11/19/2025
Some call it alt-country, others prefer Americana. We can’t forget roots rock or outlaw country, either. Label it as you see fit, but all of these tags point to the same principle: artists who are aware of where the music came from, where it is now, and—possibly—where it’s going. Over the years, bands like NRBQ, The Blasters, Long Ryders, Rank and File, Uncle Tupelo, and many more were essentially rock-and-roll bands, but they carried with them a keen sense of history and a deep love for folk, blues, early rock and roll, and country. Suddenly, names like Gram Parsons and John Prine were being spoken in the revered tones they had always deserved.
Through the 1990s, the genre grew larger and larger, especially as mainstream country sounded less and less like its own building blocks. Among those rising artists was another young hopeful named Todd Snider, armed with a cache of his own tales and melodies. Released on the Margaritaville label, a subsidiary of MCA, Snider’s debut, Songs for the Daily Planet, showcased a unique yet familiar voice, with songs as at home in the country bin as they were in the “alternative” section. The lingering spirit of bands like The Replacements seemed to influence these twangy upstarts just as much as the spirit of Bob Dylan.
Guys like Steve Earle had set the table for artists like Todd Snider, who stepped in to deliver his own ramshackle take on things. Released just over 30 years ago, the album sounds as fresh as ever, with songs like “A Lot More,” “Somebody’s Coming,” “Turn It Up,” and the sarcastic—and dead-on—“Talkin’ Seattle Grunge Rock Blues.”
Sadly, with Snider’s recent passing on November 14th, his debut gets an Essentials spotlight this week. So dig in if you remember it from way back when—or better yet, crank it up if it’s new to you here in 2025.
Tune in all day tomorrow, Thursday November 20th. 📻
