Ten years ago today, I asked a question: what do these bands have in common?
And for the past ten years, I’ve been searching for the answer. This is primarily an Americana blog, but that doesn’t stop me from featuring the occasional punk, indie rock, hip-hop, or country disco artist. But all of it comes down to this: music made with so much sincerity and with such connection, it will help you feel alive.
This was meant to be a sushi blog. I had just graduated from college and returned to God’s country (New York City) and was looking for some kind — any kind — of creative outlet while I was in grad school for my master’s of education. But as I contemplated this project, I also found myself feeling like maybe the music I’d fallen in love with — ex-punks turned country and folk, now known as Americana — could use a perspective I wasn’t seeing in the blogs and podcasts I was finding my music from. And as much as artists like Two Cow Garage and Matt Woods mean to me, I was starving for the same kind of soul-bearing, distortion-feuled music by people who were like me: women, queer. And — of course, people who weren’t. Surely, I thought, there must be BIPOC artists out there? White people by no means invented the blues or country music!
So that was the seed of Adobe & Teardrops. Looking back on some of these reviews, they were really like diary entries to myself. In some cases, I can pinpoint the exact girl who broke my heart. Well, we were all 20 once.
I can’t even believe where this sushi-turned-country-punk blog has carried me: the front page of No Depression; learning how to podcast; two feature articles in the No Depression print zine; freelancing for progressive country music outlets like Wide Open Country and The Boot; getting on the press list for Newport Folk Fest; speaking with some of the top execs in the industry like Folk Alliance and Americanafest about their diversity practices; helping to launch Country Queer (though I have reservations about the site); kickstarting a queer country music zine (issue 2 is coming soon so check out Rainbow Rodeo now!); this gorgeous website by Will Bennett; a 9th anniversary Zoom fest that raised over $1000 for the New York State Youth Leadership Council‘s pandemic fund for undocumented families.
And, as of yesterday, a grant recipient of the Rosetta Fund (the subject of my latest article in No Depression). I am thrilled to announce that the grant money will go towards the talented writers in the second issue of Rainbow Rodeo, thus encouraging the growth of a genuinely progressive (nay, radical) Americana scene. Congratulations to my fellow grantees Lauren Napier, Alyssa Donyae, and Also Pod, which features BIPOC artists in country music!
This is the blog’s 3900th post. I could not have gotten this far without the thousands of artists who have trusted me to share their life’s work and their stories. There are literally too many to name, but thank you so much. I am deeply indebted to my editors at the aforementioned publications for mentoring me, and for all the publicists I’ve reached out to ask questions about how “the industry” works. I’ve thought of myself as an outsider but I don’t think I can justify that anymore!
Thank you to all the Facebook friends and Twitter buddies whom I hope to meet someday. I almost quit like 10 different times in the last two years but you’ve kept me going.
And, in true me fashion, I fucked up. We are going to have a big festival and fundraiser over the next few weeks, but I told everyone the 10th anniversary was the 8th and, when I double-checked, I was wrong. So! Come back tomorrow for a thrilling announcement involving literally all of your favorite artists.
Most importantly, thank you for reading!