Chaos Is My Friend” (Harmonyland: A Musical Journey Through American Music) were nominated for their own Grammys. All this will begin and end in New York, where the Americana Music Festival and Conference continues through December 13. What is Americana? The term Americana encompasses all kinds of music: blues, folk, bluegrass, R&B, soul, country, rap, funk, jazz, gospel, hip-hop, pop and rock, for starters. It covers black, white, Asian, Latin and Middle Eastern performers. The Americana Music Association, a US-based organization, defines Americana as music that’s defined by authenticity, heartfelt emotion and the traditional cultural roots of the Americas, including the deep South of the US and Latin America. Where does Americana stand in 2016? The Americana music scene is as vibrant as ever. It’s also constantly changing, depending on who is popular and where and when a tour will take place. So, the most popular acts on the Americana music scene will be here in 2016. “Dylan is everywhere.” – Jack White The Americana Music Association reports that Dylan’s Desire at Carnegie Hall was a financial success, while Dylan himself performed many of the songs from Desire (songs from 1965 that were included on the album along with a handful of earlier songs). Dylan’s Desire sold out before the show started, and all three shows were sold out as well. “I’m going to go see Dylan at least twice this week.” – David Crosby Dylan’s Desire is his sixth studio album, and it’s his first studio album since 2012’s Tempest. In that time, Dylan got married, had a child, had a daughter and took time off from performing for a few years. A lot of big artists on the Americana music scene played at the Newport Folk Festival in 2015 and 2016, including Dylan, David Bowie, Elton John, Dave Matthews Band and Jason Isbell. The “Big Three” will be at Newport Folk in 2016: Dylan, Bonnie Raitt and The Del McCoury Band. The three acts are touring together, including at the Newport Folk Festival. “If Dylan had never picked up the guitar, he’d be a great painter.” – Stephen King Dylan’s Desire has more reviews on Metacritic than any other record, with a 100% rating. Dylan’s music reviews overall are pretty positive, but this rating is off the charts. Will you see any of the five big acts at the Americana Music Festival and Conference in 2016? You can count on seeing a lot more in 2017. In July and August, Bonnie Raitt and Steve Earle will tour together as a duet. You can watch the Americana Music Festival and Conference in the videos below. “As you can see, we haven’t lost our love of folk music. We’re into all kinds of Americana.” – Kacey Musgraves Weather Forecast: Pensacola, FL Today 86°F / 65°F Wednesday 80°F / 62°F Thursday 87°F / 63°F Friday 87°F / 63°F Saturday 88°F / 63°F Sunday 89°F / 65°F Monday 89°F / 65°F Tuesday 89°F / 65°F 7-Day Forecast 86°F / 65°F Friday 88°F / 63°F Saturday 87°F / 64°F Sunday 89°F / 65°F Monday 88°F / 65°F Tuesday 89°F / 65°F About the Author Adam Pletcher Award-winning journalist Adam Pletcher was the music critic at the Pensacola News Journal from 2012 until 2014. His weekly "Sweat the Small Stuff" column won the 2012 Associated Press Sports Editors Florida Chapter 2 Best Regularly Published Feature Story of the Year in the newspaper division. Pletcher has won 13 Florida Press Club awards for writing, design and graphics. He has been recognized by organizations such as the American Society of Business Publication Editors and Society of Professional Journalists, and received a National Headliner Award for spot news. In 2014, he was inducted into the Pensacola Journalism Hall of Fame, and he also received a Florida Press Club Award. Pletcher is a 1984 graduate of Escambia High School in Pensacola, and received a bachelor of arts in journalism from Florida State University. He covered Pensacola State College for 15 years and the University of West Florida for five years before moving to the Journal. Why Choose Us? About Us Information, data and services offered by Florida Prepaid Postsecondary Education (Prepaid) include PSCTranscripts.com (the website), PSCTranscripts.com Coupons, Uloop.com and Florida Prepaid Postsecondary Education (Prepaid) are not part of Florida Prepaid Services, Inc., a state-sponsored assistance service program that helps eligible college, university and school students pay for college costs. Florida Prepaid Services, Inc. is not affiliated with The Florida State University, Florida Atlantic University, University of North Florida or College of Central Florida and all trademarks, copyrights and intellectual property rights are the exclusive property of their respective owners. Coupons offered through PSCTranscripts.com may be redeemable at participating schools through The Florida State University. To learn more about Prepaid, visit www.prepaid.fps.myflorida.com or call 1-800-772-8743.