Sound Check — Geoff Carter: All things country coat pages of book ‘Modern Twang’

Friday, June 25, 1999 | 10 a.m.

Geoff Carter's music column appears Fridays. Reach him at carter@vegas.com.

Whenever I get my hands on any musical reference volume -- in this case, "Modern Twang: An Alternative Country Music Guide & Directory" by David Goodman (Dowling Press, $22) -- the first thing I do is try to stump it.

So I take the book in hand -- ooh, recycled paper! -- open it, and look for Neko Case. The comely Canadian, late of punk band Maow, is a relative newcomer as far as alt.country is concerned: She has only a pair of 45-RPM singles and one CD to her name. She's on page 57, right where she should be -- and I find out she has three country 45s to her name.

Encouraged, I look for people I've met -- Derailers drummer Mark Horn is here, as is local rockabilly producer Rockin' Ronnie Weiser -- and move on to people I'd like to meet: Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy, modern hillbilly swing master Wayne "The Train" Hancock, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Gillian Welch, Lyle Lovett, Whiskeytown's Ryan Adams. I even stumble across a few entries I didn't expect to find which, oddly enough, may be your points of entry: The alt.country influences of the Replacements, the Grateful Dead, John Fogerty and Bruce Springsteen are acknowledged. All told, "Modern Twang" proves its mettle in less than five minutes.

For those of you who came in late, "alternative country" -- called "No Depression" by the faithful -- is what country music should have become, rather than the dreadful pop that Nashville produces in bulk. If you've no taste for country music -- having been driven away by Shania Twain ("the highest-paid lap dancer in Nashville," Steve Earle once derided her) and the almighty Garth Brooks, a man that Jim "The Reverend" Horton Heath rightfully described as a "goober face" -- this book will bring you back to the feast. From Hank William Sr. to Son Volt's Jay Farrar, the line has never been more cleanly drawn. Buy any five titles listed on its pages and you'll discover where all the American music has gone.

You may have no other choice but to consult "Modern Twang": Most of the artists listed therein don't get played on the radio. No Depression is too roots-heavy to pop country stations, too twang-heavy for rock radio and too good for what passes for "alternative" radio these days. Goodman's book notes this, and reveals the driving force behind the growth and mounting popularity of this musical form: Every band has a website listed, some several.

Goodman has reportedly been researching this volume since 1994, and there aren't many threads he doesn't cover. The breakup and subsequent redemption of Uncle Tupelo is explained, the rise of Chicago-based "Insurgent Country" label Bloodshot is celebrated, Willie Nelson's troubles with the Internal revenue Service are winked at.

Even if you don't hear a note of this music, it's a great read, full of drunken brawls, dusty highways, steamy dancehalls and true American grit. "Hank Williams records have a lot more to do with the Sex Pistols than they have to do with Brooks and Dunn," Goodman quotes Steve Earle. He should thank Goodman that fully-documented proof of that link now exists, and can be bought by any adventurous soul for the price of one Garth ticket.

Stereo Dynamics

Jamiroquai, "Synkronized," Work/Sony: Jamiroquai opened for the Rolling Stones on their "Bridges to Babylon" and nearly kicked their collective booty. Not musically, of course -- Jamiroquai's breezy funk couldn't be any more different from the Stones' Northern Soul and mutant blues -- but on a level the venerable rock 'n' roll band still pride themselves on: pure, kinetic energy. Vocalist Jason Kay danced, jumped and did one-armed somersaults; all Mick Jagger could muster was the good old chicken dance, circa 1977.

Listening to the opening tack of "Synkronized," the disco-riffic "Canned Heat," I get that feeling again. The sound is the least important part of the equation -- variations on Earth Wind and Fire, Steely Dan and Giorgio Moroder -- and is surpassed, almost entirely, by the band's infectious energy. "Nothing left for me to do but dance," Kay sings (his vocals are exceptional), and you are rendered powerless to resist.

Listen to "Supersonic," "Soul Education" or "Where Do We Go From Here" -- the results are the same across the board. You close your eyes and see the dance floor bouncing, the go-go dancers in their cages, the valet running your car over the curb stops. Like all previous efforts by the band, "Synkronized" isn't servicing a sound, but an experience. And a great experience at that, one that grabs you by the short hair.

Get Out, Act Up

"Hello, walls, how'd things go for you today?" Fresh from a cameo in "Austin Powers," Willie Nelson asks these and other musical questions at 8 tonight at the Orleans -- $49.94 will go a long way towards the man's tax bill. Call 365-7075.

Wanna jam? Funky jam band Foxtrot Zulu -- c'mon, they have a zither player! -- rocks Legends Lounge tonight at 10. Local favorites Copperpot open, and it's just $5. Call 437-9674.

It's a rock-a-rama, kids! Fuel, Buckcherry and Pound play House of Blues tonight at 6:30. Tickets are just $17. Call 632-7600.

The piercing rock of the Genitorturers consumes Sanctuary Saturday night at 8. Not for the squeamish. Tickets are $12. Ages 18 and over, please.

Two great legends taste great together at the MGM Grand Garden Saturday at 8. Bob Dylan and Paul Simon play their first joint tour (that they know of). Tickets run from $40-$90. Call 891-7777.

Jerry Lee Lewis lives! The original hotel room-wrecker plays a special poolside gig Saturday at Silverton, 8 p.m. It's only $19.50, this little piece of rock 'n' roll history. Call 263-7777.