Last week, bars and venues all across Nashville were enlivened with AMERICANAFEST: the long standing annual tradition of celebrating the vast umbrella of Americana from its biggest stars, to its rising new voices.Â
This year, I had the opportunity to pay my first visit to the fest and see what all the fuss was about. It was exciting to see the variety of performances that were going on in every corner of town. Would I see an underground folk artist capturing the magic of music at its most minimal and simplistic? Or perhaps a new band with a re-emergence of southern rock influence? I was hardly disappointed.
The performances took me across the United States in their perspective and themes. The festival was an amazing portrait of music in the USA, but especially Nashville and its crowd eager to enjoy it. There was even some international influence, highlighting some of country and folk’s oldest origins. Â
Also amazing was the community that showed up for the music. There were people in the crowd shouting out the names of venues that the performing artists used to play at when they were first getting started. Audiences were made up of long time fans, travelers from across the US, and lovers of all things Americana. The overall energy was super positive for all the performances I attended, and there was even some mosh pits and crowd surfing.
Here are a couple highlights from my experience.
Sarah Klang @ The Basement East
The opening act for The Basement East on September 12th, Sarah Klang brought a fascinating mix of singer-songwriter and R&B music into the wider depths of Nashville Americana. Right after playing the first song, Klang announced that she and her guitarist had traveled all the way from Sweden to be there. She even fought through a language barrier, mentioning that English was not her first language. She put on an impressive performance despite all of that. Her vocal talents especially shined, filling the room with a soulful delivery that warmed the place up with its presence.Â
Klang’s music focused a lot on adolescence, sexuality, and the challenges of being an unknown artist. Starting with themes of heartbreak and expanding on that with lyrics on loneliness, she brought an impressive sense of vulnerability to go along with the rawness of sound and performance. She also performed new material from her latest album, Beautiful Woman, which released earlier this year.Â
Craig Finn @ The Basement East
Though Craig Finn is an artist of relative popularity, I had never heard of him previous to this performance. That meant that seeing him walk up on stage, just a man with a guitar, carried an authentic intimacy that many popular artists never recapture.
Finn made sure to make it a quality performance. Opting to avoid performing all the extra instrumental arrangements on his new record, Always Been, he instead put the focus on his guitar and his lyricism. Through his simple repeating melodies and evocative lyrics, Finn took the audience on an American odyssey with a character he invented for his new album. He told a story about a man who became a priest for the sheer reason of popularity and influence. He sang about all sorts of events in this man’s life, from his lost love to visiting his sister and her rebellious daughter. I could imagine this man’s face vividly after his words and melodies shaped him in front of me.
Unforgettable images abounded, including the moment in which Finn’s character stared out across the sky on a bus headed toward prison. The kind of folksinger that can get listeners to hang upon his every word, Craig Finn brought an honest professionalism and unique vision of American life through his music.Â
These are but two mere examples of the kind of top tier modern day roots artists who swarm and perform at AMERICANAFEST, still using instruments and providing thoughtful lyrics to their music, especially in a day and age where that is rapidly descending. AMERICANAFEST is a beacon of community, authentic music, education, and good times.
