Performer after perfomer opened with “How about this house band?” and no one considered it a cliché. Again this year, the Basement East hosts an annual favorite at the AmericanaFest, a celebration of the music of fifty years ago. Host Tim Jones and his team again put together their stellar band and backup singers for the Tribute to the Songs of 1974. The crowd represented a wide age range, with Millennials, Gen-X, Gen-Y alongside a significant number of the Baby Boomers who remember the music firsthand.
While speculation about song selection is a big draw, the four sets offer one of the best opportunities during AmericanFest to experience a sampler of artists performing across Nashville during the week. The musicians and singers hailed from all over the world: Jaida Dreyer from Thunder Bay, Ontario; Jordie Lane from Melbourne, Australia; Malin Pettersen from Norway; and Judy Blank from the Netherlands. Blank promised to add a taste of “Euro-cana” to the showcase, performing ABBA’s “Mamma Mia” to a revved-up, receptive crowd. Notably, a large number of the artists performing for the event, despite their origins, have settled in Nashville.
From the opener to the grand finale, the show was marked by the variety of musical genres represented and the versatility and virtuosity of the musicians backing the singers. High points—-in an evening marked by high points–included couple of Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris duets–“Ooh Las Vegas” by Golden Everything (Zach Schmidt and Jackie Berkley) and “Love Hurts” by Jordie Lane and Lollies (Clare Reynolds).
Rather than building to a crescendo in the last act, each set also varied in mood and tempo. Julie Williams performed Joni Mitchell’s “Help Me” early in the first set, and Luke Davids delivered the soulful “How Long (Has This Been Going On)?” Mattie Schell nailed Shaka Khan’s “Tell Me Something Good.” Joshua Hedley chose what he considers The Charlie Daniels Band’s best song “Trudy” and had the crowd belting it out with him.
Part of the fun of the evening was the juxtaposition of songs, like a long nostalgic road trip moving from one radio station to another. When Emily West performed the iconic “I Will Always Love You,” she showed that she had Dolly’s lyrics on her arm. She was followed by singer and visual artist Allen Thompson performing Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie On Reggae Woman.”
The evening featured several returning performers from previous years: Adam Chaffins, Andrew Leahy, Ruby Boots (“Angel from Montgomery”) and Sarah Potenza, who rocked the room with the Band’s “The Weight.” She was followed by Alicia Blue’s performance of “Forever Young,” one of at least two Dylan songs during the evening. Jon Latham, another East Nashville favorite, joked with the crowd as he introduced some “Dad Rock,” leading into the Eagle’s “Already Gone.”
Some of the performers have new album releases. JP Harris selected Willie Nelson’s “Bloody Mary Morning.” His new album JP Harris Is a Trash Fire debuted on Friday. Mac Leaphart, who performed the crowd favorite “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” released Motel Breakfast earlier this month.
Throughout the night, the crowd speculated on which songs had to make the cut, consulting their memories or their smart phones. As in former years, the band and the performers could barely scratch the surface of the great music from 1974. For the grand finale, Andrew Leahy was joined on stage by the other performers who had hung around to sing “Come and Get Your Love,” joined by the now-hoarse audience. Host Tim Jones’ cryptic comment that next year’s 1975 show would be the last had the departing fans saying, “Tell me it ain’t so.” Even more left saying, “How about that band?”