Rhiannon Giddens, Patty Griffin & Shakey Graves Gather For NPR Music's Debut Americanafest Event

This month, NPR Music will head to Nashville to celebrate the 16th annual AmericanaFest along with some of its favorite music makers. NPR Music critic Ann Powers will host a daytime event with three artists whose sonic and conceptual innovations are pushing Americana forward -- Rhiannon Giddens, Patty Griffin and Shakey Graves. Additional event information available below; read more about NPR Music's AmericanaFest programming at NPR.org. 

Date: Wednesday, September 16
Time: Doors 11AM / Event 11:30AM CT
Location: RCA Grand Victor Studio A (30 Music Square W # 100, Nashville, TN)
To Attend: Event is free and open to all AmericanaFest badge holders. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Event Description: How do the songs performers treasure most contribute to their own processes? What turns an original composition into an artist's own most treasured possession? This writer's round brings together three exceptional artists in a musical discussion of influences absorbed and writerly ambitions realized. Past and present Americana Awards honorees Rhiannon Giddens, Patty Griffin and Shakey Graves reach into the songbag, instruments in hand, to pull out their favorite songs by others, and to reveal which of their own compositions mean the most to them.  
Note: This event will be recorded and available at NPR.org/Music later this month.

Rhiannon Giddens, the singer, violinist and banjo player for the Carolina Chocolate Drops, released her debut solo album earlier this year. With Tomorrow Is My Turn, she offers her take on traditional American folk songs, telling "the story of how songs become crucial through certain performances that take them somewhere beyond their origin points," as Ann Powers writes. Giddens will performs some of these reinvented classics at the NPR Music event, her only appearance at the conference in addition to the Americana Music Association's Honors & Awards show.

Patty Griffin will release her 10th album, Servant of Love, next week. Her contributions to gospel and folk run deep - she has been named "Artist of the Year" by the Americana Music Association in 2007 and, in 2011, won a Grammy for her album Downtown Church - and her songwriting has made her the queen of Americana, according to Powers who wrote in a 2013 review, "Patty Griffin mines that feeling of family intimacy, of songs that uplift without any fuss and tear at the heart as gently as possible. She also rocks."

Shakey Graves' newest record is nominated for the Americana Music Association's 2015 Album of the Year award. His "use of loops and aural pastiche on And the War Came shows how Americana can become experimental," Powers said of the release. The Austin performer, who some know as Alejandro Rose-Garcia, earned the attention of many fans with his 2011 album Roll The Bones and has since become one of the genre's leading performers. 

In summer 2015, NPR Music critic and correspondent Ann Powers took up an additional role: unofficial Nashville bureau chief. From her new city of residence, Powers continues to offer insight and analysis about the world of music. Her essays, which cover everything from the way Nicki Minaj and Madonna play with gender roles to the reality of exploitation in rock and roll, can be found on The Record blog at NPR.org/Music , and she's a regular contributor to NPR news shows, music podcasts, series and live events. Powers is also an author and has held some of the top jobs in music journalism. Before joining NPR in 2011, she served as the chief pop critic for the Los Angeles Times, and held similar roles at Blender, The New York Times, Village Voice and San Francisco Weekly, among others. 

About NPR Music
Since 2010, NPR Music has partnered with Folk Alley to offer audiences special broadcasts and coverage of the Americana Music Association's Honors & Awards show. NPR Music collaborates with NPR's newsmagazines, public radio Member Stations and the passionate NPR community to celebrate great music in every genre. Visit at NPR.org/music and via NPR Music mobile apps to experience our extensive archives of concerts, interviews and reviews of artists from all genres.

About the Americana Music Association
The Americana Music Association is a professional non-profit trade organization whose mission is to advocate for the authentic voice of American Roots Music around the world. The Association curates events throughout the year including the annual Americana Music Festival & Conference, presented by Nissan, and the critically acclaimed Americana Honors & Awards show. For more information, please visit americanamusic.org.
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Press tickets are available for outlets interested in covering the event. For more information about media access:
NPR Music at AmericanaFest Contact: Caitlin Sanders, NPR Media Relations: csanders@npr.org / (202) 513-2310
Americana Music Association Contact:  Jackie Marushka, Shore Fire Media: jmarushka@shorefire.com / (615) 280-5330

NPR Music
Official Website: NPR.org/music 
Facebook: facebook.com/nprmusic
Twitter: twitter.com/nprmusic
Instagram: instagram.com/nprmusic

Americana Music Association
Official Website: americanamusic.org
Facebook: facebook.com/americanamusicassociation
Twitter: twitter.com/americanafest
Instagram: instagram.com/americanafest

Digital press kit: shorefire.com/client/americana-music-association