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Americana fans -- touch of punk, touch of gray
09/27/2006 9:41 PM, Reuters
Chris Morris
You could say Americana,
that indefinable roots music, is the new punk rock. But the
punks in question are older and make a lot of money.
Last week, a record 1,200 people turned up in Nashville for
the seventh annual Americana Music Assn. (AMA) conference. The
three-day event climaxed Friday with the trade group's awards
show at the Ryman Auditorium, historic former home of the Grand
Ole Opry.
Although the awards gig is a high-profile event and major
labels such as Lost Highway and Capitol were on hand, the AMA
show at most times had the feel of a guerrilla event. The
Americana community, a loose-knit brotherhood if ever there was
one, consists mainly of independent constituents -- indie
labels, community and specialty-show radio programmers, niche
publicists and promoters and acts whose resumes in many cases
include only self-released albums covering the spectrum of
folk, blues, country and roots-rock.
It was an oddball incursion into Music City, whose big-name
country acts have accounted for the year's top-selling
releases. Some Americana names -- Bob Dylan, the late Johnny
Cash and Dixie Chicks (whose original country radio supporters
deserted the trio in the wake of Natalie Maines' 2003 anti-Bush
outburst) -- have notched commercial hits this year. But in the
main, Americana talent isn't rising to the top of the charts:
Such performers as Carrie Rodriguez, Guy Clark and Ray Wylie
Hubbard have scored specialty airplay tracked by the AMA, but
try finding them high on the Billboard 200.
Although most AMA attendees wouldn't consider themselves
reactionaries, their sound and style -- born of traditionalist
styles light years away from the slick pop-country manufactured
in Nashville these days -- seems very much a reaction to what's
going on in the mainstream. In many ways, this ragtag group of
roots freaks was reminiscent of the punk rockers in Los Angeles
in the late '70s; like those rebellious souls, today's
determined Americana types are very much on the outside looking
in.
Which is surprising, when one takes into consideration some
figures from a study prepared for the AMA by the research firm
the Media Audit and released at the conference. The average
Americana listener is no kid; he or she is 44.5 years old.
Among the respondents, nearly 60% have a bachelor's degree or
above. More than 10% make $100,000-$150,000 a year; another 16%
make $75,000-$100,000. Nearly 75% own their own home.
Although the Americana audience would appear to be
well-educated and affluent, it's difficult to make easy
red-state/blue-state generalizations. True, outspoken lefty
James McMurtry won album and song of the year at the AMA Awards
this year, while Neil Young, author of the scathing "Living
With War," was named artist of the year. But the Spirit of
Americana Free Speech Award went to none other than Charlie
Daniels, whose flag-waving sentiments are a far cry from the
views espoused by such previous honorees as Steve Earle and
Kris Kristofferson.
It's hard to draw easy conclusions about the music, its
diverse and divergent practitioners and its audience. But --
judging from performances by artists as diverse as McMurtry,
Marty Stuart, Alejandro Escovedo, Dave Alvin, Amy LaVere, the
Hacienda Brothers, Sarah Borges and any number of local L.A.
acts -- it's mighty lively out on the American fringe, even if
life is never easy under the radar.
(Chris Morris hosts "Watusi Rodeo" on Indie 103.1 in Los
Angeles from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. every Sunday.
http://www.indie1031.fm/shows/watusi.php)
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
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