It’s time for AMERICANAFEST 2026! I’m highlighting some must-sees for anyone else who’s making the trek to Nashville September 15-19, as well as sharing my choices for the Americana Awards (to be held Wednesday evening at the Ryman Auditorium). My ground rules for the musts – they have to be folks I haven’t seen play before, and they have to be playing at events open to all passholders.
Must-sees (arranged chronologically by showcase time – check the festival app for updates and artists’ socials for possible additional appearances).
Two Runner – Hailing from Northern California, Paige Anderson and Emilie Rose have a clear, unadorned sound that can only spring from the mountains, western or otherwise.
Wednesday, 8pm – The 5 Spot
Emily Scott Robinson – Despite both of us spending several concurrent years in Colorado, this excellent Oh Boy Records songwriter is one I’ve somehow never seen. Time to catch her live and in person.
Thursday, 11pm – 3rd & Lindsley
Also – Wednesday, 1:30pm – Northern Lights and Oh Boy Records celebrate John Prine’s 80th, hosted by Brandi Carlile – City Winery
Brennan Wedl – Loved “Pretty Little Fantasy” when it came out in June, but her self-titled, Katie Crutchfield/Brad Cook-produced LP didn’t quite grab me out of the gate. I feel like this boisterous Minnesotan is at her peak when live – looking forward to finding out!
Friday, 7pm – The Blue Room
Brown Horse – British alt-country-adjacent (or, as these Norfolkers call it, “slacker twang”) bands are hitting big. In a year that Robert Plant is receiving an AMA Lifetime Achievement Award, why not celebrate the newest wave of holler-fied Brits?
Friday, 8pm – The Blue Room
Also – Friday, 11am-7pm – Paste Magazine & Illegal Mezcal: Live on Broadway, Day 1 – Ole Red
Saturday, 11am-6pm – Country Connections – The 5 Spot
Laney Jones and the Spirits – What a way to close out AFest – with the perpetrators of my favorite rock album of 2025, this Nashville band’s self-titled debut.
Saturday, 11pm – The 5 Spot
Also: Thursday, 12:30pm-7pm – Illegal Mezcal Presents the Paste Americana Party – Love and Exile
Awards
Album: Billionaire, Kathleen Edwards – Lotsa great guitar work on the record (courtesy of co-producer Jason Isbell), but it’s Edwards mix of sharp wit and surprising sentiment that makes these songs stand out.
Artist: Margo Price – What HASN’T she done over the past year? Protest singer, THC beverage maker, Farm Aid board member, and all-around Nashville political pest (in the best way possible) are just some of the job titles that Miss Margo Price has claimed. With all that going on, she still has time to be one of the best songwriters and live performers working today.
Duo/Group: Turnpike Troubadours – If the AMA gave a “Comeback Player of the Year Award,” these boys from Oklahoma would’ve nailed that a couple of years ago. Now, they rack up fine albums and massive crowds as regular as clockwork.
Emerging Act: Mon Rovia – Politics and heart-on-your-sleeve songs don’t often emanate from the same writer, but Liberian emigrant Janjay Lowe conveys both the heartache of leaving and the impossibility of staying in his native country on his gorgeous debut LP, Bloodline.
Song of the Year: “Heavy Foot,” Mon Rovia – Leave it to a clear-eyed recent arrival to the US to state how dangerously unhinged our own leadership has become.
Instrumentalist: Libby Rodenbough – This was my favorite vote on the entire ballot. This North Carolina fiddle player has been a part of some of my favorite bands over the past half-decade, from Mipso to Fust to Sluice. This is first and foremost a recognition of her hard work, but it also opens the door to consideration of the indie country bands making some of today’s most intrigung music.
For all the information you’ll need about AmericanaFest, download the app, or go here:
https://americanamusic.org/americanafest/
Go here to purchase tickets to the Americana Honors & Awards:
https://www.ryman.com/event/2026-09-16-americana-honors-awards-at-6-30-pm