it came out in 1998 and the most played son has under 14,000 plays.

Also, Limbeck's Hi, Everything's Great is what got me going with the whole alt-country thing. It was like, hey, if you just add some twang to a guitar, it can make pop punk even better.

Awesome, I'll be checking these out...

I need to get back to this thread. I'll add one tomorrow.

[Breeze]

Blue Mountain

This band is led by husband and wife Cary Hudson and Laurie Stirratt (if you are familiar with the genre you probably recognize the last name...her twin John plays for Wilco). They were originally part of a punk-inspired band before turning to a more roots rock sound (though they still work in some punk, like "Black Dog" if you're interested).

Blue Mountain

Suggested Songs:

Blue Canoe
Soul Sister
Wink
Eyes of a Child
Black Dog

YouTube has a few songs:

Soul Sister (though this isn't my favorite version)

Blue Canoe

[Breeze]

My Spotify Web Player isn't working on the pc right now, so I'll just link the youtube stuff...

Old 97s

Not as obsure as many of the other bands in this list, but still worth a mention for those not overly familiar with the genre.

Suggested Songs:

Timebomb

Singular Girl

19

[Breeze]

The Jayhawks

Like the Old 97's these guys aren't as obscure as many of the acts above, but their YouTube songs are mostly around 150K views...so clearly not main stream either, and regardless, the point is to hopefully expose these bands to people who might not be aware, and I'm pretty sure someone will read this that hasn't heard these songs before...

Suggested Songs:

Waiting For the Sun

Save it for a Rainy Day

Blue

[JonInMiddleGA]

random note: Junior Brown is a cool m.f.

I saw him live back in the mid 90s, very enjoyable.

And now I'm a bit bummed out as I realized that was 20+ years ago. Damn I'm old.