AMERICANAFEST Wrap Up - From An Intern!

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!

Peter Groenwald Plays The Bluebird Cafe!

By: Abby Coleman

The Bluebird Cafe is one of Nashville’s most well-known and well-loved venues for live music. It is known for hosting some of the biggest names in music and giving songwriters a spotlight. Garth Brooks, Dirks Bentley, and Keith Urban are just a few of the stars that have taken stage at the Bluebird. Taylor Swift is one of the biggest names to play at the Bluebird Cafe, which resulted in her record deal. 

The Bluebird is always packed, and landing a gig there is nearly impossible, but we are so proud to say that our very own Peter Groenwald played a round there last Friday. The lineup was amazing and the show sold out in 10 minutes. He played alongside Mary Bragg, Kyshona, and Femke. Peter played some new songs as well as “Wake Up” by Hush Kids. We are always proud of Peter, but especially after this weekend. He did a phenomenal job and got the chance to showcase his talent at one of the biggest venues in Nashville. 

To listen to Peter’s music click here…. We promise you won’t regret it!

My Favorite Songs by Smooth Hound Smith

By James Muller

When I first began interning at Olivia Management one of the things I was most excited about; and continue to be excited by, is digging into all of our artist’s catalogs and enjoying the beautiful art that they create. I was familiar with our artists before starting, but I hadn’t yet fully committed my ears to their songs. From Jill Andrews to Derek Webb, Ruthie Collins, Hush Kids , and Smooth Hound Smith there’s a lot of great stuff to take in. Boy, am I glad I took the deep dive. It’s always difficult to pick favorites, but I am going to highlight some of the songs from Smooth Hound Smith that really spoke to me in the past month of diving into these tunes. 

I love all kinds of music, but the music that really grabs my attention and sticks with me is the kind of music that you can put on, and it immediately has an effect on your mood. Music that puts you in the space where the artist is coming from. For me, that’s what music is all about: connecting with something and letting it take you to another place. 

It wasn’t terribly difficult to find some favorites as I started listening to Smooth Hound Smith. They bring a vibe and a feeling to their music that makes you want to dance, and intently listen to the lyrics at the same time. Which is pretty awesome. Their song “Get Low”, is one of those tunes that gets your feet stomping with it’s pulsating rhythm, laid back guitar grooves, and ethereal vocal harmonies. It’s a song that could just as easily be played at a party as it could on a long drive. As a lover of blues music, “Get Low” is one of those songs that instantly scratches my itch for current blues music that is fresh and fun, while still holding on that rootsy, vintage inspiration. If I was on Spotify going through the blues and roots playlist, this would be the song I would hope to hear. 

While listening to records is something  I can’t get enough of, there is a level of energy that live music brings that takes a song to another level. 

Check out Smooth Hound Smith playing “Get Low” live on #JamInTheVan here.

My next favorite song by Smooth Hound Smith is “Three Shades of Lonely”. This is one of those songs that comes on, and you immediately perk your ears up a little bit. The song perfectly showcases what I love about the band— they undeniably catchy hooks that are melded together through beautiful harmonies by this duo. The chorus from this song gets stuck in my head in the best kind of way, the kind that you are happy to have stuck in your head. One of the other reasons that “Three Shades of Lonely” is a favorite of mine is because of the gritty and soulful guitar that sits back with the drums and then comes out to speak later in the song. As a guitar player myself, this tasteful and expressive guitar work is what I love to hear. Luther Dickinson from the North Mississippi Allstars and  The Black Crowes plays slide guitar on this song, and If you're familiar with him then you know that he brings the soul to whatever group he plays with. Next time I’m in need of some music that brings the feels, this will undoubtedly be in the rotation.   

Like I said before; It’s tough for me to pick favorites, especially when you're choosing from a lot of great music. I’m glad that I sat down and spun all three of Smooth Hound Smith’s records because I found some seriously groovy, soulful, and fun songs in there that I will be keeping in the mainstay of my listening routine. “Get Low” and “Three Shades of Lonely” take me to those places that I am looking to go when I listen to music, and I hope they can do the same for you! 

Check out the duo live next Tuesday, June 30th on their Facebook page for a free livestream of all cover songs. Be sure to mark your calendars for the show! You won’t want to miss it.