Steve Earle. He’s a redneck who reads Karl Marx. Hard left lyrics, profane, funny, and a hugely gifted songwriter and musician.
Southern Culture on the Skids. Their persona is so deliberately skewed that sometimes you forget what tight, disciplined, creative musicians they are. Is it a heartfelt tribute to hillbilly culture? Is it satire? Yes.
Mike Henderson. He looks like a cowboy and sings like a bluesman. Powerful urban blues/Americana.
Hapa. Well known in their native Hawaii, they bring in Samoan and other island music too. Many of their songs are in Hawaiian, they call it 21st century Polynesian music.
Michael Hill’s Blues Mob. From the South Bronx, blends in reggae and more. Urban, gritty blues with a social conscience.
Steve Roach. Ambient, tribal, new age, electronic, and electonica. He spans all the boundaries and has been at it for twenty five years and dozens of CDs.
Oshen. From Papua New Guinea, mixes up Polynesian music with reggae and hip hop, delivering a positive message.
Hubert Sumlin. Stunning blues guitar work, as befits someone who started a band with James Cotton, then backed Howling Wolf and Muddy Waters. He’s 76 and still touring, now a legend on his own.