Gothic Americana/ Alt-Country/ Dark Cabaret

Berni · 10-28-2009, 12:35 PM

Anyhow to answer your question regarding Townes Van Zandt; last.fm has been recommending me him for awhile now but I haven't really gone out looking for him so I'll take whatever you've got, thanks[/QUOTE]

I can't believe it. TVZ's like one of the ancestors of gothic country with songs like "waitin' around to die" I can certainly hook you up with some too, as well as anyone else whom I mention. Just give me a heads up.

Engine · 10-29-2009, 02:15 PM

Townes is a god in Austin. The local NPR station is essentially a shrine to him. I think the DJs there are required to solemnly worship his image several times a day.

Berni · 10-29-2009, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Engine

Townes is a god in Austin. The local NPR station is essentially a shrine to him. I think the DJs there are required to solemnly worship his image several times a day.

Good one!

Hey, twangnation.com has a post on 10 Spooky Gothic Country Halloween Songs that's pretty good.

savannah · 10-29-2009, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Berni

Sounds great - someday we should meet there for lunch and a show!

I don't know what it is about Texas and great songwriters but the list seems endless. I've been a huge Radney Foster fan seems like forever. TVZ and Clark, like mentioned. How about James McMurtry? Jerry Jeff Walker, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Billy Joe Shaver... there's soo many. There's tons of new artists too, and then the TX/Oklahoma red dirt music scene rocks on.

So much music, so little time.

saddly i dont make it to georgia as much as i once did,.....

but finally someone who can talk texas music,...i mean really talk texas music,...

i've always loved radney foster, even way back in the foster and loyd days,..though sometimes he can be a bit commercial,...
makeing it up as i go along has been a long standing anthem for me

townes van zandt was truely an amazingly tragic figure who contributed much more to country music than those outside of texas often give him credit for

jerry jeff walker i grew up on, as i'm extreamly nostaglic about,....i have video tape of my five year old self standin on a bar in an ice house singin sangria wine long before i ever even understood more than the doodidoodiloos,....though his version of la freeway is my favorite, i fully understand he wasnt even born here and made most of his money on luckenbach folklore, and guy clark covers,....and you know what, i dont give a damn,.....
"just gettin by on gettin by's my stock n trade, livin it day to day,...just pickin up the pieces where ever they fall, just lettin it roll, lettin the high times carry the low, just livin my life easy come easy go"

guy clark,....how dark is it? so dark i can see ft worth from here (no matter what part of the world i'm in)

hubbard,...screw you i'm from texas

james mcmurtry i found by way of his daddy,.....i do have a soft spot for all the last picture show books (but mostly texasville),.....and i'm glad i did,...midnight shows at the continental and antones, just dont call him jamie mac to his face, i dont think he liked that very much

billy joe is no longer a hunk of coal,..

as for the new gaurd,...randy rogers will be the downfall of texas country and he better thank god he has brady black playin fiddle for him otherwise no amount of pitch correction could save him

Berni · 10-29-2009, 09:30 PM

I've never been to Georgia, but the folks we know from Athens come up here every summer for an event. I'd love to catch the drive-by truckers, Dexateens, or Dead Confederate at the 40 Watt though.

How could I have forgotten the Gourds? One of the best shows that I've ever seen was the Gourds. I think that they're from Austin. They really tore it up.

This week's episode at americanaroots.com (#53) is what they're calling "Creepy Americana". I guess Halloween brings out the darker country selections - although in this instance, even though the intro says it's gothic country, I only consider about half of the episode's selections as that.

LoathsomePete · 10-29-2009, 11:22 PM

I've decided to include Gothic Country's equally dark and disturbing cousin dark cabaret in the thread. It is essentially what it sounds like, it's a darker version of the cabaret genre. Very theatrical and vaudevillian; the songs end up sounding very mischievous and lyrics tend to lean towards disturbing to gruesome. Some artists that make up the genre:

Peculiar Pretzelmen
Circus Contraption
The Bad Things
Beat Circus
Rosin Coven
The Scarring Party
Harlequin Jones
Clare Fader & The Vaudevillains
The Dead Brothers
Reverend Glasseye & his Wooden Legs
Vermillion Lies
The Deadfly Ensemble

An Unkindness · 11-04-2009, 02:23 AM

I'm going to have to throw my hat into the circle about how great it is to find a real discussion of this somewhere. Lonesome Wyatt seems to be some sort of Internet research God as the only band I can really add to the list is Murder by Death. They're a little strange though, so bear with me. The first album, Like the Exorcist but with More Breakdancing is a bit more ambient in nature. The second album, Who Will Survive and What Will Be Left of Them, is Gothic Western, the third, In Bocca Al Lupo, is more dark cabaret, and the fourth, Red of Tooth and Claw has a gothic western rock feel to it.

They're based out of Indiana and are the group that got me into this whole new and blessed side of country. Feel free to look them up and take a listen, and don't worry I'll stick around and defend them.

As far as the others listed:

Those Poor Bastards (Songs of Desperation and Satan is Watching are my favorites)
O'Death (Broken is my fav album, but Adelita is probably my favorite song)
The Builders and the Butchers (Both of those albums are freakin' great)
Reverend Glasseye (Sort of ambivalent towards them actually, some songs I adore, like King of Men, some I just skip past without a second thought)
William Elliot Whitmore (just skip the third album, "Song of the Blackbird")
Pine Box Boys (So utterly listenable. I'm starting a campaign for them and MBD to do the song exchange on the fourth of the MBD 7" series)
Lucero (Meh, but I only have Rebels, Rogues, and Sworn Brothers so maybe they have better stuff elsewhere)

Anyways, I'm getting tired and cranky so I'll continue later. I'm really interested in some Pinebox Serenade and Black River Brethren if anyone knows where I can grab some.

4ZZZ · 11-04-2009, 05:13 AM

Sorry but the link that you requested no longer exists. The site died a death sadly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by An Unkindness

I'm going to have to throw my hat into the circle about how great it is to find a real discussion of this somewhere. Lonesome Wyatt seems to be some sort of Internet research God as the only band I can really add to the list is Murder by Death. They're a little strange though, so bear with me. The first album, Like the Exorcist but with More Breakdancing is a bit more ambient in nature. The second album, Who Will Survive and What Will Be Left of Them, is Gothic Western, the third, In Bocca Al Lupo, is more dark cabaret, and the fourth, Red of Tooth and Claw has a gothic western rock feel to it.

I have actually discovered this band in the last week and on only one or two plays of the highlighted album they are very very promising. I like their eclecticism. On your recommendation I will be listening to the others.

phantomgreen · 12-19-2009, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoathsomePete

I've decided to include Gothic Country's equally dark and disturbing cousin dark cabaret in the thread. It is essentially what it sounds like, it's a darker version of the cabaret genre. Very theatrical and vaudevillian; the songs end up sounding very mischievous and lyrics tend to lean towards disturbing to gruesome. Some artists that make up the genre:

Peculiar Pretzelmen
Circus Contraption
The Bad Things
Beat Circus
Rosin Coven
The Scarring Party
Harlequin Jones
Clare Fader & The Vaudevillains
The Dead Brothers
Reverend Glasseye & his Wooden Legs
Vermillion Lies
The Deadfly Ensemble

If you enjoy that style of dark cabaret you need to check out Devil Doll, it seems I can't link urls right now but you'll find many clips of various lengths on youtube. Parts cabaret, classical, rock and experimental, it makes alot of the bands you listed look kinda amateurish, Mr. Doctor really hit the mark with his albums, they're amazing.

Berni · 11-04-2009, 06:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by savannah

saddly i dont make it to georgia as much as i once did,.....

i've always loved radney foster, even way back in the foster and loyd days,..though sometimes he can be a bit commercial,...

I agree, his songs that I care for the least are sort of smarmy but, for some reason I can't fathom, tend to be the ones that get the most notice from the more general audience. Well, the guy has to make a living and even those songs are better than mainstream Nashville crap.
Anyway, I just found he's playing a single northeast show this month. I think it's the first one since I saw him in RI in 2000 and I'm excited. Heck, I once drove 300 miles to see the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash play at a dive in Ithaca, NY.

jerry jeff walker i grew up on, as i'm extreamly nostaglic about,....i have video tape of my five year old self standin on a bar in an ice house singin sangria wine long before i ever even understood more than the doodidoodiloos,....though his version of la freeway is my favorite, i fully

Awww! I can just picture it. The music I remember from that age was French Canadian fiddle and accordian stuff with people clog dancing on wooden floors.

hubbard,...screw you i'm from texas

'nuff said

as for the new gaurd,...randy rogers will be the downfall of texas country and he better thank god he has brady black playin fiddle for him otherwise no amount of pitch correction could save him

There's so much good stuff from there we can just agree to ignore Randy Rogers. Just like I prefer to think that Toby Keith and John Rich don't exist and really don't have fans.

But what do I know, as LL says "that's right, you're not from Texas"

10-29-2009, 02:15 PM	#2 (permalink)
Engine air quote Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: pollen & mold Posts: 3,108	Townes is a god in Austin. The local NPR station is essentially a shrine to him. I think the DJs there are required to solemnly worship his image several times a day. __________________ Like an arrow, I was only passing through.

10-29-2009, 11:22 PM	#6 (permalink)
LoathsomePete Cardboard Box Realtor Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Hobb's End Posts: 7,648	I've decided to include Gothic Country's equally dark and disturbing cousin dark cabaret in the thread. It is essentially what it sounds like, it's a darker version of the cabaret genre. Very theatrical and vaudevillian; the songs end up sounding very mischievous and lyrics tend to lean towards disturbing to gruesome. Some artists that make up the genre: Peculiar Pretzelmen Circus Contraption The Bad Things Beat Circus Rosin Coven The Scarring Party Harlequin Jones Clare Fader & The Vaudevillains The Dead Brothers Reverend Glasseye & his Wooden Legs Vermillion Lies The Deadfly Ensemble __________________ Last.FM 101 Albums That May Not Change Your Life, But I Really Like And You Might Too

11-04-2009, 02:23 AM	#7 (permalink)
An Unkindness Groupie Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 4	Spectacular. I'm going to have to throw my hat into the circle about how great it is to find a real discussion of this somewhere. Lonesome Wyatt seems to be some sort of Internet research God as the only band I can really add to the list is Murder by Death. They're a little strange though, so bear with me. The first album, Like the Exorcist but with More Breakdancing is a bit more ambient in nature. The second album, Who Will Survive and What Will Be Left of Them, is Gothic Western, the third, In Bocca Al Lupo, is more dark cabaret, and the fourth, Red of Tooth and Claw has a gothic western rock feel to it. They're based out of Indiana and are the group that got me into this whole new and blessed side of country. Feel free to look them up and take a listen, and don't worry I'll stick around and defend them. As far as the others listed: Those Poor Bastards (Songs of Desperation and Satan is Watching are my favorites) O'Death (Broken is my fav album, but Adelita is probably my favorite song) The Builders and the Butchers (Both of those albums are freakin' great) Reverend Glasseye (Sort of ambivalent towards them actually, some songs I adore, like King of Men, some I just skip past without a second thought) William Elliot Whitmore (just skip the third album, "Song of the Blackbird") Pine Box Boys (So utterly listenable. I'm starting a campaign for them and MBD to do the song exchange on the fourth of the MBD 7" series) Lucero (Meh, but I only have Rebels, Rogues, and Sworn Brothers so maybe they have better stuff elsewhere) Anyways, I'm getting tired and cranky so I'll continue later. I'm really interested in some Pinebox Serenade and Black River Brethren if anyone knows where I can grab some.

10-28-2009, 12:35 PM	#1 (permalink)
Berni Music Addict Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 67	Anyhow to answer your question regarding Townes Van Zandt; last.fm has been recommending me him for awhile now but I haven't really gone out looking for him so I'll take whatever you've got, thanks[/QUOTE] I can't believe it. TVZ's like one of the ancestors of gothic country with songs like "waitin' around to die" I can certainly hook you up with some too, as well as anyone else whom I mention. Just give me a heads up.

10-29-2009, 09:30 PM	#5 (permalink)
Berni Music Addict Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 67	I've never been to Georgia, but the folks we know from Athens come up here every summer for an event. I'd love to catch the drive-by truckers, Dexateens, or Dead Confederate at the 40 Watt though. How could I have forgotten the Gourds? One of the best shows that I've ever seen was the Gourds. I think that they're from Austin. They really tore it up. This week's episode at americanaroots.com (#53) is what they're calling "Creepy Americana". I guess Halloween brings out the darker country selections - although in this instance, even though the intro says it's gothic country, I only consider about half of the episode's selections as that.