Americanafest

As one famous writer once said, “If you are lucky enough to have experienced AMERICANAFEST, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you – for AMERICANAFEST is a moveable feast”. Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, the wristband entry event just gets bigger and better, with more great shows and more great parties. With much of the construction in Nashville now complete, and a shoe shine applied, it's the perfect town with perfect weather to celebrate all things Americana.

Nashville is called the “city that music calls home” for good reason. And AMERICANAFEST is a broad enough church that you can hear everything from Country, Bluegrass, Rock, Soul and a few other genres to boot, across a range of venues from Robert’s Western World on the bustling, tourist drenched Lower Broadway of downtown to Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge in nearby Madison. All in all, there were too many performances to count at the 51 venues which were involved in the festival.

Kicking off the five day festival on Tuesday, September 17th, was a rooftop party at BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.), a non-profit music licensing organization. It was jam-packed with performances, free food and drink. To start the evening, the Hanseroth Twins, of Brandi Carlisle’s band, performed a few songs from their solo projects. The twin rockers were clad in leather and studs and played to a growing crowd against a sunset skyline backdrop. They began their set with a self-described sad song and then joked “welcome to AmericanaFest!” But the joke’s on them, because Americana fans live thrive on sad songs. There were notable performances from Kade Hoffman, Emily Nenni, and Ken Pomeroy. The evening was capped off with rising superstar, 23-year old Wyatt Flores from Stillwater, Oklahoma. With several heartbreaking odes to mental health issues and suicide in his personal life, including 'Orange Bottles' and 'Running Out of Time', Flores writes what he knows and leaves it all on the paper. His lyrics reflect his own struggles, as well as those around him.

Following The BMI Kick off party, it was 65 years of Fame Studios Muscle Shoals, Alabama, at Martin's BBQ. Celebrating the iconic studios which produced records by the likes of Candi Staton, Wilson Pickett, The Staple Singers, The Rolling Stones, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd. The Fame Gang Muscle Shoals All-Star band featured special guests Mike Farris, Holli Mosley, Steve Knight, Marissa Luna, and A Brother's Fountain. Mike Farrris sensationally closed the show with a rousing version of The Beatles' 'Hey Jude'.

Day two of the festival began with Peach Jam Americanafest at The Basement, with great performances by Channing Wilson, Brittany Spencer, Lainey Wilson and Lukas Nelson.

Wednesday night is the centrepiece of the week with the Americana Honors and Awards ceremony at The Ryman Auditorium. Sierra Notable was the big winner this year, the old-timey West Virginia singer-songwriter taking home both Artist of the Year and Album of the Year for her LP, Trail of Flowers. Other winners included the following:
Emerging Act of the Year: The Red Clay Strays
Duo/Group of the Year: Larkin Poe
Instrumentalist of the Year: Grace Bowers
Song of the Year: “Dear Insecurity,” Brandy Clark feat. Brandi Carlisle
Lifetime achievement awards were presented to The Blind Boys of Alabama and Dave Alvin from The Blasters. Both gave fantastic performances worthy of their achievement.
Day three of the festival began with legendary Soul/Rap singer and Producer, Jerry Williams Jr, AKA Swamp Dogg In Conversation and performance at The Country Music Hall of Fame. The 82 year old Tidewater native told great, funny and moving tales about producing some of the greatest Soul and Rap music ever.
Following Swamp Dogg, it was SiriusXM's Mojo Nixon's Music City Mayhem at Robert's Western World. Sadly, Mojo passed earlier this year but his spirit lived on with performance by Sarah Gayle Meetch, Sarah Shook, JP Harris, Suzy Bogguss, Teddy and The Rough Riders, and Old Crow Medicine Show, who gave a wild and raucous performace. In honour of the Old Crows and Robert's 25th Anniversary, PBR Blue Ribbon beer was only 25 cents a can. One or two may have been consumed!

Day four of the festival began with a fantastic panel disscusson at the conference, featuring guitarist Buddy Miller in conversation with legendary producer and musicologist Joe Boyd. Joe not only produced Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, Toots & the Maytals and R.E.M – he was the sound engineer at both the Newport Festival when Dylan went electric and the The Monterey Pop festival. He also started the UFO club in London, and along with Hoppy Hopkins, put on The 14 Hour Technicolour Dream at London's Alexandra Palace. Joe told revelatory tales of all these seismic events and bands.

The evening of day four of the festival was the absolute highlight of AMERICANAFEST as it included the unveiling of an Historic Marker celebrating trailblazing black transgender soul and R&B singer, Jackie Shane, on Jefferson Street. Through the 1960s, North Nashville was home to a vibrant jazz and blues scene, with a number of clubs lining Jefferson Street. In 1962, one of these clubs, the Del Morocco, featured a house band fronted by the then little known Jimi Hendrix. Words of tribute to Jackie Shane were led by family members, the Mayor and soul great, Jimmy Church, before the emotional unveiling.

Following the Jackie Shane Memorial was a party to celebrate the year 1974. The Basement East hosts an annual favourite event at AMERICANAFEST, a celebration of the music of fifty years ago. Performer after performer opened with “How about this house band?” and no one considered it a cliché. Host Tim Jones and his team again put together a stellar band and backup singers for the 'Tribute to the Songs of 1974'. From the opener right through to the grand finale, the show was marked by the great variety of musical genres represented, and the versatility and virtuosity of the musicians backing the singers was astounding. High points – in an evening marked with no end of them – included a couple of Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris duets: “Ooh Las Vegas” by Golden Everything (Zach Schmidt and Jackie Berkley) and “Love Hurts” by Jordie Lane and Lollies (Clare Reynolds).

Each set varied in mood and tempo. Julie Williams performed a tremendous Joni Mitchell standard, “Help Me” early on , and Luke Davids mesmerised the house with the soulful “How Long (Has This Been Going On)?” Mattie Schell captured Shaka Khan’s “Tell Me Something Good” perfectly, while Joshua Hedley had the crowd eating out of his hand with his performance of what he considers The Charlie Daniels Band’s best song, “Trudy”.
Part of the fun of the evening was the juxtaposition of songs, like a long nostalgic road trip moving from one radio station to another. When Emily West performed the iconic “I Will Always Love You,” she showed that she had Dolly’s lyrics on her arm. She was followed by singer and visual artist Allen Thompson performing Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie On Reggae Woman.”

The evening featured several returning performers from previous years: Adam Chaffins, Andrew Leahy, Ruby Boots (“Angel from Montgomery”) and Sarah Potenza, who rocked the room with the Band’s “The Weight.” She was followed by Alicia Blue’s performance of “Forever Young,” one of at least two Dylan songs to feature during the evening. Jon Latham, another East Nashville favorite, joked with the crowd as he introduced some “Dad Rock,” leading into The Eagles' “Already Gone.” The evening finished with everyone on stage, with not a spare inch to be found, for a rousing take on Redbone's “Come and Get Your Love”. Always the most fantastic night!
Day 5 of the festival began with a premier screening and panel discussion of “Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story” at The Country Music Hall of Fame. Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee’s ode to the forgotten soul musician Jackie Shane documents a life of eclipsed stardom and trailblazing trans musical history.

1960s soul singer Jackie Shane’s story began in Nashville. She achieved musical success rubbing shoulders with the likes of Little Richard and Jimmy Church. In the documentary, her great nieces unearth a treasure trove of memories, trinkets and tales about her life. But the real star of the film is Jackie herself, narrating her life through never-heard-before audio recordings. With warmth, humour and honesty, Jackie tells of life in the Jim Crow-era South and how she escaped there, rose through the music industry and became one of its pioneering black trans performers. Other voices in the film include music royalty and trans leaders and educators, while animation further enlivens what is already an extraordinary life. This film is a must see if it gets a general release.

Saturday evening's finale was provided by Robert Jon and The Wreck at Exit/Inn. The opening song “Do You Remember” with its Allman Brothers inspired opening bars burst from the speakers and was met with instant approval from the crowd. Robert Jon’s soulful voice filled the room with a raw energy that instantly captured the audience’s attention. The band’s chemistry was undeniable as they effortlessly moved through their set list, featuring a mix of old favourites and tracks from their latest album. Getting down to business with little fanfare, there was not much talking between songs, so when Robert Jon Introduced “Don’t Look Down”, explaining how it was a song about making the best of what you have, moving forward and keeping your head up, the crowd responded with rapturous cheering as the band launched into the song.

A favourite on the set list is “Oh Miss Carolina’’, with the audience dancing and singing along. Partway through the song the band paused, leaving the crowd in hanging in suspense for the next line. At the end of the song Robert Jon thanked the crowd for sounding great and joining in. “Shine A Light On Me Brother” proved to be a masterclass in how to end a set!

AMERICANAFEST is proving to be arguably the best 5 day music festival in the world. Great venues, great weather in a great city with its famed southern hospitality – a must do if at all possible.