On this episode, we discuss one of the seminal bands of what would become the alternative country and Americana movement: the Long Ryders, and their 1984 debut LP Native Sons.
Formed in Los Angeles in the early 1980s, the Long Ryders were a counter to the synth-heavy music that was in vogue at the time. Drawing on their diverse musical backgrounds (punk and garage rock, ska, country, and hard rock), the band combined their broad musical pallet to create a sound that was guitar based, influenced by the American music of the 1960's (most notably the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers) and played with the raw energy of punk. Their EP 10-5-60 introduced the world to the band's take on the fusion of country and rock, but it is with Native Sons, a jangly, high octane ball of roots rock, folk, soul, psychedelia, and of course country, where the band staked their claim as standard bearers of Gram Parsons' vision of "Cosmic America Music" updated for the post-punk age.
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