Editor’s Essentials: Jane's Southern Soundtrack
Anecdotally, as a Southerner — and specifically, a Tennessean — I’ve encountered many people who only associate the South with country music, which is accurate to a degree. But that’s never been the whole story. The American South has been the birthplace of almost every major music movement of the 20th century: blues in the Mississippi Delta, jazz in New Orleans, folk and roots music in Appalachia, and country, rockabilly, and rock and roll coming from these different genres combining and transforming one another. Modern rock, pop, R&B, and country music simply wouldn’t exist without the South, a complex and contradictory place whose sonic influences can be traced to Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, Central & South America, and beyond.
Cities across this region (including my hometown and the locus of all things country music, Nashville) are host to many creative and cutting-edge indie, rock, and alt artists who deserve just as much attention as acts coming out of New York City or Los Angeles. And while, as a Nashvillian, I am partial to the many musicians (both native and transplant) who are making Music City their home as they strive to turn their dreams into reality, this playlist highlights a variety of acts local to cities across the South, from Texas to Louisiana to Virginia. I do include a decent number of Nashville acts — we are Music City, to be fair.
Give it a listen, and make sure to support your local artists.
