I hadn't talked to my former boss Alice in about a year so I was surprised when she called. Alice edits an old-time music magazine, the Old-Time Herald, but in my nine months working for her, we talked very little about music. Yeah, she'd gladly lend me the choice Bear Family stuff, the Flatt and Scruggs box, the Mollie O'Day, the Bill Monroe. I'd just sort of nod in reverence, knowing she'd never want me to review anything since I'd couldn't figure out the difference between contemporary old-time and bluegrass. Of course, Alice herself said the difference is mostly a matter of attitude these days, the line drawn somewhat arbitrarily by those who argue the importance of tradition and adaptation.
The Carter Family would be an easy case, though, even for me. Since they preceded bluegrass, they had to be old-time. It was the weird musicians on this tribute that tripped things up for Alice, so much so that out of a small roomful of promos this is what needed to be reviewed, even though it was well over a year old.. She ran off some band names, some I knew (Freakwater, Fifth Column), some I didn't (Pleasure Box, The O'Bannons) but Shrimp Boat got a scream.
Alice, amazed: "You mean, you like them?!? She was thinking their version of "Hello Stranger" is the CD's stinker and, after volunteering to review it for the Herald, I'm saying it's the best and wondering what I've gotten myself into.
"What kind of bands are these? Are they serious? Is this punk?"
I didn't know what to say other than "they're really great" for the things that made them great to my ears weren't qualities that generally distinguish great old-time.
"They're so out of tune!"
You know, as much as I like the Uncle Tupelo and Palace Brothers records from last year, they always just reminded me of the the boundaries they defy. Maybe because I was working at Poindexter when they came out and it always seemed kinda weird when the people who came in looking for the Palace Brothers didn't check out the Louvin Brothers reissues and those who'd come in for Blind Willie Johnson or Webb Pierce didn't care to hear this new band. There was very little crossover in who bought what; even if Mr. Miller asked about that Tom Waits boot we were playing in the store, even if it reminded him of his favorite Guy Clark record, he wasn't interested.
It's as if old-time country and indie rock speak different languages and old-time "tradition" can't translate indie rock "experimentation." And vice versa. Indie rockers have an easier time with jazz or hiphop, which at least agree on communicating the new. But it's this tension that makes the music on the Carters tribute so interesting, so real. Shrimp Boat recorded avant jazz stuff, but what they did with traditional string instruments was easily as "out there." Even if it wasn't - even if, like wrenching Carter Family covers by Freakwater, it dug deep enough into tradition for gramps to recognize - it'd still be new and old and all sorts of adjectives that transcend the boundaries we set up. And it'd still mess with our aesthetic expectations within those boundaries.
So, Alice, to answer your questions, I'm not sure what kind of bands these are, whether they're serious or punk or what. And I still don't know whether the Watson family is bluegrass or old-time. But that Shrimp Boat song? Well, it's really great. (Carrie McLaren) $15 from Amoeba, 5337 La Cresta Court, Los Angeles, CA 90038.