Amythyst Kiah
There are day parties all throughout AmericanaFest, but the final day of the festival is when they pop up all over. The 11th annual Thirty Tigers Gospel Brunch brings folks like Adeem the Artist and Henry Wagons to City Winery starting at 11 a.m. At 11:30, The 5 Spot hosts the longtime traditional Aussie BBQ with Toria Richings, Hamish Anderson and many more, while Kill Rock Stars Nashville’s one-year anniversary party, featuring Shelly Fairchild, Brennan Wedl and lots more, starts at noon at AB Hillsboro Village.
Over the Cumberland, the Queer Cowpoke Roundup with Austin Lucas, Mercy Bell and lots more takes over The Groove starting at 2 p.m. That kicks off simultaneously with Right in Time: A Tribute to Lucinda Williams at The Basement East, during which Anne McCue, Jess Nolan and many more will play all the songs from Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.
As the sun sets, your options continue to multiply. AB Hillsboro Village hosts another strong lineup of songsmiths who happen to be from the LGBTQ community, including Jessye DeSilva at 7 p.m. and Jill Andrews at 8. Suzy Bogguss, who’s been schooling us on how to update traditional country for more than 30 years, begins the evening at 7 p.m. at Analog at Hutton Hotel; someone has to follow her, and Parker Millsap, who plays at 10, is a fine candidate. The Vinyl Lounge is a great place to post up for the evening as well, with Ashley Ray playing at 8 p.m., erstwhile Nashvillian Cory Branan at 9 and Music City legend Will Kimbrough at 10.
Artists who blend a bit of country (among other things) into their rock are the name of the game at The 5 Spot, where Amelia White and the Blue Souvenirs play at 7 p.m. and Beth Bombara is on at 8. Way out in Madison, songwriter’s songwriter and archetypal Americana artist Mary Gauthier holds court at Eastside Bowl starting at 8:30 p.m.; also on the bill is country badass Emily Nenni, who plays at 10:30.
Coming to Exit/In are a slew of Alabama singer-songwriters, including Duquette Johnston at 7 p.m., Billy Allen and the Pollies at 8 and Single Lock Records co-founder John Paul White at 9. J.P. Harris’ Dreadful Wind and Rain, a project in which honky-tonker Harris focuses on the unnerving side of country and string-band music, takes the 3rd and Lindsley stage at 9 p.m., while great rocking country songsmith Amythyst Kiah plays at 10 and country-soul champ Leon Timbo is on at 11.
At 8 p.m., rising ace Joelton Mayfield plays The Basement, followed at 9 by R&B-schooled trio The Magi. Meanwhile, superb R&B girl-group reimaginers The Shindellas — whose second LP Shindo is due in October — set the stage with their 7 p.m. set at The Basement East; at 9, catch country songsmith Sarah Jarosz, who just announced her seventh LP Polaroid Lovers for January. Multifaceted songsmith (and sometime podcaster) Maggie Rose’s 11 p.m. set at the Beast, rounding out events there for the night, is about the best way we can think of to cap your AmericanaFest.
Ahead of AmericanaFest, check out our conversations with Adeem the Artist and SistaStrings, our show recommendations and more
