The landscape of American music is as vast and varied as the geography of the country itself. At its root are a range of diverse cultural influences that have combined to form what is now called Americana music. Sometimes called “alternative country,” it’s a genre whose parameters are broad enough to include bluegrass, folk and traditional country with occasional elements of blues, jazz and others thrown in. In the 1990s, Americana made a home for itself on the airwaves, bridging the gap between Triple A (Adult Album Alternative) and mainstream country radio and allowing audiences to explore a sound stripped of the slick production that usually dominates the industry.
Watch the video for Eliza Lynn's "Sing a New Song:
Eliza Lynn is a promising newcomer with enormous talent and a lyrical perspective rooted in concerns for social justice. She was born in Nashville and raised in Illinois by parents who were both amateur musicians and community activists. After graduating from college in 2000, she spent time in a Zen monastery and traveled to China before taking a job in Asheville, North Carolina with the local YWCA, where she developed a diabetes wellness program teaching exercise routines to low-income, minority residents. An accomplished musician on both banjo and guitar, Lynn’s stylistic influences range from 1940s jazz to blues and folk music.
