From the beginning ...

"I have seen the morning burning golden on the mountains in the skies,
 Achin' with the feelin' of the freedom of an eagle when she flies ..."

When I first heard these lines on a (now lost and almost forgotten) cassette tape some 30 years ago, I was grabbed by the picture these words were painting in my mind. The coarse voice singing them was so different from anything that I heard heard before and they seemed such a perfect fit to the rough-looking, bearded guy with those steel-blue eyes on the cover of the tape.

As this was long before the internet and the cassette tape did not hold much more information other than the track listing, it took a while to find out that the painter of this sonic picture ("Loving Her Was Easier [Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again]") was Kris Kristofferson.

Little did I know at that time, that this would be the beginning of a long love-affair and fascination with unique voices and music with great lyrics. Lyrics that are hugging melodies and forming emotional bonds with the listener. Songs that are becoming like good friends you do not want to miss anymore. And the really good ones are those that show the capability of magically releasing memories, everytime you play them, even years from now!

Shortly after that I bought my first vinyl record. Again I had not heard the music before buying, but seeing the name of the artist and the cool cover shot easily persuaded me. And after listening to the title track, which would later receive a Grammy, I was hooked on country music. With artists like Alabama and songs like "Mountain Music", this was in my eyes also cool music, which should be heard on the radio.

However, living in Austria, Europe, at a time, when the internet of today, was far from even being dreamed of, country music was really non-existent in music. All you could buy were some Johnny Cash records, potentially some Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers and lots of compilation records with Music from the 60s and 70s. No magazines, no radio, nothing.
If it hadn't been for special mail delivery services, which shipped records directly from the US, buying current country music would have been impossible.

Looking back at these beginnings, it seems like a different world. With the opportunities provided by the internet today, almost everything is now at the tips of our fingers. Nevertheless, country music in Europe still is something like an exotic piece of art form, that most people still consider to be Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton, because their records can still be found in the ever more disappearing record stores.

Nevertheless, even though it was so difficult to access, I always returned to country music. Consequentially I also listened to other types of music.
Along my musical journey there were sounds from Showaddywaddy, Adam Ant, STS, Tony Joe White, Hot Pants Road Club, Joe Bonamassa and many others.

And since everybody is influenced by what they are growing up with, it is no wonder that I like a good mix of styles and do not require my country to be traditional, but rather prefer it progressive and on the edge. In other words, alive and evolving and always open to travel the crossroads with other genres.

After all this is my country, and in Tom's Country, a variety of sounds are allowed to peacefully live together. And the only borders are drawn by myself. How exciting!

I love discovering new stuff (must be the hunter and explorer in us!) in and around (or sometimes completely off) country music, and I love writing! So I decided to take a shot at putting down my personal view on the world of (country) music, reviews of albums and concerts, as seen and heard from someone abroad, in other words, the Views on Country Music from the Heart of Europe.