Music City Roots: Live from the Loveless Café  (Special AMA Edition – September 8, 2010) - by Clif Doyal

Music City Roots’ mission statement is: “music of integrity, rooted deeply in the culture of Tennessee, and branching out to the world.” With this show marking the opening of the 2010 Americana Music Festival and Conference, they delivered on that motto in spades. Held in the Loveless Barn by the world-famous Loveless Café, and broadcast live each week on WSM 650-AM, and globally via their website at www.wsmonline.com, Music City Roots captures the intimacy and feel of the early Opry. Hosted by Jim Lauderdale, and joined by longtime Opry announcer, Eddie Stubbs, the concert highlighted some the top and rising artists of the genre, including Chuck Mead, Manda Mosher, duo Madison Violet, Corb Lund and the SteelDrivers.

Lauderdale, a true impresario, opened the show with a familiar lyric, “cruel wind and driving rain,” from a new song which he explained that he had co-written with longtime Grateful Dead lyricist, Robert Hunter. Next up, music journalist Craig Havighurst interviewed Chuck Mead (formerly of BR549) in the “Honest Abe Front Porch” segment, providing an interesting counterpoint of one-on-one interviews with the artists sprinkled between performances throughout the night. Mead and his Grassy Knoll Boys took the stage with a rollicking set of Country and Rockabilly including a highlight from his old band, “No Train To Memphis,” and a funny story about a big tipper from his house band days at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge.

Stubbs introduced Nashville Mayor, Karl Dean, who spoke about the importance of live music and his efforts to re-brand Music City thru his Nashville Music Council. “We need better music education programs for our schools and more live music venues,” he stated. “We want to encourage more songwriters and creative talents to move here.”

L.A. Americana/Rock songstress Manda Mosher took the stage for her well-received Nashville debut, which was followed by new duo, Madison Violet, who entertained with their cross-breed of bluegrass and indie Rock.Canadian, Corb Lund, performed several well-received songs, including “Devil’s Best Dress.” He also referenced the war in Afghanistan in “Horse Soldier, Horse Soldier”: “Today I ride with special forces on those wily Afghan horses,” referring to the way some American special-ops members cross mountainous terrain in search of the Taliban. Lund’s knack for storytelling was evident and validated his current wave of accolades: six 2010 Canadian Country Music Association nominations, including “Album of the Year” and “Male Artist of the Year,” and an AMA nomination for “New and Emerging Artist.”

Seemingly saving the best for last, the SteelDrivers stole the show. Riding high on their new Rounder Records’ release, Reckless, the group wowed with passionate vocals from new lead singer Gary Nichols. Together with fiddle-master Tammy Rogers, and multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire Mike Henderson, banjo man Richard Bailey, and bassist Mike Fleming, they set the stage alight with “The Reckless Side of Me,” “Good Corn Liquor,” and “Ghosts of Mississippi,”winning the first standing ovation of the night.