Alt-country | Musicosity

Alt-country

Josh Ritter

Josh Ritter (born in Moscow, Idaho on October 21, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and author who performs and records with The Royal City Band (as Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band). Ritter is known for his distinctive Americana style and narrative lyrics. In 2006 he was named one of the "100 Greatest Living Songwriters" by Paste magazine. Born to two neuroscientists, Ritter bought his first guitar from the local K-MART after hearing the Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash classic Girl From the North Country.

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Okkervil River

Okkervil River is an indie/folk rock band from Austin, Texas USA. Formed in 1998, the band takes its name from a short story by Russian author Tatyana Tolstaya. The band currently consists of Will Sheff (vocals, guitar), Justin Shurburn (guitar, keyboards), Lauren Gurgiolo (guitar, pedal steel, mandolin), Scott Brackett (keyboards, trumpet, percussion), Patrick Pestorius (bass, keyboards) and Travis Nelsen (drums).

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Jason Isbell

Jason Isbell is an alt-country singer /songwriter /guitarist from Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Best known for his years with the Drive-By Truckers where he played with his then wife, bassist Shonna Tucker. Isbell - who joined the Truckers in 2001 - left the band in early 2007 around the same time as his divorce from Tucker was finalized. In addition to being a gifted songwriter, Isbell is regarded as an exceptional guitar player.

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Eli Young Band

With roots firmly planted in the fertile musical soil of Texas, the Eli Young Band is a little bit country and a helluva lot of guitar-driven rock & roll. Their Carnival Recording Company debut, Level, finds them poised to bust out of the Lone Star State and bring their brand of music to a wider audience, as they make inroads into neighboring states and the wider Nashville country scene. The band was formed almost five years ago by Mike Eli who grew up just outside of Houston and James Young who hails from Irving, TX.

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New Ruins

New Ruins began in 2004 as a home recording project of Elzie Sexton and J.Caleb Means. In 2005 "The Sound They Make" was recorded in the cold back room of a Champaign house. In 2006, New Ruins was signed by A Hidden Agenda Records. "The Sound They Make" was released in 2007 and received positive critical reviews, including All Music Guide and an Emusic editor's pick. Several songs from the album have been licensed for use on tv shows. Sexton and Means are joined by Paul Chastain (multi-instrumentalist, formerly of Velvet Crush) and Roy Ewing (drums/percussion, formerly of Braid).

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Deer Tick

Deer Tick is a folk rock band which formed in Providence, Rhode Island, United States in 2004. The band consists of John McCauley III (vocals, guitar), Andrew Tobiassen (guitar), Christopher Ryan (bass) and Dennis Ryan (drums). Bassist Christopher Dale Ryan and drummer Dennis Ryan became official members of Deer Tick in mid-2007 while guitarist Andrew Tobiassen joined the band in August 2008. Keyboardist James Falzone played with Deer Tick off and on from 2006 to 2007 and Paul Marandola drummed from 2005 to 2007.

A.A. Bondy

A.A. Bondy is an abbreviation of Auguste Arthur Bondy (aka Scott Bondy), the former lead singer of Birmingham, AL's Southern grunge darlings Verbena. After Verbena broke up in 2003, Bondy retreated to a Catskills home in Palenville in upstate New York and in time began writing songs again, emerging with a stripped-down indie folk sound. He recorded and mixed his debut album, "American Hearts", at a barn near his home, releasing the project in 2007 on the Superphonic imprint. The album was picked up by Fat Possum and re-released early in 2008.

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Raul Malo

A Floridian of Cuban descent, Raul Malo started playing bass guitar while in high school and was a member of a small band playing the high school dance circuit. That band was known alternately as The Boys, The Tom Boys, and The Basics with Malo sharing vocal duties with guitarist, Tommy Anthony. In 1990, he became the vocalist for the four-man band, The Mavericks, for whom he penned most of the songs.

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John Hiatt

John Hiatt (born August 20, 1952 in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.) is an American rock guitarist, pianist, singer, and songwriter. He has been nominated for eleven Grammy Awards. John Hiatt's sales have never quite matched his reputation. Hiatt's songs were covered successfully by everyone from Bonnie Raitt, Ronnie Milsap, and Willie Nelson to Iggy Pop, Three Dog Night, and the Neville Brothers, yet it took him 13 years to reach the charts himself.

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Elliott Brood

Elliott Brood is a three-piece alternative country band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, consisting of Mark Sasso on lead vocals, guitar, banjo, ukelele and harmonica, Casey Laforet on guitar, backing vocals, bass pedals, keys and ukelele and Stephen Pitkin on percussion, sampler and backing vocals. The band bills its own style as "death country". Members Mark Sasso and Casey Laforet grew up together in Windsor, and began playing as a band after moving to Toronto following high school.