By Alexa Sangalis
Now that all AMERICANAFEST events are completed and everyone’s life is back to normal, it’s time to reminisce on what a fabulous week that was! We had the pleasure of being a part of so many events at AMERICANAFEST this year, and so did I (Olivia Management’s 19-year-old intern, Alexa!). I felt so lucky and awe-struck by each of the events I attended, especially the ones OM produced. Call me biased. I went to two of our events this year: A Tribute to Mary Gauthier and In The Round. If you didn’t get the chance to catch the events in person, don’t worry, click here to see our Olivia Management highlight of the week on Instagram.
Mary Gauthier and friends backstage at City Winery
Photo Credits: Lindsey Torres
Last Tuesday, we kicked off the week with the Tribute to Mary Gauthier at City Winery. The lineup of this show was truly one of a kind. Mary is such a beautiful songwriter who has influenced so many musicians and touched the hearts of Americana music lovers everywhere. Mary’s songs were covered all through the night by many of her close friends, including EmmyLou Harris, Gretchen Peters, Lori McKenna, Jamiee Harris, and so many more. I had a unique perspective of the event because I had the job of working the merch table with some fellow friends from Olivia Management. Almost everybody who came up to purchase something (speaking of which, you can also buy Mary’s amazing merch here) shared a bit of their love for Mary with us. We met a woman who flew from Australia to celebrate her love of folk music, many, many people who praised Mary’s book, “Saved by a Song,” a man who got his book signed by Mary herself, and even a City Winery employee who asked who was performing because she loved the music so much. I knew that Mary Gauthier is critically acclaimed and appreciated by many, but I only knew this after experiencing the tribute and meeting all of those lovely Americana lovers. Click HERE to see some performance highlights!
Evan Boyer performing at In The Round Presented by Olivia Management
Then, on Saturday, it was a showcase of Olivia Management clients at Jackalope Brewing Company. In case you didn’t know, not only are we a Nashville-based folk and Americana artist management company, but we also consult for emerging artists. Our lovely CEO and Founder, Erin Anderson, advises artists in career decisions and helps them organize their lives as an artist. So Saturday was 7 amazing hours of showcasing our consulting and management clients alike. Click HERE to view the full lineup, and HERE to watch some highlights of the day! Once again, I had the pleasure of working the merch table for most of the morning. This time, I got to talk with emerging artists, make the merch table all pretty as each artist rotated, and meet audience members who were actively discovering the new music they would be streaming in the future. This showcase was really special for me. Seeing so many people who have a dream and a love of music is inspiring to anybody, and especially to a 19-year-old intern.
Mary Gauthier and Jamiee Harris Performing at City Winery
Here’s a recap: our management clients are awesome, our consulting clients are awesome, and Olivia Management is awesome. From my perspective, AMERICANAFEST is a celebration of good music (of course), good songwriting, and good times. Even as an intern, I was able to experience all of these celebrations firsthand. If you didn’t go to any Olivia Management events, you may have missed out, but now you know to join us in the future. Until then, check out our artists on tour and stay tuned for Olivia Management updates on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and our website.
We’ll see you next year, AMERICANAFEST!