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personal values first, in spite of people who want you to “shut up and sing.” Their talk is called Price Points (Sept. 18, 4 p.m.). The beloved
Your quick-reference guide to Thriving Roots BY STEPHEN TRAGESER
Americana Honors and Awards Ceremony isn’t
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or the first time in two decades, mid-September won’t see fans of music that might or might not fit into traditions of country, folk, bluegrass, soul, R&B, blues or rock ’n’ SEE THRIVINGROOTS.PATHABLE.CO roll flock to FOR COMPLETE SCHEDULE AND Nashville REGISTRATION INFO for AmericanaFest. In June, the Americana Music Association made a tough but smart call regarding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The bustling in-person happening, which usually fills venues from the cozy Station Inn to the expansive Ascend Amphitheater for five or more days and nights, will not take place. Instead, the association’s recently founded charitable and educational arm, the Americana Music Association Foundation, will host a three-day virtual conference called Thriving Roots Sept. 1618, entirely within a customizable app. COVID-19 has taken away one of AmericanaFest’s biggest draws: the overwhelming quantity of good shows you can see for the price of a wristband. But the necessary shift to an online platform provides a special opportunity to reflect on the state of the business and put a spotlight on issues that affect people across the breadth of the big-tent genre. In the past, AmericanaFest’s daytime discussion panels have generally appealed most to industry folk and media, but Thriving Roots puts them at center stage. In August, the Americana Music Association hosted a panel called Black Equity in Americana, in which Black musicians and
Americana artist. I wrote about Cook at the time of Balls, when the idea of hip country was beginning to take hold among fans and critics. The spare, rocking arrangements on the album — and Cook’s cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Sunday Morning” — suggested she had already transcended the restrictions of genre. The follow-up, Welder, proved Cook was an ambitious artist who artfully balanced humor and serious examinations of the fate of country people who found themselves in a rapidly changing world. Producer Don Was helped turn Welder into a country record hipsters could love, and Exodus continued in that vein. Meanwhile, Aftermath draws from rock and pop, but the rueful tinge of Cook’s lyrics — and the meticulous way she allows the words to flow within the music — mark her as an exemplary post-country artist. This fusion of words, music and production makes the record’s “Stanley by God Terry” an unclassifiable piece of work. The song lasts for five minutes, but this is a track that could run for 30 minutes. “That’s a story I wanted to tell for a long time,” Cook says about “Stanley by God Terry,” which begins with an oddly familiar chord progression that evokes John Barry’s theme for the 1969 movie Midnight Cowboy. The song has a circular, repetitive feel that allows Cook to tell her story effectively. “Stanley by
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business professionals discussed ways that Americana underserves them despite its fundamental reliance on Black art. Panelists including journalists Andrea Williams (a Scene contributor) and Marcus K. Dowling and artist Adia Victoria will participate in a follow-up talk called Beyond Representation: Community Leadership for Black Equity in Americana (Sept. 16, 3:45 p.m.). Panelists including Tanya Tucker and journalist Marissa R. Moss (also a Scene contributor) have been brought together by Change the Conversation, an organization advocating for gender equality in the music industry. They’ll discuss navigating the differing landscapes of country and Americana music in Ladies, Your Roots Are Showing (Sept. 16, 1:30 p.m.). Staying on the industry side, there are also panels on topics like the evolution of copyright law (The Music Modernization Act: An Update, Sept. 17, 10:30 a.m.) and music licensing for new ways of listening, like streaming and virtual reality (The Day the Music Died a Second Time, Sept. 18, 10 a.m.). Closer to home for the average music fan
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will be NIVA and NITO: Fighting for the Survival of Independent Music (Sept. 17, noon), in which representatives of the National Independent Venue Association and National Independent Talent Organization will discuss lobbying for federal aid to help venues survive the pandemic. (See our cover story on p. 8 for more on this topic.) You’ll hear plenty from artists as well. Brandi Carlile and Yola are set to have a conversation about advocacy and representation, as well as how to navigate suddenly becoming widely known after many years of work (Sept. 17, 12:45 p.m.). A discussion about protest music and the historic roles played by Black musicians will feature Rosanne Cash, Bonnie Raitt and Ry Cooder with activist Angela Davis and author Alice Randall — see Love and Vigilance (Sept. 18, 10 a.m.). Taj Mahal and Rhiannon Giddens will speak with journalist and author Ann Powers about music’s ability to heal in a talk called Music Is the Healing Voice (Sept. 18, 2 p.m.). Margo Price and journalist Jewly Hight will round out the week as they discuss putting your artistic and
technically part of the conference, but is still set to stream live from the Ryman on Sept. 16 (time TBA). Though you won’t be packing into sweaty clubs to see them, there will be plenty of short streaming music performances interspersed throughout Thriving Roots. The late John Prine’s Oh Boy Records has two showcases on deck for artists Kelsey Waldon (an Emerging Act of the Year nominee at the Honors and Awards), Dan Reeder, Tré Burt and Arlo McKinley. They’ll play originals during Aw Heck (Sept. 16, 12:15 p.m.) and some Prine classics during I Remember Everything (Sept. 18, 3:30 p.m.). Meanwhile, PR firm Missing Piece Group’s showcase (Sept. 16, 2 p.m.) features rockers Low Cut Connie, country ace Hailey Whitters and multifaceted songsmith Justin Osborne of SUSTO. ANTI- Records’ showcase (Sept. 18, 12:15 p.m.) includes country legend Wynonna, folk-pop stalwart Ben Harper and Jeremy Ivey, husband and musical partner of Margo Price; his new LP Waiting Out the Storm is out in October. There’s plenty more where that came from. Visit the Thriving Roots site (thrivingroots.pathable.co) to register and to see the full schedule of more than 70 events. “Nick of Time,” the final pricing tier for registration, is $199. EMAIL MUSIC@NASHVILLESCENE.COM
God Terry” also shows off Cook’s genius for rhyme, as she sings: “Passed out on the concrete porch / Love sure is a bitch when your liver is scorched.” “I remember writing that song on my front porch, and I remember getting the bulk of it in one sitting,” says Cook. However she arrived at the final version of this remarkable composition, the song, like all of Aftermath, evinces a high level of sheer craft. Cook & Co. dip into any number of classic-rock approaches on the album, but none of the songs feels like genre exercises. Elsewhere on Aftermath, Cook recalls R.E.M. and The Byrds on “When She Comes,” a song worthy of The Byrds’ Younger Than Yesterday. “Thick Georgia Woman” is an empathetic look at the life of a small-town woman, and Cook rhymes “J.C. Penney” with the name of Drivin N Cryin leader Kevn Kinney. As the two songs make clear, the record’s pop leanings situate Cook in a culture that is larger than country music. It’s an addictive record worthy of Pink Floyd’s 1975 album Wish You Were Here. That album mourns the disappearance of troubled Floyd singer Syd Barrett, while Cook mourns a vanished way of life in the American South. What’s gone may be gone, but Cook has used her immense gifts to help you remember what should never be forgotten. EMAIL MUSIC@NASHVILLESCENE.COM
ELIZABETH COOK
nashvillescene.com | SEPTEMBER 10 – SEPTEMBER 16, 2020 | NASHVILLE SCENE
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