The Best of Americanafest 2023

One thing you learn early on as an Americanafest attendee is that it's a marathon, not a sprint. With almost 300 artists spread across dozens of Nashville venues, it's impossible to see everything you'd like to see, or even a majority of the things you'd like to see. But during Americanafest 2023, we caught over 30 bands across the broad spectrum of Americana, from classic country to Southern rock to traditional string band music. Trying to single out the best of those bands is almost as difficult as deciding which of them to see, but here is our list of the best things we saw at Americanafest 2023.

Best of the Fest- Dom Flemons and Amythyst Kiah
There is typically one artist whose performance stands out from the others as the best thing we saw all week. Not this year. On Thursday, Dom Flemons delivered a high-spirited set of traditional black string band music and original songs written in the traditional style. Throughout, Flemons showed off his impressive multi-intrumental talents, playing not only guitar and banjo, but also bones and pipes.

On Saturday, Amythyst Kiah closed down the festival with a set of songs as earnest as her albums. Opening with a blistering rendition of “Black Myself,” Kiah never let up throughout her 45 minute set, converting many of the people seated around us, who hadn't heard of her, into fans. Equally impressive was Kiah's band, who floated into jazzy improvisational moments while Kiah tuned up.

Best History Lesson- Bobby Rush
Following Dom Flemons, Americana's best historian, was 89 year old bluesman Bobby Rush. It's one thing to chronicle history. It's another to be history. Bobby Rush was there when much of the history of modern blues was written, from Muddy Waters to B.B. King. Additionally, Rush lived through attempting to make his living as a musician (and before that a comedian) during segregation. His set was a mix of soulful harmonica blues and stories from his long and eventful life. It was in equal part entertaining and inspirational.

Best Reminder That History is Sometimes Ridiculous- J.P. Harris' Dreadful Wind and Rain
Someone in line outside 3rd and Lindsley on Saturday night called J.P. Harris “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” and that's a fair comparison. At times, he is a raucous country rocker and at others, like this set, he plays as a duo of banjo and fiddle (from the always excellent Rachel Baiman) on songs that date back as far as the 17th century. Harris kept things light by spotlighting the surreal, and often borderline silly, nature of these traditional folk songs featuring vampires, voodoo pigs, witches, and a firm conviction that every banjo ballad has to end with someone being murdered or executed.

Best Dressed- Della Mae
They say you should dress for the job you want. If that's the case, Della Mae has a budding career as professional nappers. On Wednesday night at Basement East, vocalist Celia Woodsmith and bassist Vickie Vaughn showed up in their pajamas, but they certainly weren't sleeping. If you've ever seen Della Mae, you know the kind of kinetic shows they put on and, fashion choices aside, they didn't disappoint on this night.

Best Lemonade From Lemons Moment- Ever More Nest
It was early in Ever More Nest's set at the Louisiana Roux to Roots showcase at Vinyl Lounge when the electricity went out. After a brief pause, the band grabbed their instruments, climbed off the stage, encouraged everyone to be as quiet as possible, and delivered a true “unplugged” set that worked perfectly with their laid back style of roots music. It was such a special moment that it was almost a disappointment when the lights came back on and they were able to finish their set as intended.

Best Representation- Queer Cowpoke Roundup
For the second year in a row, Cindy Emch of Secret Emchy Society and her friends made sure Americanafest represented all of Americana with the Queer Cowpoke Roundup. Featuring “queer country” artists all day at The Groove, the showcase was a reminder that who you love or what you look like makes no difference in how strong your musical output is. Americanafest has made representation in all its forms a priority in recent years and the Queer Cowpoke Roundup was one of the best examples of that commitment all week.

Best “Love is Love” Set- Wild Ponies Happy Hour
Wild Ponies has always been a band that promoted inclusivity, and their set on Friday at Dee's Country Cocktail Lounge was a perfect distillation of this. Not only did they debut what is likely roots music's only “polyamorous love ballad” but also an ode to their journey as new foster parents. If “love is love”, Wild Ponies are the official spokespersons for that movement.

Best “Off-App” Showcase- Femme Noir
It's a testament to just how influential Americanafest has become that the 300 or so bands performing “officially” are supplemented by nearly as many performing in unofficial shows at even more venues across Nashville. While waiting for the Wild Ponies' Happy Hour at Dee's, we caught one of these “not on the app” shows in the Femme Noir showcase, featuring one of our favorite artists, Anana Kaye, as well as others ready to remind that, in Americana, women rule the roost.

You can see our full gallery from all four days of Americanafest now at our Facebook page!