Margo Price and More Kick Out the Jams at AmericanaFest

The Spin started our Thursday festivities by rolling out to Third Man Records for Margo Price’s not-so-secret rooftop show. Price and her band towered above rows of people lining the sidewalks that run by the record store. Pedal Steel licks and harmonica drifted through the air during a segue from her All American Made cut “Don’t Say It” into “Do Right By Me,” followed by a new song. Special guests had been promised, and were delivered. Lilly Hiatt came out for a duet of “Don’t Let Me Down,” a nod to The Beatles’ farewell rooftop show. Price’s performance was, as always, exuberant, sprinkled with quick wit. 

With the setting sun turning the clouds pink behind the Nashville skyline, Price & Co. hit close to home with “All American Made,” featuring a poignant, goosebump-inducing lyric change: “I wonder if the president gets much sleep at night / And if the folks at the border are making it home all right,” she sang. As if the cake needed any icing, Brandi Carlile stepped out for a soulful rendition of “9 to 5.” With ongoing discussion during the fest — and Third Man, Jason Isbell and others tweeting about the lack of diversity among the winners of the Americana Honors and Awards — watching two of the most talented women in Americana sing anthemic country songs about working women felt extra needed. Not a bad way to kick things off.

We got to The Crying Wolf on the East Side just before 7, meaning we missed most of the Queer Roots Party, the landmark first AmericanaFest showcase dedicated to artists representing the LGBT community. We were just in time for a dose of Little Bandit’s dry, resonant, velour-toned brand of countrypolitan music. Alex Caress & Co. only got to play an abbreviated set, but Caress was able to squeeze in a twangy new number called “Rhinestone Gay Bar” that he played solo.

Then, Lavender Country took over. “It only took 50 fuckin’ years for us to get here!” Patrick Haggerty belted into the mic, his twang slicing through the humidity of the crowded beer hall. “This is our victory! Share it with me!” The current incarnation of the band (including members of now-dissolved Nashville band Promised Land Sound) played cuts like "Back In the Closet Again," from 1973’s Lavender Country, commonly cited as the first openly gay country record. The band and audience alike responded enthusiastically to the songs, testament to Haggerty’s keen writing — and perhaps recognition of the continuing struggles that the LGBT community faces. Judging from the pride in his voice and the way he danced through the crowd, nobody was having more fun than Haggerty himself. 

Back at Third Man, rising singer-songwriter Erin Rae charmed the crowd right away. She delivered hard truths about hard feelings in her velvety smooth voice with precise pronunciation. “This is a song about all people,” she said as she introduced “Bad Mind,” a song from her new album Putting on Airs. “We usually say it’s about crazy people, but it’s about all of us.” Rae and band closed with the warm and wistful combo of “Anchor Me Down” and her record’s title track, leaving us feeling sentimental.

Across Eighth Avenue South at Mercy Lounge, we finally got to put a face with a name when we caught the tail end of Katie Pruitt’s gospel-infused set. The full-band sets were rich and loose, but the emotional peak came when she set down her guitar to unleash the full power of her voice on “It’s Always Been You.” It was pretty transporting to watch her sing it directly to her girlfriend, who was standing a few rows back from the stage.

You know someone else who was definitely having a great time on Thursday? Amanda Shires, who played at The Basement East. After an extended, feedback-laden soundcheck, Ms. Shires and her band dug in and delivered raucous, spacious jams that the audience was hungry for. The electric organ and repetitive groove came across something like a country-tinged Dark Side of the Moon. Shires sprinkled witty banter between fan favorites from her new album To the Sunset like “Parking Lot Pirouette” as well as a cover of Songs: Ohia’s “Just Be Simple.”

If millennial music fans are going to keep responding strongly to Stevie Nicks and Dolly Parton, To the Sunset is going to set some streaming records. Created with Dave Cobb at the controls, the album is a vision of what contemporary country could be. It blends modern pop sounds and traditional techniques in support of top-shelf songs — what more could you ask for than that? 

We weren’t sure how John Paul White could follow that ripper of an Amanda Shires set. He decided to slow down the pace a little, and partway into the set, he announced that he was playing nothing but new material. A lot of it sounded like it was in the middle ground between ’80s pop country and Bon Iver. Being totally unfamiliar with the songs didn’t seem to bother the audience. One dude we noticed was super into it, and spent a good portion of the set trying to take really arty iPhone pics.

The last two artists of the night back at Third Man drove home the point that Americana is more a canon than a genre.

Just as we started to get sleepy, Cedric Burnside jumped onstage and served us the musical equivalent of an espresso shot with his electric blues guitar. Burnside’s musical legacy — being the grandson of blues legend R.L. Burnside — led us to expect nothing less. Fusing delta and hill country with elements of jam-band rock, he and his drummer packed an incredible punch, and never let the momentum die down. He kept us laughing with anecdotes about his grandfather, and he made the intimate venue feel like a porch in Mississippi on a summer evening.

The Nude Party couldn’t have ended the night in a more perfect way. Once the rambunctious psych-rock six-piece got going, they didn’t take breaks between songs. We found it tough to stand still during their set, and we learned that the Blue Room carpet is great for dancing. Singer Patton Magee’s Mick Jagger vernacular was complemented by Western picking and timely maraca shakes, and the audience practically yelled the lyrics to “Records” — “I don’t need your love / I just need your records” — back at him. We had a hard time picking a favorite cut: From “Wild Coyote” to “Paper Trail (Money)” to “Chevrolet Van,” our love for the big band of North Carolina friends only grew stronger. Their set was satisfyingly groovy, and it felt like it ended too soon. 

See our slideshows for more photos from Third Man Records, The Basement East, The Crying Wolf and Cannery Ballroom.

In The Spin — the Scene's live review column — staffers and freelance contributors review concerts under a collective byline.