TVD Comes From Down in the Valley

(Ed. Note: Remember our 'TVD Writers Telethon' we held a few weeks back? Well, this morning we welcome the first of a few new voices here at the blog...)

Since this is my first post at TVD, an introduction is probably in order - Hi, I’m Dave. I grew up in the 80s listening to bands like Metallica and Guns ‘N Roses (it was a sheltered childhood ok?). I also grew up in the middle of nowhere in a hardworking but poor and undereducated family of hillbillies listening to my grandfather’s Conway Twitty and Johnny Cash records at barbeques.

You’re probably thinking these are unreconcilable influences, and for a long time they were (unless I was listening to a Rolling Stones record). But the last 15-20 years have seen a proliferation of bands made up of people my age who grew up in similar circumstances - listening to their grandparents’ country records and their friends’ punk and metal records - and have married the two tastes into a gritty, dirty, rollicking sound that appeals to almost anyone with a modicum of country music sensibility and realizes that you don’t have to be a dirty redneck to appreciate the melody of a good country song and the wonderful and evocative quality of instrumentation such as lap and pedal steel, dobro, banjo, harmonica and accordion.

The following bands all use certain of these instruments on a regular basis, but this post is about marrying country and rock sensibilities. Therefore, I’m only posting songs that manage to rock, but still implement unmistakable country awareness.

The Rolling Stones - Dead Flowers (Mp3)
Lucero - Chain Link Fence (Mp3)
Drive By Truckers - Never Gonna Change (Mp3)
Two Cow Garage - Camo Jacket (Mp3)
Uncle Tupelo - Factory Belt (Mp3)