Alternative Country

Where it all Began:
Uncle Tupelo as any country music fan will tell you. This was where Country began to branch out in a different direction and soon the band members moved on in different directions to carry forward this new kind of music. It was country that was innovative and versatile and the bands that were formed from this one band responsible for the music were The Gourds, Sun Volt and Swag. There were other bands too that let this new wave in country wash over them, reveling in it and making it their own. They were Steve Earl, Jason and the Scorchers and BR-549.

The Instruments:
Any instrument goes when it comes to alternative country. The bands that come under this category could be as widely diverse as country bands to punk rockers so the instruments too can be anything at all. While you find that guitars are standard, both the electric ones as well as the acoustic, as are the bass and drums, bands could use instruments like the harmonica or the lap steel or maybe even the mandolin or the fiddle. Many of the bands tend to veer a bit towards instruments generally used in bluegrass.

The Lyrics:
Alternative country leans toward themes that are socially aware or rather bleak. While the music can range from traditional country to a touch of rock and punk, the lyrics are usually dark and morose and it rather bends the traditional country flavor on this score.

Gram Parsons has been generally acknowledged as being the one who forged this new path towards alternative country, steering it in new directions away from the traditional country genre that someone like Hank Williams typified. After that, what followed were many musicians who had their own take and their own sense of direction. While they kept a semblance of country in their music, all that perhaps remained were the roots – they experimented and went out in different directions and the umbrella of alternative music gave them the freedom to do so.