Americana music gets own awards night in Australia

Americana music has been developing at a fast pace in Australia in recent years.

The Americana Music Association of Australia, for instance, which set up late last year, this month opened a WA chapter and holds its first conference on November 1 in Sydney as part of Australian Music Week.

The Country Music Association of Australia, which acknowledges America for the growth of a younger age group in Australia’s country music sector, has continued to forge ties with Americana associations and festivals in the United States.

The latest move is the announcement of the genre’s inaugural Vanguard Awards and a two-hour showcase of acts called the Americana Music Honours Night.

Behind the new initiative are Michael Chugg, record producer and artist manager Nash Chambers (who’s just moved to Nashville to work) and the Nashville-based Americana Music Association.

The Honours Night is held at Melbourne’s Thornbury Theatre on Monday October 2.

The night is headlined by America’s Old Crow Medicine Show and Valerie June, who are touring nationally together.

The rest of the bill, an indicator of how eclectic the style, includes Busby Marou, Kasey Chambers, Shane Howard, Bernard Fanning, Catherine Britt, Kevin Welch and Henry Wagons.

Newer exponents who’ll be showcased are Emily Barker, Ruby Boots and Jordie Lane & The Sleepers.

The Vanguard Awards will be presented to Kasey Chambers for “her deep commitment to roots music and for being an ambassador of the genre around the world”, and to Brian ’BT’ Taranto, founder of the Out on the Weekend festival, and long-time champion of the music style.

“For those of us who love Roots & Americana Music, this is a dream line-up to have at our inaugural event”, said Nash Chambers.

“We’re mighty proud to be building awareness of Americana Music in Australia with the US Association and Tennessee Tourism. We also believe this is just the beginning of a genre that is exploding worldwide.”

Adds Chugg, “We wanted to showcase a genre that is growing significantly in Australia, and an Honours Night seemed like the way to do it. We hope to continue this event for many years to come.”

The idea of the night comes from the Americana Music Association, whose Executive Director Jed Hilly will be co-hosting the Melbourne event with Triple R’s Denise Hylands.

The AMA, which has been running the awards and Honors Night in America for years, introduced it to the UK three years ago.

The Australian version will be broadcast on Australia’s Country Music Channel in January.

The move into Australia is also part of a wider tourism strategy to encourage Australians to visit Tennessee,

As a result, associations as Nashville Music City, TN Tourism, Sounds of the City and Memphis CVB are also involved.

The Old Crow Medicine Show and Valerie June tour were underwritten by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development in partnership with the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. and the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Tennessee has been promoting itself on the back of the rise of Americana worldwide with the message, “The Soundtrack of America, Made in Tennessee.”

Already Australia ranks fourth for international visitors to Tennessee with over 27,000 in 2016.

It is hoping that helping to widen the footprint of Americana in Australia will pay off in other ways.