Staged at over fifty venues in Nashville, AmericanaFest is a punter’s delight, with hundreds of listening options each day of the festival alongside many unofficial showcases. Understandably, scheduling is logistically challenging, and attempting to catch as many acts as possible without spending the day Uber-hopping from venue to venue can be nearly impossible. With over a decade of AmericanaFest experience under our belt, this year we chose mainly to stay east of the Cumberland River for our afternoons and evenings. It is not a difficult decision as our three favourite music rooms, The 5 Spot, Dee’s Cocktail Lounge and The Vinyl Tap, are within a ten-minute driving radius of our annual accommodation at Five Points in East Nashville. Also, our regular eateries and watering holes, Dukes, Snooze, The SkyBlue Cafe, Mas Tacos and The Nashville Biscuit House, are within walking distance of Five Points. We managed to see over sixty acts, most of which were in East Nashville and several not official showcases. Here are some that particularly hit our sweet spot.
DEES COCKTAIL LOUNGE
Bob Sumner
Each year, AmericanaFest offers us the opportunity to see an artist or band perform previously unknown to us, and this year, Canadian Bob Sumner was that discovery. Backed by a fantastic five-piece band, Sumner’s performance of material from his recent album, SOME PLACE TO REST EASY, was a unique blend of traditional and modern country, and his unrushed vocal deliveries were a joy to behold.
Amanda Fields
Ironically, on the same bill as Bob Sumner was our ‘find’ of last year, Amanda Fields. Her band included producer, multi-instrumentalist, and nominee for instrumentalist of the year by the Americana Music Association, Megan McCormick. WHAT, WHEN & WITHOUT was a No.1 album of the year at Lonesome Highway last year, and hearing the songs performed live was a highlight of the trip.
Jon Byrd with Paul Niehaus
Another artist featured in our favourite albums of 2023, the weekly Wednesday residency at Dee’s of Jon Byrd with legendary pedal steel player Paul Niehaus seamlessly blends original material and well-chosen covers. It is simply unmissable.
Kimmi Bitter
Kimmi Bitter, whom we were introduced to last year at AmericanaFest, has shown remarkable growth in her career in those twelve months. Her act, filled with nods to previous country music eras, is a testament both to her honeyed vocals and her stellar backing band and their impressive stage act perfected by months of touring.
Gabe Lee
Nashville local Gabe Lee has been turning heads since his late teens. With four albums in four years, each a step up from its predecessor, he has established himself as one of the strongest songwriters of his generation. We were fortunate to get to two of his performances and can testify that his growing reputation is justified.
India Ramey
One of the hardest-working artists at the festival, India Ramey, with a movie-script-like backstory, endorsed her reputation as one of the ‘not to be missed’ at the festival. She lived up to that forewarning with a rollicking set featuring selections from her new album, BAPTIZED BY THE BLAZE
THE VINYL TAP
JP Harris
Staged on the release day of his new album JP HARRIS IS A TRASH FIRE and backed by a six-piece band (one of the guitarists had to play offstage given the limited space), we were treated to a typical JP set of raw honky tonk laced with the customary witty stage banter from one of Nashville’s favourite adopted sons.
The Watson Twins
Kentucky-born identical twins Chandra and Leigh Watson's vocal harmonies are worth your attention alone. Combine that with cleverly written roots songs and cracking players, and you’re in for a treat.
THE 5 SPOT
Kristina Murray
Every year we attend a Kristina Murray show at AmericanaFest and ask ourselves, ‘How is she not a household name in country music?’ This year is no exception, and hopefully, when she releases her next album in 2025, she will get signed to a label and get the exposure and support she richly deserves.
Emily Nenni
From emerging artist status to one of the hottest properties in country music over the past few years, Emily Nenni’s career continues skyward. Featuring material from her DRIVE & CRY, released earlier this year, she scored a direct hit with her gorgeous vocals and slick backing band.
Jess Nolan
A new act for me, Nolan is a member of Jenny Lewis’s touring band alongside her solo career. With her killer band, which included Anthony da Costa on guitar, she performed a late-night spellbinding set that drifted between jazzy roots and indie rock.
THE BOWERY/VAULT
Ben de la Cour
Unlike most venues in Nashville, The Bowery is a ‘listening room’ where artists are afforded the luxury of performing to pin-drop silence. It was the perfect setting for Ben de la Cour’s Gothic-folk songs that draw the listener into each and every word.
JANE’S HIDEAWAY
Caitlin Cannon
The L-shaped room at Jane’s Hideaway is not the most artist-friendly venue, and together with securing the 11 pm graveyard slot on the Awards Show night, I feared that Caitlin Cannon’s show would be under-attended. Quite the contrary, the front of the stage area was crammed, as was the postage-stamp-sized stage where Caitlin and her five-piece band performed. Cannon can have you grinning like a Cheshire cat one minute and wiping a tear from your eye the next and did just that with a powerfully emotive set.
List of acts that we saw
Amanda Fields /Bob Sumner (twice)/Corey Parsons/Bronwyn Keith -Hynes/James Steinle/Cooper Kenward/Juliet McConkey/Aaron Till/Ken Pomeroy/Phil & Tim/Jason Eady/Sophie Gault/Gabe Lee (twice)/Zach Meadows/India Ramey/Midnight River Choir/Kimmi Bitter/Low Gap/Jade Marie Patek/West Texas Exiles/Boss Tweed/Buck N Stuff/Jon Byrd with Paul Niehaus/Tray Wellington/Caitlin Cannon/Rose Hotel/Jontavious Willis/Jana Mila/Riley Downing/Kristina Murray/Lilly Hiatt/Emily Nenni/Leyla McCalla/Christian Le Hutson/MJ Lenderman/Judy Blank/India Ramey(twice)/JP Harris/Tim Heidecker/Lydia Loveless/Jason Hawk Harris/The Watson Twins/Tim Carroll/Ben De La Cour/The Pleasures/Margo Cilker/Max McNown/Aaron Lee Tasjan/Jess Nolan/Tommy Alexander/ MAITA/Anna Tivel/Kassi Valazza/Jenny Don’t & The Spurs/Matt Man & The Shine Runners/David Newbould/Anna Kaye/Brian Wright
Overview and photography by Declan Culliton