Americana Fest: The Free Show Guide
I will confess: there is so much going on at Americana Fest in Nashville this week, it is hard to get your head around it all. The insane heat wave and spread out nature of the venues makes navigating it all a bit tricky (and hot). That said, there is so much good music to see – and, if you don’t have a festival pass or wristband, so much good music to see for free. So we figured it might be nice to round up some of those aforementioned free shows, as well as encouraging all of you to also chime in on what you are most excited to see or want to plug in the comments. See you out there!
Wednesday 9/16
Thirty Tigers Americana Fest Day Party at Vinyl Tap: I plan to catch Denitia’s set right after the panel I am moderating (which you should come to if you have a conference pass at 1 p.m.! It’s called ART & ACTIVISM: Wielding Your Art in Tumultuous Times with With Mon Rovîa , Chris Pierce, Mary Bragg and Raye Zaragoza. With everything going on around Ed Sheeran's tour right now, it's a pretty interesting time to have this conversation). But whole lineup is pretty killer: Jake Bugg, Alicia Blue, Grace Potter. Hosted by Jewly Hight.
Secretly Distribution & Grimey's Present Independents Day at Grimey's: Another excellent lineup, with newsletter favorites Emily Scott Robinson and an amazing Blaze Foley Tribute set, featuring even more favorites of the newsletter. Grimey's is always great for a special Americana Fest moment - last year, I caught Karly Hartzman of Wednesday there.
Thursday 9/17
Queer Roots at Lipstick Lounge: A super stacked day party: Denitia (again, not mad), Jaime Wyatt, Lydia Loveless, Mary Gauthier. I am relieved that so many of the good free events do not include me crossing the river! This is a great lineup and an important place to be.
New West Records at Vinyl Tap: I will definitely be hitting this for Jess Williamson, and will also try to make it for Kristina Murray and Emily Nenni. Pro tip: always come to the set before the act you want to see and stay for the one after, to make sure you are catching bands that you didn't have on your lineup.
Gar Hole + Sipsman's Shithole Country at Turkey and the Wolf: In addition to having excellent sandwiches, this East Nashville spot has a great setup for shows (I saw Tyler Childers there last summer, asshole brag I realize). The Gar Hole + Sipsman's party is really solid, with newsletter favorite Nick Shoulders and the amazing Sabine McCalla, plus my new favorite Angela Autumn. Pro tip: rideshare, walk or bike here, and it's all outside. So hydrate.
Friday 9/18
Paste Party at Ole Red: I am not particularly happy about shows happening on Lower Broadway, but the lineup here is worth wading through bachelorettes. River Shook, Jude Brothers and Creekbed Carter will be there , all absolutely worth checking out. And I really want to catch August Ponthier, whose newest album I haven't stopped listening to...this is all confusing to be happening at Blake Shelton's bar, but I guess don't ask questions? This on both Friday and Saturday. Plus there are tattoos?
CAA Party: If you do not want to or do not have the will to go downtown, you can see Joy Oladokun at Skinny Dennis and I recommend you do!
The Roundup with Margo Price at Imogene + Willie: Imogene + Willie's parties are always the best, and this one hosted by Margo Price will be no exception. Kam Franklin, Madi Diaz, Logan Ledger is an a+ lineup. Will be packed, so plan accordingly.
Saturday 9/19
Texas Takeover at Skinny Dennis: Back at Skinny D for yet another excellent lineup of Jess Williamson, Jaimee Harris and more.
Paste Party Day two: see above!
And please let us know what you missed and what you are looking forward to most in the comments! I'll try to add reader recommendations into the calendar when I can!
