“Anything but country”

By Ethan Goddard

If you’ve asked people the question “what type of music do you listen to?” chances are that you’ve probably the response “anything but country music” at least once or twice. Hell, even I’ve been guilty of saying it! But the longer I’ve worked at Wax Trax, I’ve found myself trying to be open to any genre I might come across whilst flipping through our understock, including country. Because of this, country’s become one of my favorite genres in recent years. It made me wonder where all of this dogpiling on country music even started. Where did I get the assumption that it was a red flag when someone says they like country? Or have external issues affected the country genre reputation? 

In Greeley, country music is a genre that’s practically inescapable. You can’t walk into a Walgreens without hearing Blake Shelton’s “Boys ‘Round Here,” or Luke Bryan’s “Country Girl” at least once (although I’m sure they’ve added Morgan Wallen into that mix nowadays). This was the country music I grew up with, and the country music I ultimately ended up hating throughout my childhood. 

I’ll go out on a limb and say that, at least today, bro-country is the style of country music most people are referring to when they utter the phrase “anything but country”– and I can see why! As time goes on, this style of pop country feels like a smear on the more traditional strains of the 50s and 60s. With songwriting that leans heavily on blue collar stereotypes like drinking cold beers, hot girls in jean shorts, and riding in mud-covered pick-up trucks, it’s easy to find it annoying; especially when many of the artists singing it are 9-figure millionaires, making their songs and image seem like nothing more than cosplay. 

Pinpointing when this style of country even became popular can be a bit tricky. When asking country fans, I often hear two different answers. The first being when artists like Garth Brooks started filling stadiums in the 1990s, he paved the way for a more pop-oriented genre, and the second being after 9/11, a time when the USA was vulnerable, and people were feeling ultra patriotic. All the seriousness of songs in that moment sparked an anti-serious reaction, a genre of party music. Whether or not this is actually the reason this style became popular is up to your interpretation, but in the country world, the consensus seems to be that it was a perfect storm of many things. 

Today’s country is diverging into many sub-genres, including neo-traditionalism that is rejecting the pop- and bro-country excesses, and boyfriend country that takes the subject matter in a more palatable direction. But at the same time some country acts seem to be morphing into something darker. A clear example was Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” from 2023– a song that glorified racism and violence through its lyrics and music video.  Several country artists have also begun cosigning political figures like Donald Trump and endorsing bigoted beliefs (or just being flat out racist); all while packaging it up as ‘music for the God-loving, blue collar, average Joe.’ For lots of people, this right here is why they use the words “anything but country.” . 

Earlier I mentioned I can occasionally sense judgement when I tell people I like country music, but what I didn’t tell you is my retort if anyone seems shocked.. It’s a follow-up question that almost immediately stumps whoever I’m talking to: “What about Dolly Parton? What do you think of her?” This may seem like a silly thing to ask, but Dolly Parton represents something in country music that I don’t think we talk about enough! Not only is she generally an extremely likable person, but she is also extremely outspoken against the things  some of these modern country artists represent. (Have you listened to Dolly Parton’s America Podcast?) 

Despite Dolly Parton being one of my favorite artists, it saddens me how often she’s the one of the only country artists people talk about for not falling into country music stereotypes. There are actually several We have artists like Zach Bryan and Billy Strings speaking out against ICE, Tyler Childers and Kacey Musgraves supporting LGBTQ+ rights, to name a few. To dive even deeper, artists like Orville Peck and Trixie Mattel are leading the forefront of what labels categorize as “alt-country,” artists that reject Nashville commercialism, oran industry-safe way of saying “country music that would piss off racist people” (or at least that’s how I’ve always seen it). 

It saddens me how hated country music is these days, but I’d be lying if I wasn’t still on that bandwagon when it comes to artists that promote hate, division, or racism. But if you find yourself in the “anything but country” camp, trust me when I say there’s also some good stuff happening. So go check out some of those artists I listed above or dig deeper to find stuff you love. And if you still don’t find your country fit, maybe you genuinely just don’t like country music.