For you Irish lads & lasses you probably have not heard this one.
I used to meet musicians who would tell me, "I play both kinds of music ~ Country . . . & Western."
I hate to break it to them but they left off a few.
'Rhythm ' & 'Blues' for instance.
Not to mention "ROCK" & "ROLL"
The best of all is, of course, trad.
There once was a time when there was a difference between "Country" & "Western", and that's probably what they meant. When you listen to Jim Reeves and Eddie Arnold recordings, you realize how far removed Country is from where it came from. But unlike trad, not too many people make a fuss about that evolution.
Well, the old-timey players I know WOULD make a fuss about that evolution.
Anyway, wasn't Western that Singing Cowboy thing ?
Now we have Country Rock, Folk Rock, Twisted Folk, etc........
All day and night, music,
a quiet, bright reedsong.
If it fades, we fade
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened. Don't open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground
I think Western actually came before Western Swing, but was probably a merging of western and jazz, similar to what bluegrass did to country. I'm no expert, but I think that Gene Autry would probably fit in that Western category. Western Swing is fantastic. I have 3 WS cd's that I listen to a lot. A great one is "Runaway Fiddles" with Vassar and Buddy Spicher.
"Well, the old-timey players I know WOULD make a fuss about that evolution"
Interesting, Pete, but you will be talking about revivalists, who would have more in common , attitudinally, with modern-day "ITM" folkies than the people who originally made the music they revere and their direct heirs. Even the lovely-sounding phrase "old-timey" has become a precise category to the sort of people who fuss over such things.
It's said in piping, that the tight piping style respects the silences between the notes, and that those silences are just as important as the notes themselves.
Even then, no piper is adequately prepared to play country & western music from behind the hog wire at a roadhouse in this country, on a Saturday night.
What is "the hog wire"? Do musos over there habitually play in pig-pens? What is a roadhouse? Is it the same as a cat-house? I think we should be told.
If the piper knows "Stand By Your Man" or
The Great Speckled Bird"
there is no need for the hog wire.
Sometimes in Florida or Kentucky (or Bakersfield)
"Danny Boy" does the trick.
It's the barrier between the musicians and the patrons in some of the rougher Saturday-night spots in the US. It's harder to break than chicken wire. The crowd out in the house comes for the country music, and the fighting Roadhouses, well, if your asking in honest ignorance, roadhouses can be some of the rougher places to hear country music. They're legit , mostly. Lots of nicer places abound, that also feature live country, and without the fighting. I used for the extreme example for shock value.
The Tao of Saturday night
The Tao of Saturday night
For you Irish lads & lasses you probably have not heard this one.
I used to meet musicians who would tell me, "I play both kinds of music ~ Country . . . & Western."
I hate to break it to them but they left off a few.
'Rhythm ' & 'Blues' for instance.
Not to mention "ROCK" & "ROLL"
The best of all is, of course, trad.
Cheers
# Posted on June 29th 2008 by Random_notes
Re: The Tao of Saturday night
"The world is vast and wide. Why do you put on your robes at the sound of a bell?"
# Posted on June 29th 2008 by Bodhi
Re: The Tao of Saturday night
There once was a time when there was a difference between "Country" & "Western", and that's probably what they meant. When you listen to Jim Reeves and Eddie Arnold recordings, you realize how far removed Country is from where it came from. But unlike trad, not too many people make a fuss about that evolution.
# Posted on June 29th 2008 by nofrets
Re: The Tao of Saturday night
Mariska: Mu!!! (That's a Zen pun, y'all.)
It don't mean a thang if it ain't got that twang....
# Posted on June 29th 2008 by mickray
Re: The Tao of Saturday night
Well, the old-timey players I know WOULD make a fuss about that evolution.
Anyway, wasn't Western that Singing Cowboy thing ?
Now we have Country Rock, Folk Rock, Twisted Folk, etc........
# Posted on June 29th 2008 by Guernsey Pete
Re: The Tao of Saturday night
All day and night, music,
a quiet, bright reedsong.
If it fades, we fade
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened. Don't open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# Posted on June 29th 2008 by paulflute
Re: The Tao of Saturday night
"You think you are playing a thing called a flute, but what is important is the space inside"
I always assumed the "Western" was from Western Swing, Bob Wills, etc.
# Posted on June 29th 2008 by TomB-R
Re: The Tao of Saturday night
I think Western actually came before Western Swing, but was probably a merging of western and jazz, similar to what bluegrass did to country. I'm no expert, but I think that Gene Autry would probably fit in that Western category. Western Swing is fantastic. I have 3 WS cd's that I listen to a lot. A great one is "Runaway Fiddles" with Vassar and Buddy Spicher.
# Posted on June 29th 2008 by nofrets
Re: The Tao of Saturday night
There's probably a "Country &..." for every rural area of the UK.
Country & Westmorland, for starters...
# Posted on June 29th 2008 by nicholas
Re: The Tao of Saturday night
"Well, the old-timey players I know WOULD make a fuss about that evolution"
Interesting, Pete, but you will be talking about revivalists, who would have more in common , attitudinally, with modern-day "ITM" folkies than the people who originally made the music they revere and their direct heirs. Even the lovely-sounding phrase "old-timey" has become a precise category to the sort of people who fuss over such things.
# Posted on June 29th 2008 by Bren
Re: The Tao of Saturday night
It's said in piping, that the tight piping style respects the silences between the notes, and that those silences are just as important as the notes themselves.
# Posted on June 29th 2008 by Atahualpa Quigley
The Tao of Sunday afternoon
Without those silences the tao of music is not heard.
The noise becomes deafening.
I have heard it takes 21 years to learn the pipes.
7 & 7 & 7
# Posted on June 29th 2008 by Random_notes
Re: The Tao of Saturday night
Sometimes they're preferable to listen to, as well.
# Posted on June 29th 2008 by nicholas
Re: The Tao of Saturday night
The silences, I meant...serves me right for trying to be a smart*rse!
# Posted on June 29th 2008 by nicholas
Re: The Tao of Saturday night
Even then, no piper is adequately prepared to play country & western music from behind the hog wire at a roadhouse in this country, on a Saturday night.
# Posted on June 29th 2008 by Atahualpa Quigley
Re: The Tao of Saturday night
Hear about the guitarist who was unpopular with his session because he kept bringing in strange Triads?
# Posted on June 29th 2008 by nicholas
Re: The Tao of Saturday night
That should have read: "even behind hog wire"
# Posted on June 29th 2008 by Atahualpa Quigley
Re: The Tao of Saturday night
What is "the hog wire"? Do musos over there habitually play in pig-pens? What is a roadhouse? Is it the same as a cat-house? I think we should be told.
# Posted on June 29th 2008 by nicholas
Saturday night
If the piper knows "Stand By Your Man" or
The Great Speckled Bird"
there is no need for the hog wire.
Sometimes in Florida or Kentucky (or Bakersfield)
"Danny Boy" does the trick.
Meow
# Posted on June 29th 2008 by Random_notes
Re: The Tao of Saturday night
It's the barrier between the musicians and the patrons in some of the rougher Saturday-night spots in the US. It's harder to break than chicken wire. The crowd out in the house comes for the country music, and the fighting Roadhouses, well, if your asking in honest ignorance, roadhouses can be some of the rougher places to hear country music. They're legit , mostly. Lots of nicer places abound, that also feature live country, and without the fighting. I used for the extreme example for shock value.
# Posted on June 29th 2008 by Atahualpa Quigley
Re: The Tao of Saturday night
There is afiddler up in Seattle, a native of Ireland, who was given to boasting that he and his band play both kinds if Irish music: jigs AND reels.
# Posted on June 29th 2008 by Atahualpa Quigley
Re: The Tao of Two
I'll have to try those reels.
I thought there was just the jigs ~ single & double.
# Posted on June 30th 2008 by Random_notes