Hayseed Dixie started as a country act but had really not much success, at some point they decided to change the style and cover some rock tunes. Replacing Oi with Oink and Hot with Hellyeah. That definitely changed their career and their name (which is actually a parody of AC-DC).

Their first two albums were complete tributes to Ac-Dc and KISS in 2001 and 2003, covering the best songs of these rock-n-roll legends in awesome bluegrass style. They also had a record covering various tunes from the 70th. On their next releases “Let there be Rockgrass” and “A hot piece of grass” they included some of their own compositions and had much broader cover scope. Now no one was safe from the bluegrass havoc. Green Day, Queen, Motorhead, Misfits, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and even Outcast can be found on these plates. Two new records also were released in 2006 and 2007 . The 2007 album “Weapons of Grass Destruction” is just spectacular, still I think nothing beats their first Ac Dc tribute.

Actually this band reminds me of some sad events. On December 8^th 2004 Dimebag Darrell, axeman of the famous metal legends Pantera was shot on stage. This recording was released by his brother Vinnie Paul, after Dime’s death. This album is his tribute, a redneck-whiskey-outlaw tribute!

The music was recorded by three members of Pantera (Dimebag Darrell, his brother Vinnie Paul and Rex Brown) and famous country outlaw singer David Alan Coe. Actually it is an unmixable mix of country and metal united by one thing – outlaw! The songs were composed and recorded in the late 90^th and don’t expect them to be educating or good for kids. One of the main slogans of the album is “A man with nothing ain’t got nothing to loose”, it’s about gambling, about drinking, one night stands, Indians, highways and chix. Musically it mixes simple Dimebag-style groovy metal riffs with country elements and of course traditional country singing style. The album gives you a feeling of a Deep South cowboy saloon. So keep your confederate money.

Whitley is a duo from Melbourne, Australia that plays a mix of alt-country and folkotronica. Their debut album “The Submarine” was released on September 15 and they are now playing a support tour.

The album is wonderful; I’d say it is the possible album of the year for me. A gentle mix of country, acoustic guitars, spiced wth electronica similar to Postal Service style. A minimal set of guitars and occasional banjo and fiddle produces awesome melodies and the whole work is somehow similar to the minimalists like Arvo Part. Sometimes a whole composition is divided between just two instruments.

The vocals are nice and the lyrics are wise and a bit depressive, but very honest. They give the album the final calm feeling and great melancholic mood.

A plate really worth of checking out.

The Ditty Bops are two girls Amanda Barrett and Abby DeWald and the band is a mystery from the beginning. These two were on a search for a lost cat as they stumbled upon a backyard of a stranger who was a musician and a guitar collector. He encouraged them to form a band. Not even a band, an adventure that never ends. They sometimes add a little bit of theatre to their shows and the last tour was a cross country on bicycles!

As for the music it’s even more interesting that the outfits and ideas. Ditty Bops are a mix of country, cabaret, saloon and a huge part of the so called western swing. The have extraordinary melodies, nice female vocals, a vide range of string instruments like banjo and mandolin. The lyrics are smart and interesting, a combination of simple words that makes a huge meaning. But still the main thing is the feeling, they have nice groove and have really something more than a casual swing or country band.

A good band can give you a real feeling. Some musical experience can be compared to movies and books. These dudes can be compared to a time travel. OCMS is performing some almost prehistoric tunes. In general the style is country/folk with and extra part of good old cowboy music sometimes it is described as “americana”. The band sounds like some crew from a western movie and damn they’re good. Both albums Big Iron World and Old Crow Medicine Show show some unbelievable music. These Tennessee guys make you forget about the ugly modern country and just enjoy the good old America. Just like traveling in a wagon with a banjo.

Murder by Death combines two very important things. First the atmosphere and second the intelligence. The style can be described as indie-folk-rock. But really they mix together some of the finest indie-rock with folk stuff similar to east European folk and pirate ballads and also adding some parts of country and jazz. The cello makes these elements mix together as a spectacular brew. Everything is connected but every next song gives you a completely new experience of what is called music. One album can begin with some pirate ship atmosphere and end as a relaxing jazz evening.

The earlier works are also interesting but still nothing can be compared to this album. As a single line I can describe them as: “Reinventing the music with a cello”.