| Americana/American Roots music is more than a genre to me... I feel great responsibility in representing marginalized queer people in rural America who are raised on country and roots music but are repeatedly and systematically rejected by the correlating culture. Every rung I can sling my gay sequined boot up on top of gets queer people a little higher on the ladder to being seen as just a bit more human in the great American roots landscape. | | | | |  | Willow Smith in Atlanta, Oct. 19, 2021.
(Paras Griffin/Getty Images) | | | | | "Americana/American Roots music is more than a genre to me... I feel great responsibility in representing marginalized queer people in rural America who are raised on country and roots music but are repeatedly and systematically rejected by the correlating culture. Every rung I can sling my gay sequined boot up on top of gets queer people a little higher on the ladder to being seen as just a bit more human in the great American roots landscape." | | | | Americana Woman
Are the GRAMMYS making more odd choices about how to categorize songs and albums than they usually do or are people just paying more attention these days? Whichever it is, add the current single by the AMERICANA AWARDS' reigning Artist of the Year, which the Grammys have decided isn't an Americana song, to the list. BRANDI CARLILE's "RIGHT ON TIME," a dramatic piano ballad that's getting triple-A and radio play and comes from an album that debuted at #1 on Billboard's Americana/Folk chart, is, say the Grammys, a pop single. This follows decisions to officially label KACEY MUSGRAVES' STAR-CROSSED a pop album, not a country album, and BO BURNHAM's INSIDE (THE SONGS) a soundtrack album, not a comedy album (why couldn't it be both, future generations will ask).
It may seem weird to complain about overzealous genre policing at the Grammys, which divide music into more than 40 genres and sub-genres and give out nearly 90 trophies. Over-policing genre is what they do. But the "Right on Time" shift seems especially insensitive to how actual people are consuming and programming Brandi Carlile's music and what it means to both them and the artist. Americana is "more than a genre to me," Carlile wrote in a long and gracious Instagram note that took time to thank the Grammys for thinking of her at all. "It represents my community, my family, my friends and my beautiful island of misfits." Music is social. It connects us and our misfit islands. It helps define what those misfit islands are. And those islands, in turn, help define the music. There are no particular notes or sounds or rhythms that definitively make "Right on Time" an Americana song. The islanders just kind of know.
The Grammys, of course, don't have the power to literally divorce "Right on Time" from Americana. The islanders and their radio programmers, DJs, booking agents and curators still get to decide that. But the Grammys control the hardware that comes with the awards, and the most obvious effect of recategorizing Carlile's song is that instead of competing in a category (American Roots Song) where it would have been almost impossible to lose, it will have to fight just for a nomination in a category where, even if it gets one, it will have almost no chance of winning. Five other Americana artists, meanwhile, who would have had no chance of winning that particular Grammy, now do. And they'll have that a secret Grammy committee to thank, should they think about it on awards day.
Meanwhile in the Grammys' "big four" general categories, an unnamed music executive wonders in the Los Angeles Times if the elimination of the controversial nomination review committees—which are different from the screening committees that determine who's eligible for which category—will lead to an unwelcome surprise winner or two at the end of next year's show. The RECORDING ACADEMY's voting membership isn't as young or diverse as the Academy would like, and "it's possible," the exec says, "the committees saved the Academy from embarrassment more than they created it."
Pondering a Posie
There's a lively, combative discussion happening on Facebook about the merit of KUOW's explosive report on allegations of violent sexual misconduct against the POSIES' KEN STRINGFELLOW, which I wrote about at some length on Tuesday. The discussion was started by BARBARA J. MITCHELL, an ex-manager and ex-girlfriend of Stringfellow who says she's had "a front row seat for terrible behavior on ken's part - but none of that involved control issues or physical violence." She believes the story is unfair "shoddy journalism." Among the people who replied to her public Facebook post are at least two women who were on-the-record sources for the story and one of its two reporters. I'm uncomfortable linking to an individual Facebook user's post, even a public one, but I wanted to note the discussion's existence. It was still going strong late Tuesday night.
Etc Etc Etc
A bill introduced in Congress by REP. TED DEUTCH (D-Fla.) would let independent artists collectively negotiate with streaming services for royalty rates, which they can't do now because of antitrust laws. The Protect Working Musicians Act was introduced Monday... Which music sites are tracking you the most?...What are the best restaurant bathroom soundtracks?... FOR KING & COUNTRY, CECE WINANS and WE THE KINGDOM were among the top winners at gospel's DOVE AWARDS... ED SHEERAN at NPR's virtual TINY DESK.... PRIMARY WAVE MUSIC has paid what's believed to be about $40 million for a stake in the late LUTHER VANDROSS' publishing, master and name and likeness rights.
Rest in Peace
GINNY MANCINI, music philanthropist, big-band singer and widow of Henry Mancini... Jazz trombonist BOB RUDOLPH... Original Journey manager HERBIE HERBERT, whose other clients included Roxette and the Steve Miller Band... RUBEN RODRIGUEZ, a promo exec for Motown, Island, Columbia and Elektra who went on to found hip-hop imprint Pendulum Records).
| | | | Matty Karas (@troubledoll), curator |
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| | When a woman sings tenor, it's a superpower | | by Joy Horowitz | | In the Angel City Chorale, altos who have switched to singing tenor are called "taltos." It's a choir that's big on inclusion. | |  | | GQ |
| | Finneas Has Made Hits for Justin Bieber, Kid Cudi, and (of Course) Billie Eilish. Now He's Going His Own Way | | by Kevin Lincoln | | With his first solo album, "Optimist," just out, Finneas O'Connell explains what he learned about producing himself from working with his sister Billie. | |  | | Pollstar |
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| | Garth Brooks remembers Charley Pride and the song they shared: 'You thank your lucky stars' | | by Dave Paulson | | Monday night at the National Museum of African American Music, Garth Brooks sat with an acoustic guitar and revisited songs made famous by the late Charley Pride. | | | | | Music | Media | Sports | Fashion | Tech | | "REDEF is dedicated to my mother, who nurtured and encouraged my interest in
everything and slightly regrets the day she taught me to always ask 'why?'" | | |  | | | Jason Hirschhorn | | CEO & Chief Curator | | |  |
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