On the Town - Dallas

Little Bit Country

ALTHOUGH THE ALT-COUNTRY GENRE IS HARD TO DEFINE, IT'S EASY TO UNDERSTAND WHY THE DALLAS/FT. WORTH AREA IS TEEMING WITH BOTH BANDS AND FANS: THERE'S SOMETHING IN IT FOR EVERYONE.

BY SOPHIA DEMBLING

It's Saturday night at the AllGood Café, and The Cartwrights are launching into a show in front of a crowd of about 100 - mostly Boomers and Gen-X - with a driving version of the theme from "Bonanza" before swinging into a surly original, "The Only Thing I Ever Did Wrong Was Treat You Right."

They're definitely country.

Guitarist Barry Kooda, wearing a black T-shirt and a white cowboy hat, strikes an aggressive stance and sings in a baritone growl. Bass player Donny Ray Ford has a scruffy beard, long hair, trucker hat and a tenor vibrato. They move on to playing Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" and a twanged-up version of Prince's "Little Red Corvette."

But they're also rock 'n' roll.

This is alternative country, exhibit A. Alt-country is a term so broad, you'll be hard-pressed to pin it down. Kooda says it's "rock 'n' roll with pedal steel," but adds, "Alt-country includes a lot of older, not-so-traditional stuff."

Mike Snider, who owns the AllGood and has been booking alt-country acts in Dallas for decades, cites '60s icon Gram Parsons as the granddaddy of the genre, though the term itself wasn't born until the 1990s. And Mario Tarradell, longtime music critic for The Dallas Morning News who complains that the alt-country name is just a marketing gambit, says, "Alternative country is a very stripped-down, gutsy, gritty merger of country, rock, folk and blues." 

Strictly speaking, alt-country is any country-influenced music you don't hear on mainstream country radio, which these days leans more towards glitzy pop country. For some people, the term brings to mind bands like Dallas' most famous alt-country export, The Old 97s, who play indie rock with a country flavor. Other nationally known bands such as Whiskeytown, Uncle Tupelo and its spin-off bands, Wilco and Son Volt, also dance to this particular beat.

But alt-country in Dallas also includes seasoned bands with a hint of punk, such as The Cartwrights, and young bands that pay direct homage to vintage country, such as the King Bucks - a band of hipsters, two of whom sport ironic '70s-style moustaches - whose selection of soothing shuffles might include the old country standard "Honky Tonk Angels." According to Tarradell, the common thread tying alt-country bands together in Texas is attitude. "The whole Texas style of country has a very roadhouse-tested, individualistic, do-it-myself attitude," he says.

While the attitude may be the same, the way Texas bands have reacted to traditional country varies. "People in Texas were born with country music … and had it crammed down their throats," Snider says with a chuckle. "The alt-country here definitely leans heavier towards the traditional country."

On the other hand, many local musicians rebelled against country, starting their careers in rock 'n' roll instead. "I think a lot of people growing up have a bad taste in their mouth about country," says Dub Sue, bassist for Boys Named Sue, a Dallas-based band that mixes comedy in their music. "The cheese factor scared them away."

But many were lured back. Both Kooda and Kim Herriage, pedal steel player for The Cartwrights, were in rock and punk bands in the '70s and '80s before adding twang to their repertoire. "When I was in my mid- to late-30s, I started playing lap guitar, then pedal steel, and it was all over," Herriage says.

Members of Boys Named Sue also have rock credentials, but now - with guitar, bass, drums, fiddle and banjo (and "hollerin'" and "yellin'", according to the liner notes in their new CD) - they play revvedup hillbilly music with formidable skill and wicked humor. They perform originals ("Five Million Light Beers Away") and covers like the Johnny Cash and June Carter hit "Daddy Sang Bass," in which Dub Sue sings June's part in a piercing falsetto.

And the shows are raucous. "Our crowd is a very alternative crowd," Dub Sue says. "There's some two-stepping, but it's more like broken two-stepping."

The scene is no less enthusiastic - although somewhat more subdued - at a Derailers show one Sunday afternoon. (The band is Austin-based but tours frequently.) The venue, Love and War in Texas in nearby Plano, feels a little too shiny and new to be authentic, but when people gather at the picnic tables in front of the outdoor stage, the spirit is exactly right.

With their smooth Buck Owens-meets-Beatles harmonies and melodies, The Derailers don't have the edge of The Cartwrights, aren't as kooky as Boys Named Sue and are too seasoned to be cool kids like the King Bucks. But all these bands bear the alt-country label in Dallas because it's a genre with room for many different sounds and styles. Take your pick.

ALTERNATIVE LOCATIONS

These DFW venues feature alt-country bands, but call ahead or check listings, since some also have rock and punk acts.

ALLGOOD CAFÉ
2934 Main St, Dallas
www.allgoodcafe.com
The cheerful restaurant's exposed-brick walls are covered with framed altcountry concert posters.

SONS OF HERMANN HALL
3414 Elm St, Dallas
www.sonsofhermann.com
Opened in 1911, the spacious classic dance hall has an equally atmospheric bar downstairs.

LOVE AND WAR IN TEXAS
601 E. Plano Pkwy, Plano
www.loveandwarintexas.com
This is a big, new Texas-themed restaurant and music venue.

DOUBLE WIDE
3510 Commerce St, Dallas
www.double-wide.com
Look for the tornado sculpture on the roof of this funky trailer-themed bar.

ADAIRS SALOON

2624 Commerce St, Dallas
www.adairssaloon.com
You'll find a good jukebox, burgers and cold beer at this Dallas institution (open since 1963).

BRYAN STREET TAVERN
4315 Bryan St, Dallas
www.bryanstreettavern.com
A crowd of mostly twentysomethings enjoys pizza and beer up front and music in the back room.

POOR DAVID'S PUB
1313 South Lamar St, Dallas
www.poordavidspub.com
This is a longtime Dallas institution, particularly for singer-songwriters.

LOLA'S SALOON STOCKYARDS
105 West Exchange Ave, Ft. Worth
www.lolasfortworth.com
Most tourists don't even notice the entrance to this cozy, basement bar.