United States of Americana

A guide to the sounds, sights, tastes, and colorful characters that populate the United States of America. It covers topics such as the rise and evolution of alt-country music and the Americana genre and the legends of country, blues, gospel and folk, and prohibition and pre-prohibition era cocktails and the speakeasy renaissance. Young Americans are returning to the roots of a simpler culture Americana. It's more than mere nostalgia; it's a conscious celebration of community and sustainability. It's a movement born in response to the ever-accelerating pace of modern life and Internet technology overload. All over the country, people are returning to an appreciation for the simpler things in life, which are brilliantly surveyed in United States of Americana—the first comprehensive handbook to all things Americana. Music: Renewed interest in the legends of country, blues, gospel, and folk (Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Hank Williams, and Leadbelly); the rise and evolution of alt-country music and the Americana genre (Fleet Foxes, Wilco, the Decemberists, and T Bone Burnett) Fashion: Wearing American heritage clothing and footwear (Red Wing boots, Filson jackets, Carhartt overalls, and Pendleton wool shirts) Grooming: Returning to straight-razor shaving and old-fashioned barber shops D.I.Y.: Taking up handmade crafts (knitting, needlepoint, and soap making), as well as home canning (pickling and preserving) The speakeasy renaissance: Drinking Prohibition- and pre-Prohibition-era cocktails (old-fashioned, gin fizz, and sidecar) Entertainment: Seeking out burlesque, circuses, and the vinyl LP Reacting against the accelerating pace of modern life and too-much-information technology, young urban dwellers are carving out a new space, one brilliantly surveyed in "United States of Americana". Here we find barbers who instruct men to unplug the Norelco and try their (shaky) hand at shaving with a straight razor; manufacturers of high-end leather goods that outsource to the Amish rather than to India; DJs who rely on wax cylinders instead of digital files; restaurants where wild boar appears on the bill of fare (and the walls); and, work wear that once saved the lives of turn-of-the-century Alaskan miners, now reinterpreted for the runways of Paris and Milan. This isn't mere nostalgia, but a conscious celebration of community and sustainability. "United States of Americana" is the first comprehensive guide to the sounds, sights, tastes, and colorful characters that populate this new old-fashioned world, with topics including: the rise and evolution of alt-country music and the Americana genre (Fleet Foxes, Wilco, the Decemberists, and T-Bone Burnett) and the legends of country, blues, gospel and folk (Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Hank Williams, Leadbelly); American work wear and heritage clothing and footwear like Red Wing Boots, Pendleton, Filson, and Carhartt; prohibition and pre-prohibition era cocktails (Old Fashioned, Gin Fizz, Sidecar) and the speakeasy renaissance; nose-to-tail butchering and raising backyard chickens; straight razor shaving and old-fashioned barber shops; burlesque and circuses; the resurgence of the vinyl LP; home canning, pickling and preserving; and, the D.I.Y. handmade crafts movement (knitting, needlepoint, soap making).

A field guide to the new American Roots movement, United States of Americana is a vivid, fascinating, and comprehensive survey of how and why young urban Americans are finding inspiration in the cultural traditions of an earlier time in many areas of contemporary life. Compiled by Seattle-based writer, DJ, and entertainer Kurt B. Reighley, United States of Americana explores this vibrant cultural phenomenon—from the music, to the clothing, to the food and drink, to the rebirth of home canning, straight razors, burlesque, and circuses.