We Are Americana Written by Kristina Weise Photographed by Evan Sung on July 30, 2006 at the Delancey

There is no such thing as love, just desire and the memory of.

“Acts go through so much trouble to douse themselves in eyeliner or leap from amplifiers to invoke a reaction in their audience, when all one really needs to do is pause, reflect, and reveal. The shock is in the sincerity. The danger is in the honesty. Doing pinwheels with your guitar risks nothing, but reveal even the tiniest genuine emotion and you risk everything!” And thus begins my interview with one of Manhattan’s most influential night walkers….

DJ Jess truly needs no introduction. His name is notorious in the world of New York City nightlife. Many have seen him spinning the records of past rock rebels and royalty, igniting the dance floor with music and magic. Yet I am not here to discuss his dance floor debauchery. My interest is in We Are Americana, a band that is picking up pace along the Lower East Side and East Village circuit. Jess is the lead singer, leading me to believe that there is more than meets the mayhem with this gentleman.

After witnessing one of their recent performances, one jaw-dropping moment that threw me back (harder than my gin and tonic) was the lyrical credibility. It is quite obvious, to any fan or bar bystander, how much thought and passion is driving the pen responsible for such daring songs. The beats are catchy tight guitar riffs and with their cuttingly clear vocals, all the ingredients necessary to serve up a perfect melodic mix of motivating music are present.

Hours in the studio have definitely paid off for these polished professionals. “We're extremely proud of the music we've written and I see no shame in sharing it. To be honest, we're simply trying to raise the bar. Songwriting in the scene has gotten so trite and listless, to the point where it’s truly revolutionary to simply tell the truth.”

We Are Americana consists of DJ Jess (vocals), Kurt Feldman (bass), Dennis Lehrer (drums), and Rob Warren (guitar). If you ask them for an official starting point, they will simply tell you that “the band formed in the throes of desperation and out of sheer necessity.” When asked about their thoughts on today’s music culture, they reply, “Today's music culture is... thoughtless.”

WAA has an amazingly line up of songs, sure to pop your pulse. A few favorites include: “My Body Hates Me;” “16 Hours;” “This Is How I Killed the Rekindle;” and “Kimberly Clara.”

When WAA crosses the pond, Jess hope to visit “the historic haunts of eastern Europe,” although he isn’t sure where the rest of the band would like to visit. “We should probably go some place with a beach. We're all intensely pale. Then again, I wouldn't want to frighten anyone by removing my shirt…”

WAA’s live performance is just as hypnotizing and energetic as the songs they sing. In five years you can find the band, “looking very, very attractive.” WAA concluded the interview by speaking the praises of all their adoring devotees. “Our fans are so smart and so pretty and we adore you for it. It's just you and us versus the world.”

Something tells me WAA is going to conquer it very, very soon.

For upcoming show information, please visit: www.weareamericana.com