Chicagoist: A Decade of Sin

Erika Herzog

Wed, 26 Oct 2005 12:29:33 -0600

hey, criticize who you want. i responded because it seemed really uncool on the part of some of the people commenting to take a celebration -- which is what i see this bloodshot comp to be -- and turn the comments into a bashing session. and i usually read gothamist, cause i'm in nyc. so this isn't exactly a typical response. rah rah siss boom bah!

thad

Wed, 26 Oct 2005 11:06:02 -0600

Erika: Tell my ears suck and I know nothing about music. Tell me I can't get my facts straight. But don't tell me I shouldn't criticize Bloodshot merely because it's not one of the corporate leeches. Why is that a typical response in this city whenever someone says something negative about a Chicago band or label? I'm not a cheerleader for local music. By the way, I think we have the same early Bloodshot experience, so it's not like I'm saying Bloodshot is the antichrist. Man, such sensitive people.

Erika Herzog

Wed, 26 Oct 2005 10:04:51 -0600

i run an unofficial yahoogroup called bands_on_bloodshot_records. i'm also a huge music fan and have been accused on more than one occasion of being a "bloodshot-lover" on other music mailing lists i subscribe to. that said, the comments by a lot of the people here are riddled with inaccuracies and generalizations to such a dismaying degree that i felt like i had to say something. i got into bloodshot via one of the first bloodshot compilations, then heard the Old 97s and it has been a slippery slope ever since. through my love for the stuff i've discovered via bloodshot, i've learned more and more about music, be it current and historical, bluegrass, stone country, blues, rock, alt, etc. for all you non-dipshit hipsters out there, take a chance and check out the newest bloodshot comp. but be warned, once you dip your little toe in the sea, there's a vast ocean of wonderful music out there waiting to be discovered. oh yeah, bloodshot is one of the good guys. you might want to save your vitriol for the people who deserve it, like out of touch multi-national conglomerates that run record labels nowadays and expect tweens to cough up $18 for a new ashley simpson cd. jeepers, it's like children eating their young or something... dang kids nowadays! erika

Julene

Wed, 26 Oct 2005 09:20:50 -0600

And I just thought that it was great that a truly independent label has made it as far as they have...

thad

Wed, 26 Oct 2005 09:12:57 -0600

All music is indeed derivate. Some just more than others. You are right: Fulks is great, Handsome Family, too (and they put on a good show). Alejandro is good enough for the iPod, but he's not really offering anything that grabs you by the gut. O'Connor has a great voice, as does Hogan, but their best songs/performances seem to be covers. Actually, if get past your wounded feelings--and your apparent assumption that I'm a hipster--maybe you can see what one of the points I'm trying to make: Many Chicagoans who follow this whole Bloodshot/alt-country scene seem pretty ignorant of the roots of this music. They seem to think twang and bluegrass are recent inventions. and wouldn't be caught dead with a Bill Monroe record. Does that make such fans evil people? Not really. Does that make me a snob? Most likely. Am I cooler than thou? Well, probably cooler than M, but not Mr. Smith, whose indignation carries a bit more class.

Moon

Tue, 25 Oct 2005 18:21:50 -0600

I like Patsy Cline. I think I'll listen to her now.

Moon

Tue, 25 Oct 2005 18:18:21 -0600

Canadians are Americans. So are Brazilians and Argentines.

Trumper

Tue, 25 Oct 2005 16:50:05 -0600

Wow, what a rock-snob cock thumping contest this is. I got an idea, let's all go out for some sausage and buiscuits and tell us some jokes.

m

Tue, 25 Oct 2005 16:11:01 -0600

All music is derivative. Terming something derivative these days is a way of knocking something you yourself didn't discover. So you crap on it and feel cool. The Replacements were so derivative of the Stones. Big Buildings are so derivative of the Replacements. Blah blah blah.

Erin

Tue, 25 Oct 2005 16:06:14 -0600

Amen, Mr. Smith. It's not as though you're hearing Robbie Fulks on the dial. Jesus Christ -- he doesn't even get the support he deserves from XRT as far as I'm concerned. By the by, just as ridiculous are people who constantly feel the need to term ANYTHING as "derivative." The hipsters need a new cutdown. And fast.

Mr. Smith

Tue, 25 Oct 2005 15:55:21 -0600

I know there's a whole alt-country backlash in vogue right now but Bloodshot has some great artist in and out of that genre: Graham Parker, The Detroit Cobras, Alejandro Escovedo, My Morning Jacket, Nora O'Connor, The Handsome Family, Devil In A Woodpile, Mary Lou Lord, The Meat Purveyors, and Robbie Fulks just to name a few. Eventually you're going to wear out those Hank and Patsy records and you'll look for someone else to carry the torch. That's why people seek out new artists. This kind of music so rarely finds an outlet, it's nice to know there's a label out there that gives a damn.

m

Tue, 25 Oct 2005 15:54:22 -0600

Just cooler-than-thou BS. The hipster cowboys and Hank Williams comments made no sense whatsoever. And if you actually listen to the albums, Bloodshot has put out some pretty diverse stuff. Fulks? Split Lip? The Sadies? Alejandro? Yeah, they all sound the same and are so 'derivative' (read sarcasm).

jp

Tue, 25 Oct 2005 15:12:46 -0600

Why listen to a singer who sings almost exactly like Patsy Cline unless you are interested in nostalgia? Why be around hipster cowboys who can't tell Hank Williams Sr. from Hank Williams Jr.? Maybe you should listen to some of the Bloodshot catalog, because I'm looking at the past year or so of releases, and honestly cannot find anyone who fits the above description.* Thanks for the comments. *Disclosure: I work for Bloodshot.

Thad

Tue, 25 Oct 2005 13:46:48 -0600

Bloodshot had/has some great musicians and singers, but so much of the Bloodshot music, along with the much of the Bloodshot/alt-country scene, seems watered down or slavishly imitative. Why listen to a singer who sings almost exactly like Patsy Cline unless you are interested in nostalgia? Why be around hipster cowboys who can't tell Hank Williams Sr. from Hank Williams Jr.? Bloodshot seemed like a bold idea a decade ago. Now it's like a tired dog.

gtonr

Tue, 25 Oct 2005 13:17:20 -0600

Interesting. I had thought Bloodshot folded long ago. Their bands always seemed a bit formulaic and derivative to me.