You know who was a surprisingly good nowadays country band for a little while in the 90s? The Old 97s. I think it actually helped that they were wannabe Nashville pro types, rather than wannabe "outlaws" or mopey No Depression subscribers, if that makes sense?
This is more metal though. I was actually looking for Dan Gellert's super-grizzled fretless banjo version with no luck. This one's way older but paradoxically less mean-sounding.
Dude, 16 Horsepower kick ass. I used to listen to them a great while back. I dig their shit a lot. I like real dark country...Hank III is a fave. I'm mosdt recently turned onto Jay Munly, thanks to this board.
I was never a GG fan man...guy was just too outrageous....too much show for a really dirty, scarred up dude to be anything other than a self-absorbed champ. No offense at all.....just really hated GG.
It's a Bazooki...Greek in origin...usually made from a gourd.
I'm pretty sure bouzoukis have doubled strings like a mandolin and definitely don't have a short drone strings. I guess this is like, a banjo neck on a bouzouki body?
post by KevinTheSprigg at Feb 1,2013 7:10pm edited Feb 1,2013 7:18pm
It's a banjola (banjo neck, mandola body). Dude rules. 16 Horsepower may be done but he's still kicking ass as Wovenhand. They put out a record in 2012 that really shredded me. Probably the heaviest album he's put out.
GG's country songs are bittersweet because they could've been so much better if a half-decent country musician had helped him write and arrange them. That song not going to a IV chord at the end of the chorus is almost physically painful.
It's like, if you're gonna take the blood-covered banana out of your ass and make a by-the-books country record, don't do it halfway!