I'm not suggesting anyone on here is not a mere stripling, but given everyone's musical depth of knowledge, which artists/albums would you suggest to introduce a new generation to the Americana fold?
You might want to consider renaming this thread 'A Can of Worms'...
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I'd say our series looking at the best americana artists of all time would be a good start Paula: https://americana-uk.com/the-top-10-greatest-ever-americana-artists-the-full-list
Oh and our readers' version of the same list: https://americana-uk.com/the-top-10-greatest-ever-americana-artists-readers-picks-1-10
And whatever you do, Paula, don’t try and define Americana. It is a bit like Schrodinger’s Cat, every artist/album either is or is not Americana but it is only the listeners ears that determine whether they/it are Americana when the music is heard.
I think (well know) that Paula was just trying to stimulate debate rather than seeking advice for her own part.
Now that's out of the way I find it funny (in the peculiar sense) how history gets rewritten. My "Ins" regarding americana were two fold - the Uncut magazine cd giveaways in the very early 00s (when I first came into the Americana-UK fold) and Ryan Adam's "Gold" which led on from Alan Jones' magazine. We're not allowed to mention Adams nowadays since he's been cancelled but his contribution to the genre his will be sorely missed by history if his legacy is to be forever forbidden. Maybe time will erase his misdemeanours as it has for Gram Parsons. Who knows. Anyhow have this bolted-on classic from when he was just a 'bad boy' rather than a complete twat:
If someone has sold out shows it would be hard to say they’re “cancelled.” In the wake of The NY Times article his tour was cancelled and the parent label of his own label, Pax Am, dropped him. He didn’t end up getting charged with anything so many gave him a pass. He is still exhibiting the same behavior he has since I first heard of him in the mid to late 90s and into his solo career; the onstage temper tantrums and meltdowns. Many behave as this is something new. It’s not. He also recently spoke out against the new Mayor of New York in social media posts he just as quickly deleted. This might be cause for cancellation but who knows. His die hard fans seem to give him an easy pass and make excuses for even his most abhorrent behavior.
Bedroom rising from an old growth tree
Bringing out the sawmill, cutting the 12 inch beams
Building a pattern, the reservoir to fill with dreams
Rings like Saturn telling their old story…
Big Thief “Red Moon”
If someone has sold out shows it would be hard to say they’re “cancelled.” In the wake of The NY Times article his tour was cancelled and the parent label of his own label, Pax Am, dropped him. He didn’t end up getting charged with anything so many gave him a pass. He is still exhibiting the same behavior he has since I first heard of him in the mid to late 90s and into his solo career; the onstage temper tantrums and meltdowns. Many behave as this is something new. It’s not. He also recently spoke out against the new Mayor of New York in social media posts he just as quickly deleted. This might be cause for cancellation but who knows. His die hard fans seem to give him an easy pass and make excuses for even his most abhorrent behavior.
Interesting thoughts Joe. What's your personal take?
After The New York Times article I could no longer stomach listening to his music and went without listening to it for several years. A few people mentioned to me that I shouldn’t let his misbehavior stand in the way of something that brings me joy. Over time I came back to it. Strangers Almanac is a huge part of my musical DNA so it felt good to come back to it for that reason alone. It doesn’t mean I’m ok with his misbehavior, which is how many interpret it, no matter how thoroughly I explain my thoughts.
Bedroom rising from an old growth tree
Bringing out the sawmill, cutting the 12 inch beams
Building a pattern, the reservoir to fill with dreams
Rings like Saturn telling their old story…
Big Thief “Red Moon”
We're not allowed to mention Adams nowadays since he's been cancelled
Um not exactly, we ran this piece only last week: https://americana-uk.com/cant-live-with-it-cant-live-without-it-ryan-adams
You should read AUK some time, great website! 😉
We're not allowed to mention Adams nowadays since he's been cancelledUm not exactly, we ran this piece only last week: https://americana-uk.com/cant-live-with-it-cant-live-without-it-ryan-adams
You should read AUK some time, great website! 😉
An interesting (and well written) piece but it doesn't address the issue that I was referring to
No I know but I’m saying we haven’t cancelled him, whether he deserves to be or not
Regarding Adams, in my opinion his best work was with Whiskeytown. His first two albums were above average but, aside from some glimmers with The Cardinals since then he has released a load of filler. I'm currently decluttering and around ten of his albums went to Oxfam, despite not being edible.
Going back to Paula's original question it's probably easier to recommend albums as opposed to artists to a newbie. Those early Uncut discs did seem to be a game-changer and I'd add some other collections. Beyond Nashville ( https://www.discogs.com/release/3496559-Various-Beyond-Nashville-The-Twisted-Heart-Of-Country-Music) and Further Beyond Nashville ( https://www.discogs.com/release/2296094-Various-Further-Beyond-Nashville) are both pretty good compilations of older roots and the new wave. And then there's tons of great Bloodshot Records and Loose Music collections.
I always wished the original incarnation of No Depression magazine could have included a sampler CD in the manner of Mojo, Uncut, etc. but just shy of that at least co-founder Peter Blackstock was able to pin the liner notes for the Exposed Roots - The Best of Alt.Country comp that was issued by K-Tel of all labels: https://www.discogs.com/release/2660998-Various-Exposed-Roots-The-Best-Of-Alt-Country?srsltid=AfmBOor0HbqOEijSeJaMwk_Wrj6MzoNKLClSz2aowhqh4ZxrUHi22-8X
As for newer generations that are into alt.country (I’ve never much cared for the “Americana” description, no offense intended), they seem to be doing just fine, even if they haven’t heard of such stalwarts as Uncle Tupelo (to cite but one example). When I was still on FB, occasionally posts from discussion groups I didn’t belong to would randomly appear in my feed. One of these was from a Tyler Childers-centric group where newer artists were mentioned that I was seldom familiar with. I‘m constantly intrigued by how the love of this music and the many branches of it have evolved over the years. For me, it started with country-rock, outlaw country, folk, singer/songwriter and bluegrass of the late 60s and early to mid-70s. In the 80s it was cowpunk, in the 90s alt.country. Today, it’s a mix of all that, plus what they’re calling indie-country. The common denominator is that for the most part, it all exists well outside the confines of what is considered mainstream.
Bedroom rising from an old growth tree
Bringing out the sawmill, cutting the 12 inch beams
Building a pattern, the reservoir to fill with dreams
Rings like Saturn telling their old story…
Big Thief “Red Moon”
