The final two nights of the Americana Music Festival bore two of the biggest surprises of the Festival Showcase's -- at least, for the shows that I personally attended.
Friday night October 14, 2011 found me at The Rutledge in Nashville, where I tucked in to see a couple of acts I had my eye on from the moment the lineup was announced. Matraca Berg, arguably one of the top five songwriters in Nashville today (or any day for that matter) was performing at 9:00, while The Bottle Rockets were taking the stage at 11:00. However, the first act of the night was surprise number one.
The Vespers are a four piece band comprised of two brothers (Taylor and Bruno Jones) and two sisters (Phoebe and Callie Cryar) from Nashville and Franklin, Tennessee respectively. There really is nothing that sounds as wonderful as siblings performing in perfect harmony. These four kids, all at or near their early-20's, can flat out play any instrument you can think of that has strings on it. Working the upright bass, mandolin, ukulele, accordion, banjo, guitar, fiddle, piano, drums and electric bass in to a show and have it all happen seamlessly, is a task to behold. The soaring harmonies of Phoebe and Callie Cryar are angelic. Judging by the goose-bumps I had while watching this magnificent group perform the opening set, I can say with great confidence that The Vespers will be back at the Americana Music Festival and Conference, but on a much larger stage. That stage will be at the Ryman Auditorium as a nominee for New and Emerging Artist at an upcoming Americana Music Awards ceremony.
As mentioned above, Matraca Berg has long been one of the most successful singer/songwriters in Nashville over the last 20 years. Learning her craft from the late, great Harlan Howard, Matraca continues to be among the most sought-after writers in music today. Performing songs from her recent Dualtone Records release, "The Dreaming Fields", Matraca held the packed Rutledge in the palm of her hand. The crowd listened intently and respectively quiet as she told the stories behind the creation of such songs as "Oh, Cumberland", the title track, as well as her version of the tune co-written with Deana Carter, "You and Tequila." Of course, "You and Tequila" recently became a big hit on the mainstream country charts for Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter. Matraca closed off her set with one of her most recognizable songs, "Strawberry Wine" which was a 1997 award-winning hit for Deana Carter.
Eric Brace and Peter Cooper have taken a somewhat unconventional way to find themselves sharing a stage. As music writers for The Washington Post and The Tennessean newspapers, they certainly had much in common when they met for the first time in Nashville. However, from that first meeting one of the great duos of East Nashville music has evolved. Brace and Cooper have tight harmonies that are very easy to listen to. The clever songwriting and brilliant interaction between Brace and Cooper make for a really enjoyable show. Check out their combined efforts, such as 2009's "You Don't Have To Like Them Both", as well as their respective solo projects on Red Beet Records.
The Bottle Rockets are one of the bands that I took an interest in when I started this blog 18 months ago. Veterans of the road, they are out touring in their 16th year of existence, supporting their latest release on Bloodshot Records, "Lean Forward," the Rockets took a stripped-down approach to their performance with guitar, bass and a wooden box for a drum. The Bottle Rockets are a group of guys who love what they do and they bring the crowd along with them. This was a really enjoyable performance with great music and great interaction with the band and those in attendance at The Rutledge.
The next and final night of the Festival Showcase found me at a variety of locations, thanks to the assistance of new found friends and fellow travelers. Kicking off the night at The Basement, the second surprise of the week was waiting. Six Shooter Records recording artists, The Deep Dark Woods, garnered the most attention of the week (at least that I could see). With Buddy Miller, Kenny Vaughan and Americana Music Association President Jed Hilly in attendance, it became quite clear that the packed house at The Basement was in for a good show. And the boys from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan did not disappoint. Rolling out new tunes from their latest Six Shooter release (released on Sugar Hill Records in the United States), "The Place I Left Behind", The Deep Dark Woods had the huge crowd in the palm of their hand. There was a reason why the best in Americana came out to view this show. This is another band I can promise will be playing the Americana Music Festival in Nashville again, and like The Vespers, it will be on the much bigger stage of the Ryman Auditorium. The only difference is, I think we can expect to see The Deep Dark Woods on the Awards show next year as a nominee for New and Emerging Artist. It would be tough not to give these young guys some strong consideration for that honor, to be sure. This is an act I will be keeping an eye on over the course of the year.
My next stop on this final night was back to the Rutledge where Americana/indie veterans Blackie and The Rodeo Kings (BARK) took the stage. Another fantastic Canadian band, BARK took the stage for their first ever appearance at the Americana Music Festival, even as most of the band now reside in Nashville. Interestingly, this show also brought over AMA President Jed Hilly. With the president firmly entrenched in the show at the Rutledge, as well as some much deserved hype from my new found friends that I met over the week in Nashville, BARK delivered one of the best performances I had the pleasure of attending during the week. Supporting their latest release, "Blackie and the Rodeo Kings -- Kings and Queens", the boys from Hamilton, Ontario tore the place up. Among the many highlights of the night was a surprise appearance from Instrumentalist of the Year nominee, Carrie Rodriguez, as she joined BARK on stage for a stellar performance.
The final performance of the 2011 Americana Music Festival took place where my festival week began, The Mercy Lounge. From Austin, Texas, Deadman was a group that I had not heard of until earlier that same day as another new friend had mentioned that I should stop by and check them out. For a group to close out the week, Deadman was an excellent choice as they delivered a stellar set of Texas music to a still lively crowd who had witnessed some of the best artists that Americana has to offer over the course of four days and nights. Scanning the crowd, I witnessed such longtime Americana stalwarts as Jim Lauderdale and Raul Malo in attendance to take in this young band closing out the week. Interestingly, that performance was Deadman's first appearance at the Festival. It was an impressive debut to say the least and I look forward to more great work from this wonderful Texas band. And, this was a great way to conclude the 2011 (and my first) Americana Music Conference and Festival
Congratulations and very, very well done, to all the performers I had the pleasure of watching this past week. Look out for next year, this will be a tough act to follow. I know there are artists out there who are up for the challenge.
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