The recent Mavericks/Junior Brown double bill at the Greek Theatre could have been described as country music for people who don't like country music - or don't appreciate what passes for country music in the freeze-dried age of Garth Brooks, Shania Twain and Tracy Lawrence.
Both the Mavericks and Brown take their inspiration from country's golden age of the '50s and '60s. The Mavericks, an energetic quartet originally hailing from Miami, plays rockabilly, Tex-Mex, honky-tonk and country-rock with convincing heart and soul.Brown is a Jimi Hendrix-style virtuoso on an instrument he created, the "guit-steel," a double-neck hybrid of steel guitar and standard six-string electric. Aside from his jaw-dropping technique, this Austin, Texas, native writes wry, witty swing tunes in the vein of country's king of comedy, Roger Miller, delivered in a deep baritone reminiscent of Ernest Tubb.
A decade ago, when Lyle Lovett and k.d. lang attempted to broaden the definition of what constituted country music, radio was resistant and purists circled the wagons. Thankfully, times have changed, and the Mavericks and Brown have found acceptance on airwaves once closed to unconventional, rock-inspired performers.
"I was so excited about this concert," said Bob Harvey, program director and afternoon-drive host at local country station KYK-FM (94.3). "You're talking about two of my favorite country acts. Christmas came early for me this year. These are two of the best things that have happened to country music since I don't know when. As you can tell, I'm a big fan."
Mavericks guitarist Nick Kane isn't surprised he has fans in high places inside radio. He's aware that the Mavericks' current hit single, "All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down," featuring Tex-Mex accordion master Flaco Jimenez, is firmly established on many country playlists across the nation.
"I honestly think radio is going through a transition where there are allowances made for bands like ours or for Junior Brown," Kane said. "We're part of this movement where radio might be coming around a bit."
For his part, Brown may get less radio play than the Mavericks, but he is a staple on country video networks, where the left-of-center ditty "Highway Patrol" has proven to be a hands-down favorite. A new Brown clip, "Venom Wearin' Denim," taken from his latest self-produced album, "Semi-Crazy" (Curb/MCA), is currently being readied.
"I'm just happy they've accepted me as they have," the 44-year-old Brown said with a chuck-le. "There are a lot of artists out there and I'm one of 'em."
After Thursday night's stop at the Greek, the Mavericks and Brown will continue touring together throughout the year. Both were Grammy Award nominees for Best Country Album, but the Mavericks won their statuette in an entirely different category - Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals, for the track "Here Comes the Rain," from their third and latest effort, "Music for All Occasions" (MCA).
"We get a wide variety of people coming to hear us," the 41-year-old Kane said from his Nashville home. "We see all ages, from the youngest to the oldest - the hat crowd, the alternative crowd. A lot of our fans tend to be music lovers above all."
Brown, too, attracts a diverse audience. When he played a well-attended free show at Santa Monica Pier last summer, there were more alternative-type kids in clunky Doc Martens and flannel shirts than there were folks in cowboy boots.
"A lot of people tell me they don't like country music, but they like what I'm doing," Brown said. "I hear that line more than anything else."
Until he set out on his own, Brown was Austin's best-kept secret, known simply for dazzling fill-in work with such popular local outfits as Rank and File, and Asleep at the Wheel.
"I waited a while to come out as a solo artist," he said. "I hadn't written the songs that got me going until the '80s. `Gotta Get Up Every Morning' was one of the first tunes I wrote where I realized I might have a knack for the lighthearted tune. And I don't know what else got me there. Maybe some of the Texas swing things I heard as a kid."
The Mavericks - singer Raul Malo, bassist Robert Reynolds, drummer Paul Deakin and Kane - also reveal a love for traditional country music. On the quartet's latest album, the nods to Jim Reeves and Marty Robbins should be obvious to country aficionados.
"I started out as a folkie, and my influences ranged from Tom Pax-ton to Lightnin' Hopkins," Kane said. "And even in my hard-rock days of the '70s, I'd come home and put on a Buck Owens record. I've never drawn a line. I mean, it was only 10 years ago that I was playing in an all-original punk swamp-rock band. But there's a definite '60s country feel on the new record - the simple two or three chord shuffles with melody."
Typically, the band threw in a twist - a cover of Nancy and Frank Sinatra's "Something Stupid," featuring Trisha Yearwood.
"There really was no overt plan," Kane said. "Things just turned out the way they did. We never set out to accomplish anything in particular. We just wanted to make the music we make and have a good time doing it. And we've been lucky so far."
Although Brown and the Mavericks are attracting newcomers to country music, some "hat" fans remain immune.
"Nashville is infatuated with trends and fads, but there's little effort on our part to do anything different that what we normally do," Kane said. "If there's any backlash, it's because we're not playing '90s country. What this band does best is sort of simplistic in its execution."
Meanwhile, the Mavericks/
Brown concert pairing has turned into something of a traveling mutual admiration society. Kane can't stop raving about his opening act.
"The crowds just love him," the guitarist said. "They're really going off on him. He's almost a force of nature. That man is such an outrageous songwriter that I'm sure one of these days he's going to write a hit song like `Convoy' and become bigger than the Beatles."