Americana Music Festival Takes Fun Off-Site

The Americana Music Association Festival and Conference runs Oct. 12-15 with events centered at the Downtown Sheraton, but that’s not stopping organizers from expanding the reach to other venues around town. Many of the events listed below are also free and open to the public. Check americanamusic.org for admission details and times.

For those interested in the business of music, early Bird Registration for the Conference is $350 for AMA members and $450 for non-members through Oct. 10. It includes admission to all AMA panels and all musical nighttime showcases, plus special events and a ticket to the Americana Honors & Awards show at the historic Ryman Auditorium on Thurs., Oct. 13.

Here’s a quick look at some of the off-site fun:

Wed., Oct. 12
• songwriter Steve Forbert performs and showcases photography at Tinney Contemporary Gallery
• Music City Roots: Live From the Loveless Cafe with Grayson Capps, The Milk Carton Kids, and more

Thurs., Oct. 13
• Land of 1000 Dances: The Groundbreaking Sounds of Muscle Shoals Presented at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum with guest speakers David Briggs, Rick Hall, Norbert Putnam, Donnie Fritts, Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham and Jimmy Johnson. Moderated by journalist Holly George Warren.
• 10th Annual Americana Honors and Awards Show at the Ryman Auditorium with Lucinda Williams, Gregg Allman, Jerry Douglas, Rick Hall, Bob Harris, Jim Lauderdale, Buddy Miller, Robert Plant and the Band of Joy, Hayes Carll, The Civil Wars, Elizabeth Cook, Justin Townes Earle, Jessica Lea Mayfield, The Secret Sisters

Fri., Oct. 14
• live radio broadcast with Mojo Nixon for SiriusXM Outlaw Country at the Sirius XM Theater at Bridgestone Arena Tower, with performances by Bottle Rockets, North Mississippi Allstars and Kenny Vaughan

Sat., Oct. 15
• Americanarama IV at Grimey’s New And Preloved Music, a free, all-day concert, plus the Yazoo beer truck, local food vendors and a store-wide sale

• Performance by The 1861 Project on the Legislative Plaza in front of War Memorial Auditorium and the Sheraton Hotel. Presented in partnership with the Southern Festival of Books. The 1861 Project is a concept album that sets stories of the Civil War to new songs. Featuring Thomm Jutz, Irene Kelley and more. Free and open to the public

• Thirty Tigers and The SummerTyne Americana Festival Party at Hard Rock Café. Free and open.

• Musician’s Corner at Centennial Park. The free weekly outdoor showcase features Nanci Griffith, a Tom T. Hall tribute, Ben Sollee, Brian Wright and more

Sun., Oct. 16
• Stagemothers Aussie BarBQ at The Basement with numerous acts