The 2014 edition of the Americana Music Festival kicked off in grand fashion last night deep in the heart of Music City. The 13th Annual Americana Music Association Awards ceremony ushered in the first of four nights of artists from around the globe performing the best music on the planet.
In what should really be no surprise, the award night belonged to Jason Isbell, who made it a clean sweep when he won all three award categories he was nominated in. Recognizing the enormous year Isbell had, Jason walked away with honors for Song of the Year for "Cover Me Up", Album of the Year for the incomparable "Southeastern", and the top award for Artist of the Year. Country music is in good hands, especially with Emerging Artist winner Sturgill Simpson at the helm. The Milk Carton Kids were nominated in the Emerging Artist category last year, this year they walked away with the Duo or Group of the Year Award. Buddy Miller was once again recognized as the Instrumentalist of the Year, and received his award from another great instrumentalist, Mr. Vince Gill.
As is the norm at the Americana Music Association Awards, legends that have blazed the trail for other artists to follow were recognized with Lifetime Achievement Awards. Latino instrumentalist Flaco Jiminez, blues legend Taj Mahal and singer-songwriter Jackson Browne received honors for their work and dedication to their craft. It's always special attending these awards at the Ryman Auditorium, as it's not everyday you will get to see Taj Mahal and the house band jamming away on a blues standard, or Jackson Browne performing with another legendary songwriter J. D. Souther at the middle of the Ryman stage. However, for this writer, the most special moment of the night occurred during the shows' opening minutes.
If there was one artist in country music history that clearly holds the role of "trailblazer", it's Loretta Lynn. Writing and recording her own music, driving thousands and thousands of miles to sing and deliver her songs to radio stations, all of this while female country music singers were seldom heard, if not outright discouraged from performing, Ms. Lynn is the epitomizes the role of legend. This fact was not lost on two young newcomers, Kacey Musgraves and Angaleena Presley, as they struggled to keep their emotions in check when presenting Ms. Lynn with her Lifetime Achievement Award. And the tears were more than welcome, as everyone in attendance recognized the significance of what we were witnessing. Sitting at the Ryman Auditorium, watching the latest generation of female country music singers honoring one of their heroes, and then watching Ms. Lynn stand at the middle of the Ryman stage to sing "Coal Miner's Daughter" is one of those moments that money cannot buy. You can't put a price tag on it. It is one of those moments that reminds you of why we do what we do. A moment I will not forget.
Post-awards, it was off to the showcase performances at several venues around town. I attended two sets on this evening, the first being Shinyribs at the High Watt. This high energy show was the perfect kick off to the festival portion of the events this week. These guys were having a blast on stage, with singer Kevin Russell leading the way. You don't often see a big man move like this guy does, but it's infectious. "East Texas Rust" and "Poor People's Store" were killer performances and the crowd responded accordingly.
Playing an extended set in the Cannery were the Hard Working Americans, led by Todd Snider and joined on stage by special guest Elizabeth Cook. From the moment they stepped on stage, it's clear Todd Snider was born to entertain. This performance was one of those rare shows that takes on a life of it's own. The energy in the Cannery was nothing short of electric. The band on stage was at the top of their game, and the audience was giving everything they had right back. It's one of those clear nights where artist and audience were feeding off each other, and it took the show to a whole new level. Playing a roughly two hour set, the Hard Working Americans set the bar very high right off the bat. I can't wait to see who will step up and try to reach it ... it was only day 1, after all.
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