Reddit mentions: The best alt-country & americana music

This is really good. Bluegrass isn't my favourite genre, but when done well, and against other compositions like this, I find I sometimes really like/respect how it's done. This actually does an admirable job. About the only negative would be that there's no real break in it to emulate the change in dynamics from the original. And yet...it still works, so it's not really a negative. This may be one of the best covers I've heard, possibly because they're not even trying to emulate Gilmour's playing.

If you like this, you should love this album (note that you can get it at the cheaper prices used...that new price is insane...it was $14 when I got it):

https://www.amazon.com/Rebuild-Wall-Luther-Wright-Wrongs/dp/B00006408J

I recently went to see The Clockwork Quartet, a bunch of mad musicians/performance artists whose concept album is about a trainfull of passengers on a trip from London to Dover, with a song about each character. Out of tune banjos, accordians, typewriter percussion, harpsichords, that sort of thing.

If you like alt country, I assume you like Jim White, Nick Cave? You might want to try picking up The Imagined Village's album (English Folk Revival), or Beyond Nashville, a series of collaborative concerts entitled The Twisted Heart of Country Music. Calexico are also a wonderful act, incredibly varied stuff. Definately get their albums Feast of Wire and The Black Heart, both soundtracks to the best gothic horror spaghetti western existential road-trip films your mind conjours up. Their live acts are also pretty good.

Finally, you'll probably like this.

| | |
|-:|:-|
|name|Sparklehorse|
|about artist|Sparklehorse was an American alternative rock band formed in 1995 and led by Mark Linkous (September 9, 1962 - March 6, 2010), a Richmond, Virginia native and last of a long line of southern coalminers. Linkous recorded much of Sparklehorse's material in his home studio, and his Southern Gothic vision guided Sparklehorse. Drummer and multi-instrumentalist Scott Minor was a frequent collaborator. (more on last.fm)|
|album|It's a Wonderful Life, released Aug 2001|
|track|Piano Fire|
|about track|"Before we went to Spain to record it, I had a DAT player and was recording acoustic versions for the co-producer so he'd know what he was in for. They have great consumer electronic level distortion and I fell in love with that distortion... it reminds you of Pavement? Good, that's a compliment. I've never really tried to be like anyone, but I love Pavement." Mark Linkous.|
|images|album image, artist image|
|links|lyrics, wikipedia, allmusic, discogs, official homepage, myspace, mp3 on amazon, CD on amazon|
|tags|rock|
|similar|Sparklehorse Fennesz, Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse, Grandaddy, Elliott Smith, Vic Chesnutt|
|metrics|lastfm listeners: 470,046, lastfm plays: 10,185,555, youtube plays: 73,659, radd.it score: 11.25|


Please downvote this comment if this data is incorrect!
I am a bot by radd.it data services. I have been requested to post these reports.

I think I read somewhere that Trent Reznor said Johnny's cover was better than the original. Quite a compliment I think! If you don't already know, you can find Cash's version of Hurt on "The Legend of Johnny Cash" compilation. It's a pretty solid intro to Cash for the new or casual fan. You'll probably recognize a few of the songs. Also, look for "American Recordings." A great CD produced by Rick Rubin.

Some links for you:
The original "Hurt" by NIN.
American Recordings.
The Legend of Johnny Cash.

Viva bacon!

Edit: I suck at formatting (and apparently punctuation).

The famous (within the bluegrass community anyway) Bluegrass band Hot Rize would alternate sets with their alter-egos Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers, a kitschy country band.

While Hot Rize would perform in the traditional suitcoat style that many Bluegrass bands would wear, Red Knuckles wore lots of fringe and bright sateen shirts - he even had fringe on the neck of his guitar. Red Knuckles would also rag on Hot Rize for playing that "itchy scratchy" music - which was what the audience came to see.

Red Knuckles was damn entertaining, with excellent musicianship, humor and a willingness to try genres and do covers of other bands, something that the purists would wail and gnash their teeth if Hot Rize tried. Red Knuckles actually did a fake commercial a'la late night television for an album of rock and roll standards in a traditional country style (Not Shania, more like old Johnny Cash or Merle Haggard). The song that comes to memory when I reminisce was "Hey Joe" done to an upbeat country standard.

Of course, if you find that interesting, I highly recommend Luther Wright and the Wrongs song-by-song cover of Pink Floyd's "the Wall" Album done in a country/bluegrass style.

Artist | Album | Price (with shipping)
---|---|----
The Antlers | Hospice | $18
Brand New| The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me (White) |
Bright Eyes | Digital Ash in a Digital Urn (sleeve has minor wears around, but record in pristine condition) | $15
Bright Eyes | Every Day and Every Night | $15
Bright Eyes | Letting Off the Happiness | $17
Broken Social Scene | You Forgot It In People | $19
Childish Gambino | Camp |
City and Colour | Bring Me Your Love |
Crash of the Rhinos | Knots | $19
Death Cab For Cutie | Plans | $25
Death Cab For Cutie | Transatlanticism | $30
Foxing | The Albatross (Grey with Red Splatter) (out of stock) | $18
Explosions in the Sky | All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone | $21
Explosions in the Sky | The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place | $15
Explosions in the Sky | Take Care, Take Care, Take Care | $25
From Indian Lakes | Able Bodies (Grey) (out of stock) | $18
Iron & Wine| Our Endless Numbered Days |$16
John Mayer | Continuum | $20
Local Natives | Gorilla Manor |
Local Natives | Hummingbird Deluxe Edition | $25
Manchester Orchestra | I'm Like A Virgin Losing a Child |
Modest Mouse | The Moon and Antarctica | $22
Owen | At Home With | $13
Owen | L'ami Du Peuple | $15
Owen | New Leaves | $15
Owen | Owen | $14
Sufjan Stevens | Greetings from Michigan | $18
Sufjan Stevens | Illinois | $18
Sufjan Stevens | Seven Swans | $17

90% of these were cheaper (some even $10 cheaper) *BRAND NEW including shipping from Amazon. This is not a deal at all, this dude is severely ripping you off and profiting.

/u/watchinglightning and /u/deadbodydisco just look over this list and see what I'm saying. Also, when you purchase from Amazon Smile, it donates to a charity of your choice.

Closest thing you'll find to Dylan is Woody Guthrie. And even that's not entirely accurate. I'd recommend this album. Bob is in a class by himself.

However, if you're feeling that "great songwriter who can't sing a lick" vibe, I'd second the recommendations of Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, and Townes Van Zant. (I think all those albums are on Spotify, BTW.)

/u/purebredginger - happy birthday! I hope it's incredible!

You can never go wrong with [Nickel Creek] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009ML2BU/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2E6OCJR5FWUO0&coliid=I1U20GC62JK44C), in my opinion.

I was pretty bummed out about it.

What's weird is that Pink Floyd seem to be the progenitors of a whole new subgenre of covers: Covers of entire albums. I have three.

• Rebuild the Wall, by Luther Wright and the Wrongs, which is an astonishingly good bluegrass rendition;
  
  
• Dub Side of the Moon, a reggae/dub take on DSOTM. Fun bit: the repeated song starting "Money" is a bong bubbling instead of a cash register.
  
  plus the Lips one.

Yep, sometimes I'm in the mood for Townes, sometimes for the Dixie Chicks. (The latter perhaps because I have two girls.) Live at the Old Quarter is his best CD IMO, in case you haven't run into it yet.

Sackcloth 'N' Ashes
-- Sixteen Horsepower

I really love the song Black Soul Choir.

If you actually liked this, pick up Straight to Hell by Hank Williams III.

He's a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll and a little bit crazy