I love Nashville. At this point, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made the pilgrimage to Music City, but you never forget your first time. For me, that maiden voyage went down in the early 2000s. I had just scored the gig as Country Music Editor at Rhapsody, and my first official order of business was diving headfirst into the beautiful chaos of CMA Fest. Enter John Zarling. Back in his Big Machine Label Group days, Zarling gave me the ultimate crash course in genuine Southern hospitality. He rolled out the red carpet with a killer dinner and backstage passes to the holy grail itself: the Grand Ole Opry. As if standing in the wings of the Opry wasn't enough to blow a rookie editor's mind, he threw down the ultimate ace. Right there in the flesh, he introduced me to the legendary, rhinestone-clad icon himself, Porter Wagoner.
Ever since that first taste, these regular pilgrimages to Nashville have done exactly what they’re supposed to: fuel a burning, obsessive love for raw twang and deep-rooted storytelling. This year, a few teammates and I hit the ground running at the 26th annual Americanafest. Our mission? Spread the gospel of Pandora AMP, talk shop with artists and industry folks, and lose ourselves in a marathon of incredible live music.
The first stop was Vinyl Tap (a killer record shop and beer joint) to catch a label showcase for New West, Strolling Bones, and Normaltown. Unfortunately, we just missed Josh Rouse. I’ve been dying to cross paths with him ever since he contributed the opening track to a Bread tribute album I produced a lifetime ago. But we did stumble into Kristina Murray’s set. Her Telecaster player was hands-down the finest picker we witnessed all weekend.
Back inside the record shop, singer-songwriter Schaefer Llana delivered a masterclass in atmospheric intimacy, hypnotizing the room with a set of spellbinding siren songs. While her performance occasionally channeled the ghostly, nocturnal coo of Hope Sandoval and the peerless vocal control of Paula Frazer, Llana operates in a sonic stratosphere entirely her own. It was an otherworldly, magnetic display that left the crowd deadlocked in silence, hanging onto her every word.
Another highlight of the instore was T. Hardy Morris dropping a spellbinding solo electric set. For a few tracks, he was joined by singer-songwriter and musical polymath Thayer Sarrano. While both are formidable forces on their own, their joint performance was pure alchemy. Together, their wispy wails and spectral crooning sounded like two outland ghosts of the American highway, haunting anyone lucky enough to be within earshot.
Emily Nenni delivered a masterclass in modern honky-tonk, fittingly headlining the showcase as the undisputed standout of the night. After well over a decade of paying her dues on the circuit, watching her star rise has been nothing short of inspiring - a journey matched only by the steady, undeniable evolution of her songwriting with every consecutive release. Nenni wields a rare kind of sonic magic, seamlessly blending tried-and-true traditional country roots with a sharp, contemporary approach to songcraft that remains thrillingly fresh and unpredictable.
The following day, Brown's Diner bore witness to a genuinely arresting set from Julia Barfield, a rising singer-songwriter from Athens, GA. While industry showcases often highlight what is happening right now, Barfield’s performance offered a thrilling glimpse into what is coming next. Her songwriting delivers dark, beautiful reflections that masterfully braid Gen Z anxiety with slivers of uplifting hope. Delivered in a soaring, distinguished tenor, her vocals are simultaneously powerful and ethereal, marking the most deeply moving discovery since first encountering Gillian Welch. Her upcoming debut album cannot arrive soon enough.
Over at Third Man’s Blue Room, Jess Woodland captivated the room with a haunting set of moody, Appalachian, bluegrass-inspired folk. Between songs, Woodland shared a fascinating bit of band trivia: her mandolin player, Wes Thompson, is not only her husband but also the drummer for the black metal outfit Threnodian. The absolute highlight of the performance came when she invited her father, award-winning virtuoso musician Glenn "Wailin' Wood" Woodland, to the stage. His exceptional harmonica accompaniment added another heartland layer to the band's Americana architecture.
Tucked away on the East side, an intimate residential house famous for its potluck house concerts served as the backdrop for Cellovision. This annual, three-day DIY musical showcase perfectly channels the raw, renegade energy of those legendary unofficial SXSW parties that take over Austin every mid-March. The undisputed standout of the night was Brother & the Hayes, a sibling duo musing on the gritty, real-deal realities of traveling troubadours through a traditional honky-tonk lens. Ringing out through the packed basement, their striking, tight-knit harmonies sounded as timeless as vintage vinyl.
On our final day at Americanafest '26, we managed to secure entry to the Easy Eye Fish Fry, the highly anticipated, private annual bash hosted by Dan Auerbach’s powerhouse record label. Taking over American Legion Post 82, the venue felt less like a standard venue and more like an outlaw motorcycle clubhouse, complete with custom choppers, flash tattoo booths, a fried catfish lunch, and classic beer-hall energy. Channeling a pristine '70s Laurel Canyon troubadour aesthetic, Theo Lawrence emerged as the afternoon's absolute standout. His songs evoked the early, evocative mastery of Jackson Browne mixed with Two-Lane Blacktop era James Taylor. It proved to be the ultimate bookend to our Americanafest 26 journey, with Lawrence’s distinctly California-flavored folk melodies leaving us a little homesick for the West Coast. As the dust settles on this year's incredible run, our sights (and ears) are already set on what Americanafest 27 has in store.
