It's a shame that most country music is considered jingoistic and hawkish. The genre is more American than any other and most of the musicians that create country music bespeak some unspoken truth about American culture. In an attempt to reclaim the genre from Middle American dimwits, a few musicians with an affection for Americana music started making a style of music that pulls heavily from country music, but also from alternative rock. This blending of styles was aptly dubbed alt-country and a few pioneering groups like the Willard Grant Conspiracy helped expose it to a wide fan base in the mid to late 90s. The group still makes its characteristic style of music and despite near constant lineup changes, the band still plays as strong as it ever has.
