Reply #49: Right on!

[realcountrymusic]

I'm often amazed at which musics the people who have a knee-jerk hatred for country music DO like. As if maintream radio country were either the only or the worst or the most popular *dreck* out there (anyone here ever heard Brtiney Spears or those "boy band" vocal groups?). At least there is a lot of good country music. People who live in glass houses, etc.

Pop music is pop music, "alternative" or "mainstream," it's all a product. Elitism in the cause of popular music IS a vice. You can like what you like, but that doesn't make it better than what I like in any objective sense. And most pop music, including the "quality" stuff, is at best apolitical and at worst politically frightening. If overt politics is your standard for musical quality, you're down to a small fraction of the pop music market, even less of which is worth a damn.

On the otherhand, it's cool to see so many newly politicized acts in these days of Bush*. Check out punkvoter.com for a great sample:

http://www.punkvoter.com/ (great flash intro)

Also see:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0604/p11s01-almp.html

for a good article on the new protest music.

Maybe there IS hope. And don't overlook Steve Earle if you like protest music with a twang.

RealCM