Welcome to Americana

I've been quiet for a while. I do apologise. I was away last week in Albuquerque, New Mexico attending a conference. I've spent the 5 days since I've been home battling with the worst jet-lag I've ever experienced and catching up on some long over due drinking. I've been off the booze since Christmas (for one reason or another) my liver was starting to think that my throat had been cut!
This was my first trip to the US. I've been as far East as Australia, but never quite made it around the corner! I wanted to write something about American music, and Americana in all its glory. I was expecting to encounter the latest finger-picking artists of the deep south. I was however largely disappointed. I found the area I was staying in to mostly be able to provide me with a choice of Mariachi bands or, somewhat unexpectedly, Irish music. In massive quantities. It turns out I was in the Irish quarter of town, on St Patricks day. It was a good place to be, although being 6000 miles away and watching American's expect table service in an "Irish Pub" was somewhat surreal, it has to be said I enjoyed the proliferation of Irish punk. It also made me some friends.
I didtched some of my colleagues who I was out with one evening. I coulden't stand to discuss the prospects, or lack thereof, in the academia at the moment. I decided an evening with my own company and Tequila was called for. I will quite happily take myself off on my own and enjoy one or two drinks. I found my way into a bar in an upstairs room on Route 66, and ordered a drink. This immediately raised my profile as being a foreigner. My accent is a dead give away unfortunately. I got talking with some guys at the bar. They were depserate for me to accompany them that evening to see Hank Williams III. To my shame I declined, a decision I am now regretting. Unfortunately I had not had enough to drink to think that wandering off alone in the more selubrious end of town with strangers was a good idea. I think however I may well have missed a splendid evening.
Hank Williams III is known for putting on shows with split personalities, starting out with the fiddle-dee country that is synonomous with his heritage, and then progressing on to punk and metal music.
Oh well. There is a lesson for the future. Don't go wandering off on your own, and looser your nerve and go home early.