See Photos from Lexington, KY’s Railbird Music Festival Featuring Tyler Childers and More

Highlighting the confluence of roots music and the mainstream, Railbird Festival welcomed 32 acts from across the rock, folk, and bluegrass spectrum to Lexington, Kentucky on June 3-4.

Boasting headliners Tyler Childers and Zach Bryan, plus Charley Crockett, Whiskey Myers, Nickel Creek and more, a sold-out crowd of 40,000-plus helped kick off festival season with a uniquely “Americana” lineup – drawing attention to this hidden gem of a city.

Set in the heart of Lexington and spread across three massive stages and a spacious lawn at The Infield at Red Mile (usually a horse racing venue and casino), 2023 marked the third year of a festival turning the “horse capital of the world” into roots-music central while celebrating the rich musical history of the area.

Jenny Lewis (R) with Lucius by Nathan Zucker

Day one kicked off with perfect festival weather– meaning it was blazing hot and dry as a bone. That was no worry, however, since Railbird also featured three huge shaded areas, plenty of refreshments (it is bourbon country, after all) and a merciful breeze. From just about anywhere on the grounds, fans could see everything all at once – and that included 2023’s festival-season fashions.

Charley Crockett (L) by Charles Reagan

Indie pop chanteuse Jenny Lewis was an early draw, singing smart tunes about “psycho men” and hypoallergenic puppies – and also welcoming Lucius, the Grammy-nominated duo who became something like the fest’s house band, for a rich duet.

Sheryl Crow by Nathan Zucker

Later on, Charley Crockett herded everyone to the Elkhorn stage for some ballads from a modern day drifting cowboy. And Sheryl Crow showed she could still hang with the kids, even calling for more of them in politics. “I don’t have a lot of hope for people older than me,” the feisty icon said. “But you can bring change.”

Valerie June by Cora Wagoner

Whiskey Myers brought their own gasoline (and a match), firing up a midday crowd with their rowdy roadhouse rock, and while Valerie June won her crowd over with a big smile and songs connected to the Black-folk past, emerging phenom Morgan Wade unleashed the pent up anger of country girls everywhere, sounding like a combination of Courtney Love and Loretta Lynn.

Morgan Wade by Taylor Regulski

Nineties alt-heroes Weezer united the crowd in a full set of fuzzed out awkward-teenager anthems – but also showed where they fit in the roots world, breaking out some old-timey three part harmony – and the day came to a close with breakout superstar Zach Bryan.

Zach Bryan by Charles Reagan

A self-made headliner who still carries the underground spirit, he gathered the whole crowd as the sun went down, doing his best to stay a songwriter who “keeps truth in songs.” Leading a country band with strong Class of ‘89 vibes, he mixed tender-but-edgy confessions with a well-placed vocal growl, and finished the night off in awe of the Railbird crowd, noting he was on the fest’s smallest stage just a few years earlier.

“I’m nervous as shit!” Bryan admitted. “Never in my life did I think I’d be after Weezer or Marcus Mumford.”

Marcus Mumford by Charles Reagan

Day two started off much the same as the first: hot and sunny, but with a marked increase of tow trucks prowling the Red Mile area. Great herds of humanity seem to migrate from one stage to the next, with wide smiles and a rootsier, more-acoustic lineup for them to enjoy. Luckily, the pacing was excellent and there was rarely any conflict over which stage to check out.

Sierra Ferrell by Cora Wagoner

Winchester 49 took over the big stage early, dodging beach balls and blasting their gritty country/rock/soul as they welcomed the crowd back with calls to drink up life (and beer.) Old-school master Sierra Ferrell had everyone dancing a throwback jig, and while Flipturn mixed fiery rock grooves with huge, danceable swells of energy (like EDM on electric guitars), Ricky Skaggs charmed as the fest’s elder statesman, and Kentucky treasure.

Making bluegrass look beyond easy (maybe more like effortless), a “RICKY!” chant soon broke out as parents answered questions from dumbstruck kids, like “Is it just him playing right now?” – once again proving the timeless, ageless wonder of acoustic music.

Nickel Creek by Charles Reagan

Nickel Creek seasoned their simple ingredients with a playful edge, returning for their first tour as a blood-bonded neo-bluegrass trio in quite a few years, while Amos Lee sampled everything from Memphis soul to Bob Marley and a bit of New Orleans funk.

Amos Lee by Taylor Regulski

Town Mountain found a welcome home for its foot-stomping, wild-child alternative-grass over at the covered Burl stage – as did Molly Tuttle (who will surely be on a bigger stage next year) and Charles Wesley Godwin, the West Virginia troubadour who welcomed night-one’s headliner back for a re-energizing duet, late in the festival and just before its biggest draw.

Molly Tuttle by Cora Wagoner

That moment finally came as the deep-red Strawberry Moon rose over Red Mile, with Tyler Childers putting a bold, indie-country cap on an already special event.

Tyler Childers by Charles Reagan

Welcomed to the stage by Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton – who proclaimed June 4, 2023 as Tyler Childers Day – the Lawrence County native arrived carrying the whole state’s roots-music tradition on his small frame, and never put a foot wrong.

Humble as ever and wielding the witty cadence of a carnival barker, he presided over a rabid hometown crowd in a jean jacket and rusty-blond hair, matching a voice that could cut Kentucky limestone with hardscrabble poetry just as sharp.

Tyler Childers by Charles Reagan

Over a two hour set, all of Lexington seemed to sway and sing along, closing the weekend with proudly down-home tracks like “All Your’n.” On the surface, it’s a holler-kid’s rebellious pledge of true love, that’s obvious enough. But in this case, that pledge seemed applicable in other ways – to the fans, to roots music, to Lexington. Perhaps even to the Railbird Music Festival itself.

I’ll love ya ’til my lungs give out / I ain’t lying,” Childers and his audience sang. “I’m all your’n and you’re all mine.”

Tyler Childers and band by Cora Wagoner

Photos courtesy of Railbird Festival
Lead photo credit: Taylor Regulski

2023 Americana Honors & Awards Nominations Announced

The Americana Music Association announced the nominees for its 22nd annual Americana Honors & Awards today at the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) in Nashville. This year’s nominations were revealed by host Gina Miller, Senior Vice President and General Manager of MNRK Music Group and member of the Americana Music Association’s Board of Directors. The event was streamed live to the Americana Music Association’s Facebook page and also featured performances from S.G. Goodman, The McCrary Sisters, and Margo Price.

A full list of categories and nominees for the Americana Music Association’s 22nd annual Americana Honors & Awards is below:

ALBUM OF THE YEAR:

Big Time, Angel Olsen; Produced by Angel Olsen and Jonathan Wilson

Can I Take My Hounds To Heaven?, Tyler Childers; Produced by Tyler Childers

El Bueno y el Malo, Hermanos Gutiérrez; Produced by Dan Auerbach

The Man from Waco, Charley Crockett; Produced by Bruce Robison

Strays, Margo Price; Produced by Margo Price and Jonathan Wilson


ARTIST OF THE YEAR:

Charley Crockett

Sierra Ferrell

Margo Price

Allison Russell

Billy Strings


DUO/GROUP OF THE YEAR:

49 Winchester

Caamp

Nickel Creek

Plains

The War and Treaty


EMERGING ACT OF THE YEAR:

Adeem the Artist

S.G. Goodman

William Prince

Thee Sacred Souls

Sunny War


INSTRUMENTALIST OF THE YEAR:

Isa Burke

Allison de Groot

Jeff Picker

SistaStrings – Chauntee and Monique Ross

Kyle Tuttle


SONG OF THE YEAR:

“Change of Heart,” Margo Price; Written by Jeremy Ivey, Margo Price

“I’m Just a Clown,” Charley Crockett; Written by Charley Crockett

“Just Like That,” Bonnie Raitt; Written by Bonnie Raitt

“Something in the Orange,” Zach Bryan; Written by Zach Bryan

“You’re Not Alone,” Allison Russell featuring Brandi Carlile; Written by Allison Russell


Photo of Tyler Childers: David McClister
Photo of Sierra Ferrell: Alysse Gafkjen
Photo of Allison Russell: Marc Baptiste
Photo of Charley Crockett: Bobby Cochran

LISTEN: Davisson Brothers Band, “I’m Good With It”

Artist: Davisson Brothers Band
Hometown: Clarksburg, West Virginia
Song: “I’m Good With It”
Album: Home Is Where the Heart Is
Release Date: April 28, 2023
Label: Rollin’ The Dice Records

In Their Words: “When we started the process to make the record, like I have stated before, we decided to reach out to some of our friends in the industry and wanted to collaborate with a couple folks. I set up a couple retreat-style writes and brought in a few artists. One particular write, we brought in a fellow West Virginian and old touring and hanging friend Sierra Ferrell. We go way back with Sierra, she has been sharing stages with us since she was very young. She had never done a co-write so we had gotten in the room with her and wrote a few things. We knocked it out of the park, we had intentions of getting her and Del McCoury to sing on a track with us together on a song we wrote with Sierra that Brent [Cobb] and [David] Ferg [Ferguson] really loved. The problem was we already had the studio booked and a couple dates to work with, but unfortunately schedules did not line up.

“We were determined to have a duet-style performance on the album. We decided to get in the writing room with our buddy Kyle Tuttle (Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway) and his partner Lindsay Lou and also invited our friends Rob McCoury and Paul McDonald. The chemistry and energy in that room was insane that day. Kyle ended up jumping out to write with Donnie on a track as we were winding down and Lindsay started belting out this melody with Paul and there it was… ‘I’m Good With It’ came to life. I knew then we had the song we were looking for. It also nods to our early years of touring around the jam band scene. Lindsay came in the studio and nailed her part, Rob McCoury played on the track as well. One of the musical highlights of the record for me.” — Chris Davisson, Davisson Brothers Band


Photo Credit: Clay Enos

Americana Honors & Awards 2022: See the Full Winners List

It was a wonderful night of music, celebration, reflection, and joy last night at the Ryman Auditorium as folks gathered for the 21st Annual Americana Honors & Awards.

Billy Strings was crowned Americana’s Artist of the Year, with Jerry Douglas presenting the award.

Triple nominee Allison Russell earned the Album of the Year Award for her record Outside Child, produced by Dan Knobler. She accepted the award from respected music critic and NPR writer Ann Powers.

Allison Moorer and Hayes Carll awarded two-time Artist of the Year Brandi Carlile for the Song of the Year with “Right On Time,” written by Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth.

The War and Treaty (Michael and Tanya Trotter) won Duo/Group of the Year after winning Americana Emerging Act of the Year in 2019.

On the heels of her new album Long Time Coming, Sierra Ferrell was also honored by the Americana music community and received this year’s Emerging Act of the Year Award.

Multi-instrumentalist Larissa Maestro took home the Instrumentalist of the Year Award, as Molly Tuttle recognized the Berklee College of Music grad. Maestro has performed and recorded with many high caliber artists and musicians, including Allison Russell, Mickey Guyton, Eminem, Ms. Lauryn Hill, H.E.R., Michael Bublé, Margo Price, and Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings.

Highlights from the evening include Brandi Carlile and Allison Russell delivering a soul-stirring rendition of “You’re Not Alone,” as well as the iconic McCrary Sisters honoring their late sister Deborah (who passed away in June) with a chills-inducing performance of “Amazing Grace.”

Americana stalwart and reigning All-Star Band musical director Buddy Miller was surprised by Robert Plant, who presented Miller with The Lifetime Achievement Award, which was previously unannounced. Miller graced the audience with his classic “Wide River To Cross.”

Throughout the night, attendees were treated to additional performances by the Fairfield Four, Indigo Girls, Lucinda Williams, Adia Victoria, James McCurtry, Lukas Nelson, Morgan Wade, Neal Francis, The War and Treaty, Sierra Ferrell, and JP Harris honoring the late Luke Bell.

Previously announced Lifetime Achievement honors were accepted by the Fairfield Four (Legacy of Americana Award, co-presented with the National Museum of African American Music [NMAAM]), presented by NMAAM’s Katie Rainge-Briggs and award-winning producer Shannon Sanders; Chris Isaak (Performance), presented by Lyle Lovett; the late Don Williams (President’s Award), presented and accepted on behalf of the Williams’ family by producer Garth Fundis; Al Bell (Executive), presented by music executive and Chairman of the Black American Music Association Michael Mauldin; and the Indigo Girls (Spirit of Americana Award, co-presented with the First Amendment Center), presented by Brandi Carlile and First Amendment Center’s John Seigenthaler.

Here’s the full list of the 2022 Americana Honors & Awards Winners and Honorees:

Album of the Year: Outside Child, Allison Russell; Produced by Dan Knobler

Artist of the Year: Billy Strings

Song of the Year: “Right On Time,” Brandi Carlile; Written by Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth

Duo/Group of the Year: The War and Treaty

Emerging Act of the Year: Sierra Ferrell

Instrumentalist of the Year: Larissa Maestro

Legacy of Americana Award, presented in partnership with the National Museum of African American Music: Fairfield Four

President’s Award: Don Williams (posthumous)

Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance: Chris Isaak

Lifetime Achievement Award for Executive: Al Bell

Spirit of Americana Award: Indigo Girls


MIXTAPE: Korby Lenker’s Joyful Contrarians

To me, the idea of the joyful contrarian is synonymous with being an artist. Joyful because on some level the creative person’s pursuit is to get high and stay high, to chase the spark that sets your soul on fire; contrarian because artists go their own way. The artist’s work may reinforce or defy social norms but either way the connection is coincidental.

These are a few of the songs, artists, and contrarians who have inspired me. — Korby Lenker

Doc Watson – “Country Blues”

Doc is a reliable tastemaker of enduring songs, but his interpretation of the Dock Boggs classic stands apart. Something uncharacteristically sour in it. Watson usually moves through happier vistas — as in say “Ramblin’ Hobo” or “Froggie Went A-Courtin’.” But here his rueful tenor slaps against a clawhammer banjo and the mood is plaintive, down spirited, and harrowing as shallow grave.

Sierra Ferrell – “Bells of Every Chapel”

In love with this Appalachian Queen of modern yesteryear. She can belt, growl and chuckle inside the same song and still leave you with a lump in your throat. Plus that strong bent of humor and just plain orneriness. Is that a word? Sierra is funny and she’s been doing it her own way since she started. Joyful contrarian incarnate.

Nina Simone – “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free”

I could have chosen a dozen Nina Simone songs. The playfully saccharine “Sugar in My Bowl” might have been a good choice, but there’s a performance from when she was older, well into her activist chapter, where she plays this version of “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” live at the Montreaux Jazz Festival. It was 1976. The musicianship is effortless, playful even as she sings that lyric of doleful, unfulfilled desire. But the real magic is toward the end. It’s as close as you’ll ever get to watching someone’s spirit wrestle with angels and demons inside. Electrifying.

Bill Miller – “Ghostdance”

I got to know Bill Miller over the last few years, I guess during the pandemic. He sang and played Native American flute on one of my songs. A soft spoken humble man with three Grammys and a life of music behind and in front of him, he is absolutely himself wherever he goes. I’ve watched him bring a room full of Nashville cool kids to tears with his singing. For this studio version of “Ghostdance,” he bussed several members of his tribe down from Wisconsin to a Music Row recording studio. He told me the engineer didn’t know how to mic a tribal drum encircled with elders. It got a little wild. I’m trying to think of a way to put Bill’s relationship with music. Blind to judgment, it’s something like that.

Jerry Garcia and David Grisman – “Teddy Bear Picnic”

Picked this one because it’s an outlier in an outlier’s repertoire. Jerry Garcia did not give a shit who sang what or why. For him a song was good or it wasn’t. “Teddy Bear’s Picnic” from Not for Kids Only is a children’s tune written and originally performed by Henry Hall over a hundred years ago. It’s uplifting and a little sinister at the same time. Plus the chords are magic. I play it sometimes in my own shows.

Robert Ellis – “California”

Writing these blurb things, I notice that most of the artists I’m drawn to are accomplished musicians as well as being great songwriters. Robert Ellis is among the best. He’s like, maybe too good for his own good. At home on piano or guitar, he can reference more musicians and songs than you, and he does this thing I really like with his albums where every song is a moment, its own little movie. This one, “California,” is a slow-motion explosion from the years in his life before he calmed down a little.

Adam Hurt – “Flannery’s Dream”

This was my most listened to album of 2019. Ten tracks of solo gourd banjo, interpreted by a introverted master of the niche. I spend a lot of time with instrumental music. Wordless emotions hit different. I defy you to find anything in the string music lexicon as inventive and emotive as Hurt’s solo music. It’s banjo as high art. Especially this album, Earth Tones.

Anaïs Mitchell – “Brooklyn Bridge”

More widely known as the creator of 2019’s Tony Award-winning musical Hadestown, Anaïs Mitchell has been making the most inventive music in folk for two decades. Her album Young Man In America is my favorite record of the last ten years. I chose this track from her 2022 eponymous release because it’s a perfect example of deep sentiment couched in well-turned phrases matched with one of the more unique singing voices in the business.

Lou Reed – “Perfect Day”

Lou Reed, helming The Velvet Underground in the ’60s, was really the first artist to make music devoid of or without regard to commercial appeal. The original contrarian of art house rock, his songs explored heroin addiction, transgenderism, art for its own sake, and love. During his solo career, collaborations with Andy Warhol and composer John Cage cemented his status as a dissonant God of the avant-garde. “Perfect Day” is from his later catalogue. Sweet and small and sad. You probably know it from the movie Trainspotting.

Randy Newman – “Marie”

Randy Newman is an artist of intimidating powers. Another master musician and songwriter and curmudgeonly iconoclast. Watch his Tiny Desk Concert and see what happens to you. Setting aside his singular piano style with its striding left hand and those constantly tumbling suspensions, the songwriting is pure emotion when he wants it to be, derisive if the mood strikes him, or, in the case of “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” (which he penned), the soundtrack of your childhood. “Marie” is my favorite song of his. Listen to the solo piano version on The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 1.

Jimmie Rodgers – “Blue Yodel No. 9”

Hard to find a contrarian with more joy than the Singin’ Brakeman, who died from tuberculosis at the height of his fame at the age of 35. I would describe “Blue Yodel No. 9” as charmingly incorrigible. Something that might’ve made a decent Depression-era mother cover her children’s ears. Little known fact: his longtime songwriting partner, who cowrote more than 40 of his songs, was his sister-in-law, Elsie McWilliams.

James McMurtry – “Long Island Sound”

Joyful contrarian or talented asshole? Both probably. I maybe should have selected his paean to North Texas methamphetamine culture, “Choctaw Bingo,” as the most contrarian, but I picked this one, the last track from his fantastic 2016 record, Complicated Game. I like this one best because it’s about making peace with where you’re at in life, maybe even celebrating the spot where you land: “These are the best days / These are the best days / Boys put your money away / I got the round / Here’s to all you strangers / the Mets and the Rangers / Long may we thrive on the Long Island Sound.”


Photo Credit: Ali Alsaleh