Modern Twang: An Alternative Country Music Guide and Directory (Paperback)

by David Goodman (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 439 pages
• Publisher: Dowling Press (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891847031
• ISBN-13: 978-1891847035
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #348,806 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great alt.country resource for the fan and the researcher., July 13, 1999

By A Customer

_Modern Twang_ is an amazing book that provides information on the artists as well as the infrastructure of alt.country. Goodman has written artist profiles and given information on internet resources, labels, radio and television outlets, and live venues. The prose is always readable and insightful. This is a must for the alt.country fan. Goodman has created a model for how music guides should be written. A+++

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice down-home advice... a great guide!, August 9, 2001

By	Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

An awesome, all-purpose, up-to-date guide to the alternative country "scene", this includes profiles of about five hundred bands, both big and small, with special emphasis on local scenes. It's an amazing resource, sure to fill in numerous blanks for just about any reader. Goodman's writing is straightforward, and not overly concerned with the "look, I'm a postgraduate!" rhetorical flashiness which plagues many contemporary music reviews. Let me put it this way, if I had a staff here at Slipcue, I'd hire this guy as a writer. Of course, with books like this, it's fun to flip around checking on bands you already know about... and the good news here is that Goodman is pretty thorough. For example, I looked up The Movie Stars, a Bay Area band whose late-'80s album preceded most of the current wave of twangsters by several years. They didn't have their own entry, but were mentioned under the listing of Red Meat, which is sort of a reconstituted version of the old band. Other '80s pioneers are included as well, though things start to get a little fuzzier and less consistent in the '70s (the Blue Ridge Rangers get listed, but what about Larry Hosford?). One problem I have, though, is the use of scene-specific catch phrases to denote "styles" of music... for example, Sun Volt as "No Depression" music, or any of the bands on Bloodshot as "insurgent country". Yeah, sometimes the things bands (or labels) call their music are cute, but they aren't necessarily that descriptive. But maybe I'm just being too crabby. Goodman also includes listings for radio stations, e-zines, websites and publications related to the current Twang-craze... obviously many of these listings will be quickly out of date, but we can hope that just means another, bigger, better edition will follow...

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive and greatly needed source of information!, July 18, 1999

By A Customer

I am not sure how in the world David Goodman got all this together. It is obviously a work of love for Alternative Country Music. It will be a valuable resource for recording companys,festival and entertainment show managers,and radio and TV program planners and DJs. Think Dowling Press has found a true niche with their publications.