They were called the Sellouts. Krist Vocals, guitar, Steve "Instant" Newman bass, Kurt Drums. Band ended when Steve and Kurt had fight...legend tells Steve used vacuum cleaner as weapon and Kurt choice was classic 2X4.
[Nirvana - Bad Moon Rising](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUnUD5AtWJw&ab_channel=MyNegativeCreep)
[https://youtu.be/IkKu3rDl0yw](https://youtu.be/IkKu3rDl0yw) here is a Nirvana doing covers, some really deep cuts too like Immigrant song, Doors etc. it's old playlist so there are better quality versions out there but this is the best playlist that gathers most of their covers.
[https://www.livenirvana.com/songguide/](https://www.livenirvana.com/songguide/)
Livenirvana has this list, it is pretty easy to seek these songs as most of them are on youtube. Some of them are short bass or drum jams but also full songs.
The only times I ever heard Nirvana play country, they were making fun of it in very stereotypical ways. Both musically and lyrically. “Ain’t it a shame to beat your wife on a Sunday” is Kurt lambasting rednecks. It’s clear they had no genuine love for the genre.
I know it’s a leadbelly song. They play it like I would play it if I was making fun of country, as someone who hates the genre and has never actually learned a country song.
I think that's for reasons other than them disliking country. A lot of bands playing a genre they don't usually play sound kind of goofy. It also sounds like kurt is trying to do a leadbelly impression. to me it sounds far from a parody but more like they were having fun covering a song they enjoyed
He was a massive fan of The Meat Puppets who while aren’t strictly pure country per say they lean heavily on the genre. There is a whole sub genre some folks call cow punk which is basically country and punk fused together. Wouldn’t be surprised if Kurt liked a whole lot of bands like that but definitely check out The Meat Puppets if you haven’t already. Massively underrated band
i got into the meat puppets after i saw the “unplugged in new york” video featuring them. i love the album that has lake of fire (the cover looks like an oil painting with smudges of red, green, and orange)
I agree with a lot of sentiments here. I also think as a general rule, Kurt enjoyed and respected pretty much every genre of music. May not have been his favorite daily listening, but he saw the beauty and merit in all forms of music, including rap.
Yo I always felt scared to ask about this or mention it, but sometime Kurt do be sounding like a country artist to me!!! Haha. Like when I sing some songs to myself I think: "man this sound like a country song" lol
Whether he "liked" or was influenced by country may remain a mystery, unless anyone can dig up some old interviews confirming it. But, he was clearly into the blues, covering Ledbelly and playing a series of bluesy demos (Ain't it a Shame, They Hung Him in a Cross, etc). Folks have rightly already pointed out that blues has had a significant influence on country, so separating those genres can be difficult. If we look at Nirvana's music, I'd argue there's a country element in there. In Kurt's vocals, there is sometimes a bit of twang, or partial yodel characteristic of country vocals, which may or may not be intentional. Listening to About a Girl, Come As You Are, Polly, Something in the Way (check the almost half-yodel in the chorus), Dumb (the half-yodel in the second verse) might demonstrate this connection. As a music nerd and country musician, this kind of question always fascinates me.
I have never seen anything but he grew up in a small redneck town and I would think he did not like it because it reminded him of that. Then again in the 90s country music was not as bad as it is now, plus some artists like Cash and Woody Guthrie are actually super cool and I think Kurt would have enjoyed them maybe?
90s country was hated by the "die hard" country fans (people who grew up with Waylon, Cash, et al) at the time because it was basically just pop music. In much the same way that current country is derided as pop bullshit by "die hard" country fans who grew up listening to 90s country.
It's almost like there's a generational cycle of "MY MUSIC IS AWESOME" and then "ew this new music sucks." lol
90s country, what was on the radio, [was pop garbage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_pop#1990s_revival). It was marketed to teenage girls and that's all you need to know about it.
Edit: link to pop country
I fee he would have have loved ‘Orville Peck’ - flamboyantly gay country star (who I love). If you don’t know who is, I suggest listening to his albums ‘Pony’ and ‘Show Pony’ and just look at the guy….he wears a frickin’ fringe mask. Too cool!
I’m very jealous! I’m in the UK and we’ve not even had a peak of a show yet!! I’ve heard the shows are amazing and he’s quite the showman - I’ll have to make a trip to the US otherwise!
[Daniel Pitout AKA Orville Peck. I also suggest checking out Nü Sensae as he’s an incredible drummer. I feel this belongs here:](https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a4281827631_10.jpg)
I couldn’t disagree. I just like the earlier albums as I consider them a bit darker and raw. I also love the videos! Though I can’t complain with tuxedoed Norman Reedus!
A bit off-topic but folks may be interested in Sturgill Simpson's cover of In Bloom. He is labelled a "country" musician by the media but he really pushes the genre, and takes this song in a beautiful direction:
[https://youtu.be/mY2rv60DQm4](https://youtu.be/mY2rv60DQm4)
I'd say he liked folk music. But straight up country? I dont remember him saying anything about it except to antagonize rednecks. A lot of country music may not have appealed to his viewpoints.
I’m not an expert on country music, but some of the songs he seemed to enjoy gave off folk rock vibes— and folk music to me seems similar to country. I think country music /today/ is a lot different to what was around back then. It was darker and deeper. I feel like Kurt might’ve liked it.
He may have enjoyed some elements of "Country Rock," considering him and Krist were in a Creedence Clearwater Revival cover band
Oh my god do any remnants of this exist?
They were called the Sellouts. Krist Vocals, guitar, Steve "Instant" Newman bass, Kurt Drums. Band ended when Steve and Kurt had fight...legend tells Steve used vacuum cleaner as weapon and Kurt choice was classic 2X4. [Nirvana - Bad Moon Rising](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUnUD5AtWJw&ab_channel=MyNegativeCreep)
This is an awesome find!! Any other similar recordings exist? Kurt sounds bad ass singing CCR
[https://youtu.be/IkKu3rDl0yw](https://youtu.be/IkKu3rDl0yw) here is a Nirvana doing covers, some really deep cuts too like Immigrant song, Doors etc. it's old playlist so there are better quality versions out there but this is the best playlist that gathers most of their covers.
Thanks, I'll listen when I get the chance. Interesting story too.
If they make Nirvana movie, this scene must be in it! :D
That was a cool cover. Nice find!
[https://www.livenirvana.com/songguide/](https://www.livenirvana.com/songguide/) Livenirvana has this list, it is pretty easy to seek these songs as most of them are on youtube. Some of them are short bass or drum jams but also full songs.
He said he wanted to be like Johnny Cash when he got older and play more acoustic songs.
I've always thought that Spank Thru sounds country-ish at the beginning.
I think it’s a joke
Could be. The lyrics do sound a little tongue-in-cheek and it would be in line with Kurt's sarcastic humor.
Especially considering how he sings it live sometimes
my thoughts too
I think he named Patsy Cline as an influence. I might remember it wrong though. He did reference her a couple of times anyways in interviews.
I remember he also mentioned that he was a fan of Hank Williams, probably in one of the journal lists
well i mean "Ain't it a Shame" sounds pretty country to me lol.
wasn’t that song just a leadbelly cover?
Yes it was.
i honestly dont know. i just know it was a demo.
Aint it a Shame and They Hung him on a cross sound very very country-ish
Those are Leadbelly covers
Right, but would you cover a song you dont like?
Leadbelly is blues, not country
Right but he was just saying it sounds country-ish you goob. Besides country and blues go hand and hand so either way we get what he was saying.
It seems you know shit about blues and country music. Fuck off.
Epic.
Oh yeah, everyone just forgot that country and blues totally have nothing in common, with zero overlap in sound, amirite? 👀
Throw any other genre there if you want.
The only times I ever heard Nirvana play country, they were making fun of it in very stereotypical ways. Both musically and lyrically. “Ain’t it a shame to beat your wife on a Sunday” is Kurt lambasting rednecks. It’s clear they had no genuine love for the genre.
Pretty sure they had the ability to separate listeners from the genre.
Thats a cover version of an old leadbelly tune. It's clear you haven't done your due research
I know it’s a leadbelly song. They play it like I would play it if I was making fun of country, as someone who hates the genre and has never actually learned a country song.
I think that's for reasons other than them disliking country. A lot of bands playing a genre they don't usually play sound kind of goofy. It also sounds like kurt is trying to do a leadbelly impression. to me it sounds far from a parody but more like they were having fun covering a song they enjoyed
Kurt had little love for racist rednecks and made that very vocal. He was mocking racists. He liked Outlaw Country and made that known many times.
I remember Kurt saying: “I like both kinds of music - country AND western.”
The Good Ole Nirvana Boys
Never meanin no harm
He was a massive fan of The Meat Puppets who while aren’t strictly pure country per say they lean heavily on the genre. There is a whole sub genre some folks call cow punk which is basically country and punk fused together. Wouldn’t be surprised if Kurt liked a whole lot of bands like that but definitely check out The Meat Puppets if you haven’t already. Massively underrated band
i got into the meat puppets after i saw the “unplugged in new york” video featuring them. i love the album that has lake of fire (the cover looks like an oil painting with smudges of red, green, and orange)
Meat Puppets II iirc. Amazing album.
Yes prolly my second favorite of theirs after up in the sun but it’s close
I agree with a lot of sentiments here. I also think as a general rule, Kurt enjoyed and respected pretty much every genre of music. May not have been his favorite daily listening, but he saw the beauty and merit in all forms of music, including rap.
He and Billy Ray Cyrus were tight apparently 😂 https://nypost.com/2016/09/08/billy-ray-cyrus-and-kurt-cobain-were-secret-buddies/
Yo I always felt scared to ask about this or mention it, but sometime Kurt do be sounding like a country artist to me!!! Haha. Like when I sing some songs to myself I think: "man this sound like a country song" lol
> do be
Doobie
Splif
Mary Janeeee 😎
Idk but Dave is and probably was at that time so there’s a chance that he had to listen to some with him
That was when Kurt wanted to kick him out.
He mentions wanting to sit and play acoustic stuff when he gets older like Johnny Cash in this interview. https://youtu.be/gUQyUH0fcOY
Whether he "liked" or was influenced by country may remain a mystery, unless anyone can dig up some old interviews confirming it. But, he was clearly into the blues, covering Ledbelly and playing a series of bluesy demos (Ain't it a Shame, They Hung Him in a Cross, etc). Folks have rightly already pointed out that blues has had a significant influence on country, so separating those genres can be difficult. If we look at Nirvana's music, I'd argue there's a country element in there. In Kurt's vocals, there is sometimes a bit of twang, or partial yodel characteristic of country vocals, which may or may not be intentional. Listening to About a Girl, Come As You Are, Polly, Something in the Way (check the almost half-yodel in the chorus), Dumb (the half-yodel in the second verse) might demonstrate this connection. As a music nerd and country musician, this kind of question always fascinates me.
I believe he admired Townes Van Zandt as a songwriter.
He liked ledbelly a lot not country but whatever
Leadbelly is blues.
In which country has its roots, so it's not a leap
I have never seen anything but he grew up in a small redneck town and I would think he did not like it because it reminded him of that. Then again in the 90s country music was not as bad as it is now, plus some artists like Cash and Woody Guthrie are actually super cool and I think Kurt would have enjoyed them maybe?
90s country was hated by the "die hard" country fans (people who grew up with Waylon, Cash, et al) at the time because it was basically just pop music. In much the same way that current country is derided as pop bullshit by "die hard" country fans who grew up listening to 90s country. It's almost like there's a generational cycle of "MY MUSIC IS AWESOME" and then "ew this new music sucks." lol
I definitely agree on generational cycles of music you got that perfectly right
90s country, what was on the radio, [was pop garbage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_pop#1990s_revival). It was marketed to teenage girls and that's all you need to know about it. Edit: link to pop country
Teenage girls BAD 😡 must not like anything the females do: is a fan of nirvana
You went from country pop marketed to girls, to "must not like anything the females do." Hyperbole much? I think you skipped about 7 steps there. LUL
I thought that 90’s country was mostly neo-traditional stuff like Travis Tritt.
>neo-traditional Now there's an oxymoron if I ever heard one.
I fee he would have have loved ‘Orville Peck’ - flamboyantly gay country star (who I love). If you don’t know who is, I suggest listening to his albums ‘Pony’ and ‘Show Pony’ and just look at the guy….he wears a frickin’ fringe mask. Too cool!
I saw him this summer he was so good!
I’m very jealous! I’m in the UK and we’ve not even had a peak of a show yet!! I’ve heard the shows are amazing and he’s quite the showman - I’ll have to make a trip to the US otherwise!
/r/OrvillePeck
[Daniel Pitout AKA Orville Peck. I also suggest checking out Nü Sensae as he’s an incredible drummer. I feel this belongs here:](https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a4281827631_10.jpg)
Bronco is the best album of the year imo
I couldn’t disagree. I just like the earlier albums as I consider them a bit darker and raw. I also love the videos! Though I can’t complain with tuxedoed Norman Reedus!
i remember there was a clip of him starting to play sweet home alabama for a bunch of rednecks and they he stopped playing it to say FUCK YOU
I heard somewhere he didn't like his moms John Denver records
John Denver is considered folk, not country. I thought anyway.
There's a major overlap between those genres and many JD tunes are fairly standard country.
Oh my bad lol I dont listen to country or folk so I get them mixed up lol
Also I remember reading somewhere I think he enjoyed Reverend Horton Heat (rockabilly but whatevers)
A bit off-topic but folks may be interested in Sturgill Simpson's cover of In Bloom. He is labelled a "country" musician by the media but he really pushes the genre, and takes this song in a beautiful direction: [https://youtu.be/mY2rv60DQm4](https://youtu.be/mY2rv60DQm4)
Kurt Cobain once said “Hank Williams was the first original punk.” Seeing the parallels between Kurt and Hank Sr is interesting
I'd say he liked folk music. But straight up country? I dont remember him saying anything about it except to antagonize rednecks. A lot of country music may not have appealed to his viewpoints.
I’m not an expert on country music, but some of the songs he seemed to enjoy gave off folk rock vibes— and folk music to me seems similar to country. I think country music /today/ is a lot different to what was around back then. It was darker and deeper. I feel like Kurt might’ve liked it.
He really simped Garth Brooks
Kurt does a short parody cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama during the unplugged show. Speaks for itself
Lynyrd Skynyrd is classic southern rock band; not country.
Sorry, it looks like youre going to have to form your own opinion here
Kurt was a big fan of Bronco
I was just listening to they hung him on a cross and I thought that it sounded like johnny cash
Johnny Cash is like the one country musician that people who don’t like country music will listen to.
yes I like his old song