The Second Annual

AUSTRALIAN AMERICANA MUSIC HONOURS

to take place in Melbourne this October 

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Details of the second annual AUSTRALIAN AMERICANA MUSIC HONOURS have today been revealed, with Melbourne’s stunning Thornbury Theatre to play host to the event on Thursday 11th October.

Presented by Michael Chugg, Nash Chambers, and the international Americana Music Association, the Australian Americana Honours Night is a celebration of Americana music in Australia, and will showcase a sensational array of the best local and international artists that the genre has to offer. An explosive line-up will take the stage on October 11, led by Nashville powerhouse Margo Price, who was discovered and signed by Jack White. Joining Margo will be fellow Statesider Joshua Hedley, along with local talents Diesel, Little Georgia, Shane Howard, Kevin Welch, Weeping Willows, and Kasey Chambers featuring Alan Pigram.

With Triple R’s Denise Hylands and the Americana Music Association’s Jed Hilly set to host proceedings, the Australian Americana Music Honours will deliver an unparalleled evening of music for Roots and Americana fans for the second consecutive year.

“Americana is that sweet spot between folk and country, rock and blues. More than roots, it pulls in almost all the strands of American music whether it’s made with acoustic or electric instruments, is as modern as Dixie Chicks covering Beyonce, as old as a cotton field work song played on a crackling shellac 78, and can be made in Memphis, Manchester or Melbourne.

“Margo Price can cut from Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton to Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, Joshua Hedley feels like the early 60s reincarnated, while Kasey Chambers makes a modern desert campfire song sound timeless”. – Bernard Zuel

The Americana Music Association will present two honours during the course of this special musical event. Brian Wise will receive a Vanguard Award for his continued commitment to the genre through his magazine, Rhythms, and Triple R radio program, On The Record. Seminal recording artist Shane Howard will be honoured for his influence on Australian poetic and folk music traditions.

“(He) captures something essential of the spirit of Australia in words and music… his songs have a global reach and explore universal themes”. – Aziz Choudry

Last year recognised for his decade-long commitment to Americana, Out on the Weekend festival founder, Brian “BT” Taranto, said,

“It was a great maiden event to celebrate a style of music I’m very passionate about. There seemed to be a genuine collaborative spirit in the room, which is just the thing needed for this emerging genre in Australia to become widely recognised and accepted”.

“We have rounded up a fantastic group of artists to celebrate Americana and Roots music in Australia in 2018. It’s an incredibly exciting genre, and based on the buzz after last year’s event, we’ll be doing this for many years to come”, said Michael Chugg.

“It’s a thrill to be a part of the second Annual Australian Americana Honours event”, said Jed Hilly, Executive Director of the Americana Music Association and Executive Producer of the Critically Acclaimed Americana Honors & Awards program in Nashville. “Last year’s event connected the community not just in Australia but around the globe, with a spirit that was and continues to be contagious. I can’t wait to get back to Melbourne.”

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