Wednesday September 18, 2024
This is the big day. The conference kicks off run earnest and the American Honors & Awards are on at the Ryman Auditorium this evening. There is almost too much on each day, from now until Saturday. Apart from the Q&A sessions, the panels and the gigs at the clubs there are also a myriad of events put on by record companies, publishers and other industry organisations who provide drinks and food to conference badge holders. So, if you timed it right you wouldn’t have to buy lunch or dinner for at least four days! There are also many performances for Americana radio stations and NPR with high profile artists that you can attend.
My day began at 8.30am back at the City Winery for a radio conference, where I got to listen to radio presenters from American Public Radio stations talk about what they were doing. I also mef up with Michael from RTR in Perth who presents the Sunday morning Americana radio program Middle of Nowhere. I thought Myles from PBS might have been there. It occurred to me that next year I could do a program. here with other community radio presenters from around Australia. Just a thought.
The first session for me was Hurray for the Riff Raff’s Alynda Segarra sitting down with Natalie Weiner to discuss The Past Is Still Alive, which was nominated for Album of The Year at the 2024 Americana Honors & Awards tonight. Produced by Brad Cook, the album reflects on Segarra’s life and losses, especially that of her father. I had a long chat to her the other month for Rhythms and it was interesting to hear her again. The big surprise is that, after more than a decade, Alynda has decided to move to Chicago, so it will be interesting to see how that pans out.
Next I attended what was billed as ‘an intimate conversation moderated by Joe Henry with T Bone Burnett’. Earlier this year Burnett released his first album for years new album, The Other Side. Given that T Bone was Henry’s main mentor he would be able to elicit some information that others might not get. It was a pretty cosmic conversation but two things emerged. Burnett began his ‘career’ in music in Fort Worth, Texas, when he was just 17 years of age and purchased a recording studios. How this occurred was not explained. Then he explained that if you want to know what is best about America then what you need to do is listen to the music, because it is the nation’s finest creation. It made me think that this is how I can explain to people why I keep coming back here each year.
Then I moved to the session on the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music with its executive director Bob Santelli and his partner in the Museum Collective, Deana McCloud. The panel included Gary Talent from the E-Street Band which made it a bit special.
An Uber then took me back to the City Winery for the session on ‘The Music From Yellowstone with the TV series’ Music Supervisor, Andrea von Foerster who was joined on stage for performances by musicians who had songs on the soundtrack: Aubrie Sellers, Brent Cobb, Gethen Jenkins, Cleto Cordero, Eliot Bronson, Dani Rose, Kevin Galloway, Mary Gauthier, Myron Elkin and the legendary Robert Earl Keen, also one of my favourite Texans (who I interviewed afterwards and who was delightful).
When I returned to the Embassy Suites I discovered that I had lost my glasses which I only use for long distance. Must have left them on the table at the City Winery. Back I went in another Uber. Someone had kindly handed them in, thus relieving of the problem of having to buy a new pair when I got home. Now it was back to East Nashville, another Uber trip.
In the evening Anne McCue and I headed to the Ryman Auditorium for the Americana Music Association’s Honors & Awards night. There are six member-voted awards and then Lifetime Achievement Awards at the ceremony that started at 6.45pm.
You can add about the night here: AMERICANA HONORS & AWARDS
One of the highlights of the night had to be the house band led by Buddy Miller and featuring Don Was on bass. Buddy also gave a speech giving Don a Lifetime Achievement Award.
The evening lasted 3 1/2 hours, a length it has tended to reach most years. Anne and I agreed that the speeches from people handing out awards were just a little too long.