Hi, everyone! I'm a newbie here, trying to get the lay of the land, and I'm wondering how many Americana/AltCountry/RootsRock lovers there are on this forum. So, if you like Americana, I'd like to have you join me in a discussion of your favorite artists, albums, shows, etc. Thanks in advance!
Some of you may be asking yourselves, "How can I tell if I am an Americana lover?" Well, here is how Wikipedia defines Americana: You may be an Americana lover if you are a fan of one or more of the following artists: Justin Townes Earle Steve Earle Emmylou Harris Townes Van Zandt Jason Isbell Amanda Shires Sturgill Simpson John Moreland John Hiatt Johnny Cash John Fogerty Trampled By Turtles The Avett Brothers Old Crow Medicine Show Kacey Musgraves Rodney Crowell Guy Clark Ray Wylie Hubbard Robert Earl Keen Jerry Jeff Walker
I was the music director of the Out O the Blue Radio Revue in Richmond for 20 years, basically an Americana show. My favorites are Paul Thorn, Tom Russell, Jimmy LaFave and James McMurtry among others.
Those are all favorites of mine, also, Efraley. Other faves not listed above are Dave Alvin, American Aquarium, Turnpike Troubadours. Hayes Carll, Corb Lund and Todd Snider.
I probably wouldn't be listening to much new music or music in general if not for Americana, i think by far it's where you'll find the best music these days by both new and older artists/bands, it's certainly the most welcoming and varied genre there is, i'm a big big fan. A short list of some of the artists whose work i listen to the most. Eilen Jewell Heather Maloney Girls, Guns & Glory Rosanne Cash John Mellencamp Sally Ford & The Sound Outside Zoe Muth She And Him James McMurtry
Definitely! One of the first and still one of the best "cowpunk" bands. Plus, they probably recorded the second-best Dylan cover in history("Absolutely Sweet Marie"), after Jimi's version of "All Along The Watchtower."
Some of my favorites: Gillian Welch and her husband David Rawlings Carolina Chocolate Drops Shovels and Rope Nickel Creek (as well as Thile and the Watkins siblings solo*) *Punch Brothers (who deserve a separate mention as they're not just a "Thile project") The Secret Sisters Valerie June Shakey Graves
I guess Americana has a big part of any music lovers heart. Just remember it started hundred years before pop and rock. Remember Stephen Foster...who's songwriting mode and romantic style still rules.
Mono, I grew up just a few miles from the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center in North Florida, and probably visited it 2 or 3 times a year for various functions throughout my childhood years. I am very familiar with Foster's music. Not only that, I'm about 5 miles from the Suwannee River, which Foster made famous. If I remember correctly, didn't Jay Farrar rewrite a Stephen Foster song for the Gob Iron project?
It's getting to the point that the term Americana is almost as meaningless as New Wave, Indie, or Alternative So I guess it's arrived
Check out Paul Thorn for some great Americana music with toungue firmly planted in cheek. http://www.paulthorn.com/ You can thank me later! Rick G
Pokey Lafarge Hank iii Bob Wayne Or are the last two singers more hillbilly related? Wich should he Americana also somehow?
One of my absolute favorites, Rick! The first time I heard Paul Thorn was on the John Boy and Billy radio show performing "It's A Great Day(To Whoop Somebody's Ass)". Been a Paul Thorn fan from that moment forward.
Oh yeah, Freedom Man, Bob Wayne and Hank III are definitely Americana. Hank III gets in as a legacy, too.
I would add Van Dyke Parks, Gram Parsons, The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Byrds, The Desert Rose Band, Woody Guthrie, The Carter Family, Drive-by Truckers and Bruce Springsteen to the Americana artists already mentioned.
David Berman of the Silver Jews: "All those people singing about a life they never knew-it's really a fetishization of Depression-era country life. IFf authenticity is the issue, then there's something more authentic to me about Wal-Mart country, which speaks to the real needs of the people who listen to it, more than talking about grain whiskey stills."