Thanks for recommending Zoe Muth -- will explore !
Recommended for Americana Fans: Amanda Ann Platt and the Honeycutters
I spend many hours exploring artists unfamiliar to me on Spotify. This week I came across this band. I’d never come across any mention of them before and thought other Americana fans here might enjoy them.
New York born and transplanted to North Carolina, Amanda Ann Platt is an excellent songwriter who’s asserted she’s as much influenced by Springsteen and Tom Petty as by Classic Country artists. Although a cursory listen might suggest the music is Country (due to the presence of pedal steel and mandolin and the overall rhythmic feel), the writing is more sophisticated and not hobbled by adherence to familiar Country tropes. In other words, it stands up to repeated listening. I particularly like "On The Ropes". On this particular record, the utilization of a Strat, incorporating bluesy bends and a Knopfler-esque tone imparts a Rock tinge that is distinctly different from Tele chicken-pickin’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDVVjPva0vI&list=OLAK5uy_lXj0YAS5kf7T47Eu-vEExnAyKAGjCSggk&index=2
Showing 43 responses by stuartk
If you live near Asheville, I imagine there will be opportunities to hear them play live. Check their website. I pretty much always regard the inclusion of pedal steel as a positive! They've released about half a dozen recordings. I just happen to be particularly taken with "On the Ropes" at present. |
As long as you appreciate your good fortune, no reason to feel guilty! I live in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, otherwise known as the "Gold Country" and here, the main threat is wildfire. Two years back, the town barely escaped incineration. Fortunately, there were no other major fires raging (unusual for September in CA), which mean that air resources were atypically plentiful. It was a very close call. We thought about moving at that point but in the end, concluded that there are no guaranteed safe refuges from Climate Change. You pick your poison and do what you can to mitigate the danger. You're welcome. Yeah, I saw that Beato interview with Skunk where he talked about the necessity for "thinking in three dimensions". Yikes! The guitar is challenging enough for me!
Interesting. I had no idea!
I assume you're familiar with Robert Randolph... @slaw and @grislybutter : Thanks for your suggestions I don't believe I've heard any Americana song that utilizes a 7#5 chord. Your dog may end up starting a new trend! Apparently Jerry eventually gave up on pedal steel due to lack of sufficient time for practice. And from I learned from Rick Beato's interview with Skunk Baxter, about the instrument, playing pedal steel while high on psychedelics sounds nigh impossible! |
I think we need an ongoing Americana discussion thread, comparable to the "Jazz for Aficionados" thread ! Here's a link to that NRPS recording @larsman mentioned... not exactly a mellow hippie song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZXmj6KjK2I
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This AI definition is in accordance with how I see it but others may have different opinions.
EXCEPT that I don’t see it as strictly contemporary. I’m not familiar with Old 57’s but I’d say T. Joe White is Americana. He’s got Blues, R&B and maybe Cajun influences but his music doesn’t sound like "the pure forms [he] draws from".
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To my ears, at least, Timbuk 3 sound too far removed from Roots styles to be called Americana. Another example: the Stones clearly display Country and Blues influences but still, I wouldn’t call them Americana. Iron and Wine brings up the sticky nature of defining what Americana is. To me, "Our Endless Numbered days" reminds me mostly of 60’s/70’s singer/songwriters who were influenced more by Folk than Tin Pan Alley. It can seem arbitrary after a certain point but yes, FWIW, I would regard Iron and Wine as Americana.
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Uncle Tupelo -- from what I've heard, Yes. I think most would agree that Alt Country fits within Americana. Tift Merritt is interesting. She's clearly not pure Country, Rock or Pop. What's the dividing line line between the Singer Songwriter and Americana genres? I'm not sure it's clear-cut. The fact that many singer-songwriters release recordings that vary significantly in terms of production, writing approaches, instrumentation, etc. doesn't make this any easier. The question I'd ask is: how closely does "Travelling Alone" adhere to the Roots? How does it compare to this, for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WczcBuUk2XY&list=OLAK5uy_m9D2aChpR-LNvdXnLmLqtapzh7Ey_5FFI&index=2
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I was hoping you’d chime in. I’ve not been a fan of Alt Country, but it generally seems to be accepted by reviewers as Americana and I haven’t felt confidemt challenging this characterization. I don’t understand Ms Leigh’s objection. Apparently she believes Country "owns" a certain stylistic slice of American music. I’d love to hear her try to define what she means. I feel the same way about flat singing.
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It can be hard for me, too. But not in the case of that Hiatt album. I wouldn’t call it Country. There’s just as much Blues influence and some Folk, too, which for me, is makes it unambiguously Americana. You can clearly hear the Roots genres it draws from, but it doesn’t adhere to any single Roots genre. As @bdp24 asserted, Lucinda Williams is a great example of this. Alt Country always sounded to me like Alternative Rock guys trying to play Country, as opposed to Classic rockers. Hard for me to put my finger on the difference, but I do hear a difference. As a guitar player, I tend to focus on guitar. Limiting habit! But I hear what you mean, re: the drumming, now that you’ve pointed it out for us. |
I know. We saw the classic line up of the Hot Band (the one on Luxury Liner) sans EmmyLou at a tiny venue in Santa Barbara (The Bluebird Cafe) in the late 70’s. For good measure, they brought along BOTH Albert Lee AND Frank Reckard ! Rodney was the de facto leader that night, singing most of the lead vocals. I realize Hiatt did not begin as anything close to Americana. I agree -- "Bring the Family" is a killer album. And I’d agree that in the South, the various Roots genres tend to blend together. I’m just not sure that Americana music must be Southern. I do get what you’re saying about Hiatt being almost a genre unto himself like Dylan. Both clearly draw from Roots genres deeply. This makes sense. Another question: how would you classify recent Marty Stuart albums such a "Altitude" that seem to mostly refer to the Byrds’ Country forays?
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Since we're on this topic... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Vn0Dz7InjI To quote Willie Nelson: "There are two kinds of men in the world; those who are in love with Emmylou and those who have not met her". |
Did you see my comment about how she defined her sound? "Rock-tinged Country". I hear quite a bit of Rock influence in her music and she has pointed out that Tom Petty and Springsteen are as important to her sound as Classic Country. Having recently bought and listened extensively to three of her CDs, I’d argue there is also an element of Folk present. Yes, some of it sounds more Country than anything else, but the lyrics are more sophisticated than most Country (avoiding the cliches so enamored by Country songwriters) and furthermore, display a notably introspective quality that tends to couch situations in shades of gray, rather than black and white. It’s here, in the lyric writing, that I detect a Folk or singer-songwriter influence. That said, I’m no longer sure it is Americana. In fact, the more I’ve thought about it, the less sure I am about what exactly constitutes Americana. What’s your definition? I'm confused by your mention of Shania Twain. What I've heard by her is stylistically, writing-wise and production-wise, a very long way from Roots genres.
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Ah. OK. All I’ve heard of Shania Twain is slickly commercial. Apparently, she has a different, rootsier side that I’m unaware of. My bad. FYI, my favorite "Country"singer is EmmyLou Harris, who has always incorporated Folk, Bluegrass, Gospel and Rock into her overall approach.
Interesting. Are you making a pun when you describe music "made to make a living" as labored, or is that just the way your words happened to come out? Personally, I wouldn’t describe any music that’s well performed as "labored". If we’re talking about Country artists such as Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Jeff Walker, Rodney Crowell, Emmy Lou, Radney Foster, Dwight Yoakam or Marty Stuart, they are highly accomplished but definitely don’t sound labored to me. If anything, they make playing and singing seem effortless, a term that is, to my mind at least, fairly close in meaning to free spirited. But perhaps I’ve misunderstood? ? ? For me, Americana is music that lets its deep sources in roots genres -- Country, Blues, Folk, Bluegrass -- show, but does not overtly sound like any one of those influences, in particular. And, is not necessarily acoustic. Lucinda Williams is a great example. Sorry if my response comes across as excessively rigid or professorial. You did warn me about "butchery". I’m perhaps a bit too obsessed with exactitude when it comes to the written word. Trying to write poetry will do that! ;o) |
Seems to me you’re being awfully hard on yourself! Thanks for explaining what you meant by "labored". I wouldn’t say you weren’t making any sense. I didn’t understand your use of the word labored. Having said that, there are people who just play for fun and others who attempt to make a living, in both Folk and Country -- at least in the US. In the 50’s/early 60’s there was a heightened popular interest in Folk, which got many people into playing guitar who later went on to play other styles, both as amateurs and professionals. I’ve also studied music theory --up to a point. It’s been very useful for guitar playing. I don’t know why the other guitarists I’ve played with have had zero interest in it. You wrote "for my country’s musical background". I’m curious; what country are you referring to? |
+1 I've become a huge fan, to my surprise. I only discovered her a short time ago and have bought three cds. The topics she writes about resonate with me and even more so, the way her lyrics underscore the often paradoxical nature of human experience. And I really like the band and arrangements, too. Just goes to show, it pays to keep searching for new music. You never know what you might find!
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Do you mean Jerry’s solo album "Reflections" ? The Dead were clearly very much influenced by Roots genres such as Blues, Country, Bluegrass and Folk but also by other genres (not to mention their experimentation with psychedelics). I’d suggest American Beauty, Workingman’s Dead and portions of Europe ’72 fit more convincingly into the Americana category than Reflections. But others might disagree. An example from Europe ’72, later covered by Levon Helm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5KEQ-sC6vg I will check out Ryan Bingham! |
FYI, I like Ryan Bigham's voice a lot. Haven't decided about his songs, yet. I have a love/hate relationship with Jerry and the boys. When the playing is tight and in tune, it can be magical. When it's sloppy and out of tune, I have very little tolerance. It's not like I'm singling them out, though -- I don't like sloppy, out-of-tune playing by anyone ! |
I did do a bit more listening. I find his music pleasant enough but ultimately it doesn't grab me in a way that would make me want to buy any of his CDs. Purely subjective. I've recommended certain music I like to other people and they've had a similar response. As the saying goes: "There's no accounting for taste." Why we like what we like is, for me, a fascinating topic that doesn't get explored in much depth on the forum. Perhaps this is so because not all the factors involved are conscious. For example, I love the sound of some records. If they have lyrics, I wouldn't care if I couldn't understand what was being sung. The sound is acting upon me physiologically and psychologically in a way I find very enjoyable. |
Yes; Alt. Country is typically included within Americana, although I’ve personally never cared for it. Do you know this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg39fBwvNWY&list=PLC8cS0Gcnu2E9ZL6vl2z8GuerOASfMlUC
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Very talented guitarist, singer and songwriter (probably) best known in "jam band" circles but "Fade Away Diamond Time" sounds like 70’s Southern CA Country-Rock, a style that, of course, heavily influenced Alt. Country. Casal played in the Chris Robinson Brotherhood and released a string of solo albums. Sadly, he took his own life a few years back. "Sweeten the Distance" is another good one. |
road !