On September 7, Elise Davis returns with Cactus, the follow up to her debut album The Token. The first single“Don’t Bring Me Flowers”premiered with NPR Music, who said, “‘Don’t Bring Me Flowers’ is downright buoyant, flirting with pop melodies and allowing more room for Davis to go big with her formidable voice.”
On August 24, Ryan Culwell released his new album The Last American via Missing Piece Records. Wide Open Country called the album a “poignant masterpiece” and The Associated Press said, “Culwell’s talent is obvious throughout, and the timing feels right for a canon of intelligent, rough-edged songs about the frustration, the yearning, the turmoil and the stress of living at this complicated moment in America.”
Ashley Monroe’s latest album Sparrow was praised by The Wall Street Journal who raved, “Sparrow is Ashley Monroe’s most ambitious, startling and first-to-last engrossing album yet” while Pitchfork said, “The Nashville singer-songwriter looks backwards to move forward on an album that filters contemporary desires and sorrows through the timeless vernacular of country.” Check out additional coverage of Ashley in GQ and on NPR’s Morning Edition, and a performance on Late Night with Seth Meyers.
Earlier this year, Portland, OR-based singer-songwriter John Craigie released two albums — his studio album Scarecrow, and his live album Opening for Steinbeck. Craigie truly has a unique live performance; between nearly each song of the set, there’s a “bit” he’s written that thematically leads into the next track. This moved Seattle alt weekly The Stranger to dub him “the lovechild of John Prine and Mitch Hedberg.”
9/13 – 9:30 am – Keeping It Real In The Hills: Representing Appalachia in Americana
Birdtalker
Nashville quintet Birdtalker released their anticipated debut album One this past June. It’s the group’s first full-length record following the unexpected success of their song “Heavy,” a streaming phenomenon which has amassed over 23 million streams on Spotify alone (and counting) entirely on its own, purely through listener discovery and no label support. NPR Music’s All Songs Considered called it “a beautiful record” while Rolling Stone raved “it’s infectious and sprightly.”
9/13 – 11:30pm – ONE (located upstairs from Cannery Ballroom)
Hush Kids
A new collaboration comprised of Nashville mainstays Jill Andrews (The Everybodyfields) and Peter Groenwald (The Civil Wars, Andrew Belle, John Mayer), Hush Kids will release their self-titled debut album on October 26th. Both established solo artists, Jill and Peter grew to know each other during co-writing sessions arranged by their publishers to write songs for other people. Hush Kids was produced by Ian Fitchuk (of recent Kacey Musgraves Golden Hour acclaim) and was described by Billboard as “a songwriting blind date that paid off.”
Nashville’s Will Hoge is gearing up to release his politically-charged new album My American Dream on October 5 onEDLO/Thirty Tigers. Rolling Stone Country has raved about Hoge and the two tracks that have been released thus far, “Thoughts & Prayers” and “Gilded Walls.”
9/15 – 4:00 pm – Michael Weintraub Photography Studio
Panel:
9/12 – 4:00 pm Deportee’s Panel Discussion – The Westin
Cedric Burnside
Award-winning Mississippi bluesman Cedric Burnsidewill release his new album Benton County Relic on September 14 via Single Lock Records.
Afropunk raved about single “We Made It” saying “It’s a song about strength, resilience, and hope that shows there’s a lot of life left in the classic country blues sound.” Billboard said “That sound on Benton County Relic…is spare, spacious and gritty but with a biting timeless flavor….”
Phil Cook’s latest release People Are My Drug is a collection of roots and gospel-infused songs written with a common message of community in each track. The album features many great voices in addition to Cook, including Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath, Tamisha Waden (Foreign Exchange), Chastity Brown, Richmond VA’s No BS! Brass Band and more. The album has been embraced by Rolling Stone, Stereogum, UPROXX and many more.
9/15 – 1:00 pm – The Local – AmericanaFest Day Stage presented by NPR Music,World Cafe & WMOT
Andrew Combs
Following up his critically lauded 3rd album Canyons of My Mind, Andrew Combs has just released
5 Covers & A Song, which finds the indie folk singer songwriter reinterpreting songs by The Strokes, Radiohead, Loudon Wainwright, Blake Mills and Lucinda Williams, plus, as the time suggests, one new original, “Expectations.”
The Band of Heathens have announced an ambitious new album project: a re-envisioning of Ray Charles’ 1972 album A Message From The People, in its entirety. The band chose to re-record the often forgotten album because of its moving commentary on social justice, abuse-of-power, and its vision for a stronger, more-unified America. Aptly titled A Message From The People Revisited, the album will be released on September 14th, and has earned acclaim from Rolling Stone CountryWide Open Country, The Boot, and more.
The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band will be releasing their new album Poor Until Payday on October 5th. A devotee of what he calls “front porch blues” since he was 12 years old, Rev is known for captivating audiences with his blazing finger-picking guitar skills.Wide Open Country says of the new record’s title track, “The rowdy and joyous country-blues track is all about looking forward to cashing in and easing your mind, if only for a few days or one great night on the town.
