Mavericks of Sound : Conversations with Artists Who Shaped Indie and Roots Music

In Mavericks of Sound: Conversations with the Artists Who Shaped Indie and Roots Music, music scholar David Ensminger offers a collection of vivid and compelling interviews with legendary roots rock and indie artists who bucked mainstream trends and have remained resilient in the face of enormous shifts in the music world. As the success of the concerts at Austin City Limits have revealed, the fan bases and crowds for indie and roots music often blur and overlap. In Mavericks of Sound, Ensminger brings to light the highways and byways trod by these music icons over the course of their careers and the ways in which their music-making has been affected by, and influenced, the burgeoning indie and roots music movements. Ranging from seminal modern singer-songwriters to rockabilly renegades and indie rockers, Mavericks of Sound features a set of broad, penetrating, and insightful conversations imbued with a sense of musical history and heritage. Ensminger captures firsthand accounts from singer songwriters like Texas Country musician Tom Russell and first wave indie artist and folk rocker Peter Case; rockabilly artists Junior Brown and the Reverend Horton Heat; American indie rock icons such as 11th Dream Day's Janet Bean, Pere Ubu's Dave Thomas, Apples in Stereo's Robert Schneider, and Swans members Michael Gira and Jarboe; English and New Zealand figures such as folk legend Richard Thompson, The Clean's David Kilgour and The Waterboys' Mike Scott; and folk, country and rock legends such as Merle Haggard, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Ralph Stanley, Neko Case, and Yo La Tengo. Mavericks of Sound is the perfect work for contemporary indie, roots, Americana, country, and folk music fans who want to understand the unique artistry and unbound passion behind America's musical innovators that readily broke and remolded rules. In Mavericks of Conversations with the Artists Who Shaped Indie and Roots Music, music scholar David Ensminger offers a collection of vivid and compelling interviews with legendary roots rock and indie artists who bucked mainstream trends and have remained resilient in the face of enormous shifts in the music world. As the success of the concerts at Austin City Limits have revealed, the fan bases and crowds for indie and roots music often blur and overlap. In Mavericks of Sound, Ensminger brings to light the highways and byways trod by these music icons over the course of their careers and the ways in which their music-making has been affected by, and influenced, the burgeoning indie and roots music movements. Ranging from seminal modern singer-songwriters to rockabilly renegades and indie rockers, Mavericks of Sound features a set of broad, penetrating, and insightful conversations imbued with a sense of musical history and heritage. Ensminger captures firsthand accounts from singer songwriters like Texas Country musician Tom Russell and first wave indie artist and folk rocker Peter Case; rockabilly artists Junior Brown and the Reverend Horton Heat; American indie rock icons such as 11 th Dream Days Janet Bean, Pere Ubus Dave Thomas, Apples in Stereos Robert Schneider, and Swans members Michael Gira and Jarboe; English and New Zealand figures such as folk legend Richard Thompson, The Cleans David Kilgour and The Waterboys Mike Scott; and folk, country and rock legends such as Merle Haggard, Ramblin Jack Elliott, Ralph Stanley, Neko Case, and Yo La Tengo. Mavericks of Sound is the perfect work for contemporary indie, roots, Americana, country, and folk music fans who want to understand the unique artistry and unbound passion behind Americas musical innovators that readily broke and remolded rules. In Mavericks of Sound: Conversations with the Artists Who Shaped Indie and Roots Music, music scholar David Ensminger offers a collection of vivid, compelling interviews with legendary roots rock and indie artists who bucked mainstream trends and have remained resilient in the face of enormous shifts in the music world. As the success of Austin City Limits have revealed, the fan bases for indie and roots music often blur and overlap. Ensminger brings to light the highways and byways of these music icons and how their music-making has been affected and influenced by the burgeoning indie and roots music movements. Ranging from seminal modern singer-songwriters to rockabilly renegades and indie rockers, the broad, penetrating, and insightful conversations In Mavericks of Sound are imbued with a sense of musical history and heritage-firsthand accounts from singer-songwriters like Texas Country musician Tom Russell and first wave indie artist and folk rocker Peter Case; rockabilly artists Junior Brown and the Reverend Horton Heat; American indie rock icons such as Eleventh Dream Day's Janet Bean, Pere Ubu's Dave Thomas, Apples in Stereo's Robert Schneider, and Swans members Michael Gira and Jarboe; English and New Zealand musicians such as folk legend Richard Thompson, The Clean's David Kilgour and The Waterboys' Mike Scott; and folk, country and rock legends like Merle Haggard, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Ralph Stanley, Neko Case, and Yo La Tengo. This is the perfect book for contemporary indie, roots, Americana, country, and folk music fans who want to understand the unique artistry and unbound passion behind America's musical innovators who readily broke and remolded rules. Book jacket In this book, music scholar David Ensminger offers a collection of compelling interviews with legendary roots rock and indie artists who bucked mainstream trends and have remained resilient in the face of enormous shifts in the music world. Ensminger brings to light the highways and byways trod by these music icons over the course of their careers.;The song is the territory : singer songwriters : Tom Russell, Peter Case, Dave Alvin, Billy Joe and Eddy Shaver, Jason Ringenberg, Robert Earl Keen -- Rockabilly and honky tonker renegades : Junior Brown, Deke Dickerson, Reverend Horton Heat -- Indelible indie rock icons : Janet Bean, member of 11th Dream Day, Dave Thomas, member of Pere Ubu, Robert Schneider, member of Apples in Stereo, Michael Gira, members of The Swans and Angels of Light, Jarboe, members of The Swans, Richard Buckner and Alejandro Escovedo -- The other side of the pond : voices from Britain and New Zealand : James Stevenson, member of Chelsea, Gen X, Gene Loves Jezebel, Mike Scott, member of Waterboys, Richard Thompson, David Gedge, member of Wedding Present and Cinerama, David Kilgour, member of The Clean -- Short cuts : concise interview with icons : Merle Haggard, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Wayne Kramer, member of MC5, the Mekons, Ralph Stanley, Yo La Tengo, Neko Case, Rob Younger, member of Radio Birdman and New Christs. The song is the territory : singer-songwriters. Tom Russell ; Peter Case ; Dave Alvin : Billy Joe and Eddy Shaver ; Jason Ringenberg (Jason and the Scorchers) ; Robert Earl Keen ; John Doe [X] Rockabilly and honky-tonker renegades. Junior Brown : Deke Dickerson ; Reverend Horton Heat Indelible indie rockers. Janet Bean (Eleventh Dream Day, Freakwater) ; Dave Thomas (Pere Ubu) ; Robert Schneider [Apples in Stereo] ; Michael Gira [The Swans, Angels of Light] ; Jarboe [The Swans] ; Richard Buckner and Alejandro Escovedo The other side of the pond : British voices. James Stevenson (Chelsea, Gen X, Gene Loves Jezebel) ; Mike Scott (Waterboys) ; Richard Thompson ; David Gedge (Cinerama, Wedding Present) ; David Kilgour [The Clean] Short cuts : concise interviews with icons. Merle Haggard ; Ramblin' Jack Elliott ; Gordon Gano (Violent Femmes) ; Wayne Kramer (MC5) ; The Mekons ; Ralph Stanley ; James McNew (Yo La Tengo) ; Neko Case ; Rob Younger (Radio Birdman, New Christs) ; Eugene Robinson (Oxbow).