When I saw Daniel Lanois announce he was playing a couple of shows in Nashville during AmericanaFest my excitement level hit a 10 out of 10, only to be eclipsed by my excitement level of 11 when I was actually watching him play with his trio at Dreamland on Tuesday. It was a perfect display of the musician/producer’s talents with a guitar and his trusty pedal steel and was my favorite show of the week. Not that the others were a let down, I just hit my main high early on.
The first stop of my Tuesday was Fran’s to catch Abby Hamilton and William Matheny. Hamilton played a somber set showcasing her delicate yet delightful vocals and Matheny’s clever lyrics mixed with his skillful guitar playing was a nice treat. So was the $2.50 beer at Fran’s. Seriously…$2.50…I haven’t seen that in years. After that it was off to the 5 Spot to catch Adrian + Meredith bring a fiery set of their Polish Punk Americana, then to the aforementioned Lanois spectacular.
Wednesday’s highlights included the Thirty Tigers day party sets from Joshua Ray Walker and Craig Finn and the annual awards show where Welch and Rawlings wowed as per usual. Lanois/Emmylou wasn’t bad either nor was the joy on John Fogerty’s face as he bounced around the Ryman stage while his sons blared their guitars.
On Thursday my brother and I played a few guitars at Carter Vintage then met up with Twangville Shawn for heaping plates at Arnold’s. Man, I wish it were fried chicken on Thursday but the baked bbq chicken was still great. Robert Ellis was my second highlight of the week. A 45 minute set of solo guitar and piano mixed with hilarious audience banter. The guitarist/songwriter/producer definitely seems to be at the top of his game and I’m glad he had his manager book a solo set as he was primarily in town to play with Tift Merritt.
Other standouts from the day included the West Texas Exiles, John R. Miller, Fust, and a fabulous set from Hayes Carll and his kick ass band playing almost all tunes from the recent album. Wrapping up the evening was an enjoyable Luke Bell tribute set.
Friday and Saturday blended together in my mind as I had no firm plans (except for Fust) and wondered around with my mates catching sets from Ken Pomeroy (amazing vocals), Fust (2nd time this week and damn they are fun), Joelton Mayfield (Matthew Sweetish), yoga led by Jim Lauderdale (perfect hair) and Ben de la Cour (with Lucinda Williams in the house.) Closing out the festival was kirby baby who put on an indie rock GBV influenced gem of an ending to the weekend. I’m already pumped for next year!
RIYL: hot, now, tunes
About the author: Producer, Engineer, Musician and all around music enthusiast.