Oh myy
gawwwwwwd.
This has been a helluva morning for music discoveries. First off I saw a social media post from a folk-rock band I happened to see when I was over in the States and decided to have a listen to them. Listened to a couple of songs of theirs which were really nice, but their Americana vibe gave me a hankerin' to listen to some full-blown country.
So, naturally, I pulled up some Waylong Jennings on yt and began to thoroughly indulge that urge.
A few songs into my binge, however, I was reading the comments (my laptop was failing entirely to get a connection and I was using the Youtube app on my phone, unable to minimise the video) and, in the middle of a thread voicing various opinions about modern country musicians, someone was touting the name "Sturgill Simpson" as one who was still keeping the genre alive.
After the current song had finished I chucked that name into the search bar, and... goodness me I was
blown away.
Sturgill Simpson - You Can Have the Crown / Some Days. The first few seconds of the former song and my day was already made.
It's really damn heartwarming to be reassured that people (and not hoary elders who look like they could kick the bucket at any moment!) are still making that kind of music in this day and age - and in this case, with clever lyrics that really bring the genre into the present-day without feeling like it's trying too hard to do so.
He even spoofs the horrible, much-derided cliches of "pop-country" in part of
this song.
Amazingly enough, after I'd watched a couple of his videos I found
another comment that led me to still more modern-day, old-school country singers.
Chris Stapleton - Tennessee Whiskey and
Jamey Johnson - Playing the Part. Some (well, just one) of the latter's songs are a bit too heavy on the Jesus for my taste, but I'll have to listen to some more of both of 'em for sure.
Oh, and Youtube continued its winning streak, with its recommendations leading me to
this gem of Southern rock at some point.
And a bunch of other good songs, but I'm sticking to recent/current-day artists. Reminded me a great deal of
The Black Crowes - Oh Josephine, actually... although I imagine anyone with the faintest interest in Southern rock knows them already.
...But anyway, previously
these guys were the only band I knew playing old-timey country, and they're just a side-project of one of my favourite bands. Nice to know they aren't alone!
Here's the band that sparked this whole binge in the first place:
Gleewood - Whiskey Sue Gleewood - Runnin' From the Man Check them out even if you absolutely loathed all the stuff I posted above, haha. They aren't country.
I'd describe them as bluesy, upbeat Americana-flavoured folk rock with fancy guitar work, impressive and (very) unusual vocal duets and the occasional, tasty lashing of psychedelic rock. Good stuff!
Anyway, this post took some writing. I'm gonna go relax and listen to more music now.