Three straight days of Musicians Corner… what could be better? How about pairing it up with the American Artisan Festival, which took place in Centennial Park last Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The structure was slightly different from the typical Saturday: Forgoing the Lightning 100 Acoustic Stage, each act played acoustically on the main stage. Some went solo; some opted for accompaniment; all were terrific.
The American Artisan Festival is held each year in Centennial Park on Father’s Day weekend, and features fine arts, crafts and food from around the country. This year marked the first time Musicians Corner partnered with the festival to bring free music to its patrons.
The Cumberland Collective
Day one featured the likes of Jameson Elder, Anthony Snape, Jessica Campbell and Robby Hecht. Musicians Corner friend Holley Maher was set to close the day out; however, a sudden downpour forced her and her accompanying vocalist Merry Ellen Kirk to postpone until Saturday.
With the weather turning gorgeous for Saturday’s event, Musicians Corner saw a substantial number of regulars in addition to the festival goers, making it a large and rambunctious crowd. After Holley and Merry Ellen were able to kick things off, we saw performances by Sarah Siskind, Blue Mother Tupelo, The Cumberland Collective, Liz Longley, and the first ever Musicians Corner writer round featuring Danny Myrick, Kimberly June and Kendal Marvel.
Father’s Day on Sunday was a more relaxing day with Perrin Lamb, Sam Lewis, the Hogslop String Band, Ferrier and David Mead. A great way to end the weekend and a great place to bring dad.
Each artist brought something unique and enjoyable to the table. Standouts for me were the writers round (although I love writers rounds) when we were able to hear songs from the songwriters themselves such as Don’t Think I Can’t Love You cut by Jake Owen and She’s Country, the huge hit for Jason Aldean. I also loved The Cumberland Collective, which is made up of several extremely talented individuals that come together to jam and sing an eclectic mix of songs. They take turns singing their own songs with the accompaniment of everyone else on stage. Refreshingly original and incredible music as well.
You just never know who you'll run into...
We should give a special thanks to the Musicians Corner volunteers who showed up all three days. This sort of thing depends on them, and they are truly incredible. Next week (although those volunteers may not show up out of exhaustion) is another great lineup. The Kopecky Family Band, Halfbrass, The Rebecca West, SHIROCK, Nick Flora, Charity Vance and Michael Castro will all take the stage while Musicians Corner is back to the same place and time.
Musicians Corner is a non-profit program of The Conservancy for the Parthenon & Centennial Park. The spring season of runs every Saturday through June, and features great artists, special guests and fun activities. For additional information and the entire spring schedule please visit www.musicianscornernashville.com.
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