Album Notes

"In a culture dominated by market place values, in which musical conformity is rewarded and individuality shunned, we respect and defend the sanctity of the individual and his or her right (indeed, if he or she is being honest) to create music true to the uniqueness of his or her personality"... Ran Blake, excerpt from "The Primacy of the Ear"

Durable Americana represents John Danley's 6th release on his own, Nashville based, A Priori label. This recording introduces a collection of instrumental, fingerstyle, acoustic guitar music with an emphasis on entertainment value. Specific tunes on this recording allude to the deconstruction of manufactured accessibility in a consumer culture.

There is nothing specifically "alt-country" about this album. Durable Americana is an instrumental guitar manifesto concerned with an analysis of corporate marketing, social satire, and the DIY (Dee Eye Why?) phenomenon. Part pickin', part capitalist, pop-culture critique.

Socio-political structures are examined and questions arise such as, "Why is the annual income of your average hillbilly wannabe more predominate than the gross earnings for the entire graduating class of Julliard in the last decade?"

If you're expecting traditional folk music, don't. This ain't Nebraska farmhouse music reminiscent of freshly baked pies in the window sill and some derivative accent from the deep south circa 1887. No banjos and mandolins appear on this record and no producer named "Tex" is involved in the mixing or mastering of these tunes. And although vinyl is hip, this is a laser disc product that takes full advantage of the insidious advances in technological evolution. All expenses are paid by the performer and no money is borrowed from Vivendi-Universal or any specific banking enterprise.

Note: This recording is not meant to nurture reductive, fatalistic viewpoints based on current economic systems. The effort is to challenge aesthetic proclivites and recognize the constructed origins of consumer values.