Welcome to Music (Festival) City
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Lori McKenna performs with her band at Americanafest in 2019. Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images
September marks the start of roots-music festival season in the Nashville area with Americanafest, Live on the Green and Pilgrimage Fest taking place in the span of a few short weeks.
Why it matters: The trio of annual festivals proves Nashville is about more than just mainstream country music and CMA Fest.
Details: Every city in the country boasts a music festival or concert series, but even in the crowded environment, Americanafest stands alone for its creative approach. Americanafest takes place Sept. 13-17. A festival pass, which gets you into almost every concert, costs $175.
- The event is part music business conference, with industry experts meeting to discuss cutting-edge topics. It's also part niche festival, with venues across Davidson County used for showcases by headlining stars and up-and-coming artists.
- The Americana Awards show at the Ryman Auditorium, one of Nashville's best concerts annually, is held during the week and isn't included with a festival pass. This year's nominees include Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell and Allison Russell.
Nate's pick: One of my favorite indie country bands, Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, plays Exit/In at 10pm on Sept. 14. Listen to their song "Good as Gold," which has over 1 million streams on Spotify.
Adam's pick: I love hearing from the professional songwriters behind some of country's biggest hits. Americanafest offers an opportunity to appreciate two of the all-time greats.
- Gretchen Peters, who wrote the Martina McBride classic "Independence Day," and Lori McKenna, the force behind Tim McGraw's "Humble and Kind," are both scheduled to take the mic.
📍 Don't forget: Live on the Green takes place next week, Sept. 1-5.
- It's free to attend, but premium passes with better seating and other perks start at $218.
- The festival serves as a sort of victory lap for local success stories. Sheryl Crow, COIN, Moon Taxi and Yola are among the headlining artists.
🎸 The Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Fest takes place Sept. 24-25 in Williamson County. Chris Stapleton, the Avett Brothers and Carlile are among the headliners. Two-day passes start at $219.
More fall arts events:
🐦 Bluebird on the Mountain is the ultimate mashup of the area's greatest attributes.
- The Bluebird Cafe's singer-songwriter showcases move to the lush hilltop home of the Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory.
- The Sept. 10 concert is sold out, but you still have a chance to snag tickets for the shows on Oct. 1 and 8.
- Liz Rose, the featured performer scheduled on Oct. 1, co-wrote classic country songs by Taylor Swift and Little Big Town.
🎷 Jazz on the Cumberland: In its 10th year, the Nashville parks department's Jazz on the Cumberland series continues this fall.
- The free, family-friendly concert series takes place at Cumberland Park on the East Bank. The Dana Robbins Band headlines on Sept. 18, and Joseph Wooten plays Oct. 16.
🍻 Nashville Brew Fest: The art of brewing beer takes center stage at the Nashville Brew Fest on Sept. 9 at First Horizon Park.
📽 The Nashville Film Festival elevates art on the silver screen from Sept. 29-Oct. 5.
🪕 The Country Music Hall of Fame celebrates the city of Los Angeles' proud history of country-rock music with a new exhibit called "Western Edge," opening Sept. 30.
- The exhibit highlights the work of Linda Ronstadt, the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, the Eagles and others.
- If you go: Check out the Flying Burrito Brothers' absolutely bonkers and amazing stage costumes.
🥨 Nashville Oktoberfest puts the German in Germantown Oct. 6-9.
🕯 Light The Nations will take over the West Nashville neighborhood Oct. 15.
🎃 PumpkinFest returns to downtown Franklin Oct. 29.