15 OF THE BEST FROM AMERICANAFEST 2022
With AmericanaFest cancelled in 2020 and out of bounds for overseas travellers for the scaled-down event last year, Lonesome Highway arrived in Nashville hugely enthusiastic about meeting friends old and new and, most importantly, seeing as many acts as possible over the festival. The inevitable clashes resulted in missing numerous artists and bands on our radar but we did manage to see over 70 acts during the festival.
Delayed flights and missing luggage failed to dampen the festival and once more it delivered a host of memorable moments from acts ranging from traditional country, alt-folk, indie, gospel, bluegrass, soul and Americana.
The temporary closure of Cannery Row deprived the organisers of three venues that traditionally offered the punters fifteen acts from which to choose, each evening. Newer venues such as the The Wash at Eastside Bowl and Riverside Revival compensated although, given their locations, logistically made it difficult to hop from venue to venue each day. Favourites like The Station Inn, The Basement, 5 Spot and Exit Inn, represented the old guard of established rooms that have fortunately managed to keep their doors open despite the pressures from vulture developers. Dee’s Cocktail Lounge really came into its own this year, presenting a genuine country honky tonk, hosting excellent shows and being managed by the most welcoming staff. The legendary Tuesday night at The American Legion continues to grow, attracting vast numbers of listeners and dancers.
With over 70 shows attended, it’s a thankless choice highlighting the ones that really hit our sweet spot, but here are the 15 that stood out for us.
Shannon McNally @ Dee’s Cocktail Lounge
Not an official festival showcase but who would miss the opportunity to see this luminary host one of her September residencies at the best bar in Nashville? Outlaw country and soulful blues from an artist and band that appeared to be having as good a time as their captive audience.
Kelsey Waldon @ Riverside Revival
A reminder, if we needed it, of just how good Waldon’s new album NO REGULAR DOG is. A smile-inducing set from the word go, alongside killer playing and that classic country voice.
Jesse Daniel @ 6th & Peabody
Filling the dance floor with his opening number and with a crack six-piece band, it’s little wonder that Daniel is consistently selling out shows as his reputation continues to rise.
S.G. Goodman @ Riverside Revival
An incredible performance from Goodman included the festival highlight for us, with a stunning intro to her opening track Work Until I Die. Pure class.
Kristina Murray @ Dee’s Cocktail Lounge
J.P. Harris described Kristina as the finest country voice in Nashville when he introduced her on stage a number of years back at AmericanaFest. Her show was a reminder of those sage words and a performance that brought to mind Emmylou and her Hot Band in the mid-70s
Jim Lauderdale @ Exit Inn
An artist that has captured the shifting colours of Americana over the years, Lauderdale’s latest offering GAME CHANGER is as ‘country’ as it gets. It featured strongly in the set and his infectious smile never left his face from start to finish.
Sunny Sweeney @ The Wash at Eastside Bowl
Sassy, funny, and in splendid voice throughout, Sweeney and her band demonstrated exactly why MARRIED ALONE is one of our favourite albums of 2022.
Shawn Williams @ Dee’s Cocktail Lounge
Very few artists can perform a solo set for eighty minutes and hold the listener’s attention from start to finish. Williams achieved that and more with her raw vocals, slick guitar playing, and most of all, killer songs
Whitehorse @ The Wash at Eastside Bowl
Husband and wife team Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland have been quite experimental with their releases in recent years. Their latest album, I’M NOT CRYING, YOU’RE CRYING, is full of twang and swing and their showcase included lots of both, capped off with a measured cover of Gram and Emmylou’s We’ll Sweep Out The Ashes In The Morning.
Lyle Lovett @ The Wash at Eastside Bowl
A masterclass of cool and an extremely moving set from Lovett, with exceptional playing from Jeff White on guitar, Luke Bulla on fiddle and Viktor Krauss on bass.
Margo Cilker @ The Basement
It was a family affair from Margo Cilker, with her husband and sister on stage with her. On first hearing of her new material, we can expect her next recording to match the lofty heights of 2021’s POHPRYLLE.
Amy Ray @ The Wash at Eastside Bowl
Few artists have been as fiercely devoted and outspoken in defense of equal rights, gender equality, environmental issues and the survival of Native American communities as Indigo Girl, Amy Ray. Those passions and generosity of spirit were evident in a breath-taking set that included selections from her recently released album IF IT ALL GOES SOUTH.
Jaime Wyatt @ Exit In
Deprived of the opportunity to tour her 2020 album NEON CROSS due to the pandemic, Wyatt was in fine fettle. Sounding glorious and looking elegant in a dazzling outfit, her set was delivered with maximum verve and gusto.
Florence Dore @ Dee’s Cocktail Lounge
The surprise package of the week for us. When you have members of Son Volt (Mark Spencer) and The DB’s (Will Rigby, Gene Holder) in your band, you can expect a blistering set. That’s precisely what we got, an all-killer and zero-filler performance that had me first in the queue at the merch desk for Florence’s new album HIGHWAYS & ROCKETSHIPS.
Brennen Leigh / Kelly Willis / Melissa Carper @ Robert’s Western World
Three high-spirited friends inviting you into their world of country, roots and bluegrass in the only genuine downtown honky tonk in downtown Nashville, the legendary Robert’s Western World.
Reviews and photography by Declan Culliton