MOG

Well, thanks for keeping an open mind

I really dont see how anyone can "hate" a genre. I can see how they may be indifferent to it, or not listen to as much

Im a musician, and Im a true music lover. I love all music- but my least favorite is Rap. Still, I have found at least 1 or 2 rap songs that I enjoy

Country Music is good to me because I believe the singers are just better and the songs tell a story- and as a songwriter thats the kind of stuff I get sucked in by

When I hear Patsy Cline sing "Crazy", its just mesmorizing and beautiful piece of music. You dont have to drive a pickup truck to like Country Music. Good music is just good stuff.

I know what you mean...hate is a very strong word...and probably not what most people mean. It's a lot harder to say..."I am so indifferent to Rap"...we are very lazy with the English language.

And yes your point is well taken...even in every genre it is easy to find a couple of songs that will strike a cord within...it is unfortunate that, often times, a whole genre is dismissed.

Oh, the Blues Brother reference. Its kind of ironic because most people who hate Country Music just like one genre such as Rock or Pop. Death Cab for Cutie does nothing for me. I like people who can really sing. I guess thats why Rock music doesnt appeal to me much. Its really a poor excuse for music. I wish people would discover the pristine vocals of Patsy Cline, the haunting alcohol drenched voice of Hank Williams, the smooth tones of Jim Reeves or the deep baritone of Johnny Cash.

You say you tried to get into Alt Country but couldnt? Why not?

It has more punch and creativity than most Rock IMO. I get so tired of bands like Jet, and The Killers thinking they are the next Beatles (another group I cant stand)

As a singer Im drawn to music where its the singer. Rock music leaves me wondering what the fuss is all about. I dont hear good singers in Rock music. I hear screamers. And please, not Freddy Mercury. The man sounded like cats on a fence.

Also, I never understood the appeal of Pink Floyd . Their lyrics sound like they were written by a drunk child in Kindergarten. They are overly pretentious in every way.

You know the great thing about Country Music? Its able to laugh at itself! Its humour meets heartache. Rock can never do that. It takes itself way too seriously and makes me go ho hum

So when people say they 'hate Country Music' I get confused, because theres so much to like, and so little to hate.

Vasinger - I guess I wanted to engage you to see a different perspective...someone who is passionate over the prospect of country music...just like I am passionate about the music that I love & listen to daily.

But what I quite surprised by is that you seem to want it both ways.

Your comment "Death Cab for Cutie does nothing for me. I like people who can really sing. I guess thats why Rock music doesn't appeal to me much. Its really a poor excuse for music." is very telling. You can't be upset about someone slagging country music while you dismiss a whole genre that is rock. You are asking people to be open minded about country, while you are close minded and dismissive of rock. I appreciate that DCFC does nothing for you, I don't believe I asked you to get into them or to support my musical tastes...yet, you went there...and dismissed it. I can only hope that you can see that inconsistancy in your statements.

And about the alt-country...why did I not get into it? It just didn't resonate with me. Much like rock doesn't resonate with you.

I agree with Annie. I admit to saying I 'hate' country, though that's not entirely true. Truth is, I just can't get into it. What don't I like about country? It's the music.

For me, the lyrics often take the back seat to the music it's being sung, or 'screamed', over. I don't doubt that Country generally has lyrics that have been more thought out than Rock, but let's not ignore that the words are only half of the story (or less considering most bands only have one lead singer and 3+ other band members). For me, the music is about the emotion rather than the story telling and this can be achieved despite, or even without, any sub-par singing.

But Country Music has plenty of emotion. In fact its almost Emo. Country Music is honest in a way that Rock can never be...

You can hear plenty of emotion in the voices of Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline. You can hear lots of emotion in "The Great Speckled Bird" by Roy Acuff.  In fact, Country has more genuine emotion in it than Rock ever will. And the music itself is amazing too.

Ill agree that a lot of Modern Country music is basically Pop laden with a fiddle, and it does lack a lot of flavor. But REAL COUNTRY music , and the great songwriters we have will never die. Besides, if it weren't for Country, there would be none of your precious Rock n' Roll..

Annie, I was attempting to attack the music you like. But you know as well as I do, the music you like is much much more popular . And I was using as a reference point trying to see why you like such a band like DCFC, but not Country Music, a lot of which is far superior to be honest. If you ask 10 people in a room, 9 out of 10 will say they "hate " country music, but love most of the bands you listed. And I listen to that same music and just go "what?" This is better than Country? This is what people will listen to , but not Country?

Wow! Maybe Im just one of those crazy people who dont get it, I don't know.

I love music- and I love all kinds of music, I just dont understand the hate for Country Music and I always try to compare what people do like to what they dont like (ie Country) and I get really confused onto whats more appealing

Ill take Patsy Cline over The Beatles any day!

I want to add that Lyrics are music- because they overlap the melody being played. Country Music is extremely melodic.

Rock music is sometimes atonal and lacks melody , therefor is not "music" to my ears- nor is Rap. Although I do appreciate Christian Rap because of the lyrics

But a lot of country is not just twangy or one thing either. Most people dont realize how diverse and broad it is.

Its obvious you aren't a songwriter- because to me the songs are the music!

I do feel a bit rude barging in here and saying this, and you seem like a very agreeable and sincere fellow, vasinger, but I'm one of those people who doesn't "get" country music.

I mean, is it really necessary for every country singer to have the same vocal persona? Must the subject matter always be loneliness, pride, drunkenness or jail? Has there ever been a country music song in a time signature other than 4/4 or 3/4? Do the same instrumentation and arrangements not become a bit boring after a while? I have to admit the lyrics can be extremely clever sometimes, but after Bobbie Gentry and Sleepy LaBeef, maybe a bit of Buck Owens and Dolly Parton - the pickings start getting awful slim...

Um, yes there actually has been. I can't defend most Modern Country Music- because its bad, just as is most modern Rock and Pop is horrible

But you cant tell me that Johnny Cash, John Denver, Marty Robbins, The Carter Family, and the legends of Country -sound remotely anything alike!

They were all very very different and each had their own style, and vocal persona, as well as great songs that still resonate today

For example San Antonio Rose:

Deep within my heart lies a melody a song of Old San Antone Where in dreams I live with a memory beneath the stars alone Well, it was there I found beside the Alamo -enchantment strange as the blue up above O'er that moonlit pass that only she would know still hears my broken song of love"

Sheer poetry!

I doubt any agreement can be made on this issue because one can't argue a person into liking music. Do I like country now? No. Do you like rock now? No.

I think the one thing we can agree on is that sweeping generalizations don't help anyones point. Country isn't all twang or sound the same. Rock isn't all horrible yelling.

It's hard not to get defensive as a rock fan when reading statements like "Country Music is honest in a way that Rock can never be". The quality of the music depends on the individuals involved, not the genre they choose. Snoop Dogg is reportedly going to release a country album; does this automatically make him a more honest song writer in your opinion?

You are asking people to be more open minded in their opinion of Country, but it looks like your refusing to do the same with Rock.

For me, Country is one of those genres (like reggae and especially rap) that just have a higher percentage of songs that don't float my boat, so I tend to ignore the genre in general. Bluegrass? Love it. Hank Williams? Foster & Lloyd? Buddy & Julie Miller? Shania Twain? Love 'em all.... Anyway, I would LOVE to see more high-quality Country posted on MOG to listen to as it is SORELY under-represented. You seem to be fixin' for fightin' - how about becoming the Country rep on MOG and posting your faves instead?

i agree with dermahrk, country is poorly represented. and i think the reason why people dont like country is because all we see today is this:

and i did like the song you posted in the vid. however, i disagree with you when you say that without country, there would not be rock n roll, because first of all, rock was born from blues, not country. and country was also influenced directly from blues. blues can be dated back to the late 19th century, and country only to the early 20th. african americans came from miles around to work on farms in the mississippi delta, where country blues was invented. and for a time, the only difference between blues and country was race. then blues migrated north and chicago blues was born, which played on radios in every white suburb, birthing rock. in fact recording engineer sam phillips used the money that he earned from selling elvis's contract to launch the careers of johnny cash, carl perkins, and jerry lee lewis. BUT since many people have never been exposed to the great songwriters of the past, all they know is the nashville scene, which is full of flashy cowboy wanna bees with patriotic hard ons. moggers are open minded, so if you want people to like country, give us the goods! i personally may be one of the hardest to convert, but like the song in your vid, i can recognize quality when i hear it.

Country didn't come from Blues. It came from pure Celtic music brought over from the British Isles and was played in the Southern Appalachians of VA, KY, TN, and NC. Mostly by Scotch-Irish settlers. Country is pure Celtic music. In fact you play any Irish English folk song its Country. Just with a different brouge.