Americana Music Association Awards, Conference & Music Festival
We’re less than two months away from one of the best events (or collection of events) in Americana Music. The Americana Music Association Awards, Conference and Music Festival will be held October 12-15 in Nashville.
The Americana Music Awards are held at the Ryman on Thursday, October 13. The show will again be hosted by Jim Lauderdale. The nominee list is stellar, with Robert Plant, Hayes Carll, The Decemberists, Elizabeth Cook, Mumford & Sons, The Avett Brothers, The Civil Wars, and Justin Townes Earle, among others. I haven’t seen a lineup for the awards show yet, but last year most of the nominees performed. In previous years, the show has been broadcast by SiriusXM for those who cannot attend, but as a past attendee I recommend going if you can. It’s a special show.
The Americana Music Conference includes panels and seminars directed at people in the Americana music industry, including artists, writers, music labels, agents, radio stations, promoters, etc. Conference events occur in the daytime at the Nashville Sheraton.
At night, the Music Festival takes over, with showcases all over town. This is truly one of the coolest setups in Americana music, with lots of artists spread out at different Nashville venues with a shuttle to take you wherever you might want to go. Biggest problem is choosing which artist to see, because the lineup is very good. Here’s the complete lineup/schedule as of this moment:
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
7pm Music City Roots at the Loveless Barn
Hosted by: Jim Lauderdale
Performances by: Grayson Capps, The Wilders, Elephant Revival, The Milk Carton Kids, Scott Miller & Mic Harrison of the V-roys
The Basement
8pm Brian Wright
9pm The Greencards
10pm Lake Street Dive
11pm The Dirt Daubers
The Station Inn
8pm Marshall Chapman
9pm The Wronglers featuring Jimmie Dale Gilmore
10pm Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison
11pm Peter Rowan
The Rutledge
8pm Marty Stuart
9pm Connie Smith
10pm Mountain Heart
11pm David Mayfield Parade
The Mercy Lounge
8pm The Gourds
9pm Kenny Vaughan
10pm Foster & Lloyd
11pm Hayes Carll
The Cannery Ballroom
8pm TBA
9pm TBA
10pm The Civil Wars
Thursday, October 13, 2011
7pm The 10th Annual Americana Honors & Awards show at the Ryman Auditorium
The Basement
10pm Amanda Shires
11pm Malcolm Holcombe
12am Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three
The Station Inn
10pm Mollie O’Brien & Rich Moore
11pm JD Souther
The Rutledge
10pm Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
11pm Gurf Morlix
12am Lori McKenna
The Mercy Lounge
10pm Lera Lynn
11pm Will Hoge
12am Romantica
The Cannery Ballroom
10pm Carrie Rodriquez
11pm The Jayhawks
Friday, October 14, 2011
The Basement
8pm Meg Hutchinson
9pm Tommy Womack and the Rush To Judgment
10pm Ian McLagan
11pm Henry Wagons
12am New Country Rehab
The Station Inn
8pm The Packway Handle Band
9pm The WIYO’s
10pm David Wax Museum
11pm The Farewell Drifters
12am The Black Lillies
The Rutledge
8pm The Vespers
9pm Matraca Berg
10pm Eric Brace & Peter Cooper
11pm The Bottle Rockets
12am Will Kimbrough
The Mercy Lounge
8pm Robert Ellis
9pm Amy LaVere
10pm Elizabeth Cook
11pm John Oates
12am TBA
The Cannery
9pm TBA
10pm TBA
11pm North Mississippi Allstars
Saturday, October 15,2011
2pm The Southern Festival of Books at Legislative Plaza
Performers include: The 1861 Project
3pm Musician’s Corner at Centennial Park
Performers include: “I Love”: A Tribute to Tom T Hall, Ben Sollee and TBA
The Basement
8pm The Deep Dark Woods
9pm Patrick Sweany
10pm Hymn for Her
11pm Tim Easton
12am Farewell Milwaukee
The Station Inn
8pm Gleny Rae Virus & Her Tamworth Playboys
9pm Sierra Hull and Highway 111
10pm Tara Nevins
11pm Catherine Britt
12am Brigitte DeMeyer
The Rutledge
8pm Chris Altmann
9pm Ryan Tanner
10pm Blackie and the Rodeo Kings
11pm Great American Taxi
12am Orbo and the Longshots
The Mercy Lounge
8pm Matrimony
9pm Sam Llanas (of the Bodeans)
10pm James McMurtry
11pm TBA
If you’re into the industry stuff, it’s worth registering for the conference. That will get you access to the showcases and a ticket to the awards show. But you can buy a ticket to the awards show or a wristband for the showcases without registering for the conference. Details on all this can be found at the Americana Music Association website. See you in Nashville!
Mando Lines is on Twitter @mando_lines.