Check out Americana Nouveau at CalArts this Weekend

Reinterpreting existing genres to create something new—isn’t that really what popular music has done all along?

The five bands in Americana Currents, one of California Institute of the Arts’ free Wild Beast Concerts, are making the old new again and showing it off on Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 5 p.m. at the Wild Beast music pavilion on the CalArts campus. The talented musicians—all CalArts alumni—meld roots and folk music of the ‘30s and ‘40s with twenty-first century technology for a truly unique new take on Americana.

Saint Parade blends traditional Billie Holiday balladry, jazz standards, and honkytonk into a contemporary take on parlor music.

Brother, Sister combines traditional folk with elaborately orchestrated chamber accompaniment—fusing Americana with baroque pop and Beach Boys harmonies.

The Royal US combines the legacy of murder ballads and sea shanties with improvisation, synthesizers and gadgets to create an experimental “folktronica” sound.

Fear for the Dust combines alt-country with doom metal and experimental compositions—resulting in a sound described as “a madman whispering in your ear.”

Badlands create intense musical landscapes that are part melodic beauty and part dark commotion.