Your Take: Regional vs. Mainstream

I have to go with mainstream, just because we completely lack regional acts in ND.

The quality of mainstream has hit NEAR an all-time low, not THE all-time low, but near it.

I like Corey Smith’s music, in my opinion though, he’s not the slightest bit country. He’s soul/folk.

I’m more or less in agreement with Lucas, mainly because Nebraska has no regional scene other than a couple cover bands that play at the local dancehall.

But I also say that for somewhat selfish reasons. If I didn’t follow The 9513, I would have never heard of Miss Leslie, Jason Boland, Stoney LaRue or [insert your favorite regional group here]. That means people who don’t live in those regions and don’t pay attention to blogs like this one are missing out on some great music. That’s a shame.

Mainstream

I think an artist’s true ultimate goal should be making the best music they can, and only then sharing it with as wide an audience as possible.

Regrettably seeking mainstream success often does sem to lead to artistic compromise, but if it works out it allows the artist to bring his or her work to a broader audience, and to continue making music. It is a complicated issue, because there are sometimes cases where an artist does actually need outside guidance, and sometimes material, to make the most of their talent. In addition, it’s easy to miss regional artists, even though I do dig quite hard sometimes to find the music I want.

I really like Texas-based Aaron Watson, and in some ways I think it’s a shame he has had only regional success, because I think his music is part of what I miss about the way the mainstream has changed over the past decade or so. I wouldn’t have heard of him at all without the Internet, and as Andrew says, many people who would love the music of artists classified as regional, just never get exposed to it at all.

I honestly don’t know how to answer this except to say “neither.” There are a few mainstream acts that I like, but by and large the acts I like do not get mainstream airplay. And yet I can’t really say that artis like Neko Case, Ryan Adams, OCMS or Kasey Chambers are “regional” either. So I will actually invent a new categiry for the poll–Non-regional, international indie.

I like the non-mainstream country artists. For example, Miranda Lambert. I love her for not being taken over by the industry. Thats why i like artists like that. They stay true to themselves.

Stewman: I don’t think that counts in Texas though.

I think it counts everywhere. I bet 90% of artists in Texas would trade for Green’s success, if it didn’t come with the harsh criticism, which sadly is something an artist on a national level has to deal with in droves.

Jessica, Sarah Johns faced two big obstacles at Top 40 country radio; she was “too country” for a new female artists to get away with these days, her two radio singles were both novelty songs with a twisted sense of humor. Launching your career with a song about flipping off your recently dumped ex-boyfriend in a way many program directors rightfully found objectionable was just dumb. Following it with a song about being a psychologically unbalanced stalker sealed Sarah’s fate at radio.

Regarding regionalism, as a Californian who loves traditional country music, I’m very thankful for all of the people in Texas and Oklahoma who still go out to dance halls and support that kind of music! Tradition oriented artists like Amber Digby, Miss Leslie, and Kim Murray can find gigs around Texas playing styles of music that seem to be forgotten elsewhere except for maybe The Grand Ole Opry or when The Time Jumpers perform at The Station Inn in Nashville. These artists rarely venture outside of Texas (due to a lack of demand), but I’m sure glad they are out there doing what they are doing!

As much as I like the idea of artists pursuing artistic goals they need to make a living too! Many of the artists who move to Nashville have dreams of becoming a famous and successful Top 40 radio star including the financial rewards. I prefer the artists who have given up on that dream and instead just create great music I love and seek to earn enough to live a decent lifestyle. Elizabeth Cook is a fine example of such an artist. All she wants to do is earn enough to replace her worn out car! Is that too much to ask for such a talented gal? (lol)

Rick i agree with your sentiment, but part of me doesnt necessarily believe that’s that case with Elizabeth Cook. While i don’t know her personally, she had several chances with mainstream radio and has the looks of a super model (not that it matters, but it certainly doesnt hurt ones chances). While I do believe she is 100% real and she always comes across that way in interviews and her music, I do believe with the package she has as an artist, there were hopes that she would “minimally” become Shelby Lynne, if not something bigger, maybe much bigger

Shane Wyatt, while pursuing ‘mainstream’ a bit has been very successful in Minnesota with his ‘indie/regional’ success. Becky Schlegel has also found similar success in the same area while Zac Brown Band and The Lost Trailers both had major regional success prior to going national. Colt Ford has sold most of his albums in the south east and the Eli Young Band pulled over $1M dollars from just touring their last year or so before going mainstream so they hardly needed to do it.

Lots of artists have success, some choose to ’stay/return home’ while others want to break big nationally. Whatever the reason, if an artist just wants to be ‘local,’ they can do well with the same hard work as the guys who try to be national.

I believe that one of the enormous benefits of the modern computer age and sites such as mySpace is that the line between regional and national music acts is being blurred. Instead of perusing the discount album rack looking for “that something new” you haven’t heard before, today’s passionate music fan can do the same thing on sites like mySpace or OurStage.com. Ten years ago, as a Northern Californian, most smaller acts from around the country might be completely unknown to me without some heavy research. Now, every single act that plays at Tootsies, Billy Bob’s or every small Opry house around the country is linked back to a site with a handful of songs for discovery and even purchase if I choose. And on sites like mySpace, the band or act likely has “friend” links to 20 other regional bands just like them. Acts like Lindsey Lawler, Craig Boyd or Stony Run in Tennessee, Restless Kelly in Texas and Ruby Summer in SoCal (even though they’re now signed to Disney) all were discovered by me this way. Are they regional still? In a sense. But they’re more national (and perhaps even international) than ever before.

In general I find that people who ‘hate’ the mainstream will romanticize that ‘regional’ or ‘indie’ person while they’re still there (Eli Young Band/Pat Green/Jack Ingram et al) but as soon as said guy ‘goes Nashville’ or ’sells out’ the fans now hate that band.

This same thing happens in the indie rock scene. A band is beloved as a regional or ‘indie’ act but then ‘makes it big’ and then ‘loses’ much of their original ‘fans.’ Most artists would say so be it because every artist wants to reach as many people as possible, even if they say they don’t. So for a ‘fan’ to criticize a regional/indie act for trying to go mainstream probably really wasn’t a fan of that band at all.

This is not to say that said fan need to like everything that they hear from an artist that breaks out but to categorically claim all of the former favorite band’s “new stuff” as crap really means that most fans don’t take time to really listen to the new record or if they do, they expect it to sound exactly the same as the previous ‘indie’ stuff.

Matt,
I see what you’re saying, but I can’t fully agree. As someone who dislikes Pat Green’s newer music, but really enjoys his older stuff, I feel there is a marked difference since he’s started vying for the mainstream market. As far as he goes, I haven’t been a long time follower of his. I didn’t discover his older music until well after he hit the national scene. If it wasn’t for the fact that his transitional album from regional success, Three Days, was pretty good, I never would have checked out his older music based on the albums that followed Three Days.

As far as this question is concerned, I just don’t feel there’s a black and white answer.

Kasey Chambers did sign with Warner Brothers LA instead of Nashville because the Nashville label wanted her to get with Nashville writers and completely re-do The Captain.

Another thing to consider (IMHO): ‘regional’ or ‘independent’ acts have always had, and continue to have, a hard time getting radio airplay. And as great as the internet is, the people that get their music in the car, from regular old radio, are still the majority (albeit a shrinking one). Until we can get last.fm et al our cars easily, mainstream is still the only way to reach the ‘masses’. That said, I have a great deal of respect for those groups who make the conscious decision (yes, it has been and can be done) to eschew the mainstream and focus on making great music (and a decent living) ‘regionally’.

BNA and Pat Green have amicably parted ways according to tonight’s Country Aircheck. Don’t know what that means about his future nationally or back in Texas but he may be ‘done’ as a ‘mainstream’ artist, for whatever it’s worth.