Fairly unintelligible, for the "spoken word", pipes up my oft-used comment.
Not surprised you weren't impressed. This was my first exposure to her as a solo act.
I watched a video of Louisa Stancioff in concert in her hometown "opera house." It was a decent performance. I will probably have to see her in a bar that will not be selling tickets. Could be interesting.
I didn't actually 'hate' the performance you posted - or not totally. But I almost also noted that there seemed to be some poseur-esque stuff going on there. Yet hidden(?) amongst all that I also could also detect talent.
And I completely agree with your comment about the music of Stancioff - that there was very little stylistic range on display. Yet, I enjoyed it enough to listen to the entire album, which mildly surprised me. What I discovered was that, at times, there were points that really had me imagining her influences and pathway. Just that, in itself, is an artistic accomplishment.
And even tho she's not from anywhere near my neck of the woods..........the fact that I live where I do *is* responsible for my being made aware of her - such is the bounty of opportunities hereabouts. You may want more of an explanation of that, which I could provide. Just don't ask for a mansplanation......😁
*Shinyribs* was new to me a few weeks ago when I found him (cross-searching *Fargo* playlist)...dude can play for sure (I'm nowhere ahead of any musical curve...
Ok..........Buzz, remember back a year+ ago, when I turned you on to ARC Overnight on WNCW? And I hinted that there was actually something even better that I was going to lead you into? Well, I did not forget that, and I guess I owe you some sort of apology for not yet following thru. My thinking at the time, which I may have alluded to, was to let you absorb that source for a bit, before adding another layer. And it's been on my "to do" list since then, waiting on an appropriate time to bear fruit. So I guess this is it.
(Very) locally, there is one of those new(-ish) low-power (LP) FM stations. I think those only have something like a ridiculously paltry 100W power. Totally non-commercial and "educational". Well............the Birthplace of Country Music, in Bristol (on the TN/VA line), applied for and received one of the licenses. So it is: WBCM-FM ("Birthplace of Country Music") - see link at bottom. They have tried hard, twice, to get that license changed to a regular FM license, to no avail. It can be picked up over the air at 'some' distance, intermittently, but on the order of 10s of miles at best, with good acoustic pathways. BUT.................they had the foresight to also make it online, so anyone in the world can enjoy it. And it's just totally boss - hits all the right 'notes'. It's (almost) *literally* too good to be true. It's even better than the best PBS/NPR stations, because it's essentially Americana music, with all its roots and branches, 24/7, with occasionally some live performances and/or interviews with artists. I've noted on these pages at other times how wonderful the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Festival in Bristol is each September. Well, this comes from the same source (sorta, not really, tho). But they are of the same ilk, and coordinate to some extent. Better still..................they have 3 separate "channels": "regular", Americana, and "classic" - but they interchange them all to some extent. There *are* also some shows, with hosts, mostly during the daytime. The "classic" is often a bit too country (meaning Nashville and/or Nashvegas) for me, so I usually listen to the "regular" one or "Americana". The regular one is where the Stancioff came from. If you liked ARC Overnight, you'll LUUUUV this. You'll just have to experiment with the channels, and the good thing is one can toggle back and forth between them instantly. 75-80+% of the time there's something I dig on one or more of them. In fact, it's kinda musical overload for me after a bit. I will gladly, fully, refund your cost of admission if you don't find things thereon that you'll enjoy. 😁 But it'll take you awhile to really get the feel of it. This is truly the gold mine of broadcast Americana music.
My taste in country music is a bit narrow, and my knowledge paper thin...
I like that website. I clicked on the Americana tab, and it fired up instantly into several songs by artists unknown to me. Some was pretty good (sort of southern rock; another bluegrass kinda sorta); another was a bit too deep into old-timey country for my taste. But that site has a great feel to it. I can see why you like it.
There is an NPR affiliate in Colorado Springs (KRCC) that I discovered only after I moved away. It has feel that your website has, but leaning more to the indie rock side of things. (The CC in KRCC stands for Colorado College, a fancy liberal arts college in the heart of the city, so the indie rock vibe stands to reason.)
Anyway, I'll be listening to the Americana station with some frequency. Not sure it will make for good background while I work, but we'll see.
I should also mention that their playlist(s) (as if....) perhaps skew slightly more to your tastes later in the evenings and overnight. To say that it's a "country" station would be inaccurate. They play some country music. IMO they play stuff that I would NOT call country music moreso - taken as a 24-hour sample. I would even say they stretch the genre "Americana" past what many would label that all the time. In fact, I would go so far as to say that my own tastes in "country music" are narrow.
Check it out some at night, too. And altho this may not be the same for you, I tend to like the 'normal' channel (more eclectic?) over the Americana one - altho they crossover things on them all the time.
Ok, I just brought the station up again. Patty Griffin is playing "Useless Desires." Very nice.
TN: My discussion of Americana in the context of country music was the result of being told (by someone whose opinion I trusted) as "alternative country." Trusting your brain more than theirs, I went to Wikipedia for a (hopefully) definitive word. It was a good read, albeit a bit fuzzy around the edges. Regardless, I now have a better idea of what to expect.
Yeah, no doubt that "Americana" is a very, very fuzzy categorization - but one that a great many artists are more ok with than "country", or even "alternative country", etc. It's a grab bag for sure - but certainly including bluegrass and old-time even. If someone would ask me to define "Americana", I would struggle, for sure. I like 'only' maybe 60-65% of 'it', if that much. But..........if you give it a real chance, those "edges" will quite possibly stretch outwards slowly. Love me some Patty Griffin.
[Edit/P.S. -- trusting my brain 🤯 more than someone else's is a dangerous game. I hope you have the appropriate safety equipment engaged. ⛑]
Ninety minutes in, and I'm a convert. They'll never play all of my favorite artists, but they hit John Hiatt, Buddy Guy, Norah Jones, and Neko Case in the first 45 minutes -- all of whom I've seen in concert quite recently. (I saw Neko Case earlier this month and was curious about her transition to Americana -- a long way from the New Pornographers.)
On a lark, I went to the iPhone app store looking for an app, which would be a million times more convenient in a car. Found it. Installed it.
This station wanders all over the map, from brand new to ancient. But, most of it is new to me.
Tip o'the hat, TN. I hope others on this board find your discovery interesting.
Well, the app is glitchy. It doesn't buffer at all, so the stream is constantly being interrupted. The website has a widget associated with it that can be left open in a tab on the iPhone browser. Streaming is really solid on the widget.
Since I don't 'do' apps, can't help you on that. I've never had a problem just streaming directly via phone or PC.
An update: the Birthplace of Country Music widget works like a charm with the CarPlay in my car. No pauses, skips, or glitchy behavior.
In the next few months, I will be in cell tower purgatory (that is, no cell signal). It's SiriusXM or nothing, so I checked out their Americana channel called "North American." ugh. It ranges from Dan Foggelberg to Iron and Wine with a sprinkling of Willie Nelson.
Anyway, I've been sharing Birthplace of Country Music with my music buddies who lean that direction. At least one of them was in heaven.
Stepping out of my main groove again............I heard this on ARC Overnight:
Alcohol And Cocainemarijuananicotine (youtube.com)
Extremely simple, almost numbingly so, and derivative, but somehow it seems infectious to me. Will not win Grammys. 😊
Nice! The Dandy Warhols certainly have been in the trenches for a long time. They've made the journey from indie band to Capitol Records contract and back again. Although they've been nominated for some obscure awards for their music, they have won a couple for accompanying visual production.
Another product of the Pacific Northwest.