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The Americans: An ear for old American music
While there are not many Americans who remember music from before World War I, one band from Los Angeles has made a traditional style from this era its main musical inspiration.
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Back to their roots: The Americans entertain the crowd at the @america cultural center in Jakarta. (@America Cultural Center/-)
Los Angeles-based band The Americans has a style of American music that dates back to pre-World War I.
The American music industry is ever-changing and ever-evolving. Each musical generation, be it the 80s, 90s or the 2010s, has always brought something new to the table with their own sets of rhythms, melodies and lyrics.
From the nostalgic days of the 60s with Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix to the funky 80s with Michael Jackson and Prince to the charismatic 2010s with Beyonce and Kanye West, the American music industry has seen it all. It is undoubtedly the biggest music industry in the world, influencing the musical tastes of billions across the globe.
However, few know of how the revered American popular music started. The American popular music that gave birth to pop, rock and dance genres came in the late 1800s to early 1900s, dating back to before World War I. Back then, the ability to record music had just been discovered, and thus recording studios were limited in number and capability.
As a result of a lack of recording means, music at that time was mostly improvised. Most of the musicians lacked formal musical training, and there were no means of feedback due to them not being able to play back their own songs. Most of the music composed back then was for accompanying dance parties instead of for dedicated listening sessions like they are now.
This type of old and traditional American music that eventually made up popular American music is called Americana music, also known as American roots music.
While there are not many Americans who remember this piece of history, one band from Los Angeles does and has made the traditional style its main musical inspiration. The band is called The Americans.
