Ep. 430, Americana Vinyl Tag, 2024

Americana has a fairly open-ended definition, but runs the gamut to include elements of acoustic music, folk, country, rock and bluegrass. Prime examples of this genre include The Band, Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons, Old Crow Medicine Show, and others.
Follow these 20 prompts! If you can't answer them, that's fine! Do what you can!
1) Show your favorite Americana artist
2) Show an album with a banjo on the cover
3) Show a great harmony album
4) Show a favorite album by your favorite female Americana artist
5) Show your favorite acoustic cover song
6) Name an Americana artist you'd like to see put out an album in 2024
7) Show your favorite Americana album from 2023
8) Show your favorite acoustic Beatles tune
9) Show an album with a heartbreaking ballad
10) Show a song about drinking from an Americana artist
11) Show an illustrated Americana album cover
12) Show an acoustic album by a traditionally non-acoustic artist/band
13) An Americana super group
14) An Americana artist you never got to see live
15) An Americana artist you'd like to see live that you haven't seen yet
16) The Americana artist that you've seen live the most
17) Favorite Americana duet
18) Name 5 lesser known Americana artists
19) Show the first Americana album you owned
20) Challenge 1 channel to hop on the thread
My challenge goes out to @elliottcrews4997

[@listen_to_records444]

Great Tag! Thanks Sam.

[@samstjohn1994]

Thanks! It was a lot of fun to make.

[@martinkelting]

Across.the.borderline brought me here for the Americana Tag. Whow, I'm now studying many KZbinrs from the USA and Canada who serve the Americana Tag and my eyes and ears are wide open. So much concentrated knowledge and wisdom! It will now take me months to listen through it. Unfortunately my LPs and CDs are stored on the floor. Old age and hard of hearing. But streaming with earphones still works fine. Funny was Shamrock's "Americana-notice" to "King of America" by Elvis Costello, the Brit. I feel like Shamrock today: Listen to this record and you'll have a completely different approach to the artist (and the USA) in the future. Chris Hillmann is also a man that I have pushed aside over decades and now I'm rediscovering. I will now answer the 20 questions in writing for myself. That gives clarity before "running on empty" ;-) Americana I listen often: Johnny Cash, Linda Ronstadt, Gram Parsons, Los Lobos, Glen Campbell, Emmylou Harris, The Mavericks, Bonnie Rait, Tracy Chapman and many more of course. Canada: Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot Americana from Europe; First Aid Kit, Gunter Gabriel, The Common Linnets (and brandnew Elvis Costello :-) Another Planet: Springsteen, Willie Nelson, Beach Boy, Byrds My new discovery is Mr. Charley Crockett! "$10 Cowboy" and "Killers of the Flower Moon" are great Songs.

[@samstjohn1994]

Great deal on Charley Crockett! I appreciate you coming by! My channel focuses a lot on Americana so stick around! Thanks again.

[@cheapcheerfulrecordcollect8071]

That was great ! A bunch of stuff I don’t really know, but probably should. I’ll jump on this soon. Thanks.

[@samstjohn1994]

Thanks Jonathan! Let me know when you post it! Glad you stopped by.

[@DaddyRich71]

This is very tempting and you showed some great records. I might have to jump in here but I'm already working on a "Don't Be Afraid Of Country Music" video for my channel and there will likely be a lot of overlap. I do enjoy seeing anyone else here share this music tho and I'm grateful. Thanks again.

[@samstjohn1994]

If you do a response then please let me know!

[@happyhippythevinylguy]

Great idea man!

[@samstjohn1994]

Thanks Rod! Hop on!

[@jmm04003]

Stumbled here from other VC channels. I’m mostly active in the Jazz VC community, but am a big fan of Americana. Hope to get a submission out for this soon.

[@samstjohn1994]

Hey nice to meet you Joe! Please let me know if you post something.

[@elliottcrews4997]

I accept the challenge. 😁😁😯😯😊😊

[@samstjohn1994]

Can't wait to see! Thanks Elliott!

[@MGKBOSTON]

Hi to you on Saturday Sam! I just uploaded a tag response! ✌️

[@samstjohn1994]

Can't wait to watch! Thanks Mike

[@richardriley4415]

It's nice to see some different stuff. I did a video about the best flat pickers today about a year ago.

[@samstjohn1994]

Thanks Richard!

[@jimmccloskey4254]

A friend turned me onto Watchhouse. Recently saw them at Tarrytown Music Hall. Where’s The Band, Americana supreme.

[@samstjohn1994]

I knew a lot of people would show the Band so I steered clear

[@jtsrecordroom3963]

Man.. I really want to do this, Sam ! And I should do it. As you know, I barely fit in one vid a week, but this is right in our wheelhouse ! I'll see what I can do . I have watched several responses to your killer thread ! I loved your showing of "A Mighty Wind" LoL !!! 😉Interesting to see Jim Avett.. I didn't know about him, at all.. See you, Sam ! i like your last question.. it brings me way way back ! Cool ☺

[@samstjohn1994]

Glad you liked this JT! If you do a response then please let me know!

[@jtsrecordroom3963]

@@samstjohn1994 I'll let you know. 🎵

[@alltheworldsastage899]

I don't have answers or samples for half of these questions, but as always, I gave you a thumbs up. Hope you get a nice response!

[@samstjohn1994]

I figured it would be a niche response, but I'm hoping to pull some Americana fans out of the woodworks. Thanks Steve.

[@vinylmartini3377]

Hey Sam. Uploaded my response to your tag yesterday. Really enjoyed doing it, the refiling not so much 😁😁. Hope you get a chance to watch it. Cheers.

[@samstjohn1994]

Can't wait! I'll watch later today or tomorrow! I appreciate you doing it!

[@anotherfatbeardedmantalkin5893]

Good stuff, Sam. An excellent idea and some interesting looking records I'm not familiar with to check out. Hopefully I'll have time tomorrow to do my response. I'm looking forward to being able to feature lots of albums and artists I've not shown before. Cheers - Hedley

[@samstjohn1994]

Hey thanks Hedley! Let me know when it posts!

[@culturefan]

Great tag and questions, I'll probably have to watch your video again and jot some down some of the musicians you covered. My Americana tag is up and running if you wanna take a look. Thanks Sam.

[@samstjohn1994]

So cool! You're added to my playlist. I'll watch soon!

[@theflipside-vinylcommunity]

Awesome brother 🤘🏼. Fantastic

[@samstjohn1994]

Thanks Josh!

[@marciap-vc]

Hi Sam, don't have enough Americana in my collection to complete the thread but definitely looking forward to the answers so I can add to my want list.

[@samstjohn1994]

Thanks Marcia, I knew it would be a small crowd doing this but it was fun to make nonetheless!

[@darcyska]

Americana is a genre I would love to hear more about, so thank you for making this video! I've been getting bit by bit more into Canadiana (Tragically Hip, Guess Who, The Band)

[@samstjohn1994]

All good stuff! Can't wait to hear about your journey!

[@NorthernRevolutions]

Dont worry Sam. Im on it!

[@samstjohn1994]

As long as you don't mention Canadian content...haha. I'm looking forward to it.

[@NorthernRevolutions]

@@samstjohn1994 just wait and see

[@benrankins4446]

This is the kind of tag I like to sit down with a note pad, learn, take lots of notes and eventually spend lots of money! This would be very difficult to Australianise in my usual way. Cheers...Ben

[@samstjohn1994]

Haha I thought you only had didgeridoos down there. Thanks Ben

[@benrankins4446]

@@samstjohn1994 We got a few down here 😂

[@whatthejim]

Rich is right, you are the king of Americana in the VC. Alex is also right, when I think of Americana music I think of your channel. Don’t think I’ll do a thread but I hope other people will, great choices as well!

[@samstjohn1994]

Thanks for the kind words Adam

[@RandyforRoyals]

You showed a couple of artists for which I am not really familiar. Great John Prine pick. Love the Lord Huron cover, I also quite like the Strange Trails album artwork. I can't believe that I have seen American artist that you haven't. I saw Steve Earle with Bap Kennedy who is also a great artist. I was almost going to use The Rice, Rice, Hillman and Pedersen album for a supergroup. I don't think that I have seen that Scaggs/Rice album before. Thanks for introducing me to Jamestown Revival. There was a country tag that I did a couple of years ago but I think this is the first Americana tag. Great job.

[@samstjohn1994]

Oh very cool that this is the first tag you've seen like that. I just finished watching your video. I need to check out Rice and Hillman!

[@popsandclicks]

Nice one there, great tag, Americana is a great genre with many great both new and classic tunes, a genre that is not so common in Europe, not many band that play that kinda style, a hand full I guess, mostly it end up in the folk genre. I got some but not sure if I have enough to answer all your question, I will have a look. Cheers and take care.

[@samstjohn1994]

Even if you can't then feel free to do what you can! Thanks Janne!

[@popsandclicks]

@@samstjohn1994 Well I will have a look. Can I answer most of them then I will do one. Cheers

[@samstjohn1994]

Whatever you can my friend!

[@juliemusique-tn4dp]

hello i just want to tell you i just put on line a slide show to respond to the americana tag thanks it was fun !

[@samstjohn1994]

Oh very cool!

[@LloydBoonworldofmusic2]

Hi Sam, great thread mate, hope it takes off for you. going to look through what i have and see if it is interesting enough for a video - Lloyd

[@samstjohn1994]

Thanks Lloyd, let me know if you post one!

[@LloydBoonworldofmusic2]

@@samstjohn1994 i will do, thanks mate

[@frenchvinyladdict]

Hi Sam, this is a really good idea, though i won't hop on this as i have very few records of that ''genre'' in my collection. But i agree with you as i would love to see more 'Americana'-oriented vc channels. As you know I recently moved to Canada from Europe, so I'll take advantage of this great experience to find out more about artists/albums of this musical current. I recently listened to a 70s album by Gram Parsons (the one feat. Emmylou Harris) and i kinda liked it. Country artists are not really popular in Europe (except among isolated fans of country music), though I know country music is HUGE here (a big deal ) in North America

[@samstjohn1994]

Glad you're enjoying delving into the genre. Listen to the early Michael Nesmith albums, very similar to Gram.

[@RobertsOnMyTurntable]

I'd love to join in but don't own enough Americana in my collection. Awesome job, Sam Gave you a shoutout on my latest contest video😊

[@samstjohn1994]

I'll check it out! Thanks Robert

[@harrysmusicroom]

Fun idea, I've written down several of your picks to preview. My response video will be up on wednesday.

[@samstjohn1994]

Looking forward to it Harry!

[@RekkidTalk]

I didn't do the full tag, but as part of my Vinyl Tag Medley I showed an Americana record with a drinking song.

[@samstjohn1994]

Very interesting, I'll check it out chris!

[@StylusMeetsVinyl]

Hey Sam! This is an excellent tag idea, and I'd say you're right in that Americana isn't talked about as often in the YTVC as other genres. Having said that, I'm not sure if I can complete this tag! I'll have a look and if I can, I will. Even if I can't, I'm going to mention this on my channel to support it. This is great stuff. I love that Mighty Wind album! Those Chris Guest movies are so good. And I always hear you talk about the Avett Brothers. I don't have them on vinyl but I do like them. Funny- years ago when they were promoting True Sadness I saw them on the Tonight Show performing Satan Pulls The Strings. I really liked the song so I downloaded the album. I found that the rest of the album was much more folky than rock, which I guess I wasn't expecting. So initially I was disappointed with it. But it was downloaded on my phone and inevitably the songs would come on randomly. I ended up getting hooked and I love that whole album now. Specifically the songs Smithsonian, Divorce-Separation Blues, and No Hard Feelings. That last song is one that can bring me to tears when you think about the lyrics and meaning of it. I'll be looking to add some Avett vinyl officially to my collection in the future. Good stuff man! Cheers Sam!

[@samstjohn1994]

They always close with No Hard Feelings live, so good. I saw them do Smithsonian in DC so that was a cool experience. If you can do this partially then feel free to! Thanks Chris.

[@vinylmartini3377]

Hey Sam. Been watching some tags, but not many as I don’t want to be influenced by others. Some tough questions, but I think I’m up for the challenge. Will drop you a line when I drop the response in the next couple of days. My definition of Americana is very broad by the way. Cheers.

[@samstjohn1994]

Please let me know! I'm excited to see it!

[@RichStrickler]

Great job Sam. As far as I'm concerned, you are the king of Americana in the VC. It's like going to a classroom and getting schooled on the subject. Fantastic video.

[@samstjohn1994]

Man that means a lot coming from you brother. I'm always happy to talk about this genre.

[@jasontheoldmillennial7197]

I love A Mighty Wind. Good movie and soundtrack. I just listened to The Lumineers discography and really liked their albums.

[@samstjohn1994]

Glad you liked the Lumineers! Check out that Wesley Shultz covers album if you haven't yet. Great songs on there by Springsteen, Tom Waits, Sheryl Crow and Jim Croce, among others. Thanks Jason.

[@EmbryonicRobot]

This is fascinating but challenging. I may not be able to take part, but I will consider it! You showed some interesting albums.

[@samstjohn1994]

Thanks Brian, it's definitely Americana fan centric.

[@jasonarsenault3791]

Fantastic Sam! Great idea. Love the lord Huron especially. This thread / tag needs some heavy vc attention. We could all use a higher dose of this music in our lives.

[@samstjohn1994]

Thanks Jason, I knew you'd appreciate LH! You're the man

[@allanc.records8484]

Although I don't follow the Americana genre, I do have a couple Emmylou Harris albums and of course Michael Nesmith as well! I enjoyed this video to get familiar with some Americana Artists! Thanks Sam! Allan

[@samstjohn1994]

Glad you liked it Allan, Emmylou is great!

[@lostmixtapes]

Great video. I was jotting down a lot of notes. I just made a video of my own, but I don't think it goes nearly as deep into the genre as yours does.

[@samstjohn1994]

Oh very cool! I'll look it up

[@beerandvinyl]

My man! This was humbling for me (lol), but holy hell did I love watching it and learning so much. I hope this gains some traction for the folks into this stuff. Your challenge to Elliott was a perfect choice. Like I said, I hope when music people think Americana, they think Sam St. John -

[@samstjohn1994]

Just put some straw in my mouth and call me scarecrow. Thanks Alex.

[@elliottcrews4997]

My video is up loaded now.

[@samstjohn1994]

Thanks Elliott! I'll watch tomorrow!

[@across.the.borderline]

Hey Sam, great video and wonderful idea for a thread. I have many albums you showed (some are new to me so I have to check'em out). OCMS is one of my favourite stringbands, 'Jubilee' is awesome! Maybe you still remember my name (Erwin from Germany). I had a channel here that didn't work so I stopped it about a year ago and tried a new one in german and I'm very pleased with the response. I've jumped on your thread and posted a video yesterday because Americana is still one of my favourite musical genres. I'm sure I will be the only channel in Germany to do this, but I regularly feature Roots/Americana albums in my videos. Would be great if you stop by and take a look (even if it's in german and lasts for an hour). Glad to see that you're still making videos and that your channel has more than 1,000 subs - you really deserve it. Keep up the good work, I'll visit your channel more often in the future. Take care, greetings from Germany, Erwin

[@samstjohn1994]

Erwin! Of course I remember you. I'm very happy that you're back in action! I can't wait to see your response. Old Crow always makes me smile. Thanks your watching and again, I'm glad to see you back!

[@peterhovestad4654]

This playlist features the music of the film “searching for the wrong eyed Jesus. I stumbled across this when I discovered the music of Jim White. It’s a great film and features a lot of under the radar performers kzbin.info/aero/PLgicMldRRO4FJOAeadI0TM-IukgwC0k_U&si=rNq1PsvQLUQdv2Zg

[@samstjohn1994]

Thanks Peter!

[@kavend100]

HOPE YOU DONT MIND A ENGLISHMAN LIVING IN AUSTRALIA HAVING A GO AS I HAVE BOUGHT AS MANY AMERICAN AS ANY OTHERS AUSTRALIAN AND BRITISH FOR THE LAST 60+ YEARS

[@samstjohn1994]

Absolutely! Let me know if you post a video!

[@ShamrocknRecords]

Love your tag!! I just made one of you want to check it out!! ☘️

[@samstjohn1994]

I actually already had it on haha, loving it so far!

[@happyhippythevinylguy]

Washington square such a great album brother.... I've seen steve earle probably ten times.. You need to see a lie bro

[@samstjohn1994]

He comes here every so often. I'm definitely going to catch him the next time he comes along

[@happyhippythevinylguy]

@samstjohn1994 He does get very very political especially around election time..lol he is very left

[@samstjohn1994]

I get that, I kind of know what to expect based on some live videos. Haha

[@happyhippythevinylguy]

@samstjohn1994 I saw him one time when george bush was still the governor of texas. He was not real happy with old george and his stance on the death penalty. Needless to say a lot of people were not happy with him that night

[@samstjohn1994]

@@happyhippythevinylguy I know the same happened to CSNY

[@mistery-ed7900]

Here's my comment attempt at this... I take some liberties. Fave artist Patty Griffin Banjo on cover New Lost City Ramblers "String Band Instrumentals" Great harmony Hazel and Alice Fave female Iris DeMint Acoustic cover Mary McCaslin "Rain" Album in 2024 Joanna Newsom Fave of 2023 Lydia Loveless "Nothing's Gonna Stand In My Way" Acoustic Beatles tune "Dear Prudence" Heartbreaker John Prine "Hello In There" Drinking Hank Penny "Bloodshot Eyes" (45) Illustrated cover The Lowest Pair "36 Cents" Acoustic by electric band Uncle Tupelo "March 16-20 1992" Supergroup Vasser Clements, John Hartford, Dave Holland Never saw live John Fahey Like to see Fleet Foxes Seen most (only once) John Hartford. (Solo in falling down joint. He played the squeaky floor and collapsing ceiling) Fave duet Everly Brothers "I Wonder If I Care As Much" 5 lesser known Gingersol, National Park Radio, Holy Modal Rounders, Erin Rae, Jimmie Dale Gilmore First album (45 at the age of 4) Bobby Lee Trammell "Sure Do Love You Baby"/"Shirley Lee" album Flying Burrito Brothers "Gilded Palace Of Sin" (I had Dylan before that and a bunch of 45s) I included folk, old timey, freak folk, and probably other genres. I live a couple hundred miles from any venues for live music so I haven't seen anyone in over 30 years. This was fun!

[@samstjohn1994]

Great picks with Iris and John Prine. I need to get more into Fleet Foxes. Thanks!

[@ThatVinylChannel]

Isn't Beatles a British band? :)

[@samstjohn1994]

Part of the fun!