I read a feature story in another publication warning me about the death of Americana music, both in our lives in Dubuque and across the country. I have to say I was a little confused. Are we living in the same community? What is Americana?

Well, based on the article, it seemed pretty broad, from the bluegrass of Mike and Amy Finders to the rockabilly blues of High and Lonesome to the haunting sounds of Jen Gloeckner. It’s original music from the heart and the heartland. And despite calls that the sky is falling, I would have to argue that Americana is alive and thriving in the Tri-States.

If you read the last issue of 365ink Magazine, and you’re an intelligent and attractive person so I’m sure you did, you would have seen literally pages dedicated to artists who could easily be labeled as Americana. In fact, the was an entire page dedicated solely to a special series of events in Galena focused around a single theme. Guess what that was? Yes, AMERICANA! A traveling Smithsonian exhibit in Galena highlights the roots of the genre and its present day outgrowths, which is now on display (Galena History Museum, through April 28). In tandem, there were a dozen live music venues all over the city featuring Americana acts, most of which are locally grown, in honor of the event. And next month when the exhibit is gone, those acts will continue to play the great diverse venues of Galena, such as the Grape Escape, Gobbie's, the Irish Cottage and more, who give a stage to these musicians.

Let’s come back to Dubuque. We had the privilege of taking in some amazing music in the last two weeks. 365 was honored to sponsor the old-school country music of John Anderson at Five Flags. Isabella’s just welcomed the DeWayn Brothers Bluegrass Band and followed up with a duo featuring a mix of Croatian blues, jazz piano, and Irish-flavored vocals of Radoslav Lorkovic and Andy White. If that’s not a melting pot of music that can only add to the mystique of American roots music, then I don’t know what is.

On Saturday night I had my second opportunity to see the unique trucker-turned-blues crooner performance of Watermelon Slim and the Workers at the Busted Lift, just one block from my house. That’s just one issue worth of live Americana music in the Tri-States. I know that Mike and Amy Finders sold out their last two shows at Isabella’s. They are indeed the faded sepia-toned snapshot of what great Americana music is. I was lucky enough to see their first-ever performance under a bank drive-thru at a rainy DubuqueFest so many years ago and have enjoyed them ever since.

If you came to the 365 open house last month, it was the music of Mike and Amy’s first album filing the cracks in the conversations. They are truly a rare commodity in any music landscape. But they are not alone, nor dying for venues in which to perform. Not in Dubuque. Now, I realize that the writer of the cover story was not from Dubuque, so I understand that his view of good venues for music and opportunities to see great live performances like David Zollo, Bo Ramsey, and Brother Trucker is clouded by his lack of access to such shows in his hometown of Iowa City. An Americana band from the Iowa City area recently told 365 that they love playing Dubuque because the music scene here is so diverse, so much better than Iowa City. I won’t say their name to protect the innocent, but their initials are Firewood Revival.

Dubuque’s music scene cannot be compared to anything in a hundred miles or more. We are an anomaly, perhaps. But in our little anomaly, original homegrown music is rich and growing. The article also attacks the change of the American musical landscape, stating that pre-packaged, formulaic sounds, like American Idol, are stealing the airwaves, snuffing out the opportunities for Americana to breathe. Is this new? I don’t remember hearing much Joni Mitchell and Dave Wilcox on the radio in high school. But I do remember finding it on my own. I’m actually rather proud that less-than-classically beautiful pinup models have been dominating American Idol. Power to the big voiced chubby guy!

The world always had Fabian, Milli Vanilli and the Pussycat Dolls and always will. But through the crap, intelligent music has found and kept an audience. It may not be easy for bluegrass, folk and other traditional genres to get major label recognition, but the last I checked, I don’t remember any dobro players getting into it for the cash and the girls. Well, maybe the girls. In today’s world of the internet, thousands of indie artists, including Americana musicians, have found outlets to distribute their music and be found by millions of music lovers. Looking at all the distribution methods, from major labels down to MP3s on MySpace, it’s estimated that in excess of 40,000 releases are made each year, and that was two years ago.

There is now a conduit for discovering great music and being discovered as an artist like never before in history. More than ever, the world has become a niche market society. As long as there are guitars that don’t plug in, Americana remains alive. In my hometown, it thrives. As long as you and I keep going to see American roots music in person, it will never be a “breeze away from gone.”