Mistakes: Not Attending the 2012 Americana Music Festival

Brittany Howard of the Americana Music Award winning Alabama Shakes at Newport 2012 – Photo by Richard Kluver/grass clippings

I didn’t make it down to Nashville for the Americana Music Association’s Festival and Conference this year, but the regret has grown heavier with every stinkin Instagram of great performances from the five-day festival that kicked off with a star-studded awards night last Wednesday and wrapped up yesterday.

American Songwriter’s coverage outlined an emotional awards show, celebrating the “racial and generational diversity” of the event, with the Emerging Artist of the Year award going to the Alabama Shakes and Instrumentalist of the Year going to David Rawlings (see full awards list here). Other amazing moments I’ve seen called out through Twitter chatter include Buddy Miller’s performance with Lee Ann Womack, Bonnie Raitt’s Q&A with NPR’s Ann Powers and John Fullbright’s set at Elizabeth Cooke’s first annual gospel brunch at the Station Inn, during which multiple people texted me and asked why I wasn’t there.

Lesson learned.