Last week I went to Nashville, Tennessee for the Americana Music Festival and Conference.  I’ve been to my share of film and music conferences over the years and I have to admit I approached this one with some trepidation.  Would it be informative and enlightening? Would it present networking opportunities?  Above all, would it be fun?

Dang straight.

I had two reasons for attending: 1) to start to let people who care about Americana music (which is to say, the core audience for The Winding Stream) know about the film; and 2) to make and reinforce connections I have in the roots music community to help get the film done.

Both things happened.  It was a wildly successful trip.

But those goals aside, there truly was just a wonderful social element that really pervades the conference and it’s enhanced by great music in any number of Nashville venues nightly.  The only bad thing is that there’s so much good stuff going on it’s hard to know what to choose.

I did get to some great shows though. I saw Raul Malo at the Cannery. He’s someone you must check out if you love great singers. He’s the obvious successor to Roy Orbison – soaring, emotive vocals. I also saw my friend rockabilly queen Wanda Jackson at the Mercy Lounge where she rocked the house. This is not new. What is new and is very exciting is that Wanda’s new producer Jack White was there (very nice guy). The album, “The Party Ain’t Over”, which will be out next year, promises to be as cool as Jack’s collaboration with Loretta Lynn.  (If not cooler, sez I.) Meanwhile, there’s a single out that’ll give you a little sample of what’s ahead. It’s on Jack White’s Third Man Records label.  The A side is Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good” and the B side is “Shakin’ All Over”.  Killer stuff.  Wanda says, “Jack pushed me and pushed me…right into the 21^st Century.” Go Jack.

Earlier that night Wanda had been honored with the AMA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. (The AMA Honors and Awards show was broadcast on NPR from the venerable old Ryman Auditorium – the original Grand Ole Opry.)  This has been quite a time for Wanda. She’s not only received this honor, but also the National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and last year’s biggie – her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  All well-deserved, needless to say.

Also honored at the show was Rosanne Cash for her fantastic album, “The List”, which I’ve talked about in this blog.  Later in the show, Rosanne performed an absolutely stunning version of Bobby Gentry’s classic “Ode to Billie Joe”.  Now to me, the mark of a great interpretation of a song is when you can hear it as if it were the very first time.  That is exactly what her version of this song was like.  Chilling, unsettling and as profound as the muddy waters off the Talahatchie Bridge.  Made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

Host for the AMA show was the amiable and talented Jim Lauderdale, an ambassador for roots music if there ever was one.  Periodically, someone would wrap up a song and Jim would enthuse, “Now that’s Americana!” It was a funny schtick but it also underscored the diversity of styles united by a commitment to authenticity in interpretation that’s at the heart of all this roots music.

And that’s what the night continually offered up – the best of Americana. Besides Wanda and Rosanne, the show featured Emmy Lou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Ryan Bingham, The Avett Brothers, Hayes Carll, Joe Pug, Will Kimbrough, Sam Bush, Corb Lund, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Sarah Jarocz and a surprise post-broadcast set of music by Robert Plant ably assisted by Buddy Miller, Don Was, and Patti Griffin.  Whole lotta love at the Ryman.

But I must say that the one performance that brought the greatest crowd reaction was by my new pals, The Carolina Chocolate Drops. They defied expectation, I believe, by not doing a traditional Americana piece, but rather performing their incredibly wry and energetic version of Blu Cantrell’s “Hit ‘em Up Style” in their rootsy style with Rhiannon on fiddle, Dom on banjo and Justin as human beat box.   When they finished, the crowd leapt to its feet cheering and the Ryman house lights came on so they could see what they’d wrought.

They’d knocked it out of the park.

It was a moment I won’t forget.