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Topic: Article overstes the success of Americana |
Janice Brooks
From:
Pleasant Gap Pa
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Posted 15 Jul 2000 5:17 pm |
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Offbeat Country Artists Thrive In Americana Movement
Growing format pushes edgier music mix, gathers steam.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"My suspicion is we're on the verge of a new outlaw movement," said Jessie Scott, Americana editor of the music industry trade publication the Gavin Report. "I think we potentially could herald the next style of country."
Or at least influence it heavily. What is Americana? It is perhaps best described as what it isn't — commercial or predictable.
"Defining this music is something we have actively resisted doing," explained Grant Alden, 41, co-editor of the alternative country magazine No Depression. "It is song- and lyric-driven music that has some connection to this country's musical past. That may be Hank Williams' past or a Duke Ellington past or a Woody Guthrie past or a Robert Johnson past."
"I'm disgustingly happy. I'm sellin' more records than I have in a long time." — Steve Earle, singer/songwriter.
Though roots music has found a home on college and arts radio stations since the Austin, Texas-based "progressive" country movement of the '70s, it was formally dubbed "Americana" in the early '90s by programmers who felt the pop leanings of mainstream country were leaving many artists without a forum.
A Force To Be Reckoned With
The number of stations dedicated to the Americana format in the United States has grown from a handful to an estimated 150-plus. And they are starting to coalesce as a force in the music industry.
In March, a group of musicians, producers and radio programmers formed the Americana Music Association, dedicated to promoting the format through radio airplay, publicity and marketing. Their cheeky slogan (lifted from the Man in Black himself, Johnny Cash): "We Walk the Line." (www.americanamusic.org)
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| Americana artists have begun to sell records beyond their small fanbases. In the past year, acts such as Steve Earle, honky-tonk torch singer Kelly Willis, Texas swing/boogie band Asleep at the Wheel, and sweet-voiced bluegrass fiddler Alison Krauss scored gold records based on Americana airplay. |
Perhaps most significantly, Americana is turning out to be the most popular radio format people turn to when it comes to Internet listening. When the Arbitron Co. launched its first survey of audiostream Web listening last October, three of the top radio sites were Americana stations: KFAN in Fredericksburg, Texas; KPIG in Monterey, Calif. (www.kpig.com); and KHYI in Plano, Texas (www.khyi.com).
For the first time, corporate radio has expressed interest in programming Americana. Atlanta-based Cumulus Communications is experimenting with the 100,000-watt KBCY/99.5 FM in Abilene, Texas, by yanking some of the newer Nashville music and replacing it with tunes by Americana artists.
And major labels in Nashville are starting to sign a few of these acts: Hank Williams III on Curb Records, Neal Coty on Mercury, Charlie Robison on Monument.
So, who's listening?
The Demographic
The typical Americana fan more than likely grew up listening to alternative country artists — such as Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, Joe Ely, Kinky Friedman, John Prine and Commander Cody. Throw in a little Grateful Dead (on the left) and Johnny Cash (on the right), and you have the playing field.
Alden said he created No Depression magazine for this group.
"There are a couple of generations of people who discovered through college radio that there was music outside the mainstream that was interesting. They've gotten older, so punk and ska don't interest them anymore. But they know there is something outside the Backstreet Boys, and they are looking for something.
"They grew up with an AM radio out in the garage or in Dad's car that played old-time country music, so it has a welcoming quality to it. As my generation begins to settle a little bit, things that sound like home aren't so bad. If it has an edge and sounds like home, it's even better. That's why Steve Earle and Jimmie Dale [Gilmore] are attractive to us."
Pressing The Music Industry
Though it's unlikely the Americana format will ever take away the majority of mainstream country's audience, it may put the pressure on Music Row to get back to basics.
"There are adults out there who want to hear music," said Earle, who was recently on the cover of the Gavin Report under the headline "Americana Kingpin." "But we've created a situation where it genuinely isn't profitable to have artists who sell less than 200,000. ... Record companies aren't just owned by corporations. They are owned by the most powerful telecommunications companies in the world. That makes labels kind of a slave to shareholders. So
you're not selling records, you're selling stock. And there ain't nothin' more anti-art than that."
Meanwhile, mavericks of Americana such as Earle — who are the antithesis of the 8x10 glossy world of Music Row — are definitely feeling new appreciation for their art.
"I'm disgustingly happy," Earle said. "I'm selling more records than I have in a long time. I've never been a priority at a record label before. Nobody is mad at me, and I'm not mad at anybody. We had to scramble to find $25,000 to make a video, but we did and now it's going to VH1. ... I wake up in the morning and do something I love to do for a living, and I'm grateful for that." (Sonicnet.com's parent company, Viacom, also owns VH1.)
— Miriam Longino
I sent a responce the the writer today based on the above paragraph in quotes.
None of the 4 acts listed have had a gold record 500,000 copies in the past year and I believe that only Krause and Earle may have gold albums from albums pre 1999.
Also there are currently 95 stations reporting to the Americna album charts.
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Janice "Busgal" Brooks
ICQ 44729047 |
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Neil Hilton
From:
Lexington, Kentucky
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Posted 17 Jul 2000 9:24 am
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Janice - interesting article and I do believe that there is a genuine movement toward "Americana" that is indeed being supported by a broarder range of audience.... I have an interesting note from just this past weekend ---
I have a young brother-in-law who is 24 and just graduated from college. He just spent the weekend with us and in looking thru his CD case, found Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Steve Earle, David Alan Coe, and Robert Earl Keen. This interested me in that I'd never known him to be a "country" fan in-any-way-shape-or-form??? So, of course visited about it as we listened to some of his stuff.
His take: Steve Earle and DAC have long been favorites at 3:00am for afterhours drunken sing-alongs with the college crowd (a few beers and he recites "Guitar Town" and "The Ride" like poetry). He says that he and many of his college buddies have happened onto the likes of Gilmore, Keen, Dave Alvin and others via realization that the content of Earle and DAC had farther reaches, maybe even more folksy stuff that brings those sophomore girls around!?!?!?!?
So anyway, he says that you can only listen to so much Dave Matthews Band.... he thinks that the above artists fit and work perfectly with their regular diet of Dave Matthews and REM and is thus really catching with college crowd.
I found his take very refreshing and intriguing.... now to get him dialed back into Hank Williams, Buck, and Merle??? The "Americana" genre may provide the hooks for some of that to happen.... younger fans may come to know music that otherwise would have passed them by?? - Neil H. |
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Bobby Lee
From:
Cloverdale, California, USA
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Posted 17 Jul 2000 10:18 am
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My friends in Solid Air have a great CD out called "Tailgates and Substitutes". I call their music folk-rock, and that's what it is. I think its one of the best albums ever in that genre.
Lately I notice that they are promoting it as Americana. It's probably good marketing - Americana is a popular buzzword - but what does it mean musically? The word reminds me of John Mellencamp somehow, but he probably sells too many records to warrant the label.  |
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Colin Black
From:
San Juan, Puerto Rico
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Posted 21 Jul 2000 11:04 am
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I'm so happy to see a thread on Americana music! I can't say whether it's gaining in popularity or not, but with the quality of writing out there it's bound to attract some attention from real music fans. Maybe this is why the internet and college radio stations have been the first to catch on--because most of us Americana musicians (or alt country, or NO Depression, or whatever you want to call it) are not the kind of eye-candy crapola that's willing to totally sell out to make a buck, so the labels aren't interested and we have to make a name for ourselves in other ways. I guess I shouldn't speak for anyone else, but I find my musical heroes in guys like Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, friggin' incredible songwriters and musicians only a very few of which ever gain any notoriety, either because they're not pretty enough, or they're not willing to record an album full of "decent" songs because the label is on their butts, or because they've got other things to do besides sleep in a tour bus 200 nights out of the year. But I tell you what, Garth Brooks can't make a grown man cry (well, except in pity or disgust) and in a hundred years you won't say "Woodie Guthrie and Hank Williams and Garth Brooks", but you might hear a few praises of Townes Van ZAndt, and of course there'll be Dylan and Neil Young. These folks are all part of our mixed country and rock background. Although the genre may be difficult to define, for folks like me Americana music is just music that speaks to my unique American musical experience. I grew up listening to Emmylou Harris and George Jones, listened to everything from Bon Jovi to really great rock bands like Led Zepellin and Pearl Jam through high school, spent most of college pickin' Greatful Dead and Dylan tunes, and then somewhere along the way all the Guy Clark songs and Van Zandt songs came home and I stumbled upon a Son Volt CD and like a light bulb coming on I saw the natural interplay between the different musical styles that inform my own music. Now when I write and play, I feel a vague affinity, like I am part of a greater recognition, even though my own path is different than the next guy's.
Sorry that I tend to ramble on about this particular topic. It just has a way of cathcing me on fire.
If anyone is interested, I'm putting together a website and adding some of my tunes to it for online listening. www.colinblack.com "Goin' Dancin'", I think, might give you all an idea of where I am coming from. It's not country, but it isn't anything else either, except very American. So, I guess I call it Americana.
Good thread,
Colin[This message was edited by Colin Black on 21 July 2000 at 12:06 PM.] |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 21 Jul 2000 1:35 pm
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I play and have played and recorded for plenty of "Americana" acts. Its about 90% percent crap. Same as all other forms of music.
Bob |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 22 Jul 2000 6:34 am
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uhh...
yesterday I was sorta cranky. What I'm trying to say is that I see no real difference between all the different sorts of music. Some is good. Alot of it is bad. I like some forms more than others. And most importantly: ALL of it is valid and has its place.
Bob
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Franklin D-10
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Earnest Bovine
From:
Los Angeles CA USA
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Posted 22 Jul 2000 7:28 am
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| Bob, there is no need to back down from what you said yesterday. We all know that Sturgeon's Law = truth. |
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Steve B
From:
Garland Texas
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Posted 23 Jul 2000 7:33 am
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One thing that you can hear on "Americana" format radio that you wont hear on "top 40 country" radio stations is actuall country music. Dale Watson, Derailers, as well as Merle Haggard & George Jones get Americana airplay. Wheres the irony? Glad you asked. When George Jones comes to town, its a "96.3 KSCS presents.." show, when they dont even play the guy!! Of course the smaller 95.3 KHYI & 92.1 KTFW probably couldnt get Jones to acknowledge their existance, even though they play plenty of George Jones music!
Dont get me wrong, you will hear all kinds of music on Americana stations, and some of it you might not like, but you can hear real old country, as well as the new acts that are playing music that is way too coutry for "country" radio. |
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Neil Hilton
From:
Lexington, Kentucky
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Posted 24 Jul 2000 6:34 am
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Steve - your take here explains exactly why I've completely bagged out of being concerned about country radio... the simple fact that it doesn't exist at all for many of us - there are only three stations available to me and all are "new" country.
My most recent excursions through the dial, I continually found Toby Keith screaming at me... "How do you like me now??!!!" So, I simply don't even try radio anymore, as can't imagine how **** like that gets played twice an hour?? I am actually fine with that though.... full collection of the classic stuff, supplemented with the likes of Dale Watson as you mention - keeps me contented and unconcerned with radio. - Neil |
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