Waiting for the great leap forward or What is a page about activism doing on an Americana music site?
Both "Americana" and "activist" are elusive terms; multiple meanings, blurry edges, uncomfortable contradictions. There isn’t space here to argue semantics so please forgive me assuming you know what they feel like whilst I try to explore their symbiotic relationship.
A popular misconception has Americana music being preoccupied with women, whiskey and despair but this is a musical genre that tells stories about everything and draws on a rich seam of resistance and cultural diversity. This can be demonstrated not just through overtly political /songs – although these abound of course with classics from Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger through to James McMurtrey, The Dixie Chicks, Steve Earl and Otis Gibbs.
One of Americana's defining characteristics has been a (not unproblematic) notion of authenticity above commercialisation and a desire to reclaim the rawness of traditional country music and reinterpret its traditions with a contemporary edge. Back when we talked more about alt.country than Americana it was more obvious the music was in opposition to something, including political hegemony and the shiny corporate soullessness of mainstream country.
There is surely a touch of punk about The Man in Black and Ryan Adams back when he was good. And, as the great Jon Langford demonstrates old punks go country. Indeed some of my favourite compilations are the anti death penalty records he worked on for Bloodshot records. And speaking of death I suspect The Handsome Family have a far higher body count (on record) than Eminem has ever managed.
Americana also documents social history in more subtle ways. It has long given voice to the oppressed, the silenced, the overlooked. I'm thinking about Jason Ringenberg's “Tuskegee Pride“ , Chris Mills “Napkin in a Wineglass,” Case Hardins “The Letter” and the protaganists of any number of vignettes by Richmond Fontaine.
The personal is political too; I’ll be exploring for example issues around gender which often are absent from “official” narratives of Americana. I believe music does have the power to change us in subtle and powerful ways. A song can just be a song but it can represent much more. For example, Bufwack and Oermanns show how country music has encouraged white working class women in their struggles to survive and resist “economic exploitation, sexual subjugation and limited opportunities”
This may feel distant as we celebrate the success of Americana-Uk but perhaps more important than all the theory is the practice; the Individuals who contribute to the site. The community that has grown up around A-UK is lively, argumentative and passionate. I am proud to list many of their number as dear friends; my experience of A-ukers are they tend to support a range of causes vociferously and although it would be fair to say the site does lean towards the progressive and away from the Right all opinions are welcome except the bigoted and close minded.
Indeed, one of the reasons I have stayed longer on this website than any other is the friendliness of the people. I was involved with a social centre that was destroyed in a fire; members of the forum rallied and offered practical and moral support despite no-one else identifying themselves (as far as I know) as a veganarchist. The festival held in my front room, where some excellent musicians with connections to the site – Quiet Loner, Stewart Warburton, Sparkwood & 21 and more - captivated an audience perhaps not naturally drawn to Americana is a very special memory.
We are all more than our record collections. The music we love defies categorization; it travels borders and unites us despite our political differences (and heated arguments as to whether “in the ghetto” is a great political song; I believe it is). The activist pages are an attempt to make links, provoke debate and perhaps, maybe, act as a catalyst for further action. I may be naive but the pages are a voice, not The Voice and a place to start something – as well as to challenge the crass stereotype of redneck country or apathetic consumers. The aim is to have at least one article / issue per month.
I subscribe to Vaneigems Revolution of Everyday Life; that art and politics and love and social action can be subversive and are intrinsically linked. With apologies to Emma Goldman “If I can't play Thunder Road I don't want to be part of your revolution”