The clubs of Austin, TX, proved to be fertile ground in the 1990s for bands with eclectic musical influences, but the Bad Livers may have been the least-categorizable ensemble of all. The trio's recorded songs ran the gamut from traditional folk and bluegrass to blues, early rock & roll, punk rock, and eventually even trance music. At the height... [+] Read More

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Nominated for a Grammy at age five for doing a duo with his renowned county music dad, Bobby Bare, Jr., also managed to sing on the Ryman Auditorium stage on its closing night. Although his dad is remembered for contemporary country songs like "500 Miles Away from Home" and "Houston," Bare Jr. took off in a different direction, reflected in the... [+] Read More

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At the time of their 1985 debut, Camper Van Beethoven's merging of punk, folk, ska, and world musics was truly a revelation. Self-described as "surrealist absurdist folk," the band formed in Santa Cruz, CA, after singer/songwriter David Lowery of Redlands, CA, with his dry humor and valley-boy voice (sometimes confused for a faux English... [+] Read More

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In the '70s, country & western was full of artists referred to as outlaws, mavericks who bucked the stodgy Nashville music establishment by writing their own songs, recording with their road bands, and producing their own records. The genre produced a slew of acts, but Amarillo, TX, native Joe Ely epitomized the form. Unlike most of that era's... [+] Read More

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In 2007 Chris Hess and Greg Osborne came together to create a unique Americana music experience. Though both came from very different music backgrounds the collaborative effort produced a soulful yet jagged sound.
Hess moved to Indianapolis for a teaching position at Butler University after having spent many years in the American Northwest... [+] Read More

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The Backsliders were an alternative-traditional country-rock band from North Carolina made up of guitarist Steve Howell, frontman and acoustic guitarist Chip Robinson, bassman Danny Kurtz, Jeff Dennis on drums, and Brad Rice rounding things out with his guitar. In 1994, inspired by Buck Owens, Webb Pierce, and the honky tonk life, Howell and... [+] Read More

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Festus, MO's Bottle Rockets ranked as one of the leading lights of the 1990s roots rock revival, thanks to a sound that bypassed the punk heritage proudly upheld by most of the band's contemporaries in favor of a redneck fusion of Southern boogie, country-folk, and crunching rock & roll. The group was fronted by singer/guitarist Brian Henneman,... [+] Read More

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The Goodkings are a rootsy, funky Austin band that has been compared to the Old 97s, the Black Crowes, the Jayhawks and the Gourds. Their sound combines elements of indie rock, gospel, blues and folk to create toe-tapping songs that are topical, philosophical, catchy and down-to-earth.
Recurring themes in the Goodkings' music include... [+] Read More

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The rock band, The Rebel Set, was formed in early 2006 by Tom Gilliam (vocals/lead guitar), Gavin Spencer (vocals/bass/harmonica/accordion) and Jason Johantges (rhythm guitar). Feeling they needed to expand the band’s musical diversity to capture the sound they were seeking, they soon added friends of the band Adam Kempf (drums/trumpet) and Ken... [+] Read More

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Singer/songwriter Todd Snider first garnered attention for his timely alt-rock satire "Talkin' Seattle Grunge Rock Blues," a folk-rock song that struck a chord with younger people fed up with angry alternative rock bands, and at the same time, appealed to aging rockers who grew up with the folk revival of the 1960s. Snider was born in Portland,... [+] Read More

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Wilco rose from the ashes of the seminal roots rockers Uncle Tupelo, who disbanded in 1994. While Jay Farrar, one of the group's two singer/songwriters, went on to form the band Son Volt, his ex-partner Jeff Tweedy established Wilco along with the remaining members of Tupelo's final incarnation, which included drummer Ken Coomer as well as... [+] Read More

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