..like modern rock has its alternative version (in underground AOR in my opinion), and 80's metal had it's alternative in the Cure and Depeche Mode- country music has its alternative in "Red Dirt" music...the leader of this Genre is Oklahoma's own -Cross Canadian Ragweed, whom I was privledged to experience live for the 3rd time Saturday night. Anyone who can appreciate King's X as the musician's metal band should be able to appreciate CCR as the musician's Country band- except that the only resemblance to country is the occasional reference to their heroes Johnny Cash and Ray Wylie Hubbard. Completely shunned by the Nashville music establishment, Ragweed offers their middle finger to the glossy, pop-oriented trendiness of modern mainstream country music, by staying as raw and rugged as possible- Lynryrd Skynyrd, Kid Rock, Hank Williams Jr., and the late-great Johnny Cash count themselves among their best fans. Being fan these guys truly does help me to understand how the alternative music fans of the 80's hated the prevailing glam-metal, although, I LOVED it.
I started listening to bands like CCR, Stoney LaRue, and the Drive-by-truckers back when I WAS a trucker, and was bored to tears with bands like Rascal Flatts (country's New Kids on the Block) and Kenny Chesney (country's lamest cowboy) being the only music I could hear no matter what state I was in. I used to love running through Texas and Oklahoma, because next to the boring mainstream country stations I could normally pick-up without a problem, I could hear the local radio stations playing real music from bands like this- bands who are closer to the legacy of Hank Williams (Sr. and Junior), and Johnny Cash than ANY country artist who is popular now. The modern establishment of country, (dare I call them POSEURS?) has done a lot to diminish the rebel attitude of it's roots- CCR is reviving them...
a bootleg version of CCR's audience favorite...the middle-finger anthem of the haters of modern country. "leaving Tennessee", which sounds alot like Johnny Cash..
Unfortunately, all of the YouTube video that is of decent quality has been disabled, so these bootleg recordings are the best I can post- so I'm not doing these guys justice. CCR is one of the best live bands I have every seen or heard, and whether you are a fan of country music or not if you Love it, Hate it, despise new country (as I do)- if you are a fan of rock music at all, you can't miss Cody Canada and the Cross Canadian Ragweed experience....here they are covering a Primus classic...Wynnona's Big Brown Beaver..
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I just read The Onion - did you know CCR was just here like a week ago??
I think I helped promote one of their shows a few years back, but I didn't go...
that is the concert that I was referring to- about a week ago at the Rose...
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