Rural Ledge-ucation #99: Cowpunk

The death of George Jones has led to a weekend of heavy thinking. Scary, I know. His death, combined with quite a few recent interviews with musicians who found new inspiration in "looking back", caused me to think about my own musical timeline. How did I go from the Ramones and Sex Pistols to George, Johnny, and Merle?
Like too much of my musical heritage, it all dates back to my 80's college radio days. Along with the typical mainstays of that era were a number of bands attempting to bridge the gap between punk rock and country music. Some of these bands were called "cowpunk"; others were connected to the L.A. "paisley underground" scene. Many were just not afraid to show their supposedly uncool roots.
Today's show gathers a number of bands that loosely fit these descriptions. Beginning and ending with tracks from Elvis Costello's most "shocking" album, Almost Blue, this morning's show meanders around the country, including Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and even Missouri.
As announced a few weeks ago, this is the second-to-last Rural Ledge episode before the summer hiatus. Next week's "season finale" may shape up to be an all-request show. If you have something you'd like me to play, leave a comment or head over to my Facebook with your suggestion. Until then, download this episode via iTunes, Stitcher, or...

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1. Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Good Year For The Roses
2. Jason & The Scorchers, Broken Whiskey Glass
3. Rank And File, Amanda Ruth
4. Camper Van Beethoven, Ambiguity Song
5. X, The New World
6. The Knitters, Call Of The Wreckin' Ball
7. The Blasters, Long White Cadillac
8. Los Lobos, Shakin' Shakin' Shakes
9. The Long Ryders, 10-5-60
10. The Beat Farmers, Powderfinger
11. Dream Syndicate, Slide Away
12. Green On Red, Keep On Moving
13. The Jayhawks, Falling Star
14. Tex & The Horseheads, I´ll Quit Tomorrow
15. Uncle Tupelo, Whiskey Bottle
16. Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down