Get ready for "The California Country Show," a social mixer and radio event featuring performances by Americana artists from the West Coast, Nashville, and beyond who have a great love for the California Sound. The official AMERICANAFEST event will take place Friday, September 13 from 12:00 PM - 4:30 PM at Acme Feed & Seed with performances by:
The event will be co-hosted by Dave Bernal of "The California Country Radio Show"-- Americana artist and co-founder of "The California Country Social"-- Manda Mosher and program director for Acme Radio Live, Justin Hammel, in association with Prickly Pear Presents, Music Executive Eric Craig and Music Supervisor Annette Conlon.
Interviews and performances will be broadcast live from the Acme Radio Live studio with Bernal, and will later be rebroadcasted on both "Acme Radio Live" and Bernal's "California Country Show Podcast."
"The California Country Show" house band will include: Austin Callender, Eli Wulfmeier, Matt Lucich, Emily Zuzik, and more. The Los Angeles-based company BLACK VOLT AMPLIFICATION will provide backline equipment for the event.
"The California Country Shake-Up" is presented the same evening, Friday, September 13 at Dee's Country Cocktail Lounge from 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM featuring a mix of Los Angeles and Nashville artists in a jam-style presentation and again hosted by Bernal and Mosher. Finally, on Saturday, September 14, Americana artist and member of Shooter Jennings' band Ted Russell Kamp hosts "The West Coast Turnaround" at The Bowery Vault in East Nashville from 1:00 PM - 3:45 PM featuring Los Angeles and Nashville singer-songwriters hand-picked by Kamp.
Q&A WITH MANDA MOSHER
ABOUT "CALIFORNIA COUNTRY"
Can you talk about the importance of re-planting the flag of at this year's Americana festival?
"I have a great love for the California Country sound which to me stretches back to when Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys influenced what would become the Bakersfield sound of Buck Owens and Merle Haggard leading on to Gram Parsons, Dwight Yoakam and now to an entirely new vibrant group of young musicians who play Country music in California. California is at times forgotten in the overall fabric given the historical importance of Nashville and Texas. We have significant Country scenes being represented at The Ranch Party, The Grand Ole Echo, and The Cowboy Palace, to name a few. When I first performed at and attended AMERICANAFEST in 2010, I realized that only scattered representations of the California scene existed within the festival. I wanted to bring together our growing scene here and present more of what we are doing to festival attendees. This year I'm excited to build upon what we started in 2016 with The California Country Social at AMERICANAFEST now re-imagined as The California Country Show in partnership with Dave Bernal of The California Country Radio Show."
Do you feel there is a gulf between the Americana communities in California and Nashville? Is that why you are doing the California Country Shake Up which is uniting musicians from both Los Angeles and Nashville?
"The gulf between the Americana communities in California and Nashville is narrowing as artists travel frequently between the two, making records in both locations, even remotely, and a good number of our California artists who established themselves here have moved to Nashville. Friendships bridge the divide."
Do you feel there are misconceptions about "California Country" and, if so, what are they?
"The definition of California Country is incredibly broad in a similar sense that Americana is. It's not just one thing. It's traditional Country, Alternative Country, Singer/Songwriter influenced, it's Rock n' Roll, it's Blues, it's Folk, it's Soul, it's Alternative...all infused with the terrain of our sunny state."
EVENTS:
Fri 9/13 - Nashville, TN - The California Country Show, official AMERICANAFEST event, Acme Feed & Seed
Fri 9/13 - Nashville, TN - The California Country Shake-Up (The California Country Show After Show), Dee's Country Cocktail Lounge
Sat 9/14 - Nashville, TN - West Coast Turnaround, The Bowery Vault
