Sophia Michaels
Trying to define alt-country is a foolhardy pursuit, but that didn’t stop Mojo Nixon from leading a panel discussion into the genre while aboard the fifth annual Outlaw Country Cruise.
Titled “Alt.Country: Whatever That Is,” the Outlaw Country host and subject of the upcoming documentary The Mojo Manifesto assembled Jon Langford of the Mekons and the Waco Brothers, acerbic singer-songwriter Robbie Fulks, the Bottle Rockets’ Brian Henneman, and producer-musician Eric “Roscoe” Ambel to dive into those muddy waters. In the end, the group didn’t decide much of anything, but they did come up with a rip-roaring cover of Johnny Cash’s “Big River” to close out the session — one of multiple live tapings that Sirius XM’s Outlaw Country stages aboard the Outlaw Country Cruise.
Along with the alt-country panel, Steve Earle hosted a look at Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue with Kinky Friedman, Larry “Ratso” Sloman, Larry Campbell, and the Long Ryders’ Sid Griffin, which premieres Saturday at 9:00 p.m. ET during Earle’s Hardcore Troubadour Radio show. Shooter Jennings’ Electric Rodeo brought together Paula Nelson, Folk Uke, Waylon Payne, Jesse Dayton, and the Supersuckers’ Eddie Spaghetti. That premieres Saturday at 6:00 p.m. ET. And Elizabeth Cook taped a sit-down interview with Carlene Carter, which will air sometime in the coming week.
“Alt.Country: Whatever That Is” premieres during Nixon’s show today at 7:00 p.m. ET. All shows will be available to stream via Sirius XM’s on-demand feature.
Outlaw Country Cruise 5 set sail last month from Miami, stopping in Key West, Florida, for the Mile 0 Fest and in Falmouth, Jamaica, where it picked up reggae legend Lee “Scratch” Perry, who sat in with Langford and the Waco Brothers for a genre-crossing set.
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