Solid article and appreciate how holistically it approaches the weird politics around country music. I can't speak much for Nashville (I live in Chicago), but as someone that plays locally what...
Exemplary
Solid article and appreciate how holistically it approaches the weird politics around country music. I can't speak much for Nashville (I live in Chicago), but as someone that plays locally what the article and industry call "Americana," I have to mirror the awkwardness in defining what music can "belong." Whenever I interact with somebody not in the scene, I find myself struggling (and probably failing) to explain what old-time is or that bluegrass only really came around in the 1950s. That "musical redlining" and the resulting segregation of demographics that continues to manifest in algorithms is particularly troubling--I'm a pretty progressive fan of the genre and had never heard of many artists mentioned in the article!
Will be checking out Adeem the Artist and others found within, but some recommendations for others that are interested in the non-Nashville scene:
Nick Shoulders is a phenomenal yodeler from Arkansas that performs in New Orleans. Thoughtful lyrics that are openly political with the occasional bit of education, plus fun covers (like Blondie's "Heart of Glass").
Defunct Carolina Chocolate Drops is a supergroup of black artists wanting to reclaim and recenter black identity within old American-style music. Some solid arrangements and they've won a Grammy for their work. Highly recommend finding YouTube clips of their live performances.
Rhiannon Giddens (of the CCDs), has her own solo career that has taken off. She's decently popular/commercially viable and has been nominated for and won tons of awards, including multiple Grammies.
Dom Flemons, also of the Drops and styled as "The American Songster," is a great multi-instrumentalist with a greater focus on the cultural/historic preservation. He's worked with museums and the Library of Congress and I adore his album Black Cowboys, which got a Grammy nomination.
Sierra Ferrell dabbles in a several different genres and is often country/folk-adjacent, but is generally spectacular. Solid stage presence, with a striking, heavily-tattooed appearance. (Though this may be cheating; I think she may actually be based in Nashville.)
There are many more nationwide and there are YouTube channels specifically to corral and promote these smaller artists. Gems on VHS and Western AF are personal favorites for discovering new folk folx.
[Edit: formatting, grammar]
I'll throw some of my recommendations in the pile too, in case people want more to listen to. I mostly listen to Indie/Singer-Songwriter/Contemporary Folk, Bluegrass/Newgrass, Southern Rock and...
some recommendations for others that are interested in the non-Nashville scene
I'll throw some of my recommendations in the pile too, in case people want more to listen to. I mostly listen to Indie/Singer-Songwriter/Contemporary Folk, Bluegrass/Newgrass, Southern Rock and Alt/Progressive Country... and I mostly listen to Live music too. So my recommendations will be mostly limited to those genres. But with that said, here are some of my favorites (from an old comment of mine):
That should be enough to get you started hopefully. ;)
I wholeheartedly second the recommendations of Gems on VHS and Western AF. Both great channels. Jam in the Van has a lot of great Americana, Southern Rock, Bluegrass, etc stuff too.
Solid article and appreciate how holistically it approaches the weird politics around country music. I can't speak much for Nashville (I live in Chicago), but as someone that plays locally what the article and industry call "Americana," I have to mirror the awkwardness in defining what music can "belong." Whenever I interact with somebody not in the scene, I find myself struggling (and probably failing) to explain what old-time is or that bluegrass only really came around in the 1950s. That "musical redlining" and the resulting segregation of demographics that continues to manifest in algorithms is particularly troubling--I'm a pretty progressive fan of the genre and had never heard of many artists mentioned in the article!
Will be checking out Adeem the Artist and others found within, but some recommendations for others that are interested in the non-Nashville scene:
There are many more nationwide and there are YouTube channels specifically to corral and promote these smaller artists. Gems on VHS and Western AF are personal favorites for discovering new folk folx.
[Edit: formatting, grammar]
I'll throw some of my recommendations in the pile too, in case people want more to listen to. I mostly listen to Indie/Singer-Songwriter/Contemporary Folk, Bluegrass/Newgrass, Southern Rock and Alt/Progressive Country... and I mostly listen to Live music too. So my recommendations will be mostly limited to those genres. But with that said, here are some of my favorites (from an old comment of mine):
I wholeheartedly second the recommendations of Gems on VHS and Western AF. Both great channels. Jam in the Van has a lot of great Americana, Southern Rock, Bluegrass, etc stuff too.
Wow, Carolina Chocolate Drops are freaking amazing. Loving the rhythm in Snowden's jig. Thank you for a new band to explore!
Archived link