Every fall, The Americana Music Association gathers members, artists and music fans together in Nashville for its annual conference. Starting with the Americana Music Awards and continuing through several days of showcases and panel discussions, it is a tremendous celebration of Americana music. Here are but a few of my favorite performers and performances from this year’s conference.
Lizzie No was one of the artists that I was most excited to see this year. Halfsies, her album released earlier this year, remains one of my 2024 faves. Yet I’d never seen her perform live. What better way to kick off my Wednesday festivities than watching her and her band rock the Eastside Bowl for NPR. She kicked off with the rocking “Lagunita” and closed with the moving ballad “The Heartbreak Store”, which happened to be my two favorite tracks from the new album.
Quiet melodies provide a subtle background for the troubled characters that inhabit Ben de la Cour’s songs. The results are stunning in a darkly charming way.
Harris travelled from Austin to play a single set on Friday afternoon. Making the appearance all the more impressive – he played with a four piece pick-up band that played without a rehearsal. He even guided them through a newly written one. Harris packs his songs with tremendous lyrical depth yet keeps his melodies catchy and melodic.
Country music is alive and well in the hands of Fort Worth’s Vincent Neil Emerson. His set was driven by three electric guitars, one a pedal steel, that beautifully matched the lyrical intensity of his character-driven songs.
Muq’s story is an impressive one. Originally from Uganda, he set down some roots in Austin, Texas back in 2018. His songs capture moments of his life journey, delivered with a humble and engaging charm. Adding to the experience were Muq’s stories and reflections on the songs, cementing his reputation as a truly authentic storyteller and songwriter.
I kicked off my Friday with a mostly solo set from Oregon’s Margo Cilker. I was already a fan of Valley of Heart’s Delight, her most recent album, but hearing the songs live made the connection so much stronger.
There’s something special about seeing an artist in their native habitat. In this case it was seeing Kevin Gordon play a neighborhood block party. In his neighborhood. In front of his house. While it wasn’t an official, or even unofficial, Americana-related event, it was hard to pass up the opportunity to catch Gordon rocking the block on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Special bonus: getting to check out the pies in the pie baking contest. Alas, I left before they announced the winner and started handing out slices.
I caught new Nashville resident (by way of Dallas) Twomey twice over the week. First was at a pop-up set on a hotel rooftop; the second was an East Nashville day party that Twangville co-sponsored. He was accompanied at both by Candi Jenkins and the Jenkins Twins, their magical harmonies wrapping around Twomey’s introspective – and wonderful – songs.
Nashville by way of Texas Saenz is one hell of a songwriter. He brings together the best of both locations – the character-driven storytelling of Texas and the melodic charm of Nashville. So, so good.
It was a special treat to see Graham Weber, singer-songwriter for Austin, TX band Restos, play a solo set on Saturday afternoon. Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing him and the Restos crew bring on the rock (as they did at SXSW earlier this year) but I certainly wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to see Weber solo. His set featured songs from his recently released stripped down solo album plus an acoustic version of a Restos fave.
They may be Austin-based now but this quintet want you to know from whence they came. And the music? Exactly what one would expect with those roots. One minute they serve up a throw your fist in the air rocker, the next minute a country tune ripe for two-stepping. Always a good time.
Another welcome AmericanaFest surprise was discovering Jonathan and Abigail Peyton from Georgia. The duo were captivating on Wednesday afternoon, letting their voices and songs carry across the rustic patio of Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge. I only caught a few songs but they left me eager to hear more.
Todd Snider runs a cool venue in East Nashville called the Purple Building. It was the perfect living room style setting for Aaron Lee Tasjan. Tasjan played a solo set and then invited several friends to join in for the festivities. Among the highlights were Joy Clark and Kevn Kinney.
About the author: Mild-mannered corporate executive by day, excitable Twangville denizen by night.