5 Americana bands that will help you believe in America again

Need a pick-me-up? Have a listen here

American music
(Image credit: ThinkStock/iStockphoto)

After last week's tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, you could be forgiven for wanting to give up on America. But as we take time to reflect over the holidays (or, as The Onion puts it, crawl into the fetal position under our desks), maybe it's time to put on some music that will make us feel okay about being Americans again.

These five Americana(ish) bands won't solve gun problems in the United States. But if their songs were broadcast across Capitol Hill, I'd wager it would take the gasoline out of the political firefight so Congress could come back after break and start tackling this thing — across the aisle, together.

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Dana Liebelson is a reporter for Mother Jones. A graduate of George Washington University, she has worked for a variety of advocacy organizations in the District, including the Project on Government Oversight, International Center for Journalists, Rethink Media, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and Change.org. She speaks Mandarin and German and plays violin in the D.C.-based Indie rock band Bellflur.