The bakersfield sound is gypsy rap and polka.

 The Bakersfield Sound is the sound of a drunk construction worker swerving his pick-up to avoid a stray pit-bull and crashing head on into gardening rig driven by an illegal imigrant. Tom Petty meets Mariachi with lots of broken glass and spilled gasoline.

Luckily, the pit-bull got away....

I love both of the comments above, because they reflect the attitude that was, and is, the Bakersfield Sound.  It is still evolving.  It will become the New Bako Sound.

My audience this morning, was actually a bunch of construction workers that were grateful for the "live" sounds of a street musician because they did not have access to a radio. 

We've lost our roots, but that doesn't mean we can't find them again.  I'm convinced that there are some sleeping giants out there--country artists that are capable of putting out some kick-ass country with ties to the old Bakersfield Sound, but with something new to add to the mix. 

It's an attitude, really, but it's not the attitude of Korn.  It's a rural sound that still exists, but it's gone to sleep.  I'm not about to claim that I am that sleeping giant, but I'm sure trying to wake up the sleeping giant in all of us with any country roots in us at all.  The giant is not one artist.  It is an attitude in the Bakersfield underground music community that needs to be awakened. 

I've already had a couple of folks step forward and express an interest in my Bakersfield's Next Buck contest, and one is actually a female.  

They're out there.  It's out there.  We can't let Nashville trump us.  If there are any country, non-conformist, pissed-off artists out there, come forth and be counted, or be forgotten forever!

 "The Bakersfield Sound" is a myth, plain and simple.  What Buck and Merle did was extraordinary, and a wonderful gift to our part of the music world.  However, the talk and idea of a "Bakersfield Sound" is absurd, particularly when Korn gets pitted in with the true pioneers of this area.  Being a profitable enterprise does not mean you've created a "sound."

The biggest reason I can't stand hearing the use of "The Bakersfield Sound" is that it ultimately serves to make people from Bakersfield think we are more relevant in the national music scene we really are.  It's an advertising jingle for local venues and small-time operations.  While Buck and Korn have an international following, which they definitely earned, nobody outside of Bakersfield has even heard of The Bakersfield Sound.

The other major problem with the idea of The Bakersfield Sound is that there are many, many gifted artists and bands in this area who play music which is quite different from anything anyone might identify as The Bakersfield Sound.  Because of this, many local acts get overlooked and marginalized, which is why, ultimately, if you truly want to make a living at making music, most smart musicians know that leaving Bakersfield is your only hope.  If The Bakersfield Sound was truly the force of nature that some want to believe it is, we would have a much more lively scene here.  If any such thing is to ever be established, bands need to not be competing with one another, and club and venue owners need to be more open-minded about the acts they have in their establishments. 

Andalusian nose flute symphony,querelous mad dog chordal ravings,rhythmic windstring drum banquet,raving loon gypsy firedance......The past is worth historic merit  and recognition but best viewed in the context of those times.Remember both Buck Owens and Merle Haggard DID IT THEIR WAY otherwise we may not be having this discussion......Hey as a child I raced home to see and listen to Cousin Herb"s Trading Post sensing that it was a manifestation of something magical and not to be missed ....The musical future yet to be revealed must be inherently special,unique and ORIGINAL.. If you're doing something to try to recreate past magic,in my opinion you are missing the entire point of being a musician/artist/poet/thespian/dancer et cetera.By all means recognize and honor the past without being chained to it....Just keep making music OR WHATEVER without regard to past constraints OR prospective reward; EXPRESS YOURSELF, HONOR THE MUSE and.....D.I.Y..........Lost Hills as usual your imagery is transcendental and Chrisanova......Right on the money.!!!!.....Any one that will listen to me knows I  dig the shit  out of The Silence Club.....Bakersfield is lucky to have such an abundance of diverse artists and musicians,that's what inspires me. Unfortunately if we as a community and as individuals continue to blather on about The Bakersfield Sound we do a serious injustice to those creating new music now and miss out in the process.........Peace...................

 There is no future without the past.  Chrisanova, I know you mean well, but you are missing the point.  The Bakersfield Sound is more an attitude of pride (not arrogance, but pride) and independence as much as it is a distinct sound. 

if you truly want to make a living at making music, most smart musicians know that leaving Bakersfield is your only hope.

Therein lies the problem, we've lost our sense of pride in who we are as a musical community.  We are ashamed of who we are as a musical community because we've lost our appreciation for the rich musical legacy that was, and is, the Bakersfield Sound.  Those who have lost hope in the Bakersfield Sound simply leave town.  Those who believe in who we are and want to be a part of our future, stick around to make it happen.

Complaining that the Bakersfield Sound is a myth sounds like sour grapes to me.  If you think the "myth" of the Bakersfield Sound marginalizes bands that don't fit the mold, then you've missed the point of the whole movement. 

It was a movement that went against the grain, and embraced outsiders and outcasts.  As a resident of this town and a musician, you are a part of the evolving Bakersfield Sound, or, as I like to call it, the evolving New Bako Sound. 

As the beneficiary of this rich musical legacy, you get to shape it into whatever you want it to be.  It is pure energy, and creative power.  Take it, shape it, and make it your own sound. 

Music has always been partially about myth.  That's part of the magic that went into the British Invasion.  That's what made Johnny Cash "a walking contradiction---part fact, and part fiction."  Embrace the myth.  Make the legacy your own.  Be the New Bako Sound. 

 As usual, Dizzy Fingers cuts through the fog and illuminates the essence of the issue.

Bakersfield has more talented people making great music than any place I've ever seen. But there ain't no "Bakersfield Sound." And there shouldn't be. That would just be limiting and confining. Buck and Merle came up in a culture and a place and time that has passed. We should reverence that. It was a special time, and great music came out of it. But that time has passed. We should be proud of KoRn, too. But I don't think we should be trying to market a new "sound."

I think we should all be throwing down a diversity of sounds-- the more diverse, the better, without feeling like we have to adhere to any format.

Either way, the problem today is that there are a dearth of places to play.

If you can't find a place to play, then there can't be no sound. And there's no reason to work on your music......

 The Bakersfield Sound DOES exisits at Banaceks with Bobbie Durham, Trout's has Don and Annie Kidwell and much more!  Its a Nashville beat with a Bakersfield twist.  Come out any night of the week and you catch just a small portion it from Fishlips, Banceks, Crystal Palace & Trout's Stages..... you are just missing out if you don/t take the opportunity.  I AM part of the Bakersfield Sound and I am PROUD to say I am!

 The Bakersfield sound is not one sound at all! Buck and Merle and even Korn were just themselves doing what they do and so happened to be recognized. The funny thing is that they all did it the way Chrisanova described, outside of Bakersfield. It is not that they were ashamed they were from Bakersfield (Buck, Merle, and Korn have all made their musical birth place well known), but they had to venture OUTSIDE of B-Town to spread their INDIVIDUAL and PERSONAL SOUND to the masses. No one ever became big by staying in this town, and that is what Chris means. If you play music in Bakersfield, and stay in Bakersfield, live and die in Bakersfield, SO DOES YOUR SOUND. It is not sour grapes, it is a simple fact. I enjoy playing music in Bakersfield, and have done so for many years. I have my own sound, and am from Bakersfield. Does that mean it is the Bakersfield sound? No, it is my sound...as it was Buck's sound, Merle's sound, Korn's sound, Ray McDonald's sound, Seed's sound, Mento Buru's sound and yes...Chrisanovas sound. Their never was nor will be a Bakersfield sound, or Seattle sound or any other sound other than that of the individuals that created it..unless they are copycats who can not be unique and rely on rehashing past artistis methodolgies for the sake of CLAIMING they are playing the "WHATEVER" sound. Just be yourself and call it yours!

i think the only commonality between the old sound and the new is that speed (bop pills to meth) contributed to both, in my opinion. it sped up and electrified the old music; it has hardened and weirdened the new. 

 i know that when i've gone to LA, austin, memphis, even san francisco and other big places with big music scenes and tell them i'm from bakersfield (if they ask), they light up and want to talk about  "the bakersfield sound." in austin at sxsw, i walked up to the continental club and all eyes of the people in the long line waiting to get in turned toward me. it was not me, but my felix adamo "bakersfield sound" t-shirt.

yes, "the bakersfield sound" is now a niche, cult presence, but one that is fervently loved by devoted followers around the world. there is a "bakersfield sound" online group, bob price's series, websites, many, many tribute bands in europe and also throughout the U.S., buck owens tribute shows in cities from austin to chicago and probably NYC, too, "bakersfield sound" days at  "americana" festivals, some books, some magazines, and i'm sure more. collectors of this music loved it fervently, and carry on its influence. small in numbers, they are devoted in their fervor.

i don't think a thing has to be a big seller to be important. in fact, for me it's most often the opposite, tho i don't eschew popular things just to be contrary or eccentric. the people i know who are into "the bakersfield sound," to a one, are record collectors, music nerds, label enthusiasts. there may not be many of these people compared to the bajillions buying the popular stuff, but they exist - abroad as well as here. (i'm too sick to remember the local KUZZ DJ's name who has 1000s of records in his garage and a passion for bakersfield revivalist dale watson...)

therefore i conclude that though few people in bakersfield may support  "the bakersfield sound," it nevertheless remains a valid and vital influence on american music and on people who love and collect music.

jenny (i'm too sick to take the time to log in)

(so if any of these reads weird, well, i'm going back to bed)

 well, i still had to agree to be "anonymous," so i guess i could've signed in... zzzzzz

also - add to the above "podcasts and radio shows"...

 By nature, asking for the Bakersfield 'Sound' implies a 'sound', so I don't think the whole 'it's a way of life; an attitude' necessarily applies in that regard, but I understand the good intentions. It's not as if you are describing what 'the cowboy way' is, or what a 'hippie' or 'jamband' is...Then, I could see busting out the 'it's how you live it, not what you play' shpeil.

As for relating the lack of any 'sound' in Bakersfield to Seattle, or other hot spots...I don't think it's a fair comparison. I truly believe there WAS a Seattle Sound, just as there WAS a San Francisco sound in Bill Graham's hayday...Both were musical hotbeds that musicians and music fans alike flocked to in masses to experience a new wave of music....just as there was a new-wave NYC sound in the late 70s. One thing I DO agree with you on is the fact that Bakersfield still lacks that...why? No promotion. I've said it for years, and it's just a sad fact. We don't have promotion here. Our 'promoters' tend to just be booking contacts, but leave everything up to the bands to do their own ticket sales, own flyering, etc. KInd of a Hollywood way of doing things that seems to have tainted our little town. What made Seattle, San Francisco, NYC different? Other than being humungous cities (population-wise), they had key promoters creating a 'sound'. Less to the do with the bands themselves than to do with who the promoters were bringing in to influence the city. Certainly we've got a couple guys out there doing their thing w/ events, but I'm not talking a 2 times a year, 50 band bill at an odd location type of thing...Nothing I'd say that forges into any new territory when it comes to a 'sound'.

A city with a 'sound' calls for promotion, and musicians flocking to it to participate.

I honestly can't speak for Buck or Merle because I don't know for a fact if their sound was created at the Blackboard, or on the set of Hee Haw. I'm going to guess that they had a particular style going in town, but it wasn't picked up by others until they hit the cities.

 Music as we all know is continually evolving, now what is known as the Bakersfield Sound, was started in Country and Western music by Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. Both men had their own style and it got Bakersfield on the music map. I believe we still have our distinct sound, but it is still evolving and will continue to do so.

Good point. wic.

Think about the Bakersfield Sound as your grandparents.  The new sound won't sound exactly like the old sound, just as you would not be expected to look exactly like your grandparents.  But, as residents to Kern County, we inherit their legacy, and we are related, geographically, and historically. 

So there is the possibility of taking that is you live here long enough, or have been around their music enough, that you will inherit some of their traits.  It may not be their sound.  It may be the independent, carefree, devil-may-care spirit that was associated with the Bakersfield Sound. 

To say that the Bakersfield Sound never existed is to diminish the legacy that was theirs, one that we all share in.  To share in that legacy is a great honor, and its a great  cause for celebration.  It's a good reason to hit the stage or the studio and put out some kick-ass country, or rock, or rap, or whatever it is you do with the Bakersfield Sound attitude.  

We're standing on the shoulders of giants.  So we should all be holding our heads up and standing up straight when we sing and play. 

Merle Hasn't Lost His Fightin' Side

(produced by Bako's own Mark Yeary, formerly of Merle Haggard and the Strangers)

Dr BLT copyright 2008

http://www.drblt.net/music/...

Neither should you, and neither should me.

Wait!......Why should Korn be a bakersfield sound when they didn't even claim Bakersfield at first?Not that it really matters, but since we are on the subject, why Merle haggard sound? I know besides him getting a street named after him?(LAME) What has the guy done, is his music really that good/different/Bakersfieldian? Maybe, but to name a street after him? Come on! Whats next, we are going to have Kevin Harvick FWY. (no offense to the guy) I (my opinion) think just because someone gets famous, it does not necessarilly entitle them to a whole citys' sound, culture or even a freakin' street being named after them.

So, for me, I believe it is a mix of local-unknown-talented bands striving to make their own sound independent of what is already out there. To me, that's the bakersfield sound.

Sorry, i'm on my period...........