alternative country
Indie meets Nashville
Alternative country is a genre of American roots music that blends traditional country sounds with punk, rock, or indie sensibilities.
It emerged in the 1980s as artists rejected Nashville's polished pop-country production in favor of rawer, more authentic sounds rooted in honky-tonk, folk, and outlaw country.
Also called alt-country or Americana, though Americana has broader scope.
Heritage artifacts or music
- AppalachiaEastern U.S. mountain region
- bluegrassAcoustic Appalachian folk music
- old-timeOf a past era
- acousticRelating to sound
storytelling · ballads · fiddle · banjo · mandolin · harmonica · folk · tradition
Produced outside majors
- roots rockRock emphasizing traditional influences
- outlawFugitive from justice
- DIYAmateur home projects
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
college radio · subgenre · movement · scene · Austin
Sharp vibrating sound
- steel guitarSlide-played stringed instrument
- drawlUnhurried, elongated speech pattern
- honky-tonkRough country music venue
- western swingMovement or seat facing sunset
lo-fi · distortion · jangly · reverb · baritone · plaintive · ragged · raw
Americana
Heritage artifacts or music
- AppalachiaEastern U.S. mountain region
- bluegrassAcoustic Appalachian folk music
- old-timeOf a past era
acoustic · storytelling · ballads · fiddle · banjo · mandolin · harmonica · folk · tradition · heritage
Wilco
Radio acknowledgment of orders
indie
Produced outside majors
- roots rockRock emphasizing traditional influences
- outlawFugitive from justice
- DIYAmateur home projects
underground · college radio · subgenre · movement · scene · Austin
twang
Sharp vibrating sound
- steel guitarSlide-played stringed instrument
- drawlUnhurried, elongated speech pattern
- honky-tonkRough country music venue
western swing · lo-fi · distortion · jangly · reverb · baritone · plaintive · ragged · raw · stripped-down
alternative, alternatively, alter, alteration, altered, altering, country, countries, countryside