Americana Fest Announces 30+ Additional Artists Including Jewel, JD McPherson, & The Watkins Family Hour

This year’s AmericanaFest is promising to be a real humdinger. The initial lineup for the annual festival, which occupies venues all over the city and this year takes place Sept. 15-20, was already impressive as usual with artists including Los Lobos, Patty Griffin,Whitey Morgan and the 78s, honeyhoney, John Moreland, Andrew Combs, Nikki Lane, Pokey LaFarge, James McMurtry, Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn, Nora Jane Struthers, Billy Bragg & Joe Purdy, Randy Rogers & Wade Bowen, and Jackie Greene. Then it was announced there would be a mini-festival taking place at the Ascend Amphitheater on Saturday, Sept. 19 featuring Loretta Lynn, Steve Earle, Gillian Welsch, Nikki Lane, and others performing on two different stages.

Now the AmericanaFest has announced over thirty more artists that will perform at the event, including Jewel, JD McPherson, the Watkins Family Hour, Angaleena Presley, and more. Wristbands that get you in to the nighttime shows to see basically everything except for the Ascend concert and Ryman awards ceremony will only set you back $60, which is a ridiculous value for five nights of the best in all the different musical traditions that fall under the umbrella “Americana.” Tickets for the Ascend show need to be purchased separately and are also super cheap considering the country music legends on the bill, running between $25 and $75.

Click through for the Watkins Family Hour playing Ella Fitzgerald’s “When I Get Low, I Get High” with the inimitable Fiona Apple. The band plus Apple was just in Nashville for a show at City Winery and since Mercy Lounge has scheduled a “surprise” at 12 a.m. after their set on Wednesday night, the inner Fiona fangirl in me is praying for a surprise Fiona Apple show.