Anything But Country
Dock Oscar brings a little bit of small town to the big city
Kings County is the most populated county in New York State and home to the Kings County Opry, a monthly celebration of bluegrass and country music. As the county—better known as Brooklyn—and its burgeoning country music scene blossoms, it’s becoming home to hipsters and Hank Williams fans alike. You’re likely to see some of both at the third annual Brooklyn Winter Hoedown, Feb. 15-18.
The festival, hosted by Brooklyn Country Music, is as straightforward as its name. Founded by two musicians, Alex Battles and Oscar Stern—though he prefers the country moniker Dock Oscar—Brooklyn Country Music grew out of a desire to showcase Brooklyn’s distinct country movement. At a Brooklyn Country Music event, you can expect to hear everything from traditional string band—disciples of the Bill Monroe school of bluegrass—to edgy, raw, cow-punk steeped in Johnny Cash on one side and Dinosaur Jr. on the other. It’s gritty, heartfelt, and great for dancing.
“It’s not really pretentious,” Stern says, “It’s very accessible.”
And that must be a refreshing escape from the ubiquitous indie electronica that has characterized the standard last half-decade of nights out. “People like to actually dance together,” Stern says. “It’s more intimate.”
Remember the sweaty-palmed thrill of square-dancing in middle school? Imagine that with a lot less pressure and a lot more alcohol. Dock Oscar himself came to country music right from the start. Raised in the dairy farming region of upstate New York, he was surrounded by the genre early in his musical development. He describes it as a “kind of a time bomb waiting to go off, a computer chip playing in my head.” Since the time bomb exploded, he’s studied bluegrass banjo with Orrin Star, performed as a solo artist, and he currently fronts the alt-country band Sweet William. Recently, he’s begun playing with the Chenango County Line, which experiments with bluegrass. They’ll be performing at this year’s hoedown, opening the Friday night set. Stern says of the band, “We smile a lot. I think that’s what we do best.”
The remark typifies the easygoing nature of Brooklyn’s current country scene. The shows and the bands are very much committed to a simple objective: to bring back the sheer joy of a good night out. In a Village Voice interview, Alex Battles put it succinctly, “We play for free beer and girls who smile at us.”
Most of the events are free or have a minimal cover charge, meaning that the bands generally perform just for the fun of it. Brooklyn Country Music also hosts a number of jamboree and song circle sessions, allowing beginners and pros to play together. Check out their CasHank Hootenanny Jamboree, the second Tuesday and last Thursday of every month. Participants are instructed to bring “knowledge of three chords, sometimes four, a good-spirited heart, beer money.”
There is a communal spirit, an ethos of good times and hard liquor that connects the Brooklyn country scene back to the very beginnings of the genre. Country music was always meant to be shared. Individual showmanship, while ever-present, came out of a joint effort, a joy in playing together.
The bands at this year’s hoedown will be showcasing that same spirit. Stern personally recommends seeing Alicia Jo Rabins and the Halo Boys, who will be performing the first night, Thursday at Freddy’s Backroom. Rabins is a fiddler adept in everything from klezmer to bluegrass, and on Thursday, she’s likely to evoke the very best of Appalachia.
Friday’s show will be held at Superfine, a restaurant and bar in DUMBO. Dock Oscar will be taking the stage, as will bluegrass band Citigrass and Grizzly’s Banjo Assault, a psychobilly outfit.
Continuing at Superfine, Saturday features the well-named American String Conspiracy and the elfin-voiced Jan Bell with backing band the Cheap Dates. But it’s the Sunday-Super-Brunch-Madness set that’s likely to garner the most attention. With live music playing from 11:30 a.m. to about 7 or 8 at night, it’s bound to be a day full of the very best that Brooklyn country can offer. The M. Shanghai String Band, an 11-person ensemble, will be closing the festival and they’re one of the best bands to do it, as they really represent what Brooklyn country is all about: lots of friendly people making lots of fine noise.
Stern advises anyone attending, “Don’t be afraid to dance, to hoot and holler and scream—that’s mandatory.” It’s a small price to pay.
Brooklyn Country Music’s Third Annual Winter Hoedown will be held Thursday, Feb. 15 through Sunday, Feb. 18, at Freddy’s Backroom and Superfine. For more information about Brooklyn Country Music, visit their Web site at http://www.brooklyncountrymusic.com.
Dock Oscar and Alex Battles will also be appearing on WKCR’s Moonshine Show with Alex Statman on Sunday, Feb. 11, at 10 a.m.