Three days down at AmericanaFest, two days to go. Thursday was the busiest day this week yet, packed full of killer showcases, panels and invite only events that provided the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the most high profile musicians in the Music City!

Here are the five best things we saw on day three of AmericanaFest 2022.

8th Fire Sessions By Ishkōdé Records at Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge

  • Helping to light the eighth fire unlocking the door to a brighter future, Amanda Rheaume dazzled during her performance at Indigenous and women-founded label Ishkōdé Records’ showcase at Dee’s Lounge in the early afternoon. Rheaume and her band ran through songs like “100 Years” and “The Spaces In Between” from her newest album The Spaces In Between, alongside older tunes like “The Skin I’m In” and “Return to the Water,” a song about envisioning a rekindling with your ancestors upon plunging beneath water’s surface.

East Nashville Community Fish Fry at American Legion Post 82 Inglewood

  • Northern Kentucky-based country bluesman Nat Myers floored the crowd during a surprise gazebo set during Easy Eye Sound and Luck Reunion’s East Nashville Community Fish Fry at American Legion Post 82 Inglewood, an event that also included performances from Brit Taylor, Hank Williams Jr. and The Black Keys. Myers’ music was like a time capsule sending listeners back to the days of Robert Johnson and Leadbelly as he channeled their collective spirits on renditions of “Is What It Is,” “Hobo Wine,” “75-71” and others likely to be on his forthcoming, Auerbach-produced project.

Ladies Bring The Heat to The Basement East

  • Rissi Palmer spanned her musical catalog and life journey with a rousing set at The Basement East with hits like “Country Girl,” “Summerville” and “Seeds,” the latter coming with the inspiring imagery of planting seeds of positivity and hope in your communities every day rather than seeds of chaos so that collectively we can build toward a better future. However, the highlight of Palmer’s set came when she welcomed Miko Marks to the stage for a debut performance of their new co-write “I’m Still Here,” a song touching on their long roads in the music industry and the need to take up space to have your presence known.
  • Molly Tuttle and her all-star band Golden Highway (Kyle Tuttle, Shelby Means, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes and Dominick Leslie) ran through several songs from her critically acclaimed new album Crooked Tree in front of a shoulder-to-shoulder Basement East crowd, dropping countless jaws to the floor during the 45 minute set with virtuosic precision on songs like “She’ll Change,” “Dooley’s Farm” and “Side Saddle.” The artist later capped her set with a performance of one of her first hits, “Take 5he Journey,” which was also easily the best showcase of Tuttle’s own picking prowess that has lauded her as a trailblazer of the new generation.

Bee Taylor at The 5 Spot

  • The female Dr. John, Bee Taylor, brought the house down to wrap up showcases at The 5 Spot on Thursday night. Marching through the venue’s front door and to the stage with a megaphone in hand and her band in tow, Taylor kicked off her showcase with a soulful and funk-filled cover of Dolly Parton’s “9 To 5” before moving through originals like “Do It to It” and “Dem Bugs.” Moving between keys and guitar throughout, Taylor’s show acted as a little slice of New Orleans in Nashville that, for a brief moment, made the East Nashville venue feel more like a club in the depths of Bourbon Street.

AmericanaFest continues through Saturday, Sept. 17 at the Westin hotel and various music venues throughout Nashville. For more information, visit AmericanaMusic.org.

PHOTOS: 2022 Americana Honors & Awards Red Carpet

Brandi Carlile, Allison Russell, Nikki Lane, Chris Isaak and Lyle Lovett are just a few of the talented acts who took the stage during the 2022 Americana Honors & Awards on Wednesday, Sept. 14. Take a look at all the fashion, surprises and fun captured in these snapshots from the red carpet.

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