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Photos and review by NOTES FROM VIVACE
LOS ANGELES – The Americana West Music Festival returned to Hotel Cafe for their annual two day event. Day one had 17 acts playing across both venue stages. It was a night of upright basses and violins. And well, you’ve got to add in a pedal steel guitar, accordion, and a rough board . . . as well as a lot of guitars and cowboy hats. Mix that all together and you end up with a perfect night of Americana, bluegrass, and country tunes.
Stay tuned for Day 2 coverage on Tuesday.
![Los Rock Angels - All photos by Notes From Vivace](https://usrockermusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Day-1-Los-Rock-Angels1580-915x610.jpg)
The award for standout band of the night goes to Los Rock Angels. Their Tex-Mex, zydeco, and blues sounds hit the spot. The combination of accordion and rough board gave the band a unique spin for the night. The dedicated fans award goes to Matt Michienzie who got the post midnight slot on the Second Stage. A group of ten people or so showed up specifically for the bluegrass sounds.
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Ryan Hahn gets the award for being proud about where you come from. His song “Farmer’s Son” is about growing up in a small town in Kentucky. Gilbert Louie Ray gets the awards for the quickest rapid fire lyrical singing. He sang faster than a Space X rocket launch. Silas Nello gets the award for multi-tasking as he played guitar, harmonica, and tambourine (attached to the right shoe) all at the same time. All this while singing tunes about an existential crisis and mechanical troubles.
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Al Dual gets the award for cutest set of the night as they had a young child join them on the piano for their first song. After the song, the kid took a bow, left the stage, was seen leaving the venue, and perhaps right to bed. Wolf Trap gets the award for most unusual song about a friend who got gangrene. Rose’s Pawn Shop gets the award for best vocals.
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Rae Isla sang, “My dad is a dreamer and so is my mom.” Shane Alexander was having a busy weekend, playing Americana West Fest on Friday, flying off to Nashville for a Saturday set, and then heading off to Birmingham for a Sunday set. That seemed appropriate with the lyrics to a song about a “caged bird born to fly.”
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Francis Blume broke out the whistling while singing about a broken down van and getting his music gear stolen. It was a “bummer of a tour, but I got a song out of it.” Matt Axton closed out the night on the Main Stage with an Americana Joy set, which included various guest musicians who sang a cover and an original.
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Main Stage sets:
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Second Stage sets:
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