Festival Review- Highlights from AmericanaFest 2023

My memory does not serve me when trying to determine how many artists I saw at last year’s festival, but this year definitely felt like more. My roster for this year checked in at nearly 60 sets. Not all sets were witnessed from start to finish and many were short sets at industry parties. Nonetheless, with a lineup of this magnitude, there were a massive number of artists I made a point to see.

Photographer and The Amp’s Managing Editor, Melissa Payne, and I flew in on Tuesday afternoon to get settled into our East Nashville AirBnB, have our annual dinner at Lockeland Table and then we headed to the American Legion Post 82 for Honky Tonk Tuesday. Although it is not an AmericanaFest sanctioned event, it makes for a great opportunity to mingle and relax before hitting the festival full-steam on Wednesday. We enjoyed music from Boo Ray, Emily Nenni and The Cowpokes while watching dancers swing, waltz and dip each other all across the dancefloor. Since I’ve never had the opportunity to see him perform live, we walked up the hill and around the corner to The Underdog for Todd Day Wait to wrap up our first night in Nashville. 

Wednesday kicked off with a quick stop at Vinyl Tap for the GemsOnVHS and Gar Hole Records Shindig. Kentucky artist Justin Wells was kind enough to let us hop in with him after we crossed paths at The Westin while we were all picking up our credentials. The three of us only caught the very tail end of New Orleans artist Chris Acker’s performance, but we were really pleased to see folk singer Josh O’Keefe settling in next. He follows in the footsteps of Dylan and Guthrie, penning protest songs and challenging the morality of the world. The room was packed elbow to elbow and hanging on to every word from the Derby, England born songsmith. One particularly poignant song was “Soldier” which can be found on his 2020 release Bloomin’ Josh O’Keefe. He wrote it for his wife’s [Cora] cousin who is in the U.S. military. Cora joined Josh on stage for a beautiful acknowledgement of GemsOnVHS director, Anthony Simpkins. Josh dedicated the song, “I Won’t Let You Down,” to their friendship with Anthony. You can find the popular field recording of the song streaming everywhere or watch the video here.

Next stop for Justin, Melissa and me was just north of downtown Nashville in Madison, TN. Keystone Artist Connect hosted the Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge September Social for AmericanaFest. They had an enormous and incredible lineup of artists playing both the indoor and outdoor stages. We got there in the middle of Tom Sless’s set. He mentioned that he will have a new album out in 2024, Heartland Ballerina, so keep your eyes peeled for that official announcement. 

Melissa and I were back and forth between stages for Matt Woods, Nicholas Johnson, Alex Cano, and Darby Sparkman. Darby revealed that she had plans to release an album, Darling of the Dust, just before AmericanaFest. Instead, however, the album is going to be used to create a “Spaghetti Western” style movie which should be out in 2026. In the meantime, she is working on another album that will be released in 2024. Darby has been fairly open about her journey with mental health. She shared the deeply personal song, “The Devil in Me,” about living with bipolar disorder and managing it with medication and utilizing the services of a mental health facility. There is so much unnecessary stigma around mental health, so it is refreshing to hear someone talk about the process, the coping and, ultimately, the healing. I think this gives a lot of hope and direction to those that may feel overwhelmed or negatively impacted by their diagnosis. She also performed a very stirring tribute to the late Keith Gattis and Charlie Robison with “El Cerrito Place.”

Inside, Summer Dean was turning up the Honky Tonk heat to set the tone for the rest of the afternoon. A few of the most memorable songs were from her new album The Biggest Life: “The Biggest Life Worth Living is the Small,” “She Ain’t Me,” “She’s in His Arms but I’m in the Palm of His Hand,” the raucous crowd participation song “Clean Up Your Act if You Want to Talk Dirty to Me.” Alabama’s queen of country soul, Taylor Hunnicutt, and her band reminded Nashville why their home state is full of amazing singers, songwriters, and musicians. They consistently give high-energy performances filled with gritty southern rock and emotive country ballads. Crowd favorites were “All or Nothin’” and “Not Tonight.” Mac Leaphart is a sardonic honky tonk songsmith. From his critically acclaimed 2021 album, Music City Joke we were treated to “Blame on the Bottle” and from his solo debut, Line, Rope, Etc., “White Line Mercy.” Next up on the indoor stage was the rowdy Rob Leines with his hot guitar licks and his bold blue-collar Southern Rock and Outlaw Country proclivity. The crowd rocked out to such songs as “Drinking Problem,” “Blue Collar,” and “Rock and Roll Honky Tonk Life.”

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s Nick Guckert shared some tender love songs like “Jean Jacket,” as well as relationship secrets, “You don’t have to buy your partner gifts, if you can write songs.” Indie Rock Asbury Park, New Jersey native Rachel Ana Dobken was not previously familiar to me, but impressed on the drum kit while singing and interacting with the crowd gathered at the outdoor stage. Dobken also plays guitar and piano and served as producer of her 2018 album When It Happens to You. Rachel describes herself as “My Morning Jacket meets Amy Winehouse.” She had just released a new single the week prior, “Cruel, Cruel, Cruel” and I will be looking forward to her forthcoming LP, Acceptance. Retro country singer songwriter Kimmi Bitter and her band, The Westside Twang, filled the outdoor stage with cosmic west coast vibes. She has a range from Bluesy Roots to Throwback Country to California Psychedelia. Kimmi has a couple of EPs and a slew of singles under her belt. A couple favorites are her most recent release, “Aquamarine” and the 2022 single “My Grass is Blue.”

We ended our Wednesday night at The 5 Spot for Arkansas’s Gar Hole Records artist Dylan Earl. He gave a spirited monologue calling out the “suits” that run the Nashville “machine,” but was quick to respectfully acknowledge his peers and other independent songwriters from the past for keeping the dream alive in Nashville. Dylan is a great storyteller and did just that with his latest album, I Saw the Arkansas. We heard a couple of favorites from the album like “White Painted Trees” and the title track which Willi Carlile and Netherlands artist Judy Blank came on stage to provide harmonies. Judy then joined Dylan to sing “Never Said a Word” and “Throwing Lines” which are duets they wrote in Utrecht, Netherlands a couple of years ago while Dylan was touring Europe. Dylan gave us a sneak peek of a few new songs to watch for: “Level Headed Even Smile” and “Outlaw” were two of the titles I caught.

Thursday night’s showcase schedule was so stacked with favorite artists that it made for some tough decisions. Not wanting to miss newcomer Jake Kohn’s AmericanaFest debut, we hit up The Basement for his set. The young Winchester, Virginia songwriter is quickly making a name for himself with viral videos of him performing original music and well-done covers. His voice is raw with emotion and commanded the attention of the packed room at The Basement. He sings and writes with a sound and aptitude far beyond his teenage years. He doesn’t have an album released yet, but he has been in the studio working on one. In the meantime, I encourage you to check out videos for some of the songs he played at AmericanaFest: “Frostbite,” “Picket Fence,” “Lorraine,” and “Dreams,” to name a few. 

Melissa and I caught a couple of late-night sets at the legendary Station Inn. First was Virginia native Dori Freeman performing with her husband, Nicholas Falk, on percussion and harmony. We heard a couple of my favorites from her 2021 album (Ten Thousand Roses): “The Storm” and “Appalachian.” Dori is releasing her fifth album in November, so she played several tracks from that, including “Laundrymat Vacation” which she wrote with her dad. Nate Leith joined her and Nicholas on stage to play fiddle on that song. We also heard “Get You Off My Mind,” “Why Do I Do This to Myself,” and a couple of her recent single releases, “Wrong Direction” and the title track, “Do You Recall.” Caleb Caudle played the following set and started it off with a tribute to the bluegrass venue by performing a stirring rendition of the Larry Sparks tune “Great High Mountain.” Lightening up the ambiance, Caleb played “Crazy Wayne” off of his latest album, Forsythia. It’s a song about a mechanic who kept a $600 work van running for an amazing seven years. It’s hard to believe that Forsythia was released a year ago because it just keeps giving. I encourage you to also check out “I Don’t Fit In” and the sentimental “Whirlygigs” from the album.

Friday afternoon we headed to Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery for the Western AF Music Review. We were delighted with the spread of food and distillery cocktails. Unfortunately, we had just missed the performance by La Honda Record’s newest artist, Justin Jeansonne, but we are eager to hear more from him in the near future. You can watch the Western AF field recording of his song “Alabama Groove.” We came in as Gar Hole Records duo The Lostines took the stage. The highlight was when Camille Wind Weatherford’s sweet, young daughter climbed on stage to help them sing “You and Me.” For me, one of the best Western AF field recording discoveries was Denitia. She dazzled the crowd with her meaningful lyrics and her beautiful, commanding voice. Some of the songs she shared were: “All the Sweet Tea,” “Old Friend” and “I Want to Live” which was a very rousing song about simply just wanting to exist. You can find it as the last song on her 2022 album, Highways. Dean Johnson is another favorite amongst the group. His lyricism is clever and sometimes sarcastic. He began playing guitar in his early teens, but didn’t start earnestly writing or performing in bands until his thirties. Now, at the age of 50, he released a fabulous album of his own, Nothing for Me, Please, featuring the songs he performed, “Acting School” and “True Love.” Country soul and old-time blues artist, Nat Myers, brought a foot-stomping set to the Green Brier stage. “Duck N’ Dodge,” “Misbehavin’ Mama,” and “Pray for Rain” are standouts on the June 2023 release Yellow Peril. Alabama’s Drayton Farley has been making waves in the Country and Americana scenes with his undeniable vocals and blue-collar sensibility that weave throughout his lyrics. Drayton ended the day with a few from his latest releases. He ruminates on chasing the dream while acknowledging the challenges and sacrifices in “Above My Head” from the March 2023 album, Twenty on High, and “Evergreen Eyes” from the EP release Kudzu Wild. Western AF has a couple of great field recordings of Drayton playing “American Dream” and “Pitchin’ Fits” from his 2021 album A Hard Up Life. Both are quintessential anthems for the struggling American with aspirations that hang just out of reach despite years of hard work.  

The Kentucky artist showcases are some of my favorites, so we were sure to stop into The Vinyl Lounge on Friday of the festival. We watched The Wheelhouse Rousters close out their set. They hail from the Ohio River Valley of Western Kentucky and have been making quite the name for themselves of late. In 2022, the band was chosen to represent the USA at the World Folk Biennale in Jinju, South Korea with Kentucky cellist Seth Murphy. There they collaborated with UNESCO artists from all over the world. In 2023, they placed third in the Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Competition. They recently released their fourth album The Adventure Never Ends. Lexington, Kentucky’s Justin Wells has an incomparable presence on stage, not only for his stature, but for his big voice imparting words of wisdom, love, and unification. He travels with a pretty badass backing band as well. Kevin Hogle on drums, Reilly Mulholland on lead guitar, and W.D. Miller who was sporting an impressive pair of white snake skin cowboy boots that night. Justin released a killer album in 2020 called The United State. That’s no typo: the album is about the human experience from birth to death. It’s about how we need each other to get through the timeline of life – a united state of being. A couple tracks performed from that album were “Walls Fall Down” and “It’ll All Work Out.” He has a new album in the works, so he gave us a taste of what to expect with the heartfelt ballad dedicated to his wife “Queen of Queens” and “Til the Stars Won’t Burn.” Nearing 1.5 million streams on Spotify alone, “The Dogs” from the 2016 release, Dawn in the Distance, is always an instant crowd pleaser from the first drop of that unmistakable bass line. To show his love for the Bluegrass State, Justin paid homage that night with a song he recorded in December 2021. That song is Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky” for which Justin donates all the streaming proceeds to benefit the United Way: Kentucky Tornado Fund following the devastating tornado that hit Western Kentucky on December 10, 2021, with part of the proceeds going to Muhlenberg Music Mission. Growing up along the famed Country Music Highway 23, Brit Taylor was seasoned by some of the most iconic music and music makers in country music history. After a great life unraveled at the seams in “the new Nashville,” Brit dug down deep and worked hard to rebuild her career and establish a brand that showcased her love of songwriting and the country music sound she grew up on. She proudly played her 2020 single “Waking Up Ain’t Easy” which aired on Season 1, Episode 6 of Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount+ series, Tulsa King. She did a fun cover of the Dottie West/JoDee Messina hit, “A Lesson in Leavin’.” Brit talked about songwriting with the revered Pat McLaughlin. She performed two that they penned together – the title track of her 2021 album, Real Me, and “Ain’t a Hard Livin’” from her 2023 release, Kentucky Blue. She and the band, which includes her husband on bass guitar, Adam Chaffins, also performed “No Cowboy” and the title track from her Kentucky Blue album. Folk Rock Kentuckian Abby Hamilton  was next on the Vinyl Lounge line-up. We were excited to catch her set knowing that one of our contributing writers was about to review her new album, #1 Zookeeper (of the San Diego Zoo). Abby writes with country music themes and acumen set to rock melodies. Her 2020 EP, Afraid of the Dark was on full display along with singles from the LP album. Her singles “#1 Zookeeper (of the San Diego Zoo)” and “Whatever Helps You Sleep” are popular with fans, but don’t sleep on “Good Thing” or “Lucky” - both are more great examples of Abby’s songwriting chops. Separated by large panes of glass, The Vinyl Lounge is adjacent to a state-of-the-art vinyl manufacturing boutique, The Vinyl Lab, where you can watch vinyl records being pressed while you enjoy a cocktail and a live show. You can even book a tour of the pressing plant.  

Contributing writer John Schumacher had a great write up on the different shows he attended. If you missed his article, you can read that here. Melissa Payne talked about many of the other artists we saw together, so be sure to check out what she had to say and capture in photographs as soon as it’s available. We had a wonderful time, as usual. It was nice checking out some new or different venues than years before. If you are new to the Americana music scene, I highly encourage you to follow and subscribe to the Americana Music Association’s website and social media accounts. Look into their membership, their foundation, their airplay charts and the various events they put on, like AmericanFest and the Americana Music Awards. If you plan to attend the festival, I encourage you to download the app. It’s very helpful in planning a schedule, exploring information about certain areas and businesses of Nashville, and wayfinding throughout the city. Hope to see you next year!