Y’alternative

In the shadow of alternative rock, another generation went back to country music with a punk edge. In the 1990s it was called alternative country, and North Carolina had the highest and best concentration of such bands in America -- from old-timers like Red Clay Ramblers and Southern Culture on the Skids to newcomers like Backsliders and 6 String Drag. That has persisted into the present-day Americana age with bands including Hiss Golden Messenger, American Aquarium and Mandolin Orange.