Ruston Kelly Announces “1st Annual Pickleball Smack Fest” To Kick Off Americanafest 2025

The celeb invitational, fan experience and album release celebration set for Monday, September 8th from 3-5 PM at Flyghthouse in Midtown Nashville

Join Kelly on Sept. 4th at Grimey’s + Sept. 12th at The Bluebird Cafe – more AmericanaFest events coming soon

SAVE THE DATE! On Sept. 8th, Ruston Kelly will host the “1st Annual Pickleball Smack Fest” at Nashville’s Flyghthouse from 3-5 PM CT. Join Kelly and his celebrity friends for quick-fire pickleball showdowns, fan experiences, surprise performances and general frivolity, in celebration of his new album Pale, Through the Window (out Sept. 12 via Rounder Records).

Launching today, fans can enter to win an elevated Smack Fest experience, including access to an exclusive VIP section and event. Event information below but for more information on how to enter, please click here..

WHO: Ruston Kelly’s “1st Annual Pickleball Smack Fest”

WHAT: Join Ruston and his celeb friends for an afternoon of fast-break rallies and flash matches, kicking off AmericanaFest 2025 and celebrating the release of this fourth album Pale, Through the Window (out Sept. 12 via Rounder Records)

WHEN: Monday, September 8th from 3-5 PM CT

WHERE: Flyghthouse // 1705 Division St, Nashville, TN 37203

RSVP: If you are interested in attending the gameday press conference and covering the event, please RSVP here.

Smack Fest kicks off the celebrations for the release of Pale, Through the Window, Kelly’s most revelatory collection to-date. Hailed by Rolling Stone as chronicling a “spiritual transformation” and “a powerful shift,” the 13-track record was written in less than a month, cut live with his touring band at Nashville’s Chateau Noir, produced by longtime collaborator Jarrad K, and layered with ambient textures and pedal steel from his father, Tim “TK” Kelly. The result is a kaleidoscope of sound that mirrors Kelly’s contradictions: bruised yet playful, literary yet unguarded, steeped in Americana but flickering with flashes of pop-punk. With Pale, Through the Window, Kelly – one of modern music’s most astute observers of the human heart and spirit – has found a way to reframe his survival as transcendence, proving once again that his gift is not just writing songs, but writing a life in motion.

Pre-save / pre-order Pale, Through the Window here

Stay tuned for more news and reveals on Smack Fest in the coming weeks!

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