Why “Americana” Dan?

What’s in a name? The problem with names which include descriptive terms, like Americana, is that not everyone knows what “Americana” is supposed to mean. Worse, some folks assume they know what it means but they are wrong. Quite wrong. And since I’m a little worried about that, I’d like to set things straight.

Americana is a musical genre which is recognized as a radio format. Americana is a branch of music which includes rock, folk, country and blues influences and which is technically considered a subspecies of country. For a look at the current R&R Americana chart of the top 50 records, check out http://www.radioandrecords.com/Formats/Charts/Americana_Chart.asp You’ll find artists like Ben Harper, Ryan Adams, John Fogarty, Mark Knopfler, a new release of duets by Robert Plant (yup, the one from Led Zeppelin) and Allison Krause (hmm, kind of an odd combination, don’t you think?) and even Bruce Springsteen. Many artists listed on the Americana charts also appear on the charts of other formats like rock, country and adult album alternative.

I have it on reliable authority that my style of music qualifies me as an Americana artist. Before there was Americana, you never knew quite where to search for certain cross-genre artists in record stores. Take Lucinda Williams as a case in point. Her music could be found in country, rock or folk but it didn’t belong squarely in any of those. So in some ways, Americana is a catch-all category for artists working the creases between the monster categories: rock and country.

I think that’s a good thing, partly for selfish reasons. I prefer for my music to not get stuck in the country bin. There are a few things that really bug me about what country music has become. For example, country artists seem all too eager to drape themselves in the American flag. Many country artists pander so blatantly to their conservative pick-up driving, gay bashing, jingoistic base that they become musical substitutes for Rush Limbaugh. Count me out. Way way out. Which is why I’m just a tad concerned that my blog identity as Americana Dan not be misunderstood.

“Americana” Dan means that I am a musical artist who fits comfortably within the Americana musical genre. It does not mean the same thing as American Dan or Dan the American and certainly not Dan the Super-Patriot. I find it strange that in America today, the flag toting self-declared patriots are those least interested in true democracy because they want to stifle debate. They claim that if you don’t support our government, you are emboldening the terrorists. As far as I’m concerned, true patriots are those with the courage to defend the constitution and the bill of rights. True patriots are willing to put themselves on the line by asking sensible questions and engaging in healthy debate over issues of public policy.

I would be proud to qualify as such a patriot. Whew, that all sounds pretty serious. And when things get too serious, I pull out my guitar.