by Art Ames

Photograph by David J. Simchock

Tell a friend about the song you just heard or the band you are listening to, and your friend will inevitably ask: “What kind of music is it?” Decades ago, the answer was either folk, blues, country, jazz or rock ‘n’ roll. More recently, we’ve tried to get so specific that it’s become laughable. Over the last ten years or so, a certain type of music has begun to emerge—or rather, re-emerge—in our musical landscape. For the fascinating blend of folk, country, bluegrass and other related genres, the music business has actually bucked the specificity trend, and we’ve come to call this genre “Americana.”

read full article