The Americana Experience kicked off in downtown Franklin last night, & it was a blast! If you’re wondering what the Americana Experience is, it’s a 10 day celebration of Americana music (and food, culture, life) that features musical acts from the Americana Triangle, which is the area between Nashville, Memphis, & New Orleans. The rich musical history of this area of the country cannot be overstated. Cities like Muscle Shoals, AL & Clarksdale, MS are steeped in musical awesomeness. They are down right legen…wait for it…dary!
We started off the night by getting to downtown Franklin early, which gave us time to walk around the streets, get into some shenanigans, & see some friendly faces. The real fun started at the Franklin Theatre where we saw Grammy award winning artists Beau Soleil avec Michael Doucet kick off the festival in style with their fun, unique Cajun brand of music. If you have a chance to see this group in person, don’t hesitate…get your tickets and bring your dancing shoes!
The great thing about the Americana Experience is that there are SO MANY great musical acts to see. We walked down the street to catch some of Ruston Kelly’s show at Gray’s on Main, & I was blown away. Somehow I wasn’t already familiar with his music — obviously my loss. He played a solo show with just his acoustic guitar as diners ate, drank, & enjoyed the nice atmosphere at Gray’s. He even took a moment to help a woman celebrate her birthday by singing to her & stopping for a picture with her after his show. Yet another perk of the intimate settings offered at the Americana Experience.
That’s the Day 1 recap, & we’re looking forward to seeing what day 2 brings. I’ll be at The Jake Leg Stompers show at Puckett’s Boathouse at 7:30pm. It’s a free show, so I hope to see you there.
If you want to know more about the great businesses in Franklin, TN, check out our Local Love spotlights. Below are some of preshow shenanigans…enjoy!
