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Viewfinder: The musical melting pot - Mark Ray Lewis says bad habits, obsessions and other limitations inspired him to give it a whirl. Turning off the amps and electric guitars turned Eric Johnson on to the genre. It's the music known as Americana, and it defies a clear definition.

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Mark Ray Lewis says bad habits, obsessions and other limitations inspired him to give it a whirl.

Turning off the amps and electric guitars turned Eric Johnson on to the genre.

It's the music known as Americana, and it defies a clear definition.

The rough-around-the-edges themes of death, loss, whiskey, broken love and redemption pulled Edith Grove (above) into the fold.

"What I love about Americana is that it's the field where many genres mix: alt-country, rock, blues, folk, old-school country," said Grove, who plays lead guitar and sings with the band Bottle Tree. "It's where Patsy Cline hangs out with Keith Richards, and they make beautiful ragged music together."

Lewis, a singer and songwriter for Trilobite, is bemused by the term "Americana."

"Our songs are as likely to be about Saxons and Burgundians and Charlemagne as anything American," he said. "I smoke clove cigarettes. I'm not sure if that's allowed in the Americana Association."

"Bands will always bring multiple influences in and dispense those influences in their own way," said Johnson, guitarist and banjo player for the Rivet Gang. "I think more bands are popping up that fall into the category of acoustic/bluegrass/Americana, but that isn't to say they all sound the same."

Despite the lack of an agreed-upon definition, these bands are contributing to the establishment of a dynamic Americana scene in the Duke City.

"There are a lot of fantastic Americana musicians in Albuquerque," Grove said. "I have a lot of hope for the scene in this town."