December 28, 2001 by A.S. Van Dorston

Starting in the 1999 edition of Fester’s Lucky 13, I featured a new category called New Americana. It’s not something that I arbitrarily pulled out of the air. The term has been used since at least the roots-rock trend in the 80s, and more recently has been used by British magazines like Uncut and MOJO. The Brits are notoriously fascinated by anything that is intrinsically American. Even during the Grunge movement, they gleefully portrayed the college-educated Mudhoney and TAD as backwoods beer-swilling, chainsaw-toting Neanderthals. It was an insulting generalization, but they went along with it because it helps sell albums. Thankfully the image of New Americana bands is much more dignified and artistically solid enough to start a lasting movement. Generally, Americana mixes rock ‘n’ roll with country, folk, bluegrass, soul and blues in hopefully new and creative ways.

The bands most deserving of the New Americana tag are the truly innovative bands like Tom Waits, Giant Sand, Souled American, Calexico, Lambchop, Black Heart Procession, Pernice Brothers, Pinetop Seven, 16 Horsepower, who sound utterly unique. I see New Americana as a sort of side growth from the more traditionalist and less exciting No Depression scene, which overall is kind of a third wave that started generally in the late 80s. The first wave was the late-sixties, early seventies Country-Rock and Folk-Rock bands. Gram Parsons was a big focal point, helping to further rootsify The Rolling Stones and The Byrds, founding The Flying Burrito Brothers, and reviving traditional country with his solo work. He’s a huge influence on later generations, and even with contemporaries like the hugely commercial Eagles, and the Outlaw Country of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and David Allan Coe. I don’t include Outlaw Country in Americana because it’s basically pure country staying true to its roots in George Jones and Merle Haggard rather than the schmaltzy Nashville scene.

The eighties Roots-Rock scene ranged from the mega-commercial Springsteen, Petty, Mellencamp contingent, to the middling commercial success of Jason & the Scorchers, the BoDeans and Lone Justice, to the post-punk indie rockers, like The Blasters, Rank & File, R.E.M., Meat Puppets and The Mekons (who were Brit ex-pats diving into American culture). They set the blueprint for Uncle Tupelo’s mix of country and punk, and Insurgent Country perpetuated by the Chicago-based Bloodshot label. In particular, the Meat Puppet’s highly original, subtle Americana on their best 80s albums set the blueprint for bands like Giant Sand and Souled American and their followers. By the late nineties, it seemed like a strong enough movement for me to give it a category in my year-end lists. There are plenty more bands I don’t mention, either because I don’t think they’re very good, or they’re more revivalists than innovators. While The Blasters and Jason & The Scorchers touched on rockabilly, they added something to it, whereas there are tons of bands since who have added nothing, and thus are mere nostalgia acts.

I (Country-Rock/Folk-Rock): Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Bob Dylan, The Band, Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons, Gene Clark, David Ackles, Neil Young, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fairport Convention, The Flatlanders, Poco, New Riders on The Purple Sage, The Eagles.

II (Roots-Rock): Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, John Hiatt, Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam, Jason & The Scorchers, The Blasters, Rockpile, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Rank & File, True Believers, Los Lobos, The BoDeans, Beat Farmers, The Long Ryders, Del Fuegos, True West, Lone Justice, E-I-E-I-O, Three Johns, Green On Red, The Knitters, The Silos, Dream Syndicate, R.E.M., Meat Puppets, The Mekons, Cowboy Junkies, The Iguanas.

III (No Depression, Insurgent Country, New Americana): Tom Waits, The Gibson Brothers, The Walkabouts, Giant Sand, Souled American, The Gear Daddies, The Jayhawks, Uncle Tupelo, Waco Brothers, Whiskeytown, Alejandro Escovedo, The Bottle Rockets, Scud Mountain Boys, The Palace Brothers, Joe Henry, Freakwater, Son Volt, Wilco, Jay Farrar, Old 97’s, Kelly Hogan, Neko Case, Sally Timms, Handsome Family, 16 Horsepower, Devil In A Woodpile, Riptones, Robbie Fulks, The Sadies, The Blacks, Trailer Bride, The Bad Livers, Calexico, Latin Playboys, Mark Lanegan, P.W. Long’s Reelfoot, Lambchop, Black Heart Procession, Pernice Brothers, Pinetop Seven, Willard Grant Conspiracy, The Cash Brothers, Ryan Adams, Shannon Wright, Beachwood Sparks, The Autumn Defense, Papa M, Thalia Zedek.

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