Friends,
The title's not misleading. It's apparently a genre. Behold, the band Blanche with their song "No Matter Where You Go" from their album Little Amber Bottles.
Now, where did I find this? I subscribe to the podcast version of All Songs Considered (lovers of new music may want to do this too...though the host is a personality black hole). And that radio program has its own blog (linked there for your pleasure, and soon to be in the blogroll to your right).
On that blog, the host posed the question: What band is your band? Like, everybody has that one musician or band that just seems like theirs, and it's their own little discovery that no one really knows much about. They did a show devoted to bands like that, and that's where I found Blanche.
The question now, BOMM readers, who is your special band that feels like your own thing?
This is a tough question for me to answer because so much of what I enjoy now was really gifted to me by The Ghost of Nostradamustache. So Charlie Parr isn't mine, though I do feel territorial about him. Rusted Root should probably be my answer, but they keep getting soundtrack work, so everyone knows "Send Me On My Way" though their best song off that album is, well, damn near anything else but that song (by the way, best Rusted Root song: Blue Diamonds). I nearly went with Muckaferguson here, but they're defunct (but you should click that link though to see their Showtime at the Apollo performance), so I'm going to hold back my answer for a little bit...see what you all come up with first. I have some ideas, but I need a minute to think about this.
viva el mustache
February 20, 2008
Goth Country?
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6 comments:
I know exactly what you're talking about. I am fiendishly in love with Lily Allen but Jenny Cropp gifted her to me, and one of my undergrads turned me on to Belle and Sebastian (who I saw referenced in that Stuff White People like blog.)
I found Doc Watson on my own, though. I bet Seth knows Doc Watson, and I bet Tom Flynn does, too. You'd like him, I think.
I do like Doc Watson. The All Songs Considered show recently recorded a live concert with him that I am listening to today.
It's a damn fine show. And for an 80 something year old man, the man sure sounds lively and strong-voiced.
Oh, and for the record, I didn't know about Doc Watson until I got the podcast concert from All Songs Considered...which came to me last month...though I never bothered listening to it until today.
I played a lot of goth country on my radio show: Blanche, The Handsome Family, 16 Horsepower, Munly & The Lee Lewis Harlots, etc, etc. It most definitely is a genre. It's an old one, too--goes back to the murder ballads of Ireland and the Brit Isles by way of Appalachia. The Violent Femmes even recorded a nice goth country tune: "Country Death Song." Doc Watson has sung a few murder ballads in his time too. I'd even say Johnny Cash had a strong gothic streak.
To answer the question posed, though, I feel an ownership of Giant Sand and the man behind the music, Howe Gelb.
I had no idea goth country had a rich tradition...probably because I had never heard the term uttered until the All Songs Considered guy said it, and to be honest, I was expecting Marilyn Manson with fiddles and I couldn't see how the two would meet.
So, yeah, guess I like goth country. And I will need to seek out this Handsome Family.
I would say The Broke Strang Band, but I was turned on to them by a friend of mine in Carbondale (the band's from Makanda, IL). I think my choice would have to be the Timmys. They're a punk band from Springfield I grew up listening to, became friends with, partied with, etc.
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