New "country" haters?

[thiswaythatway]

I think country guitar players have insane chops. I think the new country is over produced formulaic garbage but so is mainstream pop. All said, there are some stupid catchy new country songs which have blazing solos. Old country may be more authentic but i think it is boring and too twangy. So the new guys are singing about chicks, beer, pickups, and jeans. All good, I just turn the dial if the solo sucks.

Sounds a lot like 80's sleaze rock.

 

[C1-ocaster]

I have to listen to pop country all day at work (electrician/construction). It's the absolute worst garbage that has ever been written, and puts me in a horrible mood. I don't understand the appeal at all. Each goddam song mentions trucks and 'cold beer'. Ugh. I can usually listen to any music and find something enjoyable, or at least understand how it's relatable/appealing, but not with this Brad Paisley, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, etc filth.

Seems mainstream "country" is at the stage were "rap" is, which is like what happened in the late 80's with pop "metal".
Today's "country" and "rap" are contrived fake BS designed to appeal to the masses, but then, they buy it.
So that tell's you a lot about the "masses".

 

[joepete77]

When modern country comes on the radio I can't help but laugh at the thought that anyone really takes these guys serious. It's all so generic and contrived with the fake image and rehashed lyrics and song ideas over and over. Muddin, sweet tea, alcohol , etc, it's all so corny. It'll like some slick producer got the winning formula in the late 90's and every act put out has that sound and image. I bet half these guys or even more aren't even real hicks or badasses . Ok , rant over.

 

[tfridgen]

I STRONGLY advise anyone that likes old country to listen to Hank III (Hank Williams grandson).



I once asked a group of people I was camping near at a softball tournament if they wanted to hear some of the country I had in the car, being that I had to listen to theirs all weekend and they didn't like it. I asked why not? And a few of them actually said "I don't like how twangy it is"... IT'S COUNTRY, COUNTRY HAS TWANG FFS!!!!

Take it easy, Tyler.

 

[rupe]

The modern country scene is today's version of what hair metal was in the 80's...it's where the party is. Ever wondered what happened to all of the fun, groupies, craziness, etc that seemed to disappear in the early 90's? It came back as modern country. And just like 80's metal, there are a few good acts and a bunch of lame ones. As was mentioned, some of the guitar work is stellar.

Having been raised on classic rock and metal, I started gigging in the 80's and as a performer have done everything from the music I just mentioned, to thrash metal, to classic punk, to blues, to funk, to R&B. Fast forward to last summer when an old friend and fixture on the local rock scene asked me if I'd be interested in forming a cover band doing a mix of rock and modern country. Initially it was "no way!" but my blues rock band was having trouble keeping a steady lineup together and all the club owners kept telling me they wanted modern country...and I knew he was in a position where he needed the income so I eventually caved and agreed to give it a shot.
I had never really listened to it (and still don't) but figured "how hard could it be?"...a lot harder than I anticipated. A lot of it is simple hard rock/metal with somebody singing about pickup trucks, keg parties in the woods, or catfish dinners in a redneck drawl, but a lot of it is very challenging with oddball changes, non-repeating riffs, and difficult vocal harmonies. The level of musicianship is very high in general. I absolutely hate the hip-hop/country stuff that's popping up but we don't do any of that.

I've been called a "sell-out" by friends, but what have I sold out? I'm no longer in the game of trying to "make it" as a musician...that ship sailed a long time ago. I now play for fun, period. Playing live for me is fun. Playing live in front of packed houses who know all the songs and words and sing them back to you like it's a rock concert is even more fun...the energy in the room is off the charts every time and everywhere we play. Having to turn down gigs because of demand is a great problem to have. I still get to use some awesome guitar tones (twang? what's that? ) and play a lot of ripping solos. I'll take that over doing Moore/Hendrix/Trower/Clapton/ZZ/SRV covers to a half full room of bikers and drunks watching you with their arms crossed or playing pool and bitching because we're too loud for them carry on a conversation.

Bottom line is that if you want to recapture some of the good time party atmosphere of the 80's (especially those of you who missed it and wish you could have been there), check out the modern country scene. I'm not a fan of the music myself (it's more fun to play than it is to listen to for me), but the overall scene in general offers a much better time than pretentious blues and jazz heads, or angry metal dudes, or shoe-gazing chugga chugga djent stuff, or just about any other music scene I can think of. I don't listen to it my spare time, but I get it.

*Edited for grammar

 

[Heritage Softail]

New country is the classic rock.

Cookie Monster sludge riffing does not appeal to anything but a sausage fest. Yeah, it is fun to hammer out some riffs and sound like a glorified bass player, but then what?

Rock is still out there. But new country with rock guitar and danceable bass riffs is where the white women went. And the money, since money follows white girls.

Music is about sex to most normal people. The. You have forum people that can obsess about gear or Hendrix or who the fuck ever.

The party is in new country rock. I hate the tractor rap, and generally hate the douche types singing some of the teen girl oriented country.

But the same kind of guy sang in spandex and makeup in the 80's. And back then, just like now, it was about big tits in tube tops and short shorts on for a short time.

In the words of Bill Murray.... Lighten up Francis....

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

I think country guitar players have insane chops. I think the new country is over produced formulaic garbage but so is mainstream pop. All said, there are some stupid catchy new country songs which have blazing solos. Old country may be more authentic but i think it is boring and too twangy. So the new guys are singing about chicks, beer, pickups, and jeans. All good, I just turn the dial if the solo sucks.

Sounds a lot like 80's sleaze rock.

Exactly.. that's why I have to watch what I say! I love big hair 80's rock and solos. Best music ever! Rupe and Heritage, good points. That essentially sums it up nicely. where there is a party, girls will go. I sure as hell prefer new country to Drake so I'm cool with it as long as they bust out some cool drums now and again and some ripping solos. The one thing they will NEVER match the 80's on however, is the high ass vocals and power by the Ray Gillens, Sebastian Bach's or the rusty burning on fumes voices like Tom Keifer. 80% of the vocalists go for the same tone. Hell they even go for the same accent when they are Keith Urban! He certainly doesn't sound like Dundee when he sings.

 

[legend71]

Good thread here. I dislike new country too but am forced to play some in my band. I like to rock it up a bit more - maybe play a more rock type lead than some of the country leads. Depends on the song. I do not find that the country stuff is super strong where I live and gig but there are songs that do have value to an audience and gigging cover band.

 

[Chris6870]

The modern country scene is today's version of what hair metal was in the 80's...it's where the party is. Ever wondered what happened to all of the fun, groupies, craziness, etc that seemed to disappear in the early 90's? It came back as modern country. And just like 80's metal, there are a few good acts and a bunch of lame ones. As was mentioned, some of the guitar work is stellar.

Having been raised on classic rock and metal, I started gigging in the 80's and as a performer have done everything from the music I just mentioned, to thrash metal, to classic punk, to blues, to funk, to R&B. Fast forward to last summer when an old friend and fixture on the local rock scene asked me if I'd be interested in forming a cover band doing a mix of rock and modern country. Initially it was "no way!" but my blues rock band was having trouble keeping a steady lineup together and all the club owners kept telling me they wanted modern country...and I knew he was in a position where he needed the income so I eventually caved and agreed to do give it a shot.
I had never really listened to it (and still don't) but figured "how hard could it be?"...a lot harder than I anticipated. A lot of it is simple hard rock/metal with somebody singing about pickup trucks, keg parties in the woods, or catfish dinners in a redneck drawl, but a lot of it is very challenging with oddball changes, non-repeating riffs, and difficult vocal harmonies. The level of musicianship is very high in general. I absolutely hate the hip-hop/country stuff that's popping up garbage but we don't do any of that.

I've been called a "sell-out" by friends, but what have I sold out? I'm no longer in the game of trying to "make it" as a musician...that ship sailed a long time ago. I now play for fun, period. Playing live for me is fun. Playing live in front of packed houses who know all the songs and words and sing them back to you like it's a rock concert is even more fun...the energy in the room is off the charts every time and everywhere we play. Having to turn down gigs because of demand is a great problem to have. I still get to use some awesome guitar tones (twang? what's that? ) and play a lot of ripping solos. I'll take that over doing Moore/Hendrix/Trower/Clapton/ZZ/SRV covers to a half full room of bikers and drunks watching you with their arms crossed or playing pool and bitching because we're too loud for them carry on a conversation.

Bottom line is that if you want to recapture some of the good time party atmosphere of the 80's (especially those of you who missed it and wish you could have been there), check out the modern country scene. I'm not a fan of the music myself (it's more fun to play than it is to listen to for me), but the overall scene in general offers a much better time than pretentious blues and jazz heads, or angry metal dudes, or shoe-gazing chugga chugga djent stuff, or just about any other music scene I can think of. I don't listen to it my spare time, but I get it.

Great post and agree 100%. To say country is contrived, fake BS designed to appeal to the masses is kind of dumb. You could say the same about Gansta Rap, Hip Hop, Black Metal, Nu Metal ect. I mean none of it is real!!
Whether it's a guy with an updside down cross on his face singing about satan, a guy with long hair and makeup in spandex playing a neon green guitar, a guy screaming like cookie monster about the pain in his life and playing in dropped B with his guitar around his ankles, a guy in tights singing falsetto about rainbows and demons, a gangsta and his crew in a convertible bouncing down the street, I mean is any of that much better than a hick singing about beer girls and tractors? Its all ridiculous when you break it down, and nothing is the same as it used to be. Deal with it.

 

[boost]

Just got back from Nashville yesterday. Not a country music fan really, but I had a good time. Enjoyed the bands during the day and nights on the weekdays. Come the weekend and the bands are playing all the new country hit songs. The places are packed and they go nuts. Add in the occasional Poison and Bon Jovi song done by a country band and I am in hell. A lot of 80's hard rock and one hit wonder songs thrown in too.

I agree with what was said above - this music appeals to people that grew up on 80's hard rock because they sing about partying, chicks, and having fun. Hard rock had some good bands followed by a shitload of watered down crappier versions of the same old thing. Didn't work out so well. That's where country is at right now. Will history repeat itself? Time will tell.

I do have to say that the entire time I was down there I saw a lot of bands and I don't think I heard one bad note. Serious players in those clubs, with serious chops.

 

[steve2112]

Yep...the players are seriously good.

I tried my hand at "new country"...and I found I could play most of it. There's a couple tricky things they do I couldn't get, but...the biggest thing is their orchestration. Many times they have 3 electric guitars, an acoustic or two, pedal guitar, fiddle...as well as keys/organ. True that a good song is still a good song even with one acoustic, but it was challenging presenting the songs in the format the audience expects to hear...with all those intricate (or sometimes not so intricate) parts.

They also have a lot of tunings- but you can consolidate a little bit there.

I will probably not be a big fan follower...there's a lot of corporate water down cookie cutter themes and playing. I think they get more adventurous live, like even the rock guys do. And speaking of that, many of these guys ARE rock/southern rock guys. Easier to break in or ride coat tails with the singer. But in the end, the lyric content of it still brick walls it for me.

I may continue to pursue the band idea...I mean..I consider myself a guitar player and musician...I play MUSIC. I want to play music for people. And if this is part of the equation, it's no sell out, it's just part of the plan...and it makes me better along the way.

Sometimes they break the mold- and we can always rely on Willie Nelson for fun. I can't access youtube here but check "Weed With Willie" by Toby Keith. LOL.

 

[Shiny_Surface]

I tried recording a new country song with my Herbert a few weeks back, came out sounding more rock.

 

[Heritage Softail]

I would stand in a play guitar to add some rock tones and leads in a band a friend had. It was a challenge to try and cover other instruments as well. I remember having to come up with a guitar lead to cover a fiddle solo. Not the easiest thing. Interestingly, Steve Morse said he wrote parts of Simple Simon as fiddle sounding guitar parts.

Something new to learn and adapt into the guitar arsenal.

 

[Badronald]

A buddy asked me to play in his country band a couple years ago. Told me he hated it but needed the money. I went and jammed with them a couple times and bowed out. They were playing all the hip tunes from the hot artists and I found it painful. I HATED jamming with them. Made me angry and not want to play.
The opposite of what music means to me.
Oh well.....

 

[skoora]

All I know is after seeing footage of Florida Georgia Line on Palladia playing live I'm not sure I can hate it because it was so retarded all I did was feel sorry for everyone involved. Just straight out hilarious and they're such douchebags no amount of career or wealth envy could even begin to touch it. What was even funnier was how the stage looked like Motley Crue was about to play and then they bust into the most saccharine, piece of shit, fluffy song while doing awkward white man, hip hop bounce moves. I was literally dying laughing and was frantically trying to get my wife to come and see it, as I was so dumbfounded, I forgot to hit record on the DVR. It was priceless...

If it makes their audience happy, fine. But I feel for anyone who has to work somewhere where it's on and you have no say in changing it.

…and the super twang in the singing just reminds me of how in the late 90's and 2000's how every female singer starting adopting that breathy delivery with the hard r pronunciation. That might have been started by Alanis Morrisette.

I agree with Brokenfusion. It's all cloned re-hash. But we just go with the one we like. I sure don't feel any new rock or metal artist I listen to is authentic or real about what they do. They're just cover bands who happen to write their own material.

 

[rupe]

A buddy asked me to play in his country band a couple years ago. Told me he hated it but needed the money. I went and jammed with them a couple times and bowed out. They were playing all the hip tunes from the hot artists and I found it painful. I HATED jamming with them. Made me angry and not want to play.
The opposite of what music means to me.
Oh well.....

To each their own...crowds of less than 100 people barely paying attention and struggling to book gigs playing my preferred music make me angry and not want to play. And once I started learning the material, some of it was actually kinda fun (I still hate almost all the vocals though...I keep them low in my monitor )

Here are a few songs we do...basically hard rock if you lose the singer:

 

[steve2112]

I kinda know what you mean badronald. Same can said about doing nickleback songs.

It does seem weird that you were with friends and couldn't find ANY redeeming value? I would think just making it challenge for yourself..."how can I make this not evil?"...would be a good exercise.

There's a few songs I didn't like....but I sort of enjoyed things like "Maintenance Man" (again with the toby keith sheesh!) or Tell Me. And playing without a lot of gain, or that sometimes hard=to=cop mid gain...was a good thing. It was looking at things on a positive side...playing tones and licks I'd never done before. Plus...people like it.

So...I dunno...I guess I don't have the chops, tones or experience you have.

 

[Badronald]

I kinda know what you mean badronald. Same can said about doing nickleback songs.

It does seem weird that you were with friends and couldn't find ANY redeeming value? I would think just making it challenge for yourself..."how can I make this not evil?"...would be a good exercise.

There's a few songs I didn't like....but I sort of enjoyed things like "Maintenance Man" (again with the toby keith sheesh!) or Tell Me. And playing without a lot of gain, or that sometimes hard=to=cop mid gain...was a good thing. It was looking at things on a positive side...playing tones and licks I'd never done before. Plus...people like it.

So...I dunno...I guess I don't have the chops, tones or experience you have.

I suppose the driving force behind not wanting to do it, even more so than the music, was that I've played in enough cover bands over the last 30 years that I NEVER want to do it again.

I'll always play a cover here and there and do every Sunday morning, but I will never again play in a full-on cover band. I'd rather not play and just write songs and put together demo's than do that.

 

[Badronald]

A buddy asked me to play in his country band a couple years ago. Told me he hated it but needed the money. I went and jammed with them a couple times and bowed out. They were playing all the hip tunes from the hot artists and I found it painful. I HATED jamming with them. Made me angry and not want to play.
The opposite of what music means to me.
Oh well.....

To each their own...crowds of less than 100 people barely paying attention and struggling to book gigs playing my preferred music make me angry and not want to play. And once I started learning the material, some of it was actually kinda fun (I still hate almost all the vocals though...I keep them low in my monitor )

Here are a few songs we do...basically hard rock if you lose the singer:

Ok.

I've been playing so long (30+ years) and have played in multiple cover bands. that these days I'd much rather play in a small place performing my own music to 100 than to 1,000 people playing music I don't like. I've done that over and over again.

Like I mentioned above, I do play to about 1,200 people at church every weekend playing covers so, technically I am in a cover band! Ah!

I do that for service and to play with some buds, not as personal artistic fulfillment.

 

[amiller]

I guess I'm on the other side of it all. I really dislike old country. It always sounds like the music took a back seat to the singer. I really don't care for much of the new stuff either except that I hear some great guitar playing...that's something that's missing from mainstream rock radio now days. So, in a toss up, I'll listen to the new Country stuff just to hear the musicianship...you can keep the old Country stuff.