AmericanaFest 2026 Day 4
Dayside multi-bills and nighttime showcases were the best places to discover a wealth of new music on Friday.
5th Annual Mountain Stage/Missing Piece AMERICANAFEST Shindig
The shadowdy, chandelier-ensconced Analog at Hutton Hotel is one of my favorite Nashville places to take in music (even more so on sweltering day). After walking in to catch the end of River Shook’s set, celebrating their acclaimed solo debut record, I got to take in Next of Kin, a band with lovely three-part harmonies and a delightfully off-color sense of humor (as the band themselves put it, “I promise we’re not always lewd. Just when we’re singing our songs”). “Dimestore Jesus” and “Mean Streak” featured those sharp tongues, but “Healing’s a Lie” and “Homemaker” tended more toward the melancholy – all told, music both pretty and promising. Side note – stay tuned for more info on an intriguing new release of “Mountain Stage” recordings.
Paste Magazine & Ilegal Mezcal: Live on Broadway
Paste Magazine’s event is always a must, but this year’s edition leveled up with a move to Lower Broadway for two days, two stages and 20 great musical acts. At the upstairs bar, I was able to catch Gar Hole Records artists Jude Brothers, whose harp playing was a welcome counter to the Lower Broadway samey-same; Ramsey Thornton, a member of Ken Pomeroy’s touring band and a songwriter who focuses on exacting imagery (check out “Dripping Coffee); and Creekbed Carter Hogan, a performer who’s not afraid to follow up a sharp joke with jolt of trauma (“Mirrors”).
Downstairs on the Ole Red main stage, cross-border country was invading the Nashville honky-tonks. Canadian artist Boy Golden (fronted by Liam Duncan), fresh off a stand-out Americana Music Awards performance, went beyond their Emerging Artist status to prove that they’ve arrived – “Smoke on the Breeze” was an excellent slow build, and “Suffer” is just a great goddamn rock song (with cowbell!). Brown Horse, out of Norwich, England, was a festival “must” for me, and they absolutely did not disappoint. Four writers, five musicians, and a batch of great songs, including pedal steel player Emma Tovell’s “Reservoir” and accordion player Rowan Braham’s “Outtakes.” My final performer of the afternoon was Lily Seabird, a personal favorite and the artist behind one of this year’s best records, Lightspheres on Their Way. Solo acoustic performances aren’t exactly what Lower Broadway is known for, but when the songs (and the conviction behind them) are this good, well, even the tourists will put down their Ole Red Ales and pay attention. “Election Day” and “Slipswitch” stood out, as did the strength behind them.
The Blue Room – Brennan Wedl, Brown Horse, Ovven
I’m on record as not being bowled over by Brennan Wedl’s self-titled ANTI- Records debut, but I did figure she’d sparkle as a live performer, making her another “must.” Turns out I was wrong (about the album) and right (about the show). Wedl oozes both front-person charisma and stunning optimism, as well as a sense of humor about herself – “When the Crazy Comes Out” is both oddly endearing and gives credence to those Lucinda Williams comps. After 45 minutes, count me as fully on-board the Wedl Wagon.
I’m not a same-band-twice kinda guy at AFest, but Brown Horses’s short afternoon set called for a longer listen, even if, as frontman Patrick Turner said, their placement on this night’s bill put them “in the ripper sandwich.” My choice of shows was rewarded with maybe my new favorite song, “Wreck,” which maps a tour of their depressed corner of England, and “Twisters,” which featured my pick for Americana’s Best Musician, Libby Rodenbough, on fiddle. To top that, Lily Seabird hopped on stage to join the entire ensemble for a wonderfully chaotic take on Lucinda Williams’ “Real Live Bleeding Fingers and Broken Guitar Strings.” It doesn’t get any better than that.
The back end of this “ripper sandwich” was Ovven (pronounced like the appliance), the indie rock project of songwriter/professional handyman Owen Burton. The set, pulled from Ovven’s acclaimed album Gnawing at the Cord, was loud, fun, guitar rock spiked with dark humor – “Abbreviated” recalls that fact that his parents nearly named him OJ at birth. In 1994. And if you can’t get a song out of that, you’re in the wrong damn business.
Exit/In – Morgan Wade, Aaron Lee Tasjan
Morgan Wade’s been filling some pretty decent size rooms (e.g. Denver’s Mission Ballroom), so it was a treat to see the only Morgan W worth listening to in such a cozy Nashville venue. Her set definitely shaded toward the rock side of country rock, plus she brought out John Paul White for their new single, “Old History.” She wrapped a sweaty set with crowd favorite “Wilder Days” and by signing her freshly-shedded tee and tossing it to a fan.
Wrapping up night four was the co-mayor (along with Elizabeth Cook) of East Nashville, Aaron Lee Tasjan. He began with a short acoustic set, including “The Dangerous Kind” (a personal favorite), before bringing out bandmates and guests, including songwriter Brian Wright and Ricki, who helped me remember how much Tasjan can absolutely shred. I’ve seen him play a few times, but this was his most full-out blowtorch rock performance. The only thing missing? His signature line, “My name’s Aaron Lee Tasjan – I hope I’m pronouncing that correctly.” But when you’re home, everybody knows your name.
Check out the schedule and more here: http://www.americanamusic.org
Enjoy some of our previous coverage here: AmericanaFest 2026: Day 3
AmericanaFest 2026 Day 4