“It’s fascinating,” says traveling troubadour and lyrical mastermind Jeffrey Foucault, of the fact that Americana has become “a thing” over the last few years. “In the mid-90s, you rarely heard an acoustic guitar on the radio, you never heard it on television or in commercials. It’s not that people weren’t traveling around playing acoustic guitar, it just wasn’t part of the popular imagination nearly as much. Around 2002, it seemed like you couldn’t watch a commercial without hearing someone finger-picking an acoustic guitar. A lot of people I look up to, like John Prine, they’ve been out there swinging for 35 or more years, doing roughly the same thing. People pay attention for a while, then they don’t. It’s like fashion. I’m gleeful that Americana is a thing, it’s just funny that we came up with a category for music that should encompass everything from Tejano to jazz, when what it really means is stuff that sounds like Steve Earle.”
“They’re creating a whole Billboard category for it,” he continues. “It makes me grin. I’ve been playing the same kind of shit that I’ve always played—basically blues and country or music derived from those forms. The only time people come up with a category for something is when they’re trying to sell it to somebody, but I’m glad people are selling it to somebody.”
Foucault, fresh from his first appearance at Tønder Festival, Denmark’s renowned annual folk celebration, has embarked on a fall tour that will bring him to the Southeast for the first time in years, and which includes a stop at Nashville’s City Winery on Friday, September 9th. “I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve played Nashville; not that I’ve ever had an aversion to it, it’s just worked out that way,” he declares. “On this run, I’m going to Atlanta, Charlotte, Bowling Green, and a few other places to get my feet wet again in the area.” According to his website, the band is still looking to book a show for September 10th: “If you have bright ideas please harass my management,” he writes. “Else we’re just going to Stuckey’s and drink in the parking lot.”
He’s been enjoying the success of his critically-acclaimed stunner Salt As Wolves for almost a year, touring all over the country with a band that, at times, includes friend and songstress Caitlin Canty, and The Pretenders’ Eric Heywood on pedal steel and electric guitar. “It’s hard for me to compete with Chrissie Hynde as an employer,” he says with a laugh. “The touring’s been so good, playing with a full band every night and getting deeper into the songs. Having that kind of sonic footprint is delightful, and I love traveling with that group of people.”
With so many friends and musical compatriots in the Nashville area, Foucault’s show just may have some surprise guest appearances. “I’m sure we’ll find some interesting trouble to get into,” he laughs. “Stuckey’s or not.”
Listen: https://soundcloud.com/misterphonecall-1
Purchase show tickets: http://www.jeffreyfoucault.com/tour.html
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