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American Idol Back-up Band, Country?

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Author	Topic: American Idol Back-up Band, Country?
Stephen Gregory Member From:	posted 11 May 2005 05:55 PM profile Just my opinion but, despite how well these guys play on all other genres, they are downright mediocre on anything with a country "feel". I'm sure they believe they are overqualified to play this "hick" music but they just don't have the "feel" or quite frankly the "chops" to pull it off convincingly.
David Mason Member From: Cambridge, MD, USA	posted 12 May 2005 02:26 AM profile I wonder how much time the band has to arrange and rehearse the songs? I know that I will never have the skill, temperament and most of all versatility to play that way, but having said that, there have been a couple of "rock and roll" songs where the guitar player used nearly-excruciating tone settings. Overdrive and fuzz are not synonyms. You would think they could rope in a hungry-for-exposure L.A.-dwelling "legend" like Frampton or Van Halen to cameo on those songs.
Theresa Galbraith Member From: Goodlettsville,Tn. USA	posted 12 May 2005 06:38 AM profile Hat's off to the band playing the country stuff. "Sin Wagon" was awesome and I thought Simon blaming the band on her second song was cheap! My vote is for the band and Carrie! [This message was edited by Theresa Galbraith on 12 May 2005 at 06:39 AM.]
Jack Stoner Sysop From: Inverness, Florida	posted 12 May 2005 07:56 AM profile I don't watch the show. But very few musicians can play all genre's of music well or even get the basic feel of the genre. I've worked with some outstanding musician's and they would "blow me away" but when it came to "hardcore" country they just didn't have it. I've had just the opposite experience too, and have someone tell me "you country guy's can't play rock".
Dave Horch Member From: Frederick, Maryland, USA	posted 12 May 2005 09:57 AM profile I'm with Theresa and Jack... Have you ever had to play a gig where you are expected to be able to play anything put in front of you? Here's the charts, look them over for 10 minutes, now play 'em, expertly. Can't cut it? No problem, LA has a pretty big book, we can call someone else... I think that house band does a hell of a job. But I still am waiting for them to call Ernest Bovine in again to add some steel!
Donny Hinson Member From: Balto., Md. U.S.A.	posted 12 May 2005 02:07 PM profile I don't really think they need a "true country band". After all, they've never had what I would call a "true country" singer on the show! For the uptown-NCS material that's done, the band does a real fine job. Distorted guitars, throbbing bass, and crashing cymbals have never been country...and never will be! I don't care how many records it sells. Those of you who want to know what "true country" is, e-mail me. I'll educate you.
Stephen Gambrell Member From: Ware Shoals, South Carolina, USA	posted 12 May 2005 04:01 PM profile " Distorted guitars,........have never been country" What about Grady Martin's intro to "Don't Worry 'Bout Me?"
Bill Hatcher Member From: Atlanta Ga. USA	posted 12 May 2005 04:49 PM profile I think that if a country band was doing the back up for the American Idol show then the kids would be in a world of trouble. I will take a seasoned group of all around players who play the heck out of 95% of the arrangements and just only play good on one style-----country. If a country band was back there then someone would gripe about the funk feels and hip hop grooves. I can just see some LA arranger trying to write out a Whitney Houston tune using that Nashville number business. I personally am tickled to see a live band back there playing. I don't care if they are country or funk or blues or what. They could easily have used canned music recorded in the studio as is most of the junk you see on TV these days. I make a living doing this. ANYTHING that promotes live playing is fine with me.
Stephen Gregory Member From:	posted 12 May 2005 05:00 PM profile I never said they should have a country band on America Idol. My point is that many very good players including the ones on "Idol" who are great players, just don't seem to capture the country "feel", especially the rhythm sections. My comment is more of a "hats off" to the great session players in Nashville then it is a knock against other players!
Donny Hinson Member From: Balto., Md. U.S.A.	posted 12 May 2005 06:22 PM profile quote: " Distorted guitars,........have never been country" What about Grady Martin's intro to "Don't Worry 'Bout Me?" Well it sure wasn't country! Marty did a lot of stuff that wasn't even close to country. Still, the mainstream country audiences loved him. The same could be said of Ray Price. Remember "For The Good Times"? Sorry, That wasn't country either! Great song, nice arrangement, but "pop" from the intro to the retard. If you're going to call that stuff country, you might as well throw Andy Williams and Pat Boone in there, too. When country stars veer into pop, blues, rock, or any other genre, the bulk of the country audience goes right on buying their records. What can I say? I guess their standards aren't as high as mine.
Stephen Gambrell Member From: Ware Shoals, South Carolina, USA	posted 12 May 2005 08:50 PM profile OK, then, Donny, how do you define country music? Don't name any names, since Ray Price, Marty Robbins, and so many others, are not necessarily country (at least according to you). I want to know what criteria you use to categorize music as "country." Not a particular song, I want to know what your standards are. And "American Idol?"??????
Earnest Bovine Member From: Los Angeles CA USA	posted 12 May 2005 09:04 PM profile Stephen, don't feed the troll.
Theresa Galbraith Member From: Goodlettsville,Tn. USA	posted 13 May 2005 04:49 AM profile
Kevin Hatton Member From: Amherst, N.Y.	posted 13 May 2005 05:52 AM profile You know country when you hear it. Fiddles, steel guitars, shuffles, and two/fours. No distorted guitars or crashing cymbals. By the way, i think that the T.V. band did what they were expected to do, which was not real country but could play any style if they had to.
Ray Minich Member From: Limestone, New York, USA	posted 13 May 2005 06:10 AM profile "Don't worry 'bout me..." Per an interview with Marty Robbins that I watched on TV in the early or mid-60's, that bass guitar distortion was an accident. They let it go thru to the LP. Rattling 6L6's if my memory serves me correct. I guess it was unique at the time.
Stephen Gambrell Member From: Ware Shoals, South Carolina, USA	posted 13 May 2005 08:23 AM profile "You know country when you hear it." Does that mean I've gotta be a Buddhist? I mean, that sounds rather Zen-like to me. Was Bill Monroe country, since so much of his music came from the blues? Were the Texas Troubadours a "country" band, since they had so many great jazz players over the years? I'm sorry, Kevin, you STILL haven't defined "country music," to the point where I'll know what country music is.
Smiley Roberts Member From: Hendersonville,Tn. 37075	posted 13 May 2005 09:29 AM profile Hey,I'm a Country Music "idle"! Duz'zat count?? ------------------ ~ ~ ©¿© It don't mean a thang, mm if it ain't got that twang. www.ntsga.com
David Mason Member From: Cambridge, MD, USA	posted 13 May 2005 10:13 AM profile Which country?
Smiley Roberts Member From: Hendersonville,Tn. 37075	posted 13 May 2005 11:17 AM profile DAVID...DON'T MAKE ME GET OUT MY FEATHER DUSTER,& BEAT YOU,UNMERCIFULLY,WITH IT! I HATE the sight of blood! ('specially mine.) ------------------ ~ ~ ©¿© It don't mean a thang, mm if it ain't got that twang. www.ntsga.com
Dave Horch Member From: Frederick, Maryland, USA	posted 14 May 2005 04:18 AM profile Okay then... We now return you to the topic of this thread. Theresa wrote: quote: Hat's off to the band playing the country stuff. "Sin Wagon" was awesome A video clip of Ms. Underwood's "sin wagon" performance (with obligatory advertisement in front of it) can be viewed at http://www.idolonfox.com/images/promoD/video.asp?video=final5/week17/Carrie What just kills me is that the show producers are more than willing to strongly feature fiddle(s) when the lady sings her "country" stuff, but they seem to have an irrational fear of pedal steel! C'mon Nigel, there are many fine pickers in L.A., you've got the most highly viewed show in the world right now, put a steel player in the band for Ms. Underwood! Actually, if Carrie Underwood had any business sense, she'd quit American Idol right now, get out of whatever contract she might have with them, and get a "real" record deal. At this point she really has no need for AI, and I understand their contracts are less than favorable to the artists. But that's another topic... ------------------ '95 Mullen D-10 w/ E66 (E9) & Mullen (C6)pups - It's still one smooooth puppy! '04 Artisan S-6 - "The Home Depot scrap pile refugee" Photo page: http://www.davidhorch.com/music [This message was edited by Dave Horch on 14 May 2005 at 04:24 AM.]
Earnest Bovine Member From: Los Angeles CA USA	posted 14 May 2005 09:59 AM profile quote: they seem to have an irrational fear of pedal steel! They weren't afraid of steel guitar last year, or the year before that. I know, because I was there playing it both seasons! But in those years, they did a whole show of country songs, early in the season when there were about 10 idols left, so it made more sense to bring me in for that. Dean Parks was also on the country show last year. Also, in those seasons, we pre-recorded everything. But this year, they have a live band on the show. The only guy I recognize in the rhythm section from previous seasons is the great Paul Jackson Jr on guitar. Some of the string players are the same, including Joel Derouin as the featured fiddler on "Sin Wagon".
Donny Hinson Member From: Balto., Md. U.S.A.	posted 14 May 2005 12:31 PM profile Thank you for the "troll" remark, Earnest (Doug). That was very funny! You really should be doing comedy instead of playing music. Stephen has asked me what what my "standards" are for country music. (It seems I'm often asked to justify my opinions.) It's not my intent to monopolize this thread, so I'll start another.
Dave Horch Member From: Frederick, Maryland, USA	posted 16 May 2005 02:46 AM profile quote: the show producers are more than willing to strongly feature fiddle(s) I'm sure the folks at the "fiddle forum" are overjoyed. Now if only the PSG could get some exposure on a show that reaches millions who have never seen one being played... Oh well... EB; I guess if they haven't called you this week, I shouldn't hold out any hope of a steeler this week either! ------------------ '95 Mullen D-10 w/ E66 (E9) & Mullen (C6) pups - It's still one smooooth puppy! '04 Artisan S-6 - "The Home Depot scrap pile refugee" Photo page: http://www.davidhorch.com/music [This message was edited by Dave Horch on 16 May 2005 at 02:47 AM.]
Winston Street Member From: Laurel, Mississippi, USA	posted 16 May 2005 08:23 PM profile Donny, Ray Minch is right on "Don't Worry 'Bout Me" by Marty Robbins. The sound was distorted okay but if I remember correctly, they had a contest after the song was out to see who could identify what the sound was. If I remember correctly it was a "blown" tube causing the distortion, the producers liked it as a novelty and left it in the mix. It was an accident, not distortion as we know it to day. Grady Martin,,,, what a great picker!!! And Thumbs Carlisle.
Kenny Burford Member From: Lexington, Missouri USA	posted 17 May 2005 04:02 PM profile I listened to the "Sin Wagon," clip posted above and the band sounded pretty decent to me. I believe they nailed the feel of the song pretty good, I would be happy to have all my band experiences come off that good. I had an older (if mid 70s qualifies as an older player) player recently tell he hated the way lead guitarist bend strings anymore. But I grew up listening to James Burton, Fred Carter, Jr. and Roy Nichols and bending strings is as natural sounding to me as distortion probably is to most of the performing lead guitarist in the major music markets today. The point is, the guys filling those positions on that stage are great players and few of us could match their talent for country or anyother genre' of music in the same given situation. In my opinion the band sounded great.

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