Re: Country Disco Puke

Three days ago, I auditioned with a country band. The people seem easy to work with, and they're all good musicians. Afterward, I was 75% of the way to agreeing to play with them. They suggested I meet them at a local club to hear another band that's popular with the line dancers. Within 3 minutes, I felt like what I imagine a new soldier feels when he sees his buddy get shot dead in their first battle. It was that bad. This is disco, revived. Lines of expressionless robots, all doing the exact same thing.

Well, what the hell. There are several possible good outcomes -- you'll make some money, you'll learn to appreciate some of the music -- I said some, not all -- and you could begin to make your influence felt and gently guide the band away from the most-awful material and into some better stuff. Hey, it could happen.

I agree with your take on modern country music being awful, awful stuff. I also agree with your observations on line dancing -- they are (were) expressionless zombies when they do it, they don't appear to be enjoying it at all, it's as if they're doing it against their will, powerless to resist. Ten years or so ago, I was in a band that did primarily rock covers, but with an occasional rockish country song thrown in there. When those country songs came up on the list, suddenly, the dance floor was packed, absolutely packed, with people doing the line dance thing. It was freakish, it was bizarre. It wasn't as if no one had been dancing before, but the line dancers just came out of the woodwork. Where had they been hiding those cowboy hats?

Reminds me a little bit of Harley riders. They get all dressed up and ride around, but I've never, ever seen one of them that looks like he's enjoying it the least little bit. They all look like they're in pain. Makes you wonder why people do things that they don't have to, and don't enjoy.
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