3 Country Artists that Alternative Fans Should Rally Behind

There's no question country music has gone in the direction of "bro country" in the last few years - the Luke Bryans and Blake Sheltons of the world singing about painted Levi jeans and girls shakin' their sugar shakers. While it looks like country continues to go in the country pop direction on the radio and at country music festivals like Cheyenne Frontier Days, Chris Stapleton is the exact opposite of this scene. As bro country-hating country music fans would say, Stapleton is "real country."

Before blowing up in the mainstream country scene in the last couple months (thanks to Justin Timberlake), Chris Stapleton worked as a songwriter, supplemented by odd jobs, in Nashville for about 15 years. From 2008 to 2010, he fronted a bluegrass band The SteelDrivers, who won an International Bluegrass Music Association Award for "Emerging Artist of the Year" in 2009 and garnered 3 Grammy Award nominations in 2010, including Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Bluegrass Album. Stapleton left The SteelDrivers in April 2010 and founded a Southern rock band The Jompson Brothers, at one point opening for the Zac Brown Band.

Stapleton's solo career began in 2013 when he signed to Mercury Nashville. His first single, "What Are You Listening To" was released in October 2013 but did not do well. The single was to appear on an album that was recorded, but never released.

His debut album Traveller was released May 5, 2015, earning him 3 awards at the 2015 CMA Awards, including Album of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, and New Artist of the Year. There's no question, though, that his collaborative performance with Justin Timberlake at the CMA Awards helped catapult him into the mainstream country scene.

Cam is relatively new, but her breakout single "Burning House" has garnered a lot of airplay and even a Grammy Award nomination. Her voice sort of reminds me of Dolly Parton, and her lyrics are super relatable. (Seriously, who doesn't love Dolly Parton?)

Raised in the Bay Area, Cam (born Camaron Marvel Ochs) spent time at her grandparents' ranch in Oceanside, CA, where her love for music grew. She studied psychology in college and even studied abroad in the Netherlands. It wasn't, however, until a professor's wise words hit her that she decided to embark on a full-fledged music career: "Just picture yourself at 80 years old. Looking back at your life, what would you regret not doing: music or psychology?"

Cam's influences are Patsy Cline, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Randy Newman. Just imagine all those artists collaborating on an album - that's what Cam sounds like.

Cam actually performed for a packed house at the Boot Grill in Loveland a few months ago. See photos from her performance HERE.

Maren Morris is the Lana Del Rey of country music, and is also the genre's next superstar. I'm particularly excited to see where her career takes her, because when I heard her song "80s Mercedes," I immediately thought, finally - an artist that will bridge the gap between country and alternative rock.

Morris released her latest extended play, Maren Morris, on November 6, 2015, with Columbia Nashville. The EP charted on 2 Billboard magazine charts, debuting at #27 on the Country Albums and #1 on the Heatseekers Albums charts.

Our sister station, K99, just put her first single into rotation - "My Church." Honestly, I bought her EP after I heard "80s Mercedes," though. "Drunk Girls Don't Cry" is also a great tune.