Thursday is when AmericanaFest truly kicks into gear. Everyone’s in town, awards have been awarded, and it’s time to take in some new bands. But, in the morning, there was still a little time left to reminisce…
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: 50 Years
This panel discussion was kicked off by Americana Music Association Executive Director, Jed Hilly, telling us that the best-kept secret of the week – The Heartbreakers reuniting at Wednesday evening’s Awards show, had been brewing for nine months. SiriusXM Radio host Mark Felsot introduced the four original Heartbreakers: Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Stan Lynch and Ron Blair (it did occur to me during the hour that, with all that went on on rock music from the 70s through the 90s, how fortunate we are to have them still around). After recalling the previous night’s performance (Campbell clued us in that the evening’s frontman, Chris Stapleton, missed the first line of “American Girl” because he was “so enthralled listening”), the hour was largely a discussion of the band’s coming-together, which culminated in their first release, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 50 years ago this November. Included was the perilous drive out west from Florida, a ghostly tambourine in Tulsa’s Church Studio, the always dapper and elegant Benmont Tench calling every musician “cats,” and initial impressions on “American Girl” from Campbell (“Sounds like no one else but us. Still does.”) and Tench (“Where’s it going to rhyme?). We’ll never get to speak to Tom Petty again, but having his friends and closest collaborators telling stories that pre-date the band is as good as it gets.
Justin Townes Earle’s Impact on Americana
Panel number two of the day was moderated by Jonathan Bernstein (who wrote this year’s excellent Justin Townes Earle bio, What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome) with Rob Miller (Bloodshot Records co-founder) and Nashville-based musician/songwriter Austin Root. It was interesting to have the juxtaposition of Miller (who signed Earle and shepherded several of his albums to release) and Root (who’d never encountered Earle’s music prior to his death in 2020) recount falling for his songs from two different perspectives. Miller wanted nothing to do with a musician’s son cloning his father’s music, where Root was compelled by Earle’s innate ability to perform a “sad song sung with a smile.” Of course, JTE ended up being an entirely different musician than Steve Earle, while succumbing to a fate that his father somehow eluded. The focus of the day was on Justin’s musical influence and legacy – it seemed that, no matter where these three men journeyed, from a Charley Crockett show in New York to a busker in Slovenia, “Harem River Blues” and Justin Townes Earle live on.
Cowtown GitDown: Presented by Visit Fort Worth
This annual event, which promotes Fort Worth tourism and musicians, featured sliders and tacos, beer from Tennessee Brew Works and nearly a dozen Metroplex-area bands. Standouts were Michael Lee & the Wartime Limousine, fun, soulful rockers, and Matthew McNeal, whose HIGHLONESOME won the JAMBALOO Music Prize, an award specifically for albums released by Dallas-Fort Worth area musicians. McNeal announced that his pedal steel player was working his second of five shows that day alone. As one fan remarked, “That’s AmericanaFest!”
Georgia Harmer at The Basement
Mornings are for panels, afternoons are for parties, and nighttime at AmericanaFest is best devoted to showcases. My first stop of the evening was an artist who came highly recommended by Kathleen Edwards. Georgia Harmer is an unsigned Canadian singer-somgwriter who made the trek down from the Toronto area to perform songs from last year’s Eye of the Storm, including the twangy, pensive “Farmhouse.” She mentioned that she and her partner/pedal steel player were moving to Nashville and seeking sublets and work. Let’s find them some gigs!
Madison Cunningham – The Blue Room
Despite reviewing several of her records, I’d never had the chance to see this ace guitar player until now. Jack’s White’s performance space was absolutely packed for Cunningham’s earthy, epic soundscapes, supplemented with, on various songs, horn and keys. The set’s highlight was the crunchy “”Golden Gate (On and On)”, which best showed off her guitar chops.
Bella White – Exit/In
Bella White has been a must ever since my first AFEst in 2023, shortly after the release of her breakthrough Among Other Things. This set focused more on her recent A Sign in the Weather, including standouts “Pink Living Room” and the Lucinda Williams-inspired “Stuff.” She also circled back to my favorite song off Among Other Things, the aching “The Way I Oughta Go.” Note – as with Georgia Harmer’s show, Boy Golden singer-songwriter Liam Duncan was in the crowd. Canadians show up for Canadians.
Ruthie Foster and Emily Scott Robinson – 3rd and Lindsley
Ruthie Foster won a Best Contemporary Blues Album GRAMMY last year for her record, Mileage. She played the excellent title track from it, as well as having Miko Marks jump on stage for the song “Tangled, “ from the new release Just Say Yes. An excellent storyteller and amazing player at one of my favorite venues in Nashville.
Emily Scott Robinson and I both lived in Colorado at the same time (I’m still there), but I was never able to see her play, so she was a must for this year’s festival. Her latest record, Appalachia, is a primarily East Coast-based (the title track deals with the aftermath of 2024’s Hurricane Helene on Western North Carolina), but the themes – rampant overdevelopment, lack of affordable housing, everyday heroes, and outsized small-town characters – are applicable to Nashville, Colorado and pretty much everywhere. “Dirtbag Saloon,” set in Paonia, Colorado was a personal favorite, and Lizzy Ross’s sublime harmonies, particularly on “The Fairest View,” helped cap a superb evening in Music City.
Enjoy some of our previous coverage here: AmericanaFest 2026 Day 2: Americana Music Association Honors & Awards