One of the many great things about this multifaceted festival is that music unifies people. Folks from around the country and even the world descend upon Nashville ready to enjoy and talk about the arts and can avoid controversial topics but interestingly enough we ran into Justin Jones at the AMERICANAFEST-adjacent 4th Annual Easy Eye Fish Fry. Mr. Jones is an activist and politician from the state of Tennessee (representing District 52) who was participating in the festival to collaborate with artists on his on-going efforts to keep our kids safe. Regardless if you agree or disagree with his approach, I think we can all concur that protecting children is important. Justin was at the event to enjoy the entertainment and willingly chatted with folks.

The Easy Eye Fish Fry once again hosted an array of awesome artists with the headliners being The Black Keys who as you would expected rocked the hall. The Black Keys formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums). They started out as a garage band who ended up playing in arenas with a raw blues rock vibe that echoed of the likes of Junior Kimbrough, R.L. Burnside, Howlin' Wolf and Robert Johnson. Dan also runs a label and one of our favorite performers on it is - Robert Finley.

We first heard Robert at a previous Fish Fry and found him to be totally inspiring. On the 13th, he was just as engaging and energized as we recalled. He was backed by his UK touring band and they were tight. Finely - an army veteran is a blues and soul singer-songwriter and guitarist who spent most of his early career as a street performer before making a comeback in 2016 with his debut studio album - Age Don't Mean a Thing. Robert was at the Fish Fry to perform a number of his classics along with new tunes from Hallelujah! Don't Let The Devil Fool Ya out October 10th. Produced by longtime collaborator Dan Auerbach at his Easy Eye Sound Studios in Nashville.

Merch and a mobile listening room were a big hit in Nashville.

On his latest platter, Finley is blending gospel into his already flavorful gumbo of blues, funk, soul and R&B, backed by an all-star combo featuring Auerbach and fellow guitarist Barrie Cadogan (Little Barrie, Primal Scream, The The), drummer Malcolm Catto (The Heliocentrics, Madlib, DJ Shadow), bassist Tommy Brenneck, and keyboardist Ray Jacildo, along with call-and-response vocal support from his daughter, singer Christy Johnson. Based on what we heard this new record is going to be hot.

Our AMERICANAFEST was book-ended by some of our favorites. First the aforementioned Easy Eye Fish Fry and on Tuesday the 9th we caught up with Robert Randolph at the Station Inn. Frontman Robert Randolph was trained as a pedal steel guitarist in the House of God Church. The instrument is referred to in many Pentecostal churches as "sacred steel". He discovered secular music and then with some family members they blended the two for a distinctive yet divine sound. Robert recently released his first solo record with some different players.

Randolph's album Preacher Kids (Sun Records) hit the streets on June 27, 2025. It explores the themes of faith, rebellion and the dichotomy of being a church kid versus a rock & roller. Robert presented a number of new tracks including an expansive take on the edgy "7 Generations" along with the insightful "Sinner". Robert has been referred to as the Hendrix of the pedal steel. He lived up to the moniker with a smokin' version of "Foxy Lady" which was a high point of the band's potent set at the Station Inn thus setting the bar high for the rest of the evening.

The main complaint that you will hear at AMERICANAFEST is that you just cannot do it all. Since there is great music going on all day and night at numerous venues, one sometimes has to make tough choices. For us, while we were at Martin's BBQ on Tuesday - just getting into the grooves of Muscles Shoals we found ourselves glancing at the clock as we wanted to be on time for Randolph's show.

The Black Keys, Huntsville and Robert Finley were all making their case at AMERICANAFEST 2025.

Things ended up working out for us as Huntsville and Muscle Shoals, Alabama were co-promoting their cities at this year's AMERICANAFEST. Funny enough the first act we saw at Martin's was Common Man. This delightful husband and wife duo were from Rocket City. They were also the hosts at Acme Feed & Seed where Huntsville was showcasing some of their finest on the 11th including Hollan who is originally from Pennsylvania who enthused that Huntsville was a great place to live. She was a solid singer and strummer presenting perceptive prose.

Next was Steve Knight with Mike Farris who were there promoting FAME Studios. Taking turns both touched upon the date and the heavy emotions of recent current events. Steve crafted a hopeful piece around Psalm 23. Mike also presented songs peppered with spiritual images along with a more lighthearted tune dedicated to his wife who he called his "Tennessee Girl". Mike currently lives in Nashville but has recorded in Muscle Shoals and he had high praise for FAME. Farris also touched upon the futility of worry. Knight closed their segment with a compelling composition of the power of nature to heal.

In some cases, the chamber of commerce sponsors a show. At InDo, the city of Memphis was serving up complimentary BBQ and beverages along with flavorful music from the western part of Tennessee. Our personal favorite was Black Cream a power trio blending gospel with R&B into their own sweet sound. While we were at InDo we meet people in the industry along with folks from North Carolina who told us that this was their first AMERICANAFEST. They came because of their friends who have been attending it for years and highly recommended this event. Funny enough both pairings had plenty of praise for the artists that they saw at Love & Exile over in East Nashville earlier in the day.

Another place to be was Riverside Revival as NPR Music, World Cafe and WMOT were livestreaming and broadcasting live so that those not in attendance could enjoy all the eclectic music that they showcased Wednesday through Friday during the festival. Another local station Lightning 100 was also on the scene and we stumbled upon their interview with The Wood Brothers while at the Embassy Suites.

This hotel in the heart of downtown served as headquarters for AMERICANAFEST. This is were many of the panels and workshops took place. There were also a number of interesting vendors there including local favorite Grimey's New & Preloved Music, Vintage Vinyl, Pandora, Select-O-Hits who is one of the largest independent record distributors and more.

The Wood Brothers, Black Cream and these Preacher's Kids all showcased in 2025.

AMERICANAFEST continued their ongoing focus on regional arts. Music from Alabama, Australia California, Canada, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and more were showcased. One of our favorites was Fort Worth's Cowtown Gitdown party held at the Tennessee Brew Works on Friday. In addition to high quality music that ran from 11:30am to 7:00pm, Fort Worth gave folks two drink tickets, a generous slate of schwag and sumptuous snacks in the early part of the day. The venue also had food and drinks to purchase so one could spend the whole day enjoying the best of Texas.

As mentioned FOMO is a thing at AMERICANAFEST. We really enjoyed Cowtown Git Down in 2024 (so much so that we were sporting last year's tees) and it was on our schedule for 2025 but we were torn between Cowtown and Canada House at InDo which was in walking distance of Tennessee Brew Works.

At Canada House we checked out Lisa LeBlanc who was fronting a power trio. She aptly worked the crowd getting us to repeat ingredients in one song. Lisa rocked on both the guitar and banjo. Next, Menno Versteeg - armed with an acoustic - shared stories about life in a small town, losing friends, bullies and sang a tribute to his "bad" dog who he still loves. Later, Jesse Roper rocked out in a sort of old school style that drew us in. All these acts demonstrated that the tundra north of us has a lot of creative people living there.

Once again AMERICANAFEST was a matchless experience packed with exceptional music, special VIP shows and interesting people. We are already looking forward to its return in 2026.

AMERICANAFEST is organized by The Americana Music Association who works closely with artists, labels, radio stations, retailers, print media, festivals, agents, publishers, etc. who support the genre. In addition to hosting AMERICANAFEST they conduct research, participate in other industry events and more. AMERICANAFEST has become a staple for fans, locals, music professionals and tourists so be on the lookout for AMERICANAFEST 2026 and make your plans early to be a part of this eclectic, educational and entertaining event in Music City!

More scenes from AMERICANAFEST 2025: Jesse Roper, Alexis Grace, Claire Hinkle, AF Sponsors, Jack Barksdale, Tom Hambridge and Menno Versteeg.

Related Links: For more information on AMERICANAFEST and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links - AmericanaMusic.org | AmericanaFest in Nashville - Silver Anniversary Edition Exceeds Expectations as Genre and Gender Bending Celebration Expands Footprint in Music City | Nashville's AmericanaFest Is a Far-Reaching Feast For the Senses in 2023 | AmericanaFest 2022: Wrap-Up and 10 Additional Reports from the Music City Nashville Reporting Team | Two Very Different American Dreams Come True at AmericanaFest | Dan Auerbach's First Annual Fish Fry Sizzles with the Best AmericanaFest Has to Offer in East Nashville | Robert Finley