There was a time in my life where country music made me gag and sneer (sometimes at the same time.) Then I got older and more nuanced and realized the problem wasn't the heart of country music but the over produced image and mediocrity of what passes for it.
It turns out I didn't mind it when GOOD bands like Wilco or The Old 97s let classic country, roots music, and Americana influence their stellar songwriting. The problem wasn't country, per se, but the delivery mechanism.
That said, I found myself on CMT.com last week. I felt a little dirty. I felt like I had betrayed myself in some sort of indefinable way. This was the belly of the beast. It's amazing what you'll do to see good bands performing their great songs. I blame this one on The Avett Brothers. When you write songs as good as "The Once and Future Carpenter" and play them live for the first time on a hated website even I will swallow my pride and let CMT.com be on my permanent DNS record.
I present to you the evidence of my sweet shame:
Nate, Nate, Nate. I have been in your shoes. In fact, it was while I was living with your sweet little Missus that I first secretly learned to tolerate country music. I think it was an Alison Krause song. Anyway, over the years I have learned to appreciate country music and even have some stations preset on my XM, albeit on the 2nd set of presets. Then one day a year ago, or so, my husband was watching one of his favorite ladies on FoodTV, Paula Deen. There was a guy named Zac Brown singing about how he like his chicken fried. Rob went straight to Walmart and bought his CD. (Yes, I think you're first purchase of country music should be from a Walmart. Just seems right.) Now, he's not a super country fan but we can occasionally be found watching a little CMT (especially those Crossroads shows) and we learned about the Avett Brothers from an episode of Austin City Limits. So, our tastes aren't exactly changing but rather expanding. Rob's current favorite is Ray LaMontagne, who is not exactly country but a far cry from his Pearl Jam/Soundgarden/Ministry/KMFDM days. He's mellowing with age and well, I guess I am too. So, embrace cmt.com and enjoy some new tunes. (I highly recommend the Alison Krause/Robert Plant collaboration, if you haven't heard it.)
ReplyDeleteWe tend to mellow a little in our old age.
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