AmericanaFest 2026 Day 1
AmericanaFest is typically a week for discovery, but curiously enough, the first evening has also proven to be a trip back in time to some of the artists who first got me into this wing of country music.
BMI Presents: Rooftop on the Row
Due to a dubiously delayed Frontier flight out of Denver, I was only able to make it to the tail end of this annual kickoff event – fortunately just in time for some delicious barbeque as Colorado’s own Clay Street Unit was about to take the sweltering rooftop stage. The bluegrass-y six-piece focused on their debut record, Sin & Squalor. “Let’s Get Stoned” was a crowd favorite, highlighted by some excellent mandolin work from Scottie Bolin.
The event’s headliner was one of my favorites, Texan Hayes Carll. Billed as “one of BMI’s newest affiliates,” Carll led off with his famous Ray Wylie Hubbard co-write, “Drunken Poet’s Dream, before moving on to more recent cuts, including the devotional “You Get It All” and the characteristically sharp-edged “Progress of Man (Bitcoin and Cattle).” The set was a valuable reminder that Carll remains one of this century’s best songwriters.
Kathleen Edwards at The Chloe Nashville
From rooftop to poolside, my evening moved to a small outdoor performance space at this boutique hotel in Nashville. Canadian-turned-Floridian (via advice from her accountant, she told us) Kathleen Edwards was celebrating her Album of the Year nominee Billionaire largely by digging into her catalog of tunes, including “Asking for Flowers,” “Hockey Skates” and “Six O’Clock News.” Edwards famously left the music business for a bit in the 2010s, telling the audience that, “I quit, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me,” because it allowed her to unexpectedly find joy in performing again. It was meant as encouragement to up-and-coming artists (including fellow Canadian Georgia Harmer, who will be performing later this week), but we were the beneficiaries on this night, especially when Edwards grabbed a fiddle and closed with Neil Young’s “Comes a Time.” Here’s hoping Canadian pool parties become a thing at AmericanaFest.
Melissa Etheridge at 3rd & Lindsley
Tuesday’s Night of Veterans wrapped up with this Kansan (and gleeful Chiefs fan) celebrating nearly 40(!) years in this business by spotlighting her latest album, Rise, while exhibiting the same combination of ferocity and joy she’s always carried. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Etheridge live (sometime in the Yes I Am era, I believe), but I hadn’t given her enough credit for, among all her other skills, being an ace guitar player – seriously good stuff. She also paid tribute to two cherished rule-breakers, Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton, following up with her own take on “Jolene,” before closing with two of those early 90s favorites, “Come to My Window” and “I’m the Only One.” Current and future rule-breakers have Melissa Etheridge to thank for helping clear their path a bit.
Find more information here: http://www.americanamusic.org
AmericanaFest 2026 Day 1