It had bands like Jason and the Scorchers . These styles came together in Uncle Tupelo 's popular album No Depression , which came out in 1990 . Attempts to combine punk and country had been pioneered in the 1980s Southern Californian cowpunk scene with bands like Jason and the Scorchers , but these styles merged fully in Uncle Tupelo 's 1990 LP No Depression , which is widely credited as being the first `` alt-country '' album , and gave its name to the online notice board and eventually magazine that underpinned the movement .