Tyler Childers Offers Critical Assessment of the Term “Americana” After Winning Americana Award
This story has been updated.
Wednesday evening (9-12), the Americana Music Association congregated for it’s 17th Annual Americana Music Awards at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville as part of the week-long AmericanaFest. Many anticipated a lot of hot button speeches from the podium addressing the roiling political climate in the United States at the moment, and a few took took their opportunities, especially Rosanne Cash, who was receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award for Free Speech. But nobody expected Tyler Childers to deliver arguably the most pointed speech of the night.
Tyler Childers came out on the stage of the Ryman Auditorium for his performance dressed like Colonel Sanders, in a plain white suit and black ribbon tie after being introduced by fellow Kentuckian Wheeler Walker Jr. Unlike the other performers of the night, Tyler Childers didn’t take advantage of the award-winning backup band led by Buddy Miller. Instead, he decided to just perform solo and acoustic at center stage, selecting his song “Nose on the Grindstone.”
After his performance, the award for Emerging Artist of the Year was handed out by CBS journalist and television personality Anthony Mason, which Tyler Childers was up for. Anthony Mason mispronounced Tyler’s last name (pronouncing it similar to “child” as opposed to “chill-ders”), and did it again when announcing him as the winner. And then Childers took the podium to make an acceptance speech.
After saying, “Not sure how all this came about, best I can tell, y’all left your back door open, now there’s a stark raving hilljack in your living room covered in Goat’s blood,” and making reference to his mispronounced name, Tyler Childers delivered a directed and pointed diss to the term “Americana” and the way it is used for country artists. Tyler said it was a distraction from the real problems of country music.
“As a man who identifies as a country music singer, I feel Americana ain’t no part of nothin’. It is a distraction from the issues that we are facing on a bigger level as country music singers. It kind of feels like ‘Purgatory'” Tyler Childers said, making reference to the title of his most recent album.
Otherwise, Tyler’s acceptance speech seemed gracious, if humor-filled and wild-eyed. But the diss was definitely felt in the Ryman Auditorium gallery as people digested what Tyler had just said. Also during Wheeler Walker Jr.’s introduction of Tyler Childers, Wheeler called Americana, “country music that nobody listens to”—an obvious joke from the foul-mouthed country star.
The producer for Tyler Childers is Sturgill Simpson, who quite publicly has not been in attendance to receive his own Americana awards over the last few cycles since receiving his own Emerging Artist of the Year award in 2014, including multiple Album of the Year wins.
A full report from the 2018 Americana Music Awards.
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UPDATE: Video of the Tyler Childers Speech
September 12, 2018 @ 7:19 pm
I think what he’s trying to say is that we should “save” country music instead of just segregating real country music into a new genre. Or something to that effect
September 12, 2018 @ 7:49 pm
I don’t need saved. It’s alive and well, just not promoted by the biggest stage, country radio. The times they are a changin though. Slowly, but surely.
September 12, 2018 @ 8:46 pm
I think there are a number of ways to interpret what he said, and I think he did that on purpose. I think he wanted to say a lot of things by not saying anything too specifically. But yes, his biggest concern is segregating country artists into “Americana” when they should be considered country as opposed to an outright rebuke of the “Americana” term. I also think it’s important to note that he didn’t directly target the Americana Music Association, just the use of the term, and also included parts of his speech that were gracious for the award.
September 14, 2018 @ 9:40 am
Like it or not though, country radio is a real genre format. Sure it’s corporate, sure it takes about 10 or more songwriters sometimes to put out a song that will make radio airwaves, but it has been there for decades now and at most, rather than just going away, it will probably just stand there and improve the sound quality. What I’m getting at is that there’s just too much money made w/corporate “country.”
September 12, 2018 @ 7:19 pm
Slightly off topic, but you mention that Rosanne Cash won the “Lifetime Achievement Award for Free Speech.”
What? There’s a “Lifetime Achievement Award for Free Speech”? Good grief. As if the the Americana Awards couldn’t pigeon-hole itself any more as a decidedly leftist enterprise for Nashville’s malcontents. I say that as a mostly libertarian sort of guy and someone who is hardly a fan of Music Row circa 2000-present.
September 12, 2018 @ 7:46 pm
I read that as Roseanne Barr at first…. Yikes, shivers down my spine.
Thank God it was Roseanne Cash then
September 12, 2018 @ 8:14 pm
Charlie Daniels has won the award before. It’s not just an award for lefties. Since when did Free Speech become a left only thing?
September 12, 2018 @ 8:33 pm
Ah, yes, you’re right, over a decade ago and near the inception of these awards, there was a “Spirit of Americana Free Speech” award that Charlie Daniels won. Does anyone believe that he would win now? Ben Shapiro has a better chance of winning. The reality is that the Americana Awards has morphed into an insignificant venue for left-of-center social platforming, representative of East Nashville (and Austin, Asheville, etc.). I am reminded of such ludicrous lines as, “Women do work and get treated like slaves since 1776,” from Margo Price’s disappointing sophomore album.
September 12, 2018 @ 8:50 pm
All I know is it’s the best form of music being performed right now. So if liberalism makes one a better songwriter somehow more power to them. I thought Rosanne Cash’s speech was excellent and I’m sure her father would be proud.
September 12, 2018 @ 9:40 pm
I don’t want to drag this out. I have nothing against Rosanne Cash’s speech. That was never my point. I could further deliberate the distinction between liberalism and leftism, but this is not the venue for such debates.
September 13, 2018 @ 5:33 am
Your right about Charlie there “Kevin Davis”. 10 years ago I don’t think he had a twitter. Even though his music would fit in with Americana,since it ranges from everything from Southern Rock,Bluegrass,Country,Gospel to Jam Band, he wouldn’t even be invited to present an award today. These “Free Speech” people would probably boycott.
Also,Charlie was a session guy for Bob Dylan and covered a Dylan album and tour BEOFRE Old Crow did and it was completely ignored by these folks
September 12, 2018 @ 8:44 pm
“Since when did free speech become a left only thing.”
It’s not free speech that’s the problem. It’s who gets to define free speech. When UC-Berkeley, of all places, disinvites conservative speakers (like Ben Shapiro) under pressure from leftist activists, then “free speech” is a fiction. Free speech is the foundation of classical liberalism, which leftists have abandoned.
September 13, 2018 @ 3:01 am
free speech means freedom from government censorship, it doesn’t mean people have to let you say whatever you want in their house. If left wing campuses don’t want you to speak, than you can’t speak. nobody owes anyone a platform.
Tyler Childers is one of the best things in Country music today.
September 13, 2018 @ 4:16 am
Shapiro spoke at UC Berkeley FYI – and so did Milo Yiannopoulos. There were protests (which are also a form of free speech.)
September 13, 2018 @ 6:30 am
Yes, he eventually spoke, after much haggling with the administration. Or, there’s the issues he’s had at DePaul, UConn, and elsewhere. Protests are a form of free speech, but many of these protesters want, as they expressly will tell you, to prevent these speakers from speaking on campus and “spreading hate and violence.” That’s why they will try to shout down the speaker as much as possible — to prevent him from being heard — not merely to express disagreement, much less to engage in dialogue.
September 13, 2018 @ 8:16 am
They weren’t “protests.” They were riots.
The Left is the enemy of free speech.
September 13, 2018 @ 10:49 am
Worth a read : https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/09/it-takes-a-nation-of-snowflakes/541050/
September 20, 2018 @ 10:44 am
The left has abondonded free speech just look at 90% of our college campuses….so I agree….talking about free speech does not pigeon hole anyone. In fact…free speech has now become a right wing agenda. So let’s call it somewhere in the middle.
May 5, 2020 @ 8:12 am
Another bullshit number pulled from deep within the bowels of Trump’s ass. Would you kindly cite to where you found this alarming statistic please? Why is it that y’all cannot simply debate on the merits of your argument rather than insulting the left and pulling shit from your ass. The left has absolutely not abandoned free speech, Nancy Pelosi is not trying to destroy America and Mitch McConnell is absolutely someone you do not want to see when you take your kids to the playground. Why can’t we all stop hating on each other? When i hit shuffle on my phone at work, my day is going alright whether its Kris or CDB, Hank Jr or Steve Earle. And I suspect its the same for most of y’all. It really shouldn’t be that hard. Just don’t be a dick. I apologize for the somewhat disrespectful remarks I made earlier in this comment, and also for the way more disrespectful (although a absolutely correct) comments I directed towards someone earlier. For real. Y’all put in the work to find real music worth listening to. I respect that. At least we ain’t having this discussion at savingFloridaGeorgiaLine.com.
September 13, 2018 @ 7:48 am
Please let’s not define Americana as left or right, let’s just all enjoy the music.
Just once I want to read a comment section about MUSIC and not have someone drag politics into things.
Goddammit.
September 14, 2018 @ 1:11 am
Thank you! Seconded!
September 14, 2018 @ 5:34 am
hahaha this made me belly laugh, Chet.
September 14, 2018 @ 6:58 am
For sure. Enough with making everything a political statement.
September 23, 2018 @ 7:40 am
You could be talking about how spaghetti always tastes better as leftovers and SOMEONE will turn it into a conversation about Trumps noodle.
September 12, 2018 @ 7:36 pm
Americana, the bastion for the liberal folks in country music. Now I finally know what American is.
September 12, 2018 @ 7:51 pm
Can you elaborate on that?
September 13, 2018 @ 9:54 am
Also a bastion of things that sound like actual country music. Maybe the conservatives have moved on to EDM.
September 13, 2018 @ 11:45 am
This one hasn’t.
September 13, 2018 @ 7:12 pm
I don’t blame you. You just have to look outside country radio to find it, and Americana is one of those places.
September 12, 2018 @ 7:40 pm
Interesting perspective. At some point the traditional country sound has reclaim the term “country” instead of being relegated to what was once a subgenre. Or something like that. Drinky drinks make analogies confusing.
September 12, 2018 @ 7:43 pm
Traditional country music will soon be called “Americana” or “Bluegrass”, while actual Americana and Bluegrass music will be forgotten, independent, or simply urban legend tunes.
Everything is being pushed and pulled aside, in terms of labeling genres, just so Chris Lane and Michael Ray can “catch a break” in country and radio …because those bros are mighty handsome… will relate to the 18-35 demographic…. and boy are they so talented.
I swear, major record labels look for “injured bro-ish, handsome college athletes” & promise them they can become the next Sam Hunt.
They prop them with some hip hop single, provide them with a bad fade haircut- And BOOM- “Nashville’s One To Watch” .. 500 more radio spins this week!!! Post shirtless instagram stories… Market yourself and your music on social media…. $$$$$$$$$
September 12, 2018 @ 7:48 pm
Right or wrong, you can tell he’s taking after Sturgill.
September 14, 2018 @ 9:52 am
No doubt. He’s the first to tell you he’s following a trail that sturgill blazed.
The right or wrong part might be ‘should sturgill get all the credit?’ …. but according to many of these artist they will tell you he was a damn big part of it.
I still agree with the theory of when we look back in ten years Metamodern will be the ‘Nevermind’ of this movement.
September 12, 2018 @ 7:49 pm
Fist time I read a headline about a diss….directed at…a word.
I would agree with the Col. for the most part, except that it’s nice to have a show without without the boybandish pop country acts strutting their bronzed arms around stage, no matter what you call it.
September 12, 2018 @ 7:54 pm
i don’t know I’d like to see Luke Bryan try to sing Americana and prove he has no real talent
September 12, 2018 @ 7:54 pm
He’s Sturgill’s boy alright.
If not biologically, then spiritually.
September 13, 2018 @ 5:15 am
I think Tyler is getting tired of the Sturgill talk. I don’t blame him.Here’s a tweet from him after “The Nashville Scene” called him Sturill’s protégé:
“I get a kick out of folks calling Sturgill my “mentor”, or me his “protege.” If that was the case, I wouldn’t be talking to any of you lil turds. Regardless, thanks for the write up. Makes my mama proud.”
September 20, 2018 @ 1:57 pm
you’re right. he didn’t thank Sturgill when he won. he thanked Miles Miller, his close friend.
September 12, 2018 @ 8:13 pm
Oh shit…he just crossed over to the Outlaw movement
September 12, 2018 @ 8:15 pm
Tyler’s performance was certainly one of the highlights, but maybe don’t take a shot at the only community that truly seems to care about your music?
September 12, 2018 @ 8:39 pm
I wouldn’t be so sure about your “only community” comment. Tyler is getting pretty big all over the country, including rural areas and among younger kids…..most of whom have never heard the term Americana or heard about the Americana Music Awards.
September 12, 2018 @ 9:18 pm
I’m enjoying his music tremendously!! I was lucky and got to see him live in Asheville, NC. All shows that are somewhat close to me are sell outs!! I dig him and lots of people are too. It used to be Eric Church all the time at my house. Now it’s Tyler Childers ✌️????I cannot get enough of his voice!!
September 14, 2018 @ 7:11 am
Eric Church< Tyler Childers
September 13, 2018 @ 4:28 pm
I’m a part of the community who cares about his music and I dont consider this a shot at “me”. Its a shot at the industry that fans of COUNTRY music had to label it something else just so we can identify with a style of music without people judging us. It’s sad that when people ask me what I like I cant say “country music” because people associate that term with Luke Bryan, Sam Hunt, and Walker Freakin’ Hayes. Childers isnt insulting us, hes saying that he makes country music and when people claim to like country music people should think of music like his.
September 14, 2018 @ 12:24 pm
“music had to label it something else just so we can identify with a style of music without people judging us”
Very good point. I had never thought of the Americana genre that way. I guess we have to ask which is the lesser of two evils — preserve the music under another name or lose the soul of the music to protect is identity? Damn, it’s getting philosophical up in here.
September 14, 2018 @ 7:27 am
He’s playing sold out shows everywhere he goes and has a big following even with the 18-25 demographic but yet there’s only one community that cares about his music. Makes perfect sense. Please come back when you know at least half of what you’re talking about. Lol
September 12, 2018 @ 8:30 pm
He’s just having a little fun, and has the right to call out some jackass who can’t pronounce his name. He and wheeler also have a point about the catch-all “Americana” title. When I hear the word, I think of mediocre acts like Isbell and Turnpike…..about 15% country, and 85% “singer songwriter” (isbell) or 90s rock (turnpike).
September 12, 2018 @ 9:10 pm
Turnpike mediocre? Congrats on dumbest comment of the day! Don’t worry Kyle Nix will save it with a fiddle solo
September 12, 2018 @ 9:23 pm
I get that they are the darling of the dance right now……their crossover sound is appealing to many, no doubt (throwing a fiddle and occasional pedal steel behind Counting Crows songs was a hell of a good money making idea). But yes, I find them highly overrated, as do several others who frequent this site. Not to mention their track record of crappy live performances.
September 12, 2018 @ 10:30 pm
“Crappy live performances” being used to describe Turnpike is so hilarious.
September 13, 2018 @ 5:06 am
Jesus I do not understand how so many people say Turnpike “throws in fiddle and steel occasionally” but are really just a “roots rock” band. Seriously, I’m not trying to be snarky, but have you really even listened to the Turnpike Troubadours? And I mean listen to each album a few times through? Most of, not quite all, but most, of their songs are pretty well driven by Nix’s fiddle.
September 13, 2018 @ 8:59 am
I never said their songs wern’t fiddle driven. They are, but that doesn’t make them out of this world good.
September 13, 2018 @ 10:59 am
I have. They do sound like a roots rock band. Not my thing.
September 13, 2018 @ 7:53 am
Every once in a while, i see an asinine comment that proves the best trolling is totally indistinguishable from pure idiocy. Example: Turnpike Troubadours are just Counting Crowns songs with a fiddle thrown in.
September 13, 2018 @ 9:27 pm
I feel the same way about your comment, Jim. Opinions are that way….people can differ. Evan and the rock backbone of TT (especially their latest album) sound a lot like Counting Crows to me. You obviously think differently, but no need to get all fan-boy angry and throw around words like “asinine”. Evan will be fine after he gets out of kidney stone rehab in 9 months, and you will have your modern college rock (with a fiddle) hero back.
September 13, 2018 @ 9:59 am
You can dislike Isbell all you want to and I’m not going to lose any sleep over it, but if you’re evaluating his songwriting and guitar playing and still find him mediocre, tell me who you think is good.
September 13, 2018 @ 1:32 pm
I respect Isbell’s talent, and writing, but he isn’t my thing. I’m not huge on his voice, or the fact that most of his lyrics are introspective and often sappy (vs. telling a story), or the fact that most of his music just comes off as depressing. I get why people like him…same as Turnpike….but I do not get why he is often held up as the best of the best. And, why he is often spoken about as a country artist, which he clearly is not.
September 13, 2018 @ 7:24 pm
Appreciate the comment. I can respect someone not caring for his voice, though I like it. He’s better live than on record, though. And I’m getting to where I don’t agree with his take on everything these days, though I probably lean more that way than not. I agree he’s not a country artist. Hell, he agrees he’s not a country artist.
How much of his catalogue have you actually listened to, out of curiosity? “Live Oak,” “Speed Trap Town,” “Elephant,” “Yvette,” “Relatively Easy,” “Alabama Pines,” “Stopping By,” “Dress Blues,” and “Decoration Day,” among probably many others, are all telling stories. Granted, many of them are sad to depressing, but still great storytelling songs. Look up the Skyville Live version of “Live Oak” on YouTube sometime if you haven’t seen it already. I also like most of his introspective songs, but that type comes across as more real and meaningful to me than a lot of stuff out there. Tastes will vary on that, of course.
Who is your jam?
September 14, 2018 @ 5:38 am
Also TVA. Great story song.
September 23, 2018 @ 7:45 am
Same here. As much as everyone tells me I’m supposed to love Isbell, I just don’t
September 13, 2018 @ 11:11 am
Don’t cut yourself on that edge
September 14, 2018 @ 7:43 pm
Country Roads, so if you agree they (Troubadours) are fiddle driven, that *by definition* makes them not just shitty 90’s rock. Listen to “Come as you are”, pedal steel, fiddle, harmonies, melancholy tone, what more can you ask for in a country song? “Down Here” would be a song to direct someone to if they’d never heard a pedal steel and wanted to know what one sounded like. Please don’t take this as me being a prick I’m just vexed by people saying the Turnpike Troubadours aren’t “really country”. I guess it’s just proof music is subjective.
September 12, 2018 @ 8:32 pm
I can’t even really tell what he said.
September 13, 2018 @ 4:07 pm
This is the direct quote:
“As a man who identifies as a country music singer, I feel Americana ain’t no part of nothin’. It is a distraction from the issues that we are facing on a bigger level as country music singers. It kind of feels like ‘Purgatory’”
Also just added video above.
September 13, 2018 @ 5:32 pm
Thx for posting it. Anthony Mason does an ok job on his music segments. Scratching my head though as to how and why he would mispronounce anyone’s name that he was reading, let alone Tyler’s. Do some research and get a clue dude. That’s pretty cringeworthy.
Tyler in his white suit reminds me of Elliott Smith at the Oscars, which was truly bizarre.
September 13, 2018 @ 10:35 pm
Not to mention mis pronouncing it twice more, a few seconds after he was corrected by Tyler himself. That part was blatant, imo.
September 12, 2018 @ 8:35 pm
I hate the current state of major Country Labels etc.
Recently, Luke Combs said in an interview that Record Labels weren’t interested in signing him at all… simply because of his looks & weight, etc. The Label basically said “all you’ll be is a songwriter”.
Luke started singing covers & original songs on social media, grew a fan base…. & then those Record Labels were begging for him…
If traditional country, bluegrass, and even outlaw artists started using social media more frequently…. And if large amount of us supported them through it… We can sort of start a movement and truly Save Country music!!! Easier said, than done… but at least some power could be in our hands..
Traditionalist – William Michael Morgan- started doing Youtube vlogs… Kind of desperate… but he’s just trying to gain a larger following.
September 12, 2018 @ 8:40 pm
The term Americana pisses me off too. It’s either Country music or it isn’t goddamnit.
September 14, 2018 @ 10:30 am
When I think of “Americana” I think of soft, indie folk-rock with a patina of vaguely “country” cliches. A pearl-snap western shirt, a trucker hat, some steel guitar or fiddle for “color.” That sort of thing.
Just a “hint” of country. Alison Krauss, Wilco, Drive-By Truckers, Calexico, Neko Case, maybe some Gram Parsons if you’re “old school” and want to impress people. Safe for both the Pitchfork and NPR listening crowd who want to dip in and out when the mood is right, but don’t want to be lumped-in with the blue-collar conservative proles or get side-eye looks from their coastal wine and book-club friends.
Took my a while to get there, but, pardon the crass analogy, “Americana” is “just the tip.” “Country” is “balls deep.” Get in there, or don’t.
September 12, 2018 @ 9:01 pm
The entertainment industry sure does like to pat itself on the back alot.,., trophies for everyone
September 12, 2018 @ 9:14 pm
I HATE the label Americana … it first started as a retirement home for the likes of Lucinda Williams, Rodney Crowell, Rosanne Cash and Emmylou Harris. Now it’s anything not mainstream… blues, folk, R&B, bluegrass, ska, doo wa ditty… it’s a genre of misfit musicians.
I wish Tyler never associated himself with Americana.
September 12, 2018 @ 11:14 pm
I remember Sturgill commenting on a Tylers twitter page about some article or something that was congratulating Tyler about his successful Americana debut chart topper. Sturgill just commented and said, “I thought we made a country album?” I don’t think it was Tyler who did the associating, it was more the media.
September 13, 2018 @ 4:13 am
Sadly hop town , that was well stated truth…ouchie ouch. It did start out to represent so called Alt country. But it kept getting bigger and bigger and then came politics. Now it’s a scramble to be “diverse”. It’s now no longer about the music, really. And the umbrella term “americana” becomes undefinable. You can pretty much call any music made in America , Americana. Oh well, they created the monster, they got it.
September 13, 2018 @ 9:55 am
It’s a marketing campaign… I don’t work here, let’s repack it a sell it over there.
September 13, 2018 @ 3:45 pm
Tyler didn’t associate himself with Americana. Americana associated themselves with him, because they saw him as an incredible talent. Country Radio, Country Record Companies, and The CMA didn’t associate themselves with him. There isn’t an issue with Country Music today. This is a great era for Country Music, buts it’s now called Americana. The issue is Country Radio for not playing it.
September 12, 2018 @ 10:34 pm
With Tyler, who is a friend, what you see is what you get. And damn that’s real refreshing in these times we live in. To hell with labeling.. Just listen to the song. Pontification over.
September 12, 2018 @ 10:41 pm
Los Lobos is Americana.
They are not country.
Lets talk on things we know about and not get too big for our britches.
September 13, 2018 @ 4:30 pm
Billy Bragg often gets called Americana and he’s English. My favorite recent description of Americana. I read it somewhere. It might have even been in a comment on this site. Someone called the basic format of Americana, “Country and Westerberg.”
September 14, 2018 @ 12:33 am
Also, my comment was directed at previous comments and not Tyler himself.
I don’t want him to come beat my ass.
😀
September 12, 2018 @ 10:53 pm
I have a new podcast out October 8th called ” Howdy Arnold and the Traditionalists” . I hope you can check it out. Its all about the pro traditional movement. First guests are Scotty Mcreery and Dustin Lynch.
Thanks Trigger for the shoutout. My last one!!
September 12, 2018 @ 11:55 pm
I just want to say that I support the Americana Music Association, and think they do a hell of a job supporting music that otherwise would be overlooked. Nothing is ever perfect, but they’re giving artists an avenue the mainstream is not. That said, I understand what Tyler Childers is trying to say, and agree. We can’t abandon the term “country” to anyone. Americana is great, and includes country. But let’s not allow true country to be relegated to another term, just because we don’t want it associated with the mainstream.
September 13, 2018 @ 8:00 am
“Nothing is ever perfect….”
You could apply that to almost anything these days….especially with everyone proclaiming exactly how it should and shouldn’t be, from their arm chairs playing quarterback, or only seeing EVERYTHING through their precise politcal lens. Meanwhile, this association formed and is gaining some traction, awarding people often overlooked in other genres. Terrible, right?
September 14, 2018 @ 10:02 am
Agree. I’m a little late here so might shoot you an email; but would it really be that hard to start another association? Obviously these artist do care about the organizations, so if CMA has moved away from them, is starting a new ‘country’ music association really that difficult?
I don’t know how these things work and don’t really care but like I said apparently these guys and girls really do.
September 14, 2018 @ 10:53 am
How bout the RCMAs? Real Country Music Assn. Take the word Country back from those that are defiling it.
September 14, 2018 @ 11:50 am
I think you can make the argument there are too many spinoff associations and awards. Dale Watson has Ameripolitan. There are half a dozen awards and associations just in Texas.
September 15, 2018 @ 4:17 pm
I love Texas Country… or Red Dirt… or Outlaw Country… or Americana or Contemporary Folk or… I do hate labels cause can’t really identify the kind of music I like. Often I say I like Country music, but I’m a lot more Lyle and not Luke.
September 13, 2018 @ 2:10 am
Tyler is the shit plain and simple. Coolest, nicest guy ever and an absolute genius songwriter. And good god almighty he can pierce my frigging soul when he sings. Without equal as far as I’m concerned.
September 13, 2018 @ 3:10 am
“Americana” is whatever you can buy now in Cracker Barrel. It’s a kitsch term. Try telling Colonel Childers his music is kitschy. Still happy for him, though. And always glad to see guitars.
September 13, 2018 @ 3:27 am
Why is wheeler being legitimized by any musical institution?
September 13, 2018 @ 4:16 am
Because even as a comedian singing about tits and ass he’s better than 98% of any country “artists” out there
September 13, 2018 @ 1:03 pm
When you’re right you’re right
September 13, 2018 @ 4:27 am
Anybody have a link to his performance/speach?
September 13, 2018 @ 4:07 pm
Video just added above.
September 13, 2018 @ 4:49 am
Yeah well, Americana is a force to be reckoned with whether you like it or not. People complain that formats are too tight. Country in particular these days. So why not add another dimension? You might not like Americana because we’re not afraid of “girl cooties” or gay artists or non-white artists. If all you wanna hear is a bunch of pretty boys, you’ve got that on your radio dial. I’ve been promoting Americana for a long time now and if you don’t like the word, that’s fine by me. I think people dislike the word cause they’re not making the big money in mainstream country and they lash out at the only format that WILL actually play them.
September 13, 2018 @ 8:36 am
“You might not like Americana because we’re not afraid of “girl cooties” or gay artists or non-white artists.”
Or maybe people don’t like the same elitist attitude responsible for handing Trump the presidency that a large portion of the people under the Americana banner have.
September 13, 2018 @ 11:08 am
Nailed it.
September 15, 2018 @ 2:16 pm
Thanks to the political perversion of the word, a guy sitting on a stool playing a guitar and speaking his mind is labeled an “elitist”, when in fact it’s Trump himself, and the people he’s surrounded himself with as advisors and in top positions in his adminstration, who are all textbook elitists. Men, and the occasional woman, of wealth and privilege who have absolutely nothing in common with the “average joe” that put Trump in the Oval Office.
September 15, 2018 @ 3:18 pm
What does this have to do with Tyler Childers and the Americana Music Awards?
September 15, 2018 @ 3:28 pm
Nothing. Just sayin’.
September 19, 2018 @ 9:22 am
I guess a construction worker or pipefitter should run for President next time?
September 19, 2018 @ 9:38 am
Okee dokee.
September 13, 2018 @ 5:59 am
Kevin Smith,
Spot-on post. Agree totally.
September 13, 2018 @ 7:34 am
Music can be labeled as each sees fit.
In my life there is only good or bad music.
I don’t waste my time on the bad, subjectively speaking.
September 13, 2018 @ 7:56 am
So what exactly did he say about “Americana” and country music? The article seems like it dances around it. I’d like to see an exact quote.
September 13, 2018 @ 4:09 pm
“As a man who identifies as a country music singer, I feel Americana ain’t no part of nothin’. It is a distraction from the issues that we are facing on a bigger level as country music singers. It kind of feels like ‘Purgatory’”
September 13, 2018 @ 8:01 am
I think there’s a place for Americana and country. I couldn’t tell you the exact definition of Americana, but to me Tyler Childers is just more straight country. Isbell or someone like Ryan Bingham seem more Americana to me. Isbell really isn’t country at all, and never really has been. He’s still great though.
September 13, 2018 @ 2:07 pm
I love everything Ryan Bingham has ever put out and believe he is the best representation of what country music should sound like today but I just can’t get into Tyler Childers or Jason Isbell
September 13, 2018 @ 9:05 am
Nothing confuses me more than Americana and Country labeling. I understand the difference between pop country and traditional country but then people throw bands in that sound more like southern rock to me or Eric Church’s new music that sounds more like the country I’m told is not country. The lines get very blurry when it’s people you like vs people you don’t like no matter the sound.
September 13, 2018 @ 9:26 am
Hey, you can label the music whatever, and however you want. As long as John Prine keeps putting out killer music under that label.
September 13, 2018 @ 1:39 pm
Prine is the man, but I don’t think he is consciously putting out music in an effort to fit into genre label, and certainly not because of any genre label. The Americana Association chose Prine, not the other way around. He was doing his thing long before the concept of an Americana genre of music was created.
September 14, 2018 @ 5:33 am
No argument from me, CR. I doubt John gives 2 shits what anyone calls his music. Just buy it, and enjoy it.
September 15, 2018 @ 6:41 pm
I believe JP enjoys getting the recognition for his incredible work. He’s at the top of his career. The Tree of Forgiveness was his best charting album ever. His only number 1 (Folk chart)
September 13, 2018 @ 2:07 pm
I’ve seen a comment or two pop up insinuating that those who dislike the term “Americana” simply aren’t progressive enough or are just afraid of gay people or non-white people. What a load of crap.
I’ve got zero problem with gay people or “non-whites”, as one commenter put it. I’m simply a country music fan who doesn’t like country music being mislabeled. There’s a difference between Americana and Country, and it’s got nothing to do with race or sexuality.
I guess if I was so terribly afraid of black people like you seem to think then I wouldn’t be a huge fan of many black blues artists such as Blind Willie Johnson, Robert Johnson, Lightnin Hopkins, Muddy Waters, etc. I also wouldn’t have been a big fan of the old time band Carolina Chocolate Drops.
Pffft….
September 13, 2018 @ 5:41 pm
Sounds like your an Americana fan, just like me. Roots Country, Blues, Bluegrass, Folk, Roots Rock. Americana is an umbrella term embracing all these genres.
September 13, 2018 @ 9:14 pm
Therein lies the problem, I think. I’m a Country fan. I’m a Blues fan. I’m an Old Time fan. I’m a Bluegrass fan. I’m a Southern Rock fan. Lumping all these genres and any type of non-mainstream music under one umbrella term is a cop-out in my opinion. They are their own genres with their own rich history and deserve to be recognized and respected on their own merits.
September 13, 2018 @ 9:31 pm
Best comment on this thread, Ulysses. That is what Tyler was getting at. That, and the inability of the presenters to pronounce Appalachia and his name correctly. But, mostly the first part.
September 14, 2018 @ 7:34 am
This comes closest to my opinion on the matter… but ultimately, can’t we do both? Can we use Americana as an umbrella to raise these acts into the spotlight and use some of that shine to pay attention to these certain genres? It’s a tricky matter.
September 15, 2018 @ 5:02 pm
I’m a fan of all those genres as well. What I’m not is a fan of Country. Because when you say the term Country people think you’re a fan of Luke, Jason, FGL, And whoever else they pay on FM Radio. I like a different kind of Country or maybe its called Texas Country, Red Dirt, Outlaw, Folk, Contemporary Folk, alt.country, progressive country, or Americana. The people I listen to, nobody has heard of…. from John Prine to Sturgill Simpson to Jason Isbell to Margo Price to Tyler. And I live in rural Kentucky, just down the road from where Chris Knight went to high school, and nobody knows who he is. I live jjust up the road from Paradise, Muhlenberg County. It’s crazy, We’ve got to keep promoting this music. Word of mouth, telling our friends about the good stuff, regardless of what we call it. It would be nice if we could call it Country though.
September 15, 2018 @ 5:48 pm
100% agree. Radio has bastardized country and ruined the term completely. When folks ask what I listen to, I mostly say “old country” and “new old country”.
September 13, 2018 @ 4:50 pm
I don’t buy into the American genre either. It’s kinda like saying that Clutch and Alice In Chains aren’t BOTH rock bands because they’re so different. Too many subgenres everywhere.
September 13, 2018 @ 5:08 pm
Did that MC even listen to Tyler? What in the hell. Purgatory indeed!
September 13, 2018 @ 5:10 pm
why don’t they just call it “American Music”?
September 13, 2018 @ 5:58 pm
I don’t understand why fans of Tyler Childers are thinking its special that he dissed the one Professional Music Organization that supports and recognizes what he’s doing. I think Tyler is the real deal and destined to be huge, but If he wants to make a statement against the CMA, big labels, or radio – do something like Sturgill Simpson did. If the ‘country music industry’ rejects you, be glad Americana recognizes your talent.
Btw… the real problem is Radio, its a dying medium. Lack of programming variety, lack of variety in ownership, hell even a lack of advertisers with the disappearance of local retail. Streaming is the future.
September 13, 2018 @ 7:11 pm
Americana is a big umbrella – a place was needed for more description for folks like John Prine, Guy Clark, Radney Foster etc., who couldn’t be pinned into any category. A category is needed in order to push music to fans in a particular direction. However, Americana in Texas has taken on a distinct personality that refers more to folks like Pat Green, Jack Ingram, Cory Morrows, etc. They are really Texas-country, but seem to dominate the Americana festivals here. I’m glad that the Americana Music Association has a larger pool to draw from and have given out a lot of awards to people like Prine who was abandoned by mainstream a long time ago. Given that, there is NO excuse for pronouncing someone’s name wrong.
September 14, 2018 @ 4:27 am
I like the term Americana because it encompasses everything. I don’t know how else to describe the music I like. I don’t like just any one genre.
September 14, 2018 @ 5:16 am
These Professional Organizations and Awards Shows are really about Marketing and Promotion. Tyler Childers is wrong to dismiss organizations that support his career. Personally I don’t like genres. But the only ‘awards’ I have any interest in are the Americana Awards and International Bluegrass Music Awards…. maybe a little in the Grammy’s because I’m interested in artists who aren’t awarded on the televised broadcast.
September 14, 2018 @ 7:06 am
i think a big part of the reason so many people shy away from the term Country is because they (wrongly) think Country music is that disposable bro- ke back garbage like Florida Georgia Line or Jason Aldean, fortunately real Country artists like Tyler are slowly but steadily correcting that .
September 14, 2018 @ 7:59 am
TC is a damn fine poet. I think that’s his biggest gift in relation to his music. I agree 100% with the sentiment he expressed.
The suit who mispronounced his name 4(?) times sounded like a real douche.
September 14, 2018 @ 10:33 am
Link to video of Wheeler’s intro, and Tyler’s performance? Can’t find any anywhere. Thanks if you can post.
September 14, 2018 @ 11:53 am
Click on that video from Rhonda Williams up above, and on her Facebook page there is a video of Wheeler and the Tyler Childers performance as well.
September 14, 2018 @ 1:07 pm
Thanks! Didn’t realize she had more videos.
September 14, 2018 @ 11:02 am
Americana/Alternative Country/Roots music came about as a rebellion against the Nashville Establishment, and the trend of mainstream country music moving more towards pop and away from traditional country. I listened to a bit of the Americana Music Awards Wednesday night on XM, and I was really disappointed. The hosts were a couple of smarmy smart alecks, and the result was the whole awards show sounded JUST LIKE something you’d hear coming from the Nashville Establishment. These genres are supposed to be country with an edge. Well to all of you in the Americana Music Association……….y’all are losing your edge.
September 14, 2018 @ 12:08 pm
This will be an unpopular opinion, but I would rather listen to Alan Jackson or George Strait on Prime Country than pretty much anything that comes out of “Americana”. It’s the same outdated churn that is played ad nauseum on Sirius XM’s “Outlaw Country”. The station dreamed up by Little Steven as a home for his washed up pals. Every other song is Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle and Roseanne Cash. They play the token singles from today’s up and coming true “Outlaw Country” artists like Cody Jinks occasionally, but most of what is played barely resembles country music. I can see exactly why Tyler Childers wouldn’t want to be associated with this genre. They should move Mojo Nixon and every single Lucinda Williams/Emmylou Harris song off of Outlaw Country and create a new station called Americana…and give any of the hundreds of deserving COUNTRY artists (who don’t get played on any of the other country channels) airtime on the outlaw COUNTRY channel! I know plenty of real country music fans and not once have I ever hopped in a truck and had someone say to me, “Hey, have you heard the new Lucinda William’s single?” LOL WTF is really going on here??? I don’t know why I’m so mad about this but I just seriously hate that you might hear Whitey Morgan once a day on Outlaw Country and Lucinda Williams maybe twice an hour sometimes. WHY??
September 14, 2018 @ 3:32 pm
They should definitely rename that station. It ain’t much Country left in Outlaw Country.
September 14, 2018 @ 7:09 pm
We’re through the looking glass when someone makes an impassioned argument for taking Emmylou Harris, who has been charting her own musical course since the late 60’s, is\was beloved by every artist who defined outlaw country, including Willie, Waylon, and Merle and collaborated with all of them, off a channel called “outlaw country.”
September 14, 2018 @ 8:50 pm
I agree about the amount of Americana being played on Outlaw … I got so fed up with it in early Spring I switched to Red White and Booze, but that playlist got stale (they must only freshen it quarterly). I still faithfully listen to Hillbilly Jim’s Moonshine Matinee … he plays a good mix of outlaw and southern rock (with a hint of Americana). I think Outlaw needs a shot of Hank 3.
September 15, 2018 @ 5:24 pm
I go thru periods where I enjoy Outlaw Country and sometimes there’s too much alt.country, too much Jayhawks, Bottlerockets, Cody Canada, etc. for my tastes. I like them, but sometimes I hear too much of them. There can never be enough Emmylou Harris though.
September 15, 2018 @ 7:45 am
“Ain’t no part a nuthin’.”
That’s what fellow Kentuckian and Father of Bluegrass Bill Monroe would say about any attempts to stretch the definition of bluegrass music. Even though I like a lot of those innovations, I do get a kick out of the notion of Old Bill saying that.
September 16, 2018 @ 11:27 pm
Some slightly foolish trivia for you – there is a small town here in Australia called Childers (pronounced “chill – ders” like Tyler’s surname). It’s about one hour by car from my childhood home. Me and my wife and kids still visit there over our summer break every year – we camp nearby at another small coastal town called Woodgate. Childers is a very quaint and pretty little Aussie country town with a lot of history. It’s renowned for its red dirt (!!?) which is excellent soil for growing sugar cane, mangos and macadamia nuts. Sorry I’m a bit off-topic, but at least the pronunciation is the same as Tyler’s.
September 17, 2018 @ 7:43 am
From Nashville Scene article:
It seems like over the past few years especially, folks like you, Margo Price and Sturgill Simpson, who are making country music but aren’t getting on country radio or awards shows, have really been taken in by the Americana community. Why do you think that is?
I have a hard time explaining to anyone what exactly Americana is supposed to be. I haven’t really bothered myself with trying to understand it, because first and foremost, I make country music. Not even really country music, just music that I feel. More often than not, that leans toward country. I do think that Americana, from what I’ve noticed, seems to have become this refuge for real country outcasts. But if it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck, and looks like a duck, and sounds like a duck, and tastes like duck, it’s probably duck. For the most part, it just seems like a lot of people that get taken in by Americana are really just country artists. Moses was in the desert for 40 years, so maybe for the next 40 years we’ll be in Americana
September 19, 2018 @ 9:09 am
just found video of the full set on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IXtE6CK310