AndreTheHyena
02-21-2006, 06:17 PM
I've liked these guys for a while, but lately it's grown to an obsession.
Lots of folks flirted with cowpunk and alt. country before Uncle Tupelo (the Replacements, Meat Puppets, etc), but UT revolutionized the genre. Fronted by Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy and formed in the late 80's in Belleville, IL, (a few miles east of St. Louis) Uncle Tupelo mixed high-energy Midwest punk with the traditional country and folk songs they grew up with. Rooted in various high school punk bands, Uncle Tupelo played viciously loud, fast, beer-fueled shows, gaining a loyal fanbase in St. Louis. With the release of their debut LP, No Depression, they established alt. country as a viable scene, even getting it dubbed the "No Depression" movement (there's still a thriving online community called No Depression).
Uncle Tupelo broke up after a few more albums and some interpersonnel drama, and Jay Farrar went on to form Son Volt, while Jeff Tweedy formed Wilco and went on to gain critical acclaim and notoriety as one of America's most promising current rock acts.
Anyhow, Uncle Tupelo sound like the Minutemen meet Neil Young (or is that Husker Du meets Bob Dylan?). They have acoustic folk songs with mandolin, and they have straight-up punk rock wailers. They have a special place in my heart, as they played their last couple shows in Columbia (where I went to school and am currently bumming around in) and Mississippi Nights in STL (their song "Whiskey Bottle" has lyrics referring to driving to Columbia and getting drunk. The sign he refers to, "Liquor and Guns", was still up until a week ago).
Songs:
"Gun"
"No Depression"
"I Got Drunk"
"Screen Door"
"I Wanna Be Your Dog"
"Life Worth Livin'"
"Train"
"Whiskey Bottle"
"New Madrid"
"D Boon"
"Watch Me Fall"
Albums: An Anthology pretty much has you covered, but No Depression and Anodyne are both essential. They have a pretty badass album of rare tracks and covers, as well.
For fans of: the Replacements, Husker Du, Neil Young, Whiskeytown, Minutemen, Wilco, Drive-By Truckers, Meat Puppets, Lucero, Old 97's, Bob Dylan
Lots of folks flirted with cowpunk and alt. country before Uncle Tupelo (the Replacements, Meat Puppets, etc), but UT revolutionized the genre. Fronted by Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy and formed in the late 80's in Belleville, IL, (a few miles east of St. Louis) Uncle Tupelo mixed high-energy Midwest punk with the traditional country and folk songs they grew up with. Rooted in various high school punk bands, Uncle Tupelo played viciously loud, fast, beer-fueled shows, gaining a loyal fanbase in St. Louis. With the release of their debut LP, No Depression, they established alt. country as a viable scene, even getting it dubbed the "No Depression" movement (there's still a thriving online community called No Depression).
Uncle Tupelo broke up after a few more albums and some interpersonnel drama, and Jay Farrar went on to form Son Volt, while Jeff Tweedy formed Wilco and went on to gain critical acclaim and notoriety as one of America's most promising current rock acts.
Anyhow, Uncle Tupelo sound like the Minutemen meet Neil Young (or is that Husker Du meets Bob Dylan?). They have acoustic folk songs with mandolin, and they have straight-up punk rock wailers. They have a special place in my heart, as they played their last couple shows in Columbia (where I went to school and am currently bumming around in) and Mississippi Nights in STL (their song "Whiskey Bottle" has lyrics referring to driving to Columbia and getting drunk. The sign he refers to, "Liquor and Guns", was still up until a week ago).
Songs:
"Gun"
"No Depression"
"I Got Drunk"
"Screen Door"
"I Wanna Be Your Dog"
"Life Worth Livin'"
"Train"
"Whiskey Bottle"
"New Madrid"
"D Boon"
"Watch Me Fall"
Albums: An Anthology pretty much has you covered, but No Depression and Anodyne are both essential. They have a pretty badass album of rare tracks and covers, as well.
For fans of: the Replacements, Husker Du, Neil Young, Whiskeytown, Minutemen, Wilco, Drive-By Truckers, Meat Puppets, Lucero, Old 97's, Bob Dylan