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Nation music is in contrast to most different fashionable music genres, and for a number of causes. One of many issues that makes nation music distinctive, particularly within the trendy context is there’s a pure resistance to utilizing know-how as a crutch, particularly in stay efficiency. That is due partially to the rootsy nature of the music. Firstly, even drums and electrical devices had been thought-about verboten within the style. Nation music is people impressing fingers on wooden and wire, and singing from the intestine and soul within the lovely imperfection of genuine expression.
Now granted, for those who’ve turned in your native mainstream nation radio station any time over the past 15 years or so, you’ve in all probability heard loads of electronically-derived beats, Auto-tuned vocals, or different technological enhancements. However usually talking, nation music is the final bastion the place it’s precise musicians taking part in precise music versus some man up on stage behind a console, or composing a tune or album solely on their laptop computer.
Most individuals know what Auto-Tune is, which means both software program or {hardware} that corrects the pitch of a singer to make it sound excellent, though it takes a delicate ear to really hear it being employed in music. Lip syncing is a commonly-known time period too, and equally, it would take a skilled eye to see when a singer is just not really performing stay.
However not as many individuals in all probability know what backing tracks are, partially as a result of except you’re a musician your self, it will possibly arduous to spy their use. Lengthy story brief, backing tracks are pre-recorded music broadcast by way of the audio system at a stay efficiency to imitate stay gamers on stage, however the gamers aren’t really there. Or typically, the gamers are there. However within the case of awards exhibits or televised performances, producers insist on perfection, and they also need gamers to mime to the music versus carry out it stay.
Typically backing tracks are derived from the studio recordings of the tune, which means the tracks you hear once you hear on the radio or a streaming service. Typically they’re pre-recorded earlier than a efficiency so that they’re considerably distinctive to the stay context. However both manner, similar to Auto-tune and lip-syncing, backing tracks are usually discouraged in nation music, as a result of they’ll come throughout as misleading to the viewers, amongst a number of different doubtful and regarding downstream results.
Over the historical past of nation music, there have been moments when using backing tracks has been strongly resisted by performers. When JJ Cale’s tune “Loopy Mama” grew to become his first Prime 40 hit in 1971, he was invited on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand TV present to carry out the tune. When Cale and his band arrived on the studio and began unloading their amplifiers, the producers instructed them there was no want. They might simply act like they had been taking part in to the recorded single. JJ Cale refused, and regardless of Dick Clark’s pleadings, left the studio. The second was chronicled in a extremely cool animated video produced by The New York Instances shortly after Cale’s demise in 2013.
In 1993, Garth Brooks performed three consecutive exhibits at Texas Stadium for a giant NBC tv particular. These had been the exhibits the place Garth Brooks notoriously flew over the stadium crowd on wires in one of the crucial polarizing moments in nation historical past. Although the Friday and Saturday exhibits had been ticketed and followers had been charged an admission charge, the Sunday present was free.
Why would the notoriously money-driven Garth Brooks play a stadium present free of charge? As a result of in the course of the third present, Garth was scheduled to mime to backing tracks versus performing stay. That manner they may take footage from the third evening to make the NBC particular look excellent. Not desirous to deceive his followers, Garth was up entrance with the viewers, and performed freed from cost.
Maybe essentially the most infamous second of a rustic artist protesting backing tracks was on the 1994 ACM Awards. Held in Los Angeles, Alan Jackson walked away that evening with the Prime Male Vocalist award, and co-hosted the occasion with Reba McEntire. However when it got here to performing what can be his upcoming #1 single and one of many signature songs of the period referred to as “Gone Nation,” Alan Jackson couldn’t sit proper with the charade the ACMs needed to drag on their viewers.
Earlier than the present, producers instructed Alan that he needed to play to a pre-recorded rhythm part observe, which Jackson clearly felt was tantamount to mendacity to each his followers and the viewers. So as an alternative of taking part in alongside, Jackson tipped off the viewers to the subterfuge by telling his drummer Bruce Rutherford to play with out sticks. In order the efficiency transpires and the whole lot sounds excellent, there’s Alan Jackson’s drummer, swinging his arms like he’s taking part in the drums, however with no sticks in his hand. Belief the ACM’s by no means requested Alan Jackson to play to a backing observe once more.
However how do many nation music performers really feel about Auto-tune, backing tracks, and machine beats in nation music within the current day? Nicely in the course of the top of Bro-Nation from about 2012 till about 2018, these items grew to become far more permissive within the nation mainstream. Since lots of the beats in nation songs had been derived from drum machines to start with, you additionally had to make use of them as backing tracks in live performance.
However over the previous couple of years, particularly because the Bro-Nation period has slowly light away and a extra conventional nation resurgence has come to the forefront, backing tracks have been increasingly discouraged and fewer prevalent as soon as once more. Even Morgan Wallen mentioned in a current interview with Theo Vonn that his final album had loads of entice beats, however for his new album he mentioned, “This time I used to be like let’s simply tone that again. If I’m uninterested in it, they’re in all probability uninterested in listening to it.”
In the meantime, within the unbiased facet of nation and Americana music with artists like Cody Jinks, Zach Bryan, Sierra Ferrell, The Turnpike Troubadours, and Tyler Childers, utilizing entice beats and backing tracks is so extraordinarily uncommon and deterred, it’s mainly non-existent, and stunning everytime you attend a pageant catering to non-radio nation stars and see somebody utilizing them.
That’s precisely what has occurred with one specific artist named Ian Munsick, who touts himself as a Western music revivalist. Ian Munsick looks as if a terrific dude. He additionally has as many skins on the wall to have the ability to proclaim himself a real Western artist. He grew up on ranches in Wyoming, and because the age of 10 he was singing in a Western band together with his two older brothers and father.
Ian Munsick’s brothers Sam Munsick and Tris Munsick are each glorious Western conventional nation artists with extremely underrated, and under-the-radar music. However Ian moved away from the West to attend Belmont College in Nashville, graduating with a Songwriting and Music Enterprise diploma, and ultimately acquired signed to Warner Bros. Information. Wherever Ian Munsick’s coronary heart and perspective began, it now has been not less than considerably institutionalized within the Music Row perspective, together with using backing tracks.
The primary time Saving Nation Music witnessed Ian Munsick carry out stay was at Mile 0 Fest in Key West, Florida in early 2023. That is when it grew to become apparent one thing was very off, and he’d been labored over in Music Row’s picture. As was mentioned at the moment,
“It took a matter of minutes to acknowledge Munsick had no bass participant, or backing vocalists, or different devices that you simply heard however didn’t see on stage. Taking part in to backing tracks doesn’t go over properly in Texas/Pink Grime music, and Munsick ought to have identified that. Maybe within the mainstream the observe is ok, and even par for the course. However this ain’t the mainstream, and with the way in which Munsick performs up his Wyoming cowboy roots, all of it finally got here throughout as disingenuous and misplaced, even when a few of the lyricism touched on Western themes.”
That is nothing private towards Ian Munsick, and this isn’t a type of “authenticity” arguments about him making an attempt to be one thing that he isn’t, per se. However the truth that Ian Munsick is usually booked at unbiased nation festivals the place followers and fellow performers are normally shocked to see backing tracks used, it felt like any person wanted to say one thing. And so forth April twenty second, Saving Nation Music did, impressed partially by a Rolling Stone profile that mentioned about Ian Munsick, “His music is so tethered to the tradition and way of life of his rural Wyoming upbringing that it’s seemingly Munsick the artist wouldn’t exist with out it.”
For the document, Ian Munsick’s recorded music additionally makes use of digital beats, Auto-tune, pop-oriented sounds and preparations, songwriting-by-committee, and different issues emblematic of the Music Row surroundings the place his music emanates from. Do some, if not a lot of his songs converse in regards to the West? Positive they do, however even a few of that is in a caricaturist notion of Western themes, virtually like Western hype music versus the kind of storytelling and thematic character examine most true Western music employs.
Why does it matter if persons are portraying Ian Munsick’s music as being “so tethered to the tradition and way of life of his rural Wyoming upbringing“? First off, as a result of it isn’t. An second, since you really do have true Western artists like Colter Wall, Wylie & The Wild West, Noeline Hoffmann, and Ian’s personal brothers Sam and Tris who danger being neglected when a Music Row machination like Ian Munsick is introduced to the general public in an try and recapture a few of the Western consideration in the intervening time attributable to issues just like the Yellowstone TV sequence, and convey it again below the management of the mainstream.
For Ian Munsick’s half, he took Saving Nation Music’s criticism usually in stride. Together with admitting to his use of backing tracks, Munsick mentioned in an announcement,
If spreading western music to a brand new viewers isn’t “saving nation music” then I don’t know what’s. I produce my information, play by myself information and engineer my very own information. That’s why it doesn’t slot in wherever but suits in all over the place. It’s me. Not another person telling me who to be.
Let’s speak backing tracks throughout stay exhibits. There’s a proper manner and flawed manner. I document my very own backing tracks, play a number of devices stay on stage, and have a BAD ASS band behind me each single evening. I’m an entertainer… I can’t simply sit there and strum.
Lastly, I’d strongly suggest getting some recent air. Doesn’t must be within the mountains of Wyoming, simply go contact some grass. Comfortable Earth Day
Although Ian Munsick is patently flawed on the subject of using backing tracks, particularly once you’re trying to painting your self as somebody “spreading Western music to a brand new viewers,” it’s important to admire Ian Munsick’s honesty, and his willingness to face up for himself.
Is the truth that he information his personal backing tracks—which means he isn’t utilizing another person’s pre-recorded music to play to in live performance—make Munsick’s use of backing tracks extra forgivable? Maybe to some very slight diploma. But it surely on no account absolves the general and underlying concern in regards to the observe.
Except for the misleading nature of backing tracks, what are the opposite drawbacks to utilizing them? If singers are performing to pre-recorded music, which means the music can’t breathe as a result of the size and beat of the songs has been pre-determined earlier than the efficiency even begins.
The musicians taking part in stay should keep in sync with the recorded music, to allow them to’t resolve to play the tune a bit bit quicker or slower than regular. The guitarist can’t take an additional solo if he’s feeling it. There’s much less alternative for improvisation and spontaneity, which is among the best property of stay music. People can’t all the time shout out requests from the viewers and have them fulfilled. Most the whole lot is already scripted out.
Most significantly although, being permissive of using backing tracks is an existential menace to {many professional} musicians, particularly bass gamers, drummers, backup singers, rhythm guitar gamers, and even lead instrumentalists. It makes it okay to interchange these people important to the music with know-how. To exchange them with backing tracks is to misconceive the magic of stay music, and why tens of millions of individuals go to nation music concert events yearly.
Consider a few of the world-class facet gamers in nation music, and what they’ve meant over time. Consider Joanna Cotten, who together with being a solo artist, was a backup singer for years behind Eric Church, and introduced that additional soul and power to stay performances. Consider the drummer for The Pink Clay Strays, John Corridor, and the way animated he’s on stage, and the way he composes the heartbeat of that band. Consider bass participant Omar Oyoque of Silverada, who when introduced on board, turned what was an area Austin honky tonk band into what many contemplate the most effective stay bands in all of nation music.
Within the aftermath, you additionally had some Ian Munsick followers saying that almost all stay performers use backing tracks as of late, and it’s not a giant deal. However fortunately, we even have an instance and a management examine of how artists and most of the people felt about backing tracks earlier than the entire Ian Munsick imbroglio was ignited.
In December of 2024, so only a few months prior, viral nation star Oliver Anthony had gone on a viral rant about his experiences within the nation music enterprise. Lots of the issues he mentioned within the rant had been really spot on, although others highlighted his naiveté in regards to the music enterprise, and had been issues he in all probability ought to know higher about.
However the largest takeaway from the rant, and what stirred essentially the most controversy is when Anthony mainly accused each single performer within the nation music trade of utilizing backing tracks.
Oliver Anthony mentioned, “Individuals don’t understand {that a} band could make $450,000 for standing on stage for an hour, and also you’re solely listening to half the band as a result of plenty of these mainstream acts, particularly in nation … like these nation music festivals, everyone runs backing tracks. Like I’ll always remember, I gained’t say who the act is. But it surely was at South Carolina on the Myrtle Seaside one, the band who performed after us, that dude had six Auto-tune modulators on a pedal board on stage simply to assist him with vocals pitch stay. And so they had backing tracks thrown in, drum loops operating … all of them do it.”
Now you would possibly suppose that with the way in which backing tracks, Auto-tune, and drum loops are so polarizing amongst nation music purists, traditionalists, and unbiased followers, people aligned on that facet of nation can be pumping their fists at Oliver Anthony’s rebuke of performers utilizing know-how to idiot their audiences. However this isn’t what occurred in any respect. Since Oliver Anthony concluded his quote with “All of them do it,” he mainly implicated all of nation music’s performers, together with the non-radio artists who would by no means use Auto-tune, drum loops, and backing tracks.
Many nation artists and their followers took it very private that Oliver Anthony painted with such a broad brush throughout his rant, particularly since his accusations had been so off the mark. Taking Oliver Anthony’s quotes, followers additionally began deducing that he is likely to be particularly speaking about Parker McCollum, who carried out after Anthony on the Carolina Nation Music Fest in 2024.
Parker McCollum subsequently responded in a video, “100% fabricated lie. I’ve by no means ever one time used Autotune, or a drum loop, or something faux of any sort on stage. Me and my guys are rippin’ it the true deal ever single evening. There has by no means been one single a part of our present, not one notice that was not stay, uncooked, and within the second. 100% fabricated story.”
For the document, Oliver Anthony by no means named Parker McCollum. He may have meant a distinct performer, and it may have even been a distinct pageant. However Parker McCollum had no alternative however to reply, as a result of the accusations might be so undermining of his credibility as a rustic artist. And Parker wasn’t the one one who had alternative phrases for Oliver Anthony. Paul Cauthen additionally chimed in, saying,
“Oliver Anthony, shut your mouth … All you’re is ruining relationships, and hurting folks that really work in our trade. Now I do know you don’t get it since you’re used to being out within the mud within the holler. However right here in Texas, we’ve got songwriters and lots of people that’ve been working on this enterprise earlier than you had been taking part in your little Tik-Tok songs.
“I really like that you simply suppose you’re holier than thou, however you’re actually hurting folks on the market. So I need folks to grasp once you suppose this Oliver Anthony man is simply the very best and hung the moon, he’s really screwing folks over. So preserve your ass and your mouth shut!”
The aftermath of Oliver Anthony’s rant actually underscores how massive swaths of nation performers really feel about using backing tracks. As Saving Nation Music mentioned at the moment of the Oliver Anthony rant in December 2024, referencing Ian Munsick particularly,
“If you go to an precise nation music pageant, or an unbiased music pageant, you by no means see Autotune or backing tracks getting used. And once you do, it stands proud so starkly, it’s stunning. That is a few of the polarization surrounding Ian Munsick, who’s the one artist you’ll ever see at an unbiased pageant taking part in to backing tracks. So when Oliver Anthony says this observe is throughout nation festivals, he’s sharing an uninformed opinion.”
Rolling Stone‘s opinion was additionally uninformed after they touted the Western bona-fides of Ian Munsick’s music. To many, being a Western artist is embodying a uncooked, pure, stay, and decidedly natural strategy to music that backing tracks are thought-about absolutely the antithesis of.
It’s unlucky that regardless of the criticism, Ian Munsick has determined to double down on his use of backing tracks. This could and can proceed to restrict the viewers of his music, and open him as much as continued criticism. And this isn’t only one individual’s opinion. That is the prevailing sentiment all through the musicians and fandom that Ian Munsick is making an attempt to attraction to.
May Ian Munsick’s effort to work in some extra modern sounds and types broaden the attraction of Western music to a extra mainstream viewers? Positive it may. However including a bass participant and different stay musicians to his stay present will solely improve that have, and as a well-liked artist, he clearly has the monetary functionality to take action.
As a result of that is nation music. And as most all audio leisure goes digital, automated, if not outright AI-generated, nation music particularly and Western music particularly can and must be the one place the place it’s nonetheless actual stay people expressing themselves by way of the medium of music, sweating and crying out human emotion devoid of digital filters proper there for you on stage. Like Parker McCollum says, “stay, uncooked, and within the second.”
That’s nation music.
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