The Americana and roots music authority

A Young Person's Thoughts on the Americana Movement

I have been wanting to start blogging on here for a while, but just haven't gotten around to it, so I've finally decided it's time to start. I thought I would start by giving my perspective as a young person on the modern Americana movement.

It occurred to me recently that I have essentially grown up at the same time that the modern Americana movement has; Uncle Tupelo, arguably the cornerstone of the genre, released their final album the same year that I was born. I was raised on albums such as Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, Revival, and, of course, the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. While albums such as these brought attention to Americana artists to audiences who may have been previously unacquainted with this type of music, they also attracted my young, malleable musical pallet. My father is mostly to blame for this, who began listening to roots-oriented music after some of his favorite songwriters, like T-Bone Burnett and Mark Heard, began dabbling in the genre in the late 1980's. But I don't give him all the credit; my sister cannot stand anything that doesn't use auto-tune and usually leaves the room whenever I try to put on some classic Doc Watson. I like to think that the reason I have been drawn to Americana music is the quality of the music, relatable lyrics, and pure musicianship which sets it apart from any other music out there.

But obviously, not everyone my age is drawn to this type of music. As is the case with my sister, even people who have been exposed to it may view it as "outdated," and, perhaps out of a desire to distance themselves from their parents' music, rarely listen to anything remotely resembling Americana. So what can be done to attract more young listeners such as myself?

In my opinion, the movement should not resist the urge to continue to evolve, while, at the same time, continue to remember its roots. So far, this is almost exactly what has occurred. It's only natural that younger ears yearn for an edgier sound that cannot be found in more traditional acts. Acts such as Mumford and Sons and the Avett Brothers draw as much from indie rock and jam band audience as they do an Americana one, serving as proof that Americana artists can have broader appeal while still staying somewhat true to the form. Personally, I find myself drawn to groups like the Punch Brothers, which mix virtuosity, modern flare, and traditional sounds to create musics that is as likely to attract fans of Bill Monroe as it is to attract Radiohead fans.

I suppose the real question here is 'how can more traditional roots artists draw a young, non-niche audience?' Again, I think the answer is that these artists should continue to evolve. I think the perfect example of this is Emmylou Harris. The sound on her albums has certainly changed over the years, from a more traditional country sound to more of a singer-songwriter sound. This gradual change has given her both critical and commercial success in recent years, but does not diminish her previous body of work. Her live shows continue to draw heavily from her more roots-oriented material, which in turn exposes her newer, younger audiences that may have been drawn in my her new material to more traditional Americana music.

Whenever I try to introduce any of my friends to the music I listen to, I find that, most of the time, they are fairly receptive to the music. However, the are usually unaware of what roots music is or its importance. While there is much we can do to spread the music itself, it has become apparent to me that, at least in light of conversations with my peers, spreading the message of Americana and its history is much more difficult. This is a duty best left in the hands of parents. Even if future generations reject the music (as I have seen happen first hand), the importance of the music will still be instilled. Hopefully more people continue to be raised on this great music the way that I was, and maybe one day everyone will realize how great this music really is.

Tags: Americana, youth

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Comment by Roy Peak on July 29, 2012 at 12:26pm: All music evolves. That's what keeps it all fresh and interesting. Younger folks starting bands and doing it their way helps. And if you're not in a band, telling people what you like and why is always a good thing. I'm always looking for that next new thing, the next song or band that could change my life. Doesn't happen near enough.

Comment by Damngivers on July 30, 2012 at 2:10pm: Hey Alex, good thoughts on the subject. Quality lyrics always resonate with people and I find that analog instruments just work on a wavelength that is true and pure. There's a quality of familiarity that comes through on the roots music that has staying power. Those things combined make it pretty accessible and relatable to most people. Even if they haven't realized it yet. Keep playing your new found heroes for your friends. One day, out of the blue, something that comes from your generation will resonate with them and you'll be the one with a lot of knowledge regarding the music. Pretty cool.

Comment by Gillian Turnbull on July 30, 2012 at 3:01pm: You're a good writer, Alex. I wish you were my student.

You might like this article - I don't know if the full thing is available here, but it's worth checking out. He actually makes the argument that young listeners are more likely to be attracted to Americana, but it seems to me that Taylor Swift is probably a bigger draw than Neko Case for most listeners your age.

http://books.google.ca/books?id=Qxn8mPy5x3IC&pg=PA161&lpg=P...

While I'm with you in thinking everybody needs a good education in roots music, I think other genres offer things to people that maybe we don't understand, just like they don't understand our tastes. Maybe Americana is more suited to the life experiences that happen in adulthood, or maybe young people just don't have the awareness of the other paths to finding music (e.g., good, non-mainstream radio stations). Who knows?

I hope you keep writing.

Comment by Julie Wenger Watson on July 30, 2012 at 4:37pm: Thanks for posting this. I found it very interesting. Right now, I'm finishing booking an 8 week, outdoor music series for the Fall in my town. We are trying to appeal to a broad audience, and we are struggling with this very issue. While it's easy to come up with bands that will draw people of my own generation, I'd love to see this be a multi-generational series - attracting a younger audience, as well.. Check out the line up of this three-year old festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas: http://www.fayettevilleroots.com/ One of the festival's founders is a young musician himself, Bryan Hembree. I think they've done a great job of pulling together a line up that has a little something for everyone, with an emphasis on "roots" music. The festival is featuring some younger, newer bands while also headlining the legends that inspired these younger musicians. Thanks for your insight.

Comment by Ben Bonin on July 30, 2012 at 9:37pm: Great thoughts Alex. It sounds like I'm a little bit older than you (I was 10 -- and pretty much unaware -- when Anodyne was released), but I still consider myself young ;-) Like you I was introduced to roots music through my parents, who are big country fans. It took me a little bit of time to appreciate Americana, in part because I spent more than a few years rebelling against everything my parents had to offer. But then I came to realize how much American music writ large owes to the various shades of roots music -- blues, country, folk, gospel, etc -- and that it was all so much better the closer I got to the source. I imagine folks of our respective generations will increasingly come to similar conclusions as time goes on.

Comment by Mando Lines on July 31, 2012 at 3:44am: Nice, Alex. Thanks for posting.

Comment by Jimmie on July 31, 2012 at 6:26am: Thanks for sharing the story Alex. The last line of paragraph #2 sums it all up for me. However, I do find myself struggling with trying to explain what Americana music is to people who ask me about. What I found best, is to just let them listen. I recently took three friends (who are about 14 years younger then me) to a Ray Wylie Hubbard show. Needless to say, they were all impressed. As a owner of a music event planning and producing venture, it's great to get some insight from the younger generation. Like Julie above, I am trying to find ways to get the younger audiences to attend my festivals and events. The great part is my boys are 10 and 6. They get to listen to outlaw country on satellite radio everyday. My oldest one is starting to embrace it. That makes me happy. Thanks again.

Comment by Pete on July 31, 2012 at 7:32am: Young is as young does, dude...my kids were also brought up on all things Americana but these days my son (a college football player) likes moronic rap and house/electronic with a little alternative rock thrown in while my daughter - entering her 1st year of school is more eclectic in her tastes, but still stultified by the horrors of radio these days...i listen to a little bit of everything (Dawes reference) and just returned from the Newport Folk Festival, where Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine) held forth with both acoustic & electric guitars in his one-man fight against the windmills (Cervantes reference)...so, keep on with the Americana, dude, but remember that every day is a gift and each day promises new and worthwhile listening opportunities -- try John Fullbright for a "new" old-timey artist...

Comment by Kyla Fairchild on July 31, 2012 at 10:41am: Thanks for posting Alex. I hope you'll continue to blog here.

My 18 year old son has largely rejected roots music despite growing up with it. He does enjoy lots of great indie rock bands that we can agree on and some of those are roots based, but when I play singer songwriter oriented music he complains that it all sounds the same to him. I find this ironic given that his music of choice these days is electronica which all sounds the same to me. He was giving his Dad and I a tutorial on the various sub genres of electronica a few days ago and we don't get it. After he had sampled lots of various electronia for us my husband said "can we listen to some real music now", my son's reply was "what is real music?"

I find it disappointing and somewhat disturbing that electronica is so popular amongst youth today. I try to understand, I want to understand, but I really don't get it.

Comment by Kathy Sands-Boehmer on August 1, 2012 at 7:40am: Alex, thanks for this post. I'm yet another aging venue promoter who truly wants to have young people come and enjoy roots / Americana music in a listening space---not a bar. We present eclectic shows and keep on hoping that young suburban kids will finally "get it" but it's a long and slow process. I actually use money from a benefit show each yet to send musicians into the local public schools---just for this reason. I'm hoping that the kids will see and hear and embrace the music that I so love and I'm hoping that these performances pique at least one kid's curiosity and imagination.

Keep on spreading the Americana gospel, Alex. We need people like you!