Entry #1 - Anooj Shah

In It Still Moves: Lost Songs, Lost Highways, and the Search for the Next American Music by Amanda Petrusich, the author begins to make inquiries about the origin of Americana and its current impact on many lives. Amanda embarks on a journey starting in Brooklyn, NY and travels to the "South" to research her curiosity. The reason she decides to travel South is because that is where true Americana music originated and became popular. Her attention to intricate details is amazing on her journey. Amanda pays great attention to people's behaviors around starting in Brooklyn and stretching as far as Memphis. One thing about Petrusich that appeals to me is her understanding of the diversity that lies behind Americana, she recognizes that it is such a broad topic and embraces it with open arms. "How are our collective ideas about Americana changing? Where did they start? How are those notions preserved, celebrated, milked for profit? How do the places we come from - our hometowns, our regions, our city blocks - influence the sounds we make? (Petrusich 16).

Her attention to intricate details is amazing on her journey. Amanda pays great attention to people's behaviors and surroundings around her. "....I'm still learning the mechanics of this new place, walking in the streets, sniffing, gawking, searching. Today's incessant , soggy rain does little to alleviate the city's inherent muck, and I think, again, about how New York City is maybe the only place in the world that seems dirtier when it pours" (Petrusich 12). She finds that Americana music is a type of music that has no set form, it is free spirited. Americana plays such a huge role because it greatly involves a sense of nostalgia. Not only does Amanda describe her surroundings but one thing that intrigued me was her visit to Sun Studios and meeting Sam Phillips. Sun Studios was a place where many big artists like Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, etc. Phillips aim was to record the music that he and others liked and find a bigger audience for the music that some considered music for the "black man" (Petrusich 35).

Throughout her journey Petrusich encounters many people that she talks to and gets answers from. Although she has her own viewpoints and a set goal she respects others opinions and does not hurt anyone's feelings. She incorporates history into her findings by providing her readers with quotes and search terms.

AS